New Tricks

Co-led by fellow Cleveland natives Mike Lee on tenor saxophone and Ted Chubb on trumpet, New Tricks conveys a distinct New York sound on its aggressively swinging sophomore effort. With Kellen Harrison on bass and Shawn Baltazor on drums, the quartet puts a new spin on an old hard-bop formula without crossing over into the avant-garde camp. They come out of the gate swaggering on the vibrant title track, on which Lee reflects the influence of his mentor Joe Lovano (particularly in the high register). “Optimistic-Lee,” a metrically tricky form that yields bracing solos by both Chubb and Lee, is Lee’s take on the many tongue-in-cheek song and album titles associated with Lee Konitz and Lee Morgan. “Shellen vs Chee” is an all-out burner that pits the tight rhythm tandem of Harrison and Baltazor (Kellen + Shawn = Shellen) against the two-headed monster of Chee (Chubb + Lee = Chee). Other highlights include Lee’s evocative “Vicenza Days,” written after a dreamy walk around that Italian city, and Chubb’s reflective “Long Road Home.” The self-explanatory “Short Stops” is full of intricate little rumble strips on the freeway to some ferocious swinging.
- Jazz Times, by Bill Milkowski

Alternate Side, New Tricks second and latest release was recorded over two sessions, which seems not only economical but damn near impossible considering how tight the quartet sounds together. But then again it’s jazz, so how can you tell, right? I’m reminded of something one of my music teachers told me long ago pertaining to jazz. He told me that when playing jazz, if you hit a wrong note, just play it again so that way people will think you meant to do it.
A stripped down, streamlined outfit; New Tricks provide a balanced auditory diet with each of the essential sound groups represented: percussion, rhythm, and two servings of melody (or in some cases, one heaping helping of harmony, which counts double). The ‘less-is-more’ approach seems to pay off for Mike Lee, Ted Chubb, Kellen Harrison and Shawn Baltazor who feel that lacking a polyphonic voice such as a piano or guitar allows them greater freedom for experimentation and improvisation. It may have worked. These tracks seem less like songs and more like organisms, trying to express themselves in a language we can’t understand.
When listening to jazz the mind tends to wander, so it can be difficult to accurately characterize. The influences of Charlie Parker and John Coltrane are immediately heard coming from the horns. Beyond that, it’s up to the listener to decide for themselves. As far as ensembles go, New Tricks could definitely be described as minimalist, their sound is more intimate and personal than their big band counterparts, and listening to Alternate Side gives the feeling that these performers would be right at home in some smoky, subterranean rathskeller rather than some large auditorium or concert hall. “Long Road Home” practically begs to be heard this way. Just barely the longest track, this marks the approximate segue from the horn dominant first half of the record to the second half, where they rhythm section steps into the spotlight. By and large these are lighthearted, playful tracks. “Optimistic Lee” is a fine example. There are no mournful horns or sorry strings, nothing dark or dreary about the compositions. And best of all, no pretentious jazz vocals to undermine the band. All too often there is one thing that can ruin a perfectly good jazz tune: singing.
The listener’s opinion of Alternate Side will be almost directly proportional to their enjoyment of jazz itself, and if by a fluke you’ve never heard jazz before, then New Tricks may be a good group to break into the genre with. It’s not too heady and cerebral, but it’s also not like you’re listening to remedial jazz for dummies. There’s some complex stuff in here, but that’s not the point. It’s not a showcase of pedantry; it’s just four fellows jamming on some jazz.
An interesting note: on the website the band lists among its members “visual artist” Rob Henke who, in addition to providing art for the albums and website, has produced a small series of wry, existential cartoons (available on his own website, http://www.robhenke.com/cartoons.html) which are both ironic and amusing as well as thought provoking and speculative. This type of multimedia collaboration is refreshing to see among artists today. Most acts today focus on the product, so it’s nice to see a group whose attention to detail and personal aesthetics are evident in the packaging as well as in the product.


Key Tracks- Optimistic lee, Back to Work, Long Road Home
Drew Vreeland- MuzikReviews.com Staff

May 12, 2011

©MuzikReviews.com - Drew Vreeland- MuzikReviews.com

See attached link for text. - Hot House NYC

What started out as a jam session in the basement of saxophonist Mike Lee soon evolved into a full-fledged jazz band called New Tricks. To listen to Alternate Side, the band’s second release, is to hear the art of the jazz quartet. Joining Lee is the ensemble’s co-founder Ted Chubb on trumpet, Shawn Baltazor on drums and Kellen Harrison on bass. The group swings through a spirited collection of original compostions by the band’s co-leaders. From the very first note of the recording, it’s clear that the band is steeped in the jazz tradition, but what’s also evident is the energy of young musicians looking to explore new territory. Long may they journey and continue to make great music.
- The Jazz Page

New Tricks

"Alternate Side"

It's nice to know that there is a new generation of musicians still passionate about straight-ahead acoustic jazz, keeping alive the tradition of originators like John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker.

That's the urbane musical territory the New York-based jazz quartet New Tricks explores on "Alternate Side," the band's sophomore CD.

Formed six years ago when all four musicians were in the celebrated Cecil's Big Band in New Jersey, the group is anchored by bassist Kellen Harrison, a 28-year-old from Marin County, and drummer Shawn Baltazor, who's from Concord.

Harrison, a 2001 San Rafael High School grad, and Baltazor form something of a hired-gun rhythm section, playing together in New Tricks and in several other bands on the East Coast.

They are so in tune with each other that the co-leaders of New Tricks, tenor saxophonist Mike Lee and trumpeter Ted Chubb, refer to them as "Shellen," a combination of their first names.

That granite-like cohesion supports the adventurous post-bop excursions of Lee and Chubb, who wrote the nine tunes on "Alternate Side." Harrison and Baltazor return the nickname favor, calling Lee and Chub "Chee."

In fact, one of the tracks on the CD is "Shellen vs. Chee," a title inspired by the yin-yang of the band's two camps, a push-pull thatmakes "Alternate Side" challenging, exciting and delightfully out of the ordinary, like a tug-of-war with both teams pulling on the same end of the rope.
Buy It: "Alternate Side," New Tricks, independent, CD Baby, $9.99
- By Paul Liberatore, Marin Independent Journal

Tenor saxophonist Mike Lee and trumpeter Ted Chubb co-lead New Tricks, a quartet they formed with drummer Shawn Baltazor and bassist Kellen Harrison after hooking up at a jam session six years ago. In 2009, the quartet released a self-titled disc. "Alternate Side," an easy to digest post-bop date, is New Tricks' second outing and it's in record stores today. The tunes are originals written by Lee and Chubb. They take a page from Ornette Coleman’s playbook.

"Alternate Side" is similar to Coleman's "Tomorrow is the Question," and "The Shape of Jazz to Come". New Tricks play without a pianist. For such a rambunctious group that's risky. They risk stressing out the drummer and bassist. The pianist is normally shoulders the brunt of harmonic workload. On "Alternate Take," Lee and Chubb assume that responsibility.

A jazz reporter once asked Sonny Rollins why on albums such as “Way Out West” and “The Freedom Suite” he gave the pianist the day off. Rollins explained the fellows in the band rely too much on the pianist. To play in a piano-less situation, a musician must have exceptional chops. Do Lee and Chubb agree with Rollins? That’s unknown. New Tricks piano free rhythm section is exceptional.

"Alternate Side-Parking" and “New Dog are sweltering tunes Lee wrote. Lee--a disciple of the sax apostle Joe Lovano--is aggressive like a storm trooper. Like the late trumpeter Booker Little, Chubb likes to hangout in the upper register of the trumpet. "Vicenza Day" is the only ballad on the disc, giving us a moment to catch our breath before the band takes off again.

You'd think the drummer and bassist would wear out fast without a pianist to help. Neither Baltazor nor Harrison shows any signs of fatigue. Some free jazz music is hard to stomach. The musicians honk, squeal, and thrash as if they’ve lost their minds. On "Alternate Side," New Tricks never go overboard. - Charles L. Latimer

Here's something you don't read in album liner notes every day: "We recorded in Shawn's apartment...using only blankets wrapped around music stands for audio separation." New Tricks has seemingly recorded Alternate Side... in some no-frills circumstances, but there's truth in the old saying that adversity sometimes brings out the best in people.
This piano-less collective, featuring a trumpet and tenor sax front line, plays an energetic brawl of traded solos, hard bop melodies, and freely constructed harmonization. Likely because of the way it was recorded, Alternate Side... has a live-in-studio feel to it—four guys just playing in a room—and they sound like they're really enjoying the session.

All of the tracks are originals by either trumpeter Ted Chubb or saxophonist Mike Lee, and there is so little daylight between them that it's impossible to tell who wrote what without reading the notes. While the songs serve as an improvisation platform, they are also very intricately composed, with the two horns weaving amongst each other. But this should not suggest the cool, polished delivery of the Chet Baker- Gerry Mulligan quartets of the 1950s. Everything on the record is informed by a powerful, downtown, emotive strain. In some places Lee sounds like he's been taking notes from David Murray, with slurred arpeggios and a raw delivery. Chubb is a little more circumspect, but still a highly inventive soloist. In places, like Lee's "Short Steps," they comp the melody behind each other's solos, creating an aural background that adds texture without getting in the way.

The rhythm section, Kellen Harrison on bass and Shawn Baltazor on drums is also noteworthy. There are no softly swishing brushes or restrained plucking on this date. These guys came to play, hard (actually Baltazor didn't come to the date, it came to his apartment). The quartet locks into a truly collective sound, with equal creative voicing throughout.

Despite the truly composed nature of the music, the hallmark of this album is its loose performance. No one in this band is looking to win points with technical harmonic precision. Instead, it has a feeling of four musicians who know the tunes inside out, but are toying with them, improvising a harmony here, alternating a line there, and playing off the beat throughout. The result is a truly creative record that trades in spontaneity rather than polish.

With no overdubbed corrections after the fact, a minimalist recording setup, and a quick-and-dirty live performance feel, albums like Alternate Side... are not terribly common, but they should be. It's the most honest kind of recording, with nowhere for the musicians to hide and everyone captured just as they are. Done right, with a good band, it can be a very rewarding experience. Alternate Side... brings all those qualities to the table. - Greg Simmons at Allaboutjazz.com

NEW TRICKS
MIKE LEE & TED CHUBB NEW TRICKS/Alternate Side: Not that we were there but listening to this feels like walking down52nd Street in New York 60 years ago with some blowing/cutting gig blasting out of the doors of the clubs on the block. It seems to strike some atavistic mental jazz posts in the back of the brain that makes this stand above the typical well meaning, contemporary blowing date. While it’s certainly not old man jazz, it seems to splice the best moments from the albums in your grandpa’s basement, distilling things to the essence and presenting only the best. This more an homage to Teo Macero or Alfred Lion than it is to any singular player or style. A killer date sure to be loved by anyone looking for a fast ball right down the middle. - Midwest Record Volume 34/Number 152 April 2, 2011

Like many professional jazz musicians, Mike Lee found hearing a major-league jazz artist in person to be a life-transforming experience, one that set him on the road he travels today. For the 46-year-old Cleveland native, who has evolved
into a spirited, intelligent saxophonist, woodwind player, composer, arranger,
bandleader and educator, it was a performance by the great tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin at Cleveland State University in 1978. Then a teenager, Lee, who had also been listening to records by saxophone powerhouses John
Coltrane and Dexter Gordon, found that Griffin moved him in a special way.

"Griff was melodic and also played aggressively," he said. "Seeing him live, watching the band, the audience react, just turned me on. I remember
saying to a friend, 'That's what I want to do.' Being a jazz musician became a career objective."

Lee worked hard, studied hard and eventually began playing with many of the best, including the Woody Herman Orchestra (directed by
Frank Tiberi), Joe Lovano, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Mulgrew Miller. This weekend, he will lead his own quartet, New Tricks, at Cecil's in West Orange. He also leads the club's Big Band on Mondays.

The philosophical value of music is always on Lee's mind, whether he's playing a club or jamming in his basement, teaching a student or writing a new tune. "Musicians practice for our edification, as well as for the edification of our fellow travelers," said Lee, who lives in Montclair with his wife of 18 years, violinist Rebecca Harris, and their three children: Julian,
14, an award winning saxophonist; Matthew, 7, a drummer; and Jackie, 3, who has started violin.

"In some ways, we are all musicians," continued Lee. "Music is a necessary part of who we are. It brings peace and meaning. It brings joy. It
allows access to pain we need to feel."

Lee's current band, New Tricks, grew out of his experiences with Cecil's Big Band, which Joe Elefante led from 2003 to 2006, at which point Lee took over. Of that large ensemble, which ranges from driving swing to more adventurous pieces, Lee said, "It's a great musical and social community. It's inspiring how guys want to come out and play."

New Tricks, which just released its self-titled debut album on New Tricks Records, includes Lee, trumpeter Ted Chubb, bassist Kellen Harrison and drummer Shawn Baltazor. The band is comprised of "traditionalists who are also freethinkers," Lee said.

The sounds are similarly described. "The tunes are strong melodically and have clear harmonic movement, but there's always a possibility that the music could go someplace else," he said.

Lee gives credit to Cecil's and its owner, Cecil Brooks III, for the boost the room has given his musical life in general. "I can't imagine what life would be like without the club," he said. "It's basically who I am musically. It's what I'm doing every week."

It is that consistency Lee most values, even if some early dreams didn't come
to fruition. "I used to think about being super famous, traveling, getting to
play constantly," he said. "While those things haven't borne out, just that I
have a lifestyle when I can practice my craft four-to-five hours a day is an
unbelievable gift."

Zan Stewart is The Star-Ledger's jazz writer. He is also a
musician who occasionally performs at local clubs. He may be
reached at zstewart@starledger.com or at (973) 951-3821. - The Star-Ledger

New Jersey resident, veteran educator, group leader and session ace Mike Lee pulls some new tricks out of an old bag on this 2009 quartet date with co-leader/trumpeter Ted Chubb. In the liners, Lee mentions that this aggregation found its origins via recurring jam sessions in his basement. They're a young and noble bunch of jazz warriors ready for battle. The proof lies within this hip session, based on crisp arrangements, resonant soloing and a tight-knit line of attack.
The band benefits from solid material, designed upon memorable hooks and an underlying impression of buoyancy. Lee and Chubb trade the customary fours while spicing matters up with dynamic unison choruses and odd-metered detours. And it's a liberal affair, as the musicians' generate some high-heat when appropriate.

The quartet injects ample doses of pop and sizzle, but counterbalances its hard-hitting gait with memorably melodic themes and variances in hue and pitch. The frontline also executes a literal reading of Charlie Parker's classic bop piece, "Ah Leu Cha," but fuses its individual voices into the bridge with soaring exchanges and heated soloing.

With gently rolling segments and perky excursions, the band covers lots of ground, including a smoky late night ballad that gains steam amid interweaving motifs on "1919 (dedicated to Donald Jacobus)." The quartet doesn't set its sights on reinventing the jazz vernacular. Instead, it's largely about a group-centric ethic, aided by a solid and a diverse track mix. Add ardent soloing to the grand schema, and there lies the bountiful fruit. - allaboutjazz.com

New Tricks at Cecil's Jazz Club
Published: August 13, 2009


By David A. Orthmann

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New Tricks
Cecil's Jazz Club
West Orange, New Jersey
July 17, 2009
Over the past few years, the northern New Jersey-based band New Tricks has painstakingly developed a distinctive sound during weekly sessions in the basement studio of saxophonist Mike Lee. It is almost bad form to single out contributions of the tightly knit quartet's members, which include Lee, trumpeter Ted Chubb, bassist Kellen Harrison and drummer Shawn Baltazor. An excellent, self-titled compact disc recorded in 2007 and released several weeks ago on New Tricks Records only approximates the high energy and single-minded intensity they generated throughout an opening set at Cecil's Jazz Club. "We are New Tricks," Lee declared after the first number, as if to underscore the group's "one for all" ethos.

The liberty provided by the absence of a piano or guitar was used wisely, as each player adroitly shifted between support and assertiveness. Harrison served as the band's workhorse, nailing down the bottom of Lee's and Chubb's compositions. On the head of Lee's "Old Dog," while the rest of the band swelled around the bassist, Harrison's minimal foundation was a model of stability. Throughout most of the set, Baltazor jostled the soloists by moving (and frequently blurring the boundaries) between jazz, Latin, and funk rhythms. The drummer stayed on top of Chubb during a burning rendition of Charlie Parker's "Ah-Leu-Cha" (the only non-original of the set and on the record). A pointed tom-tom fill answered the trumpeter's initial phrase and a few bars later a snare and tom-tom combination imitated some brief biting lines. Knowing that laying back is as important as hitting hard, Baltazor all but vanished during Chubb's simple and eloquent tones at the onset of the "Old Dog" solo.

On the heads of Chubb's "In His Steps," and Lee's "Jackie's Day," the trumpeter and saxophonist wrapped around each other like vines. They took turns playing a part of the melody of Chubb's exquisite tribute to his grandfather, "1919 (Dedicated to Donald Jacobus)," each stating the theme in his own manner. Lee offered brief, discreet commentary during Chubb's improvisation on "J's Other Bag." He followed with a soprano solo that alternately locked into and danced over Baltazor's straight jacket funk beats. Occasionally referring to the melody, Lee waxed both deliberate and verbose. He shaped a few long cries into phrases, and entered into a playful dialogue with Chubb. The trumpeter offered neatly clipped lines over the Latin-funk foundation of Lee's "After Much Discussion, Josie Moves East." Playing against the bass and drums, Chubb blazed his own trail by improvising a series of song-like melodies.

The band was relentless throughout "Ah-Leu-Cha," the set's final selection. Harrison's walking bass anchored explosive solos by Chubb and Lee, and his turn entailed vivid, percolating lines over the buzzing of Baltazor's sticks on the hi-hat. The drummer's four-bar breaks evoked the spirit of Max Roach and brought the group's energy level up to a fever pitch. Each stroke produced a broad, thick-set sound as he brazenly moved around the set in short, choppy phrases.

If this set is any indication, we can look forward to many more interactive performances from New Tricks in the years to come.

Visit New Tricks on the web.

- Allaboutjazz.com

Ted Chubb, Press Clips

“Chubb a keen thoughtful soloist, was evocative on “Blue and Green.” He mixed hard hitting ideas with those that were tender, each one a smart melodic package”
Zan Stewart/The Star Ledger

“Ted is a great talent and very clearly dedicated to the music. The sound of his trumpet commands the listener to tune in.
Carmen Lundy/vocalist and recording artist

“One of my favorite trumpet players”
Cecil Brooks III/drummer, producer, club owner

“Chubb, with a soft to gritty sound offered both swinging and abstract leaning ideas.”
Zan Stewart/The Star Ledger

Of course the evening belonged to the hometown hero Ted Chubb as his technique was impeccable and virtuostic (“Shortstops” and “Ah-Lu-Cha”) and one here is reminded of trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Freddie Hubbard.
Tim Kalil/pianist, educator, writer
- Various

Mike Lee Critical Acclaim
(Bruce) Williams and (Mike) Lee provided a beguiling blend of tones and asides during the theme. Powerhouse Lee, who boasts tremendous technique and improvisational acumen, played a solo full of complex ideas that were deftly resolved. His affinity for early 1960s John Coltrane was front and center.
– Zan Stewart - New Jersey Star Ledger - May 11, 2006 - Review of Bruce Williams' Gig at Cecil's Jazz Club

Bill Holmans's arrangement of "Too Close for Comfort" afforded (Mike) Lee the space to show his mastery of technique and umimpeded flow of ideas. His control of the altissimo register permits his carrying a full, clear tone to the uppermost
reaches, feeding each climax and contrasting with the flurries of notes he spits out in the middle range.
– Eric Erickson - Northeast Wisconsin Music Review - August 1, 2005 Review of Birch Creek Academy Band

This gifted composer and masterful saxophonist has crafted tunes of character, lilt, and elegance, buoying them with his fat back, velvety saxophone.
– Carlo Wolff, Jazziz (February 2001) - Review of My Backyard (Omnitone)

An inventive improviser, ideas flow from [Lee's] horn in great profusion.
– Harvey Pekar, JazzTimes (March 2001) - Review of My Backyard (Omnitone)

Mike Lee is a very gifted and exciting young saxophonist who has the future in his sound.
– Joe Lovano, Blue Note Recording Artist

The saxophonist has been gaining a reputation as one of the — baddest improvisers on the scene which was evidenced on his brand new release, titled My Backyard.
– Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz.com - Review of My Backyard (Omnitone)

(Joe) Lovano....and (Mike) Lee (filling the Role taken by Joshua Redman on the record) played off each other with all the uncanny musical symbiosis that the great tenor teams of yore - Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons -
used to exhibit.
– David Sowd Akron Beacon-Journal, January 2, 1995

...a wonderful saxophonist and composer as well...
– Michael Brecker, Impulse Recording Artist

On the basis of The Quiet Answer, Michael Lee has joined the ranks of the Cats (Branford Marsalis, Ralph Moore, Courtney Pine, Ralph Bowen): Fresh voices who are widening the envelope of possibility within the tenor/soprano saxophone postbop mainstream. His sound on tenor is clean and strong...He writes good songs and he possesses the discipline and fluency to shape the flow of every improvisation into meaningful form...
– Thomas Conrad CD REVIEW August/1991

Tenor saxophonist Michael Lee represents the latest luminary in a long tradition of outstanding Cleveland saxophonists. His writing and playing exhibit a consistently high intelligence and concern for continuity and purpose. ...I have noticed an
assimilation of varied influences in the hard-bop mainstream, and a marvelous fluency. His command of the instrument is masterful, and he has refined an incisive posture within his approach to improvisation.
– Mark C. Gridley, author Jazz Styles: History and Analysis (Prentice-Hall)

Mike Lee? Wow!! I really enjoyed creating with him. His sensitivity is superb.
– Marcus Belgrave Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra

Mike is an outstanding clinician and an excellent musician. He has much to offer both the beginning and advanced student. I recommend him highly.
– Gene Aitken, Director University of Northern Colorado Jazz Studies Program

Mike Lee gave an excellent saxophone/jazz improvisation clinic at the University of Miami. He chose to address the allimportant issues of sound, time, and personal expression and definitely got his message across to my saxophone students, and to the members of the rhythm section as well. He also shared some good advice about establishing a career as a jazz musician, detailing the obstacles as well as the rewards. I would highly recommend his program to any music school.
-Gary Keller, Saxophone University of Miami Jazz Program - Various