Paganova, the stellar new quintet recording from pianist/composer Michael Pagán who has become a fixture of the Kansas City jazz scene over the past two decades, will be out July 19, 2024 via Capri Records. Joining Pagán on the album are David Chael and Michael Herrera on saxophones, Louie Pagán on bass and Ray DeMarchi on drums.
“This award-winning arranger never ceases to find ways to reinvestigate, reinvent, and rejuvenate himself as a soul-searching artist who constantly challenges himself to dive deeper into the jazz chasm.” – Dr. Wayne Goins, Director of Jazz Studies, Kansas State University in his liner notes for the album
“I’m invariably floored by the high quality of each release by the pianist, composer and bandleader.” – Bill Brownlee, Plastic Sax
“. . . a great display of musicianship both from a compositional and performance point of view.” – Bob Karlovitz, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
“Michael Pagán deserves recognition as a superior jazz pianist.” – Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
“. . . a dynamic artist and musical force in today’s jazz world.” – Edward Blanco, All About Jazz
Paganova the new album from the prolific pianist/composer Michael Pagán, who has become a fixture of the Kansas City jazz scene over the past two decades, documents five of his compositions and three arrangements of tunes by some of the most celebrated masters of the post-bop era.
While the instrumental format of two saxes and rhythm section, a pillar of the jazz lexicon, may call to mind such seminal works as the Lennie Tristano Quintet featuring Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh, the Cannonball Adderly Quintet in Chicago, and the Tribute to John Coltrane: Live Under the Sky featuring Wayne Shorter and Dave Liebman, Paganova’s front line breaks ground in that its reed men, David Chael and Michael Herrera, switch instruments between tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones throughout the entire set, resulting in a breathtaking showcase in the art of sax doubling.
Bassist Louie Pagán, an independently established composer and producer in his own right, crosses the genre line to join his father’s group on electric and upright bass, adding an exciting flare particularly to the Latin and straight-eighth note offerings, while renowned veteran drummer Ray DeMarchi (who appeared on Pagán’s 2010 Capri release Three for the Ages) wraps the entire ensemble in sophisticated, experienced drumwork that is at once warm, hard hitting, and heart felt. As Pagán’s steady, virtuosic hands testify to the accolades he’s received over the years as a versatile mainstream pianist, clearly his compositions and arrangements and the front line of David Chael and Michael Herrera are at the center of Paganova, a release sure to please any fans of double sax quintets.
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About Michael Pagán
Described as a “brilliant, intense” performer of jazz piano by KC Confidential and a “dynamic artist and musical force in today’s jazz world” by All About Jazz, Michael Pagán has performed throughout the United States and in Europe with many notable jazz musicians. He appears regularly in the jazz venues of Kansas City as a solo pianist, with his own trio, as leader/pianist of the Michael Pagán Big Band and with his quintet Paganova. As a composer/arranger he has produced nearly 200 works, mostly in the jazz idiom and recorded for numerous labels including Capri Records.
Capri Records is a leading independent label started by record collector, jazz enthusiast and entrepreneur Tom Burns. Launched in 1983 with a release by tenor saxophonist Spike Robinson, the Bailey, Colorado-based label now has a catalog of over one hundred titles including those by bassists Ray Brown and Red Mitchell, trombonists Al Grey and Phil Wilson, saxophonist Bud Shank and drummer Louie Bellson. Over the years Capri has helped launch the careers of a number of artists, including trumpeter Ron Miles, flutist Holly Hofmann, composer/arranger Chie Imaizumi and the John Clayton/Jeff Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. The label has been named “Best Jazz Label” in Denver’s Westword Newspaper. In the past four decades, the Capri label has released acclaimed albums by the Jeff Hamilton Trio, Sheila Jordan, the Mark Masters Ensemble, the Grachan Moncur III Octet, saxophonists Bud Shank with Phil Woods, Ernie Krivda and Keith Oxman, guitarists Graham Dechter and Joshua Breakstone, drummers Jeff Hamilton and Colin Stranahan, pianists Mike Jones, Mike Wofford and Michael Pagán, clarinetist Ken Peplowski, flutist Holly Hofmann, saxophonist Keith Oxman, trombonist Phil Wilson, the Curtis Fuller sextet, and many others.