New Music Monday for May 29, 2017

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.     

 

New York’s idyllic Hudson River Valley has been a rich source of inspiration for many millennia, from its rich sacred and artistic Native American heritage, to the rise of the 19th century Hudson River school of art, to the folk and rock movement that led to the era-defining Woodstock Festival in 1969. The next chapter in that remarkable history arrives in the form of “Hudson,” a new collective that brings together four of the world’s most influential jazz musicians. Drummer Jack DeJohnette, guitarist John Scofield, keyboardist John Medeski and bassist Larry Grenadier can each boast careers that are stunning in their diversity and reach. Their extraordinary debut as a group strikingly captures the atmosphere and beauty of the region while celebrating the extraordinary music that has emerged from it. It mixes original music with thrilling renditions of songs by the likes of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix and The Band.

 

Hailed by the Wall Street Journal as one of the “most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation, Bria Skonberg was recognized last summer as one of “25 for the Future” by Downbeat magazine, and Vanity Fair cited her as a Millennial “Shaking Up the Jazz World.” Coming off a recent Canadian Juno Award for her first collection on Okeh Records, Skonberg spins her cool and confident vocal style—and her sleek and timeless jazz chops on trumpet—on her new disc, “With a Twist,” deftly paying tribute to some great singers who influenced her.

 

 

 

                            

Also this week, trombonist Steve Davis has assembled a stellar group of masters for his new CD, “Think Ahead,” including drummer Lewis Nash, bassist Peter Washington and pianist Larry Willis.  Organist Akiko Tsuruga and her trio mates Jeff Hamilton and Graham Dechter, who appeared at the Iowa City Jazz Festival last summer, offer up “So Cute, So Bad”.

 

 

Saxophonist and composer Roxy Coss unveils her latest, “Chasing the Unicorn.”

 

 

Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – The Cookers

By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern

Andrew Gilbert of The Boston Globe says The Cookers “embody the serious-as-death commitment that it took to thrive on the New York scene some four decades ago” (Andrew Gilbert, The Boston Globe)

“A dream team of forward-leaning hard-bop” Nate Chinen, NY Times.

Essentially the musical chemists of bebop and fusion, these gentlemen came from jazz backgrounds that were a musical uproar in history, working with artists such as Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Miles Davis, and many more. This created an opportunity for these veteran jazzers to develop a post-bop original sound that brings the 60’s right to your ears.

The Cookers play at the Iowa City Jazz Festival on Saturday, July 1st at 9 p.m. on the main stage.

 

 

Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – Donny McCaslin Group

By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern

Donny McCaslin is a critically acclaimed saxophonist who is recently known for working with David Bowie on his album, “Blackstar.” McCaslin has created a bold, exploratory new sound in jazz, blasting out new styles of rhythms and arena-inspired rock sound with gusto while still keeping a loyal bond to improvisational jazz. At the Jazz Festival, he will be joined by Nate Wood on drums, Jason Lindner on keyboards, and Jonathan Maron on bass.

Currently, McCaslin and his group have been working on an album dedicated to David Bowie, “Beyond Now.”

“David Bowie was a visionary artist whose generosity, creative spirit, and fearlessness will stay with me the rest of my days. Beyond Now is dedicated to him and to all who loved him.” (Donny McCaslin)

The Donny McCaslin Group plays the festival at the main stage on Sunday, July 2nd at 6 p.m.

Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – Stacey Kent

By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern

“Stacey Kent is a revelation. There is nobody singing today who can compare with her. She has the style of the greats, like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. And she sings the words like Nat Cole – clean, clear and almost conversational with perfect phrasing. And that’s as good as it gets.” (Jay Livingston)

The story of Stacey Kent can surprise you. She was a language student in Europe studying for a degree in comparative literature, but then she found herself in London where she enrolled in a graduate music program at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and where she met her future husband and musical collaborator, Jim Tomlinson and later rose to become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed jazz vocalists of the modern era.

A key theme for Stacey Kent’s artistic center is romance. She writes timeless and beautiful rhythms and stories that mend with jazz so beautifully because of the poetic nature of romance.

Stacey Kent performs the festival on the main stage on Sunday, July 2nd at 8 p.m.

 

Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – John Raymond & Real Feels

By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern

“Electrifyingly new and strangely familiar at the same time…with his mix of modern sounds and old-fashioned feeling, Raymond is steering jazz in the right direction.” (DownBeat Magazine)

As a trumpeter, educator, and composer, Raymond brings a modern take to the classics we all have come to love. He was worked with musicians such as Billy Hart, Orrin Evans, Linda Oh, Gilad Hekselman and Dan Tepfer, and his latest album – “Foreign Territory” – has received critical acclaim. Currently residing in New York City, Raymond teaches at the United Nations International School.

John Raymond & Real Feels will be performing at the main stage at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 2nd.

 

Culture Crawl 258 “From Red Rocks to Telluride, via Iowa City”

Kevin Hanick and the music committee for the Iowa Arts Festival have brought dozens of famous musicians to the June event over the years. This year is no exception, with headliners that include Son Volt, Elephant Revival, and Jeremy Kittel. This is not to take away from over 100 artist booths in a juried show, Culinary Row, and family activities each day.

June 2-4 in downtown Iowa City. Information at www.summerofthearts.org.

Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – Kris Davis Quintet

By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern

“A deeply thoughtful, resolutely individual artist who offers an ‘uncommon creative adventure.’ Davis draws you in so effortlessly that the brilliance of what she’s doing doesn’t hit you until the piece has slipped past.” according to JazzTimes.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Piano from the University of Toronto and attended the Banff Centre for the Arts jazz program in 1997 and 2000. Davis made her debut on record as a leader for Lifespan with three albums. Davis’s 2011 solo piano album on Clean Feed, Aeriol Piano, appeared on Best of the Year lists in The New York Times, JazzTimes and Art Forum.

With a strong and diverse background in jazz piano, Kris Davis will be sure to bring the audience to a musical exploration with her quintet during this year’s festival. 

The Kris Davis Quintet plays at the Iowa City Jazz Festival on Saturday, July 1st at 7 p.m. on the main stage.

 

Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – Christopher’s Very Happy. Band.

By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern

“The jubilant sound of Christopher’s Very Happy. Band. results from a combination of bright sounding compositions played with joyous abandon by its members.”

Christopher Merz brings the audience an innovative type of sound, Happiness, through jazz, rock, pop, and classical influences. Merz and fellow musicians Michael Conrad, Dave Tiede, and Drew Morton create a wonderful and energetic experience that melt away the stigmas of jazz music while creating an uplifting and creative sound.

Christopher’s Very Happy. Band will take the main stage on Saturday, July 1st at 3 p.m.