Newly-minted NEA Jazz Master Dr. Lonnie Smith held Hammond B-3 court at the Nightclub at MJF ’16 (photo: Ron Scott)

MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL COLD NIGHTS HOT MUSIC
By Ron Scott

While waiting in the Los Angeles Airport (LAX) for my Monterey flight I noticed a familiar person sitting quietly to my left. It was the multi-talented Quincy Jones. I went right over and introduced myself. We had a nice chat about the festival and his being honored at the 59th annual Monterey Jazz Festival (September 16-18) “Celebrating Quincy Jones the A&M Years.” At that point it was apparent my first visit to the MJF was going to be one of those walking in space moments.

The following evening the MJF Board of Directors hosted their 10th annual Jazz Legends Gala fundraiser at The Inn at Spanish Bay (the only thing missing was the red carpet and paparazzi). The filmmaker, actor, and jazz man Clint Eastwood presented the Jazz Legends Award to Jones, the 27-time Grammy award winner. He stated, “Quincy’s music is God’s voice.” Jones humbly accepted noting, “Jazz ain’t going nowhere and at 83 I feel like I’m just getting started.” He also praised young talented musicians like Joey Alexander and the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra “they assure us the music will move forward.”

Joey Alexander’s performance with his trio bassist Dan Chmielinski and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr., received a rousing standing ovation. His being only 13 years old was a factor but his playing of a Thelonious Monk tune and Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” was most impressive. He has grown since last year and now stands on occasion when the music gets good to him, like Monk. He stated, “Thanks for supporting this music which is not very easy to play.” Although he makes it seem effortlessly.

September 16 was the beginning of the mad jazz festival rush. My mission on the Monterey Fairgrounds was attempt to see over 115 performances in six venues that included a variety of music from tributes, big bands to piano trios, fusion, straight-ahead jazz, blues, world music, a string of conversations, films and exhibits. Seeing all those acts didn’t happen so here are some highlights. The Jimmy Lyons stage (the largest venue) was filled to capacity on that cold Friday evening with many folks wearing down jackets and others covered with blankets.

They were enthralled by the versatile vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant and Trio featuring pianist Aaron Diehl, bassist Paul Sikivie and drummer Lawrence Leathers. Salvant is a daring jazz vocalist, who can engage in a blues and shout song like “John Henry” and easily move into show tunes like “Wives & Lovers” and “If a Girl Isn’t Pretty.”

The international bassist Richard Bona took the stage with Mandekan Cubano. The vibes were hot and the horn section was steaming with Cuban reflections.

The evening concluded with the Tribute to Quincy Jones “The A&M Years” featuring the MJF Orchestra with guest musical director Christian McBride and conductor John Clayton. Their repertoire featured music from Quincy’s three legendary albums Walking in Space, Gula Matari and SmackWater Jack. They ignited on “Walkin in Space” with the trumpeter Sean Jones, crazy solos by the saxophonist James Carter, Lewis Nash on drums, pianist Dave Grusin, Paul Jackson, Jr. on guitar, and the amazing harmonica flow on “Brown Ballad” by Gregoire Maret, the outrageous flute of Hubert Laws and lead vocalist Valerie Simpson. Laws, Simpson, and Grusin contributed to these milestone albums and this time around they displayed that same explosive energy. When Quincy closed the show by conducting “Killer Joe” the audience was hysterical transcended to a higher power that swung their socks off. As I left the fairgrounds in my summer sweater it was the music that kept me warm. With a big smile it was evident I had just witnessed one of the best jazz performances ever.

The next day it was 85 degrees and everyone was baking as the dynamite Maceo Parker paid Tribute to Ray Charles” featuring the Ray Charles Orchestra and The Raelettes. The band was hittin’ hard and Maceo like Charles had that soul and blues thing down to a science. Folks didn’t seem to miss James Brown’s main saxophonist “take me to the bridge, Maceo” not playing sax, as he ran through favorites like “How Long Has This Been Going On,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” and “What’d I Say.”

The Garden stage featured the young organist and vocalist Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles. They are a roaring version of Sly & the Family Stone, George Clinton, and Jimmy Smith. His arrangement of “The Way You Make Me Feel” was highly explosive. His Hammond B-3 swings with deliberate gospel influences.

The vocalist Somi performed to a sro crowd in Dizzy’s Den offering a few originals like “My Lost Song,” and her version of “Four Women” her story of Four African Women. Standing ovations were in order for this Harlem resident.

Even the lawn was filled with listeners, who couldn’t get anywhere near the outdoor Garden stage for pianist/composer Joey Alexander. His repertoire ran from John Coltrane’s “Count Down” the title of his latest album (Motema), to Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature.”

Teri Lyn Carrington’s Mosaic Project “Love & Soul” was an all-star configuration formed by the noted drummer/composer. The ensemble featured the pianist Helen Sung, vocalist Lizz Wright, who crafts a touching story similar to Roberta Flack. She later joined Valerie Simpson for the heartfelt spiritual “Walk With Me.” Elena Pinderhughes played flute, Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, and Tia Fuller played alto saxophone.

Branford Marsalis the solid bandleader and tenor saxophonist went straight-ahead with some dips and turns along with his longtime quartet and special guest vocalist Kurt Elling, whose deep bass settled like thick honey.

The Manhattan School of Music senior Elena Pinderhughes is blossoming into her own as a flautist and vocalist as she demonstrated on the Garden stage with her quintet.

The saxophonist Donny McCaslin Quartet with keyboardist Jason Linder played on the outer edge of jazz reality to a packed room of afternoon believers.

Walking the fairgrounds was like being in a cozy town of jazz inhabitants where everyone was into the music and running into Quincy Jones and Clint Eastwood, who were just as enthusiastic as us mortals about checking out the various venues made it more special.
The conversation with Jones and Eastwood covered a ton of jazz and film history with inside tidbits only revealed among friends.

The seasoned pianist/composer Stanley Cowell played the Coffee House with his trio bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Billy Drummond. His daughter a full-time attorney also sang.

Wayne Shorter the festival’s “commissioned artist” and his fearless quartet with pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brain Blade were joined by the Moneterey Jazz Festival Wind Ensemble to premiere his commissioned work “The Unfolding.” It was another journey with Shorter that proved to a newfound experience in his ever-winding musical enclave.

The saxophonist Kamashi Washington, a native Californian was in his element as his blazing tenor seemed to smoke coming from the keys. He has that bold hearty tone similar to Pharoah Sanders. His large ensemble included the dancer/vocalist Patrice Quinn, trombonist Ryan Porter, keyboards, bassist Miles Mosley and two drummers steered from straight to the “West Coast Get Down”. Washington featured his father Sonny on flute and sax.

Gregory Porter the spirited preacher, blended spirituals with jazz and blues into originals like “No Love Dying Here” or “Poppa Was A Rolling Stone.”

While guitarist Pat Metheny was playing in Lyons Arena, Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio with guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Jonathan Blake were in prophet mode at the Night Club venue. It was the Reverend Dr. Smith preaching from his Hammond B3 organ from Monk’s “Well You Needn’t” to his soul version of “Wine and Roses.” The Dr. received two extended standing ovations and for an encore he played on his cane.

And just that fast the Monterey Jazz Festival came to an end. So intoxicating, it is a must for next year.
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The latest in a seemingly endless series of Miles Davis reissues/refreshers/previously-unreleased/newly-discovered/”Bootleg Series” releases is titled Freedom Jazz Dance (Columbia Legacy). The core origins of this new package document a particularly fertile period in Miles prolific recording career, respectively three classic sessions: Miles Smiles, Nefertiti, and Sorcerer (all from 1967, each of the latter two represented by one track each), Miles in the Sky (1968, one track), and the 1976 compilation release Water Babies. The title of this Volume 5 in the Bootleg Series stems from Miles’ bristling adaptation of the Eddie Harris classic contributed by what has come to be known as MD’s second great quintet: Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams. Besides the hall-of-fame status eventually ascended to by those four Miles Davis hires, and the incredible syncronicity they achieved collectively, another factor that made this quintet a hallmark of Miles’ lustrous career was the fact that this was the first of Miles’ units comprised entirely of next gen musicians.

Besides their younger generation, this was also the first Miles Davis band compelled on record to perform almost entirely their own original compositions, save the rare departure of “Freedom Jazz Dance.” In performance, at least early on, the band continued to rely primarily on extended explorations of standards that had been part of Miles book for years (as detailed in such essential live documentations as “The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel” set on Legacy); but in the studio Miles sought a more original atmosphere, encouraging his productive young musicians to contribute to the book, most notably Wayne Shorter, a prolific writer.

These 3-CDs illustrate how fortunate we are that Miles Davis was so meticulous about his studio sessions, particularly with this quintet, a band full of eventual trailblazers. This package documents a particularly brilliant pathfinding period in the quintet’s development. With this release you get studio stops & starts, kibitzing between the principles and producer Teo Macero, and fascinating, architectural rehearsal takes – manna from heaven from for Miles Davis completists, particularly those devoted to what was the end point in his acoustic pursuits.

The intrepid listener will experience the actual blossoming of such milestone tracks as Shorter’s classic “Nefertiti,” where from the studio patter one hears how it was determined on the spot that the piece would feature a track long repetition of the theme, achieving the effect of a role reversal between the lead horns and the rhythm section. Hearing the stark simplicity/complexity of “Nefertiti”, which successfully balanced the horns repeated theme statement in concert with particularly one of Tony Williams greatest recorded drum performances and Ron Carter’s relaxed, nimble ownership of the bass violin, is quite intriguing. Pretty much each selection is represented here by what are labeled as “session reels” – essentially the studio rehearsal where the themes, sequencing and tempos are worked out – followed by the master take.

This release is not necessarily for the casual Miles Davis listener – unless that casual listener desires to take the leap to true devotee. So those late comers who jumped on the boat lured by late-80s “Human Nature” era Miles, and chose to investigate no further, need not apply. But for those intrigued by how this quintet operated in the studio, where so much of their path breaking was documented, this is an excellent document. This is also where Wayne Shorter’s writing becomes so essential to this band’s oeuvre.

The piece “Country Son,” which appeared on the Miles in the Sky release, is given a rhythm section rehearsal that testifies to how Carter, Hancock, and Williams worked in trio; a configuration they documented later with several recordings and tours. We also hear Miles sketching out a “Blues in D” at the piano while chatting up Shorter (“He Wayne, want a hamburger?”).

I think opportunities for audiences to meet and interact with jazz artists off the bandstand are very important keys to audience development, to increasing the audience for jazz. Such opportunities help to “demystify” this music we call jazz. For so many, how this music is made remains a bit of a mystery: How do they improvise? What’s on their minds when they improvise? Do they merely come up with notes and chords just out of thin air? How did they choose their particular instrument(s)? What made them decide to play jazz in the first place? How did they put together their band? When they’re playing, how do they make the choices they do? How do they compose? What is this thing called jazz? These and many more questions are the kinds of inquiries audiences often have of jazz musicians.

One of the cornerstones of our annual DC Jazz Festival is our Meet The Artist series. That’s a series of interviews for our audiences, either pre- or post-performance, where we not only interview our featured artists, we also provide opportunities for audience Q&As. For our 2016 DC Jazz Festival, “Meet The Artist” sessions were moderated by jazz historian Bill Brower with Steve Coleman, Kimberley Washington with Meghan Stablie and Igmar Thomas of Revive Music, Jim Byers with NEA Jazz Master Eddie Palmierif, and myself with Kamasi Washington, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and Orrin Evans.

Just to give you a taste of our Meet The Artist series, here’s a segment of our session with pianist-composer-bandleader Orrin Evans on the afternoon prior to his late night performance with his Captain Black Big Band as part of CapitalBop’s jazz loft series on our festival. Special thanks to the intrepid vocalese artist George V. Johnson, Jr. for capturing this from the audience.

Since my first experience there in the early 90s, attendance at the Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF) has been an essential part of my annual travel calendar. That is best exemplified by the fact that once the mid-September MJF date is announced, the calendar is immediately marked for travel and the mind set. Significantly that’s the case regardless of subsequent news of the festival lineup over the succeeding months. The true mark of a successful festival comes when that festival’s constituency cares less about questions of lineup and trusts in the everlasting high quality of the event.

Certainly the Monterey Jazz Festival’s idyllic physical setting is endlessly appealing. The great bassist Ray Drummond, who grew up in the area and is a frequent presence at MJF regardless of whether he’s performing, has used the old label “God’s country”, to sum up the geographic charms of the Monterey Peninsula. After nearly 20 years of practically uninterrupted attendance at MJF, who am I to quibble with Ray’s characterization?

The charms of MJF begin with the journey itself. Granted, what is essentially a long (Friday-Monday) weekend cross-country trip to California might be a bit daunting for some; don’t count this writer in that cadre, nor the legion of others who make the 5-8 hour drive up from the southern parts of the state to what is essentially North-central California, just north of the breathtakingly beautiful vistas of Big Sur.

From DC we generally choose a non-stop flight to either Oakland or San Francisco; yes, San Jose is closer but doesn’t offer the same non-stop flight access from the East as do the two Bay Area ports. From the Bay Area, the chosen routine is the 90-mile drive south to Monterey. A major nuance in that particular segment of the journey: depending upon how much time you’ve afforded yourself, you can make that trip most judiciously via the 101 freeway or take the legendary Pacific Coast Highway, Rt. 1, which has always been our preferred route. The seaside vistas along Rt. 1 are simply incredible, and if surfing is of interest, that stretch of the Pacific is nirvana.

After six hours on a plane, about the last thing I need is the potential driver stresses of the 101; the scenic route it is! Rt. 1 takes you down through tranquil Santa Cruz, home base of Tim Jackson, who I first encountered back in the old Lila Wallace-Readers Digest National Jazz Network days as director of Santa Cruz’s legendary Kuumbwa Jazz Center. Kuumbwa, where Jackson first made his bones as a jazz curator, has long specialized in presenting major touring jazz artists and bands, many of whom come down after stints in San Francisco, on Monday evenings.

Which brings me back to the primary reason why assiduously scanning the Monterey Jazz Festival artist lineup well in advance of the event – and MJF is prolific in its press notices and web updates – is for this writer a largely unnecessary exercise. In Tim Jackson we trust! Tim, who is only MJF’s second artistic director in its storied history, succeeded the legendary founder Jimmy Lyons in 1992. Tim is a man of impeccable jazz tastes, one who is quite savvy at assembling compelling Monterey lineups, so much so that one can always trip plan with complete confidence that the talent lineup will always be stellar. Tim Jackson’s programming acumen was recognized at this year’s 59th annual festival when Berklee College of Music bestowed its George Wein Impressario Award on him, an award presented by Berklee Provost, Dr. Larry Simpson, my old Cleveland homie who is part of our regular MJF crew (seen left, in black jacket, presenting the award to an all smiles Tim Jackson).

That whole aspect of crew, or family, is another of the MJF hallmarks. The festival always feels like a bit of a family reunion, with folks meeting up there annually after years of attendance. A full measure of the dedication many fans feel towards the Monterey experience came to me on my first trip out there. One evening Sonny Rollins was on the Jimmy Lyons stage and my seats in the big Arena (capacity: 5,000) were towards the rear of the facility. If you’ve ever experienced Sonny Rollins in concert you know there’s a distinct visual element to his performances, the way he stalks the stage to emote that big tenor from several sonic vantage points. Seeking a better viewpoint I wandered up close, hugging one of the walls that abut the grandstand area on either side of the Arena. Standing there amidst torrents of tenor madness, I quickly spied an empty aisle seat on one of the first few rows of metal chairs. Easing into that seat while blissfully riding Sonny’s cloud, a few minutes into my revery, an exceedingly polite usher tapped my shoulder to alert me that the woman whose seat I was occupying was walking down the aisle towards said seat, “…and she’s had that same seat for 40 years!” ‘Nuff said, that’s how it is at Monterey; folks just keep coming back and enjoying their annual alliances, friendships, and most of all the great music.

Also not lost on the keen observer, particularly those of us who’ve long decried what by all appearances has been a diminishing black audience for jazz over the last few decades, is the fact that MJF consistently attracts a robust African American constituency among its large audiences. The black audience factor at Monterey is so significant that after a few years attendance this observer finally broke down and asked Tim Jackson why MJF enjoys a seemingly larger African American audience than most ticketed jazz festivals (to anyone who foolishly suggests that black folks don’t turn out for jazz, dig the audience at any free-of-charge jazz performance in an urban area, particularly a free festival; economics – along with who’s onstage – often dictates the complexion of a jazz audience). Very simple, Tim explained, MJF founder Jimmy Lyons (not to be confused with the late alto player of the same name who toiled most auspiciously alongside Cecil Taylor) had a long career in jazz radio and was apparently hip enough to be quite a popular voice in the black community. When Lyons started MJF in 1958, it seems he was Pied Piper enough that his black constituents simply followed him to the festival.

Held on the Monterey County Fairgrounds (a very pleasant daily walk from the Hyatt Hotel, the festival’s host hotel where all the musicians stay, making for quite the scene each post-fest night), besides the main venue in the open-air Arena (on what is now the Jimmy Lyons Stage, same stage where Jimi Hendrix immolated his guitar at Monterey Pop), the festival also plays three indoor venues, including the intimate Coffeehouse Gallery, and the spacious Nightclub and Dizzy’s Den. The Garden Stage is the second largest capacity venue, and there’s a small Courtyard Stage suitable for solo pianists or trios, and the Northcoast Brewing Jazz Education Stage, which on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the matinee sessions (which play all the other venues) hosts many exceptional student ensembles. MJF has a major stake in jazz education, including its Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. This kind of 3-ring circus set-up certainly encourages shrewd navigation of the MJF schedule grid, often leaving one scrambling to catch at least a good portion of every set of interest, along with shrugging the shoulders at the occasional missed opportunity.

The availability of such a variety of venues, particularly in the hands of a curator with the acumen of Tim Jackson, conjures endless artistic combinations. For example, tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman was the featured Showcase Artist. On Friday evening at Dizzy’s Den he was featured as part of the edgy and engaging Still Dreaming ensemble, featuring trumpeter Ron Miles, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade in an updated echo of Old and New Dreams, the great 70s post-Ornette Coleman band featuring Joshua’s father Dewey Redman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell. On Saturday night at the Arena, Redman played his partnership with The Bad Plus, and on Sunday evening his quartet closed Dizzy’s Den. In a typical bit of Monterey programming, the glorious young vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, opened the Friday night program in the Arena, and later that evening followed Still Dreaming for the closing set at Dizzy’s Den. Her two stints were much to the delight of a visible coterie of women Salvant followers who’ve begun to take up her stylish white frame glasses look as a bit of quirky cult following that is rare for 21st century jazz, yet delightful to see.

The versatile bass master Christian McBride was music director for one of the festival highlights, Friday night’s marvelous Tribute to Quincy Jones (who stayed for the hang all weekend) “The A&M Years”. McBride joined an all-star big band that included Hubert Laws, James Carter, Dave Grusin, Lewis Nash, and cameos by Richard Bona (whose own Afro-Cuban flavored band preceded the tribute) and Gregoire Maret, plus lead vocals by Valerie Simpson, directed by John Clayton. They beautifully reprised selections from Q’s “Walking in Space” era on A&M Records. Another festival high point came the following Saturday evening when McBride’s soulfully swinging trio played the last set at Dizzy’s, with the impressively facile young pianist Christian Sands and Cleveland’s own Jerome Jennings on drums.

CHRISTIAN SANDS DIGS INTO CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE’S SET AT DIZZY’S DEN

Not totally beholden to the firmly established, MJF also offers ample stage to the emerging artists in the music. One notable example, besides the ubiquitous wunderkind pianist Joey Alexander playing to a packed house on the Garden Stage Saturday night, perhaps the most promising young artist of this year’s MJF was the homegrown flutist-vocalist Elena Pinderhughes (mark that name down for future reference). The remarkably poised Ms. Pinderhughes, who matriculated in MJF’s student Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, showed up on the Arena stage Saturday night in the latest edition of drummer and this year’s Artist-in-Residence Terri Lyne Carrington‘s women-centric Mosaic Project, as part of TLC’s “Love and Soul” program, adroitly navigating her flute and voice, and delivering a penetrating poetic expression. Next day Elena led her own band at 6:15 on the Garden Stage. She was not by a longshot the only promising young artist to grace the 2016 MJF stages. Also notable was the Friday night opening set on the Nightclub stage delivered by drummer-vocalist Jamison Ross, whose engaging voice is poised to appeal directly to at least a segment of the same audience that Gregory Porter has captivated. The latter, who never fails to positively thrill the Monterey audience, was featured on the Sunday matinee in the Arena, opposite the rising tenor man of the day, Kamasi Washington.

JAMISON ROSS SKILLFULLY BALANCES HIS DRUM AND VOCAL EXPLOITS

Additional festival interconnections found Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson joining the great drummer Billy Hart‘s quartet for Hart’s 75th birthday celebration on the Nighclub stage Saturday night. The protean bassist John Patitucci led his Electric Guitar Quartet on the Nightclub Stage, the next night joining Wayne Shorter‘s impeccable quartet on the Arena Stage for the premier performance of Shorter’s latest opus, “The Unfolding,” with the Monterey Jazz Festival Wind Ensemble, as did Brian Blade who’d earlier drummed with Still Dreaming. No wonder Quincy Jones stuck around for the weekend, to his seeming endless delight. Besides the wonderful Friday evening reprise of his A&M recordings, two of his young proteges performed on festival stages, including the young Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and the multi-instrumentalist YouTube sensation Jacob Collier.

One mediocre exception to the raft of rewarding performances was a rather tired performance billed as “The Ultimate Tribute to Ray Charles”, with the ghost band Ray Charles Orchestra and Maceo Parker. The latter quizzically (though fairly skillfully) reprised Charles vocals, yet largely failed to deliver on his own signature alto saxophone. That was the only bobble this observer experienced. There was much to be loved at this year’s MJF edition, including the delightful surprise of guitarist Bill Frisell playing Wes Montgomery’s classic “Bumpin'”! And besides the many exceptional performances, MJF’s humanities component delivered rewarding conversations with Terri Lyne Carrington & Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Quincy Jones & Clint Eastwood (a longtime MJF board member), each skillfully moderated by Ashley Kahn, journalist Dan Ouellette’s annual live DownBeat Blindfold Test (this year with McBride), and screenings of the film Brownie Speaks: The Life, Music & Legacy of Clifford Brown in yet another MJF venue, the Jazz Theater, where those seeking shelter from the evening nip can catch simulcasts of all Arena performances throughout the festival.

All black & white performance photos by Tyrone Kenney, aka The ArtOgrapher; lookout for his Neo Bop project…

Brothers Zaccai and Luques Curtis, from Hartford, CT, spent some of their earliest music matriculation at NEA Jazz Master Jackie & Dolly McLean’s visionary Artist Collective in Hartford. Since that time they’ve played with such notable artists as NEA Jazz Master Eddie Palmieri, Donald Harrison, Brian Lynch, Papo Vasquez, Jerry Gonzalez Fort Apache Band, Sean Jones, Orrin Evans, Francisco Mela, Etienne Charles, Cindy Blackman Santana, and Ralph Peterson. Additionally they co-lead their own Curtis Brothers band.

As recording artists they’ve taken things into their own hands, founding and building Truth Revolution as their recording home. Stretching out beyond their own recordings, they’ve engaged both young, emerging and master level musicians to record on Truth Revolution. The Independent Ear is always on the lookout for enterprising artists, so we recently posed a few questions which the brothers answered collectively.

Luques and Zaccai Curtis

There’s a certain sensibility one gets from the name Truth Revolution of your record company. Where and how did you come up with that name?

Originally, the name comes from my publishing company “Truth Revolution Publishing.” When we first started the label I started branding my own compositions with that never expecting it to be anything else. When we started to release other music it was suggested by multiple people that we use the name Truth Revolution as a brand.

Today “Truth Revolution” for us represents a revolution in music. Providing a way for Jazz and Latin Jazz artists to get their music recognized without breaking their banks and backs.

Given both of your busy playing schedules, is this a two-man operation or do you have partners?

We have partners and contractors that we work with heavily. Without them, the daily operations would never be completed in timely fashion. All of our staff here has been doing such an awesome job so shout out to the TRR crew!

How long had you been thinking of launching your own label, and what was your planning process?

When we first thought about it (around 2005) there wasn’t much of a plan. We gathered as much information from our predecessors that had their own labels and formally launched our label in 2009. As time went on we grew and more people became involved. The evolutionary process is not over and we have so much in store for the immediate future.

In your website descriptives, under “Why The Name?” you say your relationship with artists “…is based on a partnership agreement.” Given that agreement of partnership, since you put out the records and those attendant responsibilities, and besides a commitment to great artistry what are your expectations of artists whose recordings you release?

The partnership differs between each artist/project but isn’t limited to us working on just CD releases. All of the artists on our label have our trust and we have theirs. Working on live shows, videos, building a fan base or recording is mutually beneficial toward both us and the artist. We are invested in them and trust them to carry the brand while they trust us to keep fighting for their music to be heard.

Talk about some of the artists you’ve recorded and why you chose to record those particular artists.

We have been lucky enough to be trusted with the production, distribution and branding of the greatest musicians of the Latin Jazz idiom like Mitch Frohman and Ray Vega. Working with them is such a blessing because we learned so much from their releases and their patience will be forever appreciated. Our earliest releases(besides our own Curtis Brothers music) by Kris Allen and Giovanni Almonte were for sure trial by fire and they are still working with us in many respects. Our latest releases by legendary percussionists Little Johnny Rivero and Ralph Irizarry have been very well received by Latin Jazz fans around the world and allowed us to connect to that network which we love being a part of. Vocalist, Orice Jenkins as our youngest artist, brings such a bright light to our catalogue. There are so many great recordings on the label currently and we could write about each one but the pride and joy of the company is the amazing release by [bass master] Andy Gonzalez ‘Entre Colleges.’ He’s been one of our mentors as young students of the music and has, in recent years, become ill. That kind of collaboration is what we live for and I know 2017 will be even better!

HERE’S A PARTIAL STROLL THROUGH THE TRUTH REVOLUTION CATALOGUE.…