New on Palmetto

Bobby Previte brings together some of the finest European jazz musicians in his new release, PAN ATLANTIC. (Available as a digital download only)

The “Pan Atlantic Band,” which has been touring for two years, features young stars and old masters of the continent. Gianluca Petrella, from Italy, is the rising force on the trombone. From Vienna comes Wolfgang Puschnig, the master alto saxophonist, who has lent his talents to scores of bands in his long career. On Fender Rhodes is Benoit Delbecq, the deep-thinking French pianist. The young Danish phenomenon Nils Davidsen holds down the bottom on electric bass.

In the middle of a tour last year, the musicians traveled to Italy and took four days off in Turin to cut the tracks in Petrella’s favorite studio -- a big beautiful room where the band stretched out. It was mixed in New York by the legendary Scott Harding and mastered by Scott Hull at Masterdisk.

"Two things that are consistent about Ben Allison recordings are the beauty and intelligence of the compositions."
- AOL Spinner.com

THINK FREE is Ben Allison's new release due in-stores and digitally world wide October 13th. You can get the CD (physical, 320 kbps MP3 or FLAC file) here NOW!

Bassist/composer Ben Allison’s ninth album, Think Free, is part of a paradigm shift that began with his 2005 Palmetto Records release, Cowboy Justice. “I wanted a band that rocked,” says Allison of his changing sound. “I was moving away from the chamber-jazz elements of Medicine Wheel and Peace Pipe and trying to incorporate other sounds into my music. I continue to try to get to something personal. Cowboy Justice, Little Things Run the World (Palmetto, 2008), and now Think Free are all one continuous train of thought.”

Think Free builds not only on the concept but also the personnel of its predecessors. Longtime compatriot Steve Cardenas returns on guitar, alongside trumpeter Shane Endsley, violinist Jenny Scheinman and drummer Rudy Royston. Each of them are composers and band leaders and bear impressive artistic resumes: Cardenas is a member of Paul Motian’s Sextet and Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra; Endsley is a rising voice on trumpet, well known for his work in Kneebody and alongside Ani Difranco; Scheinman has been widely acclaimed for her performance as both violinist and vocalist; and Royston’s training in both the conservatory and the church contributes to his soulful precision behind the kit. The addition of Scheinman’s violin to the quartet of trumpet, guitar, bass and drums had been in Allison’s mind since 2005. “In the past few years I was fortunate to play a lot with Jenny, often in collaboration with Rudy and Steve. We all felt an immediate and strong musical connection.” Allison continues, “I think an extremely important part of being a composer/bandleader is assembling an interesting combination of musicians. Duke Ellington and Miles Davis were masters of this. Their music is very much an extension of the rapport between, and personalities of, the members of their groups. It could be said that choosing the right musicians is part of the compositional process.”

Drummer and composer Matt Wilson describes his eighth record as a leader on Palmetto Records, That’s Gonna Leave a Mark, in terms of honesty and family. The first album by Wilson’s Quartet since 2003’s Humidity, Wilson views it as “getting a chance to have this great band record again!” Alongside Wilson, alto saxophonist D’Angelo, tenor saxophonist Jeff Lederer and bassist Chris Lightcap are all in fine form. All the members of the Quartet have played together since the late 1990s, though this marks Lightcap’s first recorded appearance with the group.

The intimate bond between all the musicians is palpable on the album. Recorded by Matt Balitsaris at Maggie’s Farm, with the band all in the same room, That’s Gonna Leave a Mark has a live and energetic sound. The air moving between instrument and microphone, and the sensation of musicians playing into the room and to each other, gives the tunes added momentum. “I think it really captures us as close to being live as you can be. You really get to smell, taste and see the sound that way. You feel it coming in your ears from the instrument, rather than the little speakers on your ears. I think it really helps with the dimensions of the sound, how people can react to the sound other than just through their ears. Like on a gig, you experience it totally differently. The decision to do that was really great and I’m so glad we did it.” Many of the tunes are first or second take, with no edits. Shouts of encouragement and enjoyment are audible throughout the record – almost as though the listener were a guest on the control room couch of Maggie’s Farm.

The album contains a wide spectrum of repertoire, with originals by all of the members. “To have everybody else contribute a song too, that makes it more special,” Wilson opines.

“I think it’s much like the player, they have distinct personalities, and we blend together, but you can always tell the personality. That’s the way the tunes work together too.”

OUT IN PA was originally released in 1999 but was never picked up by a label. We are offering it as a digital download only.

It features Bill's long-standing trio with Martin Wind on bass and Matt Wilson on drums.

CHANT was originally released in 1998. We are offering it as a digital download only.

Chant is a relaxed yet inspired trio date featuring pianist Frank Kimbrough with two of his closest associates from the Jazz Composers Collective: bassist Ben Allison and drummer Jeff Ballard. Along with brief, delightfully understated readings of Ornette Coleman's "Feet Music" and Jimmy Giuffre's "Phoenix," the trio wades through three collaborative improvisations. "Chant," a loosely structured piece, begins with a riff that vaguely recalls McCoy Tyner's "Effendi"; "Broadside" is propelled by a funky, unchanging swing motif that sets up clearly demarcated solos by Kimbrough and Allison; and "Motility" brings the trio to a rolling boil, with Kimbrough soloing over a swinging medium tempo, framed by bass and drum solos at the start and finish, respectively. Rounding out the program are three Kimbrough originals: the touching waltz "Clara's Room," the free jazz ditty "Quickening," and the dark, turbulent "Ancestors," which features rubato piano ruminations over a frantic swing tempo. Despite moments of fairly high abstraction, Chant is consistently accessible, and it represents Kimbrough's approach to composition and improvisation particularly well. by David Adler

Rise Up! is Dr. Lonnie Smith’s 3rd recording for Palmetto Records and features Donald Harrison (alto sax), Herlin Riley (drums), Peter Bernstein (guitar) as well as guest performances by Jo Lawry (vocals), James Shipp (percussion) and Matt Balitsaris (guitars). Rise Up! was recorded at Maggie’s Farm on May 5th & 6th, 2008 and produced by Matt Balitsaris.

BLUE PLATE SPECIAL is Will Bernard's (guitar) second Palmetto recording and features John Medeski (Hammond Organ, Wurlitzer organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, Moog Voyager, acoustic piano, Hohner clavinet), Stanton Moore (drums) and Andy Hess (bass). Recorded at Maggie’s Farm on January 22-24, 2008 and produced by Matt Balitsaris .

ONCE UPON A MELODY features Javon Jackson (tenor sax), Eric Reed (piano), Corcoran Holt (bass), and Billy Drummond (drums). Recorded at Maggie’s Farm on February 4, 2008 and produced by Matt Balitsaris and Javon Jackson.

The Mancini Project features Ted Nash (tenor/alto/soprano sax, alto flute, piccolo), Frank Kimbrough (piano), Rufus Reid (bass), and Matt Wilson (drums). Recorded December 18 & 19, 2007 at Maggie's Farm, produced by Matt Balitsaris and Ted Nash.

If Less Is More…Nothing Is Everything features Kate McGarry's vocals and arrangements. She is joined on the record by Keith Ganz (guitar), Gary Versace (organ, accordion, piano), Reuben Rogers (bass), Clarence Penn (drums and percussion), with special guests Jo Lawry and Peter Eldridge (vocals) and James Shipp (percussion).

We met in the fall of 1975 at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Both of us had come east -- Michael from Northern California, Fred from Cincinnati -- to study with the great pianist Jaki Byard. During our two years in Boston we played together in various contexts including many hours playing duos in the practice rooms. In the ensuing 30+ years, we have collaborated on many projects led by both of us. This is our first duo album. -- Michael Moore & Fred Hersch

Cure All is soul-jazz-funk organist/keyboardist Robert Walter’s first album for the label and celebrates the history of jazz and its quality as a danceable music. Robert combines elements of older jazz (Fats Waller, Monk, and Blues) with the rock influences of his youth to create a funky selection straight out of New Orleans.