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Metta Quintet - "Subway Songs" - July 18 - Benefit CD for JazzReach

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TAKE A RIDE: METTA QUINTET'S SUBWAY SONGS ROLLS OUT JULY 18

100% of proceeds to benefit JazzReach's committed endeavors in arts education

New York, NY On Tuesday, July 18, Sunnyside Records will release the Metta Quintet's new CD, Subway Songs (AAJ Review). Metta Quintet is the official resident ensemble of JazzReach Performing Arts & Education Association, Inc., a nationally recognized New York City-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, performance, creation, and teaching of jazz. The recording features performances of eight newly-commissioned works of program music inspired by the many dynamic facets of the New York City subway experience. Sunnyside will generously donate all proceeds from sales of the Subway Songs CD to support JazzReach's committed endeavors in arts education.

JazzReach Founder/Executive-Artistic Director (and Metta Quintet drummer) H. Benjamin Schuman conceived the project; he writes in the CD's liner notes: “On any given weekday, over seven million mostly tolerant and peaceful individuals converge on the New York City Subway with rarely a serious conflict or incident. This perpetual and increasingly vulnerable social improvisation with all its diversity has a unique way of peeling away economic, cultural, ethnic and religious differences and beautifully illuminating the universality of the human condition. This is not so much a project about trains or the physical environment of the subway as much as it's about people, tolerance, coexistence and in part, like the music, a triumph of democratic principles."

In addition to Schuman, Metta Quintet features Helen Sung on piano, Marcus Strickland on tenor and soprano saxophones, Mark Gross on alto saxophone, and Joshua Ginsburg on bass.

Subway Songs kicks off as most New Yorkers' mornings' do with the familiar sound of the alarm clock ringing on “Morning Rush (stand clear of the closing doors)." The song, composed by Schuman and Gross, is an up-tempo caffeinated piece aiming to illustrate the manic pace of the AM commute. The epic “Underground," written by Myron Walden, clocks in at over 11 melodic minutes and “Fast Forward," written by Sung, is simply a straight-up jazz gem. Subway Songs also includes Strickland's multi-textured “Ephemeral Muse" and the force of Jimmy Greene's “Underground Messenger." The record closes with “Evening Rush," a brief, funky reprise of the opening title's bass line intended to mark the end of another busy day in the city.

One of the album's highlights is the Jon Cowherd-penned “Subway Suite," which was made possible through a generous grant from the Mary Flagler Cary Trust. The piece consists of three separate and distinct movements the driving, pensive “Pt. I," the mellow, almost romantic “Pt. II," and the upbeat and fresh “Pt. III."

Sprinkled throughout the album are ambient segues and interludes which conjure up of the sounds of the subway - the trains rolling through stations, conductor announcements, and the like. Each composition also includes the interval of a descending major third (from E to C), the two pitches heard after subway riders are warned that the doors will be closing prior to leaving each station.



The project, though inspired by the New York City subway, is also dedicated to those who perished and were injured in the London subway bombings of July 2005 and is intended as a humble offering of peace.

Sunnyside Records' President Francois Zalacain says of the partnership with JazzReach: “When we heard Subway Songs and became better acquainted with JazzReach's important work in arts education, we felt it complemented our practice of giving space to talent to flourish. So, collaborating with people who develop in children a very early love for this art just makes sense. JazzReach is a unique organization with a vital mission and we are proud to be involved."

ABOUT JAZZREACH

Established by musician H. Benjamin Schuman in 1994, JazzReach is a New York City-based not-for-profit organization committed to fostering a greater awareness, appreciation, and understanding of jazz. Through the presentation of widely acclaimed all-original live multi-media educational programs for young audiences, captivating main-stage concerts for all audiences and informative clinics and master classes for student musicians, JazzReach has successfully served over 110,000 young people nationwide and received unanimous praise from arts professionals, educators, students, and parents alike.

JazzReach programs are made possible in part by generous grants and contributions from major corporations and foundations, such as The JP Morgan Chase Foundation, Citigroup Private Bank, Sony/BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Blue Note Records/EMI Classics & Jazz, The ASCAP Foundation, The BMI Foundation, American Express, The D'Addario Foundation, The Herzstein Charitable Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, The Music for Youth Foundation, The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Con Edison, Tama Drums, and Sabian Cymbals among others. JazzReach also receives support from numerous distinguished individual supporters like Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Paul Reiser, Phil Collins; Jerry Seinfeld (through his family foundation), Paul Shaffer, and Ms. Amy Knapp.

Renowned jazz artists such as John Scofield, Brian Blade, Bill Frisell, Christian McBride, Jack DeJohnette, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, Kenny Garrett, Jason Moran, and Nicholas Payton are also among JazzReach's supporters and have appeared and performed at benefits for the organization.

ABOUT SUNNYSIDE RECORDS

Founded 25 years ago in New York City by Francois Zalacain, Sunnyside is an independent Jazz label where freedom of expression and musical curiosity rule. Sunnyside has recorded many “first records" of musicians who demonstrated exceptional talent and let them explore new musical ground. Friendships with these very special people are as much a reward as the GRAMMY Award won in 2006 for the Dave Holland Big Band album Overtime and the seven GRAMMY nominations in the last 5 years. Artists recorded by Sunnyside include Luciana Souza, Dave Holland, Mingus Big Band, Chris Potter, Jerry Gonzales, and many more...

Subway Songs [SSC 1151] available on CD July 18, 2006.

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