Launch Control, by Mark Barclay Lipson

Launch Control

by Mark Barclay Lipson

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limited Edition 12" Vinyl, mastered by Chris Goosman at Baseline Audio Labs, Ann Arbor, Michigan, pressed at Archer Records, Detroit, MIchigan, graphic art by Maddie Summers

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Limited Edition, 6 panel Compact Disc with liner notes, mastered by Chris Goosman at Baseline Audio Labs, Ann Arbor, MIchigan, and pressed at Archer Records in Detroit. Graphic art by Maddie Summers. All original compositions

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edition of 300

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1.	From Tokyo To Detroit 06:52	info	buy track
2.	Sgt. Rootbeer's Float 05:09	info	buy track
3.	I Can't Breathe (Lament for Eric Garner) 05:44	info	buy track
4.	Launch Control 04:58	info	buy track
5.	The Boss 06:24	info	buy track
6.	Nigerian Love Call 06:33	info	buy track
7.	The River Runs Sweet 07:24	info	buy track

about

A manned space launch may be the perfect metaphor for recording high-octane jazz.

Our adventure starts with the composition. Like the flight plan of an exciting new voyage, the composer’s vision guides and inspires discovery. From the control tower of the sound booth, we have the producer and engineer monitoring and documenting the journey while exploring new musical worlds and destinations.

We have the band, ready to launch its passengers into orbit, fueled by the highly combustible energy of a rhythm section that fearlessly soars to new heights.

Launch Control, my fifth release on the DCC record label, contains all of the essential components for a successful flight.

Before launching into the outer realm, we begin by taking a funky flight “From Tokyo To Detroit,” courtesy of Michael Jellick. It features driving solos by Jellick and the powerful front line of Vincent Chandler, Rafael Leafar, and John Douglas.

Jellick’s mid-tempo blues, “Sgt. Rootbeer’s Float,” keeps us on course with its playful and hard swinging melody.

The tune “I Can’t Breathe — A Lament For Eric Garner,” is a mournful composition by Vincent Chandler. An artistic rendering of an American tragedy, “I Can’t Breathe” instrumentally recalls the overwhelming trauma and grief that resulted from Mr. Garner’s tragic killing.

The title track, “Launch Control,” is an up-tempo blues written by the late euphoniumist, Brad Felt. The simple, eight-note melody, written over the barline, creates a rhythmic tension that catapults the soloists into space. On this track, the band coalesces into a fiery brew of bass, drums, piano, and horns. Ian Finkelstein solos first, entering with a bracing two-handed run up the keyboard. Next up is John Douglas on trumpet, who immediately ignites drummer Jesse Kramer, bringing it all to a rolling boil. Leafar’s solo continues to build on the high intensity, starting “outside” and ultimately reaching an ecstatic and fiery climax. Kramer then burns through his drum solo, the horns punctuating his percussive fire with background figures.

Chandler’s father was the inspiration for “The Boss.” A highly syncopated, swaggering mambo, “The Boss” moves with rhythmic stops that begin through the A section and continue through the solos. Before returning to the top of the form, bassist Jeff Pedraz solos deftly through the changes while the rhythm section moves to a low boil behind him.

Alberto Nacif and I assist on congas and percussion on my 12/8 composition, “Nigerian Love Call.” Based on the Nanigo, a sacred rhythm of West Africa, its layered and interlocking cross-rhythms and melodies provide ample opportunities for the soloists to explore.

Our flight path ends on a soft landing with my ballad, “The River Runs Sweet.” My titanium chimes and the exquisite brush work by Kramer add a touch of evocative color and light.

I sincerely hope that our recording takes you, the listener, on our stellar voyage. It was quite an exciting journey for us, and I hope it will be for you!

Mark Barclay Lipson
Detroit Composers Collective

credits

released January 22, 2024

Personnel

Vincent Chandler - trombone
John Douglas - trumpet and flugelhorn
Ian Finkelstein - piano (Launch Control, Nigerian Love Call, The River Runs
Sweet)
Michael Jellick - piano (From Tokyo To Detroit, Sgt. Rootbeer's Float, I
Can't Breathe, The Boss)
Rafael Leafar - tenor and soprano saxophones
Mark Lipson - percussion (From Tokyo To Detroit, I Can't Breathe, Nigerian
Love Call, The Boss, The River Runs Sweet)
Jesse Kramer - drums
Alberto Nacif - congas (I Can't Breathe, The Boss, Nigerian Love Call)
Jeff Pedraz - bass

Recording Engineers: Jake Shives, Geoff Michael
Recorded at Tempermill Studio, Ferndale, MI, February 2020
and Big Sky Recording, Ann Arbor, MI, January 2022, February 2023,
and March 2023
Mastering Engineer -Chris Goosman, Baseline Audio Labs, Ann Arbor, MI,
June 2023
Graphic Design - Maddie Summers

Marklipsonmusic.com

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about

Mark Lipson Detroit, Michigan

Mark Barclay Lipson is a drummer, composer, and producer in the metro Detroit area. He has performed with three generations of Detroit jazz musicians. His mentors include Detroit Jazz masters Marcus Belgrave, Harold McKinney, and Wendell Harrison. Mark has shared the stage with Dizzy Gillespie, Robert Hurst, Gary Schunk, Marion Hayden, Michael Malis and Ingrid Racine, among others. ... more