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New World Jazz Composers Octet

The Next Stage is the 4th installment by The New World Jazz Composers Octet. This group has been active on the greater Boston and New England jazz scene for over 13 years and has been featured at The Cambridge Jazz Festival, Berklee College of Music, The Discover Jazz Festival, Ryles Jazz Club, Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, St Michaels College and other venues. The aggregation was originally formed in conjunction with the Jazz in the Sanctuary Concert Series in Brookline, MA as part of a program entitled the Sanctuary Composers Forum. It was conceived as a platform for the performance of new music written by composers throughout New England. The group has premiered compositions by Ken Schaphorst, Ted Pease, Richard Lowell, Dana Brayton, Pablo Ablanedo, Jack Walrath, Edgar Dorantes, Steve Slagle, Matthew Nicholl, Jeff Friedman, Michael Abene, and many others. The NWJCO has released three critically acclaimed albums (No Place to Hide, Transitions, Breaking News) on the independent Big and Phat Jazz Productions record label receiving 4 and 5 star reviews in DownBeat, JazzTimes, AllAboutJazz and other publications. The eclectic instrumentation of the group (2 saxophones, 2 trumpets, piano, electric bass, drum set and percussion) give the group a sparkling character and personality not found in other octet instrumentations. The Next Stage features a sonic spectrum of new compositions by acclaimed composers Ted Pease, Michael Abene and Matthew Nicholl performed by a world class ensemble featuring the likes of Guggenheim fellow Felipe Salles (saxophones/flute), Grammy winning drummer/composer Mark Walker, internationally renowned bassist Fernando Huergo along with band leader and woodwind player Daniel Ian Smith. The new album was produced by Berklee College of Music Professor Emeritus in Jazz Composition Ted Pease who has been a vital part of the development, evolution and success of this ensemble.

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102
Album Review

New World Jazz Composers Octet: Breaking News

Read "Breaking News" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Eight players does not a big band make, but The New World Jazz Composers Octet is a light ensemble offering an assertive sound reminiscent of a big band production. Boasting a cadre of educators and first-rate musicians, the group manages powerful orchestrations employing an exciting horn section, lively percussion and blistering piano work from Tim Ray in its aggressive approach to the music. Breaking News is the Octet's third album, revealing a program of charging hard bop featuring nine compositions ...

92
Album Review

New World Jazz Composers Octet: Breaking News

Read "Breaking News" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


Established in 2000, in the spirit of the Mingus Jazz Workshop, the New World Jazz Composer's Octet sounds more like an orchestra than a group of eight musicians. On its third release, Breaking News, the octet showcases six contemporary composers affiliated with the ensemble. The music is intricate and well-constructed, with hints of Latin on a few of the tracks, including Matthew Nicholl's “Poco Picasso," which features a complex piano solo from Tim Ray that nevertheless stays ...

279
Album Review

New World Jazz Composers Octet: Breaking News

Read "Breaking News" reviewed by Andrew J. Sammut


The New World Jazz Composers Octet thrives on the old school idea of jazz composition as conduit to great jazz performance, and its third album, Breaking News, puts theory to practice from the outset with Matthew Nicholl's “Poco Picasso." The jutting melodic angles and tightly orchestrated front line arrest on their own merits, while also spurring pianist Tim Ray into a well-constructed, swinging improvisation. The composers featured on Breaking News also avoid the labyrinthine chord progressions and ...

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86

Performance / Tour

New World Jazz Composers Octet Perform at Arsenal Arts Center on October 25

New World Jazz Composers Octet Perform at Arsenal Arts Center on October 25

Source: MassJazz: Jazz in Massachusetts


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Recording

The New World Jazz Composers Octet Releases Second CD: Transitions

The New World Jazz Composers Octet Releases Second CD: Transitions

Source: Michael Ricci

The New World Jazz Composers Octet is releasing its second CD, TRANSITIONS, on the Big and Phat Jazz Productions label. This exciting new CD features eight stylistically diverse compositions written by five of the most talented jazz composers on the scene today. Each piece is presented with a combination of precise ensemble performance and inspired solos. The New World Jazz Composers Octet is led by saxophonist/flutist Daniel Ian Smith. Most of the featured composers and performers are part of a ...

221

Recording

The New World Jazz Composers Octet Releases Second CD: Transitions

The New World Jazz Composers Octet Releases Second CD: Transitions

Source: Michael Ricci

The New World Jazz Composers Octet is releasing its second CD, TRANSITIONS, on the Big and Phat Jazz Productions label. This exciting new CD features eight stylistically diverse compositions written by five of the most talented jazz composers on the scene today. Each piece is presented with a combination of precise ensemble performance and inspired solos. The New World Jazz Composers Octet is led by saxophonist/flutist Daniel Ian Smith. Most of the featured composers and performers are part of a ...

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Breaking News

Big and Phat Jazz Productions
2011

buy

Transitions

Big and Phat Jazz Productions
0

buy

And Now for Something Completely Different

From: Transitions
By New World Jazz Composers Octet

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