Kenny Werner - Form And Fantasy (2001)

Here pianist Kenny Werner debuts a new trio, with bassist Johannes Weidenmüller and drummer Ari Hoenig. The set, recorded live in Paris, begins with Werner's "Amonkst" (previously recorded with Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette on 1998's A Delicate Balance). The rest of the program is mostly non-original; some of the workhorses from Werner's older trio's repertoire are freshly reconsidered. "Nardis" and "Dolphin Dance" are played in seven, while Bill Evans' "Time Remembered" is prefaced by an unaccompanied Werner solo titled "Bill Remembered." The Evans tune segues seamlessly into a roaring "Lonnie's Lament," played up-tempo, much like Joe Lovano did on his 1994 Quartets record. Another highlight is Werner's stirring adaptation of Bach's "Sicilienne," which he also sets up with a lovely solo prelude. ~ by David R. Adler, AMG. 

Night Bird Music, 1001, 2001
Double-Time Records, DTRCD-186, 2001
Recorded 23rd-25th November, 2000 at The Sunset Club, Paris, France 

Musicians:
Kenny Werner - Piano, Solo (#2,8)
Johannes Weidenmueller - Bass (#1-7,9)
Ari Hoenig - Drums (#1-7,9)

Tracks:
1. Amonkst {Kenny Werner} (6:13)
2. Sicilienne [Intro] {Johann Sebastian Bach} (4:13)
3. Sicilienne {Johann Sebastian Bach} (7:42)
4. Nardis {Miles Davis} (10:22)
5. Tears In Heaven {Eric Clapton} (8:06)
6. Dolphin Dance {Herbie Hancock} (5:56)
7. My Funny Valentine {Hart, Rodgers} (7:59)
8. Bill Remembered {Kenny Werner} (3:38)
9. (a) Time Remembered {Bill Evans} (6:50)
9. (b) Lonnie's Lament {John Coltrane} (8:10) 

Total Time: 69:14 

Credits:
Producer, Photography - Jean-Jacques Pussiau
Executive Producer, Mastering - Jamey Aebersold
Recording Engineer - Gerard de Haro
Assistant Engineer - Sylvain Thevenard
Mixing Engineer - Paul Wickliff
Piano Tuner - Michel Terrioux
Graphic Design - Bernard Amiard
Photography - Christian Ducasse
Liner Notes - Kenny Werner 

[Great Music] These musicians sound like they are having so much fun playing together that it is no wonder that the music they produced is of such high quality. The easy unrestrained feeling that permeates this recording always makes me smile when I listen to it. While all the songs deserve attention, I would say that "Nardis" is the highlight of the set. The arrangement of it is delightedly fresh and they seem to be enjoying themselves so much that when Werner bursts into song towards the end it is not entirely unexpected. This is beautiful music that everyone needs to hear. ~ Lisa & David, 5 Stars, Amazon.com. 

Dolphin Dance

Ari Hoenig Punkbop - Live At Smalls (2010)

This is a killer high octane live set by drummer Ari Hoenig with his Punk Bop Band which features some of the most talented in demand players in NYC. On guitar Jonathan Kreisberg who's playing is not to be missed here. He goes from Pat Martino inspired tones to wet fx drenched Pat Metheny like sounds on his Gibson 175. On alto sax Will Vinson of the U.K. On bass is Danton Boller who anchored Roy Hargrove's fabulous 2008 album "Ear Food", Danton really lays it down here on upright bass. The music is a unique fusion of styles but it's less like 70s "fusion" and more just what modern jazz is becoming as time passes and the stylistic boundaries blur. Pick this up if you're a fan of Ari Hoenig and if you're looking for some new music to digest, I promise you'll find something to like here. Not recommended for anyone that thinks all Jazz after the 50s was crap. ~ Jonathan Guarriello, User@AllMusic.com. 

SmallsLIVE, SL-0013, 2010
Recorded 8th February, 2010 Live at Smalls Jazz Club, Greenwich Village, NYC 

Musicians:
Ari Hoenig - Drums, Arranger
Will Vinson - Alto Saxophone
Tigran Hamasyan - Piano
Jonathan Kreisberg - Guitar
Danton Boller - Bass 

Tracks:
1. Birdless (12:29)
2. Remembering (10:03)
3. Rapscallion Cattle (12:34)
4. Green Spleen (15:22)
5. Dark News (9:51)
6. Ska (12:53) 

All Compositions by Ari Hoenig 

Total Time: 73:15 

Credits:
Producer, Executive-Producer - Spike Wilner
Producer, Mixing - Ben Rubin
Engineer - Jimmy Katz
Mastering - Gene Paul, Jamie Polaski
Photography, Design - Michelle Watt 

Green Spleen

Will Vinson - Promises (2008)

It's been five years since British expat Will Vinson released his debut as a leader, It's For You (2004), but the alto and soprano saxophonist has been anything but dormant. Promises, may have been a long time in coming, but it demonstrates Vinson's palpable growth as a player but also, and perhaps more importantly, as a writer. Vinson's playing continues down the road, his own voice is emerging more confidently on this quintet session that features other up-and-comers including Aaron Parks. Ever inventive, Parks solos with the kind of confident sense of construction that supports his increasing acclaim, while acting as an empathic rhythm section partner with bassist Orlando le Fleming and drummer Rodney Green (Ari Hoenig replaces Green on the staggered funk of "Philos O' Fur.") Vinson also enlists guitarist Lage Lund who represents the next wave of guitarists. Promises is a mainstream set of a decidedly modern bent, featuring eight Vinson compositions that lean largely to the acoustic and the complex. Lund isn't afraid to pull out the occasional electronic trick, including some looping and reverse attack throughout the ever-shifting "Adventures of Bagpuss". Even when Vinson moves into slower territory, it's hardly balladic, although it is lyrical in its own way. On "Rose Tint" he works again in tandem with Lund. Vinson's warm tone on alto, his main axe, smoothes out the occasional jagged edges of his improvised lines while le Fleming and Green, ever empathic, maintain a smooth as silk cushion that's augmented by Parks' atmospheric voicings. With increased confidence as a player and writer, hopefully Vinson won't have to wait another five years to follow up to this fine album of modernistic mainstream jazz. ~ Extract by John Kelman, AAJ. 

Nineteen-Eight Records, 19/8 1007, 2008
Recorded 22nd December, 2006 at Legacy Recording Studios, New York City 

Musicians:
Will Vinson - Alto & Soprano Saxophones
Lage Lund - Guitar
Aaron Parks - Piano
Orlando Le Fleming - Bass
Rodney Green - Drums (#1,2,4-8)
Ari Hoenig - Drums (#3) 

Tracks:
1. Albemarle (8:36)
2. Believer (6:16)
3. Philos O' Fur (5:44)
4. Rose Tint (6:37)
5. Adventures Of Bagpuss (8:31)
6. Promises (7:52)
7. Lagonic (5:44)
8. Leafy (7:02) 

All Compositions by Will Vinson 

Total Time: 56:22 

Credits:
Producer, Mixing - Will Vinson
Engineer, Mixing - Alex Venguer
Mastering - Michael Perez-Cisneros
Design - Rachel Gutek
Photography - Jessie Simmons
Photography [Inside] - Alexandros Lambrovasilis 

Will Vinson Promises Quartet @ Musig-Im-Ochsen

Bill Carrothers - Keep Your Sunny Side Up (2007)

Bill Carrothers is one funny guy. One look at his website is enough to establish that, but for further proof one need only look as far as Keep Your Sunny Side Up. That's not to say Carrothers can't be pensively lyrical or downright abstract. But on this follow-up to I Love Paris (Pirouet, 2005), Carrothers demonstrates a near mischievous playfulness as he deconstructs a number of well- and lesser-known standards. The first of two versions of the title track opens with bassist Ben Street quoting Thelonious Monk. It’s an appropriate start, as Carrothers turns the familiar tune on its side with a slap-dash approach that’s referential in its idiosyncrasy but entirely personal in its application. Street and drummer Ari Hoenig are the perfect choices for this trio, making it clear that not only can they follow Carrothers' challenges, they can present some of their own as well. "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" gets an equally jocular reading. Carrothers delivers an historical cross-section of jazz piano, bringing together hints of ragtime and stride with a free style that becomes increasingly absurd as the tune unfolds (complete with wailing cat in the background). If Jaco Pastorius defined Punk Jazz, then Carrothers clearly has his own subgenre: Slapstick Jazz. Hoenig and Street are right with Carrothers throughout, from vaudeville to a fervent rock beat towards the end that ultimately concludes on a gentler note. Carrothers shifts the mood on an introspective look at Joni Mitchell’s "Roses Blue," with Hoenig's soft, train- like rhythm on brushes maintaining a consistent pulse throughout. "London by Night" is an elegant waltz, with Carrothers demonstrating his skill at building solos that never lose sight of a tune’s melodic center. Street’s solo is equally spare and respectful. "Salty Peanuts" is a subdued freely improvised duet between Carrothers and Hoenig: evidence that it's possible to pull constructs out of the ether and give them concrete shape. Carrothers' sole original composition, "Church of the Open Air," is an almost painfully beautiful tone poem that ebbs and flows with majestic grace. That most pieces are in the three- to- five-minute range speaks volumes for this trio’s economical approach. "You and the Night and the Music" is nearly unrecognizable, driven by Carrothers’ stop-start beginning and abstract ideas, and Hoenig’s military style snare work. Ending with a soft reprise of the title track, Keep Your Sunny Side Up is another strong and varied entry from Carrothers - an artist whose musical identity is clearly defined by his equally complex off-stage persona. ~ by John Kelman, AAJ. 

Pirouet Records, PIT3021, 2007
Recorded 27th-28th February, 2006 At Pirouet Tonstudio, Oberhaching, Germany 

Musicians:
Bill Carrothers - Piano
Ben Street - Bass
Ari Hoenig - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Keep Your Sunny Side Up {Lew Brown, Buddy De Sylva, Ray Henderson} (5:47)
02. I Can't Begin To Tell You {James V. Monaco} (7:48)
03. Roses Blue {Joni Mitchell} (6:41)
04. London By Night {Carroll Coates} (6:05)
05. My Dreams Are Getting Better As The Time {Vic Mizzy} (4:17)
06. Salty Peanuts {Ari Hoenig, Bill Carrothers} (3:40)
07. Evidence {Thelonious Monk} (4:42)
08. Church Of The Open Air {Bill Carrothers} (4:28)
09. The Night We Called It A Day {Matt Dennis} (6:38)
10. Say It Isn't So {Irving Berlin} (3:36)
11. You And The Night And The Music {Arthur Schwartz} (3:41)
12. Keep Your Sunny Side Up [Reprise] {Brown, De Sylva, Henderson} (2:51) 

Total Time: 60:14 

Credits:
Recording & Mixing - Jason Seizer
Mastering - Stephan V. Wylick
Design [Cover], Photography - Konstantin Kern 

Church Of The Open Air