Do you have an appreciation for live performances of jazz music? If so, you'll want to check out the upcoming album from jazz trumpeter Augie Haas set for release on August 16, 2024. Each of the ten tracks on his new album, Augie Haas +8 Live At The Speakeasy, was recorded in one take before a live audience on a single night. Haas has created with his band an album where listeners can close their eyes and feel transported to a basement speakeasy in NYC, hearing great jazz and having an amazing time basking in the environment of what jazz is all about – the players, the listeners, and the moment. Augie Haas +8 Live At The Speakeasy will be available on all major online digital music platforms.
The album hits the ground running with “Jamo Rocks,” a high-octane blues original by Haas. Dick Sarpola, who gives us “four to the bar” with elegant, ear-popping acoustic bass clarity and Swiss watch rhythm, is soon joined by Gary Kerkezou’s drum set and Count Basie-style comments from Rick Germanson on piano. As the band comes in, it boils over with saxes and brass tossing off bits of hot dialogue – a perfect set-up for Troy Roberts’ powerful tenor sax solo that evokes memories of the “Texas tenors,” Arnett Cobb and Illinois Jacquet – punctuated by a wild stop-time episode and a joyous profusion of unstoppable trumpet shakes. Kerkezou launches a virtuosic solo passage followed by an ending that can only be described as the epitome of “hot jazz.”
“Fly Me To The Moon” offers a tip of the hat to the classic Sinatra version while conjuring a totally different groove. A jazz singer of formidable talent and creativity, Major Attaway polishes each lyric with a shimmering clarity reminiscent of Joe Williams. An Augie Haas original, “Keep On Keeping On,” is a groove-based tune featuring Todd Groves on alto sax. This track is a true joy ride that reflects the spirit of the jazz ensembles of the great Cannonball Adderley in the late 1960s.
“What you hear is what actually happened that night, in real time,” Augie Haas told ageekdaddy.com. “We did one take and recorded it live in front of an audience at The Speakeasy on the Upper West Side. Our goal with this album is to immerse the listener in the highest quality music, set within an ambience of authentic sounds of people enjoying themselves. We wanted this record to be fun, real, and raw, and I think we’ve achieved that.”
Augie Haas lives in New York City where he is a professional trumpeter, composer, and teacher. Haas has worked with artists including Harry Connick, Jr., The Maria Schneider Orchestra, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, The Gil Evans Project, Birdland Big Band, The Radio City Orchestra, and on various Broadway shows. He is currently a regular member of the orchestra for Aladdin on Broadway.
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