Sofia Jannok (Sweden
8/10/2007 6:48:37 AM - Donny McCaslin waited until his sixth album to use the title In Pursuit (released June 5 on Sunnyside). But the concept of “pursuit” – single-minded devotion to a distant goal, marked by inventive exploration – has characterized his music almost from the beginning.
8/10/2007 6:48:37 AM - Donny McCaslin waited until his sixth album to use the title In Pursuit (released June 5 on Sunnyside). But the concept of “pursuit” – single-minded devotion to a distant goal, marked by inventive exploration – has characterized his music almost from the beginning. Born August 11, 1966, McCaslin grew up in in Santa Cruz, CA; inspired by his father, a pianist and vibraphonist, the youngster started playing tenor saxophone at 12, and quickly progressed, touring Europe and participating in the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival’s California All-Star band while in high school. After attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he joined Berklee professor Gary Burton’s quintet, with whom he toured for four years. McCaslin moved to New York, in 1991, working with bassist Eddie Gomez and then joining the group Steps Ahead, with whom he made the 1995 disc Vibe (NYC Records). But he really began to turn heads with his solo work in larger ensembles – first Ken Schaphorst’s big band, and subsequently the acclaimed Maria Schneider Orchestra, where his performance on the album Concert In The Garden received a Grammy nomination for “Best Jazz Instrumental Solo” in 2004.
So much for McCaslin’s “traditional” credentials, which provide the anchor for his much-admired work in more adventurous realms. Chief among these is the pianoless quartet Lan Xang (which evolved from an experimental partnership with fellow New York saxist David Binney) and the quintet led by the widely lionized trumpeter Dave Douglas, who added McCaslin to his band in 2005. Reviewing the Douglas Quintet in Jazz Times, Josef Woodard wrote of McCaslin: “He’s a versatile player who moves easily between inside and outside musical zones . . . . [T]here’s a fluidity and grace to his playing even when he’s pushing at envelopes.”
Thanks to the high profile of the Dave Douglas Quintet, McCaslin in the last two years has achieved wider praise for the incisive twists and purposeful turns of his emotionally charged solos. But those qualities – along with his sometimes startling virtuosity, and his distinctive voice as a composer – had actually been on display for much of the previous decade, during which McCaslin proved himself a valued sideman on recordings by Danilo Perez, Luciana Souza, and performances with Tom Harrell, Brian Blade, John Pattitucci, The Mingus Band, and Pat Metheny. . Meanwhile, the previous albums under his own name have shown him subtly incorporating elements of Latin American music within adventurous jazz frameworks.
Ben Monder Jazz Guitarist
Matt Penman Bassist
Bassist Matt Penman makes his debut as a leader with this vivid, reflective quintet session, featuring Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, Aaron Goldberg on piano and Rhodes, Chris Cheek on tenor and soprano saxes, and Jeff Ballard on drums. Mood-wise, The Unquiet isn't unlike Chris Cheek's beautiful album Vine, which features the same instrumentation and even three of the same players -- Rosenwinkel, Cheek, and Penman himself. A modest leader, Penman plays a supportive rhythm section role on these eight fine originals, locking in with Ballard and letting the esteemed soloists do their thing. Cheek and Rosenwinkel state most of the melodies in unison, their tones (respectively dry and echo-drenched) providing rich timbral contrast. Goldberg shines on piano, particularly on the fiercely swinging "Up and Over" and "Sense of Stealth"; he can make the Rhodes sound as gentle as a celeste, particularly under Penman's solo (the only one of the set) on "Treehugger." Penman seems to gravitate toward triple meters; his crafty writing is exemplified by the enigmatic, block-chord intro to the waltz "Keepsake," or the soaring rubato harmonies of "In Piece," which eventually glide into a gentle 6/8, then quietly drift off. ~ David R. Adler, All Music GuideBack to Penman, who already had a 1994 nomination for New Zealand Jazz Album of the Year prior to heading to Berklee and then, New York, in 1995. Since then he's brought his lyrical, woody, booming sound to projects by Cheek, Rosenwinkel, Nils Wogram, Sam Yahel, Kenny Werner, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Nneena Freelon, David Berkman and Mika Pohjola. All these experiences came to a head in Brooklyn in late 2001 with the recording of this disc.
Ted Poor Drumer
Ted Poor graduated from the Eastman School of Music in 2003 where he earned his BM in Jazz Performance and taught on the faculty of the Community Education Division. While at Eastman, Ted studied drum set with Rich Thompson and percussion with John Beck. Now a resident of New York City, Ted performs, records and tours with a variety of musicians in many different ensembles. For the past year he has worked with the guitarist Ben Monder's Quartet and played on Monder's most recent CD to be released later in 2005 (featuring Kermit Driscoll, Skuli Sverrison and Theo Bleckman). Ted is also a member of trumpeter Cuong Vu's trio (with bassist Stomu Takeishi), with whom Ted tours Europe and the US. Recently, the trio joined with guitarist Bill Frissell to make a record of Vu's music entitled 'It's mostly residual', which was released in the fall of 2005. In March of 2004, Ted accompanied saxophonist Chris Potter to Frankfurt, Germany to perform and record Potter's music with the HR Big Band and will return as a guest soloist in July 2005 to perform and record the music of Ornette Coleman. Ted is also a member of the Jerome Sabbagh Quartet; which recently released an album entitled “North” for the Fresh Sounds label. As a leader, Ted has released a debut CD on Trier Records entitled “All Around.” Most recently he has formed Third Wheel, a trio featuring Ben Monder on guitar and Ralph Alessi on trumpet. Ted is a member of groups based outside of NYC as well. He plays with the Rochester based trio Paradigm Shift and performed on their latest release “Shifting Times” (Nagel Heyer Records) featuring Joe Locke, Wycliffe Gordon and Marcus Printup. Ted also plays with the Respect Sextet, Jerseyband, the Andre Canniere Group and Neos - four experimental groups that were formed at Eastman .
8/10/2007 6:48:37 AM - Donny McCaslin waited until his sixth album to use the title In Pursuit (released June 5 on Sunnyside). But the concept of “pursuit” – single-minded devotion to a distant goal, marked by inventive exploration – has characterized his music almost from the beginning. Born August 11, 1966, McCaslin grew up in in Santa Cruz, CA; inspired by his father, a pianist and vibraphonist, the youngster started playing tenor saxophone at 12, and quickly progressed, touring Europe and participating in the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival’s California All-Star band while in high school. After attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he joined Berklee professor Gary Burton’s quintet, with whom he toured for four years. McCaslin moved to New York, in 1991, working with bassist Eddie Gomez and then joining the group Steps Ahead, with whom he made the 1995 disc Vibe (NYC Records). But he really began to turn heads with his solo work in larger ensembles – first Ken Schaphorst’s big band, and subsequently the acclaimed Maria Schneider Orchestra, where his performance on the album Concert In The Garden received a Grammy nomination for “Best Jazz Instrumental Solo” in 2004.
So much for McCaslin’s “traditional” credentials, which provide the anchor for his much-admired work in more adventurous realms. Chief among these is the pianoless quartet Lan Xang (which evolved from an experimental partnership with fellow New York saxist David Binney) and the quintet led by the widely lionized trumpeter Dave Douglas, who added McCaslin to his band in 2005. Reviewing the Douglas Quintet in Jazz Times, Josef Woodard wrote of McCaslin: “He’s a versatile player who moves easily between inside and outside musical zones . . . . [T]here’s a fluidity and grace to his playing even when he’s pushing at envelopes.”
Thanks to the high profile of the Dave Douglas Quintet, McCaslin in the last two years has achieved wider praise for the incisive twists and purposeful turns of his emotionally charged solos. But those qualities – along with his sometimes startling virtuosity, and his distinctive voice as a composer – had actually been on display for much of the previous decade, during which McCaslin proved himself a valued sideman on recordings by Danilo Perez, Luciana Souza, and performances with Tom Harrell, Brian Blade, John Pattitucci, The Mingus Band, and Pat Metheny. . Meanwhile, the previous albums under his own name have shown him subtly incorporating elements of Latin American music within adventurous jazz frameworks.
Ben Monder Jazz Guitarist
Ben Monder studied music at the University of Miami and Queens College. A musician in the New York area for over 20 years, he has performed with a variety of artists, including Jack McDuff, Marc Johnson, Lee Konitz, Paul Motian, George Garzone and Tim Berne. He has also appeared with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, the Kenny Wheeler Large Ensemble, Guillermo Klein抯 Los Guachos, and is a regular member of the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, the Lee Konitz New Nonet, and Paul Motian抯 Electric Bebop Band. He has conducted clinics and workshops around the world, and served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory for the last three years. Ben continues to perform original music internationally with his own quartet and trio. He has appeared on over 90 CDs as a sideman。And as leader 4 CDs:
Oceana (Sunnyside, 2005)Excavation (Arabesque, 2000)Dust (Arabesque, 1997),Flux (Songlines,1995).Ben studied music at Queens College and the University of Miami. After returning to New York in 1984, he spent most of his time working with R&B and wedding bands and practicing jazz in his room. His big break came in 1986 when Jack McDuff called him (personally!) to join his band 揟he Heatin? System?for some extended road trips to the Midwest and West Coast. It was during this period that Ben developed an unprecedented tolerance for alchohol and had his first experience of being yelled at on the bandstand. ...
Matt Penman Bassist
Bassist Matt Penman makes his debut as a leader with this vivid, reflective quintet session, featuring Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, Aaron Goldberg on piano and Rhodes, Chris Cheek on tenor and soprano saxes, and Jeff Ballard on drums. Mood-wise, The Unquiet isn't unlike Chris Cheek's beautiful album Vine, which features the same instrumentation and even three of the same players -- Rosenwinkel, Cheek, and Penman himself. A modest leader, Penman plays a supportive rhythm section role on these eight fine originals, locking in with Ballard and letting the esteemed soloists do their thing. Cheek and Rosenwinkel state most of the melodies in unison, their tones (respectively dry and echo-drenched) providing rich timbral contrast. Goldberg shines on piano, particularly on the fiercely swinging "Up and Over" and "Sense of Stealth"; he can make the Rhodes sound as gentle as a celeste, particularly under Penman's solo (the only one of the set) on "Treehugger." Penman seems to gravitate toward triple meters; his crafty writing is exemplified by the enigmatic, block-chord intro to the waltz "Keepsake," or the soaring rubato harmonies of "In Piece," which eventually glide into a gentle 6/8, then quietly drift off. ~ David R. Adler, All Music GuideBack to Penman, who already had a 1994 nomination for New Zealand Jazz Album of the Year prior to heading to Berklee and then, New York, in 1995. Since then he's brought his lyrical, woody, booming sound to projects by Cheek, Rosenwinkel, Nils Wogram, Sam Yahel, Kenny Werner, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Nneena Freelon, David Berkman and Mika Pohjola. All these experiences came to a head in Brooklyn in late 2001 with the recording of this disc.
Ted Poor Drumer
Ted Poor graduated from the Eastman School of Music in 2003 where he earned his BM in Jazz Performance and taught on the faculty of the Community Education Division. While at Eastman, Ted studied drum set with Rich Thompson and percussion with John Beck. Now a resident of New York City, Ted performs, records and tours with a variety of musicians in many different ensembles. For the past year he has worked with the guitarist Ben Monder's Quartet and played on Monder's most recent CD to be released later in 2005 (featuring Kermit Driscoll, Skuli Sverrison and Theo Bleckman). Ted is also a member of trumpeter Cuong Vu's trio (with bassist Stomu Takeishi), with whom Ted tours Europe and the US. Recently, the trio joined with guitarist Bill Frissell to make a record of Vu's music entitled 'It's mostly residual', which was released in the fall of 2005. In March of 2004, Ted accompanied saxophonist Chris Potter to Frankfurt, Germany to perform and record Potter's music with the HR Big Band and will return as a guest soloist in July 2005 to perform and record the music of Ornette Coleman. Ted is also a member of the Jerome Sabbagh Quartet; which recently released an album entitled “North” for the Fresh Sounds label. As a leader, Ted has released a debut CD on Trier Records entitled “All Around.” Most recently he has formed Third Wheel, a trio featuring Ben Monder on guitar and Ralph Alessi on trumpet. Ted is a member of groups based outside of NYC as well. He plays with the Rochester based trio Paradigm Shift and performed on their latest release “Shifting Times” (Nagel Heyer Records) featuring Joe Locke, Wycliffe Gordon and Marcus Printup. Ted also plays with the Respect Sextet, Jerseyband, the Andre Canniere Group and Neos - four experimental groups that were formed at Eastman .