Photo: Steven Laschever

On Friday, February 24th, veteran bassist/composer Mario Pavone will return to New York’s Cornelia Street Café for a two-set performance with his Mythos Sextet. The group, which features frequent collaborators Dave Ballou (trumpet), Tony Malaby (tenor saxophone), Philippe Crettien (tenor saxophone), Craig Taborn (piano) and Gerald Cleaver (drums), will debut brand new music as well as celebrate the 10th anniversary of his 2002 Playscape Recordings release, Mythos.

In its critic’s pick for his July performance at Cornelia Street, Time Out New York declared, “The work of Mario Pavone bridges the dissonant, structurally open world of the avant-garde and the pulsing, swinging accessibility of the jazz tradition.” His music has also been described as “invariably exhilarating” (Steve Futterman, Jazziz), “filled with passion and the sound of surprise” (Owen McNally, Hartford Courant) and “at once intellectual and swinging, investigative and declarative” (Josef Woodard, DownBeat).

A 45-year veteran of the creative music scene, Pavone has earned his reputation as “a bassist-composer of experience and vision” (Nate Chinen, New York Times), first as a sideman to such legendary figures as Paul Bley, Thomas Chapin and Bill Dixon, and most recently under his own name as ”one of the very best—and when on his game, by far the best—small-group composer/leaders working on the East Coast” (Brian Morton, Point of Departure).

In 2010, he celebrated his 70th birthday by releasing Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po, his 20th recording as a leader/co-leader, featuring original music commissioned by Chamber Music America’s 2009 New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development program. His performance of that material at the 2010 Litchfield Jazz Festival was featured on NPR’s JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater earlier this month. Learn more about Mario Pavone at http://mariopavone.com

Photo: John Sharpe

On Sunday, February 12th at 8:00 p.m., New York-based alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones will be the featured artist at Creative Differences’ monthly 2nd Sunday Series at The Windup Space in Baltimore.

Jones, an AUM Fidelity recording artist, has created new arrangements of material from his first two releases, Man’ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing) and Big Gurl (Smell My Dream), specifically to perform on this night with local musicians Dave Ballou (trumpet), John Dierker (reeds), Lafayette Gilchrist (piano), Michael Formanek (bass) and Eric Kennedy (drums).

Since delivering “one of the great jazz debuts of the past decade” (Britt Robson, eMusic.com) in 2009, Jones has been called “a singular talent” (Brian Morton, Jazz Journal), “a hot commodity in the Gotham jazz scene” (Dusted), “one of the most impressive and unique voices of our time” (Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz.com) and “a skilled composer, a hugely soulful saxophonist, and an assured leader” (François Couture, AllMusic.com).

Time Out New York‘s Steve Dollar adds, “A powerhouse saxophonist with an unusually focused perspective, Darius Jones has ambitiously framed his personal story within the bigger picture of African-American musical history. It’s one of the reasons his performances have such a passionate narrative force, as if every solo conjured holy ghosts and prodigal sons, each with its own story to tell. The drama comes through loud and clear, as the stocky Virginia native has a lot of preacher blood in his veins.”

Jones, who is profiled in the February issue of DownBeat, earned his second consecutive nomination for Up & Coming Artist of the Year at the 2011 Jazz Journalists Association Awards, and Big Gurl appeared on a variety of best-of-the-year lists, including a Top 20 finish in the prestigious Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll. Book of Mæ’bul (Another Kind of Sunrise), his third release as a bandleader, and the latest chapter of his ongoing Man’ish Boy series, will hit the streets in April.

Learn more about Darius Jones at http://dariusjonesmusic.com

Photo: Steven Laschever

The current episode of NPR’s JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater features veteran bassist Mario Pavone and his Orange Double Tenor ensemble performing live at the 2010 Litchfield Jazz Festival.

This performance showcases music from Pavone’s latest Playscape Recordings release, Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po, which documents a suite of original compositions made possible with support from Chamber Music America’s 2009 New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development program, funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Orange Double Tenor features saxophonists Jimmy Greene and Tony Malaby, trumpeter Dave Ballou, pianist Peter Madsen and drummer Gerald Cleaver.

Learn more about Mario Pavone at http://mariopavone.com

Photo by Steven Laschever

Veteran bassist/composer Mario Pavone and his band Nu Unit will perform music from his latest release, Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po (Playscape Recordings), in Boston and New York respectively over the next two nights.

Nu Unit, a touring version of Pavone’s acclaimed Orange Double Tenor ensemble, features saxophonists Tony Malaby and Philippe Cretien (tonight only), cornetist Dave Ballou, pianist Craig Taborn, guitarist Michael Pavone and drummer Matt Wilson.

Tonight at 6:00 p.m., the group will play at The Rivers School Conservatory Jazz Festival in the Boston suburb of Weston, Massachusetts (a master class precedes the show at 3:00 p.m.), followed by a two-set performance at New York’s Cornelia Street Café on Saturday night starting at 9:00 p.m.

Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po is Pavone’s 20th recording as a leader/co-leader and its release last fall was part of the celebration of his 70th birthday.

Reviewers called the music “vivid from start to finish” (Jeff Stockton, Jazziz), “rich and adventurously probing” (Josef Woodard, DownBeat), “emotionally charged and intellectually stimulating” (Glen Hall, Exclaim!) and “a superb demonstration of Pavone’s authoritative writing and leadership skills” (Troy Collins, Point of Departure).

AllAboutJazz.com’s Nic Jones adds, “In view of how far jazz/improvised music has come, carving out fresh territory in the small group area is a feat in itself, but Pavone and his group do it with aplomb. The result is fresh, invigorated, compelling music-making.”

Learn more about Mario Pavone at http://mariopavone.com

Photo by Steven Laschever

Veteran bassist/composer Mario Pavone will hit the road in July to perform music from his latest release, Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po (Playscape Recordings).

Pavone and his band Nu Unit will play at The Rivers School Conservatory in Weston, Massachusetts on Friday, July 15th at 6:00 p.m. (a master class precedes the show at 3:00 p.m.), followed by a two-set performance at New York’s Cornelia Street Café on Saturday, July 16th starting at 9:00 p.m.

The group, a touring version of his acclaimed Orange Double Tenor ensemble, features saxophonists Tony Malaby and Philippe Cretien (7/15 only), cornetist Dave Ballou, pianist Craig Taborn, guitarist Michael Pavone and drummer Matt Wilson.

“At 70,” writes Philadelphia Weekly‘s David R. Adler, “Mario Pavone continues to blaze the path he embarked on in the late ’60s, bridging the dissonant, structurally open world of the avant-garde and the swinging accessibility of jazz tradition. Like Dave Holland, he’s a prolific leader and composer and a monster bassist, with a raft of recent standouts on the Playscape Recordings label to his credit.”

Critics called Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po “vivid from start to finish” (Jeff Stockton, Jazziz), “rich and adventurously probing” (Josef Woodard, DownBeat), “emotionally charged and intellectually stimulating” (Glen Hall, Exclaim!) and “a superb demonstration of Pavone’s authoritative writing and leadership skills” (Troy Collins, Point of Departure).

AllAboutJazz.com’s Nic Jones adds, “In view of how far jazz/improvised music has come, carving out fresh territory in the small group area is a feat in itself, but Pavone and his group do it with aplomb. The result is fresh, invigorated, compelling music-making.”

A 45-year veteran of the creative music scene, Pavone began his career as a sideman to such legendary figures as Paul Bley, Thomas Chapin and Bill Dixon, and has since become a highly regarded composer and bandleader in his own right.

Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po is his 20th release as a leader/co-leader and features a new book of original music commissioned by Chamber Music America’s 2009 New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development program. He has since performed these pieces at venues all around the Northeast as well as on NPR’s Jazz Set with Dee Dee Bridgewater.

When not leading or composing for his own groups, or collaborating with members of the latest generation of creative improvisers, such as saxophonist Pete Robbins and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, Pavone is an avid photographer and President of Litchfield Performing Arts, presenter of the annual Litchfield Jazz Festival and Litchfield Jazz Camp.

Learn more at Mario Pavone in this recent 70th birthday interview on The Jazz Session with Jason Crane and on his Web site at http://www.mariopavone.com

Photo by Steven Laschever

Veteran bassist/composer Mario Pavone is Jason Crane’s guest on the latest episode of the popular jazz interview podcast, The Jazz Session.

Crane and Pavone discuss a number of topics centered around his forthcoming release, Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po (Playscape Recordings), which officially hits the streets on November 9th, the same week as his 70th birthday.

Those topics include how he chose the title of the new record, the genesis and history of his Orange Double Tenor ensemble, the nature of his composing process and the way he puts the rhythm section at the center of his music, and the grant that helped fund the record from Chamber Music America’s 2009 New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development program.

Pavone also tells stories from his 45-year career in music and discusses his longtime interest in visual arts (painting and photography) and his work with Litchfield Performing Arts, presenter of the annual Litchfield Jazz Festival and Litchfield Jazz Camp.

Learn more at http://www.mariopavone.com