“No More, No Less” by The Jason Parker Quartet to be Released on October 24, 2009
J&J Music is proud to present the release of The Jason Parker Quartet’s second album, “No More, No Less”. The JPQ will celebrate with a CD Release Party at Lucid Jazz Lounge on October 24, 2009 at 9:30pm. The JPQ is: Jason Parker (trumpet), Josh Rawlings (piano), Evan Flory-Barnes (bass) and D’Vonne Lewis (drums). They are joined on three tracks by special guest Cynthia Mullis on tenor sax.
“No More, No Less” is the follow-up to the JPQ’s self-titled debut album from 2007. The new CD documents the growth the band has gone through during the past two years and illustrates the cohesive, passionate playing that prompted Earshot Jazz to call them “The next generation of Seattle Jazz.” Songs include one original by Parker and fresh takes on compositions by a diverse group of songwriters, including Wayne Shorter, Cole Porter, Sam Rivers, Nick Drake, George Gershwin, Duke Pearson and Tatum Greenblatt. The addition of Mullis on three tracks adds fire and depth to the band, and she fits in perfectly with the exploratory nature of the core quartet.
The JPQ prides itself on compelling original compositions and fresh interpretations of jazz standards. With the inclusion of Nick Drake’s “Three Hours” they have signaled a commitment to playing songs from outside the traditional jazz canon. And with Tatum Greenblatt’s “Mance’s Dance” they have shown a desire to play songs written by their peers. Greenblatt is a Seattle-born, NYC-based trumpet player currently studying for a Masters’ Degree at Juilliard School of Music.
The CD Release Party at Lucid Jazz Lounge will feature songs from the new CD and other goodies as well, featuring Mullis joining the band for the evening. The CD will be available at the show for a suggested donation of $15, but will be available to all attendees on a pay-what-you-can basis. Everyone paying $15 or more will also receive a free download of “Jason Parker and Friends – Live at Lucid”, which was recorded earlier this summer.
You can stream the album for free here, or just click the “play” button in the right-hand column to listen while you continue to surf this page.
Show time for the Release Party is 9:30pm. Lucid Jazz Lounge is located at 5241 University Way NE, Seattle. There is no cover charge and the show is 21+.
Bios
Josh Rawlings – Pianist and Composer Josh Rawlings is a renaissance jazz pianist that exhibits awesome ability on his instrument and ease playing genre-to-genre – setting-to-setting. Since moving to Seattle, Rawlings has seen wide successes as a performer and musician, and has been featured on the Northwest’ most prestigious stages. Josh graduated from Seattle’s renowned Cornish College of the Arts in 2005, and has twice since been honored by Earshot Magazine’s Golden Ear Award Nominations. Having studied and performed with renowned groups & musicians Denney Goodhew and the Qhromatics, Randy Halberstadt, Jovino Santos Neto and Hadley Caliman while at Cornish, Josh developed a voice that was literally bursting out of his school doors.
Evan Flory-Barnes – Bassist Evan Flory-Barnes has distinguished himself as the first-call bassist in the Seattle area in any number of genres. He envisions and lives the creation of a community of musicians and other artists brought together by excitement, collaboration, and a spirit of well-being, known as New Seattle. The original groups Threat of Beauty, Industrial Revelation, Ciendo and The Teaching have each been born of the New Seattle spirit. Evan’s buoyant swing, cold grooves, blistering solos and inventive bow playing are fully exposed through performances with his own groups and with groups in all genres, including the Marc Seales Quintet, Jovino Santos-Neto, Correo Aereo, Choklate, and Scandalmonger. He was recently awarded the prestigious Meet the Composer grant to produce a 9-movement orchestral work with dance that will be featured in the 2009 Earshot Jazz Festival. In 2007 he was a featured artist on the Seattle Channel’s Verve Series of artist documentaries.
D’Vonne Lewis – D’Vonne Lewis is a self-taught drummer with a background in gospel, funk, and rhythm and blues. Lewis graduated from Seattle’s Roosevelt High School where he has received numerous high school jazz band awards, including outstanding soloist at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival for the years of 2000, 2001, and 2002. In early 2007, he was awarded the Seattle Jazz, Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Award for Emerging Artist of 2006. Lewis has performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Marian McPartland, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, vocalist Dee Daniels, jazz clarinetist Eddie Daniels, Larry Fuller, and out-sax titan Charles Gayle. Lewis plays in several bands around the puget sound exploring a broad range of music styles including jazz, funk, African, Brazilian, hip-hop, and r&b. In the fall of 2004, the D’Vonne Lewis Quintet was featured at the Earshot Jazz Festival. He now leads his own quartet, Industrial Revelation and his own trio Triplication. D’Vonne is a regular member of Marc Seales’ Quintet, McTuff, Seattle’s soul queen Choklate, Seattle’s Blue Scholars. and The Hadley Caliman Quartet.
Cynthia Mullis – Cynthia Mullis is a versatile, accomplished saxophonist and jazz artist. Since moving to Seattle in 2000, she has become an active member of the Pacific Northwest music scene after many years in New York and San Francisco. Cynthia leads the jazz group New York Confidential which combines the finest jazz musicians in the Pacific Northwest with musical style inspired by the Big Apple. The chemistry of the band is organic, creative and exciting, and performs classic jazz and original jazz compositions. The band features top-notch northwest jazz musicians in concert, club and festival settings. New York Confidential also provides professional musical services for various events in the Seattle area. In addition to performing with other notable Northwest groups, Cynthia is a regular member of the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra. She is featured on tenor and alto saxophone on their 2007 OA2 Records release, Meeting of the Waters. Cynthia also performed with SWOJO at the Lima Jazz Festival in 2007. Cynthia lived and worked in New York City from 1993 through 2000. She moved to the Big Apple at the encouragement of Jimmy Heath, and studied saxophone, composition and jazz improvisation with the legendary saxophonist at Queens College. While completing her studies with Mr. Heath, she immersed herself in the jazz scene of New York City, hitting late night jam sessions, practicing hours a day, and meeting and performing with world-class musicians. From 1994 to 2000 she was a member of the all-women big band Diva, based in New York City. With Diva, she performed extensively across the United States, backing such artists as Diane Schuur, Joe Williams and Dave Brubeck. While with Diva, Cynthia performed at numerous prestigious venues, including the Blue Note, Birdland, and Tavern on the Green in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the SS Norway and QE2 Floating Jazz Festivals, and jazz festivals in Berlin, Montreal, Austria and Switzerland. Cynthia can be heard on two of Diva’s CDs, Leave It to Diva and I Believe in You. Cynthia Mullis earned a Master of Arts in Jazz Performance from Queens College in NYC. She holds a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from the University of Northern Colorado. In addition she has an AAAS Degree in Graphic Design from Shoreline Community College and a Certificate in Arts Management from the UW. Cynthia is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is also a graphic designer and writer who enjoys discovering the parallels between visual art and music.
The New Jason Parker Quartet CD is Complete!
After months of planning, writing, arranging, rehearsing, recording, mixing, mastering, licensing, copyrighting, artwork-approving, liner note-writing and many different people-paying, the new Jason Parker Quartet CD “No More, No Less” is now complete! I sent the final files and master off to the replicator this week and should have the physical CD’s in my hands sometime next month. The official release date is October 24th, and there will be a killin’ CD Release Party at Lucid Jazz Lounge that evening. If you’d like to order a copy of the CD, please visit Jason Parker Music.com.
But I just couldn’t wait until then to share the new music with the world, so I’ve made the mp3’s available for download on my Bandcamp page. As of today you can stream the entire album there. If you dig it, I hope you’ll consider purchasing it. And if you really dig it, tell a friend!
4Culture Press Release
I’m still on cloud nine about receiving a grant from 4Culture to help finish the JPQ CD! Today I received the official press release and was able to see the rarefied company I’m in. Other recipient include trumpeter Cuong Vu, filmmaker Lynn Shelton, Senegalese master drummer Thione Diop, and pianists Wayne Horvitz and Jovino Santos Neto. That’s just a small sampling of the wildly talented and deserving individuals and organizations receiving assistance from 4Culture.
Click here to view the entire list and press release.
Come Celebrate with the Jason Parker Quartet tonight at Tula’s!
The Jason Parker Quartet has been busy over the last few months preparing for our recent recording session. We had an amazing time in the studio on Wednesday and can’t wait to share the new music with you. Look for the second JPQ CD to be released sometime this summer.
In the meantime, we are ready to celebrate the completion of the recording phase, and we want YOU to celebate with us!
The Jason Parker Quartet is playing at Tula’s tonight and we would love to see you there! Tula’s has been the long-standing home for the top local jazz musicians and it’s very hard to break into their rotation. That’s why we’re thrilled to be on the bill, and we hope to show the folks there that we can draw a good crowd so they’ll invite us back.
Come see the band Earhsot calls “The next generation of Seattle jazz” at a club called “a cool place” by Wynton Marsalis!
We start at 7:30pm and will play 3 sets. Tula’s has an extensive dinner menu and full bar, so come for a meal, for drinks, or just for the music!
Tula’s is located at 2214 2nd Ave. between Blanchard and Bell St. in Belltown.
We love to see friends both old and new at our shows. Your energy and enthusiasm excite and inspire us. Come join the celebration toinght!
Thanks for your support. Hope to see you there.
The JPQ
Jason Parker – trumpet
Josh Rawlings – piano
Evan Flory-Barnes – bass
D’Vonne Lewis – drums
Pre-Order Your Copy of the New Jason Parker Quartet CD Today!
The new CD from The Jason Parker Quartet will be released in late-June or early-July, but you can pre-order your copy today! Every pre-order will receive their copy one week before the release to the public, and if you participate in the Micropatronage Program you can also receive special bonus materials.
Click here for more information on pre-orders and Micropatronage.
Recording Complete
After 8 hours, 9 tunes, 21 takes and 1 Indian buffet the Jason Parker Quartet recording session is complete! It was an exhausting and exhilarating day, and all-in-all I couldn’t be happier. Recording is a strange process and no matter how much you prepare it’s always different than you expect. It’s hard to get used to a new room, an unfamiliar headphone mix, no audience to draw energy from, etc. And it’s hard to forget that tape is rolling and every missed note and dropped beat is captured forever. But that’s all part of making jazz music. And with a band of professionals and a top-notch studio and engineer it’s a joyful experience.
Josh, Evan, D’Vonne and I had a dress rehearsal at the studio yesterday and worked out some of the room details, and I’m glad we did. I really wanted us all in the live room so it would be as close to our normal playing experience as possible. But our engineer, PJ Newman, wanted to put Evan in an isolation booth to capture a clean bass sound. I asserted myself as the leader and had him set Evan up in the room with us, but after listening back to the recording I had to admit that PJ was right. From then on, I deferred to him as the expert! We got all of the placement issues out of the way, set all the levels of the various microphones, and ran a couple of the tunes. It was great to have the opportunity to get used to the room before the actual recording session.
On the way to the studio this morning, I told myself that all the hard work was done and that today was about playing music with my beautiful friends and enjoying the experience. I’m so fortunate to have this incredible band and I’m inspired and excited each and every time I get to make music with them. And my fiance Darrah sent me some perfect inspiration this morning by way of this quote:
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. – George Bernard Shaw
With that in mind, I was ready to dive in and fully appreciate the experience.
So this morning we all rolled in about 11am, had a cup of coffee together and leisurely got ready to go. It was relaxed and slow, and set a good pace for the rest of the day. When we got to playing, it took a while to dial in the headphone mix. I always find it hard to get used to hearing myself through headphones, and was fiddling with them all day. The first couple takes of “Bashert” I was distracted by this, but by the third take we had all settled into our groove. I was determined not to do too many takes of any given song, and we did pretty well. Two tunes we got in one take, one tune we tried four takes, and the rest were two or three each. By the time we had gotten through “Bashert”, “Love For Sale”, “Beatrice” and “Dos Gardenias” I was starving and called a break for lunch.
After lunch we were joined by the wonderful tenor saxophonist Cynthia Mullis. I have long admired Cynthia’s playing and was thrilled when she agreed to participate in the recording. We had her come out to our last couple shows to play with us and it’s been a real treat. And I must say, she got us all excited with her playing today. After our first take of “Mance’s Dance” PJ told us we should always eat Indian food before we play, but I’m pretty sure it was Cynthia that got us all hyped and took our playing to a new level. We did a few more takes of Tatum’s tune, nailed “Idle Moments” in one, and then took a couple passes at our mash-up of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” & Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints”. Cynthia was tearing it up, and after listening back we were all pleased with what we got. It was sad to say goodbye to her at that point but we had a few more tunes to get through before the day was over.
So we cut Cynthia loose and took two shots at “The Rainbow Connection” and got “Three Hours” is one take. We decide to try one more take of “Bashert” for kicks, and then my chops were done. Trumpet playing is such a physical endeavor, and when they go, they go! I would have loved to take another pass at one or two of the tunes, and we never got to my composition “Contact”, but that’s the way it goes.
After we were done we headed to Lucid for a celebratory drink, where the owner David bought the first round! He’s been super supportive of the band and the recording project and it was nice to end the day in the warm confines of his club. We even got to hear a bit of a new band called Chemical Clock, who were great!
I got home in a state that is all too familiar after playing – tired and wired. I slept for a couple hours but woke up with thoughts of the session in my head and deep gratitude for all my good fortune in my heart. PJ is going to get me the rough mixes tomorrow night, and I can’t wait to hear what we got. The band was absolutely killin’ all day long, and I look forward to getting into the mixing and mastering phase of the project.
Big thanks to Ashwin Rao for bringing his camera and documenting the session. Click here to see a slideshow of his photos.
Recording Day!
It’s recording day for the JPQ, and I’m giddy with excitement. We’ve worked hard over the last few months to prepare for this day and I’m ready to get to the studio and tear it up!
Thanks to all who have participated in the Micropatronage Program so far. Your contributions will be used to pay the band and the studio today. I couldn’t have done it without you. If you haven’t yet participated, now would be a great time.
I’ll post an update later to let you know how it’s going.
Jason Parker Music Newsletter
Each month I send out a newsletter to update folks on gigs I’m playing and news from the trenches. I use a great company called , who now gives each newsletter its own unique URL as well.
To view the April edition of Keepin’ Time with Jason Parker Music click here.
Click here to be added to the mailing list to receive future newsletters. On the second page check the box next to Jason Parker Music.
I’m on Rachael Ray’s Blog!
A few years ago I recorded the theme song to a cooking show hosted by Josh “Mr. Cutlets” Ozersky with Life in a Blender, a band fronted by my good friend Don Ralph. Mr. Cutlets is now the national restaurant editor for Citysearch and a contributor to Rachael Ray’s blog.
Today I was informed by Don that the song was referenced on the blog here. I am now one degree removed from Rachael Ray, and I couldn’t be happier! I loves me some Rachael Ray!
Scroll down below the first advertisement and click on the link to hear the song. I hope you dig it!
We’re #9, We’re #9!
As mentioned below my composition “Bashert” was recently the featured downlad at All About Jazz. We are now the 9th most downloaded song in the last 10 days! And I even got a new participant in the Micropatronage Program as a result. Thanks to all who have checked it out.
“Bashert” is the Featured Download at All About Jazz
My composition “Bashert” from the Jason Parker Quartet album Live at JazzTV is the featured download today at All About Jazz.com! Please head over there and take a listen. This is one of the songs we are going to record for our new CD next month, but I’m very proud of the live version as well.
If you haven’t been to All About Jazz.com before you should take a look around. It’s a great resource for both big time and independent jazz artists, and they feature a free download every day. Two of the songs from our first album were featured a while back as well, “Down” and “You and Me”.
$1000 Mark Reached in the Micropatronage Program!
On February 28th I made this post and launched the Micropatronage program for the forthcoming Jason Parker Quartet CD. Today, with your generous support, we reached the $1000 mark! And I mean “we”, because I couldn’t have done it without you.
I have been humbled and overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from my family, friends and colleagues. With this support we will be able to make the record I’ve always dreamed of making, and document my amazing band two years into our development. I can’t tell you how much this means to me, and I hope you will feel a great deal of ownership and pride in the project, as do I.
If you haven’t yet become a Patron, believe me when I tell you that every $10 makes a huge difference. One patron at a time we will reach our goals and by the end of the summer I will present to you the fruits of our labors. I can’t wait to share the new music with you and show you exactly what your support will allow us to accomplish.
My deepest love and gratitude goes out to you. Thank you.
Be a Part of the New Jason Parker Quartet CD
The recording process for the new Jason Parker Quartet CD is complete! Josh, Evan, D’Vonne and I spent a wonderful day at MOUSe Studios in Seattle in April and laid down the 7 tracks for the new album. We were also joined by Cynthia Mullis on saxophone for 3 of the tunes and I can’t wait for you to hear how beautiful it all turned out! I’m shooting for a release in late-June or early-July.
But you can pre-order your copy of the CD today! Every pre-order will receive their copy one week before the release to the public. Read on for information on how you can also receive bonus goodies.
I am financing this record in all the usual ways: my own money, grant money, the kindness of friends, etc. But I’ve decided to try something new this time around: micropatronage.
Micropatronage is a system in which the public directly supports the work of others by making donations through the Internet. It relies on the premise that it is easier to find many “patrons” to donate small amounts, rather than a small number of patrons making larger contributions.
To entice you to become a patron, I have come up with some packages that are all unique to this program. Once the CD is complete it will be sold through all the usual channels, but none of these packages will be available after the release date. It is my hope that you will find one of them interesting enough to be willing to donate a small amount of your hard-earned money to help me complete this project.
I’ve set up PayPal buttons to make it easier, but if you’d rather send a check just scroll down to the end of the post and you’ll find the mailing address.
PARTICIPATION PACKAGES
Solo Package
Participants in the Solo Package will donate $10.00 to the project and will receive:
- High-quality audio files one week prior to the official release date of the CD
- Files will be in your choice of 320k mp3s, FLAC or Apple Lossless
Duo Package
Participants in the Duo Package will donate $15.00 to the project and will receive:
- A copy of the finished CD
- High-quality audio files one week prior to the official release date of the CD
- Files will be in your choice of 320k mp3s, FLAC or Apple Lossless
Trio Package
Participants in the Trio Package will donate $25.00 to the project and will receive:
- Photos and videos from rehearsals and recording session
- Sheet music of the original compositions from the CD
- An autographed copy of the finished CD
- High-quality audio files one week prior to the official release date of the CD
- Files will be in your choice of 320k mp3s, FLAC or Apple Lossless
Quartet Package
Participants in the Quartet Package will donate $100.00 to the project and will receive:
- An invitation to sit in on a rehearsal or the recording session
- A “Thank You” in the album liner notes
- Photos and videos from rehearsals and recording session
- Sheet music of the original compositions from the CD
- An autographed copy of the finished CD
- High-quality audio files one week prior to the official release date of the CD
- Files will be in your choice of 320k mp3s, FLAC or Apple Lossless
Because every donation helps, no matter how big or small, participants in the Donate What You Want Package choose their own level of participation in the project and will receive:
- Our undying love and gratitude
- Other goodies to be determined
Jason Parker Quartet
PO Box 95428
Seattle, WA 98145
I can’t thank you enough for your support! I hope that by participating you will feel closer to the JPQ, and I will do everything I can to make it worth your while.
We Rocked Egan’s!
I just got back from our gig at Egan’s and I’m pumped! Once again the band was amazing. I feel so privileged to play with Josh, Evan and D’Vonne. They make every minute on stage and absolute joy and make me sound better than I ever could have imagined. We debuted the new tunes and they went great. Plus, we were joined by the wonderful tenor player Cynthia Mullis, who I’ve been wanted to play with for a long time now. She joined us on Wayne Shorter’s “Adam’s Apple” and tore it up! I hope to play with Cynthia more soon. Perhaps she might end up on the JPQ CD?
Thanks to all who showed up for the gig. It mean so much to have friends both old and new in the audience supporting us. Moises, great to see you buddy. Next time you better bring your horn! And thanks to Margie for the photo.
