65 Results for : stringed
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Naima
"...chamber jazz has found it's queen in Meg Okura." - Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz "Okura has made a bold statement with Naima, ensuring her place among the top names playing chamber jazz."- Jon Neudorf, Sea of Tranquility "A confident collection of chamber jazz that is wide in scope and deep in feeling...features outstanding solos by Okura." "Meg Okura offers a clear sense of vision of her world of music. Okura's Naima goes to many places, speaks in many voices, and is often rich with surprises and admirable in it's aspirations." - Mark Hayes, EJazz News "...(Meg Okura ) is equally comfortable playing classical chamber music, rock and everything in between." - Stephen Holden, The New York Times "Ms. Okura's vibrant, Eastern-influenced, jazzy score and the playing of her musicians were the most sophisticated parts of the work" - Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times "... (some of) the best jazz New York has to offer." - Elliot Simon, All About Jazz '... mixes a classically trained mastery of strings, piano and drums with quick-witted compositional twist performed with high energy.' - Jennifer Odell, Down Beat Magazine "The group delivers exactly what it's name promises... The group found a common ground in '60s-style modality, occasionally reminiscent of John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner's Eastern explorations." - Will Friedwald, The New York Sun "...elegantly intertwine(s) elements of classical, jazz and world folk into a new sound...by presenting precisely played ethnically inspired Playing everything from Paganini to Coltrane, violin virtuoso Meg Okura puts a certain sparkle into jazz. Formerly a classically trained concert violinist, the composer and jazz violinist has revolutionized the world of chamber jazz by artfully entwining her already colorful and moving pieces with inspirations from various cultures and countries to create a purely enchanting experience. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, the multi-faceted artist cultivated her musical talent at the Toho Gakuen School of Music at the age of five. Meg's artistic ability later led to her position as concertmaster and soloist of Asian Youth Orchestra, and eventually her United States debut with the late Alexander Schneider's New York String Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in her teenage years. She furthered her education at the Julliard School, earning both bachelors and masters degree in the study of classical violin. Soon, persuaded by her Juilliard professors' belief in her exceptional talent, Meg began to pursue a transition from the classical violin to something even more challenging-jazz. Studying jazz harmony and improvisation, Meg dedicated herself to mastering the tradition of jazz and soon, with her switch of genres and evolution into what she explains as "a more complete musician", Meg began to advance her career as a jazz violinist. Touring with artists such as 13-time Grammy winner Michael Brecker and Steve Swallow, and recording with jazz artists Dianne Reeves, Lee Konitz, and Sam Newsome, Meg has performed at prominent venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Lincoln Center, and London's Barbican Centre. In addition, she has collaborated and performed with Oscar nominee actor and Columbia recording artist Terrence Howard, as well as been featured in three Cirque du Soleil shows, exhibiting her remarkable talent as an improviser on the violin. In 2005, however, Meg embarked on a journey unlike one she had ever endured, challenging herself as both a violinist and composer, and starting her own group. Inspired by her experience in the various countries that comprise Asia, Meg composed and recorded a compilation of music that would soon lead to the birth of her latest project, the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble. The works she composed comprised the seven-person ensemble's self-titled debut album, which won the group notoriety as a finalist for "Best Album" in the 2006 Independent Musicians Awards, and have made the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble the rare gem of the jazz world. "Composing is the most natural thing for me to do-it's as though music just comes to me. Sometimes I can be composing complicated music in my dreams and thanks to my perfect pitch, I can hear music in my head and know exactly what notes I am hearing and can write them down," says Meg. The ensemble, which "mixes a classically trained mastery of strings, piano and drums with (a) quick-witted compositional twist" (Down Beat Magazine, Jennifer Odell), played to sold-out concerts in Japan in 2008 and has also performed at the NYC Winter Jazz Festival, Knitting Factory, and the Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center. Now, Meg's Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble presents their second album, "Naima", named as a tribute to jazz icon John Coltrane, highlighting Meg's unique new arrangement of the classic. "The first album was the music that came naturally to me without any objective. This album is...more Asian, more jazz, and more chamber music. Touring Asia as a teen was really a life-changing experience, making music with musicians representing nine different Asian countries, working closely together and traveling together. I draw upon my memories of Asia and try to access my feelings toward the people, the culture, and the nature and sceneries of Asia (for inspiration)," Meg says. Featuring rare instruments the shinobue (Japanese bamboo flute) and the erhu (a two-stringed Chinese violin), which Meg plays in addition to the violin, the album is a "collection of original works that represent and symbolize the name of (the) group." The ensemble "...elegantly intertwine(s) elements of classical, jazz and world folk into a new sound...by presenting precisely played ethnically inspired original compositions in an exciting modern jazz context" (All About Jazz, Elliot Simon). This unique approach to music has earned her numerous grants and awards as a composer, making her to be one of today's leading voices in the world chamber jazz. Yet, Meg also offers two familiar tunes including the title cut "Naima." "The modal quality of Coltrane's 'Naima' echoes with the music of French Impressionist period," she says. In this unique new version, she creates fluidity in texture and colors by writing arpeggios moving towards different directions while slowly shifting the chords to encompass stillness within movements. "It's an Impressionist violin concerto meets modern Jazz with a hint of Japanese mode", Meg says. The other familiar piece on the album "Carpice", on the other hand, is a Latin jazz piece based on a theme from the famous Caprice No. 24 by the Italian composer and violinist, Nicolo Paganini. It features virtuosic cadenzas by Meg Okura herself and pianist Mamiko Kitaura. The album ends with a 25-minute through-composed suite entitled "Lu Chai"--music inspired by a poem of the same title by Wang Wei, a great poet from the Chinese Tang Dynasty. "To play chamber jazz, most, if not all of the players in the group must be jazz improvisers," Meg says. The suite showcases variety of solos including one by the veteran jazz flutist, Anne Drummond, as well as solos on instruments not typically associated with jazz, such as the cello and even the erhu. Today, Meg resides in New York City with her husband, soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome, and says she is living her life, fulfilling her dreams and relishing every day in new understandings and identity. "I take to heart the new challenges of being a composer, jazz violinist, Asian American, artist and wife, while at the same time, constantly reminding myself of the responsibility to do my absolute best to achieve foremost excellence in the arts..." Meg Okura (violin, erhu), Anne Drummond (flute), Jun Kubo (flute, shinobue), Rubin Kodheli (cello), Mamiko Kitaura (piano), Jennifer Vincent (bass), Willard Dyson (drums), Satoshi Takeishi (percussion), Dave Eggar (cello)- Shop: odax
- Price: 25.15 EUR excl. shipping
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Luminous Baryton
Luminous Baryton I am very happy to play contemporary music on the whole - I thought I had already lost it when I left my desk in the orchestra to concentrate fully on period instruments. Later I was asked if I would order commissions for my rare instrument, the baryton. This needed some digesting before I dared to commission composers like Eero Hämeenniemi, Sampsa Ertamo and Tomi Räisänen. These works received premières during The International Baryton Symposium in Helsinki 2009. For a long time, Eero Hämeenniemi (b. 1951) had the idea of composing a work to the poem A Dong with a Luminous Nose by Edward Lear (1812-1888). Happily this came true in the work at hand. Throughout time the rare baryton has had something in common with his nightly solitude Wondering Dong, not forgetting The Candle in the Nose. This work is the first contemporary work in my repertoire - and it is no coincidence that the name of this CD is based on it. Max Savikangas (b. 1969) plays the viola and the initiative to make a commission came from Markus Sarantola, the violist of the Finnish Baryton Trio. Later, I was listening to more chamber music by Max and was always impressed by his individual colors of sound. I believe it is based on his continuing search for new playing techniques and his profound knowledge of stringed instruments. Some playfulness is also included. My first experience of Sampsa Ertamo's (b. 1973) music was playing in the première of his work Gamba Squad. I enjoyed a lot of Sampsa's harmonies, because I found them fresh. After the concert I asked if he would write some music for the baryton. A while later Sampsa called me to say that the work was in flow and was almost ready - "if it's ok?" The composer has invented a phonetic language that describes well the Sibylline prophecies of antiquity, prophecies which the temple priests translated to ordinary people. One night in Gaudí's Park and anything could happen, our trio could even sing... When introducing the baryton to Tomi Räisänen (b. 1976), he asked me to sing simultaneously when playing. Somehow I managed to do it. The finished trio had quite a bit of singing and we had to practise it for a while. A Night at the Park Güell is the most performed contemporary work in our repertoire and we always enjoy it's dark atmosphere. The night is full of wonders! The baryton is a bass viol, which has a set of bowed strings and second set of strings placed between the top and the fingerboard of the instrument. The baryton's neck is broader for the second set, also called the sympathetic strings, which are placed parallel to the bowed strings. The second set of strings may be plucked from behind the neck with the left thumb. The baryton was invented in England at the beginning of the 17th century. It's modern success is due primarily to the bulk of 175 works by Joseph Haydn. His contract in the court of Nikolaus Esterházy included composing all the court's music and over the course of ten years Prince Nikolaus frequently asked for new works for his favorite instrument, the baryton. I have given plenty of concerts of early music with the artists who appear on this recording. We have travelled and played together in different combinations and always in the best of spirits. Working with living composers has given us new perspective, and has been very interesting and often grand fun too. Our soprano Hanna Järveläinen has sung a lot of contemporary music, although she performs music mainly from renaissance to baroque in various ensembles. The repertoire of Varpu Haavisto includes music of our time as well as early music - she has both premièred and commissioned music for gamba from Finnish composers. The Finnish Baryton Trio made it's debut in 2002. Our dialogic method of working has proved to be fruitful and long lasting. Many recordings and concert tours at home and abroad have improved both our ensemble playing and our sense of humor. The members of the trio are Markus Kuikka, baryton, Markus Sarantola, viola, and Jussi Seppänen, cello. They all are frequently requested artists in many associations. The latest recording of the Finnish Baryton Trio - The Private Pleasure of Prince Esterházy - includes five baryton trios by Haydn and was released in 2009. Markus Kuikka is a Finnish baroque cellist and gamba player with a special interest in the rare instruments baryton and arpeggione (a bowed guitar played like cello). He was the principal cellist in an orchestra for a considerable time, but a growing interest in early music led to a new career with new instruments and to an artistic doctoral work and dissertation with the baryton and arpeggione. Along with giving concerts, Kuikka has also led the BarokkiKuopio Festival of early music. Luminous Baryton is part of his artistic work as an assistant professor in the doctoral school of The Sibelius Academy. Markus Kuikka, 2012.- Shop: odax
- Price: 30.39 EUR excl. shipping
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Solo Guitar
REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS... '... he sure can play. 'Jazz On the Classic' gives you Pete Smyser as a one-man band. Like Joe Pass, Pete can produce a completely rendered piece-with melody, harmony and rhythm coming from a single instrument. Stylistically, however, Pete goes his own way. How? First off, he's playing a nylon acoustic, which makes for a particular sound, second his improvisations are his own, quite tasteful and articulate, masterful, idiomatic, and imaginative. Joe Pass was all that too, but Smyser gets a different sound and feel. The recording does not produce all the expected shopworn goodies. Smyser picks some of the less played classics, especially when it comes to the guitar. Take for example Alec Wilder's "It's So Peaceful in the Country." Now that's a great tune and he does a terrific job bringing out the beauties of the melody and harmony. Then there's another unexpected treasure: Duke's "Black & Tan Fantasy." Smyser gives it a striding glide, a very adept translation to the stringed world and a bluesy solo too that is quite nice. Miles Davis' first "Milestones" is another one you don't expect to hear in this medium. It is wonderful to hear it like this, though. It makes you remember just how great a tune it is. And the solo Smyser does have some wonderful lines and hip comping at the same time. I could go on, and mention "Red Door," a Mulligan-Sims gem that lays just right on Smyser's guitar. Well I just did. That's enough to give you the idea. This is a fine recording and a real tribute to Smyser's abilities. Any fan of the acoustic will get great pleasure from it. - Grego Applegate Edwards (Cadence Magazine) "In his solo work, the guitarist seems even more patient than he was in the past, more willing in his 20th year as a professional to let the music breathe. The jazz material on the recording shows Smyser's influences, chiefly the lush, evocative chording of Wes Montgomery and the agility of the reigning master-supremo, axe-man, Jim Hall. Don't be distracted by the fact that it is self-released. It is top drawer stuff that deserve some serious listening." -Tim Blangger/ The Morning Call 'I'd be curious to know what kind of response you get from this solo CD. I think it should appeal to a wide audience. It is certainly 'jazz', but doesn't have long solos that seem to drive non-jazz listeners away. It is relaxing (but not Musak or New Age) so it would be good to play while doing desk work (sorry - background!!). The effortless and 'making it sound easy' feel doesn't make it a technical listen but arrangements are very interesting. The musicians will certainly appreciate the difficulty and accomplishment to make it sound effortless. Making difficult things sound easy is the highest level. I hope people appreciate it.' - Bill "...beautifully played by Smyser. 'A Foggy Day' is especially tasty." -Robert Page (owner of The Classical Guitar Store, Phila., PA) "Pete, I just love this classical guitar jazz collection. Wow!!!! The sound is so soulful and intimate because of the nylon strings." -Roger "I LOVE IT! I like it when you work alone best. You are able to completely express yourself and it comes off GREAT!! I am loving it!!" - Jan "I really have enjoyed (your CDs). Your taste, conciseness, and respect for the tradition are rare commodities these days. Congrats on a great product, keep swingin!" - Tom HOW THE RECORDING CAME ABOUT... In 2007, John Arnold (professor of classical guitar studies at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) invited me to perform at the annual Bethlehem Guitar Festival which is rooted in classical guitar traditions. There was, however, an interesting twist to the theme of the festival that particular year - "Jazz on the Classic". Performers were encouraged to incorporate jazz elements into a program that would be performed on a classical (nylon stringed) guitar. With this theme in mind, I set out to put together a solo guitar program that would bridge the two distinctly different musical approaches- classical and jazz. Classical guitar performance usually involves a predetermined and clearly defined arrangement. This involves pre-thinking every detail including all note choices for the arrangement, exact fingering to be used for both the left and right hands, as well as where to play each given note. Jazz enthusiasts champion the ability to play musical ideas spontaneously with little or no preplanning. A jazz performer would typically state the melody once through, then improvise over the chord structure of the piece and, finally, close with a re-statement of the melody. The approach that I settled upon represented a departure from that of any other jazz performance that I had ever performed. The "jazz" elements of this program are represented by, 1. The inclusion of the improvisational middle section of the tunes. 2. The choice of musical selections. Some of the selections are well known American Songbook standards while others were originally composed as instrumental jazz pieces. One song, "Time Will Tell", is an original composition. The "classical" side of the program is represented in three areas. 1. The use of composed arrangements for the melody statements. 2. The music is performed on a nylon string classical guitar (as opposed to the steel string guitar that is more typically used for jazz performances). 3. Classical finger style techniques were utilized exclusively (as opposed to plectrum or pick techniques).- Shop: odax
- Price: 25.60 EUR excl. shipping
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Ploughman's Lunch
The second album from Big Al Davies and this time there are 13 songs of poppy goodness with beat sensibilities and more toe tapping tunes, Big Al has actually increased his sound palette this time to more layers of guitars and other stringed instruments. Feztastic was the forerunner to this collection of pop tunes, with Al exploring his usual areas of Britishness like on 'Sid James Infirmary', 'i Wanna Work With Lovejoy' and 'Three Field Farmer' his romantic side 'Lovesick No 12' and 'Everything We Had' across the comical 'I'm Having The Wrong Life' and 'I Won't Get Drunk Again' and the pure punky pop of 'The Summer's Here'. Dare we say it but the Ploughman's Lunch is a complete meal, satisfying and all the elements come together to produce a meal fit for a king.- Shop: odax
- Price: 20.41 EUR excl. shipping
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Portraits
Dominic Ashworth continues to shine as one of the finest jazz guitarists in Britain. His debut trio CD, Portraits, is an intimate and highly personal album originally recorded for and dedicated to those who have touched his life. Playing the nylon-stringed classical guitar, Dominic performs alongside Chris Dodd (bass) and Nic France (percussion), with guest appearances from Josefina Cupido (percussion). Portraits features some of Dominic's original tunes, jazz standards by Billie Holiday, Jobim, Ellington, Monk, Ibrahim, Pastoris, Bernstein and a breathtaking version of Gabriel Faure's Pavane. This is special album you'll want to share with those close to you. Portraits (NUTSCD0019), on the Chugnut Label, is a highly personal collection of tunes, both original and standard, inspired by and dedicated to people who have touched Dominic's life. Playing a nylon-strung guitar throughout, Dominic creates an intimate mood which will appeal to lovers of classical music as well as discerning jazz fans. The great grooves of Nic France and Chris Dodd create space for the nylon-strung guitar to breathe in material reflecting Jazz, Classical, Latin, Celtic and Pop influences. Alongside standards by Bernstein, Ellington, Monk and Jobim, some less familiar tunes appear, including Three Views of a Secret by Jaco Pastorius and a few of Dominic's originals, Portraits also features a breathtaking version of Faure's Pavane. Born in Hamilton Ontario, Canada, Dominic Ashworth studied guitar at the University of Toronto Canada with Eli Kassner, graduating in 1982. Before moving to the UK he performed at the Havana Guitar Festival Cuba and studied under scholarship in Spain. He settled in the UK writing music including a version of Carmen performed at the Newcastle Playhouse. Dominic's musical inspirations for writing and performing include J.S.Bach, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Paco de Lucia and George Benson. In Glasgow, he co-founded the group Ah Um, a regular feature of the Glasgow and Edinburgh Jazz Festivals. He will shortly be playing on George Melly's forthcoming album on the Candid label. Now based in Greenwich, Dominic tours and records with Carol Kidd, Michael Garrick's Quartet and big band and teaches Jazz Guitar at Trinity College of Music.- Shop: odax
- Price: 30.38 EUR excl. shipping
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Home
It is my pleasure to recommend this recording by Hirano Shingo to you. Great songs, great singing, and what a guitar player! Please enjoy! Brad Kelley - LA based Composer / Arranger / Conductor The first time I saw the 'stank face' I was hooked. Shingo is more than a great musician, he's got 'it' -- that unmistakable quality that can't be learned, can't be taught. It goes beyond talent, beyond a pretty face. The audience wants to listen to him, watch him, over anyone else within about a ten mile radius. The good news is, Shingo's got the talent and the chops to match. Tony Clements - NYC based Director / Actor, former Mama Mia cast member I first met Shingo as a student of mine in Tokyo. We spoke Japanese for the first year until one day he came up to me and said in perfect English 'I lived in New Jersey for 16 years, can you listen to one of my songs?'. That song was 'Life' the first song on his new CD. I have had the experience numerous times on stage where I feel Hendrix or Stevie Ray there. I sometimes forget that he is only 25 years old. I am now a fan forever. Scott Latham - Tokyo based Drummer / Producer Shingo was born in Japan but moved to New Jersey at the age of one. He lived there until the age of 16 but was suddenly up-rooted and brought back to Japan. This was a difficult change for him but resulted in a bilingual super guitarist / vocalist who plays far beyond is age of 25 years. His knowledge of two languages and two cultures has some amazing results in his songwriting. Shingo was asked to be the soloist on the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra tour in 2011. Playing 40 shows around Japan in front of more than 100,000 people he has boosted his fan base immensely. He picked up a Nylon Stringed Guitar for the first time in his life and not only wowed the audience, but 60 major classical players as well. Now fresh off concerts in San Francisco and New York- Check out the CD - it speaks for itself. Shingo Hirano: Guitar,Vocal Scott Latham: Drums,Chorus Chris Silverstein: Bass Syo Aoki: Guitar,Chorus Masashi Kubota: Drums (on California Dreaming) Hikaru 'T-Bone' Hirama: Bass (on California Dreaming) All songs composed by Shingo Hirano except 'California Dreaming by The Mamas and the Papas All songs arranged by Shingo Hirano and Scott Latham Produced by Scott Latham for Amigo's Music.- Shop: odax
- Price: 24.60 EUR excl. shipping
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Feeling Home
'Feeling Home' is a collection of twelve songs played by Armin Düpmeier (acoustic guitars and Chapman Stick), Tatjana Konegen (flute) and Martin Heil (cello). All songs have been composed by Armin Düpmeier. In his compositions Armin Düpmeier tries to describe individual experiences and impressions. You can find for example songs that focus on phenomena in nature. 'Today Sunshine' tries to evoke the positive feeling you get when enjoying a day in the sun, 'Am Strand' (On the Beach) illustrates a walk on the beach with smooth waves playing with the sand. Or the clearness of a sunbeam can be found in the tune 'I'm Licht' (In the Light). Human relationships are also part of his musical stories. 'Feeling Home' - the title track of the album - wants to reflect the feeling of shelter your family or good friends can give you and 'Tensions' is a song about the struggle of people trying to find compromises. 'Widmung' (Dedication) tells the story of a difficult relationship between two quite different characters. Another part of the CD deals with individual experiences everyone has. "Am Horizont" (On the Horizon) might take you on a journey beyond the horizon of your daily routine and "Traumsplitter" (Splinters of a Dream) is an attempt to reassemble the parts of a dream you remember the morning after. Armin Düpmeier plays different types of stringed instruments. After having studied music at the university of Münster in Germany he has been a guitar instructor for many years teaching classical and jazz guitar. Besides his solo appearances he played in different projects during the last years which ranged from jazz to popmusic. His recent projects are 'Duo Fluitar' with a programme called 'Classical Crossover' (modern arrangements of classical compositions), the band 'Renaissance Faire' that plays the music of 'Blackmore's Night' in mostly acoustic arrangements and 'Super 8' with a programme consisting of movie and TV soundtracks. The CD will be delivered in a Super Jewel-Box.- Shop: odax
- Price: 18.86 EUR excl. shipping
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Stringed
Es war einmal Märchen zaubern denen, die sie lesen wir erinnern uns alle am Ende meist ein Lächeln ins Gesicht. Auf märchenhafte Weise gelingt dies auch Jens Kommnick mit seinem neuen Solo-Album, brillant aufgenommen in den Stockfisch Studios.- Shop: odax
- Price: 31.52 EUR excl. shipping
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Stringed
Alban Darche (sax), Gabor Gado (guitar), Sebastien Boisseau (double bass), RTQ String Quartet- Shop: odax
- Price: 10.50 EUR excl. shipping
