Pi Recordings News

yulun@pirecordings.com (Yulun Wang) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:01 GMT

Functional Arrhythmias was the lead review in the Sunday New York Times! “This is tangled funk with a higher calling, furious mainly in its focus.” Read full review HERE

yulun@pirecordings.com (Yulun Wang) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:01 GMT

Playboy Magazine gives a shout-out to Pi Recordings in their annual Music Guide issue! “Launching a jazz label in the 21st century seems like an insane idea. Yet since it started in 2001, Pi Recordings has released vibrant, daring records, often dominating critics� polls despite issuing only three to five releases a year.” Special thanks to Rob Tannenbaum for recognizing our accomplishments. Read the full article HERE

yulun@pirecordings.com (Yulun Wang) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:01 GMT

The Rhapsody Poll of 119 jazz critics for Best Album of 2012 is out, and all five Pi releases made the top 25 with three making the top 10!

— #2 Sam Rivers/Dave Holland/Barry Altschul, “Reunion: Live in New York;” #6 Henry Threadgill Zooid, “Tomorrow Sunny/The Revelry, Spp;” #9 Steve Lehman Trio, “Dialect Fluorescent;” #21 David Virelles, “Continuum;” and #23 Hafez Modirzadeh, “Post-Chromodal Out!”

See full results HERE

yulun@pirecordings.com (Yulun Wang) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:01 GMT

Yulun Wang’s career change from investment banker to record label producer is profiled in Businessweek! Ben Ratliff, music critic for The New York Times is quoted in the article as saying “It�s a really good label now, an imprimatur.� He goes on to compare Pi Recordings to jazz imprints such as Savoy, Blue Note, and Verve. Thanks Devin Leonard for the recognition.

Read full article HERE

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:01 GMT

2013 is shaping up wonderfully for David. In addition to his 1st place finish on Ben Ratliff’s New York Times Top 10 Albums of 2012 list, Continuum has placed 2nd in Rhapsody’s Top Latin Jazz Album and made the top 25 in Album of the Year. Virelles recently recorded a set for NPR and will be rounding out the weekend with his stay at the Village Vanguard.

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 00:00:01 GMT

2012 was a great year for David. His Pi Recordings debut, Continuum was Ben Ratliff’s #1 pick on his New York Times Top 10 Albums of 2012 list. A conversation between Ben and Nate Chinen, who also listed Continuum on his New York Times Top 10 Albums of 2012, on the year in jazz can be heard HERE. If 2012 was great 2013 looks to be even better as David will be headlining a week at the Village Vanguard January 29th through February 3rd.

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:01 GMT

The New York Times Ben Ratliff has reviewed David Virelles’ Continuum. Ben describes it by saying, “(Continuum), by contrast, is not a conventional jazz record and maybe not even of its time, though not particularly of any previous time, either… Its music is inspired, on the surface, in rhythm and words… This album doesn�t just connect cultures and styles, it also connects generations, without schematically making a point that it�s doing so.”

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:01 GMT

SomethingElseReviews has published a glowing review of David Virelles’ debut recording for Pi, Continuum. “Next week, Virelles follows up his debut release Motion (2007) with a real career-defining effort, Continuum… is it truly career defining? I think so, and the investment Virelles put into this project speaks to the seriousness he�s put into this, an adamant determination to make an impression as an independently thinking artist, not just some good piano player and composer.”

NME has posted a link of the video for “One” from Continuum.

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:00:01 GMT

A collection of some recent press below:

2nd in Jazz Critics’ 2012 Album of the Year Poll -Rhapsody

Rob Johnson’s Top Album of the Year -The Examiner

“At 83, Rivers rises to the occasion with a sustained power that would be remarkable coming from an artist half his age. Considering how few albums this trio recorded during its time together … Reunion is an unexpected gift.” - Jazz Times, Lloyd Sachs

“Rivers’ ’70s trios � this one especially � pointed out a full range of possibilities to many freewheeling combos that came later.” - NPR Music, Kevin Whitehead

“The 90 minutes of music here (all improvised) vibrate with an intensity, freedom and unspoken connection that recollects the loft scene’s ’70s glory without explicitly referencing it. The recording quality is unimpeachable, but what is far more interesting is how these players’ approaches to music have evolved over three decades without losing their essential magic.” - Orlando Weekly, Jason Ferguson

“The two improvised sets they played were marvelous, picking right up where they left off in 1978�strong, swinging, and incisive, with not a hint of hesitation or tentativeness.” - Chicago Reader, Peter Margasak

“… the results prove to be surprising, quizzical, and �fuck yeah� exhilarating. This quintet � the leader on tenor and soprano, trumpeter Amir ElSaffar (with whom Modirzadeh co-led Radif Suite), pianist Vijay Iyer, bassist Ken Filiano and drummer Royal Hartigan � plays with so much range and feeling and technique that they at times sound nearly orchestral… It�s a powerful statement from a composer, instrumentalist, and band that deserve your time and acclaim.” - Dusted.com, Jason Bivins

“Highly innovative, Post-Chromodal Out! manages to seamlessly bridge the exotic and the familiar into one of the most captivating releases of the year.” - CultofMontreal.com, Lawrence Joseph

“… it sometimes sounds like early ’60s Miles Davis translated into a foreign language. Many have blended jazz with foreign musics, but few have been as successful in recent times as Modirzadeh.” - Jazz Times, Mike Shanley

yulun@pirecordings.com (Yulun Wang) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Bruce Wallace interviews Hafez along with Vijay about “Post-Chromodal Out!” “In his own way, Modirzadeh�s passing along the kind of freedom he found, many years ago, in Charlie Parker�s music.” Listen HERE

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Henry Threadgill’s Tomorrow Sunny / The Revelry, Spp has received a rare 5 star review in the September 2012 DownBeat. John Corbett’s HotBox review describes the performance as, “With this incarnation of Zooid, Threadgill has yet again found the ideal vehicle for his evolving ideas.”

yulun@pirecordings.com (Yulun Wang) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Hafez Modirzadeh’s “Post-Chromodal Out!” is reviewed by Nate Chinen in The New York Times

Looking to learn more about Modirzadeh’s Post-Chromodal concepts? Read about it in the journal Critical Studies in Improvisation.

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Pi Recordings, Seth Rosner and Yulun Wang have been voted voted #4 Label and #3 Rising Star Producers in DownBeat’s 60th Annual Critics Poll.

Congratulations also goes out to Vijay Iyer for his record setting five #1 category showings; Artist, Album, Group, Piano and Rising Star Composer and to Rudresh Mahanthappa for his #1 Alto of the year showing.

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Henry Threadgill’s latest recording is reviewed in the New York Times. Nate Chinen describes “Tomorrow Sunny / the Revelry, Spp” as “…you�ll find striking individual contributions on this album � the chiming angularity of Mr. Ellman�s guitar on �Tomorrow Sunny,� the halting whinnies of Mr. Threadgill�s alto saxophone on �A Day Off�… the album… exerts its own momentum, so that the most dazzling track, �Ambient Pressure Thereby,� arrives with climactic intensity, as an onrushing confrontation.”

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Marc Ribot has been at The Village Vanguard all week with Henry Grimes and Chad Taylor. Nate Chinen described the first night as such, “Mr. Ribot and his partners played forcefully but with lurking sensitivity, and an almost scary commitment to cohesion. It was the kind of flag raising first set that makes you wonder what’s in store as he week rolls on. Read Nate’s review in The New York Times here.

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT

The Steve Lehman Trio on NPR’s Favorite Sessions playing music from Dialect Fluorescent
Dialect Fluorescent reviewed in The New York Times by Nate Chinen, “”The alto saxophonist and composer Steve Lehman has earned a reputation for sure-footed futurism… some smartly stuttering original pieces… several tunes from the jazz repertory… which serves as a springboard, sending the trio off in a swift trajectory, slicing through the air.”
Dialect Fluorescent previewed on TheAwl.com by Seth Colter Walls, ” “… this new recording leans heavily on some older jazz covers. One in particular, John Coltrane�s �Moment�s Notice,� is particularly cool… groove and intellectualism can naturally co-exist.”

yulun@pirecordings.com (Yulun Wang) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT

Nice review of the recent Fieldwork in the Brooklyn Rail. “There is a class of composers and musicians today, however, who specialize in virtuosity�the virtuosity of improvisational collaboration, insightful innovation, and instrumental mastery without synthetic alteration. Among this rarefied group, Fieldwork�the trio of Vijay Iyer on piano, Steve Lehman on saxophone, and Tyshawn Sorey on percussion�stands out.” So true.

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:01 GMT

As we approach the end of the year, we wanted to recognize some of the great press our newest releases have received:

Inana - Amir ElSaffar

“The music deftly combines jazz and Middle Eastern music in a unique way, finding common ground in improvisation… ElSaffar�s studies in both jazz and ethnic music have placed him in good stead to carve out a unique place in the current improvised music. His music and musicial concept is clearly evolving, and this is a very exciting development.”
� Jazz and Blues

“Gracefully poised between two worlds, Inana builds upon ElSaffar's previous accomplishments, establishing an impressive precedent for the creative possibilities of a new global jazz aesthetic.”
� AllAboutJazz

Oblique-I - Tyshawn Sorrey

�One of five drummers whose time is Now�. A spectacular young drummer on jazz�s leading edge, Mr. Sorey has proved himself a serious new-music composer besides, sometimes to the point of cerebral severity. But �Oblique-I� just out on Pi, is a riveting album, with compositions custom designed for the same musicians found here.�
� New York Times

�Oblique � I, is mostly the kind of rollicking band album you�d expect from a powerhouse drummer. His melodies are complex and full of surprises, but often light on their feet. Leading by example, Sorey is helping to heal an old rift in contemporary jazz, between musicians for whom swinging is everything and those also interested in other kinds of rhythmic subtleties and complications�. His quintet/quartet plays twisty, turny rhythms that surge ahead and then fall back, typical of jazz�s left flank. But under those zigzag lines, Sorey�s drums barrel along like a runaway tractor trailer. He makes those tricky patterns move.�
� NPR

The Mancy of Sound - Steve Coleman

�A vivacious group effort brimming with intricate cross-hatched melodies, oblique harmonies and kaleidoscopic rhythms, The Mancy of Sound follows Harvesting Semblances and Affinities as the strongest albums of Coleman�s career, reinforcing his significance in the development of contemporary jazz.�
� Point of Departure

�Of all the musicians who followed Coltrane, Ornette and the AACM, Coleman has done the most work and sustained the highest level of innovation and creativity of output and impact.�
� Downbeat

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:01 GMT

Tyshawn Sorey’s Oblique-I has been released to great acclaim. Fresh Air’s Kevin Whitehead reviewed it last week, describing it as “… mostly the kind of rollicking band album you’d expect from a powerhouse drummer. His melodies are complex and full of surprises, but often light on their feet.” Listen to the review HERE.

The Wall Street Journal’s Larry Blumenfeld interviewed Tyshawn for the Journal. Read the interview HERE. Larry says about Tyshawn, “…his strongest impact is as a composer of radical and seemingly boundless ideas.” and describes Oblique-I as “… more like jazz yet still utterly original.”.

yulun@pirecordings.com (Yulun Wang) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:01 GMT

Pi Recordings is profiled in today’s The New York Times!

“… But through a selective release schedule, a careful eye on the budget, a thoughtful approach to promotion and, crucially, a sense of cultivation and commitment to its artists, Pi has not only survived but has also managed to thrive. In the process its catalog has gradually influenced the sound of jazz over the past decade….”

Special thanks to Nate Chinen who wrote the article, and all of you who have supported us over the years.

yulun@pirecordings.com (Yulun Wang) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:01 GMT

Pi Recordings is proud to be curating the next two weeks at The Stone performance space in New York City. We kick off on Wednesday, August 17th with Fieldwork, which received a Star preview in the New York Times. We hope to see you.

★ Fieldwork - This collaborative threesome is rightly revered for its way with discursive melody and asymmetrical rhythmic forms; the heart of its sound is an ever-shifting rapport between the pianist Vijay Iyer, the saxophonist Steve Lehman and the drummer Tyshawn Sorey, all of whom compose material for the group.

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:01 GMT

DownBeat’s Critics Poll Winners have been released and there is much to celebrate. We are very pleased to congratulate Rudresh Mahanthappa for being voted top Alto Saxophonist. Apex is in the top 5 Jazz Albums of the Year at #4. Other categories where Pi Recordings’ artists were recognized by the critics:

Jazz Artist - Vijay Iyer, Henry Threadgill & Rudresh Mahanthappa
Piano - Vijay Iyer
Rising Star Jazz Artist - Rudresh Mahanthappa & Vijay Iyer
Composer - Henry Threadgill & Vijay Iyer
Rising Star Piano - Vijay Iyer
Alto Saxophone - Henry Threadgill , Bunky Green & Steve Coleman
Jazz Group - Henry Threadgill Zooid
Flute - Henry Threadgill
Guitar - Marc Ribot
Rising Star Guitar - Liberty Ellman
Rising Star Composer - Vijay Iyer, Steve Lehman & Rudresh Mahanthappa
Record Label - Pi Recordings

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:01 GMT

The July issue of DownBeat features Marc Ribot and Nels Cline on the cover. The guitarists discuss their approaches to the instrument as well as their most recent releases, Silent Movies and Dirty Baby.

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:00:01 GMT

Muhal’s latest, SoundDance, gets a nice write up in this weekend’s Art and Leisure section of the New York Times. Nate Chinen says “The album, on two CDs, is a bristling wonder.”

seth@pirecordings.com (Seth Rosner) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:00:01 GMT

Read Steve Smith of the New York Times review of ICE’s performance of Steve Lehman’s Impossible Flow at Le Poisson Rouge.