Arnon Palty - Bass & Synths, programming Dave Liebman - Tenor Saxophone Tim Hagans - Trumpet and Flugelhorn Dave Samuels - Vibraphone Uri Caine - Piano & Wurlitzer Electric Piano Adam Nussbaum - Drums Treasure Map - Liner Notes: “I consider the music on Treasure Map to be one long piece with movements or ‘acts'” says Arnon. “Although the individual compositions have sovereignty and can stand on their own, one should listen to the music all the way through as a suite.” The bassist wrote all of the material for Treasure Map, gathered together five of his favorite musicians, and recorded the music in two sessions. Dave Liebman (heard throughout on tenor), trumpeter Tim Hagans, vibraphonist Dave Samuels, keyboardist Uri Caine and drummer Adam Nussbaum are all very busy and productive musicians, major names in the world of 21st century jazz. But although this group came together for the first time for this recording, the performances find the sextet sounding very much like a regularly working band. The musicians, who quickly developed a distinctive and appealing group sound, are relaxed, swinging and tight, even when the material is far from simple. The program begins with "Ambience Rite", a modal composition that has some resemblance to McCoy Tyner’s “Passion Dance” and Woody Shaw’s “Rosewood.” All six of the musicians get opportunities to take concise solos, the tempo cooks, and plenty of fireworks occur. It serves as a perfect introduction to the all-star group and to Arnon Palty’s music. "Juan's Up On A Furry Tail" (a pun on “Once Upon A Fairy Tale”) is funky without being predictable. The playful performance has commentary by Caine’s electric keyboard throughout. Liebman, Hagans and Caine take two brief statements apiece and there is a fine solo from the leader on the happy and danceable piece. "Treasure Map" has a mysterious feel from its start as Arnon begins the piece by programming both the Theremin and the Sitar. Liebman builds on the mood with creative, abstract outbursts, Hagans contributes some muted trumpet that blends well with the tenor, and the rhythm section keeps the eerie mood going throughout the performance. "Caribbean Secrets" is complex yet catchy, a feature for Dave Samuels and the rhythm section. Arnon says, “This composition reflects Caribbean musical grooves and one can almost experience the smells and tastes of being there.” The whimsically titled "Fonzie on a Cruise Ship" is a rockish ballad. Fonzie (from Happy Days) is represented by the vibes and the fuzzy synth guitar, while the horns represent both the cruise ship horns and its dance band. The mood is a bit ominous, Liebman makes a brief but memorable statement, and the intriguing piece ends with a surprising cha-cha- cha. “Fleas Please Me,” which is dedicated to the Beatles, also pays tribute to the dominant jazz styles of the 1950s: Hard bop and Cool jazz. There are times during this performance when it is as if Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers was meeting the Modern Jazz Quartet, a combination that never actually happened. The styles go back and forth with Hagans’ blazing trumpet emerging as one of the highpoints. “The Mojo Messenger” has the horns portraying a preacher while the piano and vibes represent the responding congregation. Liebman plays funky in an abstract way throughout. Arnon humorously says, “Part of this song hints at ‘Moanin’ but it goes astray due to the mischievous spirit of the vibraphone.” “Hot Chocolate,” which is dedicated to Agatha Christie’s witty Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, has a particularly joyful melody. The medium-up tempo cooker features strong statements from Caine on electric Wurlitzer piano, Arnon and the fiery Hagans. Treasure Map wraps up very nicely with “Tower Of Babel,” a thoughtful ballad with many brief statements and Dave Liebman as the lead voice. This ballad is dedicated to Liebman and his rare ability to read a wide variety of people and easily communicate with them on a high level. Arnon Palty is developing into one of the major bassists and composers in jazz. Treasure Map is his latest accomplishment. Line Notes by: Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian and author of 11 books including The Great Jazz Guitarists, Jazz On Film and Jazz On Record 1917-76 Arnon Palty Biography: Dr. Arnon R. Palty is an award winning composer, arranger, bass player and renowned educator from Haifa, Israel. His distinctive electric bass sound and upright jazz bass playing has been featured on hundreds of stage and recording productions in Israel and the USA, including live performances with Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Didier Lockwood, Airto Moreira, Walter Blanding Jr., Zakir Hussain, and many others. Arnon is also leading his own Big Band and a 10 piece Funk/Fusion group called "Plutonium";, and has recorded several projects with them. As an educator, Arnon’s sharp ear and keen intellect have made him the Harmony, Theory, Arranging and Ear-Training Professor of choice at the the Jerusalem Academy, the music dept. at the Ono Academic College and Rimon school of Music. His acclaimed Ph.D. thesis, “Connecting Points in Jazz Dialects - The Harmonic Metamorphosis” is scheduled to be published soon by Academic Press. In 2012, Arnon was able to secure a generous grant from "EOJM" (European Foundation for Outstanding Jazz Musicians) to arrange, record and produce this group performing the nine fine tunes that make up this extraordinary album.