Ubuntu Music Signs Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis for Album Release

Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis / Feels Like Home

Release Date: 19th April 2024

CD & Digital Formats / UBU0154

Paul Edis and Vasilis Xenopoulos (Goat Noise Photography)

Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of saxophonist Vasilis Xenopoulos and pianist Paul Edis for the release of their quartet album, Feels Like Home.

Vasilis and Paul began playing together 20 years ago when both relocated to West London to study. Originally from Greece, Vasilis had just finished studying at Berklee College in the US, while Paul had moved South from the Northeast of England. In the intervening years, they’ve played numerous gigs together, releasing their debut album in 2016, A Narrow Escape, to critical acclaim. With Joel Barford (drums) and Adam King (double bass), their latest recording features original music inspired by the theme of ‘home’…home in this sense represents not only the many places they’ve both lived, but also the people they’ve known along the way.  

Paul Edis and Vasilis Xenopoulos (Goat Noise Photography)

Vasilis and Paul describe the music on Feels Like Home: “Rooted in the jazz tradition, this is music that's eclectic, groove based and fundamentally melodic. Including elements of hard bop, Latin jazz, gospel and even folk, there are nods to Dexter Gordon, Stanley Turrentine, John Coltrane, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Bill Evans, Brad Mehldau, McCoy Tyner and more besides. This is honest music full of emotions, inspired and unified around the central theme of ‘home’.”

Concerning their new relationship with Ubuntu Music, they continue: “It’s been a real pleasure working with Martin Hummel and the Ubuntu team towards the release of our new album, ‘Feels Like Home’.  We’ve felt really supported as artists in developing this project, and we’re both very excited for the official release of the new album in April 2024.”

Vasilis Xenopoulos and Paul Edis (Goat Noise Photography)

Martin Hummel, Director of Ubuntu Music, concludes: I’ve been aware of Vas and Paul’s talent for some time. And Vas has appeared on several Ubuntu releases. To have these two together, as a dynamic musical force, is a special situation. This album will appeal to a broad range of jazz fans who appreciate the real stuff. It’s great to have them as the latest members of the Ubuntu Music Family.”

For further information, please contact:

Vasilis Xenopoulos (Artist):  vasilisxenopoulosjazz@gmail.com

Paul Edis (Artist):  pauledis@gmail.com

Matt Fripp/Jazzfuel (Europe):  matt@jazzfuel.com

Martin Hummel/Ubuntu Music (Worldwide):  martin@ubuntumanagementgroup.com

BIOGRAPHIES

Photographer: George Vlachos

Vasilis Xenopoulos

Saxophonist Vasilis Xenopoulos is one of the most accomplished Greek jazz musicians of his generation and a genuine representative of straight-ahead jazz. London became his permanent home after graduating with honours from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and gradually established himself as one of London’s up-and-coming jazz saxophonists. He has worked with some of the best musicians of the international jazz scene as a band leader, a section leader and as a guest soloist on various projects.

In 2009 he formed The Xtet and their debut album, Loud City, containing eight original compositions, was released in 2011. Two years later he released his second album, The Wind Machine, which gained some fine reviews in the top British media such as The Times and BBC radio 3.

In 2017 Nigel Price and Xenopoulos created the XPQ (Xenopoulos/Price Quartet) and recorded their first album under that brand, Sidekicks, which celebrates some of the most successful guitar/sax pairings in the history of jazz.  

His album, Dexterity, was released in September 2019.

Vasilis’ very latest venture is with one of UK’s leading contemporary bop ensembles, Five-Way Split, where he is a co-leader and composer. Their latest album, All the Way, was released in March 2023 on the Ubuntu Music record label.

The Guardian newspaper praised Vasilis recently for being one of the leading examples of European jazz musicians who live and perform in Britain and bringing his continental element to the jazz scene. Further to that, he has permanent collaborations with artists from Greece and Cyprus where he performs as a leader or guest artist on a regular basis. As a result, he is permanently active in three different scenes/markets (British, Greek and Cypriot).

Vasilis’ charismatic performances reveal his truly fabulous style, while his energy and passion interact with his audience. With his great talent, love and respect, he cherishes the instrument’s challenges and pushes it beyond.

Vasilis’ credits also include seminars on Jazz Saxophone and Improvisation.

Vasilis is an endorsing artist of JodyJazz Inc. USA and Rigotti Reeds S.A France.

“One of the most fiery young saxophonists around blazes a path through the hard bop repertoire"

- The Times ★★★★

“A tremendous asset to the UK jazz scene"

- London Jazz News

"Old-school warmth and modern-day dynamism"

- Jazzwise Magazine

Photographer: Elizabeth Ridley

Paul Edis

Paul Edis is one of the leading creative musicians in the UK today. As a performer, composer and educator, he has built a reputation for consistently delivering new and original ideas, seeking to innovate within his work while always paying respect to both the jazz and classical music traditions. In whatever genre or musical context he inhabits, Paul is passionate about melody and expression. 

He has released several critically acclaimed recordings of new music in recent years, regularly receives commissions from a wide variety of organisations, and is known for his communication skills and breadth of knowledge, working as an educator for organisations including Sage Gateshead, National Youth Jazz Orchestra and National Youth Jazz Collective. 

As well as leading his own sextet, trio and performing solo engagements, Paul works regularly with vocalist Jo Harrop. Their album, When Winter Turns To Spring, won Best Album at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2023.

Paul has collaborated with saxophonist Vasilis Xenopoulos for 20 years, and he has performed alongside other leading jazz names including Jon Faddis, Alan Barnes, Bruce Adams, Nigel Price, Jim Mullen, Tim Garland, Julian Siegel, Tony Kofi, Steve Waterman, Iain Ballamy and Mark Nightingale. His music has been played on the radio in the UK, US and in Europe.

“A major voice in British Jazz…Edis is an incredibly fertile composer and improviser”

- Jazz Journal

“A pianist who has compositional flair”

- Jazzwise Magazine

“One of the leading lights of contemporary jazz”

- London Jazz News

Feels Like Home Album Cover

REVIEW: Five-Way Split

Bebop Spoken Here’s Lance Liddle writes, “Highly recommended.”

REVIEW: The Nigel Price Organ Trio - 'Wes Reimagined'

Germany’s Christoph Wurm writes, “It is a stunning achievement. There is nothing imitative or derivative about the record. It stands proudly on its own because the songs have been rearranged, restructured, reinvented, and the playing is superb throughout.”

LIVE REVIEW: NIGEL PRICE BRINGS THE SPIRIT OF WES MONTGOMERY TO A ROCKING SATURDAY NIGHT AT RONNIE SCOTT’S

Jazzwise Magazine’s Peter Jones writes, “The acclaimed guitarist brought the house down with his string-tinged 11-piece take on the music of Wes Montgomery.”

The hardest-working man in showbusiness is no longer James Brown but our very own Nigel Price: online jazz guru, saviour of the Swanage Jazz Festival, single-handed organiser of multiple huge tours of the UK, nominated for the 2021 Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Ensemble – and an accomplished guitarist too.  So it was hardly surprising that he not only sold out Ronnie Scott’s for both Saturday night shows, but brought ten musicians on stage, including a string quartet, and went 15 minutes over time at the end of the first show. Inexplicably, this was the first time in 600 gigs at “Jazz HQ” that he’s played the main room under his own name.

The occasion was the launch of Price’s much-lauded Wes Reimagined album (Ubuntu Music), on which he gives each Montgomery composition a twist and sends it off in a whole new direction. Hence the slow, sleepy ‘Leila’ was injected with a double-shot of adrenaline and turned into an upswing rampage. ‘Far Wes’ became a waltz, on which organist and long-time collaborator Ross Stanley demonstrated his mastery of nudge and nuance, whisper and swell. And ‘Jingles’, a hip, syncopated Wes-defining tune if ever there was one, mutated into an energetic samba, enlivened further by a terrific rhythm battle between drummer Joel Barford and percussionist Snowboy.

As Price pointed out, Wes Montgomery had a lot to do with bringing latin and funk styles into the mainstream jazz repertoire. The premise of both the album and the gig therefore made a lot of sense: to use the tools that the great man left us. And it wasn’t always a question of kicking everything into a higher gear: the joyful ‘So Do It’ became what Price introduced as “a depressing downtempo bolero.” In fact, it was more like more a gorgeous Henry Mancini cheese-fest. The night ended with Tony Kofi (alto) and Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor) trading licks with guest Callum Au (trombone) on the closer ‘Cariba!’, done as a funky shuffle, sweetened yet further by the young string quartet Phonograph Effect Strings.

REVIEW: Shez Raja at Ronnie Scott's

LJN’s A J Dehany writes, “By the end everyone in Ronnie’s was clapping and standing up, as if five rivers of joy had burst their banks, in a good way.”

For the full review, please click on the image, above.

REVIEW: Nigel Price Organ Trio - 'Wes Reimagined'

Hi-Fi News and record Review writes, “(Nigel Price is) a great British guitarist here at his very best.”

REVIEW: Nigel Price Organ Trio - 'Wes Reimagined'

LJN’s Denny Ilett writes, “It’s as a suite that this album really excels and Nigel has programmed it perfectly.”

For the full review, please click on the image, above.

REVIEW: Nigel Price Organ Trio Livestream

Bebop Spoken Here’s Lance Liddle writes, “it was as good as it gets - ever!”

VIDEO OF THE DAY: GUITARIST NIGEL PRICE SHARES ‘CARIBA!’ FROM NEW ALBUM 'WES RE-IMAGINED'

Jazzwise’s Mike Flynn writes, “The guitar star salutes Wes Montgomery with strings and guests on new album.”

For the full article, please click on the image, above.

Ubuntu Music Signs Guitar Virtuoso Nigel Price For Organ Trio Album Release

Wes Reimagined / UBU0080

4th June 2021

CD, Digital & Vinyl Formats

Nigel Price

Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of the outstanding UK jazz guitarist, Nigel Price, for the worldwide release of his next Organ Trio album, Wes Reimagined, which features the stellar line-up of Ross Stanley (Hammond organ), Joel Barford (drums), and includes Vasilis Xenopoulos (sax), Tony Kofi (sax), Snowboy (percussion) and the Phonographic Effect Strings conducted by Callum Au.

With a career spanning more than 25 years, the award-winning jazz guitarist has become widely acknowledged as one of the hardest working musicians in the business.

Musically, Nigel’s blend of flowing bebop lines, deep blues sensibility and his mastery of chording continue to delight audiences and fellow musicians alike. His career highlights include a support show for Gladys Knight at The Royal Albert Hall and an appearance on Van Morrison’s recent album, Keep Me Singing.

Starting his professional career in his early 20s, Nigel toured Europe with various reggae and funk bands before settling on a solo guitar career and turning his attention to jazz. Citing early influences as Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Nigel honed his craft by attending gigs and sitting in with the players of the time.

He has played on more than 50 albums including seven as a leader, spent 10 years with acid jazz outfit The Filthy Six, was a member of James Taylor’s band, JTQ, for three years (with whom he recorded five albums) and performed with the legendary David Axelrod.  Nigel has also taught at The International Guitar Foundation at King’s Place, London.

Nigel has worked tirelessly to organise his own tours (including a 56-date tour in late 2016 and an extensive tour in 2020, even with COVID-19) and has picked up a Parliamentary Jazz Award (Best Jazz Ensemble, 2010), a nomination for a British Jazz Award (Best Guitarist, 2014) and a British Jazz Award (Best Guitarist, 2016) along the way. Nigel is a regular performer at London’s Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club where he has made more than 500 appearances.

Nigel Price

Concerning Wes Reimagined, Nigel’s upcoming release, he explains, “I make no secret of the fact that I’m a big Wes Montgomery fan. Who isn’t? I’ve found his compositions to be great vehicles, especially used in the organ trio format. I couldn’t wish to have a better or more exciting team than Ross Stanley and Joel Barford to help me convey this material. We have some fantastic guests too: long-time collaborator Vasilis Xenopoulos on tenor saxophone, the wonderful Tony Kofi on alto and the legend that is Snowboy on percussion on five of the tracks.

“This album is a collection of the great man’s tunes, played in the same spirit but with a little look at what might have been. Some decisions as to what ‘feel’ a piece will be in are made very quickly, sometimes on the day of a recording session. I got to thinking that there was every chance that many of these tunes could have easily come out sounding very different if Wes had just been in an alternative frame of mind on the day.”

Wes Montgomery

“Hey, I haven't tried to reinvent the wheel in any way - it’s just a kind of ‘what if?’

So, ‘Leila’ moves from a cool ‘west coast’ vibe to an out and out burner, ‘Far Wes’ to a waltz and ‘’Road Song’ from a bossa to a grooving shuffle.

I also think that Wes’s had an honest, direct and melodic style influenced a lot of the funk, soul, boogaloo and earthy groove music that was to come shortly after his passing. I have no doubt that he would have been at the forefront of that movement. Therefore, I’ve intertwined some of these later styles with Wes’s music.”

Nigel Price

“I also wanted, to acknowledge the later period of Wes’s recordings so I commissioned the utterly incredible trombonist/arranger Callum Au to write three string quartet arrangements and transform some pieces into larger productions. I wasn’t quite prepared for the depth and beauty of Callum’s incredible writing, not to mention the wonderful playing from the Phonograph Effect strings.

“We’ve been incredibly lucky to have been able to tour this material in late 2020, (a real achievement!) and it’s proved to be very popular with audiences all across the UK.

What started out as a little daydream has become an exciting body of work of which I am very proud. I must say it turned out even better than I imagined.”

Left to Right: Ross Stanley, Joel Barford.

In terms of his newly formed relationship with Ubuntu Music, Nigel continues, “Well, I’m kind of known for wanting to ‘go it alone’ and I mostly have done exactly that over the years but I’ve become increasingly aware of a huge, positive presence within the UK jazz scene. That presence is Ubuntu Music. It’s clear that the boss, Martin Hummel, thrives on his startling ability to cheerfully, efficiently and above all optimistically ‘take care of business’. Looking at the roster of Ubuntu artists it is clear that I am amongst friends and, for perhaps the first time in my life, I am more than pleased to be handing the business side of things over to an organisation that I trust, leaving me more time to actually concentrate on the music.

Now, where did I put my guitar...?”

Left to Right: Vasilis Xenopoulos, Snowboy, Tony Kofi, Callum Au.

Martin Hummel, Director of Ubuntu Music, shared his thoughts: “Nigel is a jazz institution in this country. He’s a guitar genius. He’s the hardest working musician I know. And he always makes things happen when others cannot. ‘Wes Reimagined’ is Nigel personified, playing music from his mentor which would make Wes a very happy man today. This is a must-hear album, that leaves you begging for more.”

For further information, please contact:

Martin Hummel/Ubuntu Music (Worldwide):           martin@ubuntumanagementgroup.com