NYS Music 20​13

Tag: piano

  • Hearing Aide: John Medeski’s ‘A Different Time’

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    As a member of the avant-garde jazz trio, Medeski Martin & Wood, John Medeski’s experience as a musician is largely defined by his groove-based keyboard work. Originating in New York City, MMW has stood out as one of jazz’s most talented, innovative acts over the past twenty years. The group’s discography represents a range in style and genre achieved by incredible musicianship, and John Medeski’s influence as a keyboardist has made MMW’s work so consistently creative.

    A Different Time marks Medeski’s debut appearance as a solo recording artist. Released by Okeh Records, a recently revived jazz imprint on Sony Masterworks, the album features the unequivocal combination of Medeski and a 1924 Gaveau piano. A Different Time is the product of a season spent in Upstate New York’s Hudson Valley, where Medeski recorded the album in a 19th-century church-turned recording studio known as Waterfront Studios. Throughout the album’s nine tracks, Medeski explores a style of music characteristic of an earlier, more modestly ambitious time period.

    Medeski has described the album as “meditative” and “contemplative.” In its opening, self-titled track, sparse melodies and alluring structures induce a sense of calm while provoking a level of insight generally brought about by weighty lyricism. Medeski’s work communicates sentiments in its composition; A Different Time is a compilation of poetic music. Concluding with two improvised tracks, “Lacrima” and “Otis,” the album is a clear illustration of Medeski’s talent, a progression in his career as a musician.

    Key Tracks: A Different Time, I’m Falling In Love Again, Lacrima

  • An Interview with John Medeski

    John Medeski, mostly known for his work in Medeski Martin & Wood, will be playing an intimate solo piano show on Saturday, December 7 at the Massry Center for the Arts on The College of Saint Rose campus.  Having played shows this past summer with Phil Lesh and Friends, The M&M’s, John Scofield, John Zorn, as well as other sit-ins and solo shows, he has had a lot on his plate in the past year. John sat down for an interview with us ahead of the show.

    Medeski has been playing more solo shows as of late, but he still does not perform solo often, so the Capital Region is very happy to have the chance to witness this master of the keys in such a cozy setting.  His beautiful work on piano, keyboards and the like brings smiles to people’s faces no matter the group he is with.  The concert is scheduled to start at 7:30 P.M. so make sure to get there on time as you don’t want to miss a second of it.

    john medeski interviewPete Mason: With your upcoming solo show at the MassryCenter on December 7th, what can fans expect from seeing you perform without Billy Martin, Chris Wood, or any other collaborators? Perhaps songs from your new solo piano album A Different Time?

    John Medeski: Generally my solo shows are getting the picture, the unadulterated picture, of just me. (laughs) I can go wherever I want at any time – jazz, tunes of mine, the new record, it goes all over the place; there’s a lot of improvisation, dealing with what’s happening in the moment and feeding off of that and one thing leads to another.

    PM: The Word (Medeski, Robert Randolph, Luther and Cody Dickinson) has been a treat when they play at Bonnaroo and select venues. How do you treat the venture into gospel music?

    JM: The Word came about because of my long term love of gospel music. Luther and I had talked for years about doing an instrumental gospel album, without the words. The Hammond organ is just a natural part of playing gospel music so it’s a great opportunity to do something fun that I love. It’s another side of me, we all have many sides. It’s a way to get deeper into the music I love.  By playing the music and being ourselves, we put our own stamp on it. It’s a great band.

    PM: How did the occasional supergroup, The M&M’s, a lineup that includes (in different forms) yourself, Marco Benevento, Maceo Parker, Stanton Moore, Mike Dillon, Papa Mali and Rob Mercurio, first come together?

    JM: It all started as a promoter’s idea and we did a show in New York City with Stanton, Papa Mali and Mike Mercurio. It was easy and felt great, so we ended up doing another gig with Marco and Maceo, and we are now starting to work on a record. A lot of the time these groups don’t work, and I’ve done a lot of them. They’re always interesting, but this one has a life of its own and taken off on its own and you can’t go against that. We have a single out, “Melts in Your Mind”, and we plan to finish up the record sometime in the next few months and it should come out next summer.

    PM: What brand of pianos/organs/keyboards do you play and do you have a preferred model to use in performance?

    JM: I’m endorsed by Steinway, I like Bs or Ds or Greats. I seem to always go for Hamburgs, but every piano is different – Yamaha, Bechstein … a lot of factors work into the pianos. There are a lot of great pianos. There could be one with the same model number but sound completely different. For keyboards I use Hammond B3 or A100 organ,  I have a Wurlitzer 140 that I love. I use an electric piano, a Minimoog is important for me. I usually have an organ, clavinet and electric piano around me, plus an auxiliary keyboard as well.

    PM: Shortly after your show at The Massry Center, Marco Benevento performs just down the street at Red Square in Albany. If you’re not headed out of town right away, any potential stop in for a sit in with Marco?

    JM: Well, you never know. It’s very possible.

    A presentation of Premiere Performances, tickets are $25 ($12.50 for students) and may be purchased online at www.massrycenter.org

  • An Interview with Marco Benevento, Coming to Red Square in Albany on December 7th

    Keyboardist Marco Benevento has been a creative force for quite some time.  From playing with Joe Russo in “The Duo” to playing with Mike Gordon, Trey Anastasio, and Russo in GRAB, and sitting in with many legends over the years, Marco is no stranger to impressing audiences with his signature sound.  Playing his Hammond B3 and Wurlitzer electric piano, he has made a name for himself as one of the best keyboardists around today.  This tour he is changing it up though and using a 63 key acoustic piano and a Synth to make endless loops that are sure to wow the crowd. His latest release Tigerface has been getting rave reviews throughout the year as he has been touring non-stop behind it.  I had a chance to Interview with Marco Benevento about the upcoming Albany show as well as other topics:

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    Bryan Lasky: Looking back on the year as a whole,  it seems like you have played everywhere under the sun. Do you have a favorite moment from a festival or a show?

    Marco Benevento: Pickathon was a great festival out in Oregon just outside of Portland.  There was a wide varitey of music. In the same weekend I saw Feist, Andrew Bird, some band that led a huge square dance and a great band that played some old 70’s soul music. And our band wound up in the new Pixies video because the film maker loved our set!

    BL: What has it meant to your music to be able to play with Dave Dreiwitz and Andy Borger for a long time now?  Has it changed your writing process? Is it more collaborative?

    MB: We really just have a band vibe now. The live show is unstoppable right now too.  I feel like we can throw curve balls left and right at each other and wind up with some nice surprises in our show.  I’ve been doing the all of the songwriting, but everyone chimes in with there own unique taste and approach to the songs.

    BL: You also played with many other artists and groups, such as The M & M’s at Equifunk, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD), Bustle in your Hedgerow a number of time celebrating the 10th anniversary of playing together, and various other projects.  How does working with all of these other musicians shape your current work?

    MB: It’s just nice to have variety.  It’s also nice to dive into specific bands and learn a lot of their music.  Because of JRAD I now know about 20 or more Dead tunes and because of Bustle I know about 40 Zep tunes and with all of the Levon tributes I know about 40 Band tunes too!  It’s important to learn those timeless tunes and to find out what the formula is that makes it timeless!

    BL:  Lately it seems you’ve been incorporating more lyrics into your songs.  What made you go into that direction?

    MB:  Good question….I have no idea!  Although, I can say that it feels like a very natural progression for me. It started with syllable singing to some of the melodies that I wrote.  “This Is How It Goes” from TigerFace was a tune that really brought it out I think.  At first my wife, myself and some friends sang and recorded the melody to “This Is How It Goes,” then months later I thought I should have one person sing it and Kal (Traver, of Rubblebucket) came to mind because I’ve always loved the sound of her voice. After actually hearing my tune with a vocalist singing the melody instead of the piano playing the melody I feel like a new door opened.

    BL: Have you, Andy, and Dave been recording as a band? Can we expect a release in the coming year?

    MB: We are recording in March with an incredible engineer and musician named Richard Swift.  He’s now the keyboardist in The Shins and has recorded and collaborated with some incredible musicians that have been inspiring me lately such as Dan Auerbach and Foxygen.  Hopefully we’ll have a new record out in the Fall of 2014.

    BL:  At Red Square in Albany this past June, you said you love the room and would like to do a month residency there at some point. Any news on that front?

    MB: Yes!!! The news is that we’re going to do it!!!!!!!!  We’re going to take a vote at our gig (on Dec. 7th) and see which month wins!!!

    BL:  Scott Metzger is opening for you with WOLF! on December 7. What can you tell the fans about them

    MB: Incredibly tasteful!!!!!!!!!!  I love touring with those guys I feel like it’s a great musical pairing for the night.

    This Saturday night is sure to be a great show.  Get there in time to see Scott Metzger with WOLF! and then be ready to dance early into the morning with Marco.  Tickets available now at Redsquare.

  • “User Correction” by Jeff Bujak is an Electronic Innovation

    User Correction by Jeff Bujak finds itself at the corner of fun and innovative. Like a well rounded student, his composing is intelligent and party worthy. On the album Jeff explores the world of electronica through the looking glass of a classical composer. His music makes the perfect argument to anyone who claims that electronica isn’t “real music”. As a five year old living in Syracuse, Jeff was already learning about real music through piano lessons which comes as no surprise after hearing his intricate work. Now all grown up and a resident of North Hampton, Massachusetts, he has a tour roster that would rival that of many successful musicians and quite the impressive online following.

    In addition to his talent on the piano, it is apparent that Bujak is a jack of all instruments and uses his widely versatile taste and skill sets to push the musical envelope. Bujak is the kind of musician with a great knack for keeping the listeners attention. There are no two tracks on this album that have the same feel. Each song has a different inspiration. The first track on the album titled “User” creatively samples snipits of “Everybody Rules the World” by Tears for Fears, but keeps you steady grooving without temptation to switch to the original song. The third track “Fiks” does this as well and almost takes you by surprise when you realize the cool vocals are from the song “Fix You” by Coldplay.

    Later in the album Jeff shows off his ability to challenge the electronic genre with the piano. I have never before heard an artist make classical piano so easy to rave to but Jeff seamlessly pulls this off multiple times in the album in the tracks “Cleen”, “Laylice” and “Abbeat”. He concludes the work with a hilarious electronic ode to hipster haters with a vibey drum pattern – ironically of course exactly the type of thing a hipster would jam to and finally ends it with a stunning stripped down piano showcase.

    Watch Bujak’s Live Performance at Mojo’s, Jamestown NY

    Check out Jeff’s tour dates HERE !

    To stay updated like Jeff Bujak on Facebook

  • Album Review: Keller Williams Keys in tribute to The Grateful Dead

    Keller Williams, best know as the one-man jam band, recently released his new album Keys, which focuses on only one instrument and one charity. The album is a collection of Grateful Dead songs with 100% of the proceeds going to The Rex Foundation, a charitable non-profit organization that was started by the Grateful Dead and gives grants to various causes. Keller Williams has a full schedule for this summer, making stops at festivals such as Summer Camp, All Good, Delfest and Equifunk. Keller Williams routinely uses the technique of live-phrase-looping with multiple instruments, which makes for a marvelous and unique show each time.  I was expecting to hear such a performance on the album, however, was left with only a piano.

    KW.Keys_.cover__1I discovered the jam band scene less than three years ago and therefore, my Grateful Dead knowledge is limited. Regardless, I do enjoy their music all the same and had to re-listen to some of the original songs before listening to Keller Williams’ version.  It was a great album to unwind to, with Williams’ soothing mellow voice and gentle finger playing. Keys definitely gives the songs a fresh perspective of the classic hits, but it’s not quite the same. I missed the groovy guitar riffs, pounding keyboards, familiar voices and steady rhythm that I associated with the GD. One of the best parts about listening to Keys is with the only sounds being the piano keys and Williams voice, it made the lyrics stand out so much more. Williams gave each song a new meaning by performing Robert Hunter’s psychedelic lyrics and Jerry Garcia’s melodies with a caring heart and impeccable finger playing.

    Keller’s thoughts on the album bear repeating, to show the personal connection he has with the music: “It’s no secret I have an unhealthy fascination with the Grateful Dead. Whenever I sit down at the piano its seems the only thing that comes out are Jerry ballads.  Even though these songs are not all Jerry ballads, I have sort of made them that way.  The lyrics, although I’ve been singing them most of my adult life, are not 100% perfect….like any other music I play, I’ve taken liberties.  All of the proceeds from the sale of these songs goes to support the Rex Foundation, which was started by the Grateful Dead, in the 80’s….so you can feel good about that! ”

    The album is available through iTunes currently for digital download, remember it’s for charity.

    Key Tracks: Brokedown Palace, Bird Song, Row Jimmy