Suite Ellington CD Celebrating the 100th birthday of Billy Strayhorn: Ed Neumeister, Pao Records and Universal Music Group release Suite Ellington,

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Suite Ellington CD

Celebrating the 100th birthday of Billy Strayhorn:

Ed Neumeister, Pao Records and Universal Music Group release Suite Ellington, celebrating the 100th birthday of Billy Strayhorn, November 29th 2015.

The Suite Ellington project began in 1999 to celebrate the 100th birthday of Duke Ellington. 2015 marks the 100th birthday of Billy Strayhorn (November 29th) and the release of Ed’s latest album, Suite Ellington. Featuring: Billy Drewes (clarinet and alto sax, Jim Rotondi (trumpet), Jeff Ballard (drums), Peter Herbert (bass) and the late great Austrian pianist Fritz Pauer, whom the CD is dedicated.

Included are lesser known pieces from some of Duke’s and Billy Strayhorn’s extended Suites, including the complete Queens Suite (1959), DEPK from the Far East Suite (1966) Come Sunday from Black Brown & Beige (1958) and the Juan Tizol classic Caravan (1936). All arranged by Ed for sextet.

Have a listen here.

CD Release concert and tour celebrating the 100th birthday of Billy Strayhorn

The European album release date November 29th 2015 (Strayhorn’s 100th birthday) will be celebrated at the famed Porgy & Bess club in Vienna, Austria, where Ed will perform an expanded version of the CD together with the Budapest Jazz Orchestra. A follow up concert is scheduled December 4th in Budapest. The CD will be officially released in the US in Spring 2016. It will be available on all the digital platforms at the end of November.

For spring 2016 several tour venues for Big Band and Sextet are in the planning stages.

Looking back

This past November 3rd, Ed had the great pleasure to play with Randy Brecker, Olaf Polziehn, Morten Ramsbøl and Howard Curtis at the KUG University in Graz.

In the summer Ed did a three-week tour to Brazil. Mostly in the Sao Paulo area, Ed appeared at the International Projeto Bone Trombone Festival followed by some concerts with a quartet of great local players (Fernando Correa - gtr, Bruno Migotto – bs and Rodrigo "Digão" Braz - dr). Here they are playing at the Cultural Institute in Sao Paulo performing a piece Ed composed just a few days before. Check out the video of this band playing Ed's piece Acclimation Park here.

In June 2015 Ed composed “Flowing” for Big Band, which featured himself and his long time friend/colleague, Joe Lovano, together with the KUG Allstar Big Band in Graz Austria. Here’s Ed’s reaction to Joe's solo.

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Ed's reaction to Joe Lovano's solo

In the Making

Into the Now CD

Ed began the mixes for the Into the Now CD, which was recorded last September 2014 in New York with the All Star NeuHat Ensemble. Ed plans to release Into the Now in fall 2016.

We are still working to raise funds to help take care of the manufacturing and promotion. Maybe you would like to be a producer or sponsor, or know someone who might be interested in helping to produce this artistic endeavor?

Read Ed’s blog Do-it Yourself about doing his own Mixing and Mastering here.

Looking Ahead

JEN (Jazz Education Network) Conference, Louisville, KY January 6-9, 2016
Ed will be performing with his quartet (Bill Cunliffe – piano, Martin Wind and Matt Wilson) on Thursday January 7th 2016, 11:00 AM.
He will also be giving a lecture: Architecture of Musical Composition on Saturday January 9th at 10:00 AM
If you will be there, please stop by and say hello.

www.EdNeumeister.com

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