SPOKE Announces The Release of Their DEBUT Recording

ANDY HUNTER (trombone), JUSTIN WOOD (saxophone),
DANNY FISCHER (drums), DAN LOOMIS (bass)
www.myspace.com/spokemyspace
www.cdbaby.com/cd/spoketunes

We would like to introduce you to Spoke, a dynamic group from Brooklyn, New York. This talented, exciting quartet features some of the most inspired, adventurous improvisers of the new generation of jazz. This record is a collection of young stars that together create a sound that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. True to their name, Spoke draws strength and integrity from the point where its members unite. The formative philosophy for Spoke lies in bringing together musicians distinguished not merely by their virtuosity, but by a unique primary emphasis on composition and group interplay. Years of performing together has allowed these ideals to find expression in a band that seems to always anticipate each other’s thoughts and trajectories. With their debut release, Spoke has created a truly post-modern yet beautifully melodic album incorporating diverse influences from 1960s free-bop, contemporary classical, funk and even Chinese pop music. Paul Blair from Hot House Magazine gives special praise to Spoke’s debut, calling it ‘one of the most inventive records I’ve heard all year’.

The members of Spoke came from across the globe and united in Brooklyn.

Andy Hunter is an exciting, bold new voice on the New York music scene. A highly experienced leader and in-demand side man, he performs around the world with high profile artists such as the Mingus Big Band/Dynasty, Nnenna Freelon, T.S. Monk’s tentet, the Bjorkestra, and recently Dave Holland’s Big Band. Andy is very active in New York with bands ranging from the Birdland Big Band, the Bill Lee Natural Spiritual Orchestra and Dave Binney’s Big Band to several popular Cuban groups, Colombian folkloric, salsa and funk bands. He is a prolific composer and highly awarded soloist, with credits such as first prize in the 2002 International Trombone Association Jazz Competition, the 2005 Antti Rissanen International Jazz Competition in Helsinki Finland and the ETW national jazz trombone competition in Washington D.C. in 2006. He was also a popular finalist in the Thelonious Monk Jazz competition of 2003.

Danny Fischer left a huge gap in the music scene of his native Melbourne, Australia when he relocated to New York in 2004. A 2002 review called Danny “possibly the most in-demand jazz drummer in Melbourne, having worked with a long list of Australian and international musicians including Barney McAll, Gary Bartz, James Williams, Paul Bollenbeck.....” Since relocating to New York, he has been hugely in demand as a sideman, having just recently returned from a tour of Australia with Kurt Rosenwinkel and Barney McAll and has performed at Radio City Music Hall alongside Patty LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and Diana Ross.

Dan Loomis moved to New York from St. Louis via the Eastman School of Music. Called “a forceful and creative bass player” (Cadence) “double-teaming you with style and substance” (All About Jazz), Dan has created a stir with both his powerful bass playing and his vision as a composer and bandleader. An exceptionally adaptable bass/cello player, Mr. Loomis, in his short time in New York, has already appeared on over 20 recordings ranging from indie-pop to instrumental to original jazz including two CDs under his own name and one from the highly acclaimed collaborative group, The Wee Trio – all featuring his own original compositions.

Justin Wood, hailing from the frozen Northeast of Presque Isle, Maine, after graduating from Harvard University, quickly established a presence in New York as a highly versatile, creative instrumentalist working in styles as diverse as free-improvisation, folkloric Columbian music, conduction and straight-ahead jazz. He is also a core founding member of the new Bill Lee Natural Spiritual Orchestra. In addition to his performing, Justin works tirelessly to promote and encourage performance opportunities for numerous ensembles in vital, underground venues in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan.

On their self-titled debut, Spoke tackles an impressive range of musical expression. The album starts out boldly, with a performance of Pisces which highlights the group’s willingness and ability to go in any direction and improvise confidently as a unit. The album continues with Spoke’s tribute to Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, Blabber Battle, which relies on their skill in playing together as much as it does in the individual virtuosity. Blabber Battle is also part one of two-movement suite dedicated to Spoke’s personal superhero, the soon-to-be infamous, Slow Onset Man – a hero to relieve our perceived need for speed. Check out the second movement to learn our hero’s fate. Spoke pauses from their program of all originals to feature a song little known on this side of the globe, the Chinese pop hit, Wo Yao de XingFu. This exceptionally well-crafted gem allows the group to feature its melodic, thoughtful side over a deceptively tricky rhythmic pattern. Clearly not afraid of a challenge, Spoke has also registered the first recording of Wood’s composition HAF, which is a euphemistic acronym for Hard As F.....! The group then changes gears to function like a chamber ensemble with the delicate textures created by Hunter’s muted horn, Loomis’s arco bass and Wood’s flute on Deed By Delusion. Seamlessly they move on to give reign to their love for freer improvisation on the lyrical Chances Are and finish the album with the pensive mood evoked in Loomis’s chorale, Shepherd.

photos, music samples, and performance schedule coming soon. meanwhile, please visit the SPOKE myspace page