Sons
of Sound eNews: February 2004 |
In
This Issue…
1. Artist Profile: Drummer/Composer/Producer Akira
Tana
2. Media Hits: Moon
Over The World, Canyon, and Flip! reviewed
3. Flip! for iTunes: Parsons/Lewin/Patitucci/Monder's Flip! now
available for download
4. Notable Gigs: Bertoncini at Birdland
5. Music Education: Ed Enright on The Commission Project in DownBeat
6. Conference Wrap Up: IAJE and MIDEM
7. New Release: Moon Over The World by
Akira Tana
|
Artist Profile…
 Since
1979, Akira
Tana has been among the most sought-after
drummers on the international jazz scene.
Recognized for his ability to ignite rhythm
sections and create pure musical dialog
with soloists, his colorful and interactive
style has led to concert and club work
with jazz greats including Sonny Rollins,
Jim Hall, Paquito D'Rivera, Jimmy Heath,
Kenny Burrell, and Dizzy Gillespie.
 Mr.
Tana made his U.S. debut as leader on Secret
Agent Men. Joel Roberts for All
About Jazz - New York describes the
disc: "Secret Agent Men,
veteran drummer Akira Tana's treatment
of real and imagined movie themes, works
for one simple reason - it grooves like
hell! And with ringers
like Dr. Lonnie Smith at the B-3, Rodney
Jones on guitar, and Tana's frequent colaborator
Rufus Reid on bass, what else would you
expect?"
 Akira
returns this month as the leader of The
Asian-American Jazz Trio on Moon
Over The World (profiled below
in this issue of eNews). Already
attracting attention from the press for
its jazz interpretations of asian melodies,
Bob Morello in the Boston Post-Gazette writes; "An
exciting and interesting album blending
the music of both cultures!"
Look for a profile of Akira in our ad
in the March 2004 issue of DownBeat,
on newsstands later this month. |
Media Hits…
 <In
more advance notice for Moon
Over The World, Lee Prosser of Jazz
Review writes: "Moon
Over The World is
Tana at his finest. This
CD collection combines the best of contemporary
jazz with world music motifs and improvisional
jazz themes. An unusual blend, it works
perfectly with this trio… Each
song performance is inventive… There
is topnotch solo work on each song, and
each musician is in top form. To hear Tana
and Lo and Reid together is a jazz audience
listening treat, and this CD delivers! For
an eclectic and exciting listening adventure, Moon
Over The World is a delight. Highly
recommended."
 >In
the Februrary 2004 issue of Cadence, Larry
Nai describes Mike Holober's Canyon as
a "marvelous disc that seems
to have come out of nowhere." He
goes on to say: "What strikes
one most imediately about Canyon is
Holober's writing and arranging, which,
together with a superb band, make this
a notable debut.…Holober,
as both pianist and arranger, seems to
draw on the mid-1960's Herbie Hancock for
inspiration, and his playing extends the
influence with a fresh approach to dynamics,
articulation and rhythm. This
is a strong outing that… grows in
detail with each hearing."
 <The
January/February 2004 issue of the Canadian
jazz magazine Coda weighs in on Flip! by
Andy Parsons, Gene Lewin, John Patitucci,
and Ben Monder. Duck Baker writes: "The
level of writing is generally high and
the soloing is quite effective, but the
strong suit is the group interaction that
always keeps thing bubbling along… Parsons
is a convincing saxman and Monder is beginning
to be noticed as one of the best younger
guitarists from the Hall-Frisell
lineage. Both get off well-turned solos,
and their unison sound on quirky lines
like the title track is delicious, but what
keeps the listener coming back is the way
all four musicians listen and react to
each other."
|
Flip! for iTunes…
  More
titles from the Sons of Sound catalog are
available from Apple Computer's iTunes
Music Store. This month, Flip! by
Andy Parsons (saxophones, compositions),
Gene Lewin (drums), Ben Monder (guitar)
and John Patitucci (bass) makes its digital
debut.
Please download the iTunes software for
Macintosh or Windows, then search the store
yourself or follow the links from our website,
like this one > 
 
|
Notable
Gigs…
  From
Wednesday through
Friday, February
11-13, Gene
Bertoncini will
headline the 1st
Annual CHARLIE
CHRISTIAN GUITAR
FESTIVAL at Birdland at
315 West 44th
Street in New
York City.
Mr. Bertoncini
is joined by
some of the
finest guitarists
in jazz, including
John Abercrombie,
Joe Beck, and
newcomer Doug
Wamble.
Mr.
Bertoncini
is supporting
his latest
release on
Sons of Sound, Acoustic
Romance.
We are also
proud to have
Joe Beck on
our label,
having performed
in support
of Jay Leonhart
on his Galaxies
and Planets CD.
Although
he is widely
miss-credited
as the first
to play an
amplified electric
guitar, Charlie
Christian was
definitely
the instrument¹s
first stylistic
innovator,
ushering the
guitar into
the bebop era
and beyond
to a position
of prominence
in modern jazz.
Christian's
personal life
was shrouded
in myth and
urban legend.
He came from
Oklahoma, was
discovered
by the legendary
John Hammond,
recorded for
only two years
(most notably
with Benny
Goodman's sextet)
and died of
tuberculosis
at the age
of 25! Yet
his influence
is felt keenly
through subsequently
influential
jazz guitarists
like Jim Hall
and Kenny Burrell.
For
other
Sons
of
Sound artist
gigs,
please
check
out our calendar online,
where
you will
find Akira
Tana in
the
Bay Area,
including
Stanford
Jazz; Jay
Leonhart at
the
Newport
Beach
Jazz
Party,
the
South
Florida
Jazz
Festival
in
Ft. Lauderdale,
and
the Desert
Hills
Music
Fest
in
Arizona; Bob
Sneider in
Rochester,
NY; Mike
Holober performing
with
John
Patitucci
in
Roanoke,
VA;
and Andy
Parsons
appearing
in
New York
City. |
 Music
Education…
In
the February
2004 issue
of DownBeat,
Ed Enright's "Jazz
On Campus" column
is bears the
title "Grant
Helps The Commission
Project Connect
Composers With
Kids." TCP
is celebrating
generous funding
from The National
Endowment of
the Arts in
support of "Composers
for Kids," a
program of
composers-in-residence
at five Rochester
(NY) area schools.
 TCP
founder and
director Ned
Corman says: "By
bringing in
higher-level
players, we
not only juice
the program
musically,
we provide
additional
inspiration
for the kids." Larry
Neeck, an instrumental
music teacher
in residence
at Cosgrove
Middle School
in Spencerport,
NY, concurs: "The
students are
definitely
getting a unique
experience.
I believe it
will have lasting
meaning for
them."
Sons
of Sound and
its artists
proudly support
music education
through the
efforts of The
Commission
Project,
which is why
you might notice
their logo
on many of
our releases. |
Conference
Wrap Up…
  Judging
from the activity
surrounding
the collective
of American
Independents
at MIDEM,
including Sons
of Sound and
our friends
from Cryptogramophone,
OmniTone/ToneScience,
High Note/Savant,
Drimala,
Thirsty Ear and Palmetto,
US independent
jazz is alive
and well.
Special
thanks to
Tyler Suchman
of Cryptogramophone
for looking
after our
stand at
IAJE in New
York, while
Jeff Gauthier
and I headed
off to MIDEM
in France.
 Thanks
to everyone
who stopped
by the stands
in New York
and in Cannes.
If you picked
up a Jazz
2004 sampler, drop
us a line and
tell us what
you think.
Watch
for future
issues of eNews in
which we hope
to announce
new members
of our international
distribution
team following
this year's
marketplace. |
 New
Release…
Sons
of Sound is
proud to announce
the February
16, 2004 arrival
of Moon
Over The World by
Akira Tana
(SSPCD016).
Joined
by bassist
Rufus Reid
and pianist
Ted Lo, the
drummer leads
a unique Asian-American
trio project
that draws
upon Chinese
and Japanese
pop and folk
melodies as
inspiration
for a set of
improvisational
jazz. Just
as the American
songbook has
provided many
of the standards
of the jazz
repertoire,
Tana looks
to the East
for fresh material
with broad
cultural appeal.
Joel
Roberts in All
About Jazz writes: "Tana,
Reid and Co.
have the chops
and the imagination
to elevate
the material
above the norm,
and the good
sense to have
fun with a
fun idea." Jeff
Potter of Modern
Drummer adds: "teamed
with supremo
bassist Rufus
Reid, Tana’s
drumming leads
the pack with
nimble touch
and urgent
groove." |
More…
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