REVIEWS
Donovan Mixon - "Culmination"
Guitarist Donovan Mixon lived and taught in Italy and Turkey for many years before relocating to Chicago where he now teaches at Harold Washington College. On Culmination Mixon presents nine original compositions recorded in Istanbul with some of the best jazz players in Turkey. Despite the obvious Middle-Eastern influences, this album is not what I would call your usual "world music," but rather combines Western jazz and classical music with Eastern melodic touches. One important and unique aspect is made immediately apparent on the very first track - "Summer of '78" when Turkish ney master Ercan Irmak's ney (wooden flute) makes its first appearance over Mixon's Mediterraneanflavored classical guitar. Engin Gurkey's percussion and Caner Kaptans' acoustic bass and Ferit Odman's drums all soon enter the mix and Mixon takes a delightful breezy solo. Later, Senova Ulker adds his majestic flugelhorn to this number - which sets the stage for the album. "The Dance of Life" follows - showing Mixon's masterful guitar work in a waltzing number that brings cellist Jeff McAuley into the mix. The title track is perhaps the highlight of the recording - a complex mixture of jazz, classical and Mediterranean styles that move across an ever-changing rhythmic landscape. But perhaps the most enjoyable number is the light-hearted Latin-flavored "We Are Yo' Kids" which includes a bouncy baritone sax by Serhan Erkol. "Mist" and "Mercury" explore Mixon's modern classical directions with the latter nearly exploding into an exuberant Turkish celebration. Dueting with cellist McAuley on the opening of "Eddi & Daniela" - Mixon's sliding rapid picking is reminiscent of fellow Chicago world music traveler Fareed Haque. Kaptan takes a pleasing solo turn on the bass to open up "Quando Il Lupo Annusa i Fiori" (Italian for "When the Wolf Smells the Flowers") - and this 10:31 composition also showcases Ulker's burnished horn and Mixon on bluesy/jazzy electric guitar. The hard rocking and interesting "Rough Translation" ends the recording on a high note, but is only 1:56 long and this brief taste leaves me wishing for more of this direction from Mixon. Culmination is a highly engaging release from a guitarist/composer with a distinct style who I hope to hear much more from in the future.
Brad Walseth: Jazz Critic, Jazzchicago.net
Donovan Mixon – Guitars Serhan Erkol – Saxophones Ercan Irmak and Ayca Ergin – Ney Senova Ulker – Trumpet, flugelhorn Jeff McAuley – Cello Caner Kaptan – Double bass Ferit Odman – Drums Engin Gurkey – Percussion Versatile guitarist Donovan Mixon has an ongoing love affair with world harmonies. The Chicago native lived in Italy for many years and he also called Turkey home for a decade, some of that time spent teaching at the Istanbul Bilgi University. It is there that he recorded the intriguing Culmination, accompanied by local musical luminaries. The nine originals bear strong classical influences as heard on Mixon’s duet, with trumpeter Senova Ulker, backed by Jeff McAuley’s cello during the opening bars of “The Dance of Life.” Ulker’s playing becomes more jazz-inflected as he takes center stage later in the tune. Elsewhere a heavily baroque style opens the title track but as it evolves it morphs into cool jazz with odd time signatures reminiscent of Dave Brubeck, as Mixon, Ulker, McAuley and saxophonist Serhan Erkol trade lines. These kinds of conversations are one of the highlights of this record. “Mercury,” for example, features a set of alternating duets between McAuley, Mixon and ney (reed flute) player Ayca Ergin. The album is characterized by different traditions melding into each other seamlessly, like on “Eddie and Daniela,” which opens with an explorative classical acoustic guitar followed by the cello mirroring Mixon’s solo. But as Ergin’s ney blows in, bringing with it Engin Gurkey’s hand percussion sounds, there is shift to a more folk-Levantine air. This Mideastern atmosphere also permeates “Summer of 78,” with Ercan Irnak’s ney blowing over a substrate of subtle and effective guitar notes like a troubadour wandering winding ancient streets on a warm afternoon. This ambience is enhanced by Ulker’s melancholic flugelhorn. Mixon also incorporates other genres into the overall work that range from the playfully Latin “Where Are Yo’ Kids,” with Erkol on baritone sax, to the freer cinematic “Mist,” with its crashing cymbals and bowed cello. Mixon switches to electric guitar on the CD’s jazzier pieces, which include the centerpiece “Quando Il Lupo Annusa i Fiori,” that features Caber Kaptan’s mellifluous pizzicato bass, Ulker’s trumpet channeling bits of Mils Davis and Mixon’s own lengthy improvisation that logically builds upon the melody. This delightful disc concludes with a blues drenched electric guitar cliffhanger on “Rough Translation,” a vow, perhaps, that there is more of this
engaging music to come––a promise I hope Mixon will keep.
http://www.chicagojazz.com/cd-reviews.php?SEARCH=review&REV=149
Hrayr Attarian: Jazz Critic, chicagojazz.com
“He recorded with the likes of Lee Konitz, George Garzone and Eddie Henderson, and distilled his experiences into a personal style of relaxed elegance, where notes are carefully placed in an uncluttered, transparent texture.”
Francesco Martinelli: Jazz Critic, Musica Jazz
“It’s not ambient fare at all, but jazz with the proviso that you never know what’s coming next and it will definitely not hurt you. It’s billed as “global jazz” but it’s not world music in the current sense -- it’s Mixon’s personal take on his own jazz journeys and how they’ve shaped him.”
Alexandra Ivanoff: Music Journalist, Time Out Istanbul
– Profile of a Jazz Artist
To say Donovan Mixon has had an interesting career is an understatement. Coming from humble beginnings in Newark, New Jersey, from an early age he set his sights upon a career in music. His talent has brought him from Atlantic City to Boston, Milan to Istanbul and now to Chicago; his determination has earned him a Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and an NEA for jazz composition. After seven years on the faculty at Berklee College of Music, he moved to Italy and lived as a freelance musician, performing at clubs and festival around Europe. During this period his first two CD recordings, Look Ma, No Hands!, And Language of the Emotions was published. By 2000, his text Performance Ear Training was published and he’d joined the music faculty at Istanbul Bilgi University in Turkey. While in Istanbul he recorded his most recent CD, Culmination. Culmination earned critical acclaim and landed upon jazzchicago.net’s list of Top Chicago Recordings of 2010. His current activities include teaching, conducting jazz education clinics, and performing.
Donovan describes his music as being melody driven and not dependent on a specific harmony, key, or form. Listening to his most recent album, Culmination, I was struck by how so many diverse sounds and approaches work together to create a unified sound. The music draws one in with its perfect balance and approach. And present throughout the recording is Donovan Mixon’s superb guitar playing.
On a recent cold Sunday, I had the opportunity to watch Donovan and his most recent project, The Donovan Mixon’s Hybrid Project, perform at the iconic Green Mill in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. The Green Mill is a musician’s bar and Donovan appeared more than comfortable in that setting. The Hybrid Project was performing as part of the Chicago Jazz Composers Collective. One Sunday a month Kathy Kelly, the Green Mill’s artistic director, hosts a showcase for original jazz compositions. This Sunday Kathy opened the performance by performing with her band, Tudo de Bom. The music was light and reminiscent of Henry Mancini and I particularly enjoyed their piece Po as well as Imaginary Twilight.
When it was Donovan’s turn to perform, he and his band mates confidently took the stage. What struck me about the Hybrid Project was how each member of the band complemented the other. Five pieces were performed with the first, The Dance of Life, decidedly the sweetest. Tony Barba played the flute and bantered beautifully with the bass (Cory Biggerstaff) and the drums (Ares Biskas). Donovan joined with the music in pieces and complemented their music effortlessly with masterful guitar work. Together they created a decidedly nuanced and complex work that easily engaged the audience.
Donovan then introduced his next piece, Quando il Lupo Annusa I Fiori (When the Wolf Smells the Flowers) with a short story relating how he came to compose the song. Again his band performed beautifully with Donovan creating a space for each of the musicians to perform in. Open, which was composed by Dave Onderdonk (guitar), was performed next and had a whimsical, upbeat feel. The last two numbers, Summer of ’78 and Giochiamo Quando Suoniamo (We Play When We Play) were both composed by Donovan Mixon. The latter piece (Giochiamo) was later reinterpreted by Donovan while in Turkey and was retitled Rough Translation. It was that piece that most enthralled me with its decidedly eastern flair. Tony Barba complemented the piece nicely with his play of the bansuri, a wind instrument more closely associated with music from India. After the performance I had a chance to briefly talk with Donovan Mixon. I complemented him on his masterful work and asked him how long this project had been together. Donovan laughed and replied “four hours.” I assumed he meant four hours of rehearsal a day for several months. No, he said, maybe four total hours of rehearsal and a lot of emailing. Amazed, told him that I would very much like to see what Donovan Mixon’s Hybrid Project would be capable of after a few more gigs together.
http://www.chicagosplash. com/publish/Entertainment/cat_index_chicago_entertainment/donovanmixon. php
by Noel Schecter
Guitarist Donovan Mixon lived and taught in Italy and Turkey for many years before relocating to Chicago where he now teaches at Harold Washington College. On Culmination Mixon presents nine original compositions recorded in Istanbul with some of the best jazz players in Turkey. Despite the obvious Middle-Eastern influences, this album is not what I would call your usual "world music," but rather combines Western jazz and classical music with Eastern melodic touches. One important and unique aspect is made immediately apparent on the very first track - "Summer of '78" when Turkish ney master Ercan Irmak's ney (wooden flute) makes its first appearance over Mixon's Mediterraneanflavored classical guitar. Engin Gurkey's percussion and Caner Kaptans' acoustic bass and Ferit Odman's drums all soon enter the mix and Mixon takes a delightful breezy solo. Later, Senova Ulker adds his majestic flugelhorn to this number - which sets the stage for the album. "The Dance of Life" follows - showing Mixon's masterful guitar work in a waltzing number that brings cellist Jeff McAuley into the mix. The title track is perhaps the highlight of the recording - a complex mixture of jazz, classical and Mediterranean styles that move across an ever-changing rhythmic landscape. But perhaps the most enjoyable number is the light-hearted Latin-flavored "We Are Yo' Kids" which includes a bouncy baritone sax by Serhan Erkol. "Mist" and "Mercury" explore Mixon's modern classical directions with the latter nearly exploding into an exuberant Turkish celebration. Dueting with cellist McAuley on the opening of "Eddi & Daniela" - Mixon's sliding rapid picking is reminiscent of fellow Chicago world music traveler Fareed Haque. Kaptan takes a pleasing solo turn on the bass to open up "Quando Il Lupo Annusa i Fiori" (Italian for "When the Wolf Smells the Flowers") - and this 10:31 composition also showcases Ulker's burnished horn and Mixon on bluesy/jazzy electric guitar. The hard rocking and interesting "Rough Translation" ends the recording on a high note, but is only 1:56 long and this brief taste leaves me wishing for more of this direction from Mixon. Culmination is a highly engaging release from a guitarist/composer with a distinct style who I hope to hear much more from in the future.
Brad Walseth: Jazz Critic, Jazzchicago.net
Donovan Mixon – Guitars Serhan Erkol – Saxophones Ercan Irmak and Ayca Ergin – Ney Senova Ulker – Trumpet, flugelhorn Jeff McAuley – Cello Caner Kaptan – Double bass Ferit Odman – Drums Engin Gurkey – Percussion Versatile guitarist Donovan Mixon has an ongoing love affair with world harmonies. The Chicago native lived in Italy for many years and he also called Turkey home for a decade, some of that time spent teaching at the Istanbul Bilgi University. It is there that he recorded the intriguing Culmination, accompanied by local musical luminaries. The nine originals bear strong classical influences as heard on Mixon’s duet, with trumpeter Senova Ulker, backed by Jeff McAuley’s cello during the opening bars of “The Dance of Life.” Ulker’s playing becomes more jazz-inflected as he takes center stage later in the tune. Elsewhere a heavily baroque style opens the title track but as it evolves it morphs into cool jazz with odd time signatures reminiscent of Dave Brubeck, as Mixon, Ulker, McAuley and saxophonist Serhan Erkol trade lines. These kinds of conversations are one of the highlights of this record. “Mercury,” for example, features a set of alternating duets between McAuley, Mixon and ney (reed flute) player Ayca Ergin. The album is characterized by different traditions melding into each other seamlessly, like on “Eddie and Daniela,” which opens with an explorative classical acoustic guitar followed by the cello mirroring Mixon’s solo. But as Ergin’s ney blows in, bringing with it Engin Gurkey’s hand percussion sounds, there is shift to a more folk-Levantine air. This Mideastern atmosphere also permeates “Summer of 78,” with Ercan Irnak’s ney blowing over a substrate of subtle and effective guitar notes like a troubadour wandering winding ancient streets on a warm afternoon. This ambience is enhanced by Ulker’s melancholic flugelhorn. Mixon also incorporates other genres into the overall work that range from the playfully Latin “Where Are Yo’ Kids,” with Erkol on baritone sax, to the freer cinematic “Mist,” with its crashing cymbals and bowed cello. Mixon switches to electric guitar on the CD’s jazzier pieces, which include the centerpiece “Quando Il Lupo Annusa i Fiori,” that features Caber Kaptan’s mellifluous pizzicato bass, Ulker’s trumpet channeling bits of Mils Davis and Mixon’s own lengthy improvisation that logically builds upon the melody. This delightful disc concludes with a blues drenched electric guitar cliffhanger on “Rough Translation,” a vow, perhaps, that there is more of this
engaging music to come––a promise I hope Mixon will keep.
http://www.chicagojazz.com/cd-reviews.php?SEARCH=review&REV=149
Hrayr Attarian: Jazz Critic, chicagojazz.com
“He recorded with the likes of Lee Konitz, George Garzone and Eddie Henderson, and distilled his experiences into a personal style of relaxed elegance, where notes are carefully placed in an uncluttered, transparent texture.”
Francesco Martinelli: Jazz Critic, Musica Jazz
“It’s not ambient fare at all, but jazz with the proviso that you never know what’s coming next and it will definitely not hurt you. It’s billed as “global jazz” but it’s not world music in the current sense -- it’s Mixon’s personal take on his own jazz journeys and how they’ve shaped him.”
Alexandra Ivanoff: Music Journalist, Time Out Istanbul
– Profile of a Jazz Artist
To say Donovan Mixon has had an interesting career is an understatement. Coming from humble beginnings in Newark, New Jersey, from an early age he set his sights upon a career in music. His talent has brought him from Atlantic City to Boston, Milan to Istanbul and now to Chicago; his determination has earned him a Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and an NEA for jazz composition. After seven years on the faculty at Berklee College of Music, he moved to Italy and lived as a freelance musician, performing at clubs and festival around Europe. During this period his first two CD recordings, Look Ma, No Hands!, And Language of the Emotions was published. By 2000, his text Performance Ear Training was published and he’d joined the music faculty at Istanbul Bilgi University in Turkey. While in Istanbul he recorded his most recent CD, Culmination. Culmination earned critical acclaim and landed upon jazzchicago.net’s list of Top Chicago Recordings of 2010. His current activities include teaching, conducting jazz education clinics, and performing.
Donovan describes his music as being melody driven and not dependent on a specific harmony, key, or form. Listening to his most recent album, Culmination, I was struck by how so many diverse sounds and approaches work together to create a unified sound. The music draws one in with its perfect balance and approach. And present throughout the recording is Donovan Mixon’s superb guitar playing.
On a recent cold Sunday, I had the opportunity to watch Donovan and his most recent project, The Donovan Mixon’s Hybrid Project, perform at the iconic Green Mill in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. The Green Mill is a musician’s bar and Donovan appeared more than comfortable in that setting. The Hybrid Project was performing as part of the Chicago Jazz Composers Collective. One Sunday a month Kathy Kelly, the Green Mill’s artistic director, hosts a showcase for original jazz compositions. This Sunday Kathy opened the performance by performing with her band, Tudo de Bom. The music was light and reminiscent of Henry Mancini and I particularly enjoyed their piece Po as well as Imaginary Twilight.
When it was Donovan’s turn to perform, he and his band mates confidently took the stage. What struck me about the Hybrid Project was how each member of the band complemented the other. Five pieces were performed with the first, The Dance of Life, decidedly the sweetest. Tony Barba played the flute and bantered beautifully with the bass (Cory Biggerstaff) and the drums (Ares Biskas). Donovan joined with the music in pieces and complemented their music effortlessly with masterful guitar work. Together they created a decidedly nuanced and complex work that easily engaged the audience.
Donovan then introduced his next piece, Quando il Lupo Annusa I Fiori (When the Wolf Smells the Flowers) with a short story relating how he came to compose the song. Again his band performed beautifully with Donovan creating a space for each of the musicians to perform in. Open, which was composed by Dave Onderdonk (guitar), was performed next and had a whimsical, upbeat feel. The last two numbers, Summer of ’78 and Giochiamo Quando Suoniamo (We Play When We Play) were both composed by Donovan Mixon. The latter piece (Giochiamo) was later reinterpreted by Donovan while in Turkey and was retitled Rough Translation. It was that piece that most enthralled me with its decidedly eastern flair. Tony Barba complemented the piece nicely with his play of the bansuri, a wind instrument more closely associated with music from India. After the performance I had a chance to briefly talk with Donovan Mixon. I complemented him on his masterful work and asked him how long this project had been together. Donovan laughed and replied “four hours.” I assumed he meant four hours of rehearsal a day for several months. No, he said, maybe four total hours of rehearsal and a lot of emailing. Amazed, told him that I would very much like to see what Donovan Mixon’s Hybrid Project would be capable of after a few more gigs together.
http://www.chicagosplash. com/publish/Entertainment/cat_index_chicago_entertainment/donovanmixon. php
by Noel Schecter