Half Note Records Brings Five New Albums

Half Note Records To Release Five New Albums Over The Next Year

Available September 16, 2014:
Kenny Werner – Coalition
Conrad Herwig – The Latin Side of Joe Henderson Featuring Joe Lovano

2015 Live Recording Projects Include:
Odean Pope/Pharoah Sanders/James Carter,
Jerry Gonzalez’s Fort Apache Band, and
Conrad Herwig’s The Latin Side of Horace Silver

One of the greatest challenges facing any record label is getting to know its audience. That’s where Half Note Records has always had an advantage. As the recording division of New York City’s landmark Blue Note Jazz Club and its affiliated venues across the country and around the world, Half Note sees its audience reacting night after night to the artists – and sometimes to the very performances – that it supports.

“The overall intention of establishing Half Note was to document and capture the zeitgeist of New York jazz,” explains Jeff Levenson, Executive Vice-President of Half Note Records. “Half Note is different than other independent jazz labels because its interface exists within a network of performance venues. The label was born out of the desire to document vital musics that pass through the club or, in fact, might not exist anywhere except on the stage of the Blue Note. You have a symbiosis between the club and the label. Among record labels, there is no parallel, no precedent, for that.”

Over the course of the next year, Half Note will add to its estimable 16-year legacy with five new releases spotlighting its impressive stylistic diversity. That line-up kicks off on September 16, with two new offerings by artists with long histories at Half Note: pianist Kenny Werner and trombonist Conrad Herwig.

KENNY WERNER – COALITION

“Perfection, 360 degrees of soul and science in one human being.
My kind of musician.” – Quincy Jones

Coalition will mark Kenny Werner’s eighth release for Half Note, a catalog that includes his masterwork No Beginning No End, which was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2010. A consummate “musician’s musician,” Werner may be best known for his hugely influential instructional guide on improvisation, Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within, original published in 1996. While countless student musicians have benefited from the book’s teachings, Levenson recounts an encounter where he overheard musical geniuses Quincy Jones and Herb Alpert excitedly discussing its merits.

Coalition is the title of the studio album and Werner’s new quintet. It was formed out of the pianist’s desire to work with Benin-born guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke and Puerto Rican alto saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón, two leaders of the younger generation of multi-cultural jazz artists. He also enlisted Danish saxophonist Benjamin Koppel and Hungarian bassist Ferenc Nemeth to create some of the most forward-thinking music of his career, a set of music alive with diverse rhythms and wide-ranging approaches featuring collaborative contributions from the group.

“Coalition is indicative of Werner’s approach,” Levenson says. “In each of his projects he attempts to place himself in a setting that will expand his reach, provide a challenge and create a context that will help him develop as an artist.”

Kenny Werner · Coalition
Half Note Records · Release Date: September 16, 2014

For more information on Kenny Werner, please visit kennywerner.com

CONRAD HERWIG – THE LATIN SIDE OF JOE HENDERSON
FEATURING JOE LOVANO

“Take classic jazz tunes. Gather some of the best Afro-Cuban jazz musicians available. Rearrange carefully. Play with gusto. It’s been Conrad Herwig’s formula for more than a decade, and it still serves the trombonist well.” – National Public Radio

Since the release of his tribute to John Coltrane in 1996, Conrad Herwig’s The Latin Side of… recordings have become one of the most revered collections in jazz, focused on reimagining the compositions of seminal jazz musicians’, showcasing them within the framework of an Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean perspective. Born in Oklahoma and reared in Hawaii, Herwig started his career under the tutelage of Clark Terry, Cab Calloway and Buddy Rich, and honed his passion for Latin Jazz with his long and ongoing association alongside legendary pianist Eddie Palmieri.

Those influences can be heard throughout his Latin Side… albums. The Latin Side of Joe Henderson is the sixth entry in the series and the fifth to be released on Half Note, following tributes to Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and two albums dedicated to Miles Davis. On this latest album, special guest Joe Lovano joins Herwig’s stellar ensemble paying homage to one of the greatest of all tenor men.

Conrad Herwig · The Latin Side of Joe Henderson featuring Joe Lovano
Half Note Records · Release Date: September 16, 2014

For more information on Conrad Herwig, please visit conradherwig.com

2015 RELEASES
The 2015 release slate will begin with a live recording of Latin Jazz trumpeter Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, featuring guest saxophonist Miguel Zenón. That disc will be followed by two more live recordings: a saxophone summit convened by Philadelphia master Odean Pope with James Carter and Pharoah Sanders, anchored by pianist Geri Allen, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts (scheduled to perform September 9-14 at Blue Note Jazz Club); and the next Latin Side… entry, dedicated to the work of the late Horace Silver, with guest artist Michel Camilo (scheduled to perform August 19-24 at Blue Note).