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Kaleidoscope; the debut album by Alex Milsted...and worth the wait.

5/29/2013

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Alex Milsted is a talented young sax player and gifted composer. He draws on the rich musical heritage of his hometown of Portland, Oregon. Portland is a jazz lover’s dream and Alex and his band members have made great use of the vibrant musical scene in the Rose City. Alex tells that he and pianist Robert Langslet grew up together in Portland and both studied under jazz great Thara Memory. Drummer Chris Brown is the beneficiary of his father’s legacy, that of the renowned Mel Brown.

Make no mistake, however. These guys do not shadow their musical (and in Chris’ case, biological) forebears. They bring their own unique interpretations and intonations and inspirations. They have each achieved their own voice and they have something to say.

Alex describes the concept of “Kaleidoscope” as “simple- look at things that are familiar to you in different colors. It started with the title track. I wanted to make something swing through different time signatures and keys in a subtle and maybe even unnoticeable way. It's the same groove that's been a staple of this music for 100 years, seen through another lens.” That 100 year-old groove jumps at the listener from the opening of the first track. It is the sound of an old friend but soon takes on the face of a new and welcome acquaintance.


Alex and Tree Palmedo (trumpet) are in splendid agreement and pianist Robert Langslet in intriguing from the onset. The influence of Thara Memory is easily seen in the melodic approach to the theme. All the while bassist John Shaw and Chris Brown keep the centenary groove fresh.

It is a well-written piece and beautifully sets the tone and theme for the entire album.

“Sea Bands” is the second track and brings forth a nautical feel with swaying times and melodies. Alex describes the song’s title as coming “from a company that makes wrist bands for motion sickness relief.” The intentional occasional dissonance and rhythms is certainly reminiscent of trying to get one’s balance on deck. 

For all that, it is a rewarding number. It requires multiple listens to focus in on each of the musicians and I’m always intrigued by Chris Brown.

“Taking Leave” is magnificent. Again, Alex describes it as coming from “an obsession with Gustav Mahler's symphonies. The one that inspired this song the most is the Adagietto from Mahler's Fifth Symphony. This is my venture into classical/jazz crossover. It reminded me of a dramatic love story from an old movie, hence the title.”

Of course, this suggestion will make one dig out an old copy of Mahler’s Fifth to hear that fourth movement again. Herbert von Karajan said “a great performance of the Fifth is a transforming experience.” It is astonishing to speak of a young sax player in his early twenties as creating something so transforming on his own but this is the result of hearing this amazing track. If this were the only piece of any worth on the entire album, it would be enough just to be so moved and touched. It is noble. It is profound. It truly is transforming.

And, fortunately, it is not the only piece of worth on the album.

“Iron Butterfly” follows and I was desperately hoping not to be subjected to a 17 minute song with a throbbing drum solo. My fears were proven false and was instead treated to a fascinating tune that set out to describe what an iron butterfly might sound like – “strong, delicate, aggressive, and beautiful.” Alex's intention rewards the listener well, for it is all of those adjectives plus one more—“fascinating.”

Alex treats the listener to adventurous sax work while Langslet weaves a beautiful accompaniment. Once again, Chris is enthralling on the drums.

“Red Peak Lake” describes a seven-hour drive taken by Alex and his wife on their honeymoon. The song, like the events itself, is full of changing scenery and shifting imagery. It is also one of the high water marks for Tree Palmedo’s trumpet.

The whole group gets spotlight time on “Samsara.” All five catch fire here. Samsara is the “wheel of existence” in Buddhism and is the cycle of rebirth resulting from clinging through desire. While Buddhism intends to achieve an end to rebirth by renouncing such desire, this song allows no such notion because the virtuosity and brilliant composing of this piece only creates a desire for more. Chris Brown’s all-too-brief drum solo definitely leaves the hearer wanting more.

The final track is marvelous. There are blues lines, jazz lines, gospel. It was composed by Tree Palmedo and this is how Tree describes the track: “’Where the Heart Is’ was written toward the end of my first year away from home, and definitely reflects a nostalgic love for my favorite city in the world, Portland, Oregon. The title comes from the old saying, "home is where the heart is," and the gospel feel reflects such homecoming classics as Sam Cooke's ‘Bring It On Home to Me.’ But in my eyes the heart is less static than the saying suggests, and the title therefore reflects how at any moment, this nostalgic love could be directed at any specific place, activity or thing. I hope the song will bring listeners closer to wherever their own hearts are.”

There is a cool gospel groove and a bit of a swing along with it. The piano is engaging and the horns are in such complement but the rhythm section lays bare the heart.

John Shaw took the last track to grab the hearer. He strides. He skips. He runs. He waltzes. While his playing throughout the album was remarkable, he got me on this track and in doing so he ushered in the second coming of Chris Brown who propelled the horns and piano forward. This was church.

Farnell Newton and FNMUSICWEB have brought a jewel to light. Farnell knows talent when he sees it because he has it himself.

“Kaleidoscope” is a relentless foray into composition and exposition. The hearer is not pushed along this musical journey but is, rather, pulled along by the heart.





This site and the material contained herein is protected by copyright and trademark laws under U.S. and International law. No part may be copied without written permission of the author.
© copyright 2011-2013. Travis Rogers, Jr. All rights reserved.

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Brilliant Strings--a music and guitar event-- set to begin June 2, 2013 in L.A.

5/29/2013

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Something exciting is coming this Sunday, June 2, 2013 at ArtShare LA. It is the inaugural gathering of “Brilliant Strings.” This is a fresh and energetic music series that gathers for music and discussion and sharing on the first Sunday of each month in the downtown Artist District of Los Angeles.

The group is dedicated to being a meeting place for an eclectic and diverse melting pot of music afficianados and guitar fans. All styles and genres are presented and welcomed. Brilliant Strings is envisioned and designed with great care to offer the widest possible variety of guitarists and musicians to be showcased in a listening-friendly space.

In addition to a listed headliner, each gathering will provide several special guests and/or other surprises. Such surprise elements may include artists, touring acts, builders, guitar-like instruments, guitar pedals, amps, and master-class workshops.

The first meeting of “Brilliant Strings” will take place on June 2, 2013 from 4PM – 6PM at ArtShare LA, 326 S. Hewitt, Los Angeles, CA 90013. There is a suggested donation of $10 per person.

The headliner for Brilliant Strings  vol. 1: "First Note" is El Twanguero (on tour from Spain/Mexico/ http://eltwanguero.org/) .Spanish guitar wizard Diego "El Twanguero" Garcia is well known in Europe and South America for his genuine mix of styles including traditional Spanish music, tango, flamenco guitar and American roots.

The featured artists for the June gathering include:

Mon David (the Phillipines / http://mondavid.wix.com/jazz)

Chuck van Haecke (drums / www.chuckvanhaecke.com/flash/)

Goh Kurosawa (Japan / www.happysad.org/goh)

Pete Morris (live paint / www.houseportraitsbypete.com/)

Miroslav Tadic (the Balkans / www.miroslavtadic.com/)

The organizers of the event are guitar great Goh Kurosawa (brilliantstrings@gmail.com) and Juli Emmel (juli@artsharela.org) and can be contacted at the listed email addresses for further information.

The event can also be found on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/BrilliantStrings

Vol. 2 “Crazy Little Boxes” will feature Andre LaFosse, Abe Lagrimas Jr, Kai Kurosawa, Jack Sanders and more to be announced soon.

This is a spectacular event for guitarists in particular and all musicians in general.

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“Desde Nueva York a Puerto Rico" by Eddie Montalvo

5/14/2013

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Eddie Montalvo has provided the rhythmic firmament for some of the greatest salsa luminaries ever assembled. Beginning on the bongos, Eddie was  transformed into a conguero in his playing with Julio Romero & the Latin Jazz All-Stars.

After making music with the likes of Rubén Blades, Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón, and Johnny Pacheco, he became a conguero master. After a tenure with the Fania All-Stars, he released his first solo album in 1995 entitled “On My Own.” In 2001, Eddie joined Joe Madera’ Big 3 Palladium Orchestra. In 2012, Eddie released his second solo album, “Desde Nueva York a Puerto Rico.”

The album was recorded in New York and in Puerto Rico and the flavors of both places are easily heard on this second outing with Eddie as bandleader. This energetic and entertaining album was nominated for a 2013 Grammy Award in the Best Tropical Latin Album category.

The compositions are credited to greats such as Justi Barretto, Junior Toledo, Tite Curet, Raphael Ithier, Domingo Quiñones and more. Arrangements were crafted by the likes of Carlos Torres, Pablo "Chino" Nuñez, Papo Lucca, José M. Lugo, and Nelson Jaime. Vocalists include Ruben Blades (“El Hijo Del Ricachon”), Cheo Feliciano (“Caonabo”), Rico Walker (“Amor En Serio”), Tito Gonzalez (“Abicu”), Domingo Quiñones (“Leccion Rumbera”), Wichy Camacho (“Ensillala”, “Garantia”), Issac Delgado (“Tumba Tambo”), and Hector "Pichie" Perez (“Timba Timbero”).

That is to say, this album brings the stars of New York and Puerto Rico under the direction and vision of Eddie Montalvo. And Eddie delivers.

In “Abicu”, Tito Gonzalez calls out to Eddie Montalvo in this opening track after a scorching horn introduction. The piano and rhythm section play percussively together as the vocals of Tito and the horn accompaniment work the melody splendidly together.

“Amor En Serio” features the singing of Rico Walker with striking horn interludes. The backing vocals provide the sing-along parts that stick in the listener’s head whether you understand Spanish or not. So help me, I think I dreamed about this track when I went to bed. That’s memorable stuff. “Caonabo” carries forward the great horns and riveting piano.

The baseball-inspired “El Hijo Del Ricachon” highlights the one and only Ruben Blades. The piece opens with a delicate piano introduction that gives way to those blistering horns. The parallel playing of bass and piano anchors the middle section.


As a lover of baseball, this was the track that grabbed me the most, especially when at 3:41 the unmistakable baseball stadium organ is heard that springs the band into a quick cover of “Take Me Out the Ball Game” complete with sounds of the cheering crowds and Ruben’s shout out to Eddie.

“Ensillala” and “Garantia” both present Wichy Camacho on vocals. The amazing rhythms and the playing of those rhythms by Eddie and his band are astounding. It takes several listens to separate the rhythms and identify who is playing what rhythmic line. It is time well spent.
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Throughout this album, the piano work of Jose M. Jugo and Enrique “Papo” Lucca on piano provide delicious underscores beneath the prominence of horns and percussion. The keyboard work is hot, as hot as the horns. That piano and bass work is on great exhibition during “Leccion Rumbera.” While Domingo Quiñones is in great voice for this song, the piano and bass are captivating.

The album closes out with the pieces “Timba Timbero” (Hector (Pichie) Perez, vocals) and “Tumba Tambo” (Issac Delgado, vocals). The rhythms and melodies are in complete compliment with each other.

The album is well-paced and each track offers its own unique reinterpretation of what makes Salsa and Latin Jazz so thrilling and intriguing. The arrangements are bright and the performance of each and every musician is flawless. Especially Eddie Montalvo.

The musicians all deserve to be named, even if in a clumsy list:
Jose M. Jugo -Piano
Enrique (Papo) Lucca -Piano
Pedro Perez -Bass
Maximo Rodriguez -Bass
Jan Duclerc, Piro Rodriguez, Jesus Alonso & Nelson Jaime (Gazu) -Trumpet
Nelson Jaime (Gazu) -Trumpet
Jorge Diaz, Reynaldo Jorge, Antonio (Toñito) Vazquez, & Pablo Santaella -Trombone
Frankie Perez, Ernesto Sanchez, & Ivan Renta -Baritone
Eddie Montalvo -Conga, Quinto, Tumbadora
Jimmie Morales -Seguidor
Ray Colon -Bongo
Pablo (Chino) Nuñez, Willie Rosario -Timbales
Hector (Pichie) Perez -Guiro
Jeremy Montalvo -Maracas
Darvel Garcia, Hector (Pichie) Perez, Wichy Camacho, & Japhet O. Rodriguez -Chorus
Ruben Blades, Cheo Feliciano, Rico Walker, Tito Gonzalez, Domingo Quiñones, Wichy Camacho, Issac Delgado, Hector (Pichie) Perez –Vocals

These are truly all-stars on Eddie’s own team.

“Desde Nueva York a Puerto Rico” is a delightful listening experience. It is uplifting and energizing. It is fun and it is affectionate. It is warm like Puerto Rico and it is tight like New York.



This site and the material contained herein is protected by copyright and trademark laws under U.S. and International law. No part may be copied without written permission of the author.
© copyright 2011-2013. Travis Rogers, Jr. All rights reserved.


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"The Day Waits for Nobody" by Annette A. Aguilar & Stringbeans

5/5/2013

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Annette A. Aguilar grew from the musical happening of San Francisco during the days of Carlos Santana in the sixties and seventies. She moved to New York to fall under the influence of the great Latin Jazz percussionists in abundance there.

From diverse sources arose a synthesis of sound that was anything but synthetic. Annette has created a band of musicians and vocalists who make use of a vast arsenal of styles and virtuosities that transcend the expectations of the average listener of Latin and Brasilian Jazz.

What Annette has crafted in her big band is a group grounded in the percussion without the enthrallment of “groove above all.” Without question, this band grooves with the best of them but Annette has given freedom for vocalists and the non-rhythm musicians to explore where the melodies will take them.

“The Day Waits for Nobody” is the title of the latest offering from Annette A. Aguilar & Strinbeans. In terms of the musicians, there are few constants running the length of the album with the exquisite exception of vocalist Sofia Rei Koutsovitis and Annette herself.

The album opens with the rumba-esque “Lagrimas Negras” and is introduced by the pizzicato of harp and violin. Vocalist Sofia Rei Koutsovitis joins early and makes the listener reach for the volume control straightaway to turn this up. Jennifer Vincent’s acoustic bass lays down a smooth line and the percussion both creates and rides the wave while Nicki Denner’s piano holds the melodic structure in place beautifully.


The single conga beat opens “Bebe” and is soon joined by the unmistakable bass of Ruben Rodriguez. Pablo Vergara assumes the piano and gives a foretaste of his great skills to be exhibited in greater details later on the CD. Rob Thomas arises on violin and duets with Sofia who uses her voice more like melodic percussion in the absence of lyrics. And if you were looking for a great groove, this song has it.

“Indestructible” and “A Feliz Cidade” move from salsa to samba with riveting moments of rhythm and melody that give way to the extraordinary loveliness of “Tarde em Napa” highlighted by Vergara (piano)  and Thomas  (violin). As on every track, Sofia’s vocals both underscore and expand the melody.
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Then something wonderful happens on “Portao Dourado.” Ruben’s snap on the bass opens as Vince Cherico on drums and Vergara snatch up the beat with Annette’s hammering percussion and Ruben’s heart-pounding bass blaze the groove. The vocalization of Sofia and Nanny is almost military and the military beat is brought in behind them to close the piece. Annette created a mood that made feel like the first time I saw “Black Orpheus.” Fascinating.

“E” brings the heavy hitters together again with the lead vocal by Nanny Assis and Ruben Rodriguez giving some of his most exciting bass playing. Vergara and Cherico play with power and poise, as always. Freddie Bryant is on guitar and his playing is so well-blended within the whole that it is often easy to overlook. Replaying his tracks yielded great reward in hearing his contribution.

“E” also exhibits the raucous virtuosity of Rob Thomas on violin. He plays with the raw power of the early Jean-Luc Ponty (think of Ponty’s foray into Frank Zappa) as well as the delicacy of the later Stephane Grappelli.

However, Annette Aguilar seizes the end of “E” and breaks the rhythm into doublets to heighten the excitement as everyone rejoins for a joyous end.

“Flor de LIS” features the piano of Pablo Vergara with the vocals of Sofia Rei Koutsovitis and Nanny Assis. Sofia and Nanny remind one fondly of the great vocal interplay also enjoyed when listening to Elis Regina and Tom Jobim. The percussion is in a sweet support role that allows the vocalists and piano to springboard into unrestrained melodic dimensions. Once again Ruben Rodriguez’ bass gives the bump and jump that energizes this great number.

Annette’s vision as a bandleader has set a path and a pace on this album that culminates in this final moment. And it leaves you wanting more. She positions each musician in just the right spot to create a unity that is near-perfect. Each musician is in exactly the right place at the right time. A great leader, they say, knows how to best utilize the talents of those around.

Annette A. Aguilar is a great bandleader.


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