Teodross Avery

Teodross Avery plays 'Teo' from his album, Harlem Stories: The Music of Thelonious Monk on WJ3 Records

In the beginning there was John Coltrane. Teodross Avery experienced an epiphany at 13 when he first heard Trane's "Giant Steps." He emerged in the mid-1990s with two critically hailed releases for GRP/Impulse! Avery's long and productive journey has taken him down many musical paths, from gigs with jazz legends and hip hop stars to sessions with NEA Jazz Masters and platinum pop albums. With his Tompkins Square label debut After The Rain: A Night for Coltrane, Avery has found his way back home, reasserting himself as a supremely eloquent exponent of the post-Trane jazz continuum. With Liner Notes by Ben Ratliff.

Personnel

Teodross Avery - tenor & soprano saxophones
Adam Shulman - piano
Jeff Chambers - acoustic bass
Darrell Green - drums

CD Version

MP3 Version

Teodross Avery is a saxophonist of the highest level and now he has returned his focus to acoustic Jazz. For the past twenty years he has assisted multi-platinum, award-winning, and critically acclaimed artists as they made their mark on the domestic and international music scene. Now, it’s his turn.

Here, on his latest album, Postmodern Trap Music, Avery enlists drum master Marvin “Bugalu” Smith (Archie Shepp, Sun Ra, Chet Baker) for an exploration in sax/drum duos.

While in the spirit of duo albums of the 1960’s and 70’s, John Coltrane’s Interstellar Space and Frank Lowe & Rashied Ali’s Duo Exchange, Avery adds his own stamp on the Deep Jazz format. He teeters on the edge of Modern Jazz and Free Jazz. The improvisations are in the moment and his compositions leave musical impressions that linger on long after the CD is over.

Tracks

1. Volatility
2. Opponent Contemplation
3. Coltrane Van Halen
4. The Mystery
5. Life Or Death
6. Introduction to Post Modern Trap Music (treatise)
7. Volatility (treatise)
8. Opponent Contemplation (treatise)
9. Coltrane Van Halen (treatise)
10. The Mystery (treatise)
11. Life Or Death (treatise)