RECORDINGS
NEW SPACES
With an ongoing residency at Chicago's famed Fitzgerald's over the last 5 years, saxophonist Jarod Bufe took the opportunity to develop a body of new compositions while honing an intuitive group aesthetic with this band of top-flight Chicago artists. Written during a period of life changes, Bufe's tunes convey all the emotions that implies, but through the creative rhythmic vitality generated by drummer Jon Deitemyer and bassist Matt Ulery, the feeling of hope and of the ongoing search is never lost. Guitarist Tim Stine's improvisatory approach with surprising, unfurling lines, beside his understated chordal accompanying of Bufe's tradition-rich lyricism, defines this very personal and conversational session.
Purchase New Spaces from Origin Records HERE.
Read reviews of New Spaces in Downbeat and Jazz Weekly.
BRIGHTER DAYS
Brighter Days finds saxophonist and composer Jarod Bufe back at the helm of the seasoned quartet featured on his critically acclaimed 2018 debut New Spaces (OA2 Records). The group is comprised of some of the most in-demand musicians on the contemporary Chicago scene, each a bandleader in their own right: Matt Ulery (bass), Jon Deitemyer (drums), and Tim Stine (guitar). To help realize his vision, Bufe tapped the production talents of longtime friend and collaborator Nick Mazzarella, who has been refining his modern-vintage approach to recording with engineer Dave Vettraino at Chicago’s Palisades studio in recent years. Together the artists tackle nine new compositions penned by Bufe in response to the pandemic with a unity of conception and ease that can only develop night after night on the bandstand.
Many of these nights were at FitzGerald’s Sidebar, a long-standing, laid back venue in historic Berwyn just outside Chicago. Bufe’s quartet maintained a residency there from 2012 through 2019 and has returned regularly since the club reopened post lockdown. “The residency functioned as a workshop to develop material and rapport, which led to our first record” says Bufe. Brighter Days documents the group’s evolution since that release. “The style is similar, but there is greater cohesion and depth in the new performances,” relates Bufe, attributing this to not only more time on the bandstand together but also “the ways in which everyone evolved individually by enduring COVID-19.” For Bufe the material also channels that experience; in his words it “was inspired by pandemic lockdown reflections on the role of music in expressing and providing hope in dark times.”
Purchase New Spaces from Calligram Records HERE.
Read reviews of New Spaces in Downbeat and All About Jazz.