Description
Expected Release Date: 22-May-2026 – This Pre-order will be shipped on or just before this date. Release dates are subject to alteration.
Finnish jazz producer Valtteri Laurell reworks some of J Dillas most iconic beats into adventurous big band versions.
With drummer/producer Teddy Rok (Teppo Mkynen of Five Corners Quintet, Stance Bros. etc.), flutist extraordinaire Elena Pinderhughes and Laurells own 17-piece Ricky-Tick Big Band, he creates a big band album that you never thought you would hear.
Using the sparse and visionary beats of J Dilla as a starting point, Laurell has composed and arranged material on top of the original versions, performed by Ricky-Tick Big Band. My original idea was to write very abstract big band moments, that would be like samples Dilla might have used in his work. During the process though, on some of the tracks I started to feel more of a Bob James or Henry Mancini vibe in the arrangements, so the end result is a hybrid of those worlds. Naturally, the spirit of Gil Evans and the later work of Duke Ellington is also floating in the air.
To create a strong connection with the original material, Laurell asked Dilla-aficionado and drummer/producer Teppo Teddy Rok Mkynen to work with him on the rhythmic side of the pieces. Teddy Rok also mixed the album. As a special guest star, flutist Elena Pinderhughes is featured on Wont Do and Rico Suave Bossa Nova. Ricky-Tick Big Band, which Laurell founded in 2010 is also well on display here, with rising baritone sax star Linda Fredriksson featured on Beej-n-Dem and trumpetist Jukka Eskola featured on YAll Aint Ready
Side A :
1. Y’All Ain’t Ready – Valtteri Pyhnen & Ricky-Tick Big Band feat. Jukka Eskola / 2. Wont Do – Valtteri Pyhnen & Ricky-Tick Big Band feat. Elena Pinderhughes / 3. Beej-n-Dem – Valtteri Pyhnen & Ricky-Tick Big Band feat. Linda Fredriksson
Side B :
1. Rico Suave Bossa Nova – Valtteri Pyhnen & Ricky-Tick Big Band feat. Elena Pinderhughes / 2. B.B.E. – Big Booty Express – Valtteri Pyhnen & Ricky-Tick Big Band
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