³A Fresh Take² Latest CD From Eugene Marlow¹s Heritage Ensemble

NEW YORK: On June 15, 2011 MEII Enterprises, Eugene Marlow’s indie label, will release “A Fresh Take,” its 7th album in as many years. “A Fresh Take,” a collection of nine tracks performed by Marlow’s Heritage Ensemble, is a re-record of the group’s 2006 debut album “Making the Music Our Own.”

Why a re-record?  

According to Marlow: “In the last few years, The Heritage Ensemble’s personnel have changed. The arrangements have not only grown in number, they have also evolved with the unique musical qualities each of the musicians brings to the group. Thus, the need to record another album was obvious.”  

Elliott Simon’s All About Jazz-New York review of the quintet’s previous CD, “Celebrations,” attests to the Heritage Ensemble’s talents. He said:

• “Marlow’s in-depth musical understanding of the jazz form and superb arranging skills, combined with the expert musicianship of this Heritage Ensemble, provide in-the-pocket grooves and reverent soulful performances.”
• “Drummer Bobby Sanabria, in tandem with percussionist Cristian Rivera, is up in the mix and this ‘Nuyo-Rican’ duo serves their latkes and hamantaschen with healthy dashes of salsa piquant.”
•  “Frank Wagner is a powerful yet poignant bassist and enables the band to stretch out while maintaining a decidedly solid bottom.”
•  “Saxophonist Michael Hashim is a very expressive alto and soprano player and his horns can both wail and tenderly caress.”

More from these talented musicians can be heard on “A Fresh Take.”

In addition to the tracks from “Making the Music Our Own,” the quintet recorded the highly improvised “Adon Olam” featuring the wonderfully strong voice of classically trained Rachel Kara Perez.

“A Fresh Take” is available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/eugenemarlow2.

About The Heritage Ensemble

The Heritage Ensemble is a quintet dedicated to the performance of original compositions and Hebraic melodies in various jazz, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and neo-classical styles—a reflection of the mixing of cultures that has increasingly evolved in the world of music in recent decades.

In addition to Marlow, group members include multi-Grammy nominee drummer Bobby Sanabria , NEA grantee/saxophonist Michael Hashim, Phi Beta Kappa bassist Frank Wagner, and virtuoso percussionist Cristian Rivera.

Its most recent album, “Celebrations” (MEII Enterprises 2010) has garnered over two dozen reviews (including the LA Times) and extensive radio play in the United States, Canada, and Europe since its release in September 2010.

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