AUM Fidelity
DARIUS JONES Trio ..Big Gurl (Smell My Dream)..AAUM069 |
CD $13
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1 .E-Gaz .4.23 (MP3 Excerpt)
2 .Michele (Heart) Willie .6.56 (MP3 Excerpt)
3 .A Train .6.03 (MP3 Excerpt)
4 .I Wish I Had A Choice .7.15 (MP3 Excerpt)
5 .My Special "D" .7.37
6 .Chasing The Ghost . 6.34
7 .Ol' Metal-Faced Bastard . 7.58
All compositions by Darius Jones; published by AstonBoymusic (ASCAP)
'A Train' based on "Take the A Train" by Billy Strayhorn
P+C 2011 AUM Fidellity
Darius Jones: alto saxophone
Adam Lane: bass
Jason Nazary: drums
Produced
by Darius Jones & Steven Joerg
Recorded by Michael Marciano at Systems Two Studio, Brooklyn
on February 21, 2011
Mixed and mastered with Michael Marciano
Original cover art/paintings by Randal Wilcox
“[Jones] seems to have the ability to take in a fair percentage of jazz history at a hell of a rate and come out with something of his own as a result, and that's an enviable skill. When the passion builds, it does so collectively, the three men musically moving with a staggering unity of purpose." “Fulfilling (and exceeding) expectations, Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) is a rightfully compelling follow-up to his stunning debut. With another installment already in the works, Jones has set the stage for a winning series of albums designed to document his rise as one of the most impressive and unique voices of our time.” "Big Gurl is a series of stories that burns hot with emotional conviction and technical invention…another superb effort from Jones, who is taking a mix of top-shelf ingredients and making them over in his own language. And it's righteous fun, lest we forget that challenging jazz can hit these buttons, too." "4-Stars. Today, he demonstrates that his musical persona will not be easily pigeonholed." "Equally earthy and avant-garde .. intellectually stimulating [though] anything but academic .. Jones can keen, weep, caress–and cut, too. The appealing unruliness to his music coexists with authority." "Jones’ second album as a leader brings his sound and approach into sharper focus. It’s not just a cry. It’s his cry." "A powerhouse saxophonist with an unusually focused perspective, Darius Jones laces his urgent avant-jazz vision with deep soul and dirty funk." "At once eerily familiar and as fresh on the 15th listen as on the first." • The Big Gurl recording session was documented in an April 2011 Wall Street Journal feature,
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Alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones’ highly anticipated second album as a bandleader is finally here! And, it is killin'.
The album features Jones' long-standing trio with bassist Adam Lane and drummer Jazon Nazary. Given a spotlight on "Chaych!" (bonus track on Darius' debut), the trio fully owns this new book of Jones' indelible compositions. The session took place in February 2011 following a series of stellar live shows and rehearsals; the band were rather evidently busting the seams and piercing the veil to drop this. On the compositions featured in this new book: Darius' gift for lyrical song shines anew in the gorgeous "Michele (Heart) Willie" & "I Wish I Had A Choice"; his radical rearrangement of Strayhorn's "Take the 'A' Train" and Jones' fully original "E-Gaz" are stunning for their ever-compelling forward momentum & invention; "My Special D" showcases the trio's long-form improvisational prowess developed over 3 years playing together; "Ol' Metal-Faced Bastard" is their homage to underground hip-hop and "Chasing The Ghost" is revisited with equal fervor and even greater intensity.
Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) presents the next chapter of Jones' ongoing 'Man’ish Boy' series of compositions introduced on his widely acclaimed debut, Man’ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing). The first album was inspired by Jones’ early childhood in rural Virginia; Big Gurl moves the story forward and takes inspiration from his years of study, experimentation and self-discovery at university in Richmond, VA where he began the search for his own voice (long found, fully lucid, and learning new tongues now). Revealed herein are deep musical influences that range from the liberating power of Parliament-Funkadelic to the fluid dynamics of Henry Threadgill's Air trio to the X-factor of Ol’ Dirty Bastard. A scintillating jazz saxophone trio love letter to underground hip-hop, soul, gospel, jazz, blues, rock and all things funky. Soul Power!
• The mighty potency of Big Gurl was on full display live during a month-long residency/album release celebration at Brooklyn's I-beam studio (Thursdays: October 20, 27; November 3, 10 - 2011) - Randal Wlcox created a special painting for the event and we made a limited edition poster >>>
• Big Gurl is a new character in the 'Man’ish Boy' universe created by Jones and graphic artist Randal Wilcox. For each new book of compositions, Jones and Wilcox build the framework of the soul and spirit of the character that Jones writes and Wilcox paints into creation. The pair are working on a graphic novel to express a deeper visual and philosophical view of their characters. The third chapter of compositions and character (The Book of Mae'bul) was previewed by Jones’ new quartet at small NYC gigs in late summer 2011 toward an early September recording session for AUM Fidelity. That album shall be released in Spring 2012.