Jake Shimabukuro & MIck Fleetwood Release 'Blues Experience'

‘Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro and the legendary Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac have come together to release a groundbreaking instrumental blues album, Blues Experience, on October 18 via 40 Below Records. This unique collaboration blends the distinct sounds of Shimabukuro’s genre-defying ‘ukulele performances with Fleetwood’s powerful and iconic drumming, creating a fresh, experimental take on blues-rock.

The Blues Experience album features a collection of eight cover songs along with one original composition, “Kula Blues”. The album includes the focus track, "Rockin' in the Free World”, a dynamic rendition of Neil Young's 1989 single which Fleetwood describes as a “…classic that transformed into an off-the-wall version. Glad I was in shape to play this more than a few times before we settled for this take!" Fleetwood also noted that, like many tracks on the album, this song has rarely been approached in an instrumental format, making it a standout.

The album also offers a fresh, instrumental take on Little Willie John's "Need Your Love So Bad," a song that holds special meaning for Fleetwood, as Fleetwood Mac had previously recorded a version. Mick reflected on the collaboration with Jake Shimabukuro, praising Jake's extraordinary ‘ukulele artistry and describing the instrumental interpretation as "a melodic painting" that brings the song to life in a way that transcends traditional vocal versions.

A standout track on the album, the duo’s rendition of “Rollin’ N Tumblin,’” drew critical praise as the first single. Relix magazine describes it as an “amalgamated musical category of psych and jazz-rock taking the track from a standard presentation to experimental and otherworldly with a genuinely unique rhythmic display paired with swirling strums...” This redefines the possibilities of the ‘ukulele, adding weight to Shimabukuro’s reputation as “the Jimi Hendrix of the ‘ukulele” (Guitar Player).  

Mojo Magazine raves, “Shimabukuro conveys delicacy as well as visceral power. Who knew the humble ‘ukulele could be such a viable blues-rock vehicle? No wonder Fleetwood is a keen collaborator. Extraordinary stuff.” Blues Experience pushes the boundaries of traditional blues, adding new textures and sonic layers that elevate the genre.

In addition, the album includes a touching instrumental version of Christine McVie’s iconic composition, "Songbird." Fleetwood poignantly shared, "’Songbird’ unfolded in the studio… not only with its new musical approach but the depth of what we were playing brought on my full awareness that Christine McVie had truly flown away. For me, that was a moment to absorb such a huge loss."

The upcoming album, Blues Experience, promises to be a powerful fusion of their distinct musical styles, blending Shimabukuro’s innovative approach to the ‘ukulele with Fleetwood’s legendary rhythm. Fans can look forward to an album that pushes boundaries while honoring the timeless quality of the music they both cherish.

Joining Shimabukuro and Fleetwood on the album are bassist Jackson Waldhoff and keyboard player Michael Grande. Special guest Mark Johnstone from The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band also lends his keyboard prowess to "Need Your Love So Bad" and "Rockin' In The Free World." Over two intense three-day sessions, the band recorded nine tracks live in the studio, with Sonny Landreth contributing slide guitar to the Jeff Beck/Stevie Wonder classic "Cause We've Ended As Lovers." 

Blues Experience promises to be a landmark release. It combines the formidable talents of Jake Shimabukuro and Mick Fleetwood with fresh, innovative interpretations of blues classics. Fans can expect a bold and forward-looking album that is deeply rooted in tradition.

Blues Experience is set to captivate fans when it hits the shelves today, October 18.

Track Listing:

• Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers
• Rollin’ N Tumblin’
• Need Your Love So Bad
• Kula Blues
• Whiter Shade Of Pale
• I Wanna Get Funky
• Still Got The Blues
• Rockin’ In The Free World
• Songbird (Mick spoken word)

Over the past two decades, Jake Shimabukuro has proved that there isn’t a style of music that he can play. While versatility for any musician is impressive, Jake showcases his transcendent skills as he explores his seemingly limitless vocabulary, with a variety of genres, on perhaps the unlikeliest of instruments: the 'ukulele. Called "one of the hottest axemen of the past few years [who] doesn't actually play guitar" (Rolling Stone), Jake Shimabukuro has become one of the most exceptional and innovative 'ukulele players in the history of the instrument—an artist who has drawn comparisons to musical titans such as Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis.

As drummer and co-founder of one of the best-selling bands of all time, FLEETWOOD MAC, Mick Fleetwood has sold over 100 million records worldwide and established his place in rock ‘n roll music history. Having created a distinctive sound that endures today, the GRAMMY-award-winning artist was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. With countless chart-topping albums and singles, the band’s 1977 album Rumours remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. Fleetwood completed the An Evening With Fleetwood Mac Tour in 2019 and, in 2015, the On With The Show world tour, where he toured as a five-piece for the first time since 1998, featuring the five band members from the classic and most successful lineup back together, with Christine McVie rejoining band mates Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks. The tour sold out arenas across the globe and showcased the classic hit songs from the band’s career that spans more than four decades.

Forty Below Records is an independent record company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 2013 by two-time Grammy® nominated Producer and Songwriter Eric Corne. The label has established itself as a home for legacy artists to flourish and an incubator for new talent to develop. Its eclectic roster includes John Mayall, Joe Louis Walker, Sugaray Rayford, Jaime Wyatt, Freedy Johnston, Danielle Nicole, The Bacon Brothers, Philip Sayce, Charlie Musselwhite, JD Simo & Luther Dickinson, Sam Morrow, Dom Martin and Jake Shimabukuro & Mick Fleetwood.

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Huntertones | Motionation

Acclaimed jazz/funk six-piece band Huntertones released their live video for “Biff / For Roy,” taken from the recently released EP Huntertones on Audiotree Live. The EP features live versions of tracks from their albums Motionation and Engine Co., recorded at Audiotree studios in Chicago. The new studio full-length Motionation was released on April 12, 2024, and is currently eligible for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album and Best Instrumental Composition (“Tunnel”) at the 67th Annual GRAMMY® Awards. Last month, Huntertones members Dan White, Jon Lampley, and Chris Ott joined Louis Cato and The Late Show Band for a live performance.

Huntertones is a high-energy, genre-blending band known for their dynamic sound and improvisational prowess. Formed in Columbus, Ohio and now based in Brooklyn, the group features a core lineup of horns, keys, and drums, delivering a mix of jazz, funk, soul, and rock that creates an infectious, feel-good experience. Their music often features lively horn-driven arrangements and a groove-centric foundation, with an emphasis on audience interaction. Huntertones' unique style and collaborative spirit have earned them a dedicated following, and they continue to push musical boundaries with every performance. 

Motionation is the seventh release from Huntertones. The LP contains eight new tracks: six new original songs, a soulful rendition of the Steely Dan classic, "Dirty Work" featuring Akie Bermiss (Lake Street Dive), and a spirited revival of the Donnie Hathaway instrumental song "Valdez In The Country". Huntertones’ faithful audience will recognize the signature fluid sound of the horns weaving across seasoned yet full-of-surprise rhythm section grooves, but also sense a new urgency and fresh energy. Motionation is a manifestation of a band with unlimited imagination and an ever growing desire to find new ways to express themselves. The band also recently performed on Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter’s collaborative album SuperBlue: The Iridescent Spree. 

Huntertones will be touring the US on their upcoming MOTIONATION tour, full list of tour dates below:

Tour Dates:

• December 6 - Las Vegas, NV - Smith Center for the Performing Arts 
• December 7-8 - San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz at Joe Henderson Lab
• December 9 - Santa Cruz, CA - Kuumbwa Jazz
• December 18 - Brooklyn, NY - Public Records
• December 20 - Columbus, OH - Natalie’s Music Hall, featuring Nêgah Santos
• December 21 - Indianapolis, IN - The Jazz Kitchen 
• December 31 - Washington, DC - The Kennedy Center: Huntertones Horns w/ Kurt Elling SUPERBLUE feat. Charlie Hunter and Nate 

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Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus

"This testament to Sakamoto’s music underlines an artist's commitment to his work that was there, to the very end. ‘Opus’ is all about death, with segments, like the title piece that ends the album, resonating like a solemn prayer. Here is a man unafraid to face his catalog of works and give it his own personal interpretation, knowing it would be his last.” – Associated Press

“Sakamoto plays like a dancer, or a conductor; his hands shape the sound on the keys, but also take flight at times, as if he’s coaxing a tone out of the instrument, or himself.” – The New York Times

“Rather than mythologize his life in narrative songwriting or theatrical instrumental fireworks, he’s chosen a quiet grace, one more subtle and restrained than even his softest prior work.” – Pitchfork

The late legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s highly anticipated posthumous album Opus, a collection of works performed as a final concert in the fall of 2022 before Sakamoto’s death in early 2023, is released via Milan Records. 

Alongside the release of Opus is a video of Sakamoto performing “for Jóhann,” one of the newly composed pieces on the album. It is a tribute to Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannson, one of Sakamoto’s close friends and colleagues, who passed away in 2018. 

In late 2022, the Japanese composer, producer, and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto sat down at the piano for a final performance. Too ill to complete an entire set at once, Opus is garnered from multiple sessions shot and recorded in Tokyo’s legendary NHK 509 Studio. The concert was filmed and recorded without an audience, directed by Sakamoto’s son Neo Sora and turned into a film Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, now available on The Criterion Channel. 

Opus was carefully curated by Sakamoto, with selections including his iconic film scores, Yellow Magic Orchestra classics, alongside pieces reflective of his eclectic career. “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” perhaps one of his most famous melodies, and beloved works "Andata,” "Aqua" and "Trioon" are represented as well as entirely new or never-before-recorded compositions. “for Jóhann”, dedicated to the late composer and Sakamoto’s friend Jóhann Jóhannsson, “BB,” a tribute to filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, and “20180219 (w/prepared piano),” a previously unreleased solo prepared-piano track, are all new to Sakamoto’s vast repertoire.

Sakamoto provided a statement on the project after it was recorded, saying: 

The project was conceived as a way to record my performances—while I was still able to perform—in a way that is worth preserving for the future. In some sense, while thinking of this as my last opportunity to perform, I also felt that I was able to break new ground. Simply playing a few songs a day with a lot of concentration was all I could muster at this point in my life. Perhaps due to the exertion, I felt utterly hollow afterwards, and my condition worsened for about a month. Even so, I feel relieved that I was able to record before my death—a performance that I was satisfied with.

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a musician of incredible breadth and ambition, whose work spanned genres, forms, and ideas. Much of his music followed a similar transformation—often, Sakamoto would take his works and morph them, from their original shape as pop songs or film scores, and translate them for orchestras or for solo piano or for large museum installations. He was like an alchemist altering the states of an element, granting each piece many lives. It is perhaps the best illustration of the strength of Sakamoto’s songwriting that a composition could change many times, sturdy yet mutable, that he could deconstruct and remake his own work over and over.

These chosen works tell the story of not only a prolific musician, but a tirelessly curious artist. It is a reflection of Sakamoto’s own life and work as he faces death, on his own terms. On this album, the performer is dying, but through the performance, he lives forever.

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BRAD SHEPIK | Human Activity: Dream of the Possible

Guitarist and composer Brad Shepik released his ninth album as leader on October 11, 2024. The new offering, Human Activity: Dream of the Possible, is a ten-movement meditation on the climate challenges we face, seeking to inspire action for a sustainable future. This piece, composed and premiered by Shepik in 2021, builds on his earlier work, Human Activity Suite (2007). Human Activity: Dream of the Possible features Shepik on guitar, tambura, and saz, along with a talented ensemble including Layale Chaker on violin, Amino Belyamani (Dawn of Midi, Innov Gnawa) on piano, Sam Minaie (Tigran Hamasyan) on bass, and John Hadfield (Kinan Azmeh, Lennie Pickett) on drums and percussion.

Shepik has previously recorded eight albums as a leader. Since 1995 his ensembles have performed at major festivals and clubs across Europe and North America including The North Sea Jazz Festival. He appears on more than 70 recordings and has been awarded commissions and grants from the Seattle Arts Commission (Borders 1987) and Chamber Music America (Human Activity Suite - Code Red), New York Foundation for the Arts and the Puffin Foundation. He has performed and recorded with many leading lights of jazz and world music including Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band, Dave Douglas' Tiny Bell Trio, Carla Bley, Bob Brookmeyer, Charlie Haden, Simon Shaheen’s Quantara, Yuri Yunakov's Bulgarian Wedding Band, Chandrika Tandon’s Shivoham, Gnawa of Hope, Joey Baron, Pachora, Matt Darriau’s Paradox Trio, Tom Beckham, Combo Nuvo, Kiran Ahluwalia and George Schuller among others.

Human Activity: Dream of the Possible reflects Shepik's response to the alarming climate report of 2021, emphasizing the critical need for proactive environmental stewardship. Shepik explains, “I aimed to create a concert-length piece that reflects the state of the climate and the evolution of our attitudes toward climate change over the past 14 years. The term ‘human activity’ often signifies our negative, exploitative, and harmful impact on the environment. However, we are the one species capable of having the greatest positive effect on this issue. We can choose to actively change our habits, live more sustainably, and do whatever we can to preserve the planet for future generations.”

Shepik discusses his motivation and composition process: “I set out to express my own feelings about the climate issue and at the same time explore the musical worlds of these inspiring musicians, each with their own distinctive voices. The piece initially premiered under the title ‘Code Red,’ but after conversations with artists from various mediums, including my photographer wife, Caroline Mardok, whose work is featured throughout the CD booklet, I began to consider the inspiration and impact of a more hopeful narrative.”

The movements of the piece each address different aspects of the climate crisis. The album opens with “Code Red” which references the 2021 IPCC warning from scientists that Earth's vital signs have reached critical levels. “The Search” explores the plight of climate migrants seeking refuge from environmental changes.

Next up is “Dream of the Possible” which contemplates cleaner, cheaper, and healthier alternatives to carbon-intensive lifestyles while “Symbioticity” suggests cooperation and interdependence for mutual benefit between humans and the natural world.

“Future Generations” is inspired by those who will inherit the consequences of our actions and inactions. “Travel Back” evokes nostalgia and the environment of one's youth. “Still Heat” reflects on the unprecedented 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome. “All Hands” centers on the idea that everyone can contribute to mitigating climate change.

“Naturitude” is a meditation on gratitude and the protection of the natural world that we still have. The album closes with “Orange Haze” which captures the dissonance and surreal luminosity of wildfire smoke seen from thousands of miles away.

Through Human Activity: Dream of the Possible, Shepik is not only addressing the gravity of our environmental crisis, but also underscoring the power of hope and collective action. The masterful blending of jazz and world music in the compositions reflects the truly global nature of this crisis. His work is both a poignant reminder and an inspiring call to action to protect our planet for the sake of future generations.

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Pete Calandra & Straight Up | Silent Kisses

Pete Calandra is a prolific composer and keyboard player whose solo albums are wonderfully diverse, spanning world music, jazz, contemporary jazz, new age, pop, and neo-classical. The thread throughout his music is the lyrical expressiveness of the compositions and purity and purposefulness of the musicianship. Three of his albums of original ambient music -- First Light (2015), The Road Home (2017) and Carpe Noctem (2018) were nominated for ZMR Awards. His jazz funk track, Neptune Beach was a 2023 Hollywood Independent Music Awards Nominee while another jazz based track, Bleecker Street, was the 2023 Clouzine Magazine “Best Jazz Funk” winner. In 2024 his track Mixed Emotions was a Hollywood Independent Music Awards Nominee.

As a Film & TV composer, Calandra scored over 100 films and wrote over 2000 compositions for television. He has composed music for every major television network including the FIFA World Cup Theme for FOX Sports, the Special Olympics World Games and Invictus Games Theme for ESPN, as well as writing music for the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS from 2015 thru 2020. He also garnered acclaim for composing the music to Jellysmoke, a film which won the Los Angeles Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, and Unknown Soldier, a film which won the Los Angeles and Philadelphia Film Festivals and also was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Calandra has been immersed in the New York City music scene for most of his life. As a keyboard player he performed in the Broadway productions of Miss Saigon (for 10 years), The Lion King, Les Miserables, The Phantom Of The Opera, and Little Shop Of Horrors.In addition to his Broadway resume -- which includesfirst chair keyboardplayer positions for many of those productions -- he has also performed with the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, NY Pops Orchestra, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Don Cherry, Aretha Franklin, Allen Ginsberg, Annie Golden, Donna McKechnie, Lillianne Montevecchi, and he spent 16 years as the keyboard playerin the NYC-based Climax Band, the creative vehicle for artist and musician Larry Rivers.

Calandra's prismatic experience and artistry allows him to inhabit a multitude of genres, conjure up a diverse selection of moods and emotions, and work within a broad array of mediums. "I don't try to define anything because I find that,as a creative person, when you put something in a box, you limit the creative flow," Calandra says. In additionto his keyboard and compositional skills, he is also an accomplished guitarist and multifaceted studio engineer versedin the arts of tracking and mixing.

Currently, Calandra is on the faculty at the Aaron Copland School Of Music at Queens College, CUNY teaching Audio/MIDI, Film Scoring and Music Composition to both graduateand undergraduate students. He is also a Yamaha Endorsed Artist.

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Milton Nascimento & esperanza spalding | Milton + esperanza

Milton Nascimento and esperanza spalding have released their collaborative album, Milton + esperanza. Recorded in Brazil throughout 2023 and produced and arranged by spalding, the record is a dream-come-true collaboration. It  serves as a beautiful musical expression of a friendship that began nearly 15 years ago. The album has been met with early raves including a profile of the duo in New York Times, an interview on NPR’s Morning Edition, a performance together for NPR’s Tiny Desk, and additional interviews in Rolling Stone, SPIN, and much more.

“The moment when I asked, ‘Which songs do you want on this album?’ He [Milton] said ‘A Paul McCartney song.’ And we couldn’t remember the name. I remember that. Milton had a book at his house with every Paul McCartney song, we were looking for this song title that no one could remember. We read through every song. ‘A Day in the Life’, finally. In the original version, in the bridge Paul McCartney is singing solo and I thought, ‘We can’t sing this. We can’t. ‘It’s so ‘signature’… It’s very crazy. Our version is very wild. It’s beautiful, and very intentionally untethered.” – esperanza spalding  

The album was announced in May along with the release of “Outubro,” and covered enthusiastically by the NY Times, Pitchfork, The Fader, Stereogum and beyond. Since then, the duo released their collaboration with Paul Simon, “Um Vento Passou (para Paul Simon),”for which Simon learned the Portuguese lyrics as well as “Saudade Dos Aviões Da Panair (Conversando No Bar)” featuring Lianne La Havas, Maria Gadú, Tim Bernardes, Lula Galvão. 

Milton + esperanza features 16 tracks that celebrate and reimagine Nascimento’s beloved classics, new pieces written by spalding with Nascimento in mind, and interpretations of The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” and Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song.” Guests include Dianne Reeves, Lianne La Havas, Maria Gadú, Tim Bernardes, Carolina Shorter, Elena Pinderhughes, Shabaka Hutchings, Guinga and more.  The album features spalding’s core band of Matthew Stevens (guitar), Justin Tyson and Eric Doob (drums), Leo Genovese (piano), Corey D. King (vocals, synths), and several Brazilian musicians, including Orquestra Ouro Preto, percussionists Kainã Do Jêje and Ronaldinho Silva and Lula Galvão.  

“It’s like a magic, that you know when it’s happening, and you can help make it happen. It’s like you can invite it to come visit you. You can invite it to come through you. And it’s magic, that I guess, I’m always hoping will descend, you know, into the music. The whole time I was always praying for the album to feel like a big ship, that’s traveling through the cosmic waters of the world. And the ship is going so smooth, and you’re [Milton] standing at the back going like this, “Wa, wa.” Like throwing magic out from your hands to everybody who’s seen the boat go by. And I wanted the album to feel like that, to feel like this magical wow-thing going by; and after it passes, you just feel like wow. That was the inspiration for the album.” – esperanza spalding 

Milton + esperanza sparkles with duets between these two voices, exquisite musicianship and what spalding identifies as a central theme of the album: the importance of younger generations creating with, learning from, and building new worlds with elders.  A guiding spirit for the project was Wayne Shorter, whose collaboration with Nascimento, Native Dancer, was released nearly 50 years ago.  “This was all about Wayne,” spalding stated in a recent interview with WRTI. “I think at the end of the day, he is that guiding light for both of us to dare and be expansive, and also go for broke.”  

The genesis for this album goes back to the very first time spalding heard a Nascimento recording, at a dinner party when a friend put on Native Dancer.  “I get chills even thinking about it,” she says.”  “Ninety percent of things I write, I’m thinking of him.  He’s a very present part of my creative imagination.” They would finally meet (thanks in part to an introduction made by Herbie Hancock) and began to collaborate, record and perform live together.  In 2022, Nascimento, now 81, embarked on a farewell tour, and invited spalding to perform on a couple of shows.  At dinner on the eve of her participation in Nascimento’s Boston performance, his son asked her to produce Nascimento’s next album.  A dream had come true.  She worked in Brazil throughout 2023 recording and producing the album.   

Milton + esperanza is spalding’s first new album release since 2021’s Songwrights Apothecary Lab, which along with 2019’s 12 Little Spells, both won GRAMMY Awards (Best Jazz Vocal Album). Last year spalding released a protest song entitled “Não Ao Marco Temporal” that was recorded in Rio and addresses the Temporal Framework, an initiative in Brazil that threatens Indigenous Brazilians’ land rights and poses a major risk to the Amazon rainforest.  A 5-time GRAMMY winner and 11-time nominee, spalding has previously released 8 full-length albums and in addition to working with her heroes including Nascimento and Shorter, she has collaborated with Prince, Herbie Hancock, Janelle Monae, Robert Glasper, Terri Lyne Carrington and many others. As a composer, her credits include writing the libretto for the opera “…(Iphigenia)” with Wayne Shorter, which premiered in 2021.  She is also a philanthropist and advocate, and currently co-directs a non-profit BIPOC artist sanctuary in her hometown of Portland, OR.  

spalding is also touring this year, with dates scheduled throughout 2024, as well as a 12-night residency at the Blue Note in New York City in February and March of 2025.  Nascimento and spalding haven’t confirmed whether or not they will tour to support the record; these performances feature esperanza with her band. 

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GRAMMY Award-Winning Chick Corea Trilogy - Trilogy & Trilogy 2 on Limited Edition Vinyl

For the first time ever on vinyl, a limited edition 8-LP deluxe box set featuring Chick Corea’s 2013 album Trilogy & 2019 album Trilogy 2, has been remastered and released today collectively as Trilogy by Concord Jazz. The GRAMMY® Award-Winning Trio featured on the collection (with a combined 40 wins between them) includes iconic jazz pianist Chick Corea along with Brian Blade on drums and Christian McBride on bass. Originally recorded by Bernie Kirsh, the set has been re-mastered by the legendary Bernie Grundman.

2013’s Trilogy was famously recorded live at tour stops in Washington, D.C., Oakland, CA, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Turkey, and Japan. The follow-up album, 2019's Trilogy 2, features further in-concert performances captured during various tours between 2010 and 2016 in places like Ottawa, Bologna, Zurich, and St. Louis. Both albums received wide critical acclaim at the time of their release with The Guardian proclaiming about the former: “For Corea admirers, and jazz-piano fans of all kinds, it’s a must.”

Encased in an outer box, the inner portfolio showcases the 180 gram vinyl, a 32-page book with exclusive tour photos, liner notes by award-winning journalist Bill Milkowski, essays by Corea, Blade, McBride and more. Trilogy will also be available as a CD box set (International only). Vinyl and CD box sets designed by 2-time GRAMMY® Award-winning creative director Lawrence Azerrad at LADdesign.

Chick Corea (1941–2021) was a renowned American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader, celebrated for his innovative contributions to jazz fusion and acoustic jazz. Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, he began playing piano at a young age and later studied music at the Juilliard School. Corea’s career took off in the 1960s when he joined Miles Davis's groundbreaking band, contributing to the influential album "Bitches Brew." He later formed his own groups, including Return to Forever, which blended jazz with rock, Latin, and classical elements, helping to define the jazz fusion genre.

His prolific output included classic albums such as "Light as a Feather," "My Spanish Heart," and "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs." Corea was known for his virtuosic technique and eclectic style, incorporating a wide range of influences from classical music to world rhythms. Over his career, Corea received numerous accolades, including 23 Grammy Awards and an NEA Jazz Masters award. He was also a passionate advocate for music education and creativity, inspiring countless musicians worldwide. Corea's legacy continues to influence jazz and beyond, marking him as one of the most significant figures in modern music history.

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Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt | Forever Stories Of: Moving Parties

Cellist Peggy Lee and guitarist Cole Schmidt are quite simply two of the most important composer-improvisers to have emerged from Vancouver's vibrant creative music community. Both wield vast vocabularies on their respective instruments, and with them they can coax out a seemingly endless array of sonic colours within just as many stylistic frameworks. They're also united by their shared gift for a particular sort of melodicism—one that can sneak its way into multiple idioms and expressions. 

This potent combination of attributes has been over the past decade in groups such as Echo Painting and SICK BOSS. It's also what propelled them into a 2017 residency in Montréal and later what animated this new project, which first came about in 2019. 

"This project was born out of Cole and I playing in each other's bands," explains Lee. "We decided to regularly get together to play as a duo, regardless of whether there was an upcoming gig or not. We would improvise and workshop new compositional ideas." Initially they would also play live in a trio formation, inviting a different drummer to join each time. 

Although Forever Stories of: Moving Parties seems to be billed as a duo record, a more accurate way of looking at it is right there in the title. "The initial concept for the record had to do with hosting a party," remarks Schmidt, "[one] that included all kinds of people and characters connecting on different conversations in different rooms of the house." ​​Funnily enough, Lee and Schmidt's birthdays are only a day apart from one another each year, which has led to them celebrating together in the past. 

The pair serve as the album's gracious co-hosts, sharing compositional duties, the auditory limelight and seemingly divvying up the allotment of guests. Each brings several close collaborators to the sizeable cast of friends: international luminaries such as Wayne Horvitz, Frank Rosaly, Erika Angell, Meredith Bates, Sara Schoenbeck, and Dylan van der Schyff, all make appearances, plus fellow members of SICK BOSS like JP Carter and James Meger. 

The diversity of material across the record's 14 tracks is consistent with the metaphor above. Each piece has its own clear identity—some pieces employ proggish structures that allow the players to dart between odd-meter acoustic passages and electric improvisation, while others offer cinematic fusions of folk and jazz. Elsewhere you'll find voice-driven pieces, electronics-heavy abstractions, and even molten rock-outs. Opener and first single "Blame" exemplifies the underlying warmth and amicable spirit that infuses even the record's darker moments. Unhurried gestures intertwine and evolve within a poised, luminous arrangement anchored by Mili Hong's wafting drum phrases. According to Schmidt, the piece was built on "a melody that had been circling in [his] head for over 10 years" and was ultimately finished in May 2020. 

Captured in vivid detail by Seb Fournier at Hotel2Tango in Montreal, John Raham at Afterlife Studios in Vancouver, as well as remotely from homes & spaces in Gothenburg, Melbourne, Amsterdam and New York City in 2022 & 2023, Forever Stories of: Moving Parties is an invitation to celebrate two of Canada's most ingenious and multifaceted performer-composers amongst some of their brightest peers.

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New releases from Richard Smith, Kim Scott, Pat Petrillo, and Cal Harris Jr.

A model of high-level consistency as evidenced by being named Billboard magazine’s No. 3 Smooth Jazz Label of the Year for the last five years, Innervision Records is making moves to move up the chart by inking guitarist Richard Smith, who will release his label debut single, “Bring It In,” on November 1. The imprint’s fall release schedule also includes new singles by Billboard chart-topping flutist Kim Scott, drummer Pat Petrillo, and keyboardist Cal Harris Jr.

Smith is a highly regarded contemporary jazz musician and educator who was the youngest tenured professor at USC’s Thornton School of Music. He has recorded or shared the stage with contemporary jazz luminaries including
Elliot, Peter White, Kenny G, Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair, Eric Marienthal, Brian Bromberg, Warren Hill, Everette Harp and Dan Siegel. His “SOuLIDIFIED” (2003) album spent 17 weeks in the top 10 in terms of airplay and his 2015 set, “Tangos,” spent more than five months in the top 10 on the indie and contemporary jazz charts. 

“Bring It In” continues Smith’s string of singles that he wrote with one of his former guitar students, 16-time Billboard chart-topper Adam Hawley, who produced the tracks. The pair teamed up in 2021 for “Let’s Roll” and “Soul Share” and again the following year to release “Groove Assets.” Smith explains the inspiration for their latest collaboration. 

“‘Bring It In’ is my love letter to the deep community of musicians who play because they genuinely love music and come together to make music for music’s sake. During Covid, a group of talented musicians and I got together to play just for fun and ‘musical maintenance.’ We started with songs we knew, then moved onto songs we wanted to know, and then we started writing originals together. We played for many hours at a time and in the process, we rediscovered and reinforced the joy and the healing power of music when played together, underscoring yet again that music is a team sport. When we played, we would end the sessions and ‘bring it in’ with a high five or a hand slap or a group hug. You’d often hear someone say, ‘This is the reason I got into music!’ And it is true. Good music brings us all together and brings us joy,” said Smith, a globetrotter who also teaches abroad in such diverse locations as Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Manila, London, Oslo, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Palermo, Rome or Bueno Aires.

Smith and Innervision Records’ general manager Steve Belkin have a decades long relationship, which made bringing the guitarist into the label family a natural fit.

“I'm excited to welcome my long-time friend and the great guitarist Richard Smith into the Innervision family. I was involved with Richard's career in his early years, and he has grown exponentially as an artist. I have deep respect and admiration for his background as a teacher and professor at the USC jazz guitar department. His influence continues to ripple through the jazz guitar community as can be seen on our first single release with Richard, ‘Bring It In,’ which was produced and co-written with one of his students, Adam Hawley,” said Belkin.  

Smith echoes Belkin’s enthusiasm by saying, “The human resources at the label, with Steve Belkin and Adam Leibowitz at the helm, represent decades in the global contemporary jazz scene. The underlying message of my first single for Innervision Record is that music is a team sport. Innervision Records is a dream team.” 

Scott just released her latest single, “Freedom,” a joyous Afrobeat-influenced jazz instrumental as evidenced in the accompanying video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I87riFR9wf4. In its debut week at radio, “Freedom” was the No. 1 most added on the Mediabase chart and was added out of the box to the SiriusXM Watercolors playlist. Scott’s previous single, “Like Butter” featuring saxophonist Jeff Ryan, went No. 1 on the Mediabase chart and hit No. 3 on the Billboard chart. Both singles will appear on her “Livin’ It Up” album, which will be released in February. The Birmingham, Alabama-based Scott was 2021’s Breakout Artist of the Year and had Billboard’s No. 1 Smooth Jazz Song of the Year in 2022, “SHINE.” 

Petrollo's second single for Innervision Records, “Weekend Vibe,” arrives on November 8. The New Yorker made his label debut last June with “Glide in My Stride.” Both singles will appear on Petrillo’s first album for Innervision Records that is slated to drop next year. 

Harris Jr.’s “Love Stories” will be shared on November 15. The single previews his forthcoming album, which will be released next year. 

Innervision Records will start the year with a busy first quarter with new singles and albums coming from Scott, 11-time Billboard chart-topping guitarist Blake Aaron, guitarist Dee Brown, and keyboardist Charles A. Kelly. In January, many of the Innervision Records artists will gather to perform at the label’s twelfth annual After NAMM JAMM at Spaghettini south of Los Angeles. 

Twenty-six-year-old Innervision Records has curated a diverse roster of recording artists who craft contemporary jazz, R&B, and world music that consistently impacts the Billboard, Mediabase, Groove Jazz, Radiowave, and multiple smooth jazz charts. 

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Marion Meadows | Just Doing Me

At the heart of this journey called life is the unyielding quest for self-discovery. Each one of us has our own song and finding the right notes, is what makes this symphony of life sweeter. This eternal mission is often at the heart of a musician’s artistic expression. Top-selling saxophonist Marion Meadows, reflects, “Growing up, I was more of a science kid but when I began to play music, the light bulb went off and there was no turning back. I jumped all the way in.”

Thirty-four years since his recording debut as a leader, collaborations with The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, and Eartha Kitt, and 17 albums later, Marion’s vision remains sharply focused. “I try and offer a peaceful and loving approach through my music,” shares the strikingly handsome saxman, who is also an accomplished photographer, visual artist, and avid cyclist. “Music is that one gift that enables us to get to a place where we can release the stresses of life and let the music take over. Through an abundance of love, gratitude, and humility, I seek to be a creative person and a good citizen. There are a lot of challenges and uncertainty in the world today, so I just try to stick to the music and art.” 

Meadows, who studied with iconic heavy-weight saxophonists Joe Henderson, Sonny Fortune, and Dave Liebman, also credits Emmy-winning TV composer Jay Chattaway of Star Trek fame for helping to kick start his career. Chattaway heard him playing the sax while waiting for the train in Grand Central station and later introduced him to Bob James. Although James and Meadows never released an album together, they did record several tracks which Meadows attributes to his foray into contemporary jazz. October 25, 2024, Shanachie Entertainment will release the anticipated Just Doing Me, an inspiring collection of mostly originals that unite Meadows with several great friends, musicians and producers including Chris “Big Dog” Davis, Rahni Song, Wirlie Morris, and Paul Brown, among others. “This album speaks volumes about where I am in my life, which is actually a very good place personally and artistically. I am very happy and 17 albums in, I’m still creating music that I love!”

Even though the moon rises in the east and sets in the west, Marion Meadows’ lunar orbit creates a gravitational pull that will have you wrapped in his sonic wonder. “The title is sort of a play on words," he explains. "It was inspired by the fact that as we go into this this world of artificial intelligence, we worry or are curious about what's going to happen next for humanity. My play on ‘AI Moonrise’ is that we have not been very good custodians of the planet and I don't say that frivolously. I mean this is something that we really needed to pay attention to a long time ago and people joked about it, but here we are now realizing that is it not the same planet anymore. How much longer can we sustain humanity if we do not become good caretakers? If we cannot look out for our home instead of trashing it, then I don’t think that we are going to sustain our existence.” “AI Moonrise,” features Meadows’ ex-wife, the talented Maria Meadows on the vocals. 

The title Just Doing Me is appropriate now that I am three decades into my career. As my career has progressed, I've defined who I am. I have come to the point where I have realized that part of my legacy is that I’m just doing me. I’ve taken my own road and I'm glad I did. I’d like to think that I have remained true to what I have always envisioned for myself.” Marion Meadows wrote and recorded Just Doing Me over a two-year period. “We recorded it everywhere from Hawaii to Nashville, you name it. We set up studios all over the place, guys were recording in Connecticut, California, and Arizona but that's just the way it's done, and I can't thank them all enough.” Just Doing Me opens with the bluesy and smooth-swinging “Say What,” featuring Marion’s fluid and funky soprano that soulfully call and respond to Chris “Big Dog” Davis’ sailing and head-nodding piano runs. The duo penned “Say What” together and co-wrote the scintillating and rhythmically charged hypnotic groove “Pleasures Of You,” that follows. The inviting “Going Back Home,” a collaboration with Rahni Song hints to an irresistible Afro-beats vibe. Meadows’ ethereal saxes float atop Song’s bright keyboards and percussion fare to delightful effect.  Song and Meadows also co-wrote the tender ballad “Scarlet,” which features, Grammy award-winning composer/guitarist Brian Keane. “Rahni is a long-time friend and I admire his work,” says Marion. “He’s produced many songs for me, and we have co-produced and written many songs together. He's well known for producing the early gold and platinum albums for Najee, Melba Moore, and Freddie Jackson. His resume is incredible.” The album’s title track is the winning combination of feel-good energy and thrilling synergistic ensemble interplay. Meadows is joined on the track by Wirlie Morris with whom he wrote the song and guitarist Adam Armijo. “Wirlie has a long history including The S.O.S band and most recently he produced Norman Brown’s hit records. Wirlie and I have worked together in the past. He’s responsible for my cover of Rose Royce’s “Wishing On A Star” years ago and I don't do very many cover songs. He’s an incredible producer and he brought a lot of great music to this album. He is a superstar in his own right.”

The lone cover on the album is R&B group 112’s Billboard #1 “Only You,” which originally featured The Notorious B.I.G. and later a remix with B.I.G. and Mase. Meadows’ track features the Gaines Brothers (bassist Will Gaines bassist from Marion’s touring band and keyboardist Lamar Gaines). “They co-produced a version of ‘Only You,’ that is a very technical piece, and it came out incredible. It’s a great pleasure to be able to work with these young up-and-coming musicians.” “I Got You” was co-written by guitarist Paul Brown (who plays percussion on the track), along with fellow guitarist Shane Theriot. One of the highlights on Just Doing Me is the showcase of Marion’s full array of saxophones. Throughout the album he plays tenor and soprano. He recalls, “I was really a tenor player before I was a soprano player. I gravitated to the soprano because I was a clarinet player and it's very similar in embouchure, size, and attack. I'm playing both tenor and soprano on multiple tracks and I always have fun doing that.” The smokey “Black Cat,” conjures the essence of mysticism as the horns of Meadows and trumpeter Rueben Brock meander atop the percussive accents of Curtis McCain. Fishermen have long been known to sail with a black cat on board to conjure good luck. Meadows guides us on an unforgettable voyage on this stunning track. “Velvet” follows with its soothing and meditative energy and “Kool Days” bring the rousing journey to a finale.

Born into a multi-cultural family in West Virginia, Marion Meadows’ father relocated from a coal mining town in West Virginia to Stamford, CT in search of better opportunities for his family. Marion began his musical endeavors at age eight, studying clarinet. “I came up listening to Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Duke Ellington but at the same time musicians like Earth Wind & Fire, Chaka Khan, Chicago and Parliament Funkadelic,” confesses Meadows who early on cut his teeth playing in Avant-Garde jazz groups alongside heavyweights Rashied Ali and James Blood Ulmer. At age 15, after hearing iconic saxophone masters like Sidney Bechet, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges and Stanley Turrentine, Marion Meadows’ switch to saxophone was imminent. He initially had his sights set on a career as a zoologist. Upon high school graduation, he attended the renowned Berklee School of Music in Boston, later transferring to SUNY Purchase School of the Arts. While still a student, the ambitious saxophonist worked steadily as a sideman. He jokes that he “got a graduate degree playing in clubs.” He was also fortunate to study with the best including Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman and Eddie Daniels. While at Berklee, Meadows had another serendipitous encounter, this time with drummer producer extraordinaire Norman Connors, who was then playing with legendary saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders. Meadows who holds a Doctorate in Arts and Humanities from Wilberforce University says, “Norman Connors was really the guy who discovered me as an artist. The man who gave me my first shot.” Connors recorded Marion’s song “Invitation” and later extended an invitation to Marion to join his band. Connors, who collaborated with many of R&B and jazz’s greatest singers, afforded Marion the opportunity to work alongside such dynamic voices as Jean Carne, Phyllis Hyman, Glenn Jones, Angela Bofill, and many others. “That was graduate school, so to speak,” laughs Meadows. After graduating with honors from ‘Connors’ University,’ the well-rounded saxophonist spent time honing his chops on the avant-garde circuit in the ensemble "Aboriginal Music Society," which featured guitarist James Blood Ulmer, percussionist Juma Sutan and pianist Kasa Allah.

In an industry that is rapidly changing and often unforgiving, Marion Meadows has seemed to have found the antidote for longevity. In 1990 Marion Meadows made his recording debut, For Lovers Only, featuring Eliot Lewis, Porter Carroll, Brian Keane, and Average White Band alumnus Alan Gorrie. Two years later he joined forces with Will Downing, Bob Baldwin, Angela Bofill and Norman Connors for his sophomore recording Keep It Right There. Further solidifying his rightful place in the pantheon of great saxophonists, Meadows released Forbidden Fruit in 1994 with special guests Eric Benet, Don Grusin and Dori Caymmi, among others. Body Rhythm followed in 1996 and Pleasure was released the following year which featured Micheal Bearden as producer and keyboardist on several tracks along with the late Waymon Tisdale. Another Side of Midnight was released in 1999 showcasing Meadows alongside Bob Baldwin, Omar Hakim, and Norman Brown and Johnny Britt of “Impomtu” fame. Next To You followed in 2000 along with In Deep in 2002. Player’s Club in 2004 spawned two hit singles, “Suede” and “Sweet Grapes,” both co-written and produced by Micheal Broening which have gone on to become two of Marion’s signature songs. In 2006 Dressed To Chill was released and featured memorable renditions of hits by R. Kelly and Luther Vandross and joined Meadows with Chuck Loeb and his longtime touring keyboardist and vocalist Will Brock, among others. Secrets and its title track topped the Smooth Jazz charts in 2009. The anticipated Whisper followed in 2013 showcasing the stunning Top Ten Billboard hit “Black Pearl” and in 2015 Meadows released Soul Traveler written and produced by Italian producer Carlo Penissi featuring another Top ten hit, “Humanity.” 2018 saw the release of Soul City, which united Meadows with Peabo Bryson, Maysa, Peter White, Norman Brown, and Will Downing. Christmas With You, Marion Meadows’ holiday recording was released in 2019 collaborating, once again with Rahni Song and the lauded Twice As Nice followed in 2021.

Marion concludes, “I never compromise on the music, and I’ve always stayed true to my convictions. At the same time much of my creativity is a spiritual endeavor which has continually guided me as an artist. I want to be able to touch my audiences in a meaningful way because, at the end of the day that is all we can ask for as artists.”

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Nubya Garcia | Odyssey

London-born saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Nubya Garcia shares her new album, Odyssey via Concord Jazz. Accompanying the album is the focus track, “Dawn” with esperanza spalding. Previous singles leading up to the album include “Set It Free” feat Richie, “Clarity” and “The Seer.”

Odyssey is, as the title suggests, an ambitious, epic journey of an album. In a largely male-dominated scene, Garcia has carved herself a prominent space and she invites other brilliant Black women musicians to join her on this adventure, namely: esperanza spalding, Richie Seivwright, and Georgia Anne Muldrow.  Odyssey is produced by Garcia and returning collaborator Kwes. 

Describing Odyssey, Garcia says; “It represents the notion of truly being on your own path, and trying to discard all the outside noise saying you should go this way or that way.”  It’s also inspired by life’s ever-changing, ever-continuing adventure, the twists and turns of living.  Musically, the album finds Garcia orchestrating strings for the first time, having fallen back in love with composition and then studying a vast array of orchestral sounds.  The bigger, bolder result is a widescreen soundscape that traverses jazz, classical, R&B and dub. Following Garcia’s widely celebrated and Mercury Music Prize nominated 2020 debut, Source, the forthcoming album Odyssey is available to stream and purchase here, and the artwork and track list are included below.

We also highlight a very special focus track, “Dawn” featuring esperanza spalding. Says Garcia of the track: “every day for several weeks, it really got in my head in a good way and just encouraged me to pause and realise the power of that intention and shifting my rhythm. This composition began with this melody on one of those mornings, I started humming it to myself and there began its journey. After building in the harmony, the arrangement and the ideas, I knew that this would be a special melody to have a duet with saxophone and voice, and esperanza spalding’s inspiring storytelling and incredible vocals was who I heard joining me.”

Nubya Garcia is a multi award-winning artist.  She has toured extensively, playing venues and festivals across Latin America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and the United States.  Her reputation as a DJ is also burgeoning; she helmed a popular radio residency on NTS, and plays a growing number of live sets across Europe.  Garcia has collaborated with major brands such as Lululemon, Paul Smith, Labrum, Nicholas Daley and Burberry, and as a composer, her original music has been placed with Apple TV (Ted Lasso); OWN Network (Cherish The Day); FX TV (Atlanta); EPIC GAMES (Fortnite); and on multiple podcasts (including the theme tune for Anika Noni Rose’s Clio award-winning podcast Being Seen).

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Boney James | Slow Burn

Legendary saxophonist and composer Boney James will release his nineteenth studio album Slow Burn on October 18th through Concord Records.  The news comes as the album’s first official single “All I Want Is You” featuring critically acclaimed R&B newcomer October London on vocals, releases today across all streaming services.  The sleek and atmospheric music video for “All I Want Is You” also released earlier today which was revealed during a special YouTube livestream where Boney chatted with fans about the new album, and his collaboration with London.

Featuring a collection of 10-new tracks produced by Boney, Slow Burn marks a new high point in the chart-topping, contemporary jazz icon’s remarkable three-decade career, one that includes a long list of accolades; four GRAMMY nominations, three NAACP Image Award nominations, a Soul Train Award for Best Jazz Album and four RIAA Gold Record certifications, to name just a few.

“When I mentioned the phrase ‘slow burn’ to people as a possible title, they said, ‘That also refers to your whole career in a way,’” James recently reflected. “This is my nineteenth record and I feel like I’m just hitting my stride.”

Slow Burn includes an impressive list of guest collaborators, starting with the legendary bass player Marcus Miller on “Arcadia.”  Miller appears again on “Butterfly,” a remake of the Herbie Hancock and Bennie Maupin classic, along with internationally renowned jazz/gospel keyboardist Cory Henry.  Multi-instrumentalist Jairus Mozee (Anderson.Paak, Anthony Hamilton, Nikki Minaj, etc.) co-wrote and co-produced four tracks on the album with Boney, including title track “Slow Burn.”  As for the sultry first single “All I Want Is You” featuring rising R&B vocalist October London, James proclaims the track to be “one of the most exciting vocal collaborations I’ve ever recorded.”

James is scheduled to play select dates across the U.S. through the summer and fall.  Promising to bring his iconic 30-year career to the live stage, including selections from Slow Burn, the upcoming shows will hit several markets over the next few months including Nashville, Milwaukee, Charlotte, and Boston among others.  For further information please visit https://boneyjames.com/.

During his 30-year career, Boney James has released a staggering nineteen studio albums, with 1995’s Seduction, 1997’s Sweet Thing, and 1999’s Body Language all becoming RIAA certified gold.  In 2015, Boney’s futuresoul spent eleven weeks atop the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart and was the best-selling Contemporary Jazz Record of 2015, while his 2020 album Solid went on to become his highest charting release ever on the pop charts, peaking in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200.

With nearly a dozen of his albums landing at #1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Album chart, James’ past collaborators include a long list of critically acclaimed R&B and soul stars: Raheem DeVaughn, Faith Evans, George Benson, George Duke, Dwele, Al Jarreau, Philip Bailey, Anthony Hamilton, Jaheim, Eric Benét, Dave Hollister, Stokley Williams, Kenny Lattimore, Angie Stone, and Lalah Hathaway.

Boney James’ nineteenth studio album Slow Burn will be released through Concord Records on October 18th. The album’s first official single “All I Want Is You,” featuring October London is available across all streaming platforms now.  

Slow Burn Track Listing

1. Arcadia (Featuring Marcus Miller)
2. Butterfly (Featuring Cory Henry and Marcus Miller)
3. Slow Burn
4. All I Want Is You (Featuring October London)
5. Slide
6. A Little Romance
7. Gonna Have a Good Time
8. The Bounce
9. Between The Lines
10. Sugar (Featuring Rick Braun)

 Boney James 2024-25 Tour Dates

• Sun, JUL 21 – Winter Park Jazz Fest – Winter Park, CO
• Tues, JUL 30 – Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Fest – Incline Village, NV
• Fri, AUG 2 – Southern Theater – Columbus, OH
• Sat, AUG 3 – Iroquois Amphitheater – Louisville, KY
• Sun, AUG 4 – The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts – Nashville, TN
• Thu, AUG 22 – Ohio Theater – Cleveland, OH
• Fri, AUG 23 – The Clyde Theater – Fort Wayne, IN
• Sat, AUG 24 – Fresh Coast Jazz Festival – Milwaukee, WI
• Fri, SEP 20 – Oklahoma City CC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater – Oklahoma City, OK
• Fri, SEP 27 – Newport Beach Jazz Festival – Newport Beach, CA
• Sat, SEP 28 – Thornton Winery – Temecula, CA
• Thu, OCT 17 – Clearwater Jazz Holiday – Clearwater, FL
• Sat, OCT 19 – Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival – Rehoboth Beach, DE
• Sun, OCT 20 – The Birchmere – Alexandria, VA
• Mon, OCT 21 – Rams Head On Stage – Annapolis, MD
• Wed, OCT 23 – Charleston Music Hall – Charleston, SC
• Fri, OCT 25 – Florida Theater – Jacksonville, FL
• Sat, OCT 26 – Stockbridge Amphitheater – Stockbridge, GA
• Sun, OCT 27 – Knight Theater – Charlotte, NC
• Thu, OCT 31 – Lexington Opera House – Lexington, KY
• Fri, NOV 1 – Byham Theater – Pittsburgh, PA
• Sat, NOV 2 – The Palladium – Carmel, IN
• Sun, NOV 3 – Ludlow Garage – Cincinnati, OH
• Wed, NOV 6 – Kodak Center – Rochester, NY
• Thu, NOV 7 – City Winery – Boston, MA
• Fri, NOV 8 – Tarrytown Music Hall – Tarrytown, NY
• Sun, NOV 10 – Patchogue Theater – Patchogue, NY
• Wed, NOV 13 – Sound Board at MotorCity Casino – Detroit, MI
• Fri, DEC 5 – Sun, DEC 8 – Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley – Seattle, WA
• Sun, DEC 29 – Tues, DEC 31 – Yoshi’s Oakland – Oakland, CA
• Fri, JAN 24 – Chandler Center for the Arts – Chandler, AZ
• Sat, JAN 25 – The Smith Center for Performing Arts – Las Vegas, NV

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Dennis Bovell | Sufferer Sounds

Sufferer Sounds is a compilation of essential rare dubs, roots and lovers rock deep cuts by legendary producer, Dennis Bovell being released by the Disciples imprint on 2 x 12" LP vinyl, CD and digital download. Check out the trailer: https://youtu.be/bGeB558T1qQ 

Dennis Bovell’s prolific and eclectic career encompasses a huge range of music: from dub poetry to lovers rock to post-punk to disco to pop and beyond. This new compilation focuses on the period during and immediately after Bovell’s involvement with the Jah Sufferer Sound System, digging deep to find deep cuts and lesser known versions, mainly from 1976 - 1980, plus a killer and lesser heard dub of the iconic “Silly Games”. Painstakingly restored and remastered at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin so that these decades old tracks sound pristine and dynamic, and sequenced to take the listener on a journey through Bovell’s production and arrangement genius. 

The accompanying sleevenotes are a result of a long conversation with Dennis about this period of his life, with track-by-track recollections and fascinating biographical asides. The vinyl and CD versions feature variant artwork, each format utilising a unique photo by Syd Shelton. 

The seeds of this album were sown when Dennis made an appearance in 2018 at the General Echo Reggae Disco in Walthamstow, north-east London. One half of the crew organizing the disco was in the process of starting a new label Disciples, and began quizzing Dennis about various tunes of his that he loved that were impossible to find. This started a dialogue that has lasted several years, a lot of crate digging to find useable versions, various tried and rejected track sequences, picture research, the world shutting down for COVID, a long interview with Dennis for the accompanying notes, and several design iterations later, we have Sufferer Sounds, a true labour of love. It formidably demonstrates Bovell’s wizadry at the mixing desk during this period, particularly when ‘versioning’ a track. Developing a style that was distinct from other dub producers of the period, his sense of harmony, melody and a killer hook always shine through, a deft and subtle style that sends soulful backing vocals floating over the deepest of basslines, irresistible rhythms underpinning a panoply of stereo tricks and inspired use of effects. A master of his craft, one of the greatest to ever do it, Dennis Bovell MBE we salute thee.

Dennis Bovell became a key figure of London's reggae scene in the late '70s and early '80s, working as both a solo artist, musician, and producer for a wide range of artists. Bovell's résumé is one of the most wide-ranging of his peers. As guitarist for the reggae band Matumbi he’s backed up some of the giants of Jamaican music on tour, as well as scoring their own UK chart hits (particularly with their classic re-work of Bob Dylan’s “The Man In Me”). His solo dub excursions under pseudonyms like Blackbeard and The 4th Street Orchestra have resulted in some of the most crucial sides in the genre, such as I Wah Dub and Strictly Dub Wize. He is the long-running musical director and producer for dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, overseeing classic albums like Forces Of Victory and Bass Culture. His work has transferred across genres as well, notably in his producing the debut albums by both The Pop Group and The Slits. His composing and score work includes the soundtrack to the devastating 1980 polemical film Babylon, whilst his technical skills and embrace of new technology have been tapped by everyone form Lloyd Coxsone to Ryuichi Sakamoto. Bovell has continued putting out new material and producing records for others, working with everyone from underground Glaswegian dance collective Golden Teacher to huge pop stars such as Joss Stone and Rihanna. In 2020 he made a cameo appearance in the ‘Lovers Rock’ episode of Steve McQueen’s critically acclaimed Small Axe TV series (in which the Dennis Bovell song “Silly Games” also featured prominently). In 2022 Trojan released the career-spanning DuBMASTER anthology of his work. 

Bovell was born in Barbados in 1953, and moved to London in 1965. He immersed himself in the reggae scene there, helping to set up the Jah Sufferer sound system, and working as a recording engineer and producer. His production work help shaped the sound of lovers rock happening in London at the end of the '60s and into the '70s, and he produced and wrote songs for multiple artists. In 1971, Bovell co-founded Matumbi, a seven-piece reggae band that would play and record throughout the decade, backing up a number of prominent Jamaican reggae singers, and scoring their own chart hits, particularly their inspired version of Bob Dylan’s “The Man In Me”. In 1980 he wrote the score for Babylon, a dramatic film about police corruption and racism in London, informed in part by Bovell's own experience being falsely imprisoned for running his sound system. During this time Bovell also began releasing solo work under the name Blackbeard, often collaborating with jazz-pop keyboardist Nick Straker and producer Tony Mansfield, both old school friends. Blackbeard records like 1978's Strictly Dub Wize and 1980's I Wah Dub intersected with production work Bovell was doing with dub-appreciative post punk acts like The Pop Group and The Slits. His production and writing work also included Janet Kay's 1979 single "Silly Games" (which hit number 2 in the UK charts) as well as work for Saada Bonaire, Bananarama, the Thompson Twins, Orange Juice, Fela Kuti, and others. He reverted to his real name for 1981 solo album Brain Damage. His longest-lasting collaboration has been as musical director for dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, the pair crafting a string of classic albums for the Island label. The pair still work together, with Dennis backing up LKJ with the long-runnng Dub Band.

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Stephan Micus | To The Rising Moon

To the Rising Moon is Stephan Micus’ 26th solo album for ECM. It features instruments from Colombia, India, Xinjiang (China), Bavaria, Cambodia, Egypt and Borneo, which have never before been combined in one composition. People often call themselves a multi-instrumentalist when they play three or four instruments, but Stephan plays eight on this album alone and countless more since his first ECM album, Implosions, in 1977.

Here, there’s one that takes centre stage that he’s playing for the first time, the Colombian tiple. It’s a little smaller than a guitar and is considered the national instrument of Colombia. Although still frequently played in its traditional, highly-European influenced context, modern composers hardly make use of it. “For me this instrument has the quality of light, of something shining,” Stephan says. “It’s like these metal strings are sparkling and for me the tiple pieces have a very positive energy.”

The tiple has 12 steel strings in four triple courses and it’s a composition for two tiples, To the Rising Sun, that opens the album with ringing strings.

“I’ve been to Colombia three times,” says Stephan, “and I really love the books of Gabriel García Márquez, particularly Love in the Time of Cholera. My first trip was mainly to try and experience the long ago world of this book and I went to Mompos on the River Magdalena. A friend had this tiple, lent it to me and I fell in love with it. Anyone who plays guitar can do something on the tiple.” Stephan got one made for him in 2017 by Orlando Pimentel, one of the leading tiple makers, and this is the first time he’s played it on one of his recordings.

On the album the plucked tiple pieces alternate with more reflective tracks with bowed strings. The first of these is Dream Within Dream, with six dilruba, a South Asian bowed instrument that Stephan gets to sound very lyrical and cello-like. “You won’t hear a dilruba from India with this kind of sound, which I found only after long experiments with alternative stringings. I always have this tendency to prefer the lower sounds - and so have commissioned instrument makers to build lower versions of the Moroccan genbri, Japanese shakuhachi and Armenian duduk.”

As well as playing instruments, Stephan uses his voice, although he uses it like an instrument. He doesn’t sing words, but improvised syllables, just there for their sound. The track In Your Eyes has three tiples plus voice in the mood of a poetic love song.

On the next bowed-string track, to suggest the delicacy of The Veil, Stephan uses a much lighter instrument than the dilruba, the Uigur sattar. It's a long-necked bowed instrument with one playing string plus lots of sympathetic strings. The three sattar create a wonderfully transparent sound, something like a prayer. Stephan Micus is probably the only Western composer to use it frequently.

Unexpected Joy for two tiples is easygoing and mellow and seems to refer back to motifs in the opening piece.

Waiting for the Nightingale is the centrepiece and the first of two pieces where winds and strings are combined, although the Cambodian flutes are rather in the background. There’s something quite stately and reverential about it, particularly with the choir of voices. Maybe one could think of it as a hymn to nature. “I have this image of being in the garden in springtime and waiting for the nightingale to sing. Just for two moments the flutes come to the foreground and it’s like the nightingales emerge.”

The alternating tiple and bowed pieces continue with four more tracks. The Silver Fan, a delicate tiple solo, nothing like you’d hear from a Colombian player, makes individual notes sparkle as in the soft light of late afternoon. The final flourish sounds like the fan is abruptly shut. Embracing Mysteries once again features the deep, cello-like sounds of the dilruba, this time accompanied by the sapeh of Borneo. The sapeh is usually plucked but Stephan constructed a new kind of bridge which enables the instrument to be played with a bow. Then his voice enters in a kind of dialogue with the dilruba. To the Lilies in the Fields has, once again, two tiples, now rather more meditative in a kind of lament. In the penultimate track, The Flame, the bowed instruments evoke something like the sanctity of a romanesque church full of candles. Here Stephan also uses tableharps, a contemporary instrument that he last played on his 1978 album Till the End of Time. “It’s had a 46-year break, but I found the combination with the sattar particularly satisfying as both instruments have metal strings.”

It’s only in the final track, To the Rising Moon, that the two worlds of the plucked tiples and bowed strings finally come together. It’s like a hymn to something that is eternally up there in the night sky, something consistent while there is so much turbulence in the world below.

Stephan Micus’ last album Thunder paid tribute to thunder gods around the world and featured as its headline instrument the mighty, four-metre long Tibetan dung chen trumpet. The contrast between the cosmic blast of that album and the delicate intimacy of the plucked and bowed strings of this one makes it clear why Micus has produced such a wide range of music over nearly 50 years. 

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Day Dream | Duke & Strays Live: Works By Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn

In his recent memoir Chasing the Masters, drummer and composer Phil Haynes divides jazz practitioners into two parallel tracks, the traditionalists and the modernists. He sees his own career as an attempt to bridge the two tracks, at once imbibing the lessons of the past while pushing forwarded into the unexplored future. Those efforts have not always met with the approbation of the jazz cognoscenti, however.

“It’s as if modernists and traditionalists share many of the very same heroes,” he writes, “yet draw vastly different lessons from them.”

While his adventurous nature and free improvisational instincts would lead many to place Haynes firmly in the modernist camp, his work with the Day Dream trio is evidence of his wide-ranging gifts. The trio borrowed its name from a piece by Duke Ellington, who Haynes, somewhat surprisingly, cites as the prime instigator of the modernist explorers. Ellington, after all, is an iconic figure that any modern-day traditionalist would surely claim as, if not one of their own, then at least a model for the very tradition to be adhered to. Haynes notes, "Listen again to Duke's ‘Ko-Ko,’ Money Jungle with Max Roach and Mingus, his recordings with Coltrane, or many moments alone at the piano amidst his orchestra, and Ellington's modernism becomes clear."

On their third album, Day Dream – Haynes, pianist Steve Rudolph, and bassist Drew Gress – delve deep into the repertoire of Ellington and his frequent collaborator and fellow compositional icon, Billy Strayhorn. Due out November 8, 2024 via Haynes’ Corner Store Jazz imprint, Dukes and Strays Live bears out Haynes’ contention, revealing the vital experimentation roiling just underneath the surface of that renowned Ellingtonian elegance. The album, recorded live at Bucknell University (where Haynes is a longtime member of the faculty), consists largely of well-known classics – the oft-recorded “Take the A Train,” “Sophisticated Lady,” “Lush Life” and “Perdido” are all represented – but each provides occasion for profound and revelatory investigation, never suggesting their vintages or familiarity.

The decision to stick to an all-Ellington program on the concert that became Dukes & Strays Live was not undertaken lightly. A Day Dream performance is a rare occasion, after all – the trio has released two prior recordings, which also happen to contain almost the entirety of the music they’ve played together. There have been no tours, barely even the odd one-off gig in the interim aside from a sole private house concert the night before the recording dates.

These gatherings are all the more precious now, given the health issues faced by the trio mates in recent years. Both Haynes and Rudolph have struggled with hand injuries that limit their ability to play. Shortly after Dukes & Strays was recorded, Rudolph suffered a stroke that left him with limited mobility. Listening back to this album became a bittersweet undertaking for the pianist, who feared that he’d never be able to regain the abilities so beautifully showcased here. Fortunately, Rudolph appears to be well on the way to a full recovery, having returned to the stage in March 2024. But the hard work of physical, occupational and speech therapy required make the already challenging logistics of getting these three together even more daunting.

It was Rudolph’s achingly delicate touch on the keys that led to the focus on Ellington and Strayhorn, Haynes recalls. “Steve and I have always had great chemistry, but I began to notice that every time he'd play something by Ellington or Strayhorn it would move me in a way that other things might not. That feeling persisted through the years, so when the idea came about to make a third album I suggested we try this. It ended up being so much fun. The band remains in the tradition we established on the first two recordings, plus a live energy and playfulness that is an absolute gift.”

Whatever camp you happen to align with, whether it be modernist, traditionalist, or some sect therein, there’s no mistaking the spirit of past, future, and most importantly the immediacy of now in the Day Dream trio.

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This Is Retro Soul – 1969 to 1979 (Various Artists)

Retro soul is a sound that you know when you hear it, recorded at a point where soul music reached its zenith. It’s where the pioneers of the 60s had matured to a point that they could use the experiences of the past decade to create an incredible fusion that mixed R&B, gospel, funk and jazz and adorned it with expansive, sophisticated arrangements that allowed listeners to wallow in its depth and dance to its beat. Today this music soundtracks films and adverts, is mined for beats by clever producers and still sounds amazing when played in bars and clubs. This is music that urges you to get up on your feet.

These are soul gems from back in the day, served up by the folks at Ace Records, who've always given us the best of the best with their reissues and compilations! The package digs deep, and goes way past the hits – not overplayed soul oldies on the bigger labels, but instead some rare gems from the farther reaches of the funky 45 underground, mixed with a few cuts that were locked in the vaults and never saw the light of day until many years later! 

Titles include "See Saw Affair" by Cesar, "It Hurts So Good" by Millie Jackson, "I'll See You In Hell First" by Phillip Mitchell, "Now Is The Time For Love (part 1)" by Darrow Fletcher, "Midnight Affair" by George Soule, "Three Lonely Guys" by Brilliant Korners, "Lightin Up"b y Ty Karim, "Spells & Incantations" by Debbie Lindsay, "I Can Fly" by The Magnificents, and "When I Had You Baby" by The Soul SensationsThe 12 tracks on “This Is Retro Soul” are an entry point into this mythical world conjuring up images of flared trousers, Halston dresses, Cadillacs with a “diamond in the back” and hair the size of space helmets. But the music conforms to no simple clichés, whether it was created by international superstars such as Isaac Hayes and Millie Jackson, cult heroes George Jackson and Darrow Fletcher or obscure one-off groups such as the Brilliant Korners.

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