Kari van der Kloot’s third album Window draws elements from different genres of music while keeping the spirit of jazz at the forefront. Window is anchored by Kari’s ethereal vocals floating over rich, earthy layers of flutes and synthesizers, and nuanced and thoughtful playing by the rhythm section.  Featuring ten original compositions (including a setting of a poem by Pablo Neruda), the music glides seamlessly between intricately arranged ensemble playing and improvised abandon. Kari has an innate skill for crafting approachable melodies that belie the depth and complexity of her compositions. 

This album features a stellar cast of New York based musicians:  flautist Elsa Nilsson, keyboardist Jamie Reynolds, bassist Gary Wang and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell. This is an ensemble that has been working together for years, and it certainly shows. Kari’s longtime rhythm section plays with a masterful level of communication. The addition of flute phenom Elsa Nilsson to the quintet adds a unique and unexpected layer to Kari’s songs. Together, these five musicians establish an atmosphere of trust and freedom throughout the album. Each musician’s individual voice shines through clearly in each song while they weave a multi-layered musical tapestry together. 

With an inquisitive and searching tone, Kari vulnerably lays it all on the line. Many of these songs were written during the early days of the pandemic in New York City: Kari’s deeply personal lyrics reflect on the difficult balance between isolation and the needs of a community, as well as the growth that can come from periods of solitude. Totem was inspired by the work of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and features a swirling, fast-moving onslaught of chords with fleeting moments of repetition. The song Trust Exercise explores trust issues while featuring a mysterious, hard-to-grasp intro of layered flutes and vocals.  Sprout shows the ensemble communicating at its best, revisiting past trauma and the growth it inspires. The album culminates with Keeping Quiet, a setting of Pablo Neruda’s poem A callarse. A stunning duet between Kari and pianist Jamie Reynolds, Neruda’s text implores us to take the time to be still in our lives. 

Window is available here

Kari van der Kloot - Voice, Compositions 

Elsa Nilsson - Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute 

Jamie Reynolds - Piano, Synthesizers 

Gary Wang - Bass 

Nathan Ellman-Bell - Drums 

http://www.karivanderkloot.com

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Rebecca Trescher was born in Tübingen in 1986. She lives and works as a freelance composer, clarinetist, and bandleader in Nuremberg and Berlin. Driven by boundless curiosity and the joy of experimenting with both jazz and symphonic contemporary music, she has acquired an outstanding reputation in the German and international jazz scene. Her compositional ideas are closely related to nature: her music is both grounded and ethereal. Her role models include musicians as varied as Björk, Bob Brookmeyer, Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Radiohead, Maurice Ravel, Wayne Shorter, Igor Stravinsky, and Questlove. In her compositions, Trescher creates a unique sound world that is associative and organic rather than provocative. Critics and audiences alike have been fascinated by her ability to use only a few notes to transform a serene musical atmosphere into poetic arcs of tension at a symphonic scale.

Rebecca Trescher is a frequent guest at prominent festivals. Her concerts are regularly recorded and streamed by the Bavarian Radio and Arte. On international concert stages, she performs most frequently with the Rebecca Trescher Tentet and the Rebecca Trescher Quartet, but also as a soloist and as a duo with the Greek guitarist Giorgos Tabakis. She has received numerous prizes and scholarships, including the German Jazz Prize for “Composition of the Year 2022”. In that same year, she won DownBeat magazine’s international critics’ poll as “Rising Star Clarinet”. 

About 'Character Pieces'

At high altitudes, it’s comforting when a melody inspires trust. Wild dreams begin peacefully. Cloud travelers move forward with uneven meters. But what would a night without harp be like? Layer by layer, new and constantly changing vistas open. In the riverbed, wild frothing waters run deep. And what is the mustard maker doing? 

 In the character pieces that Rebecca Trescher composed for her Tentet, there is much to hear, to experience, to think about. Subtly orchestrated symphonic sound colors merge into one another. Arcs of tension stretch to the horizon, full of intensifications, changes of direction, and rhythmic transformations. All of this is interspersed with spaces for improvisation as well as seamless transitions between combo passages and multi-voiced activity – always with great clarity. Rebecca Trescher plays the clarinet and loves melodies. Melodies are not linear. In the contexts where she employs them, they have a shimmering ambiguity. Trescher’s Tentet is an experienced team. Every member contributed an idea to this project. The bandleader used these ideas to make something of her own and returned them to the group, where the material fell on fertile soil – the result of the group’s years of working together.  

When the players improvise, they are not necessarily playing jazz. Every member of the group is able to take on a constantly shifting array of roles, languages, and personal characteristics. Each player contributes their own version of the developing collective narrative, and all of these paths point in the same direction. 

In Rebecca Trescher’s music, things are never as one might expect. No trusted formulas, no predictable changes, no hastily constructed comfort zone. It’s more complex. Always. A number of people, musical approaches, ideas, and dynamic or rhythmic proclivities are consistently involved, often simultaneously. And everything is significant. 

Band:

Rebecca Trescher – Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Composition, Arrangement, Conception

Julian Hesse – Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Joachim Lenhardt – Tenor Saxophone, Flute

Markus Harm – Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet

Anton Mangold – Concert Harp, Alto Saxophone, Flute

Juri Kannheiser – Cello

Andreas Feith – Piano

Roland Neffe – Vibraphone

Christian Diener – Double Bass

Silvio Morger – Drums

More information about Rebecca Trescher Tentet: www.rebeccatrescher.com

Award-winning, Selmer-endorsed saxophonist, composer and bandleader, Hannah Horton releases her brand new live album ‘Live In Soho’ at Toulouse Lautrec on April 26! Tickets here

Recorded at the iconic Pizza Express Jazz Club inSoho in front of a sold-out audience, ‘Live in Soho’ is full of energy, intoxicating excitement, with a beautiful flow of tracks. It features a selection ofHannah’s own compositions alongside her interpretation of songs that she holds close to her heart. Hannah’s baritone playing is both cheeky andlyrical. Listen to Las Vegas Tango to be transported toa smoky club in sin city, or the Horn Dance if you want to experience how a Morris Man on speed would feel, then cheer yourself up by soaring with the birds on Surfing Thermals.Hannah Horton’s band is a vibrant and energised quartet. As well as Hannah on baritone and tenor saxophone, it features Tim Lapthorn on piano, RobStatham on electric bass and Nic France on drums.The synergy between these razor-sharp musicians is apparent on first listen.

Hannah Horton is an artist who goes her own way. Herstrong, clear tone, powerful rhythmic sense and compelling sense of melody make her an unmistakable voice on the scene. As a bandleader, she has been working with the same group of talented musicians for fifteen years: as composer, she released her second album Inside Out in 2021to overwhelmingly positive reviews, receiving aParliamentary Jazz Award nomination for Best Newcomer:as a performer, she’s played at all of the UK’s most prominent jazz venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, The RoyalFestival Hall, the Barbican, and the 606 Jazz Club, selling out her London Jazz Festival shows. Recognition from the musical establishment has come in the form of awards,endorsements and diplomas, but it’s the way that audiences respond to her unashamedly positive, uninhibitedly personal music, and the emotional honesty of her accessible,engaging take on jazz that delivers the definitive accolade.Hannah’s music always prioritises melody and a sense of playfulness to create a very personal take on jazz that is informed equally by a strong affinity to groove. There are echoes of some of her favourites like Mark Lockheart andKeith Jarrett, and classical composers like Gerald Finzi - but ultimately there’s no-one else who sounds quite like her - aMelodic Maverick.

“There’s a deeper dimension to her art” – BBC Music Magazine

“Hannah is real. She is authentic. She is an artist who draws you in, engages you, inspires you and captivates you” Jazz in Europe

“There’s bold and gritty playing, on both baritone and tenor sax” - Jazz Wise

“Hannah makes the big beast of a baritone sax sound like an angel” – Ian Shaw

Produced by Hannah Horton
Recorded at Pizza Express Jazz Club, January 2023
Mixed by John Prestage
Mastered by Fluid Mastering

Hannah Horton website click here

Nora Germain releases new book: Go For It: Surviving the Challenges of Becoming an Artist

Jazz violinist and author Nora Germain has been playing the violin for over 25 years and performing professionally since 2010. She studied at Idyllwild Arts Academy, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, and University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. She is currently based in Los Angeles. She has performed and/ or recorded with many of the world's greatest musical talents including Jon Batiste, Postmodern Jukebox, Sam Smith, Lewis Capaldi, Tommy Emmanuel CGP, John Altman, Jacob Collier, Martin Taylor MBE, JMSN, KNOWER, Jeff Goldblum, Dee Dee Bridgewater and many others. In addition to playing on over 100 recordings of many genres, she has also released ten of her own jazz albums as well as an inspirational book. She has appeared on episodes of The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Ellen DeGeneres Show accompanying other artists, and performed at the Eckhart Tolle Foundation and as a musical volunteer for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. A musician of many facets who is only at the beginning of her career, Nora has been called the best jazz violinist in the world. The sky is clearly not the limit for Miss Germain.

Go For It: Surviving the Challenges of Becoming an Artist is ‘a creative mindset book about being (a woman) in music, learning jazz, playing violin specifically, improvisation, and so forth’

In "Go For It: Surviving the Challenges of Becoming an Artist," we have a rare invitation to explore the life and mindset of a young jazz violinist, from childhood to leader in her craft. We are taken on a journey through heartache and loss, through success and humor, and into the practice room and recording studio. Within these stories and memories we're taken on a journey of our own, a journey that welcomes any person, musician or otherwise, to explore what it takes to improvise and to transcend. Both candid and passionate, "Go For It" asks us tough creative and spiritual questions, shares wisdom from a wide array of luminaries, and reignites our love of the arts.

Nora Germain Website click here

Take a trip into cosmic space with guitarist and composer Veda Bartringer, who presents ‘Deep Space Adventure’. Joined by some of Luxembourg’s most acclaimed young musicians, this is not your usual guitar jazz album; lovers of tradition-rooted contemporary projects, rejoice, and buckle up!

From Saxophonist and European Big Band Contest 2022 Best Soloist winner Julien Cuvelier and Belgian rising star drummer Maxime Magotteaux to bassist Boris Schmidt who previously graced the stage next to Randy Brecker, Eef Albers, and Avi Avital, all of Bartringer’s band members started playing music when their ages were in the single digits, and their musicianship is incontestable.  

Bartringer, in her own right, shows herself to not only be a gifted guitarist, but also a creative and mindful composer and bandleader, leaving lots of space for her band members to shine. From a beautiful bass solo on Search For Light, the album’s first full-length track after opener Lift Off, Bartringer’s own solo work doesn’t come to the fore until the third track on ‘Deep Space Adventure’, No Edge in the Sky. Providing, indeed, lots of space for an atmospheric blend of contemporary jazz that takes the listener from launch into orbit, the group’s sophomore offering is structured the way a dream journey into astral territories would likely go. 

While ‘Deep Space Adventure’ is by no means a typical jazz guitar record, the bandleader has found subtle ways to make her mark and set the tone throughout her compositions. There is a feminine sensitivity previously uncommon to the genre, perhaps best explained by her studies in lyrical singing and classical guitar and piano, encompassing many different directions and aspects of this journey around the cosmos. 

Veda Bartringer took an interest in music at a very early age. At the age of 8, she started learning the piano and only a few years after, she discovered the guitar. At 16, she started lessons in classical singing. These 3 instruments keep inspiring her to this day. At 17, she discovered the world of jazz. In Luxembourg, she took lessons with David Laborier, Jacque Pirotton, Pit Dahm, Pol Belardi and Erik Teuwens.

In 2017, she was accepted to the Royal Conservatory of Brussels to study Jazz Guitar. In 2022 she completed the Bachelor degree and in 2022, she finished the master’s degree in the same conservatory. During her 5 years of study, she had the chance to learn from the guitarists Victor Da Costa and Fabien Degryse and other musicians like Fabrice Alleman, Manu Hermia, Pete Churchill and Arnould Massart. The guitarist was introduced to different music cultures, such as Brazilian music, Indian music, but also fusion and funk music. She participates in various different Luxembourgish and Belgian projects, such as her duo with Joel Rabesolo, the project Lumens but also her own solo project.

Buy and Listen here

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The Magpie Suite - an evocative and transformative musical journey for expanded jazz orchestra and 4 voices - was born from a moment of awe. During a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts in January 2018, composer Sarah Jerrom observed a gathering of magpies and crows performing a dance in the middle of a winter storm. 

At the time, Jerrom was working on deeply personal composition defying the stigma and taboo surrounding pregnancy loss. This experience not only captivated her but also set the narrative trajectory for this new piece. The complex world of magpies became a rich metaphor woven throughout the suite’s musical narrative.The suite, which had its premiere on April 6, 2023 in Toronto, is a masterful blend of storytelling and music, guided by the folkloric nursery rhyme One for Sorrow. It takes the listener on a journey through the eyes of its main character, Woman/Magpie, exploring profound themes such as feminism, infertility, grief, hope, and love. 

Each of the suite’s eight movements offers a distinct musical experience, seamlessly integrating elements of classical and jazz performance. A quartet of vocalists led by Jerrom adds another dimension to these dynamic and immersive soundscapes. Magpie is a tour de force, an emotional odyssey, a narrative of resilience, transformation, and the magic of storytelling through music.

As you can see, all the elements are there to develop a dramaturgy, a blend of jazz and classical music. This work is contemplative, questioning, engaging our intellect. It’s music to be shortened on stage or enjoyed privately in its discographic form, and a real favorite for the quality of this creation.

Personnel: 

Sarah Jerrom - Voice, Compositions, Narrative

Conductor: Christian Overton

Voices: Laura Swankey, Galen Sedlak, Jackson Welchner

Woodwinds: Laura Chambers (fl, afl, picc); Chieh-Ying Lu (ob);

Tara Davidson (as, ss, fl); Mike Murley (ts, ss, cl); Kirk MacDonald (ts, cl); Shirantha Beddage (bs, bcl)

Trumpet & Flugelhorn: James Rhodes (lead); Kevin Turcotte, Brian O’Kane

French Horn: Olivia Esther

Trombone: William Carn, Zach Smith, Emily Ferrell, Tom Richards (bs tbn)

Piano: Nancy Walker

Bass: Rob McBride

Drums: Ernesto Cervini

Buy and Listen here

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