Marilyn Lerner – piano | Ken Filiano – bass | Lou Grassi – drums and percussion All compositions by Marilyn Lerner (Socan), Ken Filiano (Flizmo Music BMI) and Lou Grassi … Continue reading
Erika Dagnino – poetry, voice | Ras Moshe – flute, sprano sax, tenor sax | Ken Filiano – double bass, effects | John Pietaro – vibraphone, glockenspiel, snare drum, tom-tom, … Continue reading
The deepest friendship fosters freedom and from there, the joy of flight. The deepest friendship, like real freedom, is pluralistically unified, a place where the boundaries are malleable, at one moment wide open to the slow build and arc of myriad histories, then suddenly capturing a single moment in all its import, a look, a shared remembrance, a phrase spoken with neither artifice nor conceit, a simple act of communication whose ramifications define and transcend the shared experience, worlds and galaxies emerging from the gestural seed. Continue reading
For those of us who like free improvisation this is just what the doctor ordered. TranceFormation is a trio featuring pianist Connie Crothers, bassist Ken Filiano and scatting, vocalese master, Andrea Wolper. If the instrumentals are too abstract, check out “The Things You See In New York City”. They are fueled by each other’s energy and years of experience make them comfortable enough to explore with no fear. In a trance? Yes, in their zone that overflows to their audience with an abundance of spirit. — D. Oscar Groomes, O’s Place Jazz Magazine Continue reading
Much energy has been dissipated in search for the Platonic ideal of Beauty. Both thinkers and artists alike have long searched the four quadrants of the heavens in pursuit of what they thought was the very basis of human experience. Perplexed with such vastness, these men returned with even more unanswered questions. Even though the title of this recording insinuates that there might be some inexplicable universe on the other side of the looking glass, as Lewis Carroll’s Alice eventually found out, the space that is explored here belongs unequivocally to the dramatic stage where fiction becomes the only tangible reality. — Rui Horta Santos Continue reading
Speaking without words. Just the voice of sound with all its rich implications. In the double bass I have always heard a vast timbral spectrum, a world of sonic and emotional possibility too rich to ignore. The first time I felt the vibrations emanating from just a single string I was attracted to and intrigued by the bass’s powerful potential for stimulating imagination, atmosphere and dreams. I felt it was something that I could explore as a lifelong journey. —Ken Filiano Continue reading
One of the best things about releasing a CD is it gives one the opportunity to express gratitude to the many people who’ve helped along the way. I have to start with Ron and Ken, without whom this would surely be a very different CD. Playing music with them—not to mention hanging out between sets—is just a hell of a lot of fun, and they both continue to inspire me more, I’m sure, than either would imagine. Victor, Frank, Lou, and Jamey all have unique voices that we wanted on the date, and they all jumped right in, fully and generously. I’m grateful to each of them for their special contributions. Todd brought not only his expertise as a producer, but also respect and openness, as well as a belief in the project that really made a difference. Thanks also to Katherine Miller, whose great technical skills are matched by great ears, and to Todd Gerard for his excellent work and sensitive approach. — Andrea Wolper Continue reading
Think of a Clown Car… and right away a number of images and impressions come to mind: a huge circus tent, a universe in itself; a group of crazies; a festive honking time; loud, often delirious laughs; vivid colors; fun costumes; wild make-up; big red noses, big bright sounds; dramatized human behavior, both humorous and sad; things magical, so different from everyday life; sizzling energy; subtle poetry; and more, how, think of Dreams… and likewise right away a number of thoughts and reflections also come to mind and take you to strange other worlds: unexplainable odd situations; noble aspirations that can’t materialize yet; beautiful warped reality; impossible things becoming possible instantly; and much more. 5o, with the myriad thoughts that Dreams can evoke, combined with those triggered from an implausible “Clown Car Band” comprised of four highly sensitive musicians/creative improvisers, everything becomes possible. The resulting tunes – each with a title chosen with great care — are profoundly vivid expressions of a few “moments” of life, gripping musical paintings bearing not only the distinctive signature of their composer / band leader, but also the distinctive personalities of each member of this brilliant energetic quartet. Colors, sounds and energies converge, intertwine, blend, their metamorphosis growing on the tunes’ canvasses as vibrant sketches, irradiating LIFE in its many forms. — Gilles Marie-Paul Laheurte Continue reading
I live somewhat “parallel lives” as a singer in that my musical interests are wide-ranging. Like so many other jazz singers, I started with standards, the best kind of training play/ ground, which I love like old friends who can still surprise me. But through the years, doing all sorts of gigs, living in New York, where there’s so much music to hear and so many people to play with, I came to realize there was no reason not to widen my embrace to include all sorts of music: music that plays it straight, music that doesn’t, songs I’d heard as a child, songs I discovered I had it in me to write, songs that didn’t seem to fit in any particular category. The selections on this CD traverse some of the now-parallel, now-converging paths I’ve been traveling these past several years, reflecting the idea that we all live dual (or more) lives, if only in our dreams, our hopes, our memories. As everyone knows, having the right traveling companions is crucial. And as every musician knows, there’s nothing like playing with your band, people with whom you develop understanding and trust. When you have that, you’re lucky. I’m lucky. Not only do Ken, Kris, Michael, and TA have the musicianship and the curiosity to travel with me wherever I feel like going, but each has a highly developed, very personal musical identity that means I get to travel down some unexpected byways. And that makes working with them a joy and an adventure. — Andrea Wolper Continue reading
Fire creates its own sonic universe. Its timbre comes from the burning, while the elemental transmutation breeds new forms of light and ash. It roars and whispers, constantly susurrating just below the energy that bespeaks its crackling multiplicity, its multileveled and precisely detailed identity. The title”Band of Fire” captures the essence of this music with uncanny perfection. Connie Crothers, Richard Tabnik, Roy Campbell, Ken Filianoand Roger Mancuso share a common tradition, but their musical vision refuses to be bound by it. The freedom they created at The Stone, on November21″, 2010, grounded in hard-won precision, tempered through improvisation, is released in bursts of flaming energy. Old forms burn as the quintet’s creative energy destroys and recreates them with new life. Continue reading