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In its dynamic twists and turns, with surprises around every musical corner, Larry Chernicoff's new CD, "October" (Windy Planet Music), packs the punch and excitement of artful, progressive rock without excessive volume or pyrotechnics.
Chernicoff's 10-piece group, Windhorse -- a large, all-acoustic chamber ensemble or a miniature orchestra, depending on your perspective -- serves shimmering, colorful renditions of music that boasts the dynamism of jazz and the dimensionality and proportions of classical music.
- The Berkshire Eagle
Small independent label release takes top honors in Hollywood awards ceremony.
Independent label artist Larry Chernicoff’s CD, October, was named ‘Best Made for Surround Title’ of the year at the third annual Surround Music Awards.
The winners were announced at a star-studded event that took place August 31 in Hollywood, CA. The award was presented to Larry by rock legend Peter Frampton, in a ceremony that also honored surround sound releases by the Rolling Stones, Herbie Hancock, Beck, Peter Frampton, Elton John, and others.
The winners were selected by a panel of 75 expert judges including representatives from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, USA Today, Sound & Vision, Pro Sound News, Widescreen Review, Surround Professional, Highfidelityreview.com, and Los Angeles-based radio station KCRW.
October features Larry Chernicoff on vibraphone and piano, along with his Windhorse large ensemble. Chernicoff’s music combines the warm sounds of ‘orchestral’ instruments with the dynamic of jazz improvisation and passages of meditative calm. The ensemble includes international players who are all bandleaders and recording artists themselves.
This award goes to the most outstanding recording that was created from its inception with surround sound in mind, and never previously released in any other format. Last year’s winner in this category was Steely Dan’s ‘Everything Must Go.’ October is a hybrid multi-channel SACD, playable on any standard CD player, and also on SACD surround-sound players and home theater systems.
Larry is a composer, improviser, and multi-instrumentalist (vibraphone, keyboard, percussion) who combines a background in jazz and rock with classical compositional techniques. He has written for dance, theater, and choir, and has performed with Karl Berger, Dave Holland, Don Cherry, Lee Konitz, Anthony Braxton, Peter Apfelbaum, John Clark, Alan Ginsberg, and William Burroughs.
- Tampa Bay Entertainment
“Windhorse is a unique conception, which, although it has much in common with classical chamber music, has too many elements of improvisation, world rhythms, and tonal colors to be classed with anything else you might be listening to these days.” - Creative Music Newsletter
”... an impeccable synthesis of jazz, rock, classical, and world folk styles. Chernicoff knowingly enriches simple song structures with layers of counterpoint and intriguing instrumental colors. His own vibraphone and bright contributions by Tim Moran are most often splendid ” - Downbeat
“There are few easy niches to put this music into. Some points of reference might be the Paul Winter Consort / Oregon axis, Don Cherry, or maybe Philip Glass. There are both ancient and modern qualities to this music. Chernicoff scores highest as a composer of highly original music with an elusive ‘I’ve heard this before’ quality. This is fascinating music and a memorable introduction to Larry Chernicoff.” Seattle Review
- Victory Review, Seattle
“I have no idea whether Larry has ever thought of his work in the context of motion-picture soundtracks, but the visual images that his sounds evoke came to me readily and vividly. This music is beautiful and complex." - Creative Music Newsletter
“... in his sold-out concert Saturday night, Chernicoff led one of the hottest bands around in a program of his idiosyncratic, intelligent, witty, and accessible brand of improvisational music. You may have heard this type of thing before, but to Chernicoff’s credit, you’ve never heard it done like his band did it Saturday night.” - Berkshire Eagle
”With his incredibly talented ensemble, Chernicoff was able to achieve the nearly impossible task of rendering sophisticated improvised music in an accessible manner without sacrificing its integrity or pandering to popular tastes. The show was also impeccably paced, with never a dull moment. Best concert of the year!” - Berkshires Week
“His compositions began from deceptively simple structures, then expanded into complex, spontaneous counterpoint, with a sense of controlled freedom. This is an unusual and engaging band, with energy, lyricism, and humor... very memorable. Catch them next time they’re around.” - Albany Times-Union
“In the hands of the Chernicoff band, even the most familiar of musical forms became something alien and askew. Rhythms collided, chords didn’t quite change when and where you expected…and that’s what makes the music of the Larry Chernicoff Quintet so compelling and intriguing. The band boasts world-class improvisers, and each had his moment in the spotlight. Hovering over all this was composer, keyboardist, vibist and visionary Chernicoff, a musical wizard leading one of the hottest bands around…. .” - Berkshire Eagle
Discography
October - Larry Chernicoff Windhorse Large Ensemble
Other Larry Chernicoff recordings include:
Gallery of Air - Larry Chernicoff Quintet
Creative Music Studio Archive Series Volume 1
Grancia - Peter Primamore
Another Spin - Adam Michael Rothberg
Analog Love -Cassis and the Sympathies
Native Lands - Native Lands
Gravity – Joe Giardullo
Photos
Bio
Larry Chernicoff is an award-winning composer, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer who combines his background in jazz and rock with classical elements and ‘orchestral’ instruments. Larry plays vibraphone, piano, percussion, and a collection of miscellaneous instruments all over the world.
Larry's Windhorse Large Ensemble has a classical chamber sound: oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, harp, and strings - along with saxophones, piano, vibraphone, and percussion. The music combines the spontaneity of jazz improvisation with detailed and complex arrangements. You might call it jazz/classical fusion. 6-10 members, depending on the situation.
Larry’s CD, October, was named "Best Surround Sound Recording of the Year" at the Surround Music Awards ceremony in Hollywood, beating even the Rolling Stones for the award. October features his ten-piece group, Windhorse. This ensemble has a classical chamber sound: oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, harp, and strings - along with saxophones, piano, vibraphone, and percussion.
Larry also leads a straightforward jazz quintet, and also the performance group Jazz + Jest, a unique collaboration between Larry’s quintet and Roger The Jester, a mime, magician, object manipulator, musician, acrobat, stilt-walker, unicyclist, puppeteer, and baker.
Larry also plays percussion with Bell' Accordo, a trio dedicated to the authentic folk music of Italy (www.bellaccordo.com).
Tune in Larry's eclectic weekly radio show, "Beauty and the Beat", Thursdays from 3-5 p.m. Eastern, on the Internet at www.berkshireradio.org [click on "live stream"].
Larry Chernicoff's compositions combine elements of jazz, classical, contemporary chamber music, New Age, and world elements. It bops when it bops and then it takes you to a place of deep calm. With the lush sound of strings, orchestral winds, plus piano, vibes, and light percussion, this music crosses over to draw classical, jazz and New Age listeners. Major influences are Oregon, Don Cherry, Bill Frisell, Kenny Wheeler, and Stravinsky.
The musicians in this band have performed and recorded with: Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, Sting, John Scofield, Don Cherry, Julie Andrews, The Temptations, Ed Blackwell, Wynton Marsalis, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Dave Holland, Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, Dave Brubeck, Pharoah Sanders, Nana Vasconcelos, Lee Konitz, Anthony Braxton, Jack DeJohnette, Babatunde Olatunji, Marty Ehrlich, John Zorn, Gato Barbieri, Ted Nash, Ben Allison, Yusef Lateef, Maria Schneider, Joe Lovano, Herbie Hancock, Dave Douglas, The Mingus Orchestra, Luther Vandross, The String Trio of New York, Tim Berne, Regina Carter, Don Byron.
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