'New Momentum'

a Milestone for Robert Irving III

Street Date: March 20, 2007

Robert Irving III’s Acoustic Trio Debut, ‘New Momentum’,
Featuring Buster Williams on Bass and Yussef Ernie Adams on Drums Highlights the 25th Year of Irving's Music Career That Began With His 1981 Collaboration With Miles Davis.

   Jazz fans all over the world have anticipated the eminent return of Robert Irving III as a solo artist with the arrival of his groundbreaking new trio CD entitled, "New Momentum". On March 20, 2007 "New Momentum" will be available online through Sonic-Portraits.com and in record stores and other retail outlets in the US and Canada, Europe, Japan, and other markets as the first jazz release distributed by Sonic Portraits Entertainment.

   "New Momentum" is a milestone in the career of Irving. The CD features Irving on piano with master bassist, Buster Williams and drummer, ‘Yussef’ Ernie Adams. Bassist, Marlene Rosenberg who is a regular with Irving's Chicago based groups also appears on 3 tracks. Buster Williams and Irving are fellow Miles Davis alums who have played together with the Wallace Roney Quintet as well as groups led by Irving. Adams has played with such giants as Stanley Turrentine, Ramsey Lewis and Al Di Meola. Irving says, "I've always enjoyed working with Buster Williams, who brings a lot of color and magical moments to this project. Ernie Adams is amazing in every group setting in which I've worked with him and, just as I had imagined, the synergy between Buster and Ernie is tremendous." Marlene Rosenberg has performed with a long list of jazz luminaries including Nancy Wilson, Joe Henderson, Cedar Walton and Joe Williams. Irving explains, "My development of arrangements for some of Marlene's compositions for a trio setting, in part, inspired the birth of New Momentum".

   Although Robert Irving III frequently performs in an acoustic setting, this is his first time as leader of a recording project in which primarily all acoustic instruments are used in a trio format. "New Momentum" is the opening track on this CD that includes eight songs of breathtaking quality, vibrancy and feeling. Among the melodies are Irving's inimitable arrangements of two Miles Davis related standards, "Nefertiti" and "Seven Steps to Heaven" along with his own stunning compositions, "Havilah", "Always Sometimes" and "Primordial Waters" among others.

   "New Momentum" highlights the 25th year of Irving's music career that officially began in 1981 with the Miles Davis comeback release, "The Man with the Horn" of which Irving was keyboardist and co-writer of both the title track and the composition "Shout." Of course, Miles Davis is revered as a true pioneer who stands along with such greats as Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman and Charlie Parker. Since his death 15 years ago (1991), Miles Davis has left a legacy of music that still influences musicians of all genres today. Davis was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and 2006 also marked the 80th anniversary of his birth.

   After the 1981 success of "Man With The Horn" (nominated for a Grammy Award), Irving had a groundbreaking collaboration with Emmy award winning actress/director, Val Gray Ward, founder of the Kuumba Theatre in Chicago. He was Musical Director and pianist for the hit Kuumba Theatre production of The Little Dreamer "A Nite in the Life of Bessie Smith" that won critical acclaim during a long run at Chicago's Ivanhoe Theatre. Irving studied with the legendary stride pianist/composer, Little Brother Montgomery who had composed music for this show.

   In 1983, Miles Davis summoned Irving III back as Musical Director and principal keyboardist of the Davis band. Irving was co-producer of the pivotal Miles Davis album, "Decoy", which won the Downbeat Album of the Year award in 1984. In 1986 Irving also was producer of Miles Davis' "You're Under Arrest" project from which the track, "Human Nature" received a Grammy Award nomination. This track still enjoys regular airplay.

   In 1987, Irving scored music for the film "Street Smart" (the first motion picture for Morgan Freeman and the last one for Christopher Reeves) on which Miles played trumpet. Shortly after leaving the Miles Davis band in late 1988, Irving III released his only other project as a leader, his jazz/fusion debut, "Midnight Dream" as the first American artist on the Verve Forecast label (selling 30,000 units pre-Sound Scan). He also produced the second major release on Verve Forecast; Terri Lynn Carrington's Grammy-nominated 1990 debut entitled, "Real Life Story", which included sessions with Wayne Shorter, Grover Washington Jr., Diane Reeves, Patrice Rushen and Carlos Santana.

   Later, as a tribute to Miles Davis, in 1992 Irving co-founded the Miles Davis alumni band, ESP (with now Rolling Stones' bassist, Darryl Jones). This group recorded for Pioneer Records in Japan and toured Europe extensively. Irving's 1993 production of Susan Osborne's, "Wabi" won the prestigious Nippon Music Award in Japan for "Best Creative Concept". Throughout the 1990's and into the new millennium, Irving produced a myriad of projects of diverse genres while recording and performing with such artists as David Murray, Gary Bartz, Buster Williams, Regina Carter and Wallace Roney.

   In his re-emergence as a solo artist and group leader, Irving confides that, "After working behind the scenes for many years, I became quite busy on projects and tours in support of other artists and subsequently lost focus on a solo career as a recording artist. I was content to work primarily as an arranger, producer and occasionally as a sideman. Nevertheless, I continued to accept all acoustic gigs offered to me. Many of these performances placed me in a trio setting, inspiring me to begin the development of arrangements and compositions that evolved into the New Momentum project."

   Irving, based in Chicago, is known among his peers internationally as an innovator in the ever-changing world of jazz, fusion and popular music. "New Momentum" showcases Robert Irving III's improvisational skills and his unique approach as a composer and arranger. Irving explains, "Because of each player's respect for the traditional and for the contemporary, we naturally infused the traditional trio sound with the adventurism and edge of avant garde juxtaposed with melodic elements and even some nuances more common to classical music." Kahil El Zabar says in the liner notes for the CD, "This trio project is a wonder-filled adventure, full of surprising gems that glow with emotion and thought provoking departures."

   Irving who refers to himself as an 'interdisciplinary arts entrepreneur', is also a Reiki Master and sound healing researcher, a music columnist, an active proponent for early childhood music education and an accomplished visual artist whose paintings have been exhibited around the world. He has created artwork for "New Momentum". Several of his paintings appear throughout the CD including his portrait of Miles Davis entitled; "Seven Steps to Heaven" converged with his painting entitled "Bitches Brew". Irving recalls, "One day as I watched Miles paint he encouraged me to try painting because it was "relaxing" and helped him to enhance his "sensitivity to the music". He told me that, "a painting is music you can see and music is a painting you can hear." Five years after his departure I begin painting and today his words are the inspiration for "Sonic Portraits"".

   Robert Irving III and his trio plan to tour this spring and summer to promote the CD. Several performances will coincide with exhibitions of his art.

By Francis Ward -Staff writer for the Los Angeles Times and an official "History Maker".