Blue-in-Green:PODCAST #108: Joe Pignato of Bright Dog Red

Welcome to Episode #108 of the Blue-in-Green:PODCAST which this week sees Imran connect with Bright Dog Red's founder, drummer and bandleader, Joe Pignato.

Something of a staple to see these episodes now, this marks Joe's fourth appearance on the Blue-in-Green:PODCAST as we discuss the band's fifth album since their initial debut 'Means to the Ends' in 2018 - a remarkable statistic and a testament to the band's boundless levels of creativity.  

Renowned as an improvising collective from New York, Bright Dog Red's new album, 'Under the Porch', continues to present the band's unique vision for an all-encompassing approach to modern-day jazz celebrating inspirations from hip-hop, electronica and spiritual jazz.  Thanks to their long-running association with one of the leading labels for contemporary and forward-thinking jazz music, Ropeadope Records, Bright Dog Red continue to deliver music that both challenges and inspires and 'Under the Porch' marks an exciting inclusion within the band's ever-expanding catalogue.

We hope you enjoy this episode where we discuss the new album, the inclusion of bass icon Tim Lefebvre as part of the group's line-up as well as live performances and streaming during the pandemic.

Please click here to listen to music via the Bright Dog Red Bandcamp page.

Blue-in-Green Sessions · Blue-in-Green:PODCAST_#108_Joe Pignato Of Bright Dog Red

'Away From You' by Jovan Milovanović

"I have an urge to express myself through music. To tell a story."

It's as endearing an introduction to an artist as there could be...  

And thankfully for the Serbian guitarist and composer, Jovan Milovanović, the opportunity to tell his story arrives with the launch of his long overdue debut album, 'Away From You', released through Shifting Paradigm Records.

The Minneapolis-based label would no doubt have been moved but such an impassioned approach to music-making.  Themselves, champions for "modern jazz, instrumental and improvised music", the label - now in its tenth year - has always sought out innovative and inspired talents to introduce to wider audiences.  Names like Jamie Breiwick, Zacc Harris, Adam Booker and Andrea Scala have each presented stunning projects that helped Shifting Paradigm to ascend to a higher plateau with each outing.

Now the turn of Berklee College of Music graduate Jovan Milovanović who celebrates his own vision for contemporary jazz with 'Away From You' - a fantastic nine track release that conveys elements of his own deeply personal journey while still paying respectful nods to many of his own musical heroes like John Scofield, Chick Corea and Bill Evans.  Serbian guitarist Radomir Mihajlović Točak is also cited as an inspiration which is fitting seeing that Milovanović now finds himself firmly embedded within a wave of artists flying the flag for contemporary Serbian jazz.  Recent releases from flautist Milena Jancuric, vocalist and saxophonist Sanja Markovic, saxophonist Max Kochetov and Majamisty TriO each feature extensive Serbian ensembles and have served as fantastic pieces of music to represent the country's burgeoning scene with Jovan Milovanović's 'Away From You' sitting highly amongst this wave of projects.

The music on 'Away From You' is performed by a quartet comprised of indelibly talented musicians - with Milovanović credited for guitar and compositions, he is joined by saxophonist Kristijan Mlačak, bassist Milan Nikolić and drummer Aleksandar Cvetković who each breathe scintillating life into each track.  The album kicks off with very possibly its own masterstroke with 'Green Dream' - at a little over nine minutes, the track serves as an excellent introduction to the album's overall ambition and scope as it traverses numerous styles and shifts delivering an exquisite performance.

Further album highlights come in the form of the subtle swing of 'Secret Blue', the elegance of 'Away From You' and the infectious buoyancy of 'Daisy People'.  'RMT' as well warrants special mention for its bold and funk-inspired groove.  'Away From You' not only demonstrates Milovanović's skill as a guitarist but also as a producer presenting tracks masterfully composed with buckets of personality.

There's another quote on Milovanović's website that simply reads: "Storytelling. Expression. Emotion."  It's another example of Milovanović understanding the responsibility that goes along with making music that connects with listeners and subsequently builds a devoted audience.  It's taken a long time for Jovan Milovanović to deliver his debut album so this is a project that must come with immeasurable pride - a brilliant piece of work that will hopefully inspire further releases.

Jesse Fischer, LIVE @ Ronnie Scott's 27th April 2022

Since March 2020, the world has had to evolve and adapt to these new and extraordinary circumstances where face masks, social distancing, excessive amounts of hand sanitizer, home schooling and Zoom-based interactions had become our new "normal".  And while the time since has certainly impacted everyone, the impact on the music industry and independent artists and musicians has been particularly difficult to see unfolding.  Conversely, this can also be seen as a challenge that many have risen to - the need to continually create, even in less-than-inspirational circumstances, has led to some wonderful and inspired ideas and projects.  

Although Jesse Fischer's 'Resilience' was actually recorded before a certain worldwide pandemic, its overall message of hope and inspiration was appropriately timed when it was eventually unveiled to the world in August 2020.  Even the incorporation of the project's accompanying web series that featured the pianist and producer conducting one-on-one discussions with the album's collaborators, again, proved an inspired concept in a bid to continue making connections with an audience while live performances weren't possible.

Fast forward to Wednesday 27th April 2022 - a milestone that seemed unachievable for the longest time but would ultimately see the opening night of a European tour that brings Fischer and his band to London, Paris and Munich.  The revered Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club marked the tour's first stop in the much overdue live celebration of 'Resilience' alongside music from Fischer's ongoing covers series, 'Flipped II' (2018).  With a line-up comprised of AJOYO saxophonist and founder Yacine Boularès, Jason Brown on drums and Karl Abel on electric bass, the quartet masterfully breezed through 'Resilience' highlights including the album's title track and 'Healing' while segueing into Fischer's own reimaginings of classics like Freddie Hubbard's 'The Intrepid Fox' and Stevie Wonder's 'Creepin'. 

The pleasure for Fischer to be able to grace a stage again was certainly not lost on him or the devoted audience in attendance.  Perched in front of the grand piano with keyboards positioned adjacent and smiling gleefully, at times even with his eyes closed, as he plays and conducts the stage with subtle nods and smiles to the band members that indicate "one more time" or "on the one" to bring the song to a close.  An appreciative and engrossed audience fed off the energy from the more uptempo performances, remained just as enamoured during the more intimate compositions and were all equally absorbed by Fischer's warm and personable interaction between songs as he provided insight into each project and introduced the fantastic band.

The tour was further commemorated by the release of Fischer's brand new single which is to be the first of a series of 'Resilience' remixes kickstarted by a remix of the album's title track itself dubbed 'Resilience (Recharged)'.  With the Christian Scott-featured original recreated to make way for "analog synths and vintage 90's drum machines", Fischer's imaginative retelling of 'Resilience' comes with the promise of more remixes, by Fischer as well as others, currently in the works.  We certainly look forward to those as well as for the chance to see Jesse Fischer grace a London stage again.  

While the 'Resilience' project clearly still steams ahead, it must have come as immeasurable comfort for Fischer to have this live tour be a part of the project's overall story as it was originally envisioned.  It was certainly of immeasurable comfort to those in attendance.

'In Plain View' by Ivan Radivojevic Quartet

'In Plain View' marks the debut album from trumpeter Ivan Radivojevic and his Quartet ensemble for the excellent A.MA Records.

Radivojevic's efforts have actually seen him fall under A.MA Records' watchful eye for some time now.  Having served as a guest on past A.MA releases including Max Kochetov Quartet's 'Altered Feelings' album which was released in early 2022 and featured Radivojevic appearing, trumpet in hand, on the songs 'Groovin' and 'Sultry Requiem'.  Radivojevic also appeared as part of the ensemble for vocalist and saxophonist Sanja Markovic and her masterpiece, 'Ascension', released in 2020.

Radivojevic's distinct tone and vision for his music has been laid bare, certainly through the variety of projects he has been involved in to date.  Aside from the collaborations already listed, Radivojevic also managed to nurture his affections for more eclectic, hip-hop inspired productions by appearing on Serbian rapper Marčelo's 'Nojeva Varka' providing trumpet for the track 'Flešbek'.  

'In Plain View' is a record exemplary of everything that Radivojevic brings to the table - an exquisite eight track release that is bursting with ideas and impassioned performances.  In fact, as something of a nice preview to the album, there are some great YouTube videos of Radivojevic and company performing for Serbian audiences recorded from September 2021 of last year that are a real treat and give a great indication of the ardent and stirring performances to expect from a live Radivojevic performance.  I'd encourage you to even dig that little bit further back to tracks uploaded to Radivojevic's Soundcloud account as far back as ten years ago, and marvel at the outstanding playing even back then for the three tracks that are currently available to hear.

Helping to bring the music to sublime life throughout 'In Plain View' however, and joining Radivojevic as part of this incredible Quartet, are pianist Andreja Hristić, double bassist Boris Šainović and drummer Bogdan Đurđević who really play together beautifully.  'Day One' kicks the project off with a wonderfully understated number but one no less divine as Radivojevic trades notes with Hristić's piano for one of the album's early standout numbers.  The nine minute gem of the album follows swiftly afterwards, 'Some Place Else', and serves as another track to really showcase the world class standard on display for 'In Plain View'; the song traverses a variety of styles and pace, and captures an inspired energy that's hard to rival as the album's centrepiece.  A further special mention is warranted for the introspective and ethereal nature of 'Slipping Into The Night' - carried in part by the song's guest artist, guitarist Andreja Stanković, who offers up an impeccable performance and manages to perfectly elicit Radivojevic's concept.

'In Plain View' is a fantastic debut record for an artist with limitless potential; the album really is a playground for Radivojevic's inspirations and ideas and we'll await the follow-up eagerly to see what new "views" we'll be exposed to then.

'HUMAN' by Deborah Jordan & K15

The new collaborative project between Deborah Jordan and K15, soon to be released via Futuristica Music, explores the concept of our own humanity while attempting to address what does in fact make each of us human.

While the inspired pairing of revered singer and songwriter, Deborah Jordan, alongside the boundless versatility of producer and musician K15 (Kieron Ifill) for a whole album seems too good to be true, this is actually a project that each of their respective roads have been converging towards for years.

With a musical union that stretches as far back as Jordan's sophomore album release 'What You See' (2011), K15's immaculate production has become a firm staple within her music since having gone on to contribute remixes for 'Love From The Sun' and 'Amina' as well as four staggering productions on Jordan's monumental 'See in the Dark' album.

Deborah Jordan - as an earnest, sincere and compassionate songwriter - has always managed to convey so much through her music making her one of the most profound and earnest voices of our time.  Through her solo releases as well as key contributions to full-length projects as part of Silhouette Brown with Kaidi Tatham and Dego, Robert Mitchell's Panacea and Sun Circle with Simon S, Jordan finds a way to inject her charm and personality into each venture despite the varied styles of each.

Similarly for Ifill, he himself has proved genuinely at home amongst a variety of collaborators be it projects with Henry Wu, Earl Jeffers, rapper DistantStarr or vocalist Emeson; K15's all-encompassing approach to music-making affords him the opportunity to excel amongst these various genres, and even amongst genres where the parameters are even less defined as with his Culross Close project.  Having just released his third album under the Culross Close moniker, the concept sees Ifill straddle these seemingly disparate realms of jazz and electronica to genuinely exquisite effect.

As much of a meeting of the musical minds as this project is, the album undertakes a deeply spiritual exploration on what it is to be human.  With songs delving into fear, grief, remorse and love, 'Human' boldly places those character traits under the proverbial microscope and faces them with a sincere and honest openness.  The subject matter is broached with such sensitivity throughout the album's twelve tracks which is very much indicative of the approach that both Jordan and Ifill continually bring to their music. 

The songs throughout 'Human' beautifully embrace the array of styles that both Jordan and Ifill have become attributed to - from the brilliant Culross Close-esque production of album opener 'Running' to the twinges of broken beat found in 'Innervision' and the more acoustic, piano-driven tracks like 'Change'.  The masterful production is both sparse and intricate affording Jordan's typically incredible vocal the appropriate space to explore these sonic soundscapes in her own inimitable way while expressing those very characteristics about our own humanity.

Which brings us back to our opening question about what is it that makes us human?  Maybe it's hope.  It could be argued to be the underlying theme of the whole album - the belief we have in ourselves and each other that tomorrow brings a brighter day.  But that's one interpretation and as a prospective listener, you are bound to draw your own conclusions having heard the project too.  You'll think, you'll smile, you may even be inspired which is what great art can draw out of you.  You are human, after all.

'Milt Ward & Virgo Spectrum' by Milt Ward & Virgo Spectrum

Milt Ward & Virgo Spectrum have their one-&-only, self-titled release newly-reissued by the fine gatekeepers of forgotten treasures, Frederiksberg Records.

Founded by Danish video journalist, Andreas Vingaard, the New York-based label has managed to unearth some incredible projects since its inception in 2013.  Originally striving to celebrate unsung Scandinavian jazz, as epitomised by the very first project the label ever presented - saxophonist Carsten Meinert Kvartet's 1969 album 'To You' - Frederiksberg's scope has significantly expanded unearthing treasures from further-reaching corners of the globe.  To highlight the point, we previously covered the excellent 1984 album release 'Sons of Ethiopia' by Admas which showcased the compelling story of a collective of musicians who were exiled from Ethiopia during the Derg regime before they would ultimately go on to settle in the US.

Milt Ward & Virgo Spectrum finds Frederiksberg returning to the US for this wonderful piece of spiritual soul-jazz that sees trumpeter Ward taking centre stage for what was his only headlining release.  There are other projects to find from this era that feature Ward's trumpet, like saxophonist Milton Marsh's 'We Are Not Separate From Spirit, We Are In It', but this project with the line-up that comprised Virgo Spectrum is Ward's definitive masterpiece.  

Born in Michigan and raised in New Orleans, Milton Ward would eventually find himself in the midst of Boston's thriving jazz scene in the early 1970s.  A graduate of the revered Berklee College of Music, Ward would become an impassioned live performer whether the situation was him playing as part of a backing ensemble or whether it was recruiting musicians to his own Ultra Modern Quintet Plus Two.  Ward's dedication to his craft would ultimately see the launch of his own Twin Quest label that provided the original home for his 1977 bestowal.  Interestingly, 1977 would also see the release of the only other Twin Quest release in Sharon Brown's 'Musick Sure Sounds Good, Pts 1 & 2'; credited to simply 'Sharon', the single was produced by Ward and featured music by him and Virgo Spectrum.  Marking Sharon's debut solo single, the soul singer would actually go on to have a thriving post-Twin Quest career with further solo releases on Profile and Taz Records and appearances as a part of Family Tree.

Milton Ward clearly had a keen eye for talent - outside of his signing of Sharon Brown, we only need to look at the line-up that comprise Virgo Spectrum and the incredible achievements many of the band members would go on to in their own careers.  Saxophonist Carlos Garnett and bassist Cecil McBee earn themselves a front cover "featuring" credit due to some exquisite playing throughout as well as the fact that the two had already solidified themselves as esteemed and respected musicians - McBee through his work with Alice Coltrane, Andrew Hill and Yusef Lateef, and Garnett through his collaborations with Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders and Norman Connors.  Amongst the incredible musicians that play throughout the album, saxophonist Bill Pierce would find success later as a member of The Jazz Messengers while Glenn Barbour would go on to join The Whole Darn Family. 

The six tracks presented throughout the album are a real joy born of a variety of styles and influences, from tracks infused with a high-energy spiritual-jazz-meets-soul-fusion aesthetic like the 'Mr Cheese' and 'The Foreignor' opening numbers or the more introspective and sublime 'Morning Glories'.  The infectious jazz-funk of 'The Charle' also warrants special mention for its otherwordly sonics and undeniable groove.

Frederiksberg Records hold the distinction of presenting the first and only authorized reissue of 'Milt Ward & Virgo Spectrum' available now through vinyl and digital releases.  Sadly, as fantastic a record as this is, the album didn't cement Ward as the luminary he perhaps should have become but to see the record being embraced nearly five decades later holds hope that the music here can live on for new listeners.

'Moonlight Is Our Sunshine' - V/A

"3AM is the hour of writers, painters, poets, musicians, silence seekers, overthinkers and creative people.  We know who you are.  We can see your light on.  Keep on keeping on."

There's an undisclosed quote I've had in the pocket for some time that just so happens to perfectly encapsulate the intentions of the latest offering from David Hanke's Bathurst label.  

'Moonlight Is Our Sunshine' is the new 12-track compilation that serves as a tribute to the unsung heroes that are the day-dreamers and the night-thinkers - be them the creatives scrounging for more time to nurture their unwavering passions or be them the worriers whose thoughts sadly weigh heavier than their eyelids.

A wonderful ensemble has been put together here featuring some incredible artists unified by their affections for multi-layered textures as part of their electronica-inspired compositions.  Even on paper, the inclusion of the Brighton-based DJ and producer, Asta Hiroki, is a dream addition and he doesn't disappoint with his sublime 'These Hands, Pt.2' submission.  Similarly with producer Tristan de Liège who, as with Hiroki, has been releasing some fantastic music in the last few years and offers a lush reinterpretation of his previously released track, 'Mbali'.  Solar Apple Quarktette's 'Do You Love Me Too', as remixed by Unforscene in this instance, is another sensational inclusion with a moody, broken beat soundscape, reminiscent of a 90's trip-hop or 4hero gem.

As well as the wealth of talent on display here, listeners are also treated to a healthy amount of David Hanke music under a variety of his own guises.  We marvelled last year about the 'All One' release by The Motion Orchestra - a project headed up by Hanke which spawned an exquisite spiritual jazz meets neo-classical aesthetic that was a real joy.  The inclusion of new song 'Clouds' continues in the same vein as 'All One' with a string-laden gem.  As well as contributions on the album by Hanke's Lehto, he also takes on the distinction of closing the album out with the lush, nearly eight minutes of 'The Evening Garden'.

Due to the very nature of this release, it should be made clear that 'Moonlight Is Our Sunshine' should in no way be considered music to fall asleep to at 3am - this is music to inspire and uplift, music to provide comfort and solace, and music to keep you company before you eventually succumb to those brief hours of slumber.