jazz&people present

LAURENT COQ

Kinship

jazz&people is proud to present Kinship, Laurent Coq's new album. 13 years after Spinnin', French composer and jazz pianist comes back to the traditional trio format assisted by two stellar New York based musicians.

Over the past two decades, Laurent Coq has released a dozen albums as a leader and a co-leader. Yet, among his rich and diverse discography stands only one piano-bass-drums trio record so far: Spinnin' (2004).

With Kinship, Laurent opens a new chapter of his unique musical journey. For this recording, he has brought together two New York based musicians who had never played together before ; the young bass player Joshua Crumbly with whom he toured the Lafayette Suite in Europe and the U.S., and Johnathan Blake, a regular member from Tom Harrell's or Kenny Barron's bands.

Benefiting from such strong support, Laurent presents eleven new compositions, each one dedicated to a living musician. For many years because of their work, commitment to jazz form and the way they have conducted their carreers, these eleven figures have been role models and a constant source of inspiration for the composer and pianist.

Kinship_trio-1493896614

From his first stay in 1994 throughout the past two decades, Laurent Coq has forged strong ties with the city of New York. A permanent resident from 2000 to 2005, he kept leading projects on both sides of the Altantic. His albums recieved praised from jazz critics all over the world and have been rewarded with prestigious prizes like the Charles Cros 2002 award for his Live at the Duc des Lombards (Blowing Trio, 2001) and French Album of the year 2005 for Spinnin’ from the French Jazz Academy.

Since 2011, he released several albums as a co-leader with three leading American saxophonists : Crosswords – Mots Croisés with Sam Sadigursky, Rayuela with Miguel Zenón and The Lafayette Suite with Walter Smith III. Recently, he took his trio Dialogue (piano-guitar-voice) to Africa, the Indian Ocean and North America (Canada and US). Laurent has written numerous music scores for films, TV shows, documentaries and theater plays. He currently teaches at EDIM as well as Pontault-Combault Conservatory and regularly gives masterclasses while touring the world.

Joshua Crumbly was born in 1991. Originally from California, he started playing piano at the age of 3, then electric bass that he studied with Todd Johnson, Reggie Hamilton, Victor Bailey, Marcus Miller and Rickey Minor. He switched to acoustic bass as a teenager and studied with Al Mckibbon (bass player with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk or Coleman Hawkins).

In 2009, he moved to New York and studied at the Juilliard School of Music. Quickly noticed by his peers, Joshua became member of Terence Blanchard's working quintet. Together they traveled the world and recorded Magnetic. In a very short time, he has become one of the most in-demand bass player in the city. He often plays with Stefon Harris, Ravi Coltrane, Anthony Wilson, and Kenny Barron.

P1120628-1493890134

Born in Philadelphia in 1976, Johnathan Blake is the son of the famous violin player John Blake, Jr. He studied with Rufus Reid, John Riley, Steve Wilson and Horacee Arnold. Early on his in career, he played with Oliver Lake Big Band, Roy Hargrove and David Sanchez. In 2006, he won the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers award and received a Master of composition in 2007 at Rutgers University.

Coming from the long lineage of Philadelphia drummers (Philly Joe Jones, Bobby Durham, Mickey Roker et Edgar Bateman), Johnathan has become a major musician in the current New York scene and been praised by his peers for his sense of swing and his solid musical instinct. Over the years he demonstrated his composition and leader skills with two acclaimed albums ; Gone, But Not Forgotten recorded with Chris Potter, Mark Turner and Ben Street and The Eleventh Hour with Mark Turner, Jaleel Shaw, Ben Street, Kevin Hays.

Laurent2jpg-1494061305

Laurent Coq

KINSHIP

1. Light

2. Momentum

3. Honest

4. Pleasure

5. Mystery

6. Life

7. Organized

8. Sincerity

9. Flow

10. Radation

11. Trip

Recorded by Katsuhiko Naito at Bunker Studio in Brooklyn (NY) on October the 31st and November the 1st of 2016 | Mixing and mastering by Dave Darlington at Bass Hit Recording Studio (NY) on November the 4th.

Produced by Laurent Coq

Laurent Coq | KINSHIP