Point of Departure Quintet
David Weiss- Trumpet
Myron Walden- Tenor Sax
Craig Magnano- Guitar
Ameen Saleem- Bass
Jamire Williams- Drums
Appearing at
Kavehaz
37 West 26th Street
(between Broadway and 6th Avenue)
(212) 343-0612
Friday, December 16
Shows at 10 pm and 12 midnight
No Cover Charge
The late 1960's were a turbulent but exciting time for jazz. The music seemed to simultaneously get more complex and simpler at the same time as a variety of influences infused the music. Some were experimenting with soul, rock and exotic rhythms from the India and the Far East. Others were carrying on the innovations of the second great Miles Davis quintet, using the groups ever shifting rhythms and harmonic complexities as a springboard to new compositional ideas. Some somehow combined both to create some new, exciting music. The Point of Departure Quintet is re-examining some of the most innovative music of the period, some of it neglected, some, perhaps, never quite as developed as it could have been as things seemed to move at a pace during that period that left some music from being fully realized as they quickly moved on to the next new thing. Among the composers being re-examined and re-imagined are Andrew Hill, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and music from the unsung Kenny Cox and the Contemporary Jazz Quintet (who recorded two seminal but under appreciated records for Blue Note in the late 1960's). Known for introducing many of the finest young musicians to the jazz world for the past 10 years through his sextet (Marcus and E.J. Strickland), the New Jazz Composers Octet (Myron Walden, Jimmy Greene, Greg Tardy, Xavier Davis and Nasheet Waits) and as a producer (first CD's by Robert Glasper, Jeremy Pelt and Marcus Strickland), Weiss introduces two of the finest young musicians on the scene today, Bassist Ameen Saleem and Drummer Jamire Williams.
What the critics are saying
“Now with The Mirror, he demonstrates that Breathing Room was no fluke as he serves up a programme marking him as one of the more cerebral yet visceral writers to arise in recent years. With an album that is heady in both senses of the word--intelligent and exhilarating--Weiss emerges as one of the finest artists to mine the post bop arena, with an ability to develop longer-form composition that is clearly indebted to Wayne Shorter. Not since Dave Douglas rose to prominence in the mid-'90s has a trumpet player come along with such a perfect combination of technical prowess, unerring instinct for captivating melody, harmony and counterpoint, and sheer emotional force. A masterpiece by any definition, The Mirror deserves a place high in most listeners' top ten lists for '04 for its ability to engage more than just the ears; Weiss' compositions are remarkably visual as well". -John Kelman, All About Jazz
“The compositions and especially the colourful, warm, often pedal-point punctuated arrangements show how rapidly Weiss is maturing. His writing may well be initially inspired by what Wayne Shorter was doing for Miles in the mid '60s, but it is totally contemporary in its expansion of that era's unfinished business. And his two scores for the larger line-up are exceptional. The emotional depth of the scoring and the solos make it really something special. So is the whole album. Watch for Weiss. He's a major new talent. One of my 2004 Top Three CDs". -Tony Hall JazzWise Magazine
'Weiss writes tunes with evocative melodic ambivalence and veering surprises and hovering pedal points and metrical asymmetry, all qualities associated with the sensibility that Wayne Shorter brought to jazz. But Weiss does not repeat it, he expands upon it" -Thomas Conrad Downbeat Magazine
“Wayne Shorter's influence may be apparent in the charts and Freddie Hubbard's in the playing, but Weiss' craftsmanship and individuality in both areas lift his music out of retrograde movement. It is an indicator of his skill that his five compositions complement the Shorter compositions on the album. Weiss' writing suggests that a major composer/ arranger may be developing"
-Doug Ramsey Jazz Times Magazine
“Weiss has everything that makes a jazz trumpeter great: a full-bodied sound, a complete command of the instrument, a thorough knowledge of the tradition and an intelligent application of those talents. He may be lesser known of the current trumpet kings, but this splendid recording will change that".
-Eugene Holley Jr. JazzUSA
“The influence of Wayne Shorter looms large over Breathing Room both in composition and execution. Weiss borrows from the Shorter muse with haunting themes, deceptive intros and tough playing, but he is far too restless an artist to settle for imitation. His own compositions like “Breathing Room" and “Dark Forces" deliver intelligently paced, emotionally charged hard bop that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Shorter gems like “Armageddon" and “Those Who Sit And Wait."
-Ken Hohman All About Jazz
For more information contact All About Jazz.
