Circuitous

Last updated
Circuitous
Circuitous cover.jpg
Studio album by Pandelis Karayorgis
Released 2013
Recorded January 16, 2012
Studio Chicago Public Media, Chicago
Genre Jazz
Length61:08
Label Driff
Pandelis Karayorgis chronology
Window And Doorway
(2013)
Circuitous
(2013)
Cocoon
(2013)

Circuitous is an album by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, which was recorded in 2012 and released on Driff, an artist-run label co-founded by Karayorgis and Jorrit Dijkstra. He leads a new band with four Chicago-based musicians: saxophonists Dave Rempis and Keefe Jackson, bassist Nate McBride and drummer Frank Rosaly. Karayorgis explains that Tony Williams' seminal album Spring inspired the instrumentation for this project, a quintet with two tenors as the main horns. [1]

Pandelis Karayorgis is a Greek-born and Boston-based pianist, composer and educator.

Dave Rempis is an American free jazz saxophonist. He plays alto, tenor and baritone saxophone.

Tony Williams (drummer) American jazz drummer

Anthony Tillmon Williams was an American jazz drummer.

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Down Beat Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

In a double review for Down Beat Josef Woodard notes that "the Chicago-based quintet steers perceptions toward comparisons to classic jazz quintet paradigm, different in form and function though it may be." [2]

The All About Jazz review by Glenn Astarita states "Never one to run short on creative sparks, the pianist is a sly arranger, and these works are asymmetrically synched within organization and improvisation. Moreover, several of these pieces are influenced by Thelonious Monk, primarily from an unconventional rhythmic standpoint amid odd-metered expressionism." [3]

<i>All About Jazz</i> comprehensive American website for jazz enthusiasts and professionals, based in Philadelphia

All About Jazz is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, Jazz Near You, about local concerts and events.

Thelonious Monk American jazz pianist and composer

Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser", "Ruby, My Dear", "In Walked Bud", and "Well, You Needn't". Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington, which is particularly remarkable as Ellington composed more than a thousand pieces, whereas Monk wrote about 70.

The Point of Departure review by Troy Collins says "Karayorgis' Chicago quintet offers an intriguing alternative to his Boston-based ensemble, System Of 5. Similar, but distinct from its East Coast counterpart, the lineup documented on Circuitous explores territory consistent with Karayorgis' oeuvre, which demonstrates a masterful reinvention of post-bop vernacular, expertly balancing the accessibility of the mainstream with the vitalizing freedom of the avant-garde." [4]

Track listing

All compositions by Pandelis Karayorgis
  1. "Undertow" – 6:04
  2. "Nudge" – 6:30
  3. "Swarm" – 9:37
  4. "Circuitous" – 5:30
  5. "Vortex" – 8:52
  6. "Evenfall" – 4:36
  7. "Blue Line" – 9:15
  8. "Here in July" – 5:18
  9. "Souvenir" – 5:26

Personnel

Bass clarinet musical instrument

The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B, but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet. Bass clarinets in other keys, notably C and A, also exist, but are very rare. Bass clarinets regularly perform in orchestras, wind ensembles/concert bands, occasionally in marching bands, and play an occasional solo role in contemporary music and jazz in particular.

Contrabass clarinet largest member of the clarinet family of musical instruments

The contrabass clarinet and contra-alto clarinet are the two largest members of the clarinet family that are in common usage. Modern contrabass clarinets are pitched in BB, sounding two octaves lower than the common B soprano clarinet and one octave lower than the B bass clarinet. Some contrabass clarinet models have a range extending down to low (written) E, while others can play down to low D or further to low C. This range, C(3) – E(6), sounds B(0) – D(4). Some early instruments were pitched in C; Arnold Schoenberg's Fünf Orchesterstücke specifies a contrabass clarinet in A, but there is no evidence of such an instrument ever having existed.

Piano musical instrument

The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700, in which the strings are struck by hammers. It is played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the hammers to strike the strings.

Related Research Articles

<i>Betwixt</i> (album) album by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis

Betwixt is an album by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, which was recorded in 2006 and released on the Swiss hatOLOGY label. It was the third recording by mi3, a trio with bassist Nate McBride and drummer Curt Newton.

<i>Paradoxical Frog</i> (album) album by Kris Davis

Paradoxical Frog is the eponymous debut album by a collective trio consisting of Kris Davis on piano, Ingrid Laubrock on tenor sax and Tyshawn Sorey on drums. It was recorded in 2009 and released on the Portuguese Clean Feed label.

<i>Strong Place</i> album by Ingrid Laubrock

Strong Place is the second album by German jazz saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock's Anti-House, a quintet with guitarist Mary Halvorson, pianist Kris Davis, bassist John Hébert and drummer Tom Rainey. It was recorded in 2012 and released on the Swiss Intakt label.

<i>Heart and Sack</i> 1998 studio album by Pandelis Karayorgis

Heart and Sack is an album by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, which was recorded in 1998 and released on Leo Lab, a sublabel of Leo Records. It was the debut recording of his trio with bassist Nate McBride and drummer Randy Peterson.

<i>Blood Ballad</i> 2001 studio album by Pandelis Karayorgis

Blood Ballad is an album by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, which was recorded in 2000 and released on the English Leo label. It was the second album featuring his trio with bassist Nate McBride and drummer Randy Peterson. The title piece was inspired by Billy Strayhorn; "Centennial" is a tribute to Duke Ellington on hundredth anniversary of his birth.

<i>Disambiguation</i> (Pandelis Karayorgis album) 2002 studio album by Pandelis Karayorgis, Mat Maneri

Disambiguation is an album by a quintet co-led by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis and violinist Mat Maneri, which was recorded in 2001 and released on the English Leo label. Maneri had the idea to ask Karayorgis to write pieces for a quintet date with saxophonist Tony Malaby and bassist Michael Formanek already in mind. Drummer Randy Peterson was on pianist's trio and has long played with Mat in Joe Maneri's quartet.

<i>System of 5</i> album by Pandelis Karayorgis

System of 5 is an album by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, which was recorded in 2008 and released on the Swiss hatOLOGY label. It was the debut recording of a new quintet with saxophonist Matt Langley, trombonist Jeff Galindo, bassist Jef Charland and drummer Luther Gray.

<i>Cocoon</i> (Pandelis Karayorgis album) album by Pandelis Karayorgis

Cocoon is an album by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, which was recorded in 2012 and released on Driff, an artist-run label co-founded by Karayorgis and Jorrit Dijkstra. It was the debut recording of his trio with bassist Jef Charland and drummer Luther Gray.

<i>Lines</i> (Pandelis Karayorgis album) album

Lines is an album by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis and alto saxophonist Eric Pakula, which was recorded in 1995 and released on Accurate. They are joined by bassists Nate McBride and Jonathan Robinson and drummers John McLellan and Eric Rosenthal in various combinations, playing compositions by Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh and Ted Brown, along with some originals.

<i>Free Advice</i> album by Pandelis Karayorgis

Free Advice is an album by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, which was recorded in 2004 and released on the Portuguese Clean Feed label. It was the second recording by mi3, a trio with bassist Nate McBride and drummer Curt Newton. For the group's first album, We Will Make a Home for You, Karayorgis plays the Fender Rhodes electric piano, but for this record he switches to acoustic piano. The album includes covers of pieces by Duke Ellington, Hasaan Ibn Ali and Sun Ra.

<i>We Will Make a Home for You</i> album by Pandelis Karayorgis

We Will Make a Home for You is an album by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, which was recorded between 2002 and 2003 and released on the Portuguese Clean Feed label. It was the debut recording by mi3, a trio with bassist Nate McBride and drummer Curt Newton. According to Karayorgis, he plays Fender Rhodes partly out of necessity, since the Abbey Lounge had no piano, and partly out of curiosity for the effect it would have on the music. The album includes covers of pieces by Thelonious Monk, Hasaan Ibn Ali and Eric Dolphy.

<i>Rip Tear Crunch</i> album by Dave Rempis

Rip Tear Crunch is an album by American jazz saxophonist Dave Rempis, which was recorded in 2005 and released on 482 Music. It was the studio debut by The Rempis Percussion Quartet, following the limited edition live recording Circular Logic.

<i>Hunter-Gatherers</i> (album) album by Dave Rempis

Hunter-Gatherers is a double album by American jazz saxophonist Dave Rempis, named after the Columbia, South Carolina venue where it was recorded live in 2006, and released on 482 Music. It was the third release from The Rempis Percussion Quartet, which features bassist Anton Hatwich and two drummers: Tim Daisy and Frank Rosaly.

<i>The Engines</i> album

The Engines is the eponymous debut album by the collaborative free jazz quartet consisting of saxophonist Dave Rempis, trombonist Jeb Bishop, bassist Nate McBride and drummer Tim Daisy. It was recorded in 2006 and released on Okka Disk.

<i>Other Violets</i> live album

Other Violets is the third album by the free jazz quartet The Engines, consisting of saxophonist Dave Rempis, trombonist Jeb Bishop, bassist Nate McBride and drummer Tim Daisy. The album documents a collaboration with Danish reedist John Tchicai, which was recorded live at Chicago's Hungry Brain in 2011 and released on the Polish Not Two label.

<i>Montreal Parade</i> album

Montreal Parade is an album by American jazz saxophonist Dave Rempis, which was recorded in 2010 and released on 482 Music. It was the fifth recording by The Rempis Percussion Quartet, the first with Ingebrigt Håker Flaten replacing former bassist Anton Hatwich.

<i>Cyrillic</i> (album) album by Dave Rempis

Cyrillic is an album by American jazz saxophonist Dave Rempis with drummer Frank Rosaly, which was recorded in 2009 and released on 482 Music.

<i>From Wolves to Whales</i> album

From Wolves to Whales is the debut release by the free improvising quartet consisting of trumpeter Nate Wooley, saxophonist Dave Rempis, bassist Pascal Niggenkemper and drummer Chris Corsano, which was recorded in 2014 and released on Rempis' Aerophonic label. This first document of their work was made in the studio following three concerts in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Guillermo Gregorio is an Argentine jazz and free improvisation clarinetist, saxophonist, and composer.

References

  1. Circuitous at Pandelis Karayorgis
  2. 1 2 Woodard, Josef. Circuitous review. Down Beat February 14: page 91. Print.
  3. Astarita, Glenn. Circuitous review at All About Jazz
  4. Collins, Troy. Circuitous review at Point of Departure