With Project-K, Jim Snidero breaks new ground. Absorbing and refracting varied aspects of Korean folkways, he delves into a topic near and dear to his home and heart. "Having a Korean wife, family and friends, I've been immersed in Korean culture for more than 20 years," he shares. "Between Korean history, culture and philosophy, I felt that there was much to explore musically." Bridging his own wide-ranging aesthetic with those very traditions, Snidero turns out one of the most distinctive dates of his career. In choosing the personnel to flesh out this music, Snidero's decisions proved shrewd and sound. The rhythm section, comprised of pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Rudy Royston, brings a rare balance of sensitivity, strength and insight to these ventures. And trumpeter Dave Douglas serves as the perfect front line foil for the saxophonist. "I wanted to use a traditional Korean instrument on Project-K and the gayageum appealed to me the most. My goal was to fully integrate the instrument within some of the arrangements," says Snidero, and Do Yeon Kim was the natural choice. As a group, we were all able to create what I believe is both unique and inspired music."
2018 release. Pat Bianchi is a jazz organist. In 2010, Downbeat named him among the ten best organists in jazz. He took up piano at age seven and began formal lessons at age 12. He studied classical piano at the Eastman School of Music and jazz piano at the Berklee School of Music. He is currently based in New York City.
Jerry Bergonzi's quintessentially modern tenor sax style melds the linear, chromatic approach of such greats as Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane. Featuring pianist Bruce Barth and trumpeter Phil Grenadier, this is Bergonzi's first quintet recording for Savant Records and finds in him in fine form as a player and as a composer.
Joe Chambers has been described as one of the great drummers to come out of the '60s. Also a master of all mallet instruments, piano and a composer, he has performed with most of the modern jazz giants, including Freddie Hubbard, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie and the Max Roach M'Boom Ensemble. Joe Chambers, the composer, has scored soundtracks for several films and it is his composing and arranging talents which are spotlighted in his most recent recording with this all-star large jazz ensemble.
Described as being "soulful, swinging and yet utterly modern", New York based alto saxophonist Jim Snidero's music seems to encapsulate what is both unique and compelling about jazz. Snidero exercises his composing chops on INTERFACE as well, penning all the tunes on the set list and drawing an astonishing array of color from the sax-guitar-bass-drums quartet combination.
When Cedar Walton talks, the jazz world listens and when Cedar came to Savant Records' asking to make a record with a young tenor sax player from Bologna, they knew that this would be a major talent. Piero Odorici has established quite a name for himself in Italy and is the tenor sax of choice for George Cables, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Cobb, Ray Mantilla and others. For his US recording debut, Piero is 'backed' by the Cedar Walton Trio in 8 selections made up of jazz standards with a liberal sprinkling of original tunes by each band member.
Among the most talented and resourceful figures in the exciting Miami Latin Jazz scene, Venezuelan pianist Silvano Monasterios leads the way. As a performer and composer he is among the most gifted today and his piano playing and compositions have appeared on recordings by artists such as Dave Liebman, Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo Sandoval and Dee Dee Bridgewater. With an insatiable appetite for challenge & change, Silvano has brought his quintet into the studio and recorded eight new compositions which combine his Venezuelan roots with the rich American Jazz Heritage.
Jim Snidero has developed a truly unique voice on the alto sax building on the foundation of the past while pointing the way to the future. With compositions that exploit the full potential of the alto saxophone's expressive range, Snidero has gathered side artists who all seem to be joined at the hip, with each providing sensitive support for the other, shadowing or provoking every move. This is challenging, thoughtful jazz which draws you in rather than alienates and which reveals no weaknesses in an unforgiving, nowhere-to-hide lineup.
Beginning his career with Latin music greats such as Xavier Cugat and Monguito Conjunto, Ray has played with such wildly diverse personalities as Eartha Kitt, Freddie Hubbard, Larry Coryell, Morgana King, Gato Barbieri, Cedar Walton, Michael Urbaniak, Kenny Burrell, Shirley Scott and countless others. Together with Max Roach, he was a founding member of the popular percussion ensemble M'Boom. Here is a lesson in Latin music from the man who perhaps knows it best, having helped define it's evolution during the course of his remarkable career, Ray Mantilla.
Anybody who has ever heard vocalist Barbara Morrison command a stage knows that she possesses an effervescent singing style that drips with soul and a ribald sense of humor. The singer spent her early career working with the blues legend Eddie "Clean head" Vinson who gave the young singer a secure grounding in the blues. For her Savant Records debut, Morrison is joined by that most soulful of tenor players, Houston Person in a program of bluesy standards which could have been a Dinah Washington set list. Savant is proud to welcome Barbara Morrison's spirited vocals to their roster.
