Sam Yahel/Kresten Osgood Quartet

One of the more distinctive voices among a new breed of Hammond B-3 organ players on the jazz scene, Sam Yahel has earned the top spot in Down Beat's annual International Critics Poll as a Talent Deserving Of Recognition for the past four consecutive years. Since moving to New York in 1990, Yahel has worked with a string of notable jazz artists including tenor saxophonists Joshua Redman and Eric Alexander, former James Brown sideman and alto sax great Maceo Parker, guitarists Peter Bernstein and Bill Frisell, trumpeters Ryan Kisor and Jim Rotondi as well as having played on Norah Jones' Grammy-winning Come Away With Me as well as on recordings vocalists Lizz Wright and Madeleine Peyroux.But it has been as a solo artist in his own right that Yahel has made his most personal statements as both composer and player.Weblinks:www.samyahel.com This artist does not have a bio yet. Kresten Osgood? A no-name for you? Don't worry, even most Danes haven't heard about this fantastic local drummer. Even maestro drummer Ed Thigpen, who lives in Copenhagen, has called him a "genius drummer". It's known in the jazz community that Osgood adores the "No. 1 jazz furniture", the Hammond B-3 organ, to use his own words, so why not make a double CD with an organ trio on your own label. And Osgood even goes for gold medal - and calls Dr. Lonnie Smith for organ duty on this great live CD - "Hammond Rens" (English - Hammond Refine), recorded at The Copenhagen Jazz House in 2002. This CD capture some of the most free wheelin' jazz organ trio's I've heard in many years and there seems to be no end to the musical styles that the Doctor can cover with great imagination, technique and power play. The trio is completed with the tenor saxophonist Mikael Blake which is a real surprise given his roots from the more free jazz oriented community and not to forget Anders Provis on some tracks with playing "the fine art of Ghost percussion" (!?!). What can you expect from this CD? According to Smith's opening statement on track 1, you can expect music from the HEART. Funk, blues, free, ballads, boogaloo, swing; you get it all through great combo interpretation on tunes by Lucky Thompson, Curtis Mayfield, Roland Kirk, Slide Hampton and Osgood himself (showing promising compositional skills). This is not background music - turn up the volume and when the laser beam hits "Collins", and you're warned about what to expect for the next 11 tunes being like in the middle of the audience close to Smiths heavy organ bass lines, imaginative block chord comping and soulful melody lines support by Osgoods inventive drumming. Highlights after highlights are served by these gentlemen on this quality live recording, only the cd cover would have deserved better overall design. Altogether 160 minutes of soul, sweat and (no) tears worth every cent. Highly recommended!! Originally from Montreal, Rick Rosato moved to New York City in 2007 to study at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. He quickly became one of the most in-demand jazz bassists and has been maintaining an international performance schedule since. In 2010, he led a three-month-long artist series at the Upstairs Jazz Club in Montreal, where he formed several different groups featuring some of today’s most influential voices in jazz, including the co-led trio “Stranahan/Zaleski/Rosato”. In the summer of 2014, Rick competed for the TD Jazz Awards at the Montreal International Jazz Festival with his own trio and won the Galaxie Jazz Award for best composition. He is regularly touring internationally and recording with groups such as Gilad Hekselman, Joel Ross, Melissa Aldana, Stranahan/Zaleski/Rosato, Ben Van Gelder, David Kikoski, and Will Vinson. Rick has also performed with Billy Hart, Peter Bernstein, Mark Turner, Dayna Stephens, Chris Potter, Aaron Parks, Bill Stewart, Marcus Gilmore, Jeff Ballard, Ari Hoenig, Mike Moreno, Lage Lund, Charles Altura, and many more. In addition to private teaching, Rick has led workshops all over the world and was a featured artist and educator at the Thai International Jazz Conference in 2014. “It should be noted here that Rosato resembles no less a star of the bass viol as Charlie Haden for his lovely tone.” - Denver Jazz Music Examiner “He is definitely a bassist to listen for - a compelling soloist, a rock-solid foundation, and a blooming compositional voice.” - Porkpie Jazz “Rick Rosato is one of the most versatile and virtuosic bass players around. His time is impeccable and his solos captivating. Rick’s sense of form, melody and harmony are as apparent as his perfect technical execution.” - Ben van Gelder