6/16: The Revive Big Band f. Savion Glover at Blue Note Jazz Festival
The legendary tap musician Savion Glover will be joining the Revive Big Band for their Blue Note Festival performance on 6/16 at Highline Ballroom featuring a slew of todays greatest musicians, led by trumpeter Igmar Thomas.
NEXT Collective: Chris Dunn (Producer)
Leading up to the February 26th release of ‘Cover Art,’ we are bringing you interviews with the musicians and previews of the songs each one arranged for the record. Our last interview is with Chris Dunn, Senior A&R at Concord Records and Producer of the NEXT Collective.
NEXT Collective: Christian “aTunde Adjuah” Scott (Trumpet)
Leading up to the February 26th release of ‘Cover Art,’ we will be bringing you interviews with the musicians and previews of the songs each one arranged for the record, so check back with us often! Christian Scott brought one of the heaviest tunes to ‘Cover Art’ in arranging “No Church In The Wild” off of Jay-Z & Kanye’s ‘Watch the Throne.’ As a special guest and “quasi-producer,” Scott brought us some insight and storytelling from the process in a style very much his own. Check out what he had to say.
NEXT Collective: Matt Stevens (Guitar)
Leading up to the February 26th release of ‘Cover Art,’ we will be bringing you interviews with the musicians and previews of the songs each one arranged for the record, so check back with us often! This past week we spoke with guitarist Matt Stevens who arranged “Oceans” by Pearl Jam for ‘Cover Art.’
NEXT Collective: Gerald Clayton (Piano)
Leading up to the February 26th release of ‘Cover Art,’ we will be bringing you interviews with the musicians and previews of the songs each one arranged for the record, so check back with us often! Today we have a great interview with Gerald Clayton, one of two pianists on the record, who arranged D’Angelo’s “Africa” for ‘Cover Art.’
NEXT Collective: Walter Smith III (Tenor Sax)
Leading up to the February 26th release of ‘Cover Art,’ we will be bringing you interviews with the musicians and previews of the songs each one arranged for the record, so check back with us often! Check out tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III who arranged Bon Iver’s “Perth” for ‘Cover Art.”
NEXT Collective: Jamire Williams (Drums)
Leading up to the February 26th release of ‘Cover Art,’ we will be bringing you interviews with the musicians and previews of the songs each one arranged for the record, so check back with us often! Today we’re interviewing drummer Jamire Williams who arranged “Refractions In The Plastic Pulse” by Stereolab for ‘Cover Art.”
NEXT Collective: Ben Williams (Bass)
Concord Records’ NEXT Collective brings together what many are calling the supergroup of this generation of musicians. Combining the talents of Ben Williams, Christian Scott, Matt Stevens, Jamire Williams, Kris Bowers, Walter Smith III, Logan Richardson and Gerald Clayton, these musicians give some credence to the term “supergroup.” Originally conceived by Chris Dunn, Senior A&R at Concord, the record moves past the outdated “jazz” labeling and delves into the more pop-oriented influences of these incredible musicians.
2/26: The NEXT Collective Cover Art Album Release Concert
Get ready NYC! Tuesday, Feb. 26th is the premier and album release concert of The NEXT Collective at Le Poisson Rouge. Featuring rising stars: saxophonists Logan Richardson and Walter Smith III, guitarist Matthew Stevens, keyboardists Gerald Clayton and Kris Bowers, bassist Ben Williams, drummer Jamire Williams, and special guest trumpeter Christian Scott (aka Christian aTunde Adjuah).
Feature Media: The Lee Morgan Story 11/29/12
With the Lee Morgan Story taking on new life this past week at Le Poisson Rouge, we’ve got some new insight into the project and a collection of great video and photos from the historic night that saw legendary trumpeter Wallace Roney take the stage in tribute to the late Lee Morgan. Originally brought to us by the dynamic duo of Ben Williams and John Robinson, the night also featured Marc Cary on keys, Justin Brown on drums, Leron Thomas on trumpet, and Raydar Ellis (DJ/Emcee).
The E.J. Strickland Project Presents the Music of Stevie Wonder
EJ Strickland is bringing together an incredible line-up of musicians for a two-night tribute to the great Stevie Wonder at Zinc Bar this week. Strickland has made a name for himself both as a part of Ravi Coltrane’s long standing quartet as well as in collaboration with his brother Marcus Strickland. EJ put together the arrangements for the show and will be playing drums alongside his group of seasoned musicians.
11/29: The Lee Morgan Story f. Ben Williams, John Robinson & Leron Thomas
Lee Morgan is remembered as one of the greatest trumpet players to ever grace the hallowed halls of jazz. In his short lifetime, he managed to record over 25 albums, several of which are still considered classics, and have influenced innumerable musicians to hit the scene since his death.
Preview: The John Raymond Project at Blue Note NYC
We sat down with John Raymond ahead of his one-night only concert with his group the John Raymond Project tonight 11/16/12. Check out below as he takes us through the band, his set list, and why it feels great to be playing the late set at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club. Be sure to make it out to the show for a very special concert!
NEXT Collective Drops EP
A new project dropped this morning exclusively on iTunes featuring the likes of Christian Scott, Matt Stevens, Jamire Williams, Ben Williams, Kris Bowers, Walter Smith III, Logan Richardson and Gerald Clayton. They are calling themselves the NEXT Collective and have dropped a sneak peak of the project on Concord Records in the form of a three-song EP.
Charlie Parker with Strings Full Line-Up Announced
By the 1940s Charlie Parker had already long established himself in the small group setting, yet he was still searching for new concepts and settings in which to package his music for audiences. “I was looking for new ways to say thing musically. New sound combinations,” Parker explained. Record producer Norman Granz sought to bring Parker into these new settings by way of touring, recording, and pairing him with the best musicians on the scene. As such, when the idea spawned for Bird to be paired with some of the most accomplished string players in New York, Parker fully embraced the notion, going around town telling people about his new band with “the cats from Koussevitsky’s band,” referring to Serge Koussevitsky who ran the New York Philharmonic at the time.
8/27: The Revive Big Band f. Pharoahe Monch at Blue Note Jazz Club
If The Revive Big Band is a “19-piece jazz army” (Complex Magazine), then what is their fight? Formed in 2010, the Big Band began as a “wouldn’t it be cool if…” kind of idea, where composer, arranger and trumpeter Igmar Thomas wanted to unite generations of like-minded musicians in presenting a new age of big bands. The project has grown to become one of the most exciting and imaginative bands – big or otherwise – in New York.
Otis Brown III Featured in Downbeat
After raising nearly $12,000 from hundreds of donors for his debut record as a bandleader, Otis Brown III is getting down to business. He recorded the album in April 2011 with a set of musicians that have defined music in there own right including Robert Glasper, Ben Williams, John Ellis, Keyon Harrold, Bilal, Esperanza Spalding, Gretchen Parlato and Nikki Ross.
John Robinson & Ben Williams Talk Lee Morgan Story on WBGO
The “Lee Morgan Story” collaboration grew from John Robinson and J. Rawl’s brilliant 2009 album The 1960′s “Jazz Revolution Again.” The album is a celebration of the connections of jazz and hip-hop and it is on this album that “The Lee Morgan Story” was first heard. On this tune John Robinson serves as not only an emcee but a story teller and historian. Acclaimed bassist Ben Williams recreated the tune and released it on his debut album State of the Art with a jazz band that features trumpeter Christian Scott.
José James: Unlocking the Code
I think it’s just different with jazz. Once you decide you’re going to do jazz, you realize it’s going to take you your whole life to do anything original and to get to a level that’s anywhere close to Ella, or Miles or any of these people, stylistically. I think anybody who thinks they’re, like, soaking in right away, is just not going to last long in jazz. It’s a whole different mindset. I wasn’t thinking about making a record, because I didn’t have anything original to say. I just wanted to learn the standards, and that takes years of practice and jam sessions and buying real books and trying to figure out what people are doing. It’s like trying to unlock a code.
Winter JazzFest Recap
This weekend saw jazz fans converge on downtown Manhattan for what could be the most unpretentious, unassuming, realistic glimpse at some of the pioneers of the modern jazz scene. Forget the sit-down venues with unrealistic cover charges and the maître d’s who demand an unrealistic ambiance of clap-clap silence. The Winter JazzFest, presented by Boom Collective and Search & Restore, allowed for an array of artists, both well-known and up-and-coming, to be featured in a setting more conducive to spreading the life and energy of modern jazz.
The Revivalist | Friday Round Up!
Happy Friday! This week at The Revivalist we were gearing up for the Lee Morgan Story show that is this Saturday at the Blue Note. Check out our feature interviews with Ben Williams and John Robinson plus much much more!
The Lee Morgan Story
It is up to us, meaning us literally and people like us who are doing what we do. I guess my sentiment would be I’m down for anything that elevates the music and can trickle down and put younger people on a path of being able to take from the greatness and utilize it. Whether they are literally participating by playing the music or they are just listening and getting inspired and moving into their passion and dream from it. Personally I would like to see what we’ve already done and started to expand more whether it is us doing it or other people. It is healthy for the music and it’s definitely a thing that will cause nothing more than love, peace, and happiness.
State of an Artist: Ben Williams
Ben spent an afternoon with The Revivalist on a sunny afternoon in Brooklyn, and talked to us about the years of accumulated work that made it on this project, why the bass became his creative outlet, and why he reps his hometown of D.C. Enjoy the interview and the photos from Ben’s photo shoot with Rehes Creative.
The Lee Morgan Story f. Ben Williams & John Robinson
Lee Morgan is remembered as one of the greatest trumpet players to ever grace the hallowed halls of jazz. In his short lifetime, he managed to record over 25 albums, several of which are still considered classics, and have influenced innumerable musicians to hit the scene since his death. Concord Records recording artist Ben Williams and New York-based emcee John Robinson collaborate in tribute in a way never seen before.
