New CDs – November 2011
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CD: Recordando Track: Inesperado Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. The Andrés Ortíz Trío is formed by Colombian pianist Andrés Ortiz, Italian double bass player Antonio Cervellino and Swiss drummer Brian Quinn. They are currently based in Switzerland. Musically, Andrés has a strong Latinamerican folkloric influence from his early years growing and learning in his native country. He’s a talented composer and arranger who has received several awards in Spain, where he was living before moving to Switzerland in 2008. |
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CD: El Cumbanchero Track: El Cumbanchero Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Virtuoso flute player Mark Weinstein is joined this time by strings and percussion, revisiting and reinventing the classic charanga Cuban tradition. Weinstein and Cuban pianist Aruán Ortiz produced this album, and Ortiz also contributed brilliant arrangements for this project. Flutist Danilo Lozano writes in the liner notes: "For me, this recording has borne the musical and cultural challenges inherent in performing Latin jazz." |
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CD: Plays Toninho Horta Track: Retrato Do Gato Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. In this new album, superb Brazilian drummer Duduka Da Fonseca is joined by his musical partners, David Feldman on piano and Guto Wirtti on acoustic bass. They are the Rio de Janeiro-based Duduka Da Fonseca Trio, rendering hommage to Toninho Horta, another extraordinary Brazilian artist (singer-songwriter and guitarist). This project is a tremendous follow-up to Duduka’s 2009 Latin Grammy- nominated "Brazilian Trio Forests." |
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CD: Live at Bird’s Eye Track: Sambatropolis Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. The harmonica and the vibraphone take a new dimension on Hendrik Meurkens hands. This album, recorded live at the Bird’s Eye club, in Basel, Switzerland, is uplifting and refreshing. Meurkens is joined by Misha Tsiganov on piano, Gustavo Amarante on bass and Adriano Santos on drums (and pandeiro on track #5). This project showcases the most representative Brazilian rhythms: Samba, Bossa, Choro and some beautiful Jazz ballads. Truly enjoyable. |
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CD: David Murray Cuban Ens. Plays Nat King Cole en Español Track: Quizás, Quizás, Quizás Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Based on the two recordings en español by Nat King Cole, released around 50 years ago, this is truly an innovative interpretation of those historic albums by saxophonist, conmposer and bandleader David Murray and his 10-piece Cuban ensemble. Some of the best Cuban musicians participate on this project, which is enhanced with a Portuguese string section (Sinfonieta of Sines), tango revivalist singer Daniel Melingo and bandoneón player Juanjo Mosalini, both from Argentina. The final result is magnificent. |
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In Conversation with Flutist, Composer, Arranger, Mark Weinstein
September 1, 2010 by danavas
Filed under Interviews
Interview by: Thomas Peña
"First came the transition from trombonist to flutist. Then came the transition to Latin jazz. For Mark Weinstein, a confluence of worlds has become modus operandi." Woodrow Wilkins, All About Jazz (www.allaboutjazz.com).
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TP: Congratulations on yet another splendid recording. By all accounts "Timbasa" has been well received.
MW: Yes, it has.
TP: How did the recording come about?
MW: When I made "Algo Mas" I knew that I was "locked" into a folkloric thing, so I asked (drummer/educator) Bobby Sanabria to recommend a drummer and he suggested that I contact Pedrito Martinez. When I decided to move into more mainstream Latin Jazz I combined Pedrito with (pianist) Mark Levine, (bassist) Santi DeBriano and (drummer) Mauricio Herrera.
TP: On "Con Alma" …
MW: Right. The reason I am focusing on Pedrito is that "Timbasa" is as much his project as it is mine. He co-produced the recording and set things up in response to a funny challenge. I ran into him somewhere and he asked me when we were going to collaborate on another project. Sort of goofing on him I said, "Find me a piano player and a bass player who are as good as you and bring a couple of drummers." I had no idea what he was going to deal me! The thing about Pedrito is that he is in a class all by himself. He has the "chops" but his "head" is enormous!
TP: What did Pedrito "deal you?"
MW: Well, I went into the studio with a lot of confidence in Pedrito but not much else. The only thing I was sure of was that the he was bringing in Cuban musicians who are steeped in jazz. I asked Pedrito to bring some material and I thumbed through the book that I use when I do gigs, which represents the history of Latin Jazz. I had all the old war horses (tunes), "Watermelon Man," "Caravan" and "Milestones," which thanks to Larry Harlow, is the first Latin jazz tune I ever played! I played with Larry as a sideman (trombonist) in the Catskills. At the time he had a quintet and he realized right away that "Milestones" was a natural with a Latin beat. As a goof I also included a tune that I wrote for my infamous "Cuban Roots" album titled "Just Another Guajira."
Pedrito brought drummers, Mauricio Herrera and Ogduardo Diaz. Then there was this kid, a wild man with his hair sticking up in a million different directions, running around the studio. When he and I first met I was in the recording booth and I had all of my flutes on a stand. I remember being concerned that he was going to knock them down, so I said to him, "Hey man, be careful with the flutes!" and he replied, "I might be hyper, but I am a musician." Then he went into the piano booth and started playing some serious Chopin!
TP: What is his name?
MW: Axel Oscar Lougart. He’s 23 or 24 years old and he represents a generation of conservatory trained Cuban musicians who have spent the same amount of time studying classical music, jazz and folkloric music. This is the phenomenon of the Cuban education system that we are getting as they use the U.S. as their launching pad.
Speaking of another Cuban phenomenon, I am in the midst of making a recording with pianist, Aruan Ortiz, which is another funny story. Aruan sent out an e mail blast seeking work and his resume was a who‘s who of prestigious conservatories. I called him up and spoke to him about a Charanga album that I had originally intended for pianist, Omar Sosa. Aruan jumped at the chance and immediately composed four danzones and a bolero, two of which are modern, yet reminiscent of the music of Arcaño y Sus Maravillas and Israel "Cachao" Lopez. Aruan is another example of the amazing young musicians who are coming out of Cuba.
But I digress. There was another guy in the studio standing quietly in a corner who turned out to be bassist Panagiotis Andreou, who happens to be Greek. As I was watching the musicians interact, I noticed something that I haven’t seen since trombonist, Barry Rogers was on the scene. The high degree of respect that he commanded from the Cuban musicians. The thing about Panagiotis is that he is a trained classical guitar player and plays a six string bass that goes down to the notes that only whales can hear. When he plays fast his fingers barely move. He plays with such comfort and the way he lays in the tumbao … It’s like Pedrito and all those young Cuban cats. They have so much confidence in each other that nobody has to lay things out. Everybody can play with whatever subtlety and nuance they choose.
TP: Given Barry’s legacy, that’s saying a lot. How did things go in the studio?
MW: We recorded and worked out all of the arrangements in the studio, with the exception of the complicated drum breaks, which Pedrito sang to the drummers. There are a couple of amazing things about the way the musicians played and interacted with one another. The most obvious being the complex percussion breaks. If you listen to the tune, "Timbasa," you will notice that the Clave is being played on the high hat while the drums are playing the break, but there is also a clave popping in and out! What Pedrito is doing on the clave and in between the clave is so perfect that it’s amazing.
TP: Given the generation gap between you and the other members of the band, did you feel out of your element?
MW: Performing with these guys was like running with the bulls in Pamplona! I had to play very fast in order to stay out of their way, but no matter what I chose to do, they were right there with me. It’s such a blessing to play with such great musicians.
TP: "Timbasa" has received very favorable reviews and a significant amount of airplay.
MW: I recently had a conversation with pianist, Mark Levine about his album, "Off and On – The Music of Moacir Santos." When I asked him how his recording was doing he said, "Great reviews, great radio play, no sales!" I wrote him back and said, "Hey man, sounds like you are talking about my record!" The recording is holding steadily and everybody who responded to me personally has said very positive things. Perhaps one of the highest praises I received was from (percussionist) Bobby Matos, who said it was "Fresh." Not bad for a 70 year old musician!
(For more on Mark Levine, visit: http://www.marklevine.com/recordings.html)
TP: Not bad at all!
MW: There is no standard for me in my playing other than the absolute highest.
TP: One of the things that I have always admired you is the fact that you are absolutely fearless.
MW: My intention is to play the best music that I can possibly play. I have confidence in the fact that I can go into any rhythmic situation and feel comfortable. That’s something I learned from playing with Eddie Palmieri‘s band. It was the most swinging band in the world and I had to know where the ONE was at all times. Sometimes I would get lost, but I would always find my way back – not by counting – but by dancing! Because at the end of the day it’s dance music. That’s my attitude toward the music of the African Diaspora. I just want sit on top of that rhythm and play free.
TP: For those readers who may not be aware of your "other life" you were a trombonist and a member of the original La Perfecta, the hippest and most swinging Latin band to ever grace a stage.
You already mentioned a few of your future projects. Is there anything else that you are working on that we should know about?
MW: I recently ran into Jochen Becker, the President of Zoho Records and he said to me, "If you want to get nominated for a Grammy you need to do a Tango album. I have just the guy for you." The "guy" turned out to be none other than (bassist) Pablo Aslan. So I called Pablo and he agreed to write five tangos for me. After listening to the material, I thought to myself, wow, this is really interesting stuff but does it really need a flute player? I did the five tangos and tried to figure out, what goes with Tango? The answer I came up with was, (Cuban) danzones. After doing half an album of danzones I realized the Tangos and the danzones are beautiful, however, I am not so sure how well they work acoustically, or as part of an album. In the meantime, Aruan has been pushing me to finish the Charanga album. So I said, OK, but we have to do something contrasting, like Guaracha or Charanga, New York style … fast! … I want to cook! At which point Aruan asks me if I was familiar with the tune, "El Cumbanchero?" (Laughs). As it turns out, "El Cumbanchero" is the working title of the album, which is almost finished. I am still trying to decide what to do with the five Tangos. They are very traditional, which is a problem because I play "free" over very traditional material.
TP No doubt you will figure it out. Uncharted waters are your cup of tea.
MW: That’s true, but I didn’t have the comfort and familiarity with Argentinean music. Anyway, I think for the other five tunes I might want to put together a quartet and get together with some Argentinean jazzers. Also, I want to do another straight-ahead jazz album, because at the end of the day I am a jazz musician. I have always felt entitled to play anybody else’s music the way I saw fit, however, I always did it with complete respect for the music. That is what I have to offer as a jazz musician. I don’t play traditional music, I play jazz with traditional music. Now I can add the traditional music of modern Cuba to my repertoire (Laughs).
TP: You have always been ahead of the curve; you put your money where your mouth is and your passion for the music has never wavered. Moreover, your body of work as a trombonist, flutist and leader is impressive. That’s a legacy to be proud of.
MW: I want a legacy. I want to make a contribution. I want people to know that Mark Weinstein tried to play music.
TP: You have certainly succeeded in doing that. And let’s not forget the countless upstarts you have collaborated with and inspired along the way.
MW: I almost 70 years old and I feel like I am at the top of my game.
TP: Once again, congratulations. Please give my best regards to your co-conspirators and Randy Klein of Jazzheads Records. I look forward to seeing the band perform in a live setting.
MW: Thank you Tomas, I appreciate your support.
VISIT MARK WEINSTEIN’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://jazzfluteweinstein.com/
Mark Weinstein – Timbasa (JazzHeads – 2010)
It would seem that there is no stopping flutist, Mark Weinstein. While the composer and instrumentalist extraordinaire may not have trumped his awe-inspiring expedition into the realm of improvisation, Tales From The Earth (Ota Records, 2009) his album, Timbasa has certainly turned out to be an alchemist’s dream. Who would ever have imagined that Miles Davis’ languorous performance of “Milestones” could be regenerated as an extravagant and masterful Afro-Cuban adventure? And yet, between percussion colorist, Pedrito Martinez and Weinstein that chart has been completely reborn, making even Miles’ original literally a thing of the past. As sacrilegious as that might sound it remains absolutely true.
Beginning with the thunderous report of congas, timbales and batás, accented with splashing cymbals and drums clod-hopping in a mad dance around bass and piano the ensemble awaits the fluttering ululation of Weinstein’s concert flute. No sooner does he enter the proceedings he completely deconstructs the melody with dazzling gymnastics turning Miles tune into a hypnotic, percussive masterpiece. This he daubs with superb touches of color and harmony giving it an ethereal beauty that is quite incomparable while the percussionists —three in all- take the music to a breathtaking crescendo that sucks the proverbial air out of the lungs.
From there on it is all upward. “Timbasa” is another mesmerizing chart, an invitation to party for as long as there is music —something that the inner ear wants never to end. Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints” is equally transformed as the Miles Davis chart. Weinstein retains the mysterious, metaphysical nature of the piece but redecorates all else, especially the harmonic progression, which no longer dances in a predictable linear manner, but is more vertical and otherworldly. Herbie Hancock’s eternal “Watermelon Man” is also magnificently reborn with a new rhythm bestowed upon that swaggering vendor of the luscious fruit.
But perhaps the greatest transformation of a classic is reserved for Duke Ellington’s deeply mysterious “Caravan”. To begin with, bassist, Panagiotis Andreau vocalizes a new opening sequence somewhere in between a Turkish muezzin calling the faithful to discover the existence of the Divine, while his fingers gallop like a caravanserai of mad nomads every which way that his bass will allow them to roam. Even the body of the piece that normally sways like a mirage in the heat of the desert begins to dance as if fired up by a thousand dervishes.
Such exquisite work adorns every track on the album, including the wonderful piece of musical tapestry that Andreau and Weinstein have woven in “Kavaklari Cubano,” a wondrous Mediterranean number that turns bewitching as Weinstein works his magic on flute. In the liner notes it appeared odd that Weinstein would heap such unabashed praise on the musicians who accompanied him on this sojourn. However, by the time the last notes of his deceptively nondescript “Just Another Guajira” it is any wonder that the flutist found this to be his finest accompaniment on record.
Tracks: Milestones; Timbasa; Footprints; Watermelon Man; A Ernesto; Caravan; Encuentro; Kavaklari Cubano; Just Another Guajira.
Personnel: Mark Weinstein: concert, alto, bass flutes; Axel Tosca Taugart: piano; Panagiotis Andreau: electric bass, vocals; Mauricio Herrera: drums, timbales, guiro; Ogduardo Diaz: bongos, batá; Pedrito Martinez: congas, timbales, batá, percussion.
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Mark Weinstein on the web: www.jazzfluteweinstein.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Mark Weinstein – Lua e Sol (Jazzheads Records 2008)
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The amazing thing about Lua e Sol the new record by Mark Weinstein, is that might easily have passed like a ship in the night. It if did, it would appear to be a case of history repeating itself, for his historic recording, Cuban Roots (Catalogue Music, 1967) was similarly treated – almost as if it did not matter, when in fact it was one of the earliest and most important records of that and any time in Latin Jazz musical history. This should never happen to this record, Lua e Sol for several reasons. It is time that Weinstein takes his rightful place in musical history – somewhere near the top – as an instrumentalist, composer and innovator when it comes to letting the various idioms of music flow in the flue of his various woodwinds.
That Weinstein has both a masterful understanding of the flute, and control of its tonal palette is like a mathematical constant. That he is able to control his breath to such a superhuman extent and create such an exquisite sonic language on such a difficult instrument is all too magical. Then there is the concept or theme of this record – Lua e Sol – moon and sun, dark and light. And then there is the music itself, which when listened to reveals not only just how modern and contemporary it is, but also the allegorical side of the record. It is a musical, but also a human journey that examines the nooks and corners of darkness and light. It is inspirational to discover source of the sound and its purity… To hear how the music ascends to a superior plane… And that has only happened because Weinstein has subordinated himself to the source of creativity and its instrument – the breath of the musician and the fingers that manipulate the instrument that whirls and twirls notes, phrases and sounds.
This record uses a Brazilian medium and delves into that music milieu as well, to reveal its tonal colors in shades of black and white, dark and light, and the cool and heat of the interstellar symbols that have come to be the iconic sources of that light and dark. Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes’ “Canto de Ossanha,” and the Joao Donato/Gilberto Gil piece, “Emorio” – especially the latter – with its use of bass and alto flutes, beautifully describe the idiomatic approach to the record. The Pixinguinha songs too, though short, are remarkable as well. Weinstein’s own compositional contributions to the record, “Estrelinha,” and the title track, “Lua e Sol” appear to be headed to the realm of the classic as musical programs as well as vehicles for the flute.
And of course there is the interplay between the masterful musicians who make up the quartet. Romero Lubambo has always been on the cutting edge of the guitar. His is a sensitive and emotional approach to the instrument and he is the consummate accompanist and soloist whenever he is called to play that role. Nilson Matta is, together with Zeca Assumpçao and only a handful of others, the premier bassist to come out of the Southern part of the American continent. His work with the great Don Pullen on the Afro Brazilian Connection records is now legendary. Mata is exquisite in the bowed entry to the title track. And Cyro Baptista joins Nana Vasconcelos and Paulinho da Costa in a sublimely skilled percussion triumvirate. Baptista is not conjurer of such immense skill that comparisons to someone like Liszt on the piano would not be such a stretch.
Remarkably, this record is not just a profound musical statement, but also one of the most entertaining expressions in sound as well. It is also a master class in the playing of the flute. It is one for a time capsule of this day and age.
Tracks: Canto de Ossanha; Estrelinha; Floresta; Isaura; Choro da Gafiera; Lua e Sol; Emorio; Segura Ele; Pra Machuchar Meu Coraçao; Upa Negrinho.
Personnel: Mark Weinstein: concert, alto and bass flutes; Romero Lubambo: classical guitar; Nilson Matta: acoustic bass; Cyro Baptista: Brazilian percussion.
Mark Weinstein on the web: www.jazzfluteweinstein.com | www.myspace.com/markweinstein
Review written by: Raul da Gama
