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Two Of A kind - A Tribute To Miles & Monk

by Saskia Laroo & Warren Byrd

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1.
Pretty Rome 03:43
2.
3.
Beyond the flaw remembered in my dreams / blown into resolute extremes / I yaw where melancholy seems / To cloud my reality / Like a sky / lorded so by mad blue-gray schemes / billowed high, in my eye... / This gloom’s so heavy; / Pain’s never laid such a yoke on me / But I fear to call it mine / No, I dare not call it mine / Still I’ll channel those streams // What was that flaw / The one that lingered long / Taunting like secrets in a muffled throng / And ringing like a song / To mar my serenity / Though I’m gleanin’ / Only the nag and chagrin / Bold n’ keen, both so green... / Why do tarry? / Where is my grip on what has to be? / Bare essentiality— / That is always true to me / So then I can flow beyond the flaw...
4.
5.
Visible Muse 05:01
6.
7.
Misterioso 03:37
8.
Modification 03:50
9.
Brighter Day 05:13
10.
Solace 03:30
11.
Solar 02:26
12.
Why Not Me 04:19
13.
14.
Banana Tree 01:31
15.
Four 04:13

about

Brand new project and another change of pace from our Dutch jazz diva from the Netherlands, teaming her amazing melifluous trumpet with Monk-master Warren Byrd pianist/composer/vocalist for a Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk tribute. The duo's tours through Brazil, Hong Kong, Thailand, Netherlands, Russia, and USA come to fruition on their first Duo album. The CD mood swings with Laroo/Byrd covers of vintage Miles and Monk favorites as well as the duo's new compositions, Byrd's scats and hand drums, Laroo's toggles between trumpet and upright bass-100% organic jazz.

Liner notes

A fateful night? May 9, 2010 at the Amersfoort Jazz Festival where international beacon of Holland Jazz, trumpet diva Saskia Laroo, and undiscovered ace pianist/vocalist Warren Byrd made duo magic in a oaken, beer-stenched cafe Marktzicht to an eager throng. Their flow was keen, their shtick slick, their heat high; Saskia’s sunny zest and Warren’s groovy jive blazed out the pub. Their show shined like never before. Something was bound to come of this. The people’s response demanded it. Two of a Kind, duo Laroo/Byrd’s debut album, meets every demand, most importantly, their own. Hailing from Amsterdam, Laroo who holds acclaim in several continents as “Lady Miles”, has done stints with luminaries such as Hans Dulfer and Teddy Edwards, and earned a Peace award from India, has humble demands. Connecticut Jazz legend, Byrd--whose soul-link with Thelonious Monk, sideman credits with Eddie Henderson, Steve Davis and tenure as Saskia’s main keysman for almost a decade is no joke--would say his demands are not so simple. Yet, ironically, they are the same as his counterpart’s. 
Spontaneity, drive, challenge, sincerity, drama, flow. The power of jazz performance is in reconciling these qualities. These sessions invoking the spirit Miles and Monk are imbued with the power. Yet, collaborations between these said stellar figures of jazz were often fettered despite their mutual respect. Some jazz mavens may cite that it was Monk who after Miles’s historic rendition of ”Round Midnight” at Newport Jazz festival 1954 chided him that he played the tune wrong and that Miles urged Monk to lay out on his solos on the classic Christmas 1954 session of “Bags Groove”. Yet, for Saskia and Warren, merging artistic differences was part of the joy.
Warren Byrd, whose compositions have earned great respect from his peers speaks of the joy of writing specifically for Saskia: “I’d always wanted to compose for her to feature her mellow tone and her lyricism but challenge her harmonically.” He composed “Beyond the Flaw” and “Solace” to this effect. The pieces “Visible Muse” from 1997 and “Why Not Me” from much earlier, too, cull the same spirit.
Saskia, with several albums to her credit, including two acoustic recordings, one with legendary saxophonist Teddy Edwards, had her own albatrosses to manage in this endeavor: “We’d planned four originals each plus two covers each of Miles and Monk. Warren came with a list of almost fifty originals. I only had one. Along with all my other [career-related] tasks, I had some composing to do.” Learning Warren’s tunes was a great inspiration for her composing. She’d compose “Pretty Rome” while on tour in Italy and “Brighter Day” in her lair in Hartford, Connecticut. A symbolic summit between the two would be had on their co-composition “Collaboratiion”.
Other neat surprises round out their opus. Saskia plays bass on her piece “Modification” , on Miles’s “Solar”, and on the impromptu romp on a bebop standard “Scat-firmation” featuring herself toggling deftly between trumpet and bass on the former two and supporting Warren’s scatting on the later. Warren’s vocals also get some bling on “Beyond” and “Brighter” not to mention his hand drumming on “Banana Tree”. Comparisions to Miles and Monk would cross the minds of the many on first listenings of the Laroo/Byrd covers of “Well You Needn’t”, “Misterioso”, or “Four” but their unique voices are insured as one’s ears keen up, especially upon hearing the album’s poignant spoiler (included by special request) “I Remember Clifford”.
All good music requires savoring, whether it’s hot live sounders seen in musty pubs, fawned over in castles or hoarded in the privy pad. Some music will pale after enough; some becomes never enough. This collaboration of Duo Laroo/Byrd is tasty with moments of deep, core-satisfaction, rife with those charms that keep Saskia and Warren coming back for more...and maybe even Miles and Monk could ultimately agree on: Spontaneity, drive, challenge, sincerity, drama, and flow.
Hartford, March 3, 2011

credits

released September 9, 2011

Musicians

Saskia Laroo: trumpet (all except 6), upright bass (6, 8 7 11)
Warren Byrd: acoustic piano (all exept 6, 14), vocals (3, 6, 9), bongos (14)


Recordings

Recorded Aug 3, 2010 (1-4, 6-9, 11, 14, 15) on November 9, 2010: (5, 10, 12, 13)
Produced & arranged by Saskia Laroo & Warren Byrd
Recorded, edited, mixed & mastered by Warren Amerman at The Rotary Records, West Springfield, MA, USA (2011)


Artwork

Cover and back photographs by Saskia Laroo, Inside photographs by Saskia Laroo, Warren Byrd and Warren Amerman
Art Direction & design by Saskia Laroo, Warren Byrd and Robbie Taylor.
Liner notes by Warren Byrd

Gratitude

Saskia Laroo and Warren byrd express the higest gratitude to the powers of life and truth, and like to thank their family, friends, fans, collegue musicians, inspirators and everybody who had helped to put this album together.
A special thank you to Wil, Freddie, Robbie, Warren A. and Ms Evelyn Byrd.


Marketing

A co-production of Byrdspeak Productions (warrenbyrd.com) and Laroo Records
Cat nr: SL1101 | P & C Laroo Records 2011, the Netherlands
Email: saskialaroo@hotmail.com / info@saskialaroo.nl
Website: www.saskialaroo.com / www.laroorecords.com
NL mob: +31(65) 571-3113 / US cell: +1(860) 869-9531

Distribution

Cat nr: SL1101 Distributed by Bertus Distribution, Netherlands (for Benelux, Europe & beyond)
Cat nr: LRO1101 Distributed by City Hall Records, USA (for USA & Canada)

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

SaskiaLaroo Amsterdam

I am
trumpet player
Saskia Laroo
from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
My musical styles vary from
jazz to dance to world to pop
I have released six CD 's
with electric and acoustic music
on Laroo Records
I perform with my own formations
or as special guest
throughout the world.
On this website you 'll find
music, video, photos, information
and more.
... more

contact / help

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