Rooster_Ties Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 (edited) Check this out: "Happy-Go-Lucky-Ism" (6:20 - mp3 of the whole tune) Then this: "A Sound Caresses the Breast of the Negres" (mp3 - sample only) Then read some of this (by the way, I added all the bolding, sizing, and colors myself - but the text I lifted from his website)... hearsay Hearsay is the vision of trombonist/composer Brett Sroka, yet is the fruit of a collective aesthetic. Sroka’s debut CD brings together an ensemble, including Bluenote pianist Jason Moran, that navigates the boundaries between composition and improvisation, structure and freedom, soloist and collective. Though steeped in jazz, the group's influences run the gamut of musical genres, from Duke Ellington and Ornette Coleman to Stevie Wonder and Bjork, with an emphasis on Sroka’s original compositions. Playing alongside Sroka, the group’s members - Avishai Cohen (trumpet), Aaron Stewart (tenor sax), Jason Moran (piano and Rhodes electric piano), John Sullivan (bass), and Eric Harland (drums) - have performed with artists such as Roy Haynes, Cassandra Wilson, Charlie Hunter, Muhal Richard Abrams, Terence Blanchard, Andrew Hill and Steve Coleman. "A promising debut, Hearsay confirms that Sroka is more interested in charting new musical territory than simply revisiting the traditions of J.J. Johnson." - JazzTimes "Hearsay is an auspicious debut. With his arranging and compositional skills, and his trombone chops, comparisons to the late Trombone Master, J.J. Johnson are inevitable, and deserved." - allaboutjazz.com "The point of Hearsay, though, is the realization of Sroka's vision for creating scenes suggestive of various human emotions and experiences through music. And through the professionalism of equally educated and promising artists who share Sroka's vision and can help him bring it to life." - JazzReview.com "Musicians including jazz piano giant Jason Moran join young trombonist Brett Sroka onstage to celebrate the release of his debut CD Hearsay. In this new work, Sroka builds his compositional vision on a collective aesthetic that navigates between structured composition and improvisational freedom. Here's a great chance to check Sroka's dynamic and distinguished ideas in action, while catching a glimpse of the underground." (JM) - flavorpill.net "On his upcoming debut (on Fresh Sound/New Talent and featuring Jason Moran), you can hear a bandleader who knows how to balance edgy writing with the "open sky" of jazz improvisation." - The Boston Phoenix "This is one of the best prepared, most conceptually sound presentations that I have heard in some time. Great compositions and a solid group aesthetic. With Hearsay, Brett Sroka has captured the sound of now." - Greg Osby "The real weight of the Hearsay performances is on Sroka compositions, which can be both propulsive and oblique. They can swing hard and allow maximum improvisation within a tightly controlled compositional framework; they show a depth of influences and a striking originality." - The Merrimac River Current Then get on it!!! Here's the guy's website: http://www.brettsroka.com PS: The tenor player on this disc, Aaron Stewart, is also on Andrew Hill's most recent big-band release "A Beautiful Day". Edited August 7, 2003 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 (edited) From the quote in the first post: "Playing alongside Sroka, the group’s members - Avishai Cohen (trumpet), John Sullivan (bass), and ......." Now isn't Avishai Cohen a bassist? But they say that everywhere, and then (in brackets): not to be confused with the bassist: there seems to be two of 'em. I don't like it somehow that they don't list Greg Osby as one of the employers of Moran ..... although they quote him later on. Sounds like a very interesting disc. Seems like I'm in for an order from Fresh Sound New Talent pretty soon, this, Phil Grenadier' disc, let's see what else. Edited August 7, 2003 by mikeweil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted August 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 I don't like it somehow that they don't list Greg Osby as one of the employers of Moran ..... although they quote him later on. Perhaps he didn't want to 'drop' the same names multiple times, and prefered to use the Osby quote - which would be understandable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunky Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 This is a good disc, had it a while and still spin it regularly. A grower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted August 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 (edited) OK, direct from the artist himself, I'm ordering one for me, one for "Free For All" (although he doesn't know it yet), and one for "Eric" - which will cover all the Kansas City folks. Can't wait - sounds like a great disc!! B) Edited August 7, 2003 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted October 1, 2004 Report Share Posted October 1, 2004 I'm bringing this one up for some air. I've had this disc on my radar screen for quite a while but never got around to ordering it. I just noticed that Brett has some live shows available for download as mp3s on his website, so I think I'll give a few of them a listen this weekend. fwiw Brett posts over on JC as "hearsay." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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