Tonight at 7:00 p.m., veteran jazz guitarist and composer Michael Musillami will celebrate the forthcoming release of his latest record, Mettle (Playscape Recordings), with a free concert at The Hotchkiss School‘s Esther Eastman Music Center in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Musillami, who directs the Hotchkiss Jazz Ensemble (aka Right Brain Logic), will perform with his new septet, the Michael Musillami Trio + 4, an augmented version of his longstanding trio with bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller that’s celebrating its 10th anniversary as a working unit in 2012. They’ll be joined by special guests Russ Johnson (trumpet), Ned Rothenberg (alto saxophone and clarinet), Jeff Lederer (tenor saxophone and clarinet) and Peter Madsen (piano).

The group will play selections from Mettle, which officially hits the streets on February 7th, as well as other original material specially arranged for this combination of musicians. That includes a new piece called “Of The Brave”, which Right Brain Logic performed at their concert in early December under Musillami’s direction. Saxophonist Charles Tokarz, who also teaches at Hotchkiss, will join Musillami’s group for the composition’s official debut.

Owen McNally previews both the performance and the record in his feature for the Hartford Courant.

Learn more at http://michaelmusillami.com and http://playscape-recordings.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

On Friday, January 13th at 7:00 p.m., veteran jazz guitarist and composer Michael Musillami will celebrate the forthcoming release of his latest record, Mettle (Playscape Recordings), with a free concert at The Hotchkiss School‘s Esther Eastman Music Center in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Musillami, who directs the Hotchkiss Jazz Ensemble (aka Right Brain Logic), will perform with his new septet, the Michael Musillami Trio + 4, an augmented version of his longstanding trio with bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller that’s celebrating its 10th anniversary as a working unit in 2012. They’ll be joined by special guests Russ Johnson (trumpet), Ned Rothenberg (alto saxophone and clarinet), Jeff Lederer (tenor saxophone and clarinet) and Peter Madsen (piano).

The group will play selections from Mettle, which officially hits the streets on February 7th, as well as other original material specially arranged for this combination of musicians. That includes a new piece called “Of The Brave”, which Right Brain Logic performed at their concert in early December under Musillami’s direction. Saxophonist Charles Tokarz, who also teaches at Hotchkiss, will join Musillami’s group for the composition’s official debut.

“Musillami creates music that ignores category and boundary and moves ahead fearlessly,” writes the Hartford Courant‘s Owen McNally. Critics have called him “exceptional” (Grego Applegate Edwards, Cadence), “engaging” (Jim Macnie, Village Voice), “a modern-day jazz master” (Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal) and “a fine composer of notable original music” (Michael G. Nastos, AllMusic.com).

DownBeat reviewer Lloyd Sachs adds, “Musillami is one of the most accessible thinking-man’s guitarists. Whether he’s waxing lyrical with his richly resonant sound and sculpted lines or charging into the open field with springing and vaulting rhythmic patterns, there is a soulful immediacy to his playing. His mind’s eye is as good as his ear.”

Musillami’s career spans more than 25 years and includes extensive work as a performer, bandleader/composer and educator. In addition to his trio, which has performed across Europe and North America since 2002, he has earned international acclaim as the leader of groups ranging from duo to octet. When not performing or teaching at The Hotchkiss School, he is the manager of Playscape Recordings, the highly regarded independent record label he founded in 1999.

Learn more at http://michaelmusillami.com and http://playscape-recordings.com

The results of Cadence‘s 2010 Record Poll are included in the Jan/Feb/Mar issue now reaching subscribers.

We’re proud to report the following client releases were recognized by the voters in the New Issues category (new releases reviewed in the magazine in 2010).

Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam Records)
Bill Dixon, Tapestries for Small Orchestra (Firehouse 12 Records)
John Hébert, Byzantine Monkey (Firehouse 12 Records)
KLANG, Tea Music (Allos Documents)
Peter Madsen Trio, The Litchfield Suite (Playscape Recordings)
Myra Melford’s Be Bread, The Whole Tree Gone (Firehouse 12 Records)
Joe Morris Quartet, Today On Earth (AUM Fidelity)
Michael Musillami Trio, Old Tea (Playscape Recordings)
The Fully Celebrated, Drunk On The Blood Of The Holy Ones (AUM Fidelity)
Fay Victor Ensemble, The FreeSong Suite (Greene Avenue Music)

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