NEW RELEASES - WILFORD BRIMLEY WITH THE JEFF HAMILTON TRIO, MIKE JONES TRIO, FRANK POTENZA

WILFORD BRIMLEY WITH THE JEFF HAMILTON TRIO 

Wilford Brimley has packed a few lives into his 78 years on this earth. The beloved actor who viewers instantly recognize from film (Cocoon, The Firm, Absence of Malice, The Natural), and television appearances (The Waltons, Seinfeld), has also been a ranch hand, a horse wrangler, a blacksmith, a stunt man and even a bodyguard to Howard Hughes. Still, the fact that Brimley is a talented singer may strike many as the ultimate surprise. And not only does he sing -- he swings. On Wilford Brimley with the Jeff Hamilton Trio, Brimley puts his own stamp on classic pop songs and Great American Songbook standards, essaying timeless tunes in a warm, unaffected manner that brings a listener close, as if Brimley were confiding to each directly.

MIKE JONES TRIO - PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS

Mike Jones is what used to be called a "two handed pianist." Not as obvious as it sounds, the term actually applies to jazz pianists who make full use of the entire range of the instrument and whose left hand prowess matches that of their right. Pre-War jazz styles such as Stride and classic Swing are prime meat for such virtuosic pianists, and, when it comes to most effectively demonstrating the durable beauty of these idioms, Mike Jones might well be the modern day master.   The CD features Jones, who's also musical director for the Penn & Teller Show, performing a range of standards by Jerome Kern, Harry Warren and Kurt Weil, Bossa Nova classics, jazz originals and even early rock and roll.  The CD cover was illustrated by David Silverman, famed animator and director for The Simpsons.

FRANK POTENZA – FOR JOE

In 1964 the legendary jazz guitarist Joe Pass recorded the album, For Django, a widely praised tribute to the brilliant Gypsy guitar master, Django Reinhardt. With For Joe, guitarist Frank Potenza, a close Pass associate, celebrates the singular artistry of the late virtuoso. Utilizing the same instrumental team that Pass employed on his 1964 classic - guitarist John Pisano, bassist Jim Hughart and drummer Colin Bailey - Potenza takes on signature tunes that Pass came to be associated with. The result is a heartfelt tribute that revives memories of one of the most significant guitarists in jazz history, as well as calling attention to Potenza, one of the finest jazz guitarists now active on the jazz scene.