Franck Amsallem – Out a Day (Remastered 2025)
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kMa2pOT8n05FkEbMcJGQOoKs4r1C2hw1M
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kMa2pOT8n05FkEbMcJGQOoKs4r1C2hw1M
Three weeks ago, if I’m not mistaken, I introduced here on Jazz Expresso the album "The Summer Knows (Un été 42)" where this veteran pianist presented us with versions of standards and French film themes, in trio format with two companions from the New York scene: David Wong (bass), and Kush Abadey (drums). I recommend you go back to Jazz Expresso nº 1062 or, simply, listen to the album.
Now the remastered edition of the album I'm presenting today has just been published: "Out a Day" recorded in 1990 in New York with a spectacular trio, besides Amsallem, with Gary Peacock on double bass and Bill Stewart on drums. It was released two years later, in 1992.Critics have said that Franck Amsallem’s musical style is characterized by lyricism, reflection and passion, with a genuine interest in the development of musical improvisation. His crystalline touch, harmonic mastery and intense romanticism stand out, as well as the clarity in his melodic lines — qualities that specialists have compared to pianists like Keith Jarrett, Michel Petrucciani and Brad Mehldau. His interpretive sensitivity and compositional intelligence also shine, exploring new rhythmic combinations and creating an airy and deeply emotional soundscape. That’s what critics say. As almost always, I mention details that I feel help complement the presentation of a record, though I can assure you that if a record is introduced on Jazz Expresso, it’s not for the critics, but because I listen to it, consider it good music, like it, find it interesting. Nothing more.
Franck Amsallem (Oran, 1961) is a Franco-American pianist, composer, singer and arranger, trained musically on the Côte d’Azur, Paris, Berklee College (Boston) and New York. Recipient of various jazz piano awards and internationally established, he is recognized both as a trio-leader and as a collaborator with major jazz artists such as Gerry Mulligan, Charles Lloyd, Joshua Redman, Maria Schneider and Blood Sweat & Tears. From 1992 to 2002 he resided in the United States, where he recorded much of his discography and forged a personal style influenced by post-bop and contemporary French music.
The 2025 reissue of Out a Day remasters the legendary 1992 recording that established Amsallem as a reference figure in NY. With original compositions and standards delivered with sensitivity and sophistication, the work explores complex emotions from within the classic trio, with a transparent and refined sound. Amsallem’s leadership merges with the elegant character of Gary Peacock and the modern precision of Bill Stewart.
Musicians
Franck Amsallem (piano), Gary Peacock (double bass), Bill Stewart (drums)
Tracks
Out a Day, For The Record, How Deep Is The Ocean, And Keep This Place In Mind, Running After Eternity, Dee, On Your Own (free), Affreusement Votre, A Time For Love
Recorded in New York, July 1990; reissue and remastering, Paris, January 2025.
We listen to: For The Record, A Time for Love, Affreusement vôtre
“Affreusement vôtre” is an original composition by Franck Amsallem. The track stands out for its expressive and melancholic character, with a strong emotional charge and rich harmonic development, a symbol of the pianist's lyricism.
“A Time for Love” is a ballad composed by Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster. It’s the only traditional standard on the album, interpreted with sensitivity and delicacy by the trio, providing a moment of intense emotional introspection to the record.
“For the Record” is also an original composition by Franck Amsallem. It stands out for its innovative structure, clarity of melodic lines and the balanced dialogue between piano, double bass and drums.
Mike Casey - The Complete Public Access: WPAA TV Session 2025
Let's talk now about the saxophonist Mike Casey, whom I introduced to you last July. At that time, he released the album Valencia, an album inspired by his time in the city of Túria, since he lived there for a year while pursuing a master's degree.
Now he presents this album with a somewhat long title: The Complete Public Access: WPAA TV Session. Mike Casey (Hartford, Connecticut, 1993) is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator, trained at the Jackie McLean Institute for Jazz (University of Hartford). Winner of prizes such as the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead, he stands out for his stylistic versatility and the constant search for new sounds within contemporary jazz. He has collaborated with renowned musicians and has a consolidated international career.
The Complete Public Access: WPAA TV Session is the result of Casey’s first post-pandemic tour, recorded live by the public television of Wallingford, CT. The album reflects the urgent energy and complicity of the trio at a vital moment, marked by returning after Covid and the author’s personal change: shortly after the recording, Casey moved to Los Angeles.
Musicians
Mike Casey (tenor sax), Matt Dwonszyk (double bass), Corey Garcia (drums)
Tracks
Space Chill, Dusty Wheel, Remote, Ahava, Faith, Iguana Crossing
We listen to: Faith, Iguana Crossing, Remote
To avoid confusion, it should be noted that tracks 5 and 6 are new for 2025, while the other four were already released in 2023 as an EP and were well received. Once the audio mixing issues of these two new pieces were finally resolved and convinced that this live broadcast was one of his trio’s best performances, Mike decided to include them and officially release the concert as a full album in his discography, under the title “The Complete Public Access: WPAA TV Session”.
Recorded at WPAA TV studios, Wallingford, Connecticut, April 23, 2022.
Regarding the track Iguana Crossing, there’s a moment on the album that contains no music, but rather Mike Casey’s voice telling the story behind the piece. Casey says:
Hello, I’m Mike Casey, and this is the story of “Iguana Crossing.” Normally, I don’t do this. Sometimes I like to keep a bit of mystery around my music. But this story’s too good not to share. I decided to take a trip to Aruba to get away from the cold of the East Coast. I was walking downtown, and in the Caribbean, you have to be careful where you step, because you may step on an iguana. I saw an iguana, and we were both trying to cross the street. I love iguanas; I always take photos, I film them. This iguana ran across the street, it was a close call with a truck coming, but somehow it managed to cross in time. So I followed the iguana crossing the street. As I got closer, I was filming the whole thing. It came out of some bushes, paused like it was waiting for me, and looked straight up, at a sign. The sign for the bar it was looking at said “Iguana Cantina.” I thought it was so wild and funny. It was a perfect, beautiful, and totally unexpected moment. It stayed with me, and that’s what inspired me to write this song. It’s a tribute, a dedication if you want, to that brave iguana who brightened my day with its sense of humor and bravery. I hope you enjoy “Iguana Crossing” as much as I enjoyed composing it and living this special moment with the iguana in Aruba.
Let's talk now about the saxophonist Mike Casey, whom I introduced to you last July. At that time, he released the album Valencia, an album inspired by his time in the city of Túria, since he lived there for a year while pursuing a master's degree.
Now he presents this album with a somewhat long title: The Complete Public Access: WPAA TV Session. Mike Casey (Hartford, Connecticut, 1993) is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator, trained at the Jackie McLean Institute for Jazz (University of Hartford). Winner of prizes such as the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead, he stands out for his stylistic versatility and the constant search for new sounds within contemporary jazz. He has collaborated with renowned musicians and has a consolidated international career.
The Complete Public Access: WPAA TV Session is the result of Casey’s first post-pandemic tour, recorded live by the public television of Wallingford, CT. The album reflects the urgent energy and complicity of the trio at a vital moment, marked by returning after Covid and the author’s personal change: shortly after the recording, Casey moved to Los Angeles.
Musicians
Mike Casey (tenor sax), Matt Dwonszyk (double bass), Corey Garcia (drums)
Tracks
Space Chill, Dusty Wheel, Remote, Ahava, Faith, Iguana Crossing
We listen to: Faith, Iguana Crossing, Remote
To avoid confusion, it should be noted that tracks 5 and 6 are new for 2025, while the other four were already released in 2023 as an EP and were well received. Once the audio mixing issues of these two new pieces were finally resolved and convinced that this live broadcast was one of his trio’s best performances, Mike decided to include them and officially release the concert as a full album in his discography, under the title “The Complete Public Access: WPAA TV Session”.
Recorded at WPAA TV studios, Wallingford, Connecticut, April 23, 2022.
Regarding the track Iguana Crossing, there’s a moment on the album that contains no music, but rather Mike Casey’s voice telling the story behind the piece. Casey says:
Hello, I’m Mike Casey, and this is the story of “Iguana Crossing.” Normally, I don’t do this. Sometimes I like to keep a bit of mystery around my music. But this story’s too good not to share. I decided to take a trip to Aruba to get away from the cold of the East Coast. I was walking downtown, and in the Caribbean, you have to be careful where you step, because you may step on an iguana. I saw an iguana, and we were both trying to cross the street. I love iguanas; I always take photos, I film them. This iguana ran across the street, it was a close call with a truck coming, but somehow it managed to cross in time. So I followed the iguana crossing the street. As I got closer, I was filming the whole thing. It came out of some bushes, paused like it was waiting for me, and looked straight up, at a sign. The sign for the bar it was looking at said “Iguana Cantina.” I thought it was so wild and funny. It was a perfect, beautiful, and totally unexpected moment. It stayed with me, and that’s what inspired me to write this song. It’s a tribute, a dedication if you want, to that brave iguana who brightened my day with its sense of humor and bravery. I hope you enjoy “Iguana Crossing” as much as I enjoyed composing it and living this special moment with the iguana in Aruba.
Tyreek McDole – Open Up Your Senses (2025)
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l_h7Yx965bh--RijclynwZn6D0_dox67I
I have to be honest. I don’t often feature singers on Jazz Expresso. Very occasionally I introduce vocalists, both men and women. It’s a matter of concept. That concept would have to change a lot to start featuring singers every week. But from time to time, without really knowing why, I hear a voice that catches my attention. That’s the case with this album by Tyreek McDole.
Maybe it’s because his velvety tone reminds me of my admired and sadly missed Kevin Mahogany, who passed away in 2017? I say it reminds me of his tone because if we talk about range, Mahogany was a baritone and McDole is a tenor—or at least that’s what I think, although he’s presented as a baritone.
Tyreek McDole (Florida, 2000) is a Haitian-American singer and composer based in New York. At just 25 years old, he’s emerged as one of the leading jazz vocalists today; in 2023, he won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, being only the second man to do so in twelve years. Critics highlight the maturity, lyricism, and personality of his voice, which engages with both the tradition and the avant-garde of jazz vocals.
Open Up Your Senses is his debut album, released by Artwork Records in June 2025. The album combines spirituality, social reflection, and homage to his Haitian roots, integrating jazz standards, original compositions, and new arrangements. Critics emphasize McDole’s ability to fuse innovation and tradition, with performances ranging from romantic ballads to ritual chants and contemporary explorations, joined by a young and stellar line-up.
Musicians
Tyreek McDole (vocals), Dylan Band (tenor and soprano sax), Caelan Cardello (piano, Rhodes, arrangements), Rodney Whitaker (double bass), Justin Faulkner (drums), with guests: Kenny Barron (piano), Sullivan Fortner (Hammond B3, Rhodes), Logan Butler (guitar), Emmanuel Michael (guitar), Michael Cruse (trumpet), Tomoki Sanders (tenor sax, percussion), Jerome Gillespie II (drums), Weedie Braimah (djembe)
Tracks
The Backward Step, The Umbrella Man, The Creator Has A Master Plan (Intro), The Creator Has A Master Plan, Ugly Beauty, The Sun Song (Precious Energy), Somalia Rose, Wongolo Wale, Won't You Open Up Your Senses, Under A Blanket Of Blue, Love Is A Four-Letter Word, Everyday I Have The Blues, The Sun Song (Reprise)
Recorded in New York, February to April 2025.
We listen to: Under A Blanket Of Blue, Ugly Beauty, Somalia Rose
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