Ways & Means James Carney Group

• 1 Nefarious Notions 07:13
• 2 Squatters 13:18
• 3 Champion of Honesty 03:50
• 4 Onondaga 09:47
• 5 The Business End 03:54
• 6 Legal Action 09:08
• 7 Fallout 07:43
• 8 Pow Wow 03:30
• 9 Gargoyles 09:59
• Total Runtime 01:08:22

Info for Ways & Means

Written as 'a virtual film score', this album is the sequel to a commissioned soundtrack that pianist James Carney worked on, and which offered interesting options, yet was too restrictive in terms of pace and musical options: the movie dictated the music. The advantage of a virtual film score is that you can keep the same cinematic approach without the restrictions. Regardless of the explanations, this is a very imaginative modern jazz album, which brings together some of the best musicians of the moment : Peter Epstein on soprano and alto, Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Tony Malaby on tenor, Josh Roseman on trombone, Chris Lightcap on bass and Mark Ferber on drums, with Carney on piano and synth. You can debate about the story that evolves before your mind's eye (what is this virtual movie about?), yet it works in a way. Musical dialogues conjure up pictures of people arguing, pleading, or mourning their fate during the solos, or dramatic moments when the speed and the tension increase, the improvised pieces adding dimensions of distress, but luckily it has the musical flow you expect from good music, rather than the sudden twists and turns of silent movie soundtracks, or the repetitive shallow nature of the more modern scores. This is music with ideas that get time to be developed and explored. The downside of this 'virtual film score' knowledge is that you listen to this music differently than usually - you try to picture what is taking place, and I'm not sure I always like this, because you stop listening to the music for it's own sake. So, forget about this movie angle (sorry I mentioned it), and just enjoy the music for what it is : creative modern jazz, played by great musicians, who are fully dedicated to the project at hand.

'There are many brilliant young pianists in jazz today, and many have experimented with electric/acoustic approaches to the new century's music. Jason Moran, Uri Caine, Matthew Shipp, and Brad Mehldau are just four names. But James Carney deserves to be squarely among them. His tidal wave of a new album, Green-Wood, is a minor masterpiece if not even greater than that. Its melodies, grooves, and bravery should easily buoy the music into tomorrow.' (Will Layman, PopMatters.com)

James Carney, Acoustic/ Electric Pianos
Peter Epstein, Soprano/ Alto Saxophones
Ralph Alessi, Trumpet
Tony Malaby, Tenor Saxophone
Josh Roseman, Trombone
Chris Lightcap, Contrabass
Mark Ferber, Drums

James Carney - Piano
Pianist, keyboardist and composer James Carney is an improviser who draws inspiration from many different sources of music, and he has been fortunate to work with a wide variety of great musicians and artists throughout his career. [Ravi Coltrane, Christian McBride, Michael Cain, Darek Oleszkiewicz, Tim Berne, Nels Cline, Todd Sickafoose among many others.] Carney was born and raised in Syracuse, New York, and in late 2004, he moved from Los Angeles, his home of eighteen years, to New York City. James Carney has cultivated a reputation for developing an original, polystylistic approach to making music - a philosophy that respects and explores both tradition and the avant-garde. He has recorded five albums as a leader - his last two for the Songlines label. Green-Wood (Songlines 1566) was released in 2007 to wide acclaim, and Ways & Means (Songlines 1580) will be released in July 2009. The septet he leads on both recordings, also known as the James Carney Group, features some of New York’s most creative and in-demand musicians: trumpeter Ralph Alessi, tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby, trombonist Josh Roseman, saxophonist Peter Epstein, bassist Chris Lightcap, and drummer Mark Ferber. Ways and Means, a long-form composition and virtual film score, was commissioned by Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Carney is also working on a new commission for the Puffin Cultural Foundation, which will be premiered in October 2009. His previous recordings include: Thread (2002); Offset Rhapsody (1997); Fables from the Aqueduct (1994) all on the Jacaranda label. Other commissions have come from the California Arts Council, The Extension Ensemble brass quintet, and the Syracuse International Film Festival.

Peter Epstein - Soprano/ Alto Saxophones
Saxophonist Peter Epstein is Director of Jazz and Improvisational Music Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. He began his career in 1984 in Portland, Oregon where he apprenticed with resident musicians like Nancy King and Glen Moore. After four years of studying jazz and various world music genres at California Institute of the Arts he moved to New York City (1992 - 2002). Throughout his career he has appeared on over 30 recordings and has toured in more than 20 countries with such notable artists as Bobby Previte, Brad Shepik, Ralph Alessi, Michael Cain, Miroslav Tadic, Medeski Martin & Wood, Mike Stern, Steve Coleman, Jim Black, Ravi Coltrane, Uri Caine, Kadri Golpalnath, and many others. As a leader, Peter has released four albums for MA Recordings. His most recent solo album for MA, Old School, features Peter Erskine on drums and Scott Colley on Bass. Even more recent is “Boats”, the latest release from resident University of Nevada, Reno faculty ensemble, “The Collective”. Peter received a BFA in Jazz Performance from Cal Arts in 1992 and a Master of Music from UNR in 2004.

Ralph Alessi - Trumpet
Jazz Times magazine says Alessi has "drop-dead trumpet chops" and calls his music "as clean and airy and sophisticated and disciplined as post-modern progressive jazz gets.” Ralph Alessi was born in San Francisco,CA, the son of classical trumpeter Joe Alessi and opera singer Maria Leone. (Brother Joe Jr. is principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, and Ralph himself freelanced as a classical player as he was coming up through the ranks.) But after taking degrees in jazz trumpet and bass—he studied under the legendary Charlie Haden at CalArts—he lit out for New York, where he swiftly became an ubiquitous presence on the downtown scene. He's been a frequent collaborator with such notable musicians as Steve Coleman, Don Byron, Ravi Coltrane, Uri Caine, Fred Hersch, Drew Gress, Dafnis Prieto and Jason Moran—most of whom have also played and recorded in Alessi’s own groups. Alessi has recorded seven albums of originals which draw on everything from post-bop to neo classical. Jazz Times named This Against That's debut outing one of the ten best recordings of 2002, while All About Jazz dubbed its 2007 follow-up "Look" “an outstanding work of intellect and fire.” In 2010, Alessi released “Cognitive Dissonance” which received a 4 star review from Downbeat magazine and earlier this year, he released “Wiry Strong” on CleanFeed records.

Tony Malaby - Tenor Saxophone
Originally from Tucson, Arizona ,Tony Malaby has been permanently based in New York since 1995 and has been a member of many notable jazz groups including Charlie Haden’s Liberation Orchestra, Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band, Mark Helias' Open Loose, Fred Hersch's quintet and Walt Whitman project, Michell Portal's Birdwatcher, various projects with Daniel Humair and bands led by Mario Pavone, Tim Berne, Chris Lightcap, Kris Davis, Angelica Sanchez, Michael Attias and Marty Ehrlich. His debut cd "Sabino"(Arabesque) made the NY Times and Philadelphia City Paper's top ten jazz lists for 2000. He has a brand new release: "Tamarindo" with bassist William Parker and Nasheet Waits on drums. It is available on the Clean Feed label. His other releases include: "Adobe" available on Sunnyside in the US, featuring Drew Gress and Paul Motian; Apparitions" on the Songlines label featuring Tom Rainey, Mike Sarin, and Drew Gress; and "Alive in Brooklyn Vol. 1 and 2" featuring Angelica Sanchez and Tom Rainey. Tony leads several projects of his own including: APPARITIONS featuring: Drew Gress, Tom Rainey and Mike Sarin. The Tony Malaby CELLO TRIO, featuring Chicago cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and percussionist John Hollenbeck. The quartet PALOMA RECIO(Loud Dove) with Ben Monder, Eivind Opsvik and Nashhet Waits. The trio TAMARINDO featuring bassist William Parker and Nasheet Waits on drums. Tony co-leads the Malaby Sanchez Rainey Trio.

Josh Roseman - Trombone
Josh Roseman is a New York based trombonist, project organizer, composer and producer. He has worked with a wide range of improvising artists, including John Zorn, Dave Douglas' Sextet, Dave Holland's Grammy-winning Big Band, Steve Coleman, Don Byron, Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, Uri Caine's Mahler Ensemble, the SFJAZZ Collective, Steve Turre, Ron Blake and Oliver Lake. Roseman is also known for his work with creative electric artists Me'Shell NdegeOcello, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Soulive, Charlie Hunter, the Roots, Cibo Matto, Mike Gordon, Sean Lennon, the Skatalites, and the Groove Collective & Brooklyn Funk Essentials, of which he was a founding member. Roseman's electric quintet, the JRU, has headlined at the Berlin Jazztage, the Zurich Jazz festival, Jazz Wilisau, Jazz Coutances, the Nijmegen festival and elsewhere. His other projects include an acoustic quintet, an improvising trombone ensemble, an eight piece avant-ska & reggae ensemble and a new 11 piece big band. He has also appeared as a featured soloist with international artists such as Bojan Z (a French-serbian piano virtuoso and winner of the 2005 European Jazz prize,) John Aram & the Geneva Downtown Orchestra, the Chris Hale Ensemble (a chamber trio in Melbourne, Australia,) and with Italian composer/pianist Riccardo Fassi.

Chris Lightcap - Contrabass
Bassist and composer Chris Lightcap has collaborated with Marc Ribot, Regina Carter, Craig Taborn, Mark Turner, John Scofield, Dave Liebman, Paquito D'Rivera, Joe Morris, Sheila Jordan, James Carter, Butch Morris, Ben Monder and Tom Harrell. Since 1998 he has also led his own groups and produced three critically acclaimed albums of original music. Born and raised in the great beer and steel town of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Chris Lightcap started out on the piano at age eight, switched to violin at nine and began to teach himself the electric bass at fourteen. He simultaneously played violin in a local youth symphony and took gigs on bass guitar with local rock bands as well as his school's jazz and concert bands. As a senior in high school he started to study the upright bass and the following year he enrolled at Williams College. During this period he studied with jazz bassist Cameron Brown, composers Robert Suderburg, David Kechley and Alvin Lucier, trumpeter Bill Dixon, and the late master bassist Milt Hinton. While attending Wesleyan University for a semester he also had the privilege of studying and performing with master drummer Edward Blackwell shortly before his death in 1992. Upon graduating from Williams with the school's Hutchinson arts grant he moved to his current home, New York City.

Mark Ferber - Drums
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mark Ferber began his musical studies on the piano at the age of five. He was later introduced to drumming and percussion. Mark studied classical percussion with Mitchell Peters and drums with Billy Higgins and and Joe Labarbera. He has maintained a very busy playing schedule in Europe and on both the west and east coast. A partial list of his playing credits include Lee Konitz, David Liebman, Don Byron, Norah Jones, Kenny Werner, Steve Swallow, Fred Hersch, Billy Childs, Bud Shank, Anthony Wilson and Larry Goldings. Mark can be heard on recent recordings with various artists on Soul Note, Fresh Sound/New Talent, Sunnyside, Omnitone and Steeplechase Records. He is a part time faculty member for the City College of New York and the School of Improvisational Music. Currently, Mark resides in Brooklyn, New York.

This album contains no booklet.