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Jacam Manricks's High 5
Jacam Manricks's High 5 "A composer beyond the confines of genre perception evocative meditative beautifully contoured An impressive collection of…
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High 5
“A composer beyond the confines of genre perception evocative meditative beautifully contoured An impressive collection of pieces from New York based Australian born multi-instrumentalist/professor Jacam Manricks, Labyrinth creeps into your ears with a stealthy sketch, half written, half improvised”
– DownBeat
“Labyrinth is a piece of work that does for jazz what author Walt Whitman did for existentialism, he gives the genre meaning that people can relate to and apply to their own lives.”
–Jazz Times
Sri Lankan/Portuguese Australian born saxophonist/composer Jacam Manricks was raised in an extremely musical family. His parents were resident classical musicians in the state symphony in his hometown of Brisbane, Queensland and his grandfather was a famous Portuguese jazz clarinetist and saxophonist in Sri Lanka. As a child Jacam frequently attended his parents’ symphony concerts and was introduced to jazz at home through his fathers’ jazz record collection. Due to these surroundings, Jacam was able to build a diverse musical foundation from a young age that combined jazz and classical music, two genres that continue to influence his music today. Jacam began studying piano at age 5 and the alto saxophone at 9. His formal musical training continued in New York in 2001, culminating with a doctor of musical arts degree in jazz composition/performance/ pedagogy from the Manhattan School of Music in 2007.
As a saxophonist and woodwind player, Jacam has performed and/or recorded with some of the most prestigious international artists of our time, including Ray Charles, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, David Liebman, Michael Abene, Bob Mintzer, Dick Oatts, James Morrison, Mike Nock, Ben Monder, Gary Versace, Joe Martin, Tyshawn Sorey, Barney McAll, Jerry Lewis and the Queensland Symphony to name a few. He is a popular figure amongst the New York contemporary jazz scene and a familiar face in venues such as the Jazz Gallery, Cornelia Street Café, Smalls, the Jazz Standard and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
As a composer, soloist and ensemble leader, Jacam has recorded three albums to date (Sky’s the Limit, Labyrinth and Trigonometry). Currently Jacam is promoting the release of his second album Labyrinth, which has received outstanding reviews in JazzTimes, Downbeat, All About Jazz-NY, Sydney Morning Herald and the Irish Times. Labyrinth consists of Jacam’s compositions for jazz quintet and chamber orchestra and features some of New York’s finest jazz soloists (Ben Monder – guitars, Thomas Morgan - bass, Tyshawn Sorey – drums, Jacob Sacks – piano & himself on saxophones/woodwinds).
Jacam recently recorded his third album as a leader in New York for Posi-Tone records in May 2009. The album is to be released in July 2010 and features Jacam’s most recent compositions for jazz quartet and septet, performed by himself and leading New York jazz artists (Gary Versace – piano, Joe Martin - bass, Obed Calvaire – drums, Scott Wendholt – trumpet, Alan Ferber on trombone & himself on saxophones).
Jacam has received a number of prestigious awards and scholarships for artistic excellence and touring, such as the Contemporary Music Touring Program awards in 2009 and 2007, the Marten Bequest Arts Fellowship in 2005, the Queensland Lord Mayors Performing Arts Fellowship in 2000, and the Australian National Jazz Award-third prize 2009. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, Australia, Canada and the US as a soloist and/or bandleader.
Jacam has composed works for a number of different ensembles worldwide. These include a suite for Symphony Orchestra and Big Band, which was presented as a part of the Manhattan School of Music’s 90th Anniversary Celebration Concert in New York in October 2007. The concert featured Jacam as composer/orchestrator and alto saxophone soloist. Other works have been written for the William Patterson University Big Band (New Jersey, USA), the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra (New York, USA), the Helsinki Polytechnics Pop and Jazz Conservatory (Finland), the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo (Norway) and the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (Brisbane, Australia).
In addition to performing and composing, Jacam is a very experienced musical educator. He has done master-classes and clinics at internationally renowned institutions such as the Manhattan School of Music, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Victorian College of the Arts, Queensland Conservatorium of Music, and the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York, where he currently works as a private saxophone and improvisation instructor.
1. MIGUEL ZENON QUARTET – The Jazz Standard New York 29th April 2008
Henry Cole drums, Hans Glawischnig bass, Luis Perdomo piano & Miguel Zenon Alto Sax and Composition.
Most of the music I’ve seen presented at the Jazz Standard over the last nine or so years while living in and around Manhattan has been first class. But this show stands out for many reasons. Firstly, it’s great to hear these guys play together. They sound like a band; musicians who clearly have a deep understanding of one-another’s musical intentions at most if not at all times. There is an amazing cohesiveness with this group. The rhythm section gradually builds behind each of Miguel’s solos, shifting gears slightly chorus after chorus, all the while spontaneously interacting with one-another and savoring each melody he delivers. Secondly, the combination of Latin rhythms, odd-meter claves and ostinatos, not to mention the virtuosic solos create an intensely powerful and moving energy. Also, I’ve seen this band play many times and there is always total commitment and 100% focus on the bandstand. Thirdly, the compositions are very involved and unique: most combining 20th century classical harmony, improvisation and a number of authentic Latin rhythms. Many of the compositions are heavily orchestrated too. Not something many jazz composers think about. Finally, these guys are absolutely nailing this difficult and very complex music. They have memorized the material they’re presenting and make it sound so fresh and easy. Very admirable and very inspiring!
2. BRAD MEHLDAU TRIO – The Village Vanguard New York 24th Sept 2008
Brad Mehldau piano, Larry Grenadier bass & Jeff Ballard drums.
This gig was one of the more spiritual concerts I’ve witnessed. Mehldau has definitely contributed to the evolution of ‘piano trio’ and this gig was an excellent example of why. There was a phenomenal sense of interplay between the band.
The pacing with which Mehldau conducts his solos is beautifully mirrored by his rhythm section Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard.
3. CHRIS POTTER QUARTET – The Village Vanguard New York Dec 2002.
Chris Potter (tenor saxophone); Kevin Hayes (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Scott Colley (double bass); Bill Stewart (drums).
I’d only been living in NY a year or so when I saw this gig. I had seen some of these guys play with Dave Binney at the 55 bar in the west village before though. Those gigs were always a fairly loose but ‘killing’ - in the most musical sense of the word -. This gig was different though. They were promoting a new album and the music was very together. There was the usual ‘burn’, ‘kill & destroy’ ‘odd-meter stadium-jazz tunes but also some more captivating moments where Potter explored some extended saxophone techniques and Hayes experimented with effects on the rhodes and combining it with piano: i.e. one hand on each. They also played a ballad version of Stella by Starlight. It was a total reharmonization. Thank god for that. The song has been done to its death already. It was a very virtuosic and satisfying gig though. Bill Stewart shined as per usual and Scott Colley was the rock of solidarity. Am very happy to have caught this one.
4. THE STONE – East Village NYC, 3rd August 2009
The Tyshawn Sorey Quintet
Personnel: Tyshawn Sorey drums/compositions, Thomas Morgan bass, Pete Robbins sax, Jesse Stacken piano, Todd Nuefeld-Guitar.
This was not your run of the mill Jazz show. In fact, most gigs at this fairly new venue are not ‘Jazz’ per say. The music presented this night was thoroughly orchestrated with elements of improvisation included at times. The compositions were very interesting. They rarely maintained a continuous pulse and frequently changed in terms of texture, timber and melodic/harmonic colours.
You could say these are some principals one might follow when trying to create 20th or in this case 21st century classical ‘new music’. Except there was a Jazz instrumentation doing it. It was quite captivating. In general the music was quite dissonant but also somehow seductive and meditative, ambient even at times. Thomas Morgan’s bass playing was essential as was Todd Neufeld’s guitar. The bass, piano and drum parts were rarely scored together, unlike a lot of ‘Jazz’. And, often each was superimposed one rhythm/meter upon the other. It was contrapuntally thick writing. The music was very ‘heavy’ rhythmically and harmonically. Tyshawn’s drumming was explosive but also very refined and sparse at times. His composition skills were equally formidable.
5. KURT ROSENWINKEL GROUP - Village Vanguard featuring: 2006
Aaron Goldberg piano, Joe Martin bass, Mark Turner saxophone and Eric Harland drums.
The band was making a live album that week and they sounded fantastic the night I caught them. Aaron Goldberg was tearing it up on piano and the blend between him, Mark Turner’s tenor saxophone and Rosenwinkel’s guitar was mellifluous, melancholic and at times menacing. I had scene this band or similar line-ups just down the road at the slightly more affordable Smalls Jazz Club. Somehow this gig was on another level though. No doubt partly due to the fact the band had been playing every night for nearly a week. The compositions were all by Rosenwinkel and sounded super together with the band. His guitar playing was both virtuosic and spontaneous. Aaron Goldberg took several outstanding piano solos gelling with bassist Joe Martin, drummer Eric Harland and of course Rosenwinkel’s guitar comping. Its sad Kurt has now gone trio. The quintet provided more colors for his music, clearly due to the extra members/instruments, but also the harmonic and melodic vocabulary each player contributed to his music. If only touring with a Jazz group larger than trio was an economically sane concept.
