Thanks to some quick listening by our bassist Fred Randolph (who was in a cab on his way to the airport) and some help in tracking down the details from Mitchell Feldman, I learned this weekend that the tune "Sockdolager" from our latest CD was used as "interlude music" on NPR's Fresh Air on June 24.While it's not quite the same as a review, it's definitely cool to hear us while Terry Gross reads the credits, and I like the idea of the tune going out on the 450 or so stations which carry the show.You can listen to the entire story where the tune was heard at NPR's website, or just the snippet of us rocking away behind Ms. Gross' dulcet tones right here:

• Ian Carey Quintet: "Sockdolager" on NPR's Fresh Air

UPDATE 7/26: And another track! "Shake & Joe," one of the cheerier tunes on the record, was heard last week. Hopefully it helped counteract a depressing (but interesting of course) analysis of the new financial bill. (Thanks again for the quick hearing, Fred!)

Although Contexualizin' has been out since February, every so often a new review will trickle in, which is great, since the CD was close to a year in the making (from rehearsals to recording to mixing to package design to duplication to mailing to promos to release show)--so it's nice to be reminded people are still checking it out (even if it's a staggering 4 months of age).This review is from Stuart Kremsky of the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors, writing in the IAJRC Journal. (I wish I'd had the budget to press some actual records and hear myself on vinyl--maybe next time.) Mr. Kremsky has a reputation as a very choosy listener, so it's especially gratifying to get his recommendation. Here's the review:

The Ian Carey Quintet impresses right off the bat with Tom/Tom, the opening track of Contextualizin’. Trumpeter Carey negotiates the tricky head with graceful ease, and his succinct solo grows directly out of the theme. Altoist Evan Francis, pianist Adam Shulman, bassist Fred Randolph, and drummer Jon Arkin flow into the groove too. This bright and cheerful song is just the first example of this quintet’s thoughtful, coherent approach to post-bop small group jazz, honed by considerable time on the bandstand at the band’s long-running San Francisco gig...

Carey wrote all the tunes, save for one standard. Their version of Just Friends is loose and free, with simultaneous soloing by Carey and Francis to open while Arkin pulls out the brushes to kick them along. Shulman’s piano solo is attractively swinging and rhythmically sly, finally stating the theme at the end, which leads to another passage of collective improvisation. In his helpful liner notes, Carey offers little hints about the songs’ structures, but you don’t really need to know that Disinvited is an exercise in continual variation or that Shake & Joe started as a melody on only the white keys of a piano to enjoy these performances. Tom Harrell is an obvious inspiration for Carey, who tosses off one superb solo after the other.In addition to the winning performances and the sheer pleasure of hearing a band that works together with such easy-going precision, Contextualizin’ is one of those rare discs that actually gets better as it goes along. By the seventh track on most albums, even the best ones, you’ve got a pretty good idea of the music’s range, but Carey must have a trumpet case full of tunes because he’s still got new tricks to reveal towards the end. There are a lot of releases of small group jazz, so here’s hoping that this one won’t get lost in the shuffle. I almost missed it myself until the publicist urged me to hear it. She was right. Highest recommendation!

ANOTHER CONTEXTUALIZIN' REVIEW: Although my CD has been out for a few months now and has slipped off the jazz charts (but how gratifying that was while it lasted!), there are still some nice reviews trickling in from time to time--for example, the following by Nick Bewsey, which appears both in this month's ICON Magazine and Bewsey's blog, Jazz in Space:

West Coast trumpeter, Ian Carey, might also be described as a short story writer because his songs are uniquely narrative in form. Carey, who in tone and spirit resembles Art Farmer, writes tunes that are inquisitive and probing--they go somewhere--and his fine band stands at the ready as Carey’s imagination and musicality leads the way. On trumpet or flugelhorn he casts a warm patina over eight original compositions and one cover, “Just Friends,” that illustrates the organic sounding rapport Carey shares with alto saxophonist Evan Francis, pianist Adam Shulman, bassist Fred Randolph and drummer Jon Arkin. ... As a composer, Carey encourages thoughtful interplay. Witness the tension between Carey and pianist Shulman on the moody “Questions” and further in, where Francis’ alto explores pathways of sound as if in a hedge maze, venturing one way then another all the while framed by the bassist and drummer. The most rewarding tune, “Leap Year” has a modern texture provided by Shulman on Fender Rhodes, and it grabs your ear with its loping, waltz-like structure. But start with the title tune, with its confident theme and front-line horns, because it exemplifies Carey’s natural ability to express ideas that percolate with emotion and by its conclusion, you’ll feel a satisfying release that leaves you anticipating the next tale he will tell.

... you can read the entire review here. Any press is great, of course, but reviews like this, where it's obvious the writer really thought about the music and responded to it honestly, are a real boost.GIG ALERT: For those of you in the Bay Area, I'll be playing this Friday, May 7 at the Orbit Room (on Market St.) with bassist Ollie Dudek and his trio, from 9:30pm to 1am. We'll be playing standards and jazz classics, and there's no cover. Come on by, have a cocktail and take in the sounds!

Hi folks--as you can see, the website has a new look (it was long overdue). Let me know if it's working for you. I'm planning on doing some more regular posting in the future (beyond announcements and self-promotion--because, let's face it, that gets boring), to share my thoughts on the jazz scene, the trumpet, what I've been listening to, etc.... RIGHT AFTER I get this self-promotion out of the way: first, I do want to mention that thanks to the great crowd that turned out for the CD release show, we've been invited back to Coda on Wednesday, June 16. I'm planning on having some new material ready to debut, so be sure to come down so you can say you were there THE NIGHT JAZZ CHANGED (or something).Also, the CD got a really nice review recently from The Jazz Page:

... the stuff that great jazz is made of, a blend of solid musicianship and writing. Carey's trumpet and fluegelhorn work has an inviting tone that can attract jazz aficianados and novices alike. The quintet is a terrific assemblage of talented players...

... you can read the whole thing here.Finally, as a reward for making it through the above promos, and as a preview for those who didn't make it to the release show, here's another tune from that night, the 5/4 harmonic maze called "Leap Year" (also available on CONTEXTUALIZIN'), featuring the talents of Evan Francis, Adam Shulman, Fred Randolph, and Jon Arkin. Enjoy!Ian Carey Quintet: Leap Year from Ian Carey on Vimeo.

Hi Folks--a big thank you to everyone who made it out to our CD release show last week at Coda (and thanks even to those who wanted to be there but couldn't make it). The show went really well, it's a very nice room, and as I said at the gig, after seeing so many jazz venues close lately, it's great to see a new one taking hold. (We're already talking about a return visit in June.)Here's some video from the show--our first tune of the night, "Sockdolager":More tunes to come--for now you can also check out "Sink/Swim."CONTEXTUALIZIN' @ ALL ABOUT JAZZ: Two big things going on for our new CD over at All About Jazz this week--first, the album is being featured in a "Listening Party" all this week, which means you can listen to it in its entirety for FREE! Check it out here (if you like what you hear and want to keep listening, pick up your own copy at CDBaby, iTunes, or Amazon).Second, we've gotten a nice review from the site by C. Michael Bailey:

Trumpeter Ian Carey's Contextualizin' is a digital Masters seminar. First, of course, is the music: solid, acoustic, composed, progressive, explorative. Second, is the exegesis, Carey's realization that, ..."what I played would help shape how I played..." Not technically dazzling, Carey, like Miles Davis, chooses to focus on which notes he plays (and doesn't) and their relative order as opposed to the tempo or technical exercise contained in the notes' performance. This shift in perspective moves the act of playing music from the sterile virtuosic into the informed, emotive realm, providing a solid balance...

How about that! (I was joking to a friend that I should shorten the quote to: "... like Miles Davis...") Read the whole review here.Finally, if you haven't yet, please take a second to become a fan of Ian Carey Jazz on Facebook, to keep up with all the latest gig announcements, videos, and links. Happy Spring!

The great jazz journalist Doug Ramsey's blog, Rifftides, is one of the not-to-be-missed stops on the jazz web, and he's also the author of a Paul Desmond biography which I hope to read one of these days. So I was very excited to see he had included Contextualizin' in his recommendations for this month:

Carey's self-deprecation in his liner notes would have you believe that he's not much of a trumpet player. It depends on what you mean by playing. True, there's not a double high C anywhere on the album and no jet-speed series of gee-whiz chord inversions. Let's settle for good tone, lyricism and contiguous ideas that lead somewhere. Carey and his young sidemen are in tune with one another, in every sense. In Adam Shulman he has a pianist who understands Bill Evans and in Evan Francis an alto saxophonist to keep an ear on.

UPDATE 3/9: Brian McCoy of the Oakland Jazz Examiner blog put together a series of interesting questions for me about the CD and the band... check it out here.

Contextualizin' is available at CDBaby, Amazon, and iTunes, and don't forget our CD Release show this Wednesday, March 10!