Infinity

NEWS RELEASE Contact: Ann Braithwaite (781) 259-9600 ann@bkmusicpr.com ACCLAIMED TROMBONIST, ARRANGER, and COMPOSER WAYNE WALLACE RETURNS WITH INFINITY, on PATOIS RECORDS *Featuring vocalist Jackie Ryan and flutist/vibraphonist Roger Glenn* quot;Trombonistquot; and quot;Rising Star Producerquot; - DownBeat Magazine, 2008 Critics Poll quot;The Nature of the Beat bursts with brassy joy and ecstatic rhythm...quot; - David Rubien, San Francisco Chronicle quot;No matter what or where he plays, Wallace brings not just musicianship but also that rare quality of music as the means to uplift listeners' spirits to a higher level.quot; - Larry Kelp, East Bay Express Following hot on the heels of the success of his critically acclaimed CD The Nature of the Beat (which spent two weeks at #1 on Jazz Week's quot;World Top 50 Chartquot;) the musically multi-lingual Wayne Wallace returns with Infinity, a disc that features his Latin Jazz Quintet. There is no stopping this first-call trombonist, arranger, producer, and composer whose fluency in countless styles has brought him to work with a staggering number of luminaries from across the musical spectrum. In Downbeat's 2008 Critics Poll, he was not only championed as one of the top trombonists of the year, but was also named a quot;Rising Starquot; producer. Infinity, Wallace's fourth production on Patois Records, sparkles with the same signature energy that infuses all his work. Once again, Wallace has put together a fascinating collection of originals, standards, and Latin jazz classics, showing the how these genres interconnect to create a quintessentially American music. Wallace's virtuosity on the horn really shines on this disc, and his masterful compositions and arrangements give everyone else a chance to cook as well. He and his band mates (Murray Low, piano and keyboard; David Belove, bass; Michael Spiro, Latin percussion and percussion arrangements; Paul van Wageningen, Trap drums) are all venerated masters of Latin music and Latin jazz. They've collaborated consistently for five years, and the cohesion of the ensemble is apparent in every track, from the tightness of the groove on Wallace's red-hot Songo Colorado, to the laid-back spaciousness given to the gorgeous ballad Memories of You. Though this is technically a small group setting, the Quintet has an incredible fullness and complexity of sound. Wallace augments the group with a chorus on two tunes, and creates further big-band sonorities on a number of tracks by honoring the great trombone groups of Conjunto Libre, J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding, and Orquesta Revé, most notably on the originals Songo Colorado and TBA. Amazingly, Wallace is playing all the parts! Acclaimed vocalist Jackie Ryan and legendary flutist/vibraphonist Roger Glenn make stellar contributions as the album's special guests. Ryan's appeal was described by Billboard Magazine as quot;[bridging] the gap between both geography and generations,quot; and in this she is a perfect partner for Wallace. She deftly interprets his joyful arrangement of the Gershwin classic Love Walked In, opening the song with touching poignancy but shifting to ebullience as the arrangement crackles to life with the optimism expressed in the words. On Close Your Eyes she is playfully seductive. Glenn, recognized as one of the master flute and vibraphone players of the world, has performed with such giants of jazz and Latin music as Dizzy Gillespie, Mongo Santamaria, Herbie Mann, Cal Tjader and Rosemary Clooney. A New York native, he got his start list