In bridging the worlds of Delta blues icon Skip James and improvised art music, drummer Ted Poor turns to two masters of melody and texture: the keyboardist Pete Rende and, in a rare East Coast appearance, the trumpeter Cuong Vu. Renowned innovators in their own right, Poor, Rende and Vu convene to tackle a combination of new compositions and arrangements of Mississippi delta blues. Having collaborated in other settings for over a decade, the trio brings a deeply personal and highly developed sense of song, form and sound to their explorations of this rich American art form. Ethereal texture, pure melody and gritty pulse converge to form a world steeped in the blues and wide open to possibility....
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In bridging the worlds of Delta blues icon Skip James and improvised art music, drummer Ted Poor turns to two masters of melody and texture: the keyboardist Pete Rende and, in a rare East Coast appearance, the trumpeter Cuong Vu. Renowned innovators in their own right, Poor, Rende and Vu convene to tackle a combination of new compositions and arrangements of Mississippi delta blues. Having collaborated in other settings for over a decade, the trio brings a deeply personal and highly developed sense of song, form and sound to their explorations of this rich American art form. Ethereal texture, pure melody and gritty pulse converge to form a world steeped in the blues and wide open to possibility.
As internationally acclaimed artists Ted Poor, Pete Rende and Cuong Vu have performed and recorded with many of the most important voices in music today, including: Pat Metheny, David Bowie, Bill Frisell, Laurie Andersen, Ben Monder, Rebecca Martin and Kurt Rosenwinkel.
Ted Poor (Drums)
http://tedpoor.com/
Jazz Review writes, “Ted has an uncanny ability to shape the music and a refreshingly unique, organic approach to playing the drums.”
Ted has toured internationally and is a regular member of Grammy award winning trumpeter Cuong Vu's ensemble, guitarist Ben Monder's Bad Touch, and the Respect Sextet. Ted’s most recent project as a leader is Mt. Varnum, which reconciles a life-long love of deep swing with an adoration of classic and indie rock. The band’s forthcoming debut release “Wounded Caroline” is a complete manifestation of that union.
Ted has appeared on dozens of recordings and shared the stage with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Bill Frisell, Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Kenny Werner, Maria Schneider, Aaron Parks and Ralph Alessi. As a guest soloist and educator, Poor has held residencies at the Eastman School of Music, Berklee College of Music, Cal Arts, Lawrence University, the University of Oregon, and the HR Big Band of Frankfurt. He is currently an Artist in Residence at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Cuong Vu (Trumpet)
http://www.cuongvu.com/
Cuong Vu is widely recognized by jazz critics as a leader of a generation of innovative musicians. A unique musical voice, Cuong has lent his trumpeting to Pat Metheny, Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, Dave Douglas, Myra Melford, Cibo Matto, and Mitchell Froom.
As a leader, Cuong has released eight recordings, each making critics’ lists of the 10 best recordings of their respective years. Each record displays how he has carved out a distinctive sonic territory on the trumpet, blurring all stylistic borders while developing his own compositional aesthetic.
In 2002 and 2006, Cuong was a recipient of the Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album as a member of the Pat Metheny Group. He’s been recognized as one of the top 50 young Jazz Artists in an article called “The New Masters” from the British magazine, “Classic CD” and in 2006 was named the Best International Jazz Artist by the Italian Jazz Critics’ Society. Amazon listed Vu’s “Come Play With Me” on their “The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time”.
Pete Rende (Piano/Keyboard)
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pete-rende
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