Hi folks, I'm very excited about our Wood/Metal/Plastic premiere next Friday at The Sound Room in Oakland. The music is really coming together and I'm looking forward to getting it off the page and into your ears! (Tickets here!)Last night I had the chance to visit the great local DJ and music writer Larry Kelp's "Sing Out" show on KPFA to talk about the project and share some rehearsal audio. You can listen to the show here (for two weeks I believe).And here's some footage from our recent rehearsal with snippets of several tunes. It's a little rough around the edges as we were still working on the music, but should give you a taste of what kinds of things we'll be up to at the show. Hope to see you there![embed]https://youtu.be/KjxSO7ltRG0[/embed]
Interview Music, the new album from my Quintet+1, is officially out there, and some very gratifying reviews have been coming in.First, from Doug Ramsey at the great music blog Rifftides:
In the articulate liner notes for his fifth album, Carey explains that he writes music not to label it “about something” in order to snag foundation grants, but to employ what he’s learned and make it work for him and his players. Interview Music does that. Even better, it works for the listener. ... His sextet plays the five-part suite with drive, wit, swing and a palpable unity of purpose. It is complex chamber music with solo space for Carey, long an impressive trumpeter; bass clarinetist Sheldon Brown; alto saxophonist Kasey Knudsen; pianist Adam Shulman; bassist Fred Randolph; and drummer Jon Arkin. They are among the cream of the Bay Area’s jazz community. In a victory for his creative policy, the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music supported Interview Music with a grant despite its not being “about something,” which, of course, it is. It’s about music.
From The Jazz Page:
[Carey] has returned with an ambitious new recording that succeeds in its effort. Interview Music is a fantastic suite that sees some of Carey’s most adventurous writing matched with truly outstanding performances. ... While the production is one of some range, it is accessible, even as weaves and winds its way forward. ... Carey’s writing affords each of his fellow players many moments to exhibit their depth of talent, and in the process, allows the entire project to shine.
And a listener left this very thoughtful review on the album's iTunes page:
Very inspiring to hear this kind of sophisticated composition and playing coming out of the Bay Area. As an ex professional trumpet player who grew up in Bay Area and studied and played in NYC, this is really the first time I've encountered such a high degree of post-bop compositional creativity and craft come out of the Bay Area with the exception of Joe Henderson of course. Also very fine playing all-around, with a special shout out to Ian who is obviously a really accomplished trumpeter and improviser.
The album also got mentions from Marc Myers' Jazzwax ("this abstract original suite for quintet led by trumpeter Carey has classical overtones") and Tom Hull ("a sprawling suite with four parts and an interlude, a fine example of postbop composition and arrangement"). It's great to know people are giving it a listen, 15-minute tracks and all!Finally, here's another sample track from the album, the interlude and first half of the fourth movement. If you'd like to hear more, please pick up a copy for yourself![embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F343FNgYzBw[/embed]
Hello folks! If you missed our CD release show last week, you have another chance to see this band and hear music from our new CD on Kabocha Records, Interview Music. (The title is sort of an inside joke about the jazz scene. More on that here.)This Sunday (4/24) at 4pm we are thrilled to be returning to Chez Hanny in San Francisco's Portola District, an intimate "jazz salon" that has been presenting unique concerts for over a decade.The band will feature my longtime partners in crime Kasey Knudsen on alto saxophone, Sheldon Brown on bass clarinet and tenor saxophone, Jon Arkin on drums, Fred Randolph on bass, Adam Shulman on piano, and myself on trumpet. We will be playing all the music from the new album (including my four-part title suite) plus new expanded arrangements of music from our previous albums Sink/Swim, Contextualizin', and Roads & Codes ("★★★★½” —DownBeat).Chez Hanny (click link for more info) is located at 1300 Silver Avenue, San Francisco. $20 donation is requested. Email reservations are strongly recommended (see previous link) as seating is first come, first served (doors open at 3:30pm). I hope to see you there!BUT: If you can't make it and still want to hear Interview Music, the album is now available on CDBaby , Amazon, and iTunes . And you can hear a full track from the suite here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcF9k56U4DUALSO: A few weeks ago I was fortunate to be invited to do an interview with Alisa Clancy on our great local jazz station KCSM to talk about the album. You can listen to the interview below.http://iancareyjazz.com/audio/KCSM_interview_040816_edit.mp3ALSO ALSO: I'm going to be playing this Saturday afternoon with the great drummer and composer Bryan Bowman and his quintet at a new house concert venue in the East Bay. The show is at 4pm at 1034 Talbot Ave. in Albany, $10 donation requested. Thanks!
First of all, thanks to everyone who made it out to my TAKOYAKI 3 show last week at Birdland Jazzista--we had a great time, the venue was fun and the incomparable Lorin Benedict even joined us for a couple of tunes.Here's a track from Bryan Bowman's surprisingly clear recording (given how tricky the acoustics were)--it's my newish arrangement of the standard "All or Nothing at All":Ian Carey's TAKOYAKI 3: All or Nothing at All(w/ Adam Shulman, organ; Ian Carey, trumpet; Bryan Bowman, drums)Also, Takoyaki 3 has another show coming up later this month--we'll be returning to Rose Pistola in North Beach on Sunday, March 30. The group will once again feature Adam Shulman on organ, Jon Arkin on drums, and myself on trumpet & flugelhorn, and we'll be playing original music from Roads & Codes, (& possibly even Duocracy!) as well as select standards and underappreciated classics by jazz composers like Herbie Nichols, Ornette Coleman, and Lennie Tristano.WHAT: Ian Carey's Takoyaki 3WHERE: Rose Pistola, 532 Columbus Ave., San FranciscoWHEN: Sunday, March 30, 8-10:30pmHOW MUCH: No cover!Hope to see you there!
Duocracy has only been out a few days (pick up a copy here!), but we're already seeing some nice reviews coming in, which is really gratifying. Here are some of the first batch!From a thoughtful review from Stephen Graham on the great site marlbank (check out the site for two versions which inspired our rendition of "Goodbye"):
More traditionally minded on the surface at least than Roads and Codes, last year’s Ian Carey Quintet + 1 outing, Duocracy opens with ‘Little White Lies,’ the Walter Donaldson song from 1930 that Paul McCartney has mentioned was a childhood favourite of John Lennon’s. Trumpeter Carey, who’s in his late thirties and is from New York state, teams here with NYC-born pianist Ben Stolorow a few years his junior who debuted in 2008 with I’ll Be Over Here and whose input gives the album its deceptively early jazz feel. Carey has width and expressive resource in his approach, Stolorow too, and while Roads and Codes found Carey more in Dave Douglas-land here the trumpet stylings are far more mainstream, for instance the sound of Ruby Braff springs to mind a bit, and I suppose Stolorow could be compared to the late Dave McKenna in that his style borders on stride but never quite goes the full furlong as that would be just too retro. ... Ultimately whatever the way in to the song, and the same applies for the album as a whole, while Stolorow and Carey play their own particular blend of goodbye, jazz fans may well prefer a firm hello to this appealing duo. (3 1/2 stars)
From the website Bop-n-Jazz:
Face it, a duo format is almost as "naked" as a performer can get so any apprehensions from the artists are more than understandable ... yet there is unique chemistry that allows Carey and pianist Ben Stolorow to form a dynamic duo of sorts that slays the more pop oriented tunes from the classic days of jazz. Ben moves well away from the more traditional role of accompanist to achieve that "duocracy" of equal lyrical footing... There is an understated eloquence that takes hold throughout the release. Melody is back, changes are done with finesse and not a self-indulgent pretentiousness that may find one artist attempting to out perform the other. While the tunes are familiar and some bordering on eclectic, the original composition "Comin' Along" is an abstract showstopper formed around the Benny Golson standard "Along Came Betty." Rodgers and Hart's "You Took Advantage of Me" is the perfect vehicle for the harmonic gifts of pianist Stolorow. The Mancini tune " Two For The Road" is a master class for trumpet players that are looking to work on a more expressive tone, Carey simply nails it. (5 stars)
From Bruce Collier in the independent weekly The Beachcomber:
San Francisco jazzmen Carey (trumpet) and Stolorow (piano) did some gigging together last year in the Bay Area and decided to make it legit, the result being Duocracy. The album offers 10 tracks, including American Songbook standards and showpieces like “Cherokee.” Carey’s tone and approach are in the hard-bop style, somewhere between Lee Morgan and Clifford Brown in their bouncier moods. Stolorow skillfully backs him up, and there’s a meeting of the minds on every song. When two fine players are having fun, it’s good to listen in.
Always interesting to read which influences different listeners hear in one's playing! From Chris Spector in the Midwest Record:
After years of striving and making albums everyone raves about, this duo that has worked a lot together but never recorded together decided to take a tip from us and go after hours. Just the two of them smoking it up hotel piano bar style on a set card of warhorses carries the day quite nicely and you can tell they enjoy recording with the pressure off. In fact, these Bay area staples sound like they were kicking it out in the bar at this swank hotel on the rehabbed Berkeley waterfront with the sun going down in the background and the glasses clinking. First class throughout, loaded with the joy of playing for the fun of it. Infectious--in a good way!
And finally from Lee Hildebrand in our own East Bay Express:
The duo of Richmond trumpeter Ian Carey and Albany pianist Ben Stolorow is the most adventurous and exciting trumpet-pianist pairing since cornetist Ruby Braff and pianist-organist Dick Hyman played together a quarter century ago. But whereas Braff and Hyman’s music was rooted in the pre-bop mainstream, these two East Bay musicians draw stylistically on a somewhat later era. They have a terrific new CD titled Duocracy on which their approach to melody, harmony, and rhythm suggests Thelonious Monk as they playfully explore “Cherokee,” “Little White Lies,” “You Took Advantage of Me,” “All the Things You Are,” and other popular standards, plus Gigi Gryce’s “Social Call,” Monk’s “Four in One,” and a tune of their own.
Meanwhile, I was a guest on KCSM's great Desert Island Jazz show last week, and had a great time talking about some of my all-time favorite music with host Alisa Clancy and producer Michael Burman. My playlist can be found here--it was incredibly challenging to winnow my list down to 8 tracks, but I feel good about who made the final cut. I also recommend taking some time to check out their full list of past guests and picks (who range from local heroes to international legends), which is fascinating. You can listen to my episode here:[embed]http://iancareyjazz.com/audio/Ian_Carey_Desert_Island_Jazz.mp3[/embed]Finally, don't forget that Ben & I have one more CD release show next Friday (March 7)--our North Bay version--at Old St. Hilary's in Tiburon. If you weren't able to make it to the Jazzschool (uh, make that California Jazz Conservatory!), please consider heading to beautiful Marin County next week to hear us!
Hi folks, long time no etc. It's been a busy musical summer so far for me, with shows by Takoyaki 3 (at Yoshi's Lounge), Circus Bella (all over the bay), and even my shortest gig ever: a 3-minute obligatto for a groom-to-bride dedication of "All the Things You Are."Gig news: This Friday (7/19), Takoyaki 3 (Adam Shulman on organ, Jon Arkin on drums, & myself on trumpet) will be playing at Rose Pistola in North Beach from 9-11:30p. No cover! Then Sunday (7/21) at noon, Circus Bella (you can hear some live audio of the great original soundtrack here) comes to Oakland's Dimond Park. Also free!Also, I'm pleased to announce the next appearance for my Quintet+1, which will be Friday, September 13 at a secret venue in the East Bay. If you're on my email list, you'll get all the info beforehand; if not, why not sign up? (It's easy-on, easy-off, I swear.)New Review: Roads & Codes has been out for a while, but some nice reviews are still trickling in--this week the multi-talented instrumentalist and educator Michael Smolens named the album his "Must Have CD Pick" of the month, with this very kind and thoughtful review:
Ian Carey is a direct artist. Honest, informed, inventive. The pieces never scream “Look at me!”, but rather, “Come with me.” Unlike many jazz recordings, the length of each piece feels beautifully and organically proportioned, whether they are nearly 12 minutes or just over two – they never plead for airplay with artificial brevity, or feel indulgent with endless solos. Carey incorporates many influences, from the lush worlds of Kenny Wheeler and Maria Schneider, the kickin' sounds of Joe Henderson and John Coltrane, to adaptations of classical 20th-century composers Igor Stravinsky and Charles Ives, to a Neil Young film score. Yet his sound and compositional approach is always very personal. This sextet of three horns and piano/bass/drums actually feels more like a seven or eight piece band because of how much motion he puts into the horn writing, each horn sharing in the melodic and accompanying roles. Carey's group has at once a very unified sound (remarkably, recorded in just one day), yet each member has a distinct voice as a soloist, always commenting on the piece at hand. Most affecting, though, is his visual art for the project. Carey directs his masterful illustrations to address the concerns that face most jazz artists in this country receive, from bewildering comments by critics, to the public's lack of understanding of jazz, to the select jazz audience's need for reassuring tribute albums. And he does so without the slightest hint of resentment. In fact, it is his child-like honesty in these artistic liner notes that is most breathtaking. (His comments on each of his tunes are informative, as well). Without a doubt, this is an artist you need to hear.
New Album News: In a few weeks, the great pianist Ben Stolorow and I will be mixing the duo project we recorded last month in Oakland. The as-yet-untitled album features 12 intimate tunes from the familiar to the rarely-heard, and we're hoping to release it this fall. Stay tuned!