New York, NY (Top40 Charts) DownBeat and Jazziz Exclusively Premiere Tracks, as Acclaimed Jazz Pianist Michael Wolff Readies Joyful 'Bounce' for February 7th
2020 Tour Takes Shape
Exuberant New Album Follows Wolff's Miraculous Recovery from Aggressive Cancer
DownBeat and Jazziz have exclusively premiered tracks from Michael Wolff's upcoming February 7th release, 'Bounce'. The acclaimed jazz pianist's joyful new album is an exuberant ride, and reflects Wolff's upbeat state of mind following his 'miraculous' recovery from aggressive cancer. Able to convey a range of emotions, 'Bounce' finds its beauty in Wolff's remarkable journey. He comments, "'Bounce' is filled with music like the music I grew up listening to and playing. It transcends jazz and it feels like the best album I've ever made. It also comes at such a perfect time for me. It expresses my inner soul and the joy of living and making music. It's the most important release of my life."
DownBeat Exclusive Song Premiere for 'Chill'
https://downbeat.com/news/detail/premiere-michael-wolff-chill-bounce-sunnyside
Jazziz Exclusive Song Premiere for 'Caribbean Rain Dance' - By Matt Micucci 12/2019
https://www.jazziz.com/new-music-monday-michael-wolff-jd-walter-becca-stevens-more/
Wolff's 2020 Tour is taking shape, and includes the following confirmed concerts:
February 7 and 8 at Birdland Theater in New York City
March 5 at Small's (with Ben
Allison Quartet) in New York City
March 14 at Piedmont Piano in Oakland CA
March 20 at Vitello's in Studio City (Los Angeles market)
March 27 and 28 at La Gare in Paris, France
April 10 and 11 at Knickerbocker Bar and Grill, NYC
April 19 Jazz Brunch at The Blue Note, NYC - Wolff with his NYU ensemble
May 15 and 16 at Mezzrow, NYC
Visit https://www.michaelwolff.com for all tour details, band line-ups, ticket links and more.
The Record-Journal (Meriden CT) ran a favorable early review of 'Bounce'
by Jim Pasinski 12/2019
https://www.jpsmusicblog.com/2019/12/get-ready-to-bounce-with-michael-wolff.html
Get Ready To "
Bounce" With Michael Wolff
Jazz pianist Michael Wolff is preparing to release his new album "
Bounce" on February 7th. It features ten tracks, beginning with the upbeat, swinging rhythm of the title song, which just gets you in the mood for a good time. The album continues with the gentle sway of "
Chill" and the sweet island vibe of the "Caribbean Rain Dance." Just as Michael slows the tempo down completely with the quiet ballad "Long Lost," his son Nat Wolff gets into the action with the smooth vocals of "Cool Kids." The action picks back up quickly with the swift pace of "You And The Night And The Music," before closing out the album with the bopping bass line of "Picasso" and the exciting touch of keys on the grand appeal of "Omar Sharif."
'Bounce' will be released by Sunnyside Records, and features an engaging range of songs, including the aptly named 'Cool Kids', written by Wolff's son Nat (and featuring Nat on lead vocals as well). Other tracks evoke 'West Side Story' or nods to the Great American Songbook. Album highlights include the memorable title track, the lovely ballad 'Long Lost', the strong 'Caribbean Rain Dance' and 'Omar Sharif' by
David Yazbek, from THE BAND'S VISIT musical. In all, the album is mostly original compositions by Wolff, a tune by Ben Allison, and two covers: 'Omar Sharif' and the standard, 'You and The Night and The Music'.
Wolff comments, "Isn't it great to be alive? I'm celebrating life every day. This album is dedicated to that celebration. Come Bounce with us!!!!!! I have the good fortune to play with these fantastic musicians: Ben
Allison on bass and Allan Mednard on drums. Their playing, ideas and vibes imbue this music with creativity and soul. It's really a listenable album. I thought about what I'd like to listen to at home, and tried to make that album."
The upcoming album and new tour dates mark a fresh start for Wolff, following his recent recovery from cancer. He comments, "I'm so happy to be back playing and recording and feeling well again. It's been a monstrous journey, which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. But the outcome is miraculous."
Wolff's recent tour dates included a stop at Nighttown, and Cleveland Scene interviewed him, here:
https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2019/09/05/michael-wolff-to-play-two-shows-at-nighttown-next-weekend-with-his-dynamic-trio
Wolff's last album 'Swirl' hit #1 at Jazz Radio. With 'Bounce', he has created a new, memorable piece of art. He describes the approach: "The vibe is concentrating on beauty. We worked on playing with energy but made sure to have a lot of feel and grooves in the music. A lot of Brazilian and Latin-influenced grooves along with some straight ahead, and a new ballad of mine. Allan Mednard on drums is a one of a kind drummer -- so sensitive and grooving at the same time. He makes up his own beats to everything. And Ben
Allison is a master on the bass, original, melodic and in the pocket."
Read Michael Wolff's bio to learn more about what's gone on in recent years: https://www.michaelwolff.com/about/
DownBeat Magazine's March 2019 article is here-
Michael Wolff's Miraculous Turn:
https://downbeat.com/news/detail/michael-wolffs-miraculous-turn
JazzTimes Magazine chronicled Wolff's ordeal-
Michael Wolff's Sweet Miracle of Life:
https://jazztimes.com/features/profiles/michael-wolffs-sweet-miracle-of-life/
Visit - https://www.michaelwolff.com
