BOSTON, MA -- On October 7th, Boston-based guitarist Garrison Fewell will release his sixth recording, Red Door Number 11 (CDH857.2), on Italy's Splasc(h) Records. Utilizing the warm analog sound of the legendary Barigozzi Studio in Milan, where many of the classic Black Saint and Soul Note label titles were recorded, Red Door Number 11 spotlights the rapport between Fewell and longtime collaborator, pianist George Cables. The recording also features the famous Italian rhythm section of bassist Attilio Zanchi and drummer Gianni Cazzola, who regularly tour Europe in Fewell's trio and with many other prominent jazz artists. Fewell's quartet will tour Italy this October.
Heavily influenced by horn players like Ben Webster, who conveyed more emotion with fewer notes, Fewell has cultivated a mature melodic approach that steers the course of this collection of four originals and fresh new arrangements of six standards, like Billy Strayhorn's "Johnny Come Lately" and Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight." The recording's hauntingly romantic feel centers around the title track and the cinematic daydream that inspired it, but at the same time the strong group interaction allows Fewell to take both the material and his playing to new creative places. "The soloing flows organically out of the tune, so there is individual expression within the collective identity," writes music journalist Ed Hazell in the liner notes. "The economy of line, the inner glow that radiates from each note, and the sure pacing are all signs of a mature artist at his peak."
Fewell, a Professor of Guitar at Berklee since 1977, has been called "one of the most personal guitar players of our time," by the Boston Phoenix, and Guitar Player's Andy Ellis wrote, "He's got a mature, lived-in sound that's simultaneously cerebral and blue." A former student of guitar greats Pat Martino and Lenny Breau, his recordings have received honors like the Boston Music Awards' Jazz Album of the Year, Guitar Player’s Album of the Year, and numerous yearly top 10 listings in other publications. Raised in Philadelphia, where he studied acoustic blues and stride guitar before turning to jazz in the early 70's, Fewell has performed on more than 100 international concert tours and given jazz workshops around the world. He is also the author of the textbook Jazz Improvisation, and a lesson contributor to Guitar Player, Guitar Club and Axe magazines.
JazzReview.com
