Today is the official street date for Mettle (Playscape Recordings), veteran guitarist/composer Michael Musillami‘s sixth release with his flagship trio with bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller. The record, which also features special guests Russ Johnson (trumpet), Ned Rothenberg (alto saxophone and clarinet), Jeff Lederer (tenor saxophone and clarinet) and Matt Moran (vibraphone), is part of the celebration of the trio’s 10th anniversary as a working unit.

In his recent feature article, the Hartford Courant‘s Owen McNally calls the group “a superb, finely tuned unit, empathetic, swinging and dramatically expressive of emotions sweeping from joy to sadness.” He adds, “More impressive than longevity, however, is the trio’s remarkably tight, cohesive unity. This element goes hand-in-hand with the threesome’s free, open sense of exploration both as individuals and as a unit in which they constantly interact with one another.”

Mettle is a collection of all-new original material, including Musillami’s first extended suite, Summer Suite: Twenty Ten, featuring eight diverse movements based on experiences and reminiscences—both musical and personal—from last summer. The inspirations range from a volcano in Iceland to his newly shaved head to memories of his Grandfather to his daughter going to college to a family vacation spot on Cape Cod.

The three other pieces on the record have similarly autobiographical backstories. The first track, “Piana dei Greci”, takes its name from the small Sicilian village where all four of Musillami’s grandparents were born. “Blues For The Wounded Warrior” was written as a tribute to the Wounded Warrior Project, a favorite charity of Musillami’s that assists wounded soldiers. A comment from his wife, a couple of hooded sweatshirts and a short period of listening to Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur inspired the record’s final track, “Thuggish Mornings”.

Musillami and his Trio + 4 have already performed this music live around the Northeast and will hit the road this spring for a series of CD release dates at venues such as Firehouse 12 in New Haven. More details will be announced soon.

Learn more about Michael Musillami at http://michaelmusillami.com

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

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

Another year is almost in the books, which means it’s time for critics and fans alike to start compiling their best-releases-of-the-year lists.

For your reference, here’s a list of our clients’ 2011 recordings.

AUM Fidelity

Darius Jones & Matthew Shipp, Cosmic Lieder
Farmers By Nature, Out Of This World’s Distortions
David S. Ware/Cooper-Moore/William Parker/Muhammad Ali, Planetary Unknown
Darius Jones Trio, Big Gurl (Smell My Dream)
David S. Ware, Organica (solo saxophones, volume 2)

James Falzone

KLANG, Other Doors (Allos Documents)

Mary Halvorson

Weasel Walter/Mary Halvorson/Peter Evans, Electric Fruit (Thirsty Ear)
Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone, Departure of Reason (Thirsty Ear)
Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet, Apparent Distance (Firehouse 12 Records)
The Thirteenth Assembly, Station Direct (Important Records)

Eric Hofbauer

Eric Hofbauer & The Infrared Band, LEVEL (Creative Nation Music)

Playscape Recordings

Ted Rosenthal Trio, Out Of This World

Fay Victor

Other Dimensions In Music Featuring Fay Victor, Kaiso Stories (Silkheart)

More news about 2012 releases coming soon!

Photo: Jonathan Doster

This Sunday at 4:00 p.m., the Jazz At Dicapo series at Dicapo Opera Theatre in New York will present a special double-bill featuring Playscape Recordings artists the Ted Rosenthal Trio and the Michael Musillami Trio + 4.

Pianist Ted Rosenthal and his working trio, featuring bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Quincy Davis, are celebrating the release of Out Of This World (PSR#031010), which shows off his distinctive arrangements of ten popular selections from the Great American Songbook.

It follows the group’s 2010 debut, Impromptu (PSR#122109), which reviewers called “consistently intriguing” (George Kanzler, Hot House), “technically erudite and impeccably tasteful” (Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes) and “one of the most ridiculously entertaining CDs of the year” (Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix).

Guitarist/composer Michael Musillami will present the New York premiere of his new extended composition, Summer Suite: Twenty Ten, written for his longstanding trio featuring bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller and special guests Russ Johnson (trumpet), Ned Rothenberg (alto saxophone and clarinet), Jeff Lederer (tenor saxophone and clarinet) and Matt Moran (vibraphone).

The eclectic, eight-movement work will be the centerpiece of his February 2012 release, Mettle (PSR#070111), which celebrates the trio’s 10th anniversary as a working unit. “Working with drummer George Schuller and bassist Joe Fonda (who both lead their own ensembles),” writes the Hartford Courant‘s Richard Kamins, “Musillami creates music that ignores category and boundary and moves ahead fearlessly.”

Learn more about Playscape Recordings and its recent releases at http://playscape-recordings.com

On February 7th, Playscape Recordings will release Mettle (PSR#070111), veteran guitarist/composer Michael Musillami‘s sixth recording with his flagship trio featuring bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller.

The music, including Musillami’s first extended work, the eight-movement Summer Suite: Twenty Ten, is largely autobiographical, but the record itself celebrates the trio’s 10th anniversary as a working unit.

On Mettle, they form the core rhythm section of a new sextet, featuring special guests Russ Johnson (trumpet), Ned Rothenberg (alto saxophone and clarinet), Jeff Lederer (tenor saxophone and clarinet) and Matt Moran (vibraphone), created to fully realize Musillami’s latest compositions.

“Joe, George and I share a long-term commitment to moving the music forward without fear of failure,” writes Musillami in the liner notes. “The playing is the art and the results are open to interpretation. Honesty and truth are essential to our creativity. I have always been compelled to write music, and I’m fortunate to have Joe and George with me to play with, and against, to help point me where the music wants to go. I always tell the cats it has taken a lifetime of being a musician to be able to present this music. Mettle is the most defining document I’ve produced because it draws on the sum of my decades of experience as a player, writer, arranger, and bandleader.”

“Guitarist Michael Musillami, bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller have long been one of the most tightly knit trios,” writes DownBeat‘s Lloyd Sachs in his four-star review of the trio’s previous release, 2010′s Old Tea (Playscape Recordings).

Critics called it “a moving, masterful suite” (Owen McNally, Hartford Courant), “guitar-led trio jazz at its best” (Simon Adams, Jazz Journal), and “nothing short of extraordinary” (Nic Jones, AllAboutJazz.com).

The Rochester City Paper‘s Ron Netsky adds, “Drummer George Schuller and bassist Joe Fonda are so tuned in to Musillami’s wavelength that when the group really gets going, it functions as a single living organism.”

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 and released five other recordings since 2002, he has earned international acclaim as the leader of groups ranging from duo to octet. His long list of prominent collaborators over the years includes Thomas Chapin, Marty Ehrlich, Mark Feldman, Mario Pavone and Matt Wilson among many others.

He’s also the longtime Director of Jazz Studies at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut, and manager of Playscape Recordings, the highly regarded independent label he founded in 1999.

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

Photo: Ralph Gabriner

On Sunday, October 30th at 4:00 p.m., the Jazz At Dicapo series at Dicapo Opera Theatre in New York will present a special double-bill featuring Playscape Recordings artists the Ted Rosenthal Trio and the Michael Musillami Trio + 4.

Pianist Ted Rosenthal and his working trio, featuring bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Quincy Davis, will be celebrating the October release of Out Of This World (PSR#031010), which shows off his distinctive arrangements of ten popular selections from the Great American Songbook.

It follows the group’s 2010 debut, Impromptu (PSR#122109), which reviewers called “consistently intriguing” (George Kanzler, Hot House), “technically erudite and impeccably tasteful” (Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes) and “one of the most ridiculously entertaining CDs of the year” (Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix).

Guitarist/composer Michael Musillami will be presenting the New York premiere of his new extended composition, “Summer Suite: Twenty Ten” written for his longstanding trio featuring bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller and special guests Russ Johnson (trumpet), Ned Rothenberg (alto saxophone and clarinet), Jeff Lederer (tenor saxophone and clarinet) and Matt Moran (vibraphone).

The eclectic, eight-movement work will be the centerpiece of his forthcoming 2012 release, Mettle (PSR#070111), which celebrates the trio’s 10th anniversary as a working unit. “Working with drummer George Schuller and bassist Joe Fonda (who both lead their own ensembles),” writes the Hartford Courant‘s Richard Kamins, “Musillami creates music that ignores category and boundary and moves ahead fearlessly.”

Learn more about Playscape Recordings and its releases at http://playscape-recordings.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