ALAN PASQUA: Milagro

“4.5 STARS! …Milagro sneaks up on you. …and insinuates itself into your consciousness and CD player. …a program of glowing, thoughtful tunes. Pasqua’s playing is warm and introspective throughout…” – Down Beat Magazine

Featuring renowned Jazz legends Michael Brecker (saxophone), Dave Holland (bass), and Jack DeJohnette (drums), among others, this Postcards Records album, Alan Pasqua: Milagro, is the pianist / composer’s debut as a leader. The musical promise and aptitude he displayed playing with Santana, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Tony Williams, and Elton John is fully realized on this inventive album. Pasqua’s playing is both melodic and hard-driving, and his supreme gifts as a composer and arranger are abundantly featured.

“A thought-provoking debut for Alan Pasqua…” – JazzTimes

“4 Stars… Alan’s piano is clear and has a beautiful sound. …what this album presents is hard-core and, simultaneously, impressionistic jazz.” – Swing Journal (Japan)

Also featuring five of New York’s first-call brass and woodwind session players, Pasqua’s playing touches the senses as he effortlessly ranges through the gamut of emotions and styles he perfected throughout his varied career, such as the tender elegance of traditional Jazz piano, the rasping and gritty power of Rock organs, and the layered synthesized riffs of the New Wave. Although his most famous composition is likely the theme for the CBS nightly news, which has played nightly on television for over twenty years, there is no denying Alan Pasque’s musical seriousness. On this album from Postcards Records, entitled “Alan Pasqua: Milagro”, the Jazz pianist/composer displays his vibrantly original musical vision, and in doing so propels his music into the Jazz consciousness.

Song Selection:

1. Acoma – 6:44
2. Rio Grande – 7:09
3. A Sleeping Child – 4:57
4. The Law of Diminishing Returns – 5:55
5. Twilight – 4:42
6. All of You – 4:08
7. Milagro – 5:36
8. L’Inverno – 5:45
9. Heartland – 6:08
10. I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen (for my Kathleen) – 2:22

Alan Pasqua: Piano
Jack DeJohnette: Drums
Dave Holland: Bass
Michael Brecker: Tenor saxophone (on 2, 4, and 8)
John Clark: French horn (on 5 and 7)
Willie Olenick: Trumpet and fluegelhorn (on 2, 5, and 9)
Roger Rosenberg: Alto flute (on 2, 5, 7, and 9)
Jack Schatz: Trombone and Bass trombone (on 2, 5, and 9)
Dave Tofani: Bass clarinet (on 2 and 7)

Jack DeJohnette appears courtesy of Somethin’ Else Records, a division of Toshiba-EMI LTD.
Michael Brecker appears courtesy of GRP Records.

Produced by: Ralph Simon
Associate Producer: Joe Barbaria
Executive Producer: Sibyl R. Golden
Total Time: 56:26 minutes

Alan Pasqua:

Alan Pasqua is a Steinway Piano artist, Grammy Nominee and Professor of Jazz Studies at USC Thornton School of Music.
He has played and recorded with Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Paul Motian, Dave Holland, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Joe Henderson, Stanley Clarke, Gary Burton, James Moody, Gary Peacock, Gary Bartz, Reggie Workman, The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, Sheila Jordan and Joe Williams.

While performing a concert at Carnegie Hall in 1975, Pasqua met the legendary drummer Tony Williams. Pasqua was asked to join The New Tony Williams Lifetime along with guitarist Allan Holdsworth. After recording two “Lifetime” albums for Columbia Records, Pasqua relocated in Los Angeles. His career in L.A. broadened as he started playing with more rock and pop artists. He has been a member of the bands of Bob Dylan and Santana. Some of his other pop album credits include: Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Elton John and Queen Latifa. In addition, he has worked with composers John Williams, Quincy Jones, Dave Grusin, Jerry Goldsmith and Henry Mancini and on motion picture soundtracks. Alan composed the soundtrack for Adam Sandler’s Disney hit movie, The Waterboy, and was co- composer for the CBS Evening News Theme during the Dan Rather and Scott Pelley years.

He also recently composed and performed the piano improvisations for Bob Dylan and his Nobel Prize acceptance speech.

Pasqua recorded his first two critically acclaimed recordings as a leader for Postcards Records. His debut album was “Milagro” with Michael Brecker, Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland, which was followed by “Dedications” with Michael and Randy Brecker, Gary Bartz, Dave Holland and Paul Motian.

In 2008, Pasqua joined forces with Peter Erskine and Dave Carpenter, arranging, co-producing and playing on the Grammy Award nominated trio album “Standards”. His recent releases are “Twin Bill” (BFM JAZZ) and “Northern Lights”. “Twin Bill” features Pasqua recorded on two pianos, playing the music of Bill Evans. “Northern Lights” is a new set of Pasqua original compositions, exploring his roots in classical, pop and jazz idioms. Both CDs have received critical praise from DOWNBEAT with 4 star reviews.

His most releases are solo piano recordings. “Soliloquy” is a stunning recording of Alan’s favorite standards recorded on his Hamburg Steinway concert grand piano. Just released in November of 2020 is “Day Dream”. Recorded when the world was put on pause by the pandemic, “Day Dream” offers more of Pasqua’s interpretations on his favorite and somewhat obscure standards.