Jeremy Udden - If the Past Seems So Bright - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The past few years have found saxophonist/composer Jeremy Udden stepping away from his more fleshed out ensemble projects to focus on music with a more stripped down, direct approach. This led him to working up solo concerts, which, in turn led him back to one of his main influences, the great saxophonist and musical conceptualist Steve Lacy.// The loose and instinctive playing of Lacy has long been a draw for Udden. Udden even studied with the master improviser when Lacy was teaching at the New England Conservatory. After Lacy passed in 2004, Udden performed at a memorial concert that was held in New York City, along with a number of Lacy's friends and collaborators, including the drummer John Betsch. // Over the past few years, Udden also began a collaboration with Paris based bassist Nicolas Moreaux, with whom he recorded Belleville Project, which was released in 2015. The two continued to interact and consider new projects. As it turns out, the American born Betsch called Paris home for decades and Moreaux had been performing with him on occasion. The idea of incorporating Betsch into a trio project began to coalesce and would eventually culminate in their new recording, Three In Paris.

Growing up in an urban environment could lead to obliviousness to the natural world. Having grown up in a rural environment, saxophonist/composer Jeremy Udden was very aware of nature but living in metropolises made him seek nature's touch in the city's midst. Udden's children have grown up in Brooklyn and he is frequently amazed at how attuned to nature his city kids are, just one of the intriguing juxtapositions he reflects in his new recording, Wishing Flower.For his new recording, Udden used the inspiration of his children and their daily walks from school to write new compositions that reflect the sounds of the city through Udden's singular musical lens, which blends the pastoral sounds of folk and country with contemporary jazz. Coming full circle, Udden recruited guitarist Ben Monder and drummer Ziv Ravitz to revisit their ensemble roles from Torchsongs, along with longtime collaborator, bassist Jorge Roeder.

Jeremy Udden & Moreaux, Nicolas - Belleville Project [COMPACT DISCS] date 03/31/2015