It’s a bit early to be selecting a new-star album of the year, but this may well turn out to be it. Kunka, who hails from that ultra-hip jazz Mecca of Aberdeen, is a drummer and composer of outstanding promise. He and his similarly youthful Scots posse have amassed honours at Berklee and the New England Conservatory and appeared at jazz festivals in France, Switzerland and Panama in recent months. And yet they’re almost unknown here. Prophets without honour in their own homeland, one might say. Though broadly of the Tony Williams school of drumming, Kunka can also contribute to a ballad performance with taste and sensitivity, as on ‘4am’, Coleman’s bass feature here. Equally impressive is the title track, one of those spare up-tempo themes that sound hip yet are easy to play and beg for a strong solo to suit. Altoist Gough-Cooper is the winner here, a stirring discovery of Kenny Garret-like intensity and creativity. Pianist Benzie has the ethos of Hancock and Corea under his fingers and builds a sophisticated solo. Indeed there are no weak links in this astonishing young band. Read Kunka’s webpage, track down a copy of his debut album on jazzcds.co.uk and enjoy. It might be a while before they play a club near you. – Jack Massarik.

http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com

This debut album from Aberdeen-born drummer Patrick Kunka was originally issued last summer, but was rather overlooked at the time. Some positive recent response has encouraged him to re-promote it, and it more than justifies that decision. Kunka is currently based in Boston after studying at Berklee College, and is joined here by American bassist Dylan Coleman and two more of Scotland’s bright young talents (also with Berklee connections), pianist Alan Benzie and saxophonist Leah Gough-Cooper.
They play a bright and exciting brand of contemporary jazz. All nine compositions are the drummer’s own, drawing on American models, but with an edgy, energised feel. They are attractive in themselves, and also provide fine vehicles for the improvisational talents of each of the players to shine through, with Gough-Cooper’s saxophone work – not for the first time – making a particularly strong impression. – Kenny Mathieson

http://www.list.co.uk

A Scottish band made up of former Berklee students and young award winning Scottish jazz musicians is fronted by a saxophonist-composer barely out of her teens. This makes the level of musicianship on this CD all the more astonishing. Style-wise it’s largely jazz-rock fusion given a vigorous makeover. Because it’s a sub-genre of jazz in which a very high level of notes and musicianship is essential it’s no surprise it has its devotees in the rehearsal corridors of Berklee – for evidence listen to Hiromi’s band. Yet, Gough-Cooper’s lyrical alto sax seems also to have absorbed M-Base-type odd metered cryptic patterns and some of the impressive drummer’s bustling grooves certainly demonstrate a line through to drum and bass and hip hop. Nevertheless Future Pop – not sure what that’s meant to say about it – inherits more directly from the world of Return to Forever, the keyboard impressionism of Weather Report, with some 1980s Marcus Miller-style funk thrown in. It’s hardly the most original of causes, but the band manages to attain a high quality of musicianship without sacrificing any of their youthful high spirits. Selwyn Harris

http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com

新聞標題 開春好聲響，匯聚世界各國好樂手，共響嘉義國際管樂 公告日期：2010/1/1
網際連結
新聞內容好的節慶絕對不會孤單，總能引起四方共鳴。今年邁向第十八屆的嘉義市國際管樂節，有來自美國、日本、泰國、新加坡、內蒙古等五國10隊的國外樂團前來共襄盛舉。其中，來自美國的美國類人樂團Human Equivalent Band，更是為了參與今年的嘉義市國際管樂節特別號召來七位自美國、蘇格蘭、南美洲的阿魯巴及智利等四個國家的管樂傑出好手，所組成的一個精兵管樂團。嘉義管樂節跨海來台在1/1音樂廳，以及1/2中正公園的二場精采演出，讓嘉義市民欣賞到絕佳的管樂美聲。

2007年夏天，美國類人樂團Human Equivalent Band由目前就讀Berklee College of Music(美國波士頓的音樂學院)身懷音樂絕技的高材生所組成的樂團。薩克斯風樂手首兼作曲家的Leah Gough-Cooper歷經童年時期爵士、搖滾、嘻哈、放克的淬練，在進入美國波士頓的音樂學院兩年後，即開始為樂團創作，直到現在，他仍不斷挑戰各團員的演奏技能，以及自我的音樂創作極限。

「類人」樂團演奏的風格，既含括沙發音樂及放克的元素，同時也兼有成熟的扎帕風(Zappa)，團員們洋溢的音樂才華，在他們百分百的演奏默契中充分地流露。而類人樂團的演奏風格，也受到不同演奏風格的音樂家含括Herbie Hancock到The Weather Report，以及前衛派的Frank Zappa所影響，再經過團員們的吸收並重新創作詮釋後，成為美國類人樂團自身獨樹一格的演出新風格。樂團在探尋爵士樂的路上，以一種激進兼具實驗性的方式，作為他們詮釋心中音樂風貌的表演形式，在創新與顛覆的音樂演出中，也不失對傳統音樂的堅持與喜愛。

原為五部爵士樂團，Human Equivalent:EAST則是特別為嘉義國際管樂節組成的樂團，每個團員都曾與爵士大師如Terri Lyne Carrington，Fred Wesley，Randal Corsen及Barry Eastmond合演過，樂手來自世界各地：蘇格蘭的薩克斯風樂手Leah Gough-Cooper，來自南美洲自治國阿魯巴的電吉他手Serghio Jansen，以及智利的貝斯手Martin Nessi，各個樂手都有著令人拍手叫絕的拿手演奏本領。

鼓手Massimo Buonanno (曾與Freda Goodlet 及 John Mayer合作)、鋼琴手Chad Selph，小號Vivek Patel (Alex Brown, Paquito DRivera), 打擊樂Arturo Pena (Orquestra Bacharengue)。

開春不可不聽的跨越國界的管樂好旋律。一起聆聽美國類人樂團以他們前衛不失傳統，搖滾不失純真，爵士中帶著個性的管樂合奏，隨著來自世界不同國家的年輕音樂好手，用充滿朝氣與能量的氣勢，以好音樂迎接新的一年。

http://infoagent.cisanet.org.tw/bouns_txt.aspx?ID=c2e3ffc5-973b-4c31-8629-fe3108f9c418

The hospitality of the Taiwanese was beyond amazing, the gigs were massive and the culture was magical. The first night, we played the Chiayi Civil Stadium filled with a crowd of Chiayi’s youth and festival goers; the second night, again in the open air, we played to a huge enthusiastic crowd under a half-dome in Zhong-Cheng Park, one of the city’s bigger parks; and the third night we played in a concert hall, the Culture Division Music Hall.
Every audience was an honor to play to, and CSR-Taiwan and the Chiayi Executive Mayor, Cultural Minister and Mayor were all a pleasure to work with and meet (this includes Felice, Arielle, Chung and two new friends of ours, Vicky and Elly).
On behalf of Human Equivalent:EAST, I would like to thank them all for the wonderful experience we all had, and look forward hopefully to bringing our music to Taiwan and the Far East again in the near future. A full report of the visit will be online soon.

Rudi’s work was recently featured on a couple of Radio 1 shows, including Mary Anne Hobbs’ early, early morning Experimental Show. You can hear me featured on the tune Missa Per Brevis (which was also featured on the show – ace!). You can check out his work at the following: www.myspace.com/rudizygadlo