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Ron Horton
Since 1982, trumpeter Ron Horton has been an integral part of New York's flourishing jazz scene and he stands out both as an exemplary instrumentalist and as a highly progressive composer and arranger. Whether called upon as a sideman or as a leader of one of his own ensembles, he shows that he is committed to further expanding the existing perimeters of jazz. Photo: Ben Allison
Horton has had many long musical associations with leaders such as saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom (1983-2000) and pianist Andrew Hill. He was a member of Hill's sextet from 1998 until 2003, and appears on the group's critically acclaimed cd, Dusk (Palmetto 2000). He was also musical director and co-arranger for Hill's big band, and is featured on the cd, A Beautiful Day (Palmetto 2002).
Horton has also had an integral collaboration with New York's Jazz Composers Collective, going back to its inception in 1992, and appears on several cds by the other members of the group, such as Ben Allison and Michael Blake, as well as the collective's Herbie Nichols Project. In 1995, Horton went to the Library of Congress and uncovered over three dozen of Nichols' songs that had never been recorded. Several of these works appear on the three cds released by the HNP on Soul Note and Palmetto.
Through his work with the JCC, Horton has received composing grants from the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust and Meet the Composer.
Ron Horton was born in 1960 in Bethesda, Maryland, and has been frequently called on as a sideman to perform and/or record with such artists as Lee Konitz, Will Holshouser, Rez Abbasi, Phillip Johnston, Andy Laster, Mick Rossi, Matt Wilson, Bill Gerhardt, Bill Mays, Peggy Stern, Allan Chase, Andy Biskin, Ted Nash, Jon Gordon, John McKenna, Walter Thompson, Diana Perez, Billy Newman, Mario Pavone, Tina Marsh, Maryanne DeProphetis, Landon Knoblock, Sam Bardfeld, Maria Guida, Abigail Riccards, Angie Sanchez, Kris Davis, Darcy James Argue and many others.
In 1999, Horton released his debut cd, Genius Envy (OmniTone), featuring Jane Ira Bloom. All About Jazz said of the cd, "(Horton) shines as a formidable composer, arranger and leader. (It's) not difficult to discern why Horton is highly respected within jazz circles".
Subtextures, Horton's first release on Fresh Sounds New Talent (FSNT-175) features pianist Kimbrough, bassist Allison and drummer Matt Wilson. It includes four new original compositions, as well as those by Kimbrough, Hill, Olivier Messiaen, and Frederic Chopin. The cd was selected by Jazzman magazine (France) for its CHOC award as one of the top cds of 2004. Jazzwise (UK) also chose it as one of the top cds of 2004.
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Shoko Nagai, Maryanne de Prophetis, Ron Horton, Stomu Takeishi: FIDOqrtet
by Alberto Bazzurro
Album di improvvisazione senza rete, questo del FIDOqrtet, che in realtà agisce come tale solo in quattro degli undici brani complessivi, scindendosi negli altri sette in diversi abbinamenti: senza la voce in altri quattro ("Rayo de luna," Tsuru," Terramoto" e Morning"), senza al tromba in La Coyote," in duo rispettivamente piano/batteria e tromba/batteria in Waking" e Flow In." Il risultato è un album inciso in più sedute fra il 2015 e il 2016 (il gruppo è attivo ...
read moreFalkner Evans: Marbles
by Jack Bowers
On his fifth recording as leader, pianist / composer Falkner Evans has expanded his group size from trio (the first three) and quintet (the fourth) to sextet with vibraphonist Steve Nelson added on three of the album's ten numbers, the first nine of which were written by Evans. Even though this was a one-off, Evans' teammates are skillful enough to make it sound like a working ensemble. One reason for this is that the rhythm section (bassist Belden Bullock, drummer ...
read moreFalkner Evans: Marbles
by Jerome Wilson
Pianist Falkner Evans has been gradually expanding the size of his recording projects. He started out with a couple of trio discs, then made one with a quintet. On this latest offering, he fronts a three-horn sextet scored to sound like a bigger and fuller unit. He uses a front line of Michael Blake on tenor sax, Ted Nash on alto sax and Ron Horton on trumpet, that is blended into a cool, reedy sound which ebbs and ...
read moreThe Enviable Genius of Ron Horton
by Ludovico Granvassu
A founding member of the Jazz Composers Collective, Ron Horton is a trumpeter of outstsanding lyricism and versatility. This mixtape highlights the many facets of his work as a leader as well as a sideman for the likes of Ben Allison, Will Holshouser, Michael Blake, Andy Biskin, Allan Chase, Jane Ira Bloom and pianist Andrew Hill, for which he acted as Musical Director. Also featured is music from his work with The Herbie Nichols Project and the East Down Septet. ...
read moreRon Horton: It's A Gadget World...
by Sean Patrick Fitzell
Preferring tonal clarity and precise lines, trumpeter Ron Horton eschews the extended manipulations frequently associated with contemporary improvisers. But the warm resonance of his sound and the fluidity of his improvisations ensure that he's never stodgy, as evidenced on this fourth CD as a leader. While the title plays with the notion of preoccupation with the latest electronic toys, the music illustrates the enduring pliability and vibrancy of a taut acoustic quartet. Often minimal, the tunes have ...
read moreRon Horton/Tim Horner Little Big Band Plays the Music of Andrew Hill in Teaneck, N. J.
by Ralph A. Miriello
The Ron Horton/Tim Horner Little Big BandPlay the Music of Andrew HillThe Puffin Cultural ForumTeaneck, New JerseyAugust 29, 2009
It was a warm, overcast evening, within a few short miles of the George Washington Bridge, in suburban Teaneck, that offered the rare opportunity to make the trek to the Puffin Cultural Forum to listen to some innovative jazz from a newly-formed group. Trumpter/arranger Ron Horton and drummer Tim Horner's Little Big Band was scheduled to ...
read moreBen Allison: Medicine Wheel
by Troy Collins
Bassist Ben Allison was a virtual unknown when this album was originally released by Palmetto in 1998. After Seven Arrows (Koch, 1996), this was Allison's first major release. Combining conservatory training, ethnic/world music fusions, post-bop energy and free-jazz vigor, Allison and company were on the cusp of a new movement. Listening to this recording in retrospect reveals a blueprint for the new breed of jazz improviser. Medicine Wheel is a watershed moment in end of the century East Coast jazz.
read moreRon Horton Sextet Performs Andrew Hill's "Passing Ships" at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia
Source:
All About Jazz
Friday, December 12 | 8pm
Ron Horton Sextet performs Andrew Hill's Passing Ships
Ron Horton, trumpet/flugelhorn Tony Malaby, tenor saxophone Scott Robinson, tenor saxophone Ben Allison, double-bass Frank Kimbrough, piano Tim Horner, drums Settlement Music School 416 Queen Street Philadelphia, PA
$15 General Admission Seating is limited.
The best jazz album of 2003 was recorded in 1969--then shelved, lost, forgotten, ...
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Ron Horton Releases "Everything In a Dream" on Fresh Sound Records
Source:
All About Jazz
Fresh Sound New Talent has just released trumpeter/composer Ron Horton's newest CD, Everything In a Dream, recorded in Brooklyn, NY, June 2005.
Epitomizing the new face of the creative mainstream, Horton is equal parts swinging hard bop stylist, modern classicist and exploratory avant gardist. All these facets appear on Everything In A Dream, Horton's most definitive statement as a leader--his third overall and second for the Fresh Sound label". ~ Troy Collins, All About Jazz
About Ron Horton:
Horton was ...
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Bring It On
From: Everything In A DreamBy Ron Horton