Joined By Brad Shepik, Jerome Harris, Noah Franche-Nolan And Timo Vollbrecht On His Debut Album.
On December 1, Russian-born, NYC-based drummer Tima Volozh will release Jubilee, his debut recording. The album’s genesis can be traced to the benefit concert that he organized in March 2022 as a response to the war in Ukraine, where he assembled musicians who shared his concern for the situation.
Citing Paul Motian as one of his major influences, Volozh first interacted with Brad Shepik and Jerome Harris while conducting his research into Paul Motian’s music – the subject of his master’s thesis at New York University. The guitarist and bassist both were instrumental members of Motian’s various groups. Joined by Timo Vollbrecht (Ben Monder, Theo Bleckmann,) influenced by the sounds or Joe Lovano and Mark Turner, drawn to ECM’s distinctive sound, and further inspired by the contributions of pianist Noah Franche-Nolan, Timo assembled a collective where each member infused their unique artistic personalities into the music.
The opening track, “Adoration of the Earth,” is an excerpt from Volozh’s arrangement of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.” Rather than a lone bassoon, it’s the drummer’s driving drum groove that sets things up. The tune is heartfully performed by Timo Volbrecht on tenor sax, with Franche-Nolan and Shepik providing tender support. Volozhz comments, “Growing up around Western Classical and Baroque musicians in my family had an impact on my impact on my writing and arranging process. The groove for the piece is heavily inspired by Ed Blackwell’s “Togo” from the 1979 EMC recording Old and New Dreams, while the harmony is influenced by Chris Potter’s version of the tune as played on 2007’s Follow the Red Line.
Volozh’s original composition “Vortex,” which also appears on his upcoming Barberia’s Delight EP, is here recorded in a quintet setting and showcases solos from Shepik and Volbrecht. Volozh’s relationship to rhythm doesn’t end with the drum set. In the past few years, he’s been studying both salsa and Capoeira, which certainly shed some light on “La’ Laué,” which, according to Volozh, is an arrangement of a traditional Brazilian song. On “La’ Laué,” Shepik’s solo captures the aesthetic that his generation of guitarists introduced to the idiom: brilliant, dazzling lines set off with gruff distortion.
Volozh says that his arrangement of the bepop staple “Star Eyes” draws inspiration from his mentor Ari Hoenig, with “the intro and groove rooted in the famous Charlie Parker version of the song. The simplified chord progression is aimed at bringing the groove to the front.” “Aisha” is an arrangement and reharmonization of McCoy Tyner’s beloved ballad, performed with an elegance that demonstrates Volozh’s masterful brushwork and the rhythm section’s ability to create momentum and intrigue in any context.
It should be obvious that Volozh’s is deeply influenced by drummer Paul Motian. Shepik and Harris were both former members of Motian’s groups, which no doubt plays a major factor in their inclusion of this project. Vollbrecht, while a generation too young to have played with Motian, has worked a great deal with guitarist Ben Monder, who was also involved in many Motian groups. Although the track “Mumbo Jumbo” is, in fact, a Motian original, his influence can be heard throughout the album.
Julbilee closes with the Thelonious Monk tune “Evidence,” which is here completely reimagined as an almost new composition. “Evidence” takes inspiration from Paul Motian’s version of the song from Garden of Eden, where the band plays it freely, as well as from John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps,” with its continuous quarter note rhythm. Volozh says that “the arrangement includes a reharmonization to bring out the melody’s edge.”Tima Volozh is quickly making a name for himself on the dynamic New York jazz scene. After completing his master’s degree in jazz performance at NYU, he recorded Jubilee, which will be released on Shifting Paradigm Records in December 2023. Additionally, his collaborative EP Barberia’s Delight, with Marshal Herridge featuring Anthony Wonsey, Nick Rousseau and Jake DAmbra, will be released on October 27th on the Adhayaropa label. A single, “Star Wars,” dropped on October 20th.
He has also performed with Ari Hoenig (on piano), Cy Leo, Steve Cardenas, Massimo Biolcati and many others. In 2022, as a member of Boysie Lowery Jazz Residency, he performed at the 35th annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival in Wilmington, Delaware. A new group, featuring guitarist David Blake and bassist Warren Louie, has been awarded an artist residency at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute.
On October 28, Volozh performed in a showcase produced by Adhayaropa Records at the Owl Music Parlor in Brooklyn, where he will highlight the music from Barberia’s Delight. On November 8, he performed with Marshal Herridge on bass and Oscar Caucaly on piano at Threes Brewery in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
Julbilee is currently available for pre-order on Bandcamp; Barberia’s Delight can be pre-ordered here.
Citing Paul Motian as one of his major influences, Volozh first interacted with Brad Shepik and Jerome Harris while conducting his research into Paul Motian’s music – the subject of his master’s thesis at New York University. The guitarist and bassist both were instrumental members of Motian’s various groups. Joined by Timo Vollbrecht (Ben Monder, Theo Bleckmann,) influenced by the sounds or Joe Lovano and Mark Turner, drawn to ECM’s distinctive sound, and further inspired by the contributions of pianist Noah Franche-Nolan, Timo assembled a collective where each member infused their unique artistic personalities into the music.
The opening track, “Adoration of the Earth,” is an excerpt from Volozh’s arrangement of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.” Rather than a lone bassoon, it’s the drummer’s driving drum groove that sets things up. The tune is heartfully performed by Timo Volbrecht on tenor sax, with Franche-Nolan and Shepik providing tender support. Volozhz comments, “Growing up around Western Classical and Baroque musicians in my family had an impact on my impact on my writing and arranging process. The groove for the piece is heavily inspired by Ed Blackwell’s “Togo” from the 1979 EMC recording Old and New Dreams, while the harmony is influenced by Chris Potter’s version of the tune as played on 2007’s Follow the Red Line.
Volozh’s original composition “Vortex,” which also appears on his upcoming Barberia’s Delight EP, is here recorded in a quintet setting and showcases solos from Shepik and Volbrecht. Volozh’s relationship to rhythm doesn’t end with the drum set. In the past few years, he’s been studying both salsa and Capoeira, which certainly shed some light on “La’ Laué,” which, according to Volozh, is an arrangement of a traditional Brazilian song. On “La’ Laué,” Shepik’s solo captures the aesthetic that his generation of guitarists introduced to the idiom: brilliant, dazzling lines set off with gruff distortion.
Volozh says that his arrangement of the bepop staple “Star Eyes” draws inspiration from his mentor Ari Hoenig, with “the intro and groove rooted in the famous Charlie Parker version of the song. The simplified chord progression is aimed at bringing the groove to the front.” “Aisha” is an arrangement and reharmonization of McCoy Tyner’s beloved ballad, performed with an elegance that demonstrates Volozh’s masterful brushwork and the rhythm section’s ability to create momentum and intrigue in any context.
It should be obvious that Volozh’s is deeply influenced by drummer Paul Motian. Shepik and Harris were both former members of Motian’s groups, which no doubt plays a major factor in their inclusion of this project. Vollbrecht, while a generation too young to have played with Motian, has worked a great deal with guitarist Ben Monder, who was also involved in many Motian groups. Although the track “Mumbo Jumbo” is, in fact, a Motian original, his influence can be heard throughout the album.
Julbilee closes with the Thelonious Monk tune “Evidence,” which is here completely reimagined as an almost new composition. “Evidence” takes inspiration from Paul Motian’s version of the song from Garden of Eden, where the band plays it freely, as well as from John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps,” with its continuous quarter note rhythm. Volozh says that “the arrangement includes a reharmonization to bring out the melody’s edge.”Tima Volozh is quickly making a name for himself on the dynamic New York jazz scene. After completing his master’s degree in jazz performance at NYU, he recorded Jubilee, which will be released on Shifting Paradigm Records in December 2023. Additionally, his collaborative EP Barberia’s Delight, with Marshal Herridge featuring Anthony Wonsey, Nick Rousseau and Jake DAmbra, will be released on October 27th on the Adhayaropa label. A single, “Star Wars,” dropped on October 20th.
He has also performed with Ari Hoenig (on piano), Cy Leo, Steve Cardenas, Massimo Biolcati and many others. In 2022, as a member of Boysie Lowery Jazz Residency, he performed at the 35th annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival in Wilmington, Delaware. A new group, featuring guitarist David Blake and bassist Warren Louie, has been awarded an artist residency at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute.
On October 28, Volozh performed in a showcase produced by Adhayaropa Records at the Owl Music Parlor in Brooklyn, where he will highlight the music from Barberia’s Delight. On November 8, he performed with Marshal Herridge on bass and Oscar Caucaly on piano at Threes Brewery in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
Julbilee is currently available for pre-order on Bandcamp; Barberia’s Delight can be pre-ordered here.
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