Tongue & Groove (Mesa Bluemoon)
Gabriel Mark Hasselbach
Released June 4, 2021
Jazz Music Awards Nominee for Best Contemporary Album 2022
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nA1_8QD3ScZGxGmumbKcDfmNLPAmXNK9o
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About:
He’s spent more weeks on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart than any other Canadian recording artist and with his 15th album, “Tongue & Groove,” set to drop June 4, trumpeter/flugelhornist/flautist Gabriel Mark Hasselbach looks to land his eleventh Billboard hit. The Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings release is preceded by “Chill@Will,” the current radio single that Hasselbach wrote and produced with urban-jazz keyboardist Bob Baldwin.
The release of “Tongue & Groove” coincides with the 30th anniversary of Hasselbach’s debut disc, “Solar Winds,” which launched an award-winning catalogue consisting of contemporary and straight-ahead jazz recordings.
“‘Tongue & Groove’ is definitely my most in-depth and exciting album to date. I love improvised jazzy music in a framework, that is lyrical and succinct, not overly extrapolated or excessive. I come from a Chet Baker/Blue Mitchell frame of reference, laid over contemporary grooves and original concepts. I always aim for strong and concise content in whatever I play. It is all just jazz to me, the essence which should be a rich yet highly listenable sound for the head, heart and feet,” said the Vancouver-based Hasselbach, a Juno Award winner (Canada’s GRAMMY equivalent).
Hasselbach wrote and recorded “Tongue & Groove” last year while in quarantine, an experience reflected in the first two cuts: “Presence of Mind” and “Chill@Will.”
“The first two tunes had a bit of a theme. We can – and had to – keep the mind present and calm during the pandemic. When Bob Baldwin and I started working on ‘Chill@Will,’ we built it from the vibe up, and the music just fell into place. It started out as a sketch from Bob, which I did a little work on to move it forward. The tune sat around for a while but kept scratching at the door because it was so catchy. I took up the cause again and pressed the ever-busy Mr. Baldwin into service so we could help it see the light of day. Many of my top charting tracks, as well as some of Bob’s, are collaborations between us,” said Hasselbach.
“Tongue & Groove” also features collaborations with other noteworthy musicians such as two-time GRAMMY winner Paul Brown and Billboard chart-topper Chris Standring on guitar. Another guitarist showcased on the disc is Grant Geissman, who played and recorded with contemporary jazz legend Chuck Mangione. Geissman guests on Hasselbach’s vibrant revision of the classic “Feels So Good.”
“I wanted to honor Chuck Mangione and thus be known as ‘the flugelhornist of today’ as was Chuck back in the day. Mesa/Bluemoon label head George Nauful knows Grant Geissman, the guitarist on the original. When George hooked us up, it seemed like kismet. Grant even played the exact 1968 Gibson guitar he used on that session with Mangione, and I play the same model and vintage flugelhorn, too, coincidentally,” said Hasselbach, who also spotlights saxophonist and co-songwriter Daniel Seguin, guitarist Brian Hughes and pianist/organist Miles Black on “Tongue & Groove.”
As for the album title, Hasselbach said, “The title is at minimum a double entendre. In woodworking, tongue and groove refers to interlocking, smooth and seamless assembly or construction, and trumpeters tongue their notes, and in my case, also nail the groove.”Hasselbach wrote or co-wrote eight funky jazz grooves for “Tongue & Groove” and produced or co-produced the tracks. Generously clocking in at over an hour and containing two remixes, “Chill@Will (Raincoast Mix)” and “Feels So Good (Extended Mix),” “Tongue & Groove” is a soul-powered R&B and instrumental pop session piloted by Hasselbach’s flugelhorn, flute, alto flute and trumpet. His animated horns astutely maneuver through percussive rhythms, textured beats and lush harmonies, blowing expressive communications, impassioned poetics and playful banter.
Track Listing:
1. Presence of Mind (Gabriel Mark Hasselbach / Daniel Sequin) 04:34
2. Chill@Will (Bob Baldwin / Gabriel Mark Hasselbach) 04:25
3. Heading North (Gabriel Mark Hasselbach / Daniel Seguin / Daniel Sequin) 04:42
4. Hang on to Your Love (Sade Adu / Stuart Mathewman) 04:35
5. Feels So Good (Chuck Mangione) 04:34
6. Show Me Another Way (Gabriel Mark Hasselbach / Daniel Seguin) 04:42
7. Litmus Test (Gabriel Mark Hasselbach / Daniel Seguin) 04:34
8. Daahoud (Clifford Brown) 04:24
9. Slipstream Turbulence (Gabriel Mark Hasselbach) 05:10
10. Vanishing Summer (Gabriel Mark Hasselbach / Jeffrey Holl) 04:11
11. You Will Always Be the One (Gabriel Mark Hasselbach / Daniel Seguin) 04:48
12. Chill@Will (Bob Baldwin / Gabriel Mark Hasselbach) 04:28
13. Feel So Good (Chuck Mangione) 07:35
Personnel:
Gabriel Mark Hasselbach: flugelhorn, trumpet, flutes, and percussion
Daniel Seguin: alto and tenor sax, keys, bass, drum programming
Tony Moore: drums
Tony Seville: percussion
Guest musicians
Bob Baldwin: keys, programming
Paul Brown: guitar
Brian Hughes: guitar
Chris Standring: guitar
Grant Geissman: guitar
Miles Black: piano, organ, bass
Rossi Tzonkov: electric bass
Kat Hendricks: drums
Jeffrey Holl: guitar, keys
Review:
He’s won a Juno. He’s won two Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. He’s won a West Coast Music Award. And he’s earned several Gold and Platinum albums throughout his career (which included a stint with the Powder Blues Band). So … what does a boy who was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, but now calls Vancouver home do next?He jam-packs a fresh collection with so much talent you just know it’s going to be something special. That’s not to say that Gabe isn’t special enough on his own. He most definitely is – whether it’s trumpet, flugelhorn or flute, GMH is an unparalleled vibe-master, always discovering new ways to groove solidly in the pocket. I’m proud to say I had a hand in picking the lead-off single “Chill@Will”. Featuring Bob Baldwin – remember the guy at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards Saturday party whose keyboard dropped to the floor and so he dropped with it and just kept on playing? – this track is a delicious blend of funky groove and tasty textures.Uber-producer (and guitar player) Paul Brown shows up for a spin with Gabe on “Heading North”. Paul’s unmistakable style (slick and smooth) melds perfectly with Gabe’s urban sensibility. “Daahoud” with Chris Standring is another standout, as is “Slipstream Turbulence” featuring fellow Canadian Brian Hughes. I also absolutely adore Gabe’s unique take on “Feels So Good” (extended version with Miles Black and Grant Geissman) – an old chestnut given new life with a contemporary twist.I’ve known Gabe for a long time and he is not only one of the most exceptionally talented musicians in the biz, He is also a passionate and generous soul, two traits that permeate every note he plays. Tongue & Groove ramps up the maestro’s mainstream/contemporary mastery at every turn. I’ve said it before: “What I love the most about Gabe is his utter fearlessness. Not one to ever rest on past grooves, He charts new and exciting territory with each new CD.”Tongue & Groove is no exception. Keep on grooving Gabe, and we will keep on loving you!
Vickie van Dyke (Wave 94.7)
