Fahir Atakoglu/ Horacio Elnegro Hernandez/ Anthony Jackson
New York City, New York, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
If is such a short and simple title for a CD, and this one features a piano trio performing the music in a simple configuration: piano/bass/drums. But nothing's ever as simple as it seems. The classic piano trio offerings range from quirky, angular and oddly logical Thelonious Monk sets to the bounce of Bud Powell, the introspection and almost surreal, delicate beauty of Bill Evans, the powerhouse attack of McCoy Tyner, and more.
Turkish-born pianist Fahir Atakoglu brings an assertive and exotic approach to the piano trio format, blending a geographical mixture that includes the sounds of his own homeland, drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez's native Cuba, and bassist Anthony Jackson's New York state of mind.
The disc opens with the “El Negro”-driven fury of the title tune, a propulsive beauty filled with Atakoglu's unique harmonic sense enmeshed in the bass/drum attack. “Anadolu” features Turkish rhythmic and melodic motifs, oddly grooving in 14/8 time. “About Autumn (Seasons Change)” features the ubiquitous Donny McCaslin on soprano saxophone, looking inward, while “Spur of the Night” finds him on tart-sounding tenor sax in a groove-oriented, Turkish-tinged hard-driver.
Atokoglu composed all the tunes on If. A very original melodic approach flows through the always interesting and often intense rhythmic drives, taking this piano trio to places that you've probably never been before.
- Dan McClenaghan
This unique jazz trio (with guest) offers us some intelligent avante garde jazz with nuances from Fahir's eastern culture. Donny McCaslin's ambitious soprano & tenor solos also add some mystique to an already solid & viable CD effort. This is lucid, genial, humane & capable jazz & the group's music demonstrate the symbiosis between jazz & all global cultures. Their music show the close resemblances to same, while by default explains away through their songs any differences per se. Might I suggest that like any dues paid on behalf of art, jazz is by it's very nature "plural" encompassing any & all erudite intelligentsia. - George W. Carroll/The Musicians Ombudsman
Well I wouldn’t want to show this as a solo album, but the names of these guys added up would take up half the screen together, so I shortened the title a little bit. The correct title should have read Fahir Atakoglu / Horacio El Negro Hernandez / Anthony Jackson - If (what an ironically short album name :)
This is a true clash of the titans album. One of the foremost Turkish composers Fahir Atakoglu who used to compose for huge orchestras, composes and plays the piano for an instant classic Jazz album. (well for me at least, I’ve memorized the whole album in a few takes, yet still find myself drawn back to it.) Horacio El Negro Hernandez one of the most versatile drummers, whose past partners includes people like Santana, Mc Coy Tyner, Tito Puente (and a Grammy award) and Anthony Jackson who has worked with Chick Corea, Paul Simon, Buddy Rich and Chaka Khan take the drums and bass. The liner notes have been written by Arif Mardin, the ex-Atlantic Records (and now for Blue Note) boss and the mastering has been done by Dae Bennett, son of legendary Tony Bennett.
Fahir’s composing ability shines here and seperates the album from similar trio albums, there’s no filler on this album and no cliche jazz tracks. I always hesitate to listen to virtuoso players and prefer the raw, soulful or underground side of things, but this album has put a dent in this prejudice.. This is a masterpiece piano jazz trio album with hints of pop-jazz on some tracks, and many Anatolian / Classical motifs to check out, strange time signatures like 14/8 made accessible by virtue of natural talent. A very rewarding album not only for jazz lovers but for all kinds of listeners.
It sure has to be a challenge to compose for a trio, for an orchestral composer, simplifying your music to 3 instruments (and additional brass on some tracks) but I think Fahir has mastered it here. `If` is an album that should definitely be in your collection (an on my top 10 list at the end of 2006) immediately..
- undomundo.com
A Turkish Pianist composer, a Cuban Drummer and an African American Bass Player(with Saxaphonist Danny MacCasslin) jamming on a couple tracks for a good measure in a high energy but deeply lyrical outing recorded in New Jersey and mixed in Antwerpe Belgium,Global jazz indeed.
JAZZIZ April 2006 - What We Like what we are listening to right now
The music of IF is undeniably skillful and valid and unique, even for listeners not immediately attracted to Fahir Atakoglu’s busy, intricate, higly percussive, rhythm-dominated piano-trio style.Atakoglu is originally from Istanbul, and amalgamation of his Turkish melodic and metrical motifs, Horacios Hernandez hot Latin drumming and Anthony Jackson’s electric-bass funk is a new sound. The 12 tunes (all Atakoglu originals) are striking in the way that their complex meters (14/8, 10/8) connect and flow naturally into the rhythmic intensities of Hernandez and Jackson. - 88 Keys
Discography
Band members individually played in many Projects and Jazz festivals around the world with musicians like ,Gonzalo Rubalcaba,Paquito D'Rivera,Carlos Averoff,Michel Camilo,TropiJazz All Stars,Cuban All Stars.Cliff Almond Tito Puente,Ed Simon,Victor Mendoza,David Sanchez,Kip Hanrahan,Santi Debriano, ,Steve Turre,Santana,John Patitucci,Sergio George,Joanne Brackeen,Arturo O'Farrill,Juan Carlos Formell.Dave Samuels,Ilario Duran,Papo Vasquez,The All-Stars, Roberta Flack, BuddyRich, Michael Urbaniak, Al-Di Meola, Chick Corea, Leon Pendarvi, Paul Simon, Chaka Kahn , Stelly Dan and Donald Fagen , Dave Crusin, Stanley Clarke and to name a few.
IF(2005-Far&Here/UPC78370710400) is their first solo album together.
Fahir Atakoglu solo albums include;Fahir Atakoglu 1(1994),Fahir Atakoglu 2(1996),First Of all(1998-Koch Music- World/Classical),As One(2002-Universal Music),Live In Istanbul(2005-Imaj). La Luna -As One(2005-Far&Here)
Horacio El Negro Hernandez released his solo album called Italuba in 2005-Universal)
Photos
Bio
FAHIR ATAKOGLU(Composer/Ac Piano/Keyboards)
Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Fahir Atakoglu is an acclaimed composer and pianist.
He is now finding a growing audience in Europe, Japan and in North America as well. His sensitivity as a composer deeply moves the audience by his unique rhythmic, melodic and harmonic sense.
His music reflects his extraordinary talent in blending different musical cultures, which make his compositions speak with striking originality, and always wonderfully connected to the culture of his motherland.
Ahmet Ertegun, of Atlantic Records, referred to Fahir Atakoglu as
one of the outstanding pianists and composers in Europe today
. at the cutting edge of the world music.
http://www.fahiratakoglu.com
HORACIO EL NEGRO HERNANDEZ-DRUMS and Percussion
Born in Havana, Cuba, 'El Negro' Hernandez is the most talented and innovative percussionist in the world. He was awarded his first Grammy in 1997 with Roy Hargroves Crisol Whether performing with jazz-legends like McCoy Tyner, Michel Camilo, Michael Brecker, Arturo Sandoval, or rock-stars like Carlos Santana and Stevie Winwood or in notable Latin American ensembles like the Tropi-Jazz All Stars of the late Tito Puente, as well as with Kip Hanrahan (Deep Rumba) 'El Negro' has always shown himself to be the most versatile and unique drummer in the international music scene today. He won another Grammy in 2004 with Michel Camilo for the album Live in Blue Note. He writes music Textbooks and made many musical performance videos and also conducts clinics and is a faculty member at the Berklee School of Music.
In 2004 Horacio released his first solo album Italuba.
http://www.elnegro.com
ANTHONY JACKSON- BASS
Born in New York City, Bassist Anthony Jackson is the master of his instrument whose discography spans many genres' of music. A couple of decades before five string basses became popular, he invented his own, the six stringContrabass.
He c-o wrote with Gamble & Huff, The O'Jays' million selling single For The Love Of Money' from their platinum album Ship Ahoy. Over the years, Jackson recorded and gave concerts with artists like Roberta Flack, BuddyRich, Michael Urbaniak, Al-Di Meola, Chick Corea, Leon Pendarvi, Paul Simon, Chaka Kahn (Naughty, What Cha' Gonna Do for Me) Stelly Dan (Gaucho-My Rival, Glamour Profession') and Donald Fagen (The Nightfly-I.G.Y What Beautiful World, Ruby Baby') Dave Crusin, Stanley Clarke and
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