Search - Andy Cotton :: Last Stand At The Havemeyer Ranch

Andy Cotton Last Stand at The Havemeyer Ranch (BJUR 009): Coinciding with a stressful eviction by real estate developers (as part of the gentrification of Williamsburg), bassist/composer/producer Andy Cotton was busy recording countless hours of music in his loft/studio on Havemeyer Street (nicknamed The Havemeyer Ranch). In the spirit of the sessions for Miles Bitches Brew, Cotton had the record button down during marathon sessions with many of his fellow Brooklyn artists that were relatively open improvisations, using reggae, Afro-Cuban and R&B rhythms as their base camp. From these sessions Cotton cherry-picked improvisational and unedited moments that became the basic tracks used for the album. Recording in this way, without time constraints or production schedules, was a great luxury that allowed the songs to develop organically in ways that can never be duplicated, explained Cotton. The room also had everything to do with the sound and feel of these recordings, allowing for the musicians and their instruments to sound open and unhindered, allowing each of them to bring as much of themselves as possible in to the music. Under the influence of King Tubby, Fela Kuti, Appalachian fiddle music, The Police and Sly Stone, Andy Cotton has created an album that captures a sound that s been in his head for many years and one that uniquely represents the definition of Brooklyn Jazz Underground. It has finally come together on this recording and can start to reach like minded folks, said Cotton. Last Stand at The Havemeyer Ranch features Yuval Lion (drums), Matt Ray, Nico Georis & Borahm Lee (keys), Kris Bauman (sax), Avishai Cohen (trumpet), Mayteana Morales & Chauncey Yearwood (vocals), Brian J (guitar, vocals), John Lee (guitar), Trip Henderson (harmonica), Elizabeth Dotson-Westphalen (trombone), Alicia Jo Rabins & Ron Hecht (fiddle), Luz Fleming (bass clarinet), Andy Cotton (bass, guitar)