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Michael Weiss: Persistence
by Edward Blanco
An in-demand veteran of the vibrant New York jazz scene since the '80s, pianist Michael Weiss presents the warm and engaging Persistence, his fifth as a leader and first on the Cellar Live label, as well as being his first since the critically acclaimed Soul Journey, (Sintra Records, 2003). The long time span between recordings, despite many other opportunities since then, was primarily due to the artistic and creative terms not being ideal enough until the Cellar Live proposal. One ...
read moreNew Releases From Michael Weiss, Ron Ledoux, Tim Berne & Gregg Belisle-Chi, and more
by Bob Osborne
On this week's show we feature an eclectic selection of brand new releases from Michael Weiss, Ron Ledoux, Tim Berne & Gregg Belisle-Chi, Hello Cacus!, Luneta Freedom Jazz Collective, In Real Time, Adam Shead and Manuel Valera New Cuban Express Big Band.Playlist Michael Weiss “Persistence" from Persistence (Cellar Live) 00:00 Ron Ledoux Quartet “Fourth Impression" from A Stones Throw Away (Self Released) 06:19 Tim Berne & Gregg Belisle-Chi “Frosty" from Mars (Intakt) 12:12 Hello Cacus! “For Petter" from ...
read moreMichael Weiss: Soul Journey
by Luke Seabright
Bebop is a complex craft, and like all crafts the only way to get any good at it is by learning from those who mastered it before you. Jamming through the night, getting on to that bandstand and firing away your best improvised lines, jousting with your partners (be they friends or strangers) like in the cutting contests of old. This is all part of the studious process that jazz musicians all over the world work their way to hone ...
read moreMichael Weiss: Building an Identity
by Luke Seabright
Michael Weiss is a jazz pianist and composer. His mastery of the hard bop style (he cites Horace Silver as one of his greatest influences), as well as his breadth of experience accompanying some of jazz's most acclaimed soloists, have made him a key figure in the New York jazz scene. His long-standing association with saxophonist Johnny Griffin has shaped him as an artist today. Here he discusses how playing with so many great players over the years has allowed ...
read moreSoul Journey: Michael Weiss and the Art of Composition
by C. Andrew Hovan
Although he's spent a good deal of his career as a valued sideman, communing with such jazz masters as Johnny Griffin, Art Farmer, and Junior Cook, the time has arrived for pianist and composer Michael Weiss to make his own mark as one of the true original voices on the current jazz scene. In the past few years, this Dallas native has moved beyond his proficiency as an impeccable pianist to hone some considerable chops as a composer, taking home ...
read moreMichael Weiss: Soul Journey
by C. Andrew Hovan
It’s not often that you find jazz compositions of the caliber that Michael Weiss offers up on his own self-produced Soul Journey. But then, you have to consider that the pianist and composer did take home the grand prize in the Monk Institute’s Composers Competition in 2000. The second word in the title is actually a highly accurate clue to the complexity and variety of the forms, moving way beyond the typical methodology of head-solos-head. Furthermore, the front line sparkles ...
read moreMichael Weiss: Soul Journey
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Michael Weiss took home the Grand Prize in the 2000 BMI/Thelonious Monk Institute's Composition Competition for his song “El Camino," which is included on Soul Journey. This Latin-flavored mainstream beauty features three-horn harmonies and tasty soloing all around. "El Camino" is a sure winner, but the CD is full of other fine Weiss-composed songs: the upbeat opener, "Optimism"; the brooding title tune; and the brassy "Second Thoughts."The septet takes a very mainstream approach--a three horn front line ...
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