This week, the California Report (produced right here in SF by our own KQED and broadcast throughout the state) featured local jazz writer Andy Gilbert's review of Roads & Codes:

Ian Carey possesses a bright, gleaming tone and a knack for attracting similarly accomplished musicians. Featuring material gleaned from sources far beyond jazz’s usual ken, his new album “Roads & Codes” reflects a singular vision, musical and otherwise... Carey turned the CD’s cover into a self-mocking 10-panel comic strip. The art depicts his quandary over how to present a new jazz album so that it might actually find an audience. On the back, his manga-inspired illustrations suggest the mindset with which he approaches each piece. While not presented as a suite, the album flows like an interlaced book of short stories, an impression heightened by his beautifully rendered art work.

You can check out the entire thorough and thoughtful review, which also features audio samples of tunes from the album, here:

Hi folks, I'm continuing to be happy with the good press and airplay Roads & Codes has been getting--it's in the top 100 in the U.S. jazz charts, and the top ten in Canada, which is more than I expected for an album with no standards and multiple tracks over ten minutes.Meanwhile, here are two quick audio cuts for you--first, I had a nice chat yesterday with Nicholas Mokover at KZSC (UC Santa Cruz). We talked for about ten minutes about my background, and the old NYC vs. Bay Area question. The entire interview is here:Ian Carey Interview, KZSC (3/12/13)Second, here's another cut from our Takoyaki 3 show last month in Berkeley--this is our version of the classic Ornette Coleman anthem "Lonely Woman" (originally on The Shape of Jazz to Come). Check out the looping effects at the end of the track--that's something I've been experimenting with more & more since originally attempting it to recreate the effects we used on our version of the theme from "Dead Man" (which you can hear a streaming version of here).Takoyaki 3: Lonely Woman(Ian Carey, trumpet/effects; Adam Shulman, organ, Jon Arkin, drums)

Hello folks, thanks to everyone who made it out to our Takoyaki 3 show last week--if you missed it, we've got two more later this month, at Rose Pistola (3/24) and Yoshi's Lounge (3/27). See the end of this post for a free track from the show!It's been really gratifying to see more positive press for Roads & Codes coming in--the most exciting being my first appearance in Downbeat Magazine, where James Hale featured the album in a set of reviews of trumpeters from around the world, and gave it 4 and 1/2 stars:

Bay Area veteran Ian Carey knows it can take creative packaging to get great music noticed these days. Roads & Codes showcases both the trumpeter's sideline as an illustrator and his primary gig as the leader of a highly skilled band of improvisers. Carey takes advantage of their chops by writing to their strengths--a lesson gleaned from his mentor Maria Schneider--and mixes his own harmonically pleasing compositions with pieces by Neil Young, Igor Stravinsky and Charles Ives. While the combination of graphic art and arty covers might sound contrived, it all works.

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Andy Gilbert previewed our release show by talking about the album:

Berkeley trumpeter Ian Carey isn't letting the CD slip into obsolescence without a fight. A graphic designer by day, he supplied the slyly self-mocking manga-inspired illustrations that give the package a look as smart and arresting as the music it contains. Exploring an array of evocative material... and Carey's striking originals--the band features saxophonists Kasey Knudsen and Evan Francis (a former Bay Area standout back briefly from New York).

The great blogger Marc "Jazzwax" Myers featured the album as one of his "CD Discoveries of the Week," saying

Carey plays a seductive trumpet and flugelhorn. On Roads & Codes, the sextet records mostly Carey originals, which are solid, artful and always smartly paced, enabling you to hear and feel their lyricism. Dig "6th Ave. Local," "Count Up," and "Andante," for example. Neil Young's theme to "Dead Man" is a fabulous wild card, since the film is one of my favorite Westerns. Proof that the trumpet and flugelhorn don't have to be overheated blowtorches to be effective.

At eMusic, Dave Sumner added the album to his weekly jazz picks, calling the band

... a sextet that plays bigger than its head count. Expansive sections buffeted by sweeping melodies that bloom into something more than their origins. Interesting cover of Neil Young’s “Theme from Dead Man,” which I’m noticing several jazz musicians adopting as one of the New Standards. The song “Wheels” might be the strongest album track… a waltz with a light touch and the noble elegance inherent to that song form.

Who else is doing "Dead Man," dammit? Nothing new under the sun, I guess. Meanwhile, on the WYCE Music Journal, Rebecca Ruth reviewed the album:

Trumpeter Ian Carey leads the San Francisco quintet on its third release of mostly original compositions of contemporary instrumental jazz. The choice in covers here is interesting. They include Neil Young's theme from a 1995 Jim Jarmusch film, "Dead Man" and Igor Stravinsky's Suite No.1 for Small Orchestra , re-titled "Andante" for this disc. Two original songs stand out, however. The John Coltrane-inspired "Count Up" is a nice bop piece, as well as "Nemuri Kyoshiro", which was inspired by samurai films. One can't review Roads & Codes, however, without mentioning the cover art. Besides being a trumpeter and composer, Ian Carey is an accomplished graphic artist and designer. Motivated by his love of graphic novels, he has designed the cover... besides telling the story of this record, each musician and song sports its own illustration, upping the cool factor.

The jazz blog marlbank gave the album 3 stars and had this to say:

Heavily influenced by Dave Douglas but with a slightly airier sound, trumpeter Carey did the whole of this album in a day with his band in a San Francisco studio, and it benefits from the real time method at work.... Inspired by Jim Jarmusch, and Charles Ives as well as [Kenny] Wheeler, there’s nothing stuck in the mud about this young player and his band.

Interesting how different people can hear totally different influences in my playing--hadn't thought about the Dave Douglas connection in a while but it's true I listened to him a lot in my 20s (when I used to see him at Connecticut Muffin!).Over at KZSU (Stanford), Forrest Bryant wrote this kind capsule review:

Excellent, very thoughtful set from a Bay Area trumpeter leading a simpatico sextet. The ensemble passages are richly layered, the solos flowing and yearning. There’s an overall feeling of calmness, but spiced with a few vigorous surges and a lot of motion just under the surface. Really fine work from these local musicians.

It isn't really a review, but Memory Select: Avant-Jazz Radio wrote an interesting meditation on the challenges as a programmer of being inundated by so many good new albums, and talks about Roads & Codes' cover art and my attempt to grab peoples' attention visually as well as musically:

Bay Area jazz fans know Carey as a trumpeter and bandleader, assuming they know him at all. But he’s also a graphic designer. So, in toying with drawings to go with Roads and Codes, he developed the idea of making the cover a self-referential story about how to connect good music with an audience. And Carey’s music is good. It’s got a cozy modern-jazz sound with a lot of tricks under the surface; it’s stuff that would get airplay on a station like KCSM. But how does one get the music into their ears?

... that's something I thought of this week as I emailed radio stations to confirm they'd received the album, and got lots of responses along the lines of, "I'll see if I can find it among the hundreds on my desk."Finally, the great Ted Gioia sent the following very kind tweet last week: "Today's listening: Roads & Codes, a new CD from jazz trumpeter Ian Carey. A very underrated player, and a talent to watch."OK, enough reviews! For those of you who stuck around, here's a live version of my tune from the album "Count Up," as performed by Takoyaki 3 (with Adam Shulman on organ, and Jon Arkin on drums) at last week's show:Ian Carey's Takoyaki 3 - Count Up (Live)

Hi folks, the long-awaited (by me anyway) day has arrived, and our new album, Roads & Codes, is available for purchase (both physically and digitally) at my new web store, as well as on CDBaby (the only place to get the physical CD so far), Amazon, iTunes, and eMusic. Locals can also pick it up at the great Groove Yard in Oakland (additional stores soon to come).Also, just a quick reminder that tomorrow is our big CD Release & Art show at the Sound Room in Oakland. The band is sounding great and, in addition to all the music from "Roads & Codes," we'll be doing two brand new expanded arrangements of favorite originals from previous albums.WHAT: Kabocha Records and Bay Area Jazz & Arts present The Ian Carey Quintet+1: CD Release & Art Show for Roads & CodesWHO: Evan Francis, flute & tenor saxophone; Kasey Knudsen, alto saxophone; Adam Shulman, piano; Jon Arkin, drums; Fred Randolph, bass; Ian Carey, trumpet, flugelhorn, illustrationsWHEN: Thursday, February 21, 8pmWHERE: The Sound Room, 2147 Broadway (@ 22nd St.), OaklandTICKETS: $15, includes free CD with purchase! (advance tix available here.)Next, some really nice reviews for the album have started to come in, including one in our very own East Bay Express today:

Besides being a clever graphic artist, Carey is a gifted musician who gets a warm sound out of his trumpet and flugelhorn, his approach suggesting Chet Baker, Miles Davis, and Art Farmer. His six original compositions on Roads & Codes not only draw on post-bop traditions but expand on them, particularly in the way Carey imaginatively harmonizes and layers his horns, Knudsen's alto sax, and Francis' tenor sax or flute over pianist Shulman, bassist Randolph, and drummer Arkin's firm yet floating grooves.

There have also been positive reviews from Midwest Record ("champion of a session... solid stuff that never hits a false note") and @CriticalJazz ("on the cutting edge of new sounds and exciting compositions for modern jazz... 4 Stars!").Finally, Phliip Freeman at the music blog Burning Ambulance put together a great feature about the album, including a slideshow of the cover art comic (I'm flattered that he describes it as "Harvey Pekar-esque") and a free streaming track--our version of Neil Young's theme to the movie "Dead Man". Check it out!

Hello folks, one quick announcement and then a free bonus download!First, the announcement: I'm going to be on the Bay Area's great jazz station, KCSM Jazz 91, this week, talking with Alisa Clancy about Roads & Codes (and playing some tunes from the album, too). Local folks can listen at 91.1 on their FM dial, and out-of-towners can stream live here. Tune in to hear me run my mouth off about any number of things!WHAT: Ian Carey interview on Morning Cup of Jazz with Alisa ClancyWHERE: 91.1 FM or kcsm.orgWHEN: Tuesday, February 19, 9amNext, just as a bonus to everyone out there in internet-land, here's a free bonus track from my new album, Roads & Codes. It's an alternate take of my Samurai movie-inspired attempt at a blues Joe Henderson would've enjoyed playing, "Nemuri Kyoshiro."During mixing, I went back and forth about a million times about which take I preferred--the fast and (very) loose first take, or the slightly more relaxed and swinging second take. After picking the brains of many of my musical friends, I settled on the first take. I then promptly changed my mind after last-minute but convincing feedback from another friend--"I know you think your solo was better on the first take, but you're wrong, and here's why"--and put the second one on the album.But, I thought, why not throw Take 1 out there as a bonus? Then people can make up their own minds! So here it is!Ian Carey Quintet+1: Nemuri Kyoshiro (Alt. Take)(w/ Adam Shulman, piano; Ian Carey, trumpet; Fred Randolph, bass; Evan Francis, tenor saxophone; Kasey Knudsen, alto saxophone; Jon Arkin, drums. Recorded 6/5/12 at Studio Trilogy, San Francisco, Dan Feiszli, engineer.)Don't forget, Roads & Codes drops this Tuesday on radio & stores, with CD release show Thursday, Feb. 21 at the Sound Room in Oakland!

Hi folks, hope everyone's swinging through spring and enjoying the weather while avoiding giant villainous clouds of pollen. I wanted to let you know about a couple of shows this week, plus give you a few musical snippets to hopefully whet your appetites.First up is a show Tuesday in Berkeley with some longtime musical pals--we'll be playing a variety of tunes old & new to a steady accompaniment of espresso grinding and milk frothing:What: Noah Schenker Quartet Who: Noah Schenker, Adam Shulman, Jon Arkin, Ian Carey Where: Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley When: Tuesday, April 12, 7-10pmNext up, this Sunday will be the premiere of my new group, Takoyaki 3, as part of Jacob Zimmerman's Actual Jazz Series right here in Oakland. For some reason, I described the group this way:

Takoyaki 3 is a streamlined, street-food-style version of Ian Carey’s successful quintet, featuring longtime collaborators Adam Shulman on Hammond B3 organ and Bryan Bowman on drums. The recipe begins with a delicious batter of original composition and improvisation, adds meaty chunks of the jazz tradition, cooks til golden brown, then tops with a generous handful of experimentation and plenty of mayonnaise.

We'll be sharing the bill with the amazing vocaphonist Lorin Benedict who is the curator for the evening and was kind enough to invite us along:What: Actual Jazz Series featuring Lorin Benedict/Sam Ospovat Duo and Ian Carey's Takoyaki 3 Where: Actual Cafe, Oakland When: Sunday, April 17, 5-7pm (My group's going on first.)Believe it or not, both shows have NO COVER! So please come out to either or both of them and support live music. It's what our founding fathers would have wanted!Now as promised, here are a couple of little audio tidbits for your perusal--first, a tune of mine from Takoyaki 3's rehearsal today. In the spirit of adventure, it's not a complete take but gives you a taste of what the group is sounding like:

• "Nemuri Kyoshiro" (Rehearsal take)

And for the real die-hards, here's an interesting Tristano-esque experiment I did recently--I took a playalong of "Cherokee" in a weird key, slowed it to half-time, recorded myself playing over it, then sped the recording back up to normal tempo. The result is strange and kind of interesting and might be a glance at what I could be sounding like some time in the future. Here you go:

• "Cherokee in E" (slow/fast version)