Freedom Ferenc Nemeth

• 1Triumph, Pt. 204:18
• 2Drumterlude, Pt. 101:08
• 3The Peacock03:45
• 4Drumterlude, Pt. 200:22
• 5Farmboy03:07
• 6Drumterlude, Pt. 301:13
• 7Floating04:36
• 8Marrakech04:44
• 9Freedom03:09
• 10The Fugitive05:08
• 11Drumterlude, Pt. 400:23
• 12Dare to Dream03:58
• 13Get Up05:53
• 14Drumterlude, Pt. 501:08
• 15Bluefrica03:08
• 16Soccer Game03:57
• 17Epilogue01:52
• Total Runtime51:49

Info for Freedom

Ferenc Nemeth partnered up with saxophonist Greg Tardy and pianist/keyboardist Tzumo Arpad for a trio-effort on his latest release, ‘Freedom,’.

Hungarian, Ferenc Nemeth pulled from folk music rooted in his upbringing as well as classical sounds, electronic, and music found all over the world, including African, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, Middle-East and Eastern Europe talk about freedom, hope and renewal or rebirth. All of which came together beautifully in a jazz shaped package in the end.

Of course, nothing in life is that simple. When creating ‘Freedom,’ Nemeth knew using that title would spark some conversation as the world we live in is ironically encased in the idea of freedom. While we have more possibilities than ever today, Nemeth notes, “There is still racism, hate, there are still wars in some parts of the world, terrorism, people are still suffering and many people simply don’t believe in themselves so they can’t break out of their limiting beliefs.”

The tracks on the album are each unique and have their own story to tell. From the sorrow of leaving loved ones behind for good in “The Fugitive” to a simple boy suffering physical and emotional pain in “FarmBoy” to the reminder that people can achieve anything with enough faith in “Dare to Dream,” each track breathes its own truth and develops old favorites like “Peacock.” An old Hungarian folk song with lyrics of freeing the slaves, the idea that tomorrow will bring new winds, new hope, and our belief will become our reality is brought into modern times sans the lyrics but the heart remains.

‘Freedom’ features 17 tracks and is like a double album in that it features regular tracks, as well as tracks that showcase only Nemeth on the drums. With Nemeth on percussion and vocals, Greg Tardy on the saxophone, Tzumo Arpad on piano and keyboards the instrumentation is very particular as there is no bass player, and it’s the first time Nemeth can be heard singing, using a vocal harmonizer.

“This was particularly a new experience for me, especially since on the title track I am doing a duo of percussion and vocals. I am very excited about the result as I feel like I’ve created something new sonically as well as structurally. With the vocal harmonizer I am also bringing more colors because I am not only singing melodies but also creating new sounds that became part of the music, and adding more layers as well that takes the music to another level. It gives me another way to express myself as I am also interacting with the musicians not only with the drums but also with the harmonizer.”

New York-based today, Ferenc Nemeth was born in a small village with no more than 1,000 residents to its name in Hungary. Music became a part of his life early on, and not too soon down the road an encounter with legendary vibraphonist Dave Samuels changed his course as he encouraged him to head to the US and attend Berklee College of Music. So he did, and like a fish out of water – Nemeth was of course taken aback by his new surroundings but soon found his footing as he connected with his mentor to this day Hal Crook, Gary Chaffee, Bob Moses, John Abercrombie, and many others including Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter who he worked with on Lionel Loueke’s debut on Blue Note. In 2003 he relocated to New York City and began releasing music.

Since then he’s released a handful of albums including his US debut, ‘Night Songs’ which featured John Patitucci, Mark Turner, Chris Cheek, Lionel Loueke and Aaron Parks. He then followed that up with ‘Triumph’, Featuring Joshua Redman, Kenny Werner, and Lionel Loueke and nine other woodwind instruments, as well as a vocalist, “Triumph” showcases the true triumph of a creative collective as the woodwind arrangements were written by Nicolas Sorin; who also does arrangements for Miguel Bose and other great artists.

Ferenc Nemeth, drums, percussion, vocals
Greg Tardy, saxophone
Tzumo Arpad, piano, keyboards

Ferenc Nemeth
is an accomplished and versatile musician who continues to push the boundaries of jazz drumming and composition. Nemeth has since the early days of his career, been one of the most sought after drummers both, in his native Hungary as well as in the United States. Coming from a musical family, his unique dynamism and versatility was fostered from a very early age. An exciting performer and imaginative collaborator, Nemeth is well regarded for his work with the Lionel Loueke Trio and GilFeMa and has also travelled, performed and collaborated extensively as a bandleader, co-leader, sideman and educator as well as initiating creative projects of his own.

From his early days at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and the Thelonius Monk Insitute of Jazz in Los Angeles, Nemeth has learned from and worked with the world’s finest jazz musicians and groups including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Terence Blanchard, the Billy Childs Trio, Bob Sheppard, Dave Carpenter, John Clayton, Jimmy Heath, The Henry Mancini Orchestra amongst others. Relocating to New York in 2003, Nemeth’s distinctive energy and drive saw his career continuing with many of the same musicians, and also expanding to include the likes of Christian McBride, John Patitucci, Lionel Loueke, John Abercrombie, Dave Samuels, Mark Turner, Hal Crook, David Benoit, Bud Shank, Greg Hopkins, Phil Wilson, Dave Grusin, Eddie Daniels, Eddie Henderson, Ron McClure, Chris Cheek, Aaron Goldberg, Kenny Wheeler, Eli Degibri, Jonathan Kreisberg, John Ellis, Omer Avital, Ilayaraja, the Kenny Werner Coalition and most recently Dhafer Youssef.

Many of his collaborations have become long-standing partnerships spanning over a decade. 2003 was also the start of Nemeth’s involvement with GilFeMa, a trio also featuring Lionel Loueke and Massimo Biolcati. The trio, who had been playing together since the Berklee days continued their creative efforts in this format with all three contributing compositions to the 2004 album, eponymously titled, GilFeMa (ObliqSound). Notwithstanding, college fraternity and friendship, Nemeth’s natural great range coupled with his dynamism, complexity and improvisation makes him a perfect partner in the Loueke-Biolcati-Nemeth cooperative. His contribution here as well as with other collaborations is evidence of his great versatility, which informs a unique musical personality. His expertise and vast knowledge beyond traditional jazz, has also seen him move effortlessly through contemporary jazz as well as pop, rock, electro-pop, hip hop and increasingly into ethnic and culturally diverse disciplines.

Beyond the extensive repertoire of performance and recording, Nemeth has also established his own label, Dreamer’s Collective Records and in 2007, released his debut album of original compositions, “Night Songs” to much accolade and features such luminaries as John Patitucci, Chris Cheek, Mark Turner, Lionel Loueke and Aaron Parks. Displaying sophistication and self-assurance, the recording has established Nemeth as a composer and arranger in his own right. A second project for the label “Triumph” was released in the autumn of 2012, sees Joshua Redman, Kenny Werner, Lionel Loueke as contributors, as well as a small wind orchestra. For over 10 weeks the album was among the Top 15 on the CMJ Jazz Charts. Both of his albums were finalist at the Independent Music Awards in 2008 and 2012, respectively. “Imaginary Realm”, the third album for the label was released in 2013 and it features a duo with Javier Vercher, one of Nemeth’s long time friend/bandmate. The fourth album of the label was released on the fall of 2014 and it’s a collaboration with Hungarian legend, guitarist, Attila Laszlo and features two Grammy winning musicians, Jimmy Haslip and Russell Ferrante, besides two incredible vocalists, the Hungarian Charlie Horvath and the Spanish Lara Bello.

An ever-present thirst for exploration and experimentation has seen Nemeth travel widely and play with musicians from a variety of backgrounds and countries. This occupation in turn, has also resulted in Nemeth’s regular participation in workshops and teaching programs in the United States and internationally, the most recent being stints at the University of Siena, the Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music in India, the Kodolanyi University in Hungary, the Bartok Conservatory in Hungary, the Asheville Percussion Festival in North Carolina and the Wheeler School in Providence.

In addition, in 2011, Ferenc has launched an app at the Mac AppStore called “Drum School,” that is an educational tool, including over 400 drum grooves and hand exercises. This app is a rhythm library, an instructional DVD and a method book, all in one.

This album contains no booklet.