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Harris Eisenstadt: On Parade In Parede
by John Sharpe
In Italian writer Antonio Tabucchi's acclaimed 1994 novel Pereira Maintains, a critical turning point comes during the central character's stay in the spa town of Parede in Portugal. It's not too much of an exaggeration to suggest a similar advance for drummer Harris Eisenstadt's Canada Day in a live date from the same locale. Usually a quintet (occasionally even an octet), the unit has provided an accomplished vehicle for Eisenstadt's small group compositional output. But stripped back to a foursome, ...
Continue ReadingHarris Eisenstadt: Recent Developments
by Karl Ackermann
Canadian native and Brooklyn resident Harris Eisenstadt has built a solid reputation as a composer, matching accolades for his eclectic expertise as a drummer. His passion as a student of the art has taken him to West Africa, where he has studied the music of the Wolof people and Cuba, where he has delved deeply into Afro-Cuban music. A leader/co-leader on more than two-dozen releases, beginning with Last Minute of Play in This Period (Questionable Records, 2001), Eisenstadt is also ...
Continue ReadingHarris Eisenstadt: Canada Day IV
by Vincenzo Roggero
Giunto al quarto capitolo della serie, il quintetto del batterista /compositore Harris Eisenstadt denominato Canada Day si conferma formazione di assoluto valore, forte di un sound personale e ben definito, dotato di grande pulizia e precisione, dalla chiara progettualità. Ci tornano alla memoria certi combo degli anni cinquanta orbitanti nella galassia del cosiddetto “Cool Jazz," da quelli stilisticamente più ortodossi a quelle frange del movimento maggiormente sperimentali e in qualche modo premonitrici dell'avvento della rivoluzione free. Meticolosa ...
Continue ReadingHarris Eisenstadt: Canada Day IV
by Troy Collins
Canada Day has been drummer Harris Eisenstadt's flagship ensemble since its first gig on July 1, 2007--his homeland's national holiday, hence the band name. In the ensuing years the quintet has developed an identifiably cohesive sound that expertly balances avant-garde explorations and in-the-pocket swing, with only one significant personnel change; the bass chair is now filled by Pascal Niggenkemper, the group's third bassist. Eisenstadt's writing for the unit continues to expand upon post-modern jazz traditions in intriguing ways. ...
Continue ReadingHarris Eisenstadt: Golden State II
by Stefano Merighi
Harris Eisenstadt si è inserito da tempo in quel significativo drappello di batteristi-compositori in grado di dire una parola nuova nel jazz acustico di oggi. Lo fa in diversi contesti e, accanto a gruppi quali Canada Day e September Trio, svetta ora questo Golden State, originalissimo organico che affianca alle percussioni del leader il fagotto di Sara Schoenbeck, il contrabbasso di Mark Dresser e in questa occasione il clarinetto di Michael Moore che rimpiazza la flautista Nicole Mitchell.
Continue ReadingHarris Eisenstadt: Golden State II
by Dan Bilawsky
Drummer Harris Eisenstadt's Golden State--the avant-chamber group that he formed while he was in residence at the California Institute of the Arts in 2012--is a meeting of minds and instincts. In its initial form, with bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck, bassist Mark Dresser, and flutist Nicole Mitchell, this ensemble created music that was smart and offbeat. Logic and surprise were both at play in the sounds that these four made together. They refused to draw out clear distinctions between pre-composed thought and ...
Continue ReadingHarris Eisenstadt: Golden State
by Glenn Astarita
Toronto-born drummer, composer Harris Eisenstadt is headquartered in the fertile artistic environs of New York City, and each new release divulges his thirst for ingenuity. He's emerged as an important voice within progressive jazz circles while gathering the crème de la crème of artists to help support his visions. Thus, Golden State is a polyrhythmic presentation that unites jazz and an ultra-modern chamber perspective, featuring poll-winning flautist Nicole Mitchell and bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck. Recorded in California, the album title refers ...
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