What's Going On With John Fedchock?
John Fedchock's NY Sextet Releases
"Live At The Red Sea Jazz Festival":
Available April 20, 2010 on Capri Records
The John Fedchock NY Sextet makes its hard-driving recording
debut on Live at the Red Sea Jazz Festival (April 20, Capri). Led by
trombonist-composer-arranger John Fedchock, whom Jazz Journal
International called, "a superb trombone soloist," the band features
some of the most dazzling post-bop talent in the Big Apple, including
trumpeter Scott Wendholt, tenor saxophonist Walt Weiskopf, pianist Allen
Farnham, bassist David Finck, and drummer Dave Ratajczak. Inspired by
the 2008 jazz festival crowd, this high-powered unit turns in a sleek
set of fast-paced swinging music played with vitality, elegance and wit.
Fedchock himself is in superb form. His solo on the opening "This Just
In" displays his distinctive silky, burnished tone and assured sense of
line. The sound is as mellow as a single malt scotch, but Fedchock's
inventiveness never lapses, as long, involved harmonically risky lines
sail over the solid foundation laid down by bassist Finck and drummer
Ratajczak. On "Elvin's Empire," the warm glow of his sound lends a
special intimacy to a relaxed but engaging solo that builds to a
climactic flourish. "Moon Alley" brings out his more lyrical side, with
leisurely, spontaneous melodies building into joyfully tumbling phrases.
The quicksilver tempo changes of Fedchock's arrangement of the
Ellington/Tizol chestnut "Caravan" offers the band some fresh challenges
on an often played classic. Fedchock's facility and musicianship make
him more than equal to the challenge and his solo is one of his most
unfettered and exuberant on the disc.
His sextet is up to the challenges as well. This is a band completely
fluent in the post-bop jazz vocabulary. They handle the Latin groove of
"That's All Right" and the tricky tempo changes of "Caravan" as easily
as the energetic swing of "This Just In" and trumpeter Tom Harrell's
lovely "Moon Alley." Trumpeter Wendholt sends his sunny tone and
gracefully dipping and weaving lines kiting over the rhythm section on
"This Just In" and "That's All Right!". Weiskopf, with his big, burly
tenor sound and voice-inflected wails, works up a majestic and
impassioned solo on "Elvin's Empire," Fedchock's African-tinged tribute
to Coltrane's rhythmic alter ego, drummer Elvin Jones. Pianist Farnham
is a rhythmically precise, supportive accompanist as well as a sparkling
soloist. His light, dancing touch, down-home blues inflections, and deft
left-hand punctuations combine for a dazzling solo on "This Just In" and
his chords dig deep into the groove of "Elvin's Empire." Drummer
Ratajczak also has a light, but firm touch with plenty of power as well
as subtlety. His solo on "Caravan" features his use of dynamics and
space to create drama, and his exceptionally musical approach to
combining parts of the drum kit for color, texture and melody. Finck
integrates his bass into the music with unerring time and a
sophisticated harmonic ear. His solos on "This Just In" and "That's All
Right!" showcase his smooth facility on his instrument and a love of
melody and propulsive beat.
Since his emergence as a jazz trombonist with the legendary Woody Herman
Orchestra in 1980, the multifaceted Fedchock has established himself as
a soloist, bandleader, and a Grammy-nominated arranger. Fedchock toured
with the Thundering Herd for seven years, and served as musical
coordinator and chief arranger on Herman's last two Grammy-nominated
albums, 50th Anniversary Tour and Woody's Gold Star. He has also toured
around the world with T.S. Monk, Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band,
Louie Bellson's Big Band, the Bob Belden Ensemble, the Manhattan Jazz
Orchestra, and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. "Fedchock plays with a dark,
virile, sharply etched tone, and he's as well organized and aware of
texture in his articulate solos as he is in his terrific arrangements,"_
says Neil Tesser in the Chicago Reader. Legendary jazz critic, Leonard
Feather called Fedchock simply, "a superior jazz trombonist."
Since 1992, the John Fedchock New York Big Band has released four
critically acclaimed CDs, including the 2002 release, No Nonsense which
earned Fedchock a Grammy nomination for his outstanding arranging. The
New York Times applauded the band's 2007 Up & Running, for its "cheerful
syncopation, served with spit-and-polish precision." Drawing on members
of the big band, his sextet album, Hit The Bricks, made DownBeat
magazine's Best CDs of 2000 list. Inspired by the album's success, he
created the John Fedchock NY Sextet, which has performed throughout the
U.S., and at international jazz events. He holds a master's degree from
the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and teaches at
Purchase College in Purchase, New York.
Fedchock may be leading a small group on Live at the Red Sea Jazz
Festival, but he still gets big-band power and excitement from his
vibrant sextet.
Capri Records is a leading independent label started by record
collector, jazz enthusiast and entrepreneur Tom Burns. Launched in 1983
with a release by tenor saxophonist Spike Robinson, the Bailey,
Colorado-based label now has a catalog of over one hundred titles
including those by bassists Ray Brown and Red Mitchell, trombonists Al
Grey and Phil Wilson, saxophonist Bud Shank and drummer Louie Bellson.
Over the years Capri has helped launch the careers of a number of
artists, including trumpeter Ron Miles, flutist Holly Hofmann,
composer/arranger Chie Imaizumi and the John Clayton/Jeff Hamilton Jazz
Orchestra. Capri Records has been named "Best Jazz Label" in Denver's
Westword Newspaper. In the past three decades, Capri has released
stellar albums by the Jeff Hamilton trio, the Mark Masters Ensemble, the
Grachan Moncur III Octet, saxophonists Bud Shank with Phil Woods,
guitarist Joshua Breakstone, drummer Jeff Hamilton, pianist Mike
Wofford, pianist Michael Pagan, flutist Holly Hofmann (recently with
pianist Bill Cunliffe,) guitarist Graham Dechter, saxophonist Keith
Oxman, trombonist Phil Wilson, the Curtis Fuller sextet, and many
others.
For more information, contact:
Capri Records Ltd.
P.O. Box 892
Bailey, CO 80421-0892
Phone : 303-816-1367
Fax : 303-816-1362
EMAIL: caprirecords@caprirecords.com
WEBSITE: www.caprirecords.com
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