Mark Sherman and Bob Franceschini
What a magic to see the music grow night after night as the role playing becomes more and more comfortable each show.(Quote: Mark Sherman)
Hans Koert
Thirty-five years ago it was a dream for both vibraphonist Mark Sherman and tenor saxophonist Bob Franceschini to found their own band … Bob Franceschini and I went to the high School of Music and Art in NYC together, and had great aspirations as young musicians to have a “band”, Mark explains in the liner notes of their joint recording, Project THEM, which was released a few months ago. They reassembled for this project and hit the road playing all over Europe. The music grew and evolved night after night, roles and grooves solidifying, Mark says, Each concert was an act of exploration. Project THEM captures the magic of the band in full fight, honed on the fly from sets on the road.
THEM Project; f.l.t.r.: Mark Sherman, Adam Nussbaum, Bob Franceschini and Martin Gjakonovski ( photo: THEM project)
They labeled it as ...... Project THEM; led by its originators Bob Franceschini and Mark Sherman features Mitchel Forman and the Italian piano player Paolo di Sabatino at the keys – both on half of the tracks; the former also playing the Hammond B3 Organ - the Mazedonian bass player Martin Gjakonowski and Adam Nussbaum on drums.
A few years ago Mark Sherman surprised with his album The L.A. Sessions, featuring Mark Sherman at the vibes, Bill Cunliffe (Hammond B3 Organ), John Chiodini (guitar) and Charles Ruggiero ( drums).
Mark Sherman ( promo picture Mark Sherman)
- Mark Sherman is known as a sought after accompanists, who toured with vocalists like Liza Minelli, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis jr., Jon Hendricks, Mel Tormé and Charles Aznavour. He is also active in classical music and teaches as a professor in jazz studies at the Juilliard School of Music and theNew Jersey City University. (Source: Mark Sherman: L.A. Sessions - Hans Koert)
Adam Nussbaum is a sought after drummer, who recently took part at the Matthew Finck – Jonathan ball project, of which an album entitled It’s Not That Far has been released.
- Drummer Adam Nussbaum, a percussionist, who started to play the piano, the bass and alto saxophone before he took the drum sticks. He played with John Scofield, David Liebman, Lee Konitz, Michael Brecker and Conrad Herwig, just to list some – Adam .... remains one of the most sought-after drummers on the cutting edge of the music, theRough Guide to Jazz reads ..... His list of recordings, in which he participated seems to be even more impressive than Anderson’s discography. (Source: Matthew Finck-Jonathan Ball: It's Not That Far - Hans Koert)
( promo picture Mark Sherman)
Bob Franceschini started his career in the 1980s as a member of bands like the Jens Wendelboe’s New York Big Band and since the 2000s he's performed with Mike Stern and the Yellowjackets.
Listen to the band performing at the Kitano jazz club in NYC
Project THEM contains 10 tracks, all but one own compositions. I liked Ma Bo’s Waltz, a Paolo di Sabatino composition with Bob on flute and Mark Sherman at the vibes.
Angular Blues, the final track, a Mark Sherman composition, belongs to my favorites too, as it has a great vibes solo and Minor Turns, with a great tenor solo of the composer ( Bob Franceschini) and Michel Forman on Hammond B3 Organ, whose instrument fits well in the band in these great tracks.
Thanks Bob and Mark for this great project.
Hans Koert
editor
keepswinging@live.nl
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In fact in started all as a dream .... Two students, vibe player Mark Sherman and saxophonist Bob Franceschini at the High School Of Music and Art in New York City dreamt about their own band ...... Thirty five years later their dream came true .... The Mark Sherman - Bob Franceschini quintet released its debut album entitled THEM Project .......
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Duo specials.
Dan Block had the audacity to record one of the most basic elements in improvisation: the duet
Hans Koert
It must be one of the most basic forms of improvising – just two musicians playing together: call and respond ..... one of the most basic elements of jazz, born a century ago ...... Dan Block had the audacity to record almost a dozen duets ......
The Oude Stijl Jazzfestival in Breda, one of the leading traditional jazz festivals in The Netherlands during the 1980s, started to schedule a series of concert in its program, entitled: Duo Specials - it became one of the most popular (and exciting) parts of the festival. Dan Block, reeds player, recently published a new album, entitled Duality, which should suit well at that festival .….
Dan Block - Duality (Miles High Records MHR 8620 ) (Illustrations courtesy: Emma Block)
Dan Block raised in St. Louis, studied at the Juillard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. He studied classical music, but became fascinated by jazz music.
He started his career in one of Charles Mingus last recording groups. In January 1978 he is part of a band that records under the supervision of Charles Mingus, who was already incurable, suffering from ALS ( = Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and couldn’t play his bass any longer. Mingus passed away January 1979, 56 years old.
In March 1988 Dan was part of the Bill Warfield Big Band, which recorded for Interplay. One of the members of that band was Ted Rosenthall, who is Dan’s opponent in improvisation in the opening track Long Ago and Far Away. Most of the musicians he invited for this album, are old friends, like bass player Lee Hudson, who was part of his combo's since the late 1990s. The latter can be heard in I'm Bringing a Red Red Rose .... a Tin Pan Alley obscurity …. I’ve never been able to get out of my head, Dan says.
Track list
One of the tracks I love best is the Chorino for Dennis (with guitarist Paul Meyers), dedicated to Dennis Irwin, bass player, who passed away a couple of years ago (March 2008). Dan and Irwin knew each other from recording sessions with David Bergers Sultans of Swing.
Love to introduce you to the music of Dan Block with a fragment of the tune It's Allright With Me, featuring Scott Robinson (this tune is not on the album)
Dan is a jazz musician that suits in both the traditional as in the mainstream styles. He has won his spurs in bands like Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks or the bands of Marty Grosz or Marc Shane, who play in the traditional styles, but also with musicians like Toshiko Akioshi, Frank Wess and was a member of Wynton Marsalis’ Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra too.
Catherine Russell (photo courtesy: Hans Koert)
Catherine Russell, the US vocalist, popular in this part of the world, joins Dan in the Tadd Dameron ballad If You Could See Me Now. Lately she has been awarded in France for her album Strictly Romancin’ with the Vocal Album of The Year 2012 (Le Prix du Jazz Vocal 2012) by the French Jazz Academy (l'Academie du Jazz) and in New York City she received an award as Outstanding Jazz Performer. Congratulations Catherine - I really like your music - you deserve it!
Mark Sherman (source: jazzmusicarchives.com)
It’s hard to make a choice what duos I like best ….. Long Ago and Far Away is great, as is the Pitter Panther Patter by Dan Block and Scott Robinson, due to the fact that the sound of the baritone always fascinates me. Also the duet with Mark Sherman in In The Dark and the Jazz Samba inspired by the Bill Evans-Jim Hall duet, as recorded originally in May 1966 for Verve, are great.( featuring bass player Saul Rubin)
This album can be ordered at Miles High Records or at Dan Blocks site.
Hans Koert
keepswinging@live.nl
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It must be one of the most pure ways to improvise: the duet. Call and respond are the basic elements of jazz music, born a century ago ..... Dan Block had the audacity to make such an album, entitled Duality - almost a dozen duo-specials, featuring Dan Block in duet with pianist Ted Rosenthall, guitar player Paul Meyers, awards winning vocalist Catherine Russell, baritone saxophone player Scott Robinson, vibist Mark Sherman and a handfull of others .....
Dan Block: Duality
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Adam Nussbaum is a sought after drummer, who recently took part at the Matthew Finck – Jonathan ball project, of which an album entitled It’s Not That Far has been released. 
