Brother to Brother Music Review in the NY Times!

THE CLAYTON BROTHERS
Brother to Brother
(ArtistShare)

By Ben Ratliff of the New York Times

On “Brother to Brother,” the Clayton Brothers are after some specific genial and rugged pleasures in jazz that come directly from the early 1960s, particularly from the music of Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane. But helping to shine up an old sound, making it distinct, are the band members’ individual musical voices, and they’re what make this record sing.
The bassist John Clayton and the alto saxophonist Jeff Clayton, based in Los Angeles, have been working together, in a small group or a big band (the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra), for about 30 years, and recently with John’s son, the pianist Gerald Clayton, as well. (The other members here are the excellent trumpeter Terrell Stafford and the young drummer Obed Calvaire.) Family bands can have a special consonance and fluency, and this one definitely does. But there’s also a loose theme of brotherly teams in jazz that runs through this album’s dedications: to Thad, Hank and Elvin Jones, and Nat and Cannonball Adderley, for example. Another defining quality of the record is its sunniness.
This is jazz that does not go toward the darkness. It doesn’t displace rhythms, find dissonances or court any sort of obscurity as it uses shuffle beats, Afro-Latin six-eight rhythm and neat funk grooves. It’s articulately swung and proud of its clarity. On anything above midtempo, it pushes a little faster than you expect, and it finds its jazz-language virtuosity sometimes in the same places that it’s finding a sense of humor. This sensibility is consistent throughout the record, and all three Claytons are in on it.
John Clayton is one of the most technically imposing bassists in jazz, and his big tone and swing are paramount here. Jeff maintains a sweet, preaching delivery; the Adderley influence runs deep in him. But you can also hear Johnny Hodges in the ballad “Where Is Love.” And Gerald Clayton fills up the available space, busying himself with prettiness and authority. If you’ve listened to much hard bop or mainstream jazz of the early ’60s, you might find some easygoing clichés in his playing — or maybe even an awful lot of them — but they are smoothly rendered. More important, the friendly rhetoric of this music allows them.

More listening, Sachal Vasandani on BBC Radio!

Listen now to Sachal’s interview with BBC Radio’s premiere jazz personality, Linley Hamilton!  Taped right before Sachal performed at Pizza Express as part of the London Jazz Festival, as part of ‘After Midnight with Linley Hamilton.’

Hear what news Sachal has!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00g21xm/After_Midnight_with_Linley_Ham

*Note: Interview begins roughly mid-stream.

Sachal Vasandani at London Jazz Festival

 

The Sachal Vasandani Quartet recently finished a successful run of performances in Turkey and the UK.  Catch this interview by John Hellings of the BBC with Sachal.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p001j83n/John_Hellings_Big_Bands_29_11_2008/

Clayton Brothers Quintet Releases New Album!

The Clayton Brothers Quintet has just released their latest album on Artistshare!

Get it now! http://www.artistshare.com/projects/offer_details.aspx?artistID=112&projectID=190&productID=1431&selection=1&salesTypeID=6&headerTx=participant+offers

Brother to Brother is a swinging compilation of original and cover pieces that feature or where inspired by great brother duos in jazz history.

In addition to John Clayton on bass and Jeff Clayton on sax, Brother to Brother features Obed Calvaire on drums, Gerald Clayton on piano, and Terell Stafford on trumpet.

John Clayton with Yo-Yo Ma and Diana Krall

Yo-Yo Ma’s latest record, Songs of Joy and Peace is on sale now and features John Clayton on bass. Catch a clip of John performing with Ma, and the lovely vocalist/pianist Diana Krall.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=7vfHTn_4SFw

Inside the mind of Mark Rapp…

When asked recently what he motivation and methods were, up-and-coming trumpeter Mark Rapp has this to say:

Where do I get my compositional inspiration? From everything and anything… it could be a book I’m reading that triggers some sounds in my head or a story someone tells (as was the case for my tune “Token Tales“) or it could be the crazy stress of a hot subway platform and everyone is ticking you off. In terms of musical considerations, I much, much prefer singer/songwriters for their simple melodies and passionate presentations/performances. Angular, complex, brainy music definitely has its place and I definitely take the time to check it out and enjoy its brilliance, but honestly, for the most part, I’d prefer to hear Bob Dylan or Radiohead than an infinite series of altered chords blazing by at break-neck speed.

 

I love Miles Davis of the 50’s and 60’s, Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter…As for today’s players: Terence Blanchard is my current favorite. He’s always, always taking risks on stage and going for it. And there will be at least a few times where he’ll miss what he’s going for, but it is so inspiring, so real, completely honest – that is truly bad! Marcus Printup is fantastic – probably one of the most soulful, heartfelt players. Branford Marsalis continues to reign supreme for me on sax. Bjork, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine… world music… Fela Kuti… love it. 

 

As for practicing the horn… I would kill to have the time I had in college – man, if I can get in 2 hours in a day, that is a rare and exceptional experience for me. At the very least, I hit the basics everyday… I start with long tones on second line G and work my way all the way down to the bottom of the horn playing each note for about 60 seconds, as softly as I can, yet with as much support as I can. You want the feeling of filling up the entire horn with air, but keeping the note very soft. Then, I like Arturo Sandoval’s warm-up that he got from (I think) a Claude Gordon book that starts on middle C and down… then just a couple of pedal tones… basically, I get the blood moving in the lips, get them feeling full and vibrant. I run through major scales in all 12 keys utilizing an array of patterns – starting slow. Do some lip slurs on Augmented, Major, Minor and Diminished chords… tonguing exercises (often, tonguing is incorporated into the scales)…

 

As far as improvisiation goes… man, sometimes I’ll end up unintentionally going off on a scale exercise and play a groove on that sound. Just playing… no goals or intentions.. just working it out, exploring what hits me, enjoying playing my horn and getting into the particular tonality of the scale. Or I’ll work on a tune… very slowly play through the changes… make sure I understand the chords.. that alone could take days or a week… and just keep working it… then play the tune on a gig a number of times… eventually you start finding the freedom in the tune. It’s a long process for me… some tunes probably will never feel free. Others are a blast to play from the get-go and I can weave in and out all over the place.

 

Just last night, I was at a jam session and sat-in on a number of tunes. One of the tunes we played was “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise.” Even a tune that I’ve played for years and know well, I was finding so many new ways of approaching it, but I was also discovering more things about me as a musician, me as a man. Investigating any desire to prove something to other musicians or my control in volume, patience in phrasing (or lack thereof), playing on top or behind the beat, my tone, my flexibility in the moment, new harmonic ideas, camaraderie amongst the band, reacting to the drums, following the piano player’s lines, etc. There was so much to learn or benefit from in playing just a couple of passes on a tune. Well, there is if you want it or look for it. For me, I learned I caused my flexibility to suffer and hence my melodic ideas to suffer because I had a few moments of playing too loud and aggressively which stemmed from some silly desire to prove I had a bigger tone on my horn. So, for those couple of phrases, I played fat and loud, but what I executed on the horn wasn’t what I was truly hearing in my head, in my heart. I let a moment go by that could have been much more meaningful and in the end, more musical and impressive had I set the ego aside and not blasted this other trumpeter away. Then again, he was a cocky little thing, like we trumpeters can be, so it was simply his turn to be set straight. Next time though, it may be my turn to get schooled on the bandstand. 

 

In the end, if you love the manual labor of the horn and can’t go a day without at least touching your horn, you’ll be good to go.

 

Battle of the Bands

By John Clayton 

If true battles were fought the way some people imagine the Clayton-Hamilton and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra are to duke it out this month (more on the “other” Duke in a moment), we might just be a world with fewer global conflicts.

What you will witness, when the two bands perform on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater stage together, will be two bands with a high level of mutual respect that are eager to share their artistic energy. And energetic it will be!

What good can come of two huge ensembles performing at the same time? It’s all about color and texture, tension and release, inspiring and being affected. There will be sounds produced that you can’t get from a smaller combination of instruments and I’m not speaking about the decibel level. There will be a warm, cushion-like sound that fills the room when a ballad is performed by the two bands together. There will be a refined wall of sound that will excite all listeners. But there will primarily be “The Vibe.”

The mood, the feeling, the atmosphere communicated from the stage will be in the air in knife-cutting thickness. This mood thing is not unfamiliar to us. We live for it, we lay for it, and we even spend money to be in the same room with it.

Listen to the bite of the brass, the grace and excitement of the saxes. Check out the drive of the rhythm sections. Feel the joy of the musicians. Put it together and you’ll have that special vibe and mood.

The most popular collaboration between two big bands occurred when Count Basie met Duke Ellington in a NY studio in 1961. To understand the respect these top band leaders had for each other, observe what Ellington had to say about Basie on the day of their recording:

“The Count is a very dear friend,” he announced regally. “I have known and admired him ever since he appeared at Edmond’s in 1923. …the Count was playing piano [there] when I first arrived in New York from Washington. Yes, he and I are very close. He’s like a brother to me. Over the years I have developed a profound and total appreciation of the Count… I deem it a pleasure and an honor to have had him and his entire big, fat sound, swinging band as our house guests, as it were.”

It is in this spirit that East meets West. It is in this spirit that unforgettable music will be made. It is in this spirit that music was written and rehearsed for audiences which came from near and far. And it is why, unlike other types of battles, this encounter finds 35 jazz artists getting together to combine their joy.

Listen for their styles, the compositions and arrangements they use to introduce the members, their dynamics, their swing (OMG, The Swing that we will all experience!), their attention to detail and more. When you allow yourself to flow with them, you will be transported to a place that will be fulfilling and memorable.

Duke and Count made history with their 1961 recording. 47 years later, the JLCO and CHJO will make history when they combine forces to laugh and play together. Oh,…and SWING!

JLCO and CHJO will be performing together at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center from Oct. 23-25.

 

John Clayton at All About Jazz.
Visit John Clayton on the web.

This article first appeared in All About Jazz: New York.

MARK RAPP JOINS GAIL BOYD ARTIST MANAGEMENT!

 

 

Trumpeter Mark Rapp

 

Gail Boyd Artist Management is pleased to announce the addition of trumpeter Mark Rapp to it’s talented roster.  In addition to being a passionate jazz trumpeter who was name one of the “top emerging jazz trumpeters” by Downbeat Magazine in 2007, Mark performs the didgeridoo and is a composer and bandleader as well.  Called one of the hardest working musicians in New York City, Mark bridges the gap between modern jazz and contemporary music.   “Mark Rapp brings a young man’s fire to the jazz world with aggressive trumpet playing punctuated with emotion and commitment.  The album sounds fresh and punchy, rhythmically complex and physical, and Mark’s sound heralds a rising new star.  In a time that jazz is struggling to redefine itself, Mark has refined the classic forms in a visceral, tactile way.  Just a flat out enjoyable jazz record.” Greg Calbi, commenting on Mark’s debut album, due out this September.  Calbi is a Senior Mastering Engineer at Sterling Sound in NYC and has mastered dozens of albums for John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few.   Mark’s debut album,produced by Grammy award winner Jason Olaine [Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove] and engineered by LB Dorsey (The Roots, Beyonce, Solange), is due out this fall on Paved Earth Records. The marketing and publicity team comprise Verve Records veterans Michael Kauffman and Jai St. Laurent.   Staying true to his vision, Rapp consistently performs his originals and his arrangements: “I’m more interested in discovering and expressing the music in me – like Miles and Monk did… unique artists like Bjork, Radiohead and even Dr. Dre.” And for Rapp, this vision is paying off. He’s played alongside the likes of Branford Marsalis to Hootie and the Blowfish.   Mark has written music for several independent films and is currently a spokesman for SARAR clothing with several more sponsorships in the works.   Along with his regular appearance at New York’s Carnegie Club, Mark will be touring the country in support of his self titled CD.  He performs at the JVC Newport Jazz festival on Aug. 10.     We are thrilled to be able to introduce another gifted jazz artist for your consideration!  For more information on Mark, check out the following sources: www.markrapp.com www.youtube.com/markrappmusic

It’s here! The anticipated new release from Don Braden!

Don Braden’s highly anticipated new record is in stores and available online now! Gentle Storm [HighNote] features Braden along with George Colligan, Joris Teepe, and Cecil Brooks III. 

Read on to see what Billboard has to say about this jazz great:

After the hip left-turn that was 2006’s Workin’ — a live soul-jazz organ trio date with B-3 hotshot Kyle Koehler and longtime drummer Cecil Brooks III — Gentle Storm is a return to the studio and Don Braden’s working quartet. With Brooks, pianist George Colligan, and bassist Joris Teepe, the saxophonist offers a deeply satisfying program of originals and covers. The language here is the same one that listeners first encountered in the 1980s when he began with the late Betty Carter and Wynton Marsalis, but it’s a deeper, richer, far more elegant and sophisticated dialect now. Braden is a master improviser and arranger. His strategy in creating this date was to focus on “contemporary standards,” and he doesn’t mean Radiohead. The covers here are of tunes from the classic American songbook, such as “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Willow Weep for Me,” that have been resurrected in recent years — the former expertly by Charlie Haden’s Quartet West — and newer tunes that have become “immortal” by means of their popularity over the last 30 years or so. One of the more stunning examples is this band’s reading of Leon Russell’s “This Masquerade,” the vehicle tune for George Benson’s meteoric rise to stardom in 1976. Braden’s version is nothing like Benson’s; its romantic sultriness is more a tinge here. Instead, he adds a gloriously soulful post-bop kind of swing, with finger-popping solos by Colligan and himself — the walking bassline by Teepe is sheer perfection. The deep soul in Russell’s bridge is accented here repetitively. Another nugget that has been done a lot in the late 20th and early 21st century is the Ned Washington/Victor Young number “My Foolish Heart.” Singers have recorded it mostly. (Kurt Elling’s version stands out as one of the best.) But Braden turns it into a deeply romantic and contemplative duet for flute and bass. Its lyric is complemented by the strident yet nearly solo bassline by Teepe. Another highlight — on an album full of them — is the reading of Lee Morgan’s “Speed Ball.” Braden’s intuitive tenor takes that melody and makes it swagger and strut, before getting knotty in his extrapolations of it in the solo. Aside from these righteous covers, Braden’s compositions are the watermarks on the recording. The title cut begins quietly, full of shadow and mist, but opens up almost immediately with his tenor solo. Brooks’ hi-hat shimmer and the beautiful voicings in the upper middle register of Colligan’s piano accent both the romance and the implied danger, and add tension and release. The other duet here is an original called “The Hunter.” The solo by Teepe is notable for its swinging cool that contrasts sharply with Braden’s dense note clusters. That said, the melody would have been perfect in a noir film from the 1950s. In all, Gentle Storm is solid, top to bottom. Braden is a highly original soloist who possesses not only technical chops that are redolent of his generation, but also the deep soul that comes from the two preceding it. His compositions hold their weight against classic tunes, and his arrangements are full of welcome surprises and delight. This is a real watermark for the saxophonist and his quartet. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Don Braden to Release New Album!

COMING in JULY 2008 on HighNote Records: Gentle Storm - the next Don Braden CD, featuring George Colligan (piano), Joris Teepe (bass) and Cecil Brooks III (drums). Stay tuned for more info!!!

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio (and a former Harvard University Engineering student),
saxophonist/composer/educator Don Braden has toured the world with jazz greats Betty Carter,
Wynton Marsalis, Tony Williams, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, and many others. He
has recorded on nearly fifty CDs as a sideman and has produced thirteen CDs as a
leader, the latest of which was “Workin’”, released in 2006 on the HighNote label. He has
composed music for countless concerts, for all of his CDs and for
a number of independent films; plus he spent four years as composer for the
CBS sitcom “Cosby” and has written for “Little Bill.” In 2000, he was one of the
recipients the Doris Duke Foundation New Works composer’s grant.

He works extensively as an educator, teaching for Litchfield Performing Arts, the
New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and the Prins Claus Conservatoire in
Groningen, Holland. He worked for eight years as an adjunct professor at William
Paterson University, and has been a guest clinician at many other schools. His web site is
www.DonBraden.com.