Wednesday, January 27, 2010

WASHINGTON CITY PAPER REVIEW: Saltman Knowles, Yesterday's Man

Review by Michal J. West
January 27,2010


LINK: http://tinyurl.com/yd2lqgz


Yesterday’s Man is the third album by D.C.’s Saltman Knowles,the latest stop on the group’s neverending quest for melody and hooks. This time, pianist William Knowles and bassist Mark Saltman lead an unusual octet that features a steel pan drummer (Victor Provost). Adventures in instrumentation aside, Yesterday’s Man is the slickest Saltman Knowles production yet. More importantly, though, it’s a tour de force for singer Lori Williams-Chisholm, the band’s only constant besides its namesakes. As always, her joy in singing is unshakable, even on less-than-joyful tunes like “They Don’t Really Care for Us,” but her silken delivery and exceptional timing make up a lot of that ground and help convey the darker moods. Better still are her scatting and improvisations on “Blues for Sale” and “08 Bossa,” among others, where a remarkable talent for rhythmic sounds and melodic variation come through. Yesterday’s Man is a worthy document of one of the District’s most consistently high-quality ensembles.

Also: Nothing official yet, but if history is an indicator, you can expect a CD release gig or two at HR-57 in the very near future.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

SALTMAN KNOWLES OFFICIAL RELEASE OF YESTERDAY'S MAN CD TODAY!



SALTMAN KNOWLES RELEASES
YESTERDAY'S MAN

TODAY!
January 26, 2010




Read official press release at: http://prlog.org/10504432


San Diego, CA – January 26, 2010 –. Bassist Mark Saltman and pianist Mark Knowles present their new CD release, Yesterday’s Man, hitting the streets on January 26th with a complimentary mix of jazz and world music. What makes this release most uniquely distinctive is Victor Provost’s soprano steel pan instrumentation laced throughout the compositions, combining elements of the traditional music of Trinidad with the intricate and melodic song craftsmanship that represents the musical style of Saltman Knowles. Vocalist Lori Williams-Chisholm returns to provide what JazzTimes calls “her exquisite wordless vocals” encased in a sultry, smooth sound. Saltman Knowles describes the story behind the new project, “Yesterday's man dressed well, and was articulate, well-educated, and less medicated. He had sophisticated tastes, integrity, and a much longer attention span, and most of all he listened to good melodic music. Yesterday’s man possessed a lot of qualities that the man of today should be striving for and some of those qualities are on this recording.”
This is their sixth CD on the heels of their critically admired release, Return Of the Composer, on the Pacific Coast Jazz Label. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to represent Saltman Knowles once again after the success of the last CD,” says Donna Nichols, founder and president of Pacific Coast Jazz. “This new disc blends the tradition of jazz, world and contemporary sounds while maintaining a high compositional level of musicianship.” Nichols’ label has teamed up with SV Media Relations for publicity and radio promoter Neal Sapper of New World ‘N Jazz for access to international media buying and radio promotion. Pacific Coast Jazz, founded in 2003, is an independent jazz label that also offers artist management services. All PCJ artists are distributed worldwide by MVD Audio/Big Daddy Music. For information on Pacific Coast Jazz, visit: www.pacificcoastjazz.com. For more information about Saltman Knowles visit: http://www.SaltmanKnowles.com. For a review copy, interviews or other media issues contact: Joy Foster, svmediarelations@gmail.com.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

BLOGCRITICS REVIEW OF YESTERDAY'S MAN - SALTMAN KNOWLES



REVIEW - Saltman Knowles
Yesterday's Man

Release date - January 26, 2010


Reviewed by Kit O'Toole
Blogcritics.com


Saltman Knowles review is published and can be found at http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-saltman-knowles-yesterdays-man/


Jazz combo Saltman Knowles has proven themselves a sophisticated, cohesive group that straddles the line between traditional and contemporary jazz. Their sixth release, Yesterday’s Man, further blends these genres by adding a seemingly unlikely jazz instrument: the steel drum. The result is an immensely likeable album combining world influences, vocals, and elements of traditional and modern jazz styles.

To Read the Entire Review Go To: http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-saltman-knowles-yesterdays-man/

Friday, January 22, 2010

NO TREBLE WELCOMES MARK SALTMAN!


No Treble Magazine welcomes their newest columnist, bassist and composer, Mark Saltman.

Bottoms Up: Melodies in Bass
By Mark Saltman
Jaunary 17, 2010

I’m here to discuss melodies in the bass: bass lines as part of tunes and great melodies written by bass players, and maybe a few surprises thrown in. In this column I’ll be discussing one of the all time great bass players in history who also penned more than a few tunes that we should be familiar with.

To Read the Article: http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2010/01/18/bottoms-up-melodies-in-bass/

Monday, January 18, 2010

SALTMAN KNOWLES REVIEW: Yesterday's Man


NoSoloSmoothJazz.com: in Spanish
English translation through Google:

January 12, 2010
by JAVIER GARCIA ESCAMEZ

The bassist Mark Saltman and pianist William Knowles jazz up the duo known as Saltman Knowles, who also have, as usual, with the vocal contributions of singer Lori Williams-Chisholm. On the 26th of January, is now selling recording their new material which will be entitled "Yesterday's Man" and can be heard on all radio stations from 11 January. The album is released by the label Pacific Coast Jazz Records and contains a total of 10 unreleased tracks. Saltman Knowles is the leading exponent of Jazz. Without leaving the genre classic format try to upgrade to today's time and certainly will not disappoint, nor to the purist, and we like the more contemporary jazz. It should be noted that the album is very well balanced, instrumental music and vocals are practically hand in hand. A new feature to highlight in this new album of Saltman Knowles is the presence of the musician Victor Provost, an expert in handling the instrument called "Soprano Steel Pan". The first theme that opens the album bears the title "Theme In Search Of A Film" and represents the interests of the duo performing music for soundtracks. The vocalist Lori Williams-Chisholm adds a voice to songs like "Cry," "What Was I To You", "Blues For Sale", "Folk Song," "They Do not Really Care For Us," "Yesterday's Man "and" 08 Bossa ". As regards the participation musical is remarkable the presence of saxophonist Brian Settles and Antonio Parker, trumpeter Doug Pierce and drummer Jimmy "Junebug" Jackson. We can not fail to note the excellent musical contribution of the musicians invited to the album, and underlines the trumpet Doug Pierce on tracks like "Cry" or "Shesh" and Antonio Parker saxophone and Brian Settles on "What Was I To You" and "08 Bossa", respectively. As regards the composition of the themes, Mark Saltman composed "Shesh", "Blues For Sale", "Folk Song," "They Do not Really Care For Us" and "Yesterday's Man", while William Knowles is responsible for writing songs like "Theme In Search Of A Film", "Cry," "What Was I To You", "08 Bossa" and "East Orange Blues". Clearly this album up to fifty percent, a proportion that also occurs in the interpretation of the instruments they play. The album is produced by Mark Saltman and William Knowles, both musicians taking charge of the executive production of it. "Yesterday's Man" was recorded, mixed and mastered by Bob Dawson at Bias Studios in Springfield city in the U.S. state of Virginia. Ultimately, Contemporary Jazz at the highest level.

In Spanish:
El bajista Mark Saltman y el pianista William Knowles conforman el dúo jazzístico conocido como Saltman Knowles, que además cuentan, como ya viene siendo habitual, con la aportación vocal de la cantante Lori Williams-Chisholm. El día 26 de Enero se pone a la venta su nuevo material discográfico que lleva por titulo “Yesterday´s Man” y que ya se puede escuchar en todas las emisoras de radio a partir del 11 de Enero. El álbum está publicado por el sello discográfico Pacific Coast Jazz Records y contiene un total de 10 temas inéditos. Saltman Knowles son el máximo exponente del Jazz actual. Sin alejarse del formato clásico del género tratan de actualizarlo a los tiempos de hoy y desde luego no van a decepcionar, ni a los más puristas, ni a los que nos gusta el Jazz más contemporáneo. Hay que señalar que el álbum está muy bien equilibrado, música instrumental y voz van prácticamente de la mano. Una de las novedades a destacar en este nuevo trabajo discográfico de Saltman Knowles es la presencia del músico Victor Provost, un experto en el manejo del instrumento llamado “Soprano Steel Pan“. El primer tema que abre el álbum lleva por titulo “Theme In Search Of A Film” y representa el interés del dúo de realizar música para bandas sonoras. La vocalista Lori Williams-Chisholm le pone voz a temas como “Cry”, “What Was I To You”, “Blues For Sale”, “Folk Song”, “They Don´t Really Care For Us”, “Yesterday´s Man” y “08 Bossa”. Por lo que se refiere a la participación musical hay que destacar la presencia de los saxofonistas Brian Settles y Antonio Parker, el trompetista Doug Pierce y el batería Jimmy “Junebug” Jackson. No podemos dejar de señalar la excelente aportación musical de los músicos invitados al álbum, así destaca la trompeta de Doug Pierce en temas como “Cry” o “Shesh” y los saxos de Antonio Parker y Brian Settles en “What Was I To You” y “08 Bossa”, respectivamente. Por lo que respecta a la composición de los temas, Mark Saltman compone “Shesh”, “Blues For Sale”, “Folk Song”, “They Don´t Really Care For Us” y “Yesterday´s Man”, mientras que William Knowles se encarga de escribir temas como “Theme In Search Of A Film”, “Cry”, “What Was I To You”, “08 Bossa” y “East Orange Blues”. Claramente componen el álbum al cincuenta por ciento, proporción que igualmente se da en la interpretación de los intrumentos que tocan. El disco está producido por Mark Saltman y William Knowles, encargándose ambos músicos de la producción ejecutiva del mismo. “Yesterday´s Man” fue grabado, mezclado y masterizado por Bob Dawson en los Blas Studios de la ciudad de Springfield, en el norteamericano estado de Virginia. En definitiva, Jazz Contemporáneo al más alto nivel.

Monday, January 4, 2010

SALTMAN KNOWLES REVIEW: Yesterday's Man



IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION

http://zzaj.freehostia.com/Z98Reviews.htm


Saltman-Knowles - YESTERDAY'S MAN: Music from these folks is always welcomed here at IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION... we reviewed their "Return of the Composer" CD in issue #94. Knowles keyboards and Saltman's bass are just as vibrant on this new 10-song album... there are a whole host of other players here, but their other regular player is vocalist Lori Williams-Chisolm, whose vocals shine again this time. That's particularly true of her singing on tracks like "Cry"... at about 6:11 into the 7:10 piece, she rolls into a scat that's among the best I've ever heard... will bring a tear of joy (or more) to your eye, for sure. The funk-poppin' beat of the bass helps a great deal on the lead-in to "Shesh", but as always, they bring it right back to the jazz that's at the core of all their musical adventures... great piece, to be sure. Their music is all original, so there's no chance that you'll be challenged with tired covers of someone else's jazz vision... the energy is high and the talent just flows from these folks! My favorite cut was "Blues For Sale" an original from Saltman that puts that bass right out there where it belongs - driving this kickin' tune that they said (in the liner notes) has "a bit of bug juice in the percussion solo"... not sure exactly what they meant there, but this tune is superb jazz that will get your spirit movin'! Actually, though, the whole production is a winner, & I give it a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, to be sure. "EQ" (energy quotient) rating is 4.93. Get more information at www.saltmanknowles.com Rotcod Zzaj