Winner of the 2007 ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award, Denver-based pianist Ben Markley unveils his new quintet featuring the talents of modern-trumpet genius Greg Gisbert. Well-rooted in the tradition of Bud Powell, Phineas Newborn Jr.., and Oscar Peterson, Markley's playing and compositions explore the history while always looking forward. The album's one standard, "But Beautiful," gets a delicate treatment by Markley, while the opening track, "5-20," displays his compositional strengths and piano prowess. "Ben Markley convincingly demonstrates his potential to impact the jazz scene for years to come." - Jazz Improv NY.
As the follow-up to his critically-acclaimed Big Band recording, "Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton," pianist Ben Markley presents this spirited and thoroughly modern quartet session of original compositions, featuring alto saxophone great Greg Osby. Inspired by their developing musical relationship over the last four years, Markley composed a set of music with Osby in mind, followed by a tour and this recording. With the crisp and fully engaged support of bassist Evan Gregor and drummer Dru Heller, the effect of Markley and Osby's fluid rapport creates an inspired argument for further exploration. "'Basic Economy' is a vivid presentation of the sound of today, with a healthy nod to the institutions of chance and imagination." - Greg Osby
Pianist Ben Markley, along with special guest trumpeter Terell Stafford, celebrates one of the more influential and beloved figures in jazz through this unique project, showcasing many of the late pianist and composer Cedar Walton's most revered tunes through new arrangements for big band. Performing iconic compositions such as "Hindsight," "Bolivia," and "Holy Land," Markley brings together fellow faculty members from the University of Wyoming and top-flight Denver-area musicians to produce an honest and swinging recording that honors Cedar Walton while presenting his music in a bright new light. "Ben has found a way to embrace the music of Cedar Walton and transform it into stellar big band arrangements that express his voice, sound and musical genius." - TERELL STAFFORD"... to hear a big band's interpretation of Cedar's music has to be the most beautiful thing I have ever heard in my life!... I know Cedar is beaming at the results!!" - MARTHA WALTON
For Ben Markley's fourth recording, the fleet pianist/composer teams with New York tenor saxophone great Joel Frahm for a dynamic set of modern jazz originals. Though written specifically with the band of Frahm, drummer Jim White, and bassist Marty Kenny in mind, Markley continually finds inspiration from significant influences in his musical life, most notably Cedar Walton, Chick Corea and Bill Evans. With engaging and elevating support from Kenney and White, Markley and Frahm pop on the boogaloo "'Mon Back," strike a Jazz Messengers-esque pose on the grooving "The Return of Catboy," and strut on the half-time funk of the title tune. "Frahm's playing bubbles over with ear-catching inventiveness and a robust, positive feeling." Ottawa Citizen.
... an upbeat take on the Big Band format, full of adept arrangements and intricate soloing... Markley fleshes the sound out, giving it a propulsive grandeur... - All About Jazz. Whether through his recordings with players like Terell Stafford, Greg Osby or Joel Frahm, or his Big Band recording honoring the music of Cedar Walton, pianist/composer/arranger Ben Markley always provides a platform where his guests can shine. Long appreciating the idiosyncratic rhythmic mastery of drummer Ari Hoenig, along with the equally personal melodic sense of his compositions, Markley was inspired to take on the daunting task of arranging a set of Hoenig's music for Big Band. With roots in the traditional big band world, the music dives deeply into other modes of modern expression, which the Denver-based ensemble brought their A-game for. A session that demanded a high level musicianship and abundant sense of creative adventure, the results provide an aural ride that can best be described as "Ari's Funhouse."
With his two acclaimed big band recordings, and quartet sessions with saxophonists Joel Frahm and Greg Osby, pianist/composer Ben Markley has been steadily building a significant discography since his 2008 OA2 debut. With his fellow artist's strengths in mind, Markley has always written specifically for the session, and "Tell the Truth" is no different. Composed to highlight the hard-swinging resumes of the rhythm section - with bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Kyle Swan - Markley pays tribute to the '60s Blue Note quintet sessions, but hands the usual trumpet role to guitarist Steve Kovalcheck, along with alto saxophonist Wil Swindler, running the front line. Deep grooves, sweet swing and dynamic interplay... This album is one of those sparkling, straight-ahead gems that can convert pop fans into jazz acolytes. - DOWNBEAT "Markley, his comping is exemplary, his solos as lyrical and logical as two of his role models, Cedar Walton and Bill Evans." All About Jazz
Shaped by years of collaboration, Buckshot Blues captures guitarist Steve Kovalcheck's trio chemistry with the famed drummer Jeff Hamilton and bassist Jon Hamar. It highlights the trio's unique blend of precision, spontaneity, and playfulness through 13 mostly original tunes. Filled with soulful grooves and expressive blues inflections, Kovalcheck's melodic clarity and improvisational storytelling shines through as he pays tribute to mentors and friends through titles such as "Donald's Juke Joint," for pianist Donald Brown, or "Bright Child," in memory of organist Akiko Tsuruga, their bandmate who was lost too soon. The result is a vibrant, heartfelt recording that celebrates the spirit of the tradition while carving out a sound that distinctly belongs to this gifted trio of friends. "Steve Kovalcheck exudes soul." DownBeat "swinging hard and shining!" - Jazz Guitar Today
Born in the Soviet Union about 18 hours from Moscow, a young Anna was enthralled with horses. Representing strength, movement, and something deeply poetic, those qualities and the feelings imbued accompanied her through the music conservatory in St Petersburg and to Italy a decade ago where she met Sheila Jordan, who encouraged her to make the move to New York. Following her debut album for the Japanese Venus label with her Italian group, Anna made her move in 2017, establishing herself with a New York produced 3rd album for Venus with top musicians from the scene. Reach for Tomorrow is a story relating to that long journey, a collection of moments and chapters, deeply personal in content and in the interactions with the revered guitarists she chose to share these intimate conversations with. Along for the ride of course is her elegant and noble spirit animal, always there to inspire her dreams. "Her vocals betray a knowing and aware character not afraid to show it's wounds in it's vulnerability, while telegraphing a warning to the listener that it has been all places and knows all things." All About Jazz"Extremely gifted and talented jazz singer; We need more Anna Kolchina's to help us keep this wonderful music of jazz alive." Sheila Jordan, NEA Jazz Master
Possessing a beautiful voice, a solid sense of swing, and a history wrapped within the Great American Songbook, Lisanne Lyons delves into arrangements she enlisted Mike Lewis to create for a jazz orchestra comprised of some of Miami's and New York's finest. From the hard-driving "The Song is You," to the lush "This is Always," Lyons displays a savvy musicianship earned through her vast experiences, including years traveling the world with the NORAD Command Band, national touring with City Of Angels, playing the clubs of New York City, and then her work in education, with former students among the top vocalists of today. With her long-time pianist John Toomey at her side, Lyons pays homage to some of the great vocal interpreters of song by putting her own stamp on these reimagined stories of love and life. "sparkling, scintillating jazz singing; No matter what she's performing, be prepared to hear it differently than it's usually played." All Music Guide "reminding us of the magic that can happen when the right singer, the right song and the right accompaniment fall into place. Blessed with a luminous, flutelike soprano, Lyons delivers a collection particularly well-suited to her bright tone and improvisational flair." - The Washington Post
Bay Area guitarist George Cotsirilos returns to the intimate language of solo nylon-string guitar on "In the Wee Hours," illuminating beloved standards and two original compositions with patience and depth. Recorded largely in unedited first takes over several years, his seventh recording on OA2 unfolds with the quiet authority and refined lyricism that have defined Cotsirilos's career-from his celebrated quartet release Refuge to earlier trio and solo recordings praised for their fluidity and swing. Here, classics such as "Come Sunday," "Haunted Heart," and the title ballad are rendered with a meticulous touch and subtle dynamic shadings that reveal the hidden architecture of each melody. Alternating between exquisite instruments by Jos' Ram¡rez and Alberto Morales, Cotsirilos draws out warm, singing tones that blur the line between jazz phrasing and classical resonance. "- an impeccable sense of timing especially in revealing the hidden rhythms of complex melodies. His approach to harmony is whimsical, but patently beautiful at all times." - All About Jazz " - an unerring sense of swing and melody. His solos, while displaying accuracy and technique, are filled with soul." Vintage Guitar Magazine
Pianist & composer Andrew Moorhead offers a strikingly personal suite of etudes-music born of inquiry, discipline, and risk. Conceived as a kind of private journal, these pieces explore phased time signatures, interlocking melodic cycles, and the elusive space between muscle memory and pure spontaneity. Moorhead's long pursuit of "total liberation" at the piano-having reshaped his technique after catastrophic injuries from a 47-foot fall in 2011-yields a language where skeletal gestures bloom into fluid counterpoint. The result is music that feels at once architectural and airborne. Finding the perfect bandmates in the towering bassist Fran‡ois Moutin, and one of the most idiosyncratic drummers in jazz, Ari Hoenig, their deep rapport generates a kinetic, almost telepathic interplay. Mirage stands as a bold trio statement-intellect and intuition in vivid balance, and a compelling new chapter in Moorhead's evolving voice. "I thought I'd heard just about every approach to the piano, then Andrew Moorhead's new album came along - it's a great reminder that true originality is still out there." Scott Kinsey "... The music is exceptional and consistently engaging. A wonderful recording." All About Jazz
First transforming the iconic music of Cedar Walton into stellar big band arrangements, followed by a dive into the idiosyncratic rhythmic mastery of Ari Hoenig, pianist and composer Ben Markley's two big band albums displayed a formidable voice, always searching for challenges while reveling in surprise. With Tuesday Morning Feeling, Markley steps decisively into his own voice, delivering seven originals and several new arrangements of Thelonious Monk and Cedar Walton. He balances authority and openness, pairing strong melodic ideas with flexible frameworks that invite conversation, risk, and momentum. The band itself is a blend of long-standing Front Range collaborators and world-renowned guest artists, including Terell Stafford, Steve Nelson, Steve Davis, Bijon Watson, and David Wong, whose presence adds both fire and depth to the ensemble sound. Solos burn, the ensemble breathes as one, and the rhythmic engine never loses sight of swing. Tuesday Morning Feeling captures a big band in it's stride: grounded, evolving, and driven by the joy of making music. "a depth of melodicism and harmonic sophistication at work amidst rhythmic brilliance" DownBeat"classic big band sounds, an upbeat take on the format, full of adept arrangements and intricate soloing" DownBeat
