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The Drop and the Ocean
"The Drop and the Ocean'…on the Brooklyn Jazz Underground label, is an elastic, adventurous statement from the drummer Rob Garcia." – The New York Times (one of) The 10 Best Jazz Albums of 2009 - The New York Observer (on Perennial, BJURecords) For over a decade, drummer/composer Rob Garcia has been a major force on the jazz and creative music scene in Brooklyn, NYC and beyond, collaborating with some the most noteworthy musicians of our time, such as Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, Wynton Marsalis, Joseph Jarman, Diana Krall, Anat Cohen, Woody Allen, Howard Alden, Lynne Arriale, Dave Binney, Ben Monder, Scott Colley, Marty Erhlich, Chris Cheek, Myra Melford, and Vince Giordano, to name but a few. Garcia has also collaborated with other A-list musicians much too numerous to mention here. Suffice it to say, his pedigree is well established. On September 27 Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records releases the latest creative tour-de-force from the inspired drummer /composer /bandleader, The Drop and The Ocean, the follow up to Rob Garcia’s previous, critically-acclaimed recording on BJURecords, Perennial. The Drop and the Ocean features Garcia’s working band, including two young sensations and regulars in the group for the past three years, Noah Preminger (saxophones) and Dan Tepfer (piano), as well as the future bass legend and long time friend, John Hebert. The album is titled after the Sufi concept, which deals with the human experience as an individual (the drop), and the path to surrendering to something bigger (the ocean). Garcia explains further, “I was very inspired by this concept when a friend first brought it to me. She explained how we can try to hold so tightly to our individuality when we can let go and become the ocean.” The twelve Garcia compositions on this recording are musical contemplations and ruminations on this concept. The CD opens with the rhythmic whirlwind, “Will”, referring to the will of the individual, followed by “Boundaries”, which is about listening to what your higher-self is telling you in those challenging moments and acting upon it”, explains Garcia. Throughout The Drop and the Ocean, Garcia includes three drum improvisations as interludes, “Flash #1, #2, and 3#” which reflect on how short and precious our time here is. Other highlights on the recording include the gorgeous ballad, “Lost By Morning” (which is about getting caught up with shoulds and shouldn’ts); “The Drop Part 2”, dedicated to the fun of being human; “River”, the path a drop travels to the ocean; “Humility”, which Garcia says is “about being a parent and those times when I have no idea what to do”; and “The Return”, “returning to our true selves, a process and an event that can happen countless times in our lives,” explains Garcia. Clearly the release of The Drop and the Ocean is one such event for Rob Garcia, as he utilizes his compositional, drumming and band-leading skills to their full extent to share with us a set of beautiful and compelling music based on a concept that is personally inspirational. PerennialThe outstanding musicians on this recording (Noah Preminger, Dan Tepfer, and Chris Lightcap) developed their own ways to get inside this music. These compositions involve some unique challenges, and they play it with a completely organic approach. Perennial is an affirmation of my ever-renewing commitment to a career in creative, adventurous music and following my heart. BIO"…drummer, Rob Garcia…represent(s) part of a budding New York City-based microcosm of jazz-based explorers… -Glenn Astarita; All Music Guide "Rob Garcia wields his sticks like a quill, drumming like a discerning composer. Which he is." -Jeff Potter; Modern Drummer "kickbutt drums courtesy of Rob Garcia" -Improvijazzation Nation For the past decade, drummer Rob Garcia has brought his superb skills and subtly dynamic rhythmic sense to an assortment of jazz-based, creative ensembles. Performing and/or recording with band leaders such as Wynton Marsalis, Joseph Jarman, Anat Cohen, Sam Newsome, Judi Silvano, Woody Allen, Howard Alden, Lynne Arriale, Brad Shepik, John Benitez, John Bunch, Dena DeRose, Chris Cheek, Daniel Kelly, and Vince Giordano. Rob has also performed and/or recorded with other top musicians such as: Joe Lovano, Myra Melford, Dave Binney, Ben Monder, Donny McCaslin, Jerome Richardson, Diana Krall, Reggie Workman, Bob Berg, Dave Kikoski, Mike Formanek, Bill McHenry, Gary Versace, Loren Stillman, Ken Peplowski, Scott Robinson, Howard Johnson, Sonny Fortune, Bruce Barth, Wycliffe Gordon, Warren Vache, Ted Nash, and Chris Potter, among others. As well as collaborating with other groups and artists, Rob is an inspired bandleader in his own right. His talents as a composer and an arranger are splendidly evident on his albums, “Place of Resonance” (Consolidated Artists release #950), which features Dave Kikoski and Mike Formanek. “Heart's Fire” (Connection Works Records), and his latest “Perennial” (Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records 012) with Noah Preminger, Dan Tepfer, and Chris Lightcap. Rob is also the founder and executive director of a brooklyn-based non-profit oragnization called Connection Works, which brings jazz to the community in new ways. Rob describes his creative aim and music's healing power, "music can go beyond the intellect and touch people on a very deep level." Such an understanding of music is the reward for a journey of exploration which began as Rob grew up in Pelham, New York, hearing jazz and popular music from the late 20's and early 30's. His father, an architect who also loved to play the bass, had a collection of 78's (old records) from that period, full of music greats such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Bix Beiderbecke. In his early teens Rob loved classic rock and it was The Who's Keith Moon that inspired him to begin playing the drums. He began studying with Bob Mergliano, and through his influence as well as visiting New York City jazz clubs with his father, Rob's interest turned toward jazz. He then went on to study with some other outstanding teachers and performers such as Charli Persip, Steve Davis, and Adam Nussbaum. At NYU, Rob majored in psychology, but continued to grow musically as well. In his early 20's he was drawn toward spirituality, began practicing yoga and attended Joseph Jarman's dojo in Brooklyn, for Zen meditation. Pursuing his interest in healing more deeply at the IM School of Healing Arts and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Rob developed a small practice as a holistic healer. The awareness which grew through the healing arts and spirituality has become part of his musical outlook. Rob explains, "I strive to integrate all the aspects of my being into everything I do." About PerennialOn his third recording as a leader (following Place of Resonance – Consolidated Artists and Heart's Fire – Connection Works Records), drummer/composer (and sometimes pianist) Rob Garcia delivers nine compelling originals and a modern version of Ray Noble’s “Cherokee” (in thirteen!), that he has been hearing in his head for about ten years. Perennial “pertains to cycles of nature, which we reflect in being human and being an artist”, explains Garcia. “Many of the song titles are named after things that grow and things found in nature”, however they were chosen much in the same way he chose his first-rate sidemen, and the notes and arrangements of his compositions – simply because they sound good to his ear. Garcia, who has worked with a startling array of top jazz artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Joseph Jarman, Anat Cohen, Woody Allen, Brad Shepik, John Benitez, Chris Cheek, Joe Lovano, Myra Melford, Dave Binney, Ben Monder, Diana Krall, Reggie Workman, Bob Berg, Bill McHenry, Howard Johnson, Sonny Fortune, Bruce Barth, Wycliffe Gordon, Chris Potter, among others, is very much a musician confident in his intuition and highly attuned instinct, as evident in his powerfully engaging drum solos on the CD, and the fact that much of the music on Perennial was composed in a stream of consciousness way. Garcia, who majored in psychology at NYU, and has studied yoga, meditation, holistic healing and spirituality, describes his creative aim and music's healing power, "music can go beyond the intellect and touch people on a very deep level,” Rob explains, "I strive to integrate all the aspects of my being into everything I do." Naturally the music on Perennial is informed by the journey and exploration he has embarked on in these areas. The opener “Joe-Pye Weed” (a wild flower) uses a progression of pentatonics, giving it a country feel and “Seasons of Stone” reflects on the deep untouched elements of the human psyche. The title track is a cyclical tune that was written by “just getting my mind out of the way and letting things come”, explains Garcia. “A Flower For Diana”, and the entire recording, is dedicated to Garcia’s late mother. Perennial was born and raised in Brooklyn. The recording is a superb addition to the ever growing Brooklyn jazz canon and a new valuable piece of the multi-faceted soundtrack to this vibrant scene. It features Dan Tepfer (piano), Noah Preminger (tenor saxophone), Chris Lightcap (bass), Rob Garcia (drums, & piano on track 10) |
BJUR 028
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