George Garzone, Jerry Bergonzi, Carl Winther Trio - Quintonic (2014)

"Gargonzi", "Berzone" call em whatcha like, the tenor sax duo of George Garzone and Jerry Bergonzi from "Beantown" (Boston, Mass) quite excite on this 2014 disc. This CD appears to have been sponsored by the Danish Music Publishers Society and features a more than able rhythm section of pianist Carl Winther (who not only produced the date but penned four of the tracks) Johnny Åman on bass, and Anders Mogensen on drums. The front line hornmen sport an "obbledeygobbeldy" manneristic which refers to a post-Coltrane technique (also developed by Dave Liebman, Steve Grossman, Bill Evans,et al) which involves a pumping off of the lower notes in order to get a ricochet-like effect escalating vertically to higher registers of the horn. Mind you this might be an anorakian pursuit of interest for saxophonists, but it is difficult to pull off and does have a distinctive and rather emotional, fiery edge to it. It sits well with both Garz and Gonz possessing dark and somewhat hollow, echoey tonal qualities which offer a refreshing contrast to the plethora of brighter, shimmery and brittle sounds that so many contemporary saxists have today. Winther's "Crystal Ball" has a gentle medium bluesy groove with a pensive and moody horn line that leads to heroic solos all round. Bergonzi contributed two pieces, the melodic "Idiosyncrasies" and the brisk 12 bar burner, "Ellwood" which offset Winther's repertoire nicely. Everything is well controlled throughout with squeaks, squeals and even the odd honk. Quality stuff indeed. ~  by Frank Griffith, JazzViews.net. 

Stunt Records, STUCD 14072, 2014
Recorded July, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts 

Musicians:
George Garzone - Tenor Saxophone
Jerry Bergonzi - Tenor Saxophone
Carl Winther - Piano
Johnny Åman - Bass
Anders Mogensen - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Gargonzola {Carl Winther} (4:54)
2. Crystal Ball {Carl Winther} (7:40)
3. Idiosyncrasies {Jerry Bergonzi} (6:28)
4. Restless {Tomas Franck} (5:49)
5. Ellwood {Jerry Bergonzi} (7:46)
6. Abeid From Zanzibar {Carl Winther, Jerry Bergonzi} (6:07)
7. The Gargoyle Returns {Carl Winther} (5:37) 

Total Time: 44:26 

Producer - Carl Winther 

Ellwood

Anders Mogensen - Taking Off (1995)

Anders Mogensen is currently being referred to as "the greatest Danish drummer since Alex Riel". His debut album on Storyville showcases Anders at his best. He is joined by a stellar cast of today's great musicians for a tour-de-force venture into musical nuances ranging from hard driving urban jazz grooves to subtle lyrical statements. Listen to this album and join the growing crowd of people who are already enjoying the sounds from one of the most exciting new artists on the jazz scene. ~ storyvillerecords.bandcamp.com. 

I'm Glad I Bought It
================
I'm a big fan of Rick Margitza. The contrast between Gary Thomas and Rick Margitza is very interesting. The sound of Gary Thomas is solid and I don't feel the charm as a tone, but I was impressed once again that he is following his own path without categorically changing his playing style from the time of his debut. ~ Leo, 5 Stars, Amazon.com. [Translated from Japanese] 

Storyville Records, STCD 4198, 1995
Recorded 1st October, 1994 at Sound on Sound, New York 

Musicians:
Anders Mogensen - Drums
Rick Margitza - Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
Gary Thomas - Tenor Saxophone
Niels Lan Doky - Piano
Ron McClure - Bass [Acoustic] 

Tracks:
1. Emergence {Anders Mogensen} (1:09)
2. F.F. {Anders Mogensen} (9:11)
3. Lonely {Anders Mogensen} (7:06)
4. Take Off {Anders Mogensen} (11:56)
5. Evidence {Thelonious Monk} (4:18)
6. Missing You {Anders Mogensen} (9:59)
7. Softly As A Morning Sunrise {Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II} (8:02) 

Total Time: 51:44 

Credits:
Producer - Niels Lan Doky
Executive Producer - Karl Emil Knudsen
Engineer - Peter Beckerman
Assistant Engineer - John R. Reigart III
Mastering - Hans Nielsen, Anders Mogensen
Photography - Art Zimmerman

Magnifique ~ Claude Mischler, 5 Stars, Amazon.com.

Carl Winther Quartet - Tetragonz (2013)

Carl Winter has certainly inherited the blood of his father, the great Danish trumpeter Jens Winter, who died in 2011. Since then, Carl has become increasingly active as the leading young jazz pianist in Denmark. Like before he assembles a trio; made up of bassist Johnny Åman, replacing Joel Illerhag, and drummer Anders Mogensen; that is augmented by the presence of renowned and equally in demand tenorist Jerry Bergonzi. This time the quartet as formed in the previous work "Sonic Shapes" has evolved into a regular band, and while expanding its activities in Europe and the United States, it ushered itself forth into the Boston PBS Studios in late 2012 to record this album, and the following year it was released on the Danish ‘stunt’ label. As before, well-placed in this formation the master saxophonist’s exhilarating contribution runs unabated. Both players apart from their excellent musicianship are top-notch composers, with Carl penning seven and Jerry the remaining two compositions. As a result, this veteran tenor player and up-and-coming pianist's passionate encounter has exceled to create yet again a fine example of the next generation of vibrant jazz, enjoy! 

Stunt Records, STUCD 13042, 2013
Recorded November, 2012 at PBS Studios, Westwood, Boston, Massachusetts 

Musicians:
Carl Winther - Piano
Jerry Bergonzi - Tenor Saxophone
Johnny Åman - Bass
Anders Mogensen - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Tetragonz {Carl Winther} (5:08)
2. Somewhere {Carl Winther} (4:31)
3. Dawn {Carl Winther} (6:31)
4. Spectre {Carl Winther} (6:09)
5. Neverland {Carl Winther} (4:25)
6. Like Judas {Carl Winther} (9:04)
7. Gabriella {Jerry Bergonzi} (7:09)
8. Triotone {Carl Winther} (6:02)
9. Domolian Mode {Jerry Bergonzi} (5:21) 

Total Time: 54:20 

Credits:
Producer - Carl Winther, Jerry Bergonzi
Executive-Producer - Peter Littauer, Søren Friis
Recording - Peter Kontrimas
Cover - Paul Wilson
Photography - Antonio Porcar Cano 

Tetragonz

Carl Winther Quartet - Sonic Shapes (2011)

One of these great new talents is 26-year-old Carl Winther. Trained at the Conservatory of Rhythmic Music in Copenhagen where he graduated in 2006, he has however already collected a parallel valuable personal experience playing on the jazz scene with a host of remarkable musicians. The recording of Sonic Shapes took place on May 31, 2011 after a successful tour of Danish and Swedish clubs. The quartet is very united and a new tour is already planned. This is not just another European trio being gold-plated by an American superstar. Bergonzi has nothing but praise for their collaboration, with the inspiration obviously flowing back and forth. ~ Amazon.com. [Translated from French] 

Stunt Records, STUCD 11162, 2011
Recorded 31st May, 2011 

Musicians:
Carl Winther - Piano
Jerry Bergonzi - Tenor Saxophone
Joel Illerhag - Bass
Anders Mogensen - Drums 

Tracks:
1. The Out Society {Carl Winther} (4:55)
2. Threshold {Jerry Bergonzi} (9:45)
3. The Prophet {Carl Winther} (7:28)
4. Uranian Overtones {Jerry Bergonzi} (6:43)
5. Yerevan Mama {Jerry Bergonzi} (6:03)
6. The Falcon {Carl Winther} (7:28)
7. James Moody {Jerry Bergonzi} (6:49)
8. The Core {Carl Winther, Jerry Bergonzi, Anders Mogensen} (4:49) 

Total Time: 54:04 

The Out Society