Ryan Jewell and Hasan-Abdur Razzaq

The Rejuvenation Trio is the offshoot of a working duo between Razzaq and Jewell in their native Columbus, Ohio, home of a small but active improvised music scene. New York bassist Tom Abbs was invited to guest on recording sessions in the spring of 2007 and, with the fruitfulness of these sessions, it was quickly realized there was potential for a working band between the three of them.

The band's sound on one level reflects the diverse generational span of its members. Razzaq is, practically speaking, a bridge to the "first wave" of free jazz, and makes no bones about his major touchstones of Trane, Dolphy, Ayler and Pharoah. Tom Abbs, meanwhile, having played with both first and second generation free jazz musicians on the New York scene, as well as being versed in contemporary music styles like electronic music and hip-hop, is someone who’s synthesized influences that run the gamut. Ryan Jewell, as the youngest member, reflects the current face of much improvised music today--- where there is much emphasis on improvisation of a purely sonic nature as on rhythm and the improvised line. His dynamic use of bowing cymbals and found objects is rich and compelling. The Rejuvenation Trio thus represents an intersection of the impassioned, cathartic nature of “energy music” and the subtleties and unique textures of modern improvised music. A grounding in the blues “keeps it real” and tangible influences of Middle Eastern, African, and classical Indian music add worldly shades to the mix.

Hasan Abdur Razzaq, musician and painter (Montgomery, Alabama- b. 1949), and based in Columbus Ohio, is a lifelong devotee and practitioner of free jazz. Razzaq has spent the majority of his creative life devoted to painting, but having always maintained a deep love for the music he has quietly and steadily developed a very unique sound on alto saxophone. His horn-- a vintage ’45 Buescher, is in part responsible for the unusual tonal characteristics of his sound but the greater portion is his intonation itself. Equally at home playing in an aggressive, ecstatic free jazz style as in playing reflective and quiet, Razzaq is motivated above all with bringing a level of sincerity and heartfelt expression to the music that will resonate with the listener.

Coming up in Cleveland during the late 1960s, Hasan-Abdur Razzaq was exposed to the fertile free jazz scene of the area which produced the Ayler Brothers and cellist Abdul Wadud, among others. During this period Razzaq performed in various combinations with members of the seminal Cleveland free jazz group, "Black Unity Trio," which featured Wadud on cello. Living in New York for a time, he was directly exposed to Coltrane, Pharaoh, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp and Sun Ra, raising his understanding and love of the music greatly. Having traveled to Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, Razzaq has made a mission of studying different world musical cultures, and the influence of Middle Eastern music looms especially large in his playing. Related, he has studied African and Latin rhythms extensively as a hand drummer, performing on congas and djembe drum with various ensembles. Hasan has concertized with percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani, saxophonists Jim Ryan and Lathan Hardy, the Mark Lomax Quartet, Rolando Matias' Afro-Rican ensemble, and poet Umar Bin Hussan of The Last Poets. Mark Corroto wrote for All About Jazz.com, “his inspired playing invokes the living spirit of Albert Ayler.”

Tom Abbs

As a free jazz drummer and experimental percussionist, Ryan Jewell hails from the southern Ohio river town of Portsmouth. He has had a broad experience with a variety of idioms and has performed concentrated study in several areas of percussion at Capital University and with Susie Ibarra (David S. Ware, John Zorn), as well as with several master tabla players. He has been fairly active on the New York scene of late, performing with trumpeter Nate Wooley, bassists Reuben Radding and Mike Brown, tenor players Seth Meicht and Lathan Hardy, and with free-improv vet Jack Wright. He maintains on ongoing duo with Hasan-Abdur Razzaq in Columbus and has toured several times through the U.S. as a solo percussionist. Wrote Mark Corroto (AllAboutJazz.com), “….not just content to be the role player, his clear understanding of the trap set as a sonic palette in its own right adds a certain X factor to the proceedings.”

It should be noted, however, that the trio is largely a feature for its melodic lead, Hasan Razzaq. In bearing truth to the band name, Razzaq is having a breaking-out party as a musician at 57 years of age, having recorded and now touring for the very first time. After having committed much of his life to raising two children on his own and dedicating more of his creative energies to painting, he’s elected to begin a new stage of life where music assumes much greater significance. Expanding from his rich experiences with the free jazz scene of the 1960s with a fresh, open mind, Hasan welcomes the opportunity to play with today’s improvising musicians and be a part of the scene once again. A rejuvenating thing to be sure, and the fiery, blues-soaked sound of his saxophone playing is something to be rejuvenated by.

Midwest tour dates for the Rejuvenation Trio:

• July 29^th -Bohemian National Home, Detroit, MI (3009 Tillman); 9 pm; $5-10 sliding scale.

• July 30^th -IQs Music Club, Green Bay, WI (2105 University Ave); 8:30 pm; $5 door fee.

• July 31^st -Acadia Café, Minneapolis, MN (1931 Nicollet S);Tuesday Night Improvised Music Series with special guest Douglas Ewart; 10 pm (middle set)

• Aug. 1^st-Center For Independent Artists, Minneapolis, MN (4137 Bloomington Ave); Live concert DVD video shoot with Douglas Ewart; 8 pm; $10 general, $5 students/seniors.

• Aug. 2^nd -Peter Jones Gallery, Chicago, IL (1806 W. Cuyler Ave); 9 pm

• Aug.3^rd -Big Car Gallery, Indianapolis, IN (1043 Virginia Ave., Suite 215 ); 8 pm

• Aug.4^th -The Jazz Loft Society, Cincinnati, OH (119 Calhoun St); 9:30 pm; $15-20 donation.

Website with sound samples: www.myspace.com/razzaqjewellduo

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