On the Edge

I’m new! I’m young and I’m trying new things. Experimenting with freedom. When you listen to my music, forget that I’m 11 and share in my journey. --Esteban Castro (Composer, Arranger, Band Leader, Pianist) FEATURING: Esteban Castro (Piano), Michael Dease (Trombone), George DeLancey (Bass), Freddie Hendrix (Trumpet), Willie Jones III (Drums), Kahlil Kwame Bell (Percussion), Julian Lee (Tenor Sax), Bruce Williams (Alto Sax) PRODUCED BY WILLIE JONES III ALBUM DESCRIPTION My sophomore album --On The Edge-- is a landscape of edgy jazz tunes, emotive ballads and Latin jazz songs that I hand-picked to bring you with me on an exploration. Where are the tallest peaks of the landscape? Are they in the cover songs from my favorite influences? Are they inside edgy compositions with odd time signatures? Are they in a soft Latin ballad? I want to take you to those peaks, and to peaceful valleys along the way… SPOILER ALERT: THE SONG DESCRIPTIONS BELOW GIVE THE ENTIRE PLOT AWAY. 1. --On The Edge-- This Title Track has to be my favorite, baddest tune. It alternates odd time signatures with swing rhythms. It starts with simple but booming, rusty horn notes that carry the tune throughout, sprinkled with alto sax and trumpet solos, while the piano never lets go of the bass line. Bruce Williams’ alto solo will blow you away. Talk about edgy! 2. --Don’t Look Back-- Another odd time signature and persistent bass line here, this time with just a trio, and easier-going at the start, to give you a respite from the intensity of On The Edge. But don’t get too comfy because the tune swells with surprising craziness towards the end. You can blame me for that. 3. --Amazonia-- The intro piano and rain stick bring the intensity back down to let you rest from the madness at the end of Don’t Look Back, and lull you into thinking it’s all going to be easy-breezy from here. Only to pick up, surprisingly, with booming horns and cowbells that then suddenly burst together into another intro and, without warning, turn you into the Brazilian Samba buff you didn’t know you had in you! I know, sneaky, right? This tune has the baddest solos by all four horns, piano and bass. If you pay close attention you may notice a subtle play on Chick Corea’s Spain here. Oh, and, Mike Dease’s trombone gives itself permission to weave in and out of the melody at will. 4. --Laurie-- What can I say about Bill Evans’ Laurie? That it’s my favorite ballad. That it was composed by my Jazz piano hero Bill Evans to his love Laurie. That I know the real Laurie on Facebook (that counts, right?). This tune brings a far different mood than the one I left you with in Amazonia land, and has a long solo with crystalline notes and deep harmonies. By the way, I composed another tune entitled Bill, You Never Left in honor of Bill Evans, which was graced with a 2014 Downbeat Student Award. I didn’t have room to include it in this album, and I could’ve entitled it: How I Wish I’d Met Bill. 5. --Riot-- Back to edginess! Did you think I was going to leave you in Mellow Land with Laurie? This Herbie tune is pure mayhem and it honors its namesake all the way through. It’s often heard with horns, but I decided to use a trio instead. Wicked bass and drum solos here. In my prior album, recorded when I was 9 way back in historic 2012, I wrote a tune called In the Making which was in the style of Herbie’s Maiden Voyage, which has a completely different feel from Riot. 6. --Mentiras que Olvidaste (Forgotten Lies)-- If Riot left you exhausted, that was on purpose. But don’t despair, because this old tune will take you on a trip down Memory Lane. Yes, back to about a year ago when I wrote it. OK I’m kidding, this tune is new, but it just sounds old. It’s a Bolero, a Latin ballad, which I play with Julian Lee on the tenor sax. If you can detect a little friendly competition between Julian and me towards the end of this tune, it’s all in good spirit! This song was also privileged with a 2014 Downbeat Student Award. 7. --I’m Dizzy!-- Back to edgy mayhem, with my dedication to Dizzy Gillespie. I’ve played this tune in trio format before, but I couldn’t pass up having the great Freddie Hendrix play the trumpet to honor the master himself much better than I could. There’s a change in time signature here as well (surprise!). This song received a 2014 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award. 8. --For Chick-- Did you really think we were leaving the mayhem behind so soon? No! This Latin Jazz tune is pure pandemonium, bringing back all four horns and percussion together to honor Mr. Corea as my dedication to his greatness (not that you couldn’t have guessed by the title, right?). The horns alternate the melody with the piano. All four horns do solos here, and there is a killer percussion jam by Kahlil Kwame Bell, and all the while I’m trying to keep up with Kahlil by playing Montunos in the background. Good luck to me. Phew! This song was the recipient of a 2013 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award. 9. --Mr. PK-- I owe you a rest after rattling you back-to-back with I’m Dizzy! and For Chick. This is my dedication to my fearless classical piano teacher, Mr. Phillip Kawin of the Manhattan School of Music who always keeps me on my toes. I’m pulling a fast one here, because this song is not really a ballad, it has a faster tempo than a ballad, but it just sounds like one. Sometimes when things sound like a duck they’re really not… 10. --Spain-- Let’s pick things back up and end with a bang! I made this Chick Corea tune the longest of the whole album at over 10 minutes. Why? For one thing, we’re talking Chick’s famous tune here. And for another, when I go to jam sessions nobody wants to play Spain with me because people say “it’s too long,” “it’s too hard,” and they “don’t know it.” So I felt like playing it long and hard on my album and it was a nice release for me, finally. I really enjoyed George DeLancey’s bow-string intro and solo here, along with the high-energy percussion solo. Willie Jones III’s drum solo redefines “deliberate craziness” in my book. And even my occasional stumbles are charming, don’t you agree? They were all planned, of course. THE BAND They say that if you want to grow and improve, you should surround yourself with those who far surpass you. I’m lucky to have done just that for my sophomore album! What an honor it’s been for me to collaborate with musicians of such talent and accomplishment. They are testament that talented musicians and fun, humble and encouraging human beings can co-exist all in the same person. I had a blast putting this album together in collaboration with my producer Willie Jones III who also tirelessly played the drums with the greatness that he’s so well-known for. At age 11 I feel like my musical journey is only just beginning. I don’t know what I’m supposed to sound like yet, but I think I’m onto something. I’m going with what sounds good to me now and I’m just exploring! Someday I will get there, thanks to influences and interactions with the likes of these gentlemen. It’s a rare privilege for me that I will never forget. --Esteban Castro (Composer, Arranger, Band Leader, and Pianist) Featuring: Esteban Castro (Piano) Michael Dease (Trombone) George DeLancey (Bass) Freddie Hendrix (Trumpet) Willie Jones III (Drums) Kahlil Kwame Bell (Percussion) Julian Lee (Tenor Sax) Bruce Williams (Alto Sax) Produced by Willie Jones III