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The Blueprint Project
Together as The Blueprint Project, they augment their original compositions and highly developed interaction with older, more established rhythm section players (thus far the list includes Han Bennink, Cecil McBee and Matt Wilson) to create a consciously eclectic and intergenerational ensemble that is constantly reinventing itself.
Critics have noted the group's "witty, contemporary sounding improvisation" (James Hale, DownBeat) and "intelligent, incisively crafted compositions" (Andy Hamilton, Jazz Review ), and called its music "serious fun" (Julian Cowley, The Wire), "full of striking rhythms and harmonic ideas" (Ted Kane, JazzReview.com) and "nothing short of glorious...music that is a working definition of just how uplifting human creativity can be" (Nic Jones, AllAboutJazz.com).
"They are talented, well educated, thoroughly modern," wrote Village Voice reviewer Tom Hull. "They can do post-bop, post-Monk, post-Ornette; they can play gospel and tango and free. One of the few jazz groups that feels communal."
Originally called Pendulabellum when it released its first CD in 1998, The Blueprint Project has since released two more recordings, The Blueprint Project (Creative Nation Music, 2004) and People I Like (Creative Nation Music, 2007), which earned the band a Boston Music Awards nomination for Outstanding Jazz Act of the Year.
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The Blueprint Project: The Blueprint Project
by Michael P. Gladstone
On their third recording the trio of saxophonist Jared Sims, guitarist Eric Hofbauer, and pianist Tyson Rogers elected to add veteran bassist Cecil McBee and ubiquitous drummer-du-jour Matt Wilson. The group was formed in 1997 when the members of the trio were students at the New England Conservatory. One's impression from the liner notes is that this is their most “inside" album and they chose the added musicians for their flexibility in performing with free jazz players (McBee had worked ...
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by Mark F. Turner
What modern jazz needs is...
Fill in the blank with your own ideas to continue the ongoing discussion for those who speculate on the present and the future climate of the music. But in the meantime listening to the Blueprint Project's new self-titled recording keeps this discussion relevant, and more importantly, interesting for the listener. The group's third release is not some new groundbreaking jazz derivative, but it does indicate that younger artists can have a respect for ...
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by Dan McClenaghan
I've always appreciated the care and attention given to album/CD cover art in the jazz genre. The cover for The Blueprint Project is especially appealing, with a rectangular blue/black/grey design reminiscent of some of the old Blue Note recordings. The music here, too, has a geometric feel to it; though it's not square; it's more like the non-parallelogram shapes of clean-edged gemstone facets, sounds that bump and bend new non-ninety degree angles into basic mainstream geometries.The Blueprint Project ...
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by John Kelman
The saxophone-piano-guitar trio of Jared Sims, Tyson Rogers and Eric Hofbauer first came together in '97, when the three met while studying at the New England Conservatory. From early on they discovered a similar penchant for lyricism coupled with a more adventurous, left-of-centre style that garnered some encouragement from Paul Bley and a performance at the '99 North Sea Jazz Festival. With two recordings under their belt, they decided, for their third record, to solicit the assistance of bassist Cecil ...
read moreHan Bennink to Join the Blueprint Project for CD Release Concerts in Boston and Providence
Source:
Improvised Communications
The Blueprint Project with Han Bennink will perform two Northeast U.S. concerts in late January in celebration of their recent recording, People I Like (Creative Nation Music 008). The group, which pairs the legendary Dutch drummer with the decade-old trio of Jared Sims (saxophones and clarinet), Eric Hofbauer (guitar) and Tyson Rogers (piano), will perform all original music written specifically for this collaboration. Together they will perform at AS220 in Providence on Tuesday, January 22nd and Boston's Emmanuel Church (as ...
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--Michael Ricci, AllAboutJazz.com
...People I Like is serious fun...Bennink’s approval is audible in his
exuberant playing. He’s in
buoyant form throughout, in his element with a group who are accomplished,
imaginative and comitted
to enjoyment. Recommended without reservation as an antidote to grey and
rainy days.
--Julian Cowley, The Wire
The music they make together is nothing short of glorious. The program of
group originals is
understandably well tailored to the trio's distinctive group conception,
something they’ve had the
chance to hone over a period of time, and Bennink brings his characteristic
work to bear in a way that’s
nothing short of a celebration of life...music that is a working definition of
just how uplifting human
creativity can be. It’s what those end-of-year polls were invented for.
--Nic Jones, AllAboutJazz.com
Music
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drum programmingThe Blueprint Project
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
