FLIP!
Co-leaders Andy Parsons and Gene
Lewin are joined by collaborators John Patitucci
and Ben Monder
to deliver bold writing, groove,
and improvisation
New York, NY – Sons of Sound is pleased to
announce the April 8, 2003 release of Flip! (SSPCD014),
a uniquely grooving jazz record featuring the compositions
and saxophone of Andy Parsons (a semi-finalist
in the 2002 Thelonious Monk Competition), and the
exuberant drumming of Gene Lewin (stickman for
the popular jam band GrooveLily). Their third outing
as leaders is graced by the genius of renowned
bassist John Patitucci and the unique lines and
textures of Ben Monder, one of downtown New York’s
dominant guitarists whom The New York Times calls
a “player who attains chords other guitarists
never felt.” Through Parsons’ compelling,
memorable tunes, this partnership creates accessible
jazz that also has depth and character, pulling
inspiration from both world cultures and popular
music.
In a recent article in The New
York Daily News (01/09/03), Ron Goldstein, president
and CEO of
Verve Music Group, attributed the woes of the jazz
CD market to the fact that “most of today’s
instrumental artists are not writing compositions
or making music that people in the marketplace
can relate to… it takes almost a student
of jazz to appreciate what they’re doing.” Not
so with Parsons, a composer who aims to join the
ranks of other saxophonists known for penning unforgettable
melodies built on flowing chord changes and beguiling
grooves; think of him as bearing a torch lit by
Sonny Rollins, Benny Golson, and Wayne Shorter.
As AllAboutJazz.com noted about Parson’s
compositions on his previous outing, A Whole Nother
Story: “I was surprised at the number of
devious turns in the music here… highly entertaining.” A
serious writer who takes inspiration from simple
life events and expresses them with educated but
original musical ideas, Parsons describes the title
track of the disc: “‘Flip’ was
written to commemorate a particularly ungraceful
end to an undistinguished mountain bike trip, during
which the action of the title resulted in a very
battered saxophonist. The quirky theme and development
are meant to suggest an over-confident under-experienced
rider and his appropriate injuries.”
Illustrating this combination of
simple inspiration and melodic writing with room
for improvisation, “Alone
in the Loveseat” is a tune that allows the
players to relax and make things happen. Its inspiration
is the sad story of a New York City dog that sat
by herself night after night on a brand-new piece
of furniture, one day taking revenge by tunneling
through the upholstery.
“Tookish” is a track
inspired by the Took family in Tolkien’s Lord
of the Rings. “As
they sang the hobbit felt the love of beautiful
things made by hands and by cunning and by magic
moving through him… Then something Tookish
woke up inside him…” The tune has a
challenging harmonic structure, which Patitucci’s
solo negotiates with playful grace.
A long-term collaboration with drummer
Lewin has given Parson’s melodies a deep groove that
offers modern appeal. Their third disc together,
Flip! represents the culmination of the creative
partnership, the purpose of which has been – through
the performance of Andy Parsons’ compelling
and memorable jazz songs – to create accessible
jazz, forward-looking while rooted in tradition,
which maintains a commitment to groove and melody
all times.
To interpret the compositions with
their sense of rhythm, texture, and improvisational
skill,
Parsons and Lewin called upon the legendary bassist
John Patitucci and a former collaborator now
much in demand, guitarist Ben Monder.
John Patitucci is the first call
of the jazz elite, performing on two of the best-selling
and most
critically acclaimed recordings of 2002: Directions
in Music by Herbie Hancock, and Footprints
Live by Wayne Shorter. His resumé boasts groundbreaking
work with Chick Corea’s Acoustik and Electrik
bands, an audience for this quartet’s music.
Mr. Patitucci himself was drawn to Parson’s
compositions on the group’s first two CDs,
readily agreeing to participate as a collaborator.
Ben Monder is breaking out. Profiled
frequently in the jazz media of late, he has been
tapped for
Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band. Admired
for his textural and chordal mastery as well as
linear solos and note selection, Monder delivers “unsurpassable
jazz guitar” according to Ben Ratliff of
The New York Times (01/06/03).
Andy
Parsons is emerging as one of the most distinctive
jazz composers and musicians
of his generation.
His music is accessible yet maintains a recognizable
flair for often unexpected twists and turns. Andy
was selected in 2002 as a semifinalist in the Thelonious
Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition,
where he performed original music to the kudos
of judges Wayne Shorter, George Coleman, and others.
Andy’s music has been described as “eclectic” by
critic Ira Gitler and “masterful, full of
wonderful colors and surprise twists and turns” by
jazz great Bob Mintzer. He is currently composing
music to be featured in two upcoming A&E documentaries:
one “Investigative Reports: Wartime Justice” about
Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, and the other the pilot
for a new reality series.
Gene Lewin appears on 14 CDs, with
several more soon to be released. His eclectic
discography ranges
from the modern jazz ensembles he co-leads with
saxophonist and composer Andy Parsons, to the electric-violin
pop of GrooveLily. Gene’s drumming style
combines influences from Jack DeJohnette, Peter
Erskine, Joey Baron, Russ Kunkel, Vinnie Colaiuta,
and Stevie Wonder, among many others. Among his
most active projects is GrooveLily, a pop band
that features electric violin, keyboards, and drums.
GrooveLily tours extensively throughout the United
States and Canada, and has started featuring Gene
as composer and singer as well.
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