Walter Smith III: Return To Casual

Straightahead / Mainstream Jazz
premiera polska: 2023-04-07
kontynent: Ameryka Północna
kraj: USA
opakowanie: Gatefoldowe etui
opis:
opis wydawcy:
Saksofonista i kompozytor Walter Smith III debiutuje w Blue Note, albumem Return To Casual, będącym długo oczekiwaną kontynuacją projektu z 2014 roku. Osiem oryginalnych kompozycji (i jedna nowa aranżacja), stworzonych w odstępie kilku tygodni tworzy spójną, interesującą całość. Na albumie usłyszymy pianistę Taylora Eigsti, gitarzystę Matta Stevensa, basistę Harish Raghavana i trębacza Ambrose Akinmusire oraz gościnnie pianistę Jamesa Franciesa.
Walter Smith III współpracował z najbardziej wpływowymi osobowościami muzycznymi ostatnich lat — takimi jak: Ambrose Akinmusire, Terence Blanchard, Gerald Clayton, Eric Harland, Jason Moran, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Herbie Hancock, Maria Schneider, Terri Lyne Carrington i Dee Dee Bridgewater. Stworzył własny odrębny styl, jednocześnie podkreślający indywidualizm innych artystów z którymi pracuje. Od kilku lat współprowadzi ze Stevensem uznany projekt In Commoni udoskonalając konceptualne podejścia do tworzenia i kompozycji. Wydając album Return To Casual, którego jest także producentem, Smith pokazuje, na ile rozszerzyła się jego twórcza ekspresja, oraz jaki wpływ miała na jego wizję jako lidera.

Editor's Info:
Saxophonist and composer Walter Smith III has signed with Blue Note Records and enters a new era of his band leading career with the April 7 release of his remarkable label debut return to casual, the long-anticipated follow-up to his self-released 2014 recording still casual. Reprising their bandmate roles, pianist Taylor Eigsti, guitarist Matt Stevens, bassist Harish Raghavan, and drummer Kendrick Scott reveal a seasoned depth of dimension alongside featured guest appearances by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and pianist James Francies.

Dedicated to collaborative work with some of the music’s most influential voices — including Akinmusire, Terence Blanchard, Gerald Clayton, Eric Harland, Jason Moran, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Herbie Hancock, Maria Schneider, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Dee Dee Bridgewater — Smith has crafted a distinct style, personal vocabulary, and compositional approach that serves the individuality of his fellow artists. For the past several years, he has been co-leading the acclaimed In Common project with Stevens, exploring and refining different conceptual approaches to writing.

In releasing return to casual, on which he also serves as producer, Smith unveils the many ways his creative expression has expanded, and the influence these collaborative environments have had on his vision as a leader. The album casts a shifting mood across nine original works (and one new arrangement) all composed within weeks of each other. Return to casual opens with humor and virtuosity on “Contra,” an homage to Smith’s childhood. Using the iconic video game’s tester code, up up down down left right left right B A B A start, he sequences a melodic thread through the song.

Through return to casual, Smith renews his identity as a band leader, bringing with him an expansive, resonant artistry and a cooperative vision for his original works.

muzycy:
Walter Smith III, tenor saxophone
Kendrick Scott, drums
Harish Raghavan, bass
Matt Stevens, guitar
Taylor Eigsti, piano, Fender Rhodes

Ambrose Akinmusire, trumpet (tracks 2, 8)
James Francies, Fender Rhodes (track 9)

utwory:
1. Contra
2. River Styx
3. Pup - Pow
4. Shine
5. Mother Stands for Comfort
6. quiet song
7. lamplight
8. Amelia Earhart Ghosted Me
9. K8 + BYU$

wydano: February 8, 2023
more info: www.bluenote.com