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| The Honors Series Featuring Jimmy Cobb And Michael Carvin Having established a commitment to documenting the music of emerging jazz artists, Marsalis Music now directs its focus to established, if often under-appreciated giants with a new Honors Series of recordings. Drummers Jimmy Cobb and Michael Carvin launched this ongoing project on March 14 with quartet discs produced by label head Branford Marsalis. In April, National "Jazz Appreciation Month, " Carvin will be the guest "Jazz Artist of the Month" for a live interview and performance broadcast with WBGO FM on Tuesday, April 18 at 12:30pm at J&R Music World, Park Row in New York City. There will also be a private, invitation only, Honors Series launch at Bergdorf Goodman. About the Honors Series, Marsalis explained, "We want to put the spotlight on musicians who have contributed so much, yet often get taken for granted, and we also wanted to create a situation in which the artist records the music of his or her choice. Artists have their own conception, and should not need a producer's input. I recognize that my job as a producer is different from that of a performing musician. My job is to make sure that everyone is on the same page, that all of the technical details are attended to, and that the music sounds as good as it can sound. We try to do the best job possible to make the music sound good, and I was happy to find such a high level of trust among the artists when we recorded our first two Honors sessions." For producer Marsalis, one important feature of the Honors Series is the opportunity to provide both exposure and a learning experience for young talents. As a result, he included British bassist Orlando Le Fleming in the Cobb rhythm section that is completed by his father, piano giant Ellis Marsalis, and gave bassist Dezron Douglas his first record date as part of Carvin's quartet. "I want to make sure that some younger players are included on all of the Honors sessions, so that the veterans can pass down their wisdom and experiences while getting a new view of things at the same time. It's a good opportunity for everybody." In the spirit of paying tribute to under recognized masters, cover photography for the series will be provided by noted photographer Lou Jones. The first two titles in the Honors Series join previous releases by contemporary leaders Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr. and Joey Calderazzo and new stars Doug Wamble and Miguel Zenón in making Marsalis Music a comprehensive home for the best in jazz. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |