Lima Beans

All tunes composed by Bert Seager - Bertil Music/BMI except for "Everything I Love" by Cole Porter - Chappell & Co. "Learning to Trust In Love" written for and first performed at the wedding of Jorge Roeder and Masha Heifetz on August 11, 2007. All other originals written at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, in November 2007, and October 2008. Track # 10 is kind of a "bonus track" and it is the first time I have ever sang on a CD. It should be pretty obvious that I am not a singer. But I hope the spirit of the song is communicated and enjoyed. The lyrics to "When Singing Just Sing" were taken from the book of the same name by Narayan Leibenson Grady. She teaches at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts -- a precious resource, refuge, and practice center right in the middle of a city -- which she helped found in 1985. I met Jorge Roeder and Jorge Perez Albela in Boston, a city often referred to as "Bean Town". Both Jorges are friends from Lima, Peru and both came to Boston to study music. Hence, the title of this CD: "Lima Beans." The second tune, "How High Is The Ocean" is based on the Afro-Peruvian "festejo" rhythm, which these two great musicians patiently taught me. I am so grateful to them both for their dedication, their intelligence and for the warmth that they bring every time to our friendship and musical collaboration. --------------------------------- "When breathing just breathe. In each moment be aware, ever resting in the heart, undistracted, calm and clear." Narayan Leibenson Grady. ---------------------------------- About Bert Seager Pianist and composer Bert Seager has been a leading player on the jazz scene in Boston Massachusetts since 1981. He has led 11 tours with his band to Japan. As a bandleader he has also toured Canada, Jordan, Bulgaria, and the United States. His twelve internationally-released compact discs have won him unanimous critical acclaim from the New York Times, Keyboard Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe and many other publications. For the past two years Bert has been selected for a residency at the prestigious MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Bert has been a recipient of a National Endowment of the Arts grant for jazz and is on the current roster of The New England Foundation for the Arts. He has performed and recorded with Joe Lovano, Tim Hagans, George Garzone, Bob Moses, Joe Hunt, Richie Barshay and Kazumi Ikenaga. He has performed in ensembles on stage with George Mraz, Miroslav Vitous, Mick Goodrick, Tom Harrell, Ben Street, Chris Speed, Billy Drewes and Jorge Roeder. Born in 1955, Bert grew up in Mountainside, New Jersey where he studied classical piano, played in blues bands and sang with the Masterworks and All-state chorales. He is a graduate of Haverford College and has a Masters Degree in Music from the New England Conservatory of Music. Bert's compositions and improvisations reflect both an inward and outward-looking view of life and music. He believes that in listening deeply one is better able to serve the music as it's narrative unfolds. And in the three-way conversation of his trio, with a purposeful, sustained and loving attention to the sounds and rhythms being produced - it is his hope that the joy of this creative process is passed on from performer to listener. About Bassist Jorge Roeder Jorge is a current member of both the Julian Lage Quintet and the Kenny Werner trio. Jorge Roeder was born in Lima, Peru. He was recently awarded first prize in the 2007 International Society Of Bassists Jazz Competition. At the age of 14, he began studies in cello and electric bass. Two years later, he was invited to study cello at the Rimsky Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Russia. After taking up the double bass, Jorge became assistant principal bassist of the Lima Philharmonic and Opera orchestras for the 2001 and 2002 seasons. In 1999, Jorge became part of the New Music Youth Orchestra, which is dedicated to the development of jazz in Peru. In 2001, Jorge toured with the orchestra throughout the eastern U.S. and played at the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) annual conference in New York. Moving to Boston in 2002, Jorge received a scholarship from the renowned New England Conservatory of Music, and began studies with Cecil McBee, John Lockwood, Danilo Perez, Charlie Banacos, Donald Palma, Oscar Stagnaro, Jerry Bergonzi, Bob Moses and Dominique Eade. Soon after moving to New York City, Jorge joined acclaimed jazz pianist Kenny Werner as part of his current trio, along with drummer Richie Barshay. Jorge is also a member of The Dan Tepfer Trio, which performs jazz with a distinctive shape; The Sofia Koutsovitis Group, a South American Jazz/Folk band; The Jarrett Cherner Trio, which performs original Jazz compositions; Sol y Canto, a Boston-based Central and South American Music group; and Avantrio, dedicated to performing Peruvian music with a different setting. Jorge has had the honor to perform/record with jazz greats such as Alex Acuna, Bob Brookmeyer, Russell Ferrante, Herbie Hancock, Roy Haynes, Steve Lacy, Bob Moses, George Russell, Maria Schneider, Gunther Schuller, Steve Turre, Matt Wilson, and Kenny Wheeler. About Jorge Perez-Albela Jorge Pérez-Albela started playing drums at age 16 in his native Lima, Perú. In the early nineties Jorge kept a busy schedule performing with artists, such as, Latin Grammy-winning pop singer Gian Marco Zignago, Grammy-nominated música Peruana star Eva Ayllón. Inspired by the beauty and richness of Peruvian music, Pérez-Albela began to play the cajón, which he learned directly from the masters. To date Jorge continues to research Afro-Peruvian music by periodic visits to his hometown, Lima, Peru. In 1994, following his passion for Jazz, Pérez-Albela relocate to the United States to study at the Berklee College of Music, where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Professional Music. Pérez-Albela has been featured at the 'Jazz en Lima' International Festival (Peru), with his jazz trio (w/ Eli Degibri on sax and Edward Perez on bass). Jorge has toured Europe with Javier Vercher, Albert Sanz and Andre Fernandes, performing at the most prestigious venues and festivals. A Boston resident, Pérez-Albela is actively involved in the city's jazz scene, and frequently commutes to New York City for performances or recordings, including recent appearances at The Blue Note, The Jazz Standard, Sweet Rhythm, Tonic, etc. His versatility, deep knowledge of jazz and South American rhythms, and ability to integrate jazz drums with cajón make him a one-of-a-kind musician. He can be heard in current performances/recordings with Grammy-winning composer/conductor Maria Schneider, pianists Bert Seager, Danilo Perez (at the NPR's 2007 'Toast of the Nation'), Jarrett Cherner, Geoffrey Keezer and Leo Blanco, singers Sofia Koutsovitis and Mili Bermejo, Saxophonists Dan Blake and Grace Kelly; trumpeters Jason Palmer and Peter Kenagy. His project, Avantrio, in collaboration with Peruvian bassist Jorge Roeder and Argentine vocalist Sofia Koutsovitis, weaves jazz with Peruvian sounds at the core. Throughout the years, Pérez-Albela has studied with Danilo Pérez, Bob Moses, Christian McBride, Pat Metheny, Hal Crook, Jamey Haddad, Ralph Peterson, Alex Acuña, Efrain Toro, Vicente Lebron, among others. Pérez-Albela has taught percussion in the Boston area since 1997, where he also directs a music therapy program at the Edward Devotion Public School in Brookline, Massachusetts. He has taught master classes at the National Conservatory in Lima, Perú, and at the Portsmouth Dance and Percussion Festival, in New Hampshire.