NEW RELEASES: MATT ULERY – IN THE IVORY; RYAN KEBERLE & CATHARSIS – INTO THE ZONE; ROB MAZUREK & BLACK CUBE SP – RETURN THE TIDES: ASCENSION SUITE & HOLY GHOST

MATT ULERY – IN THE IVORY

Matt Ulery just keeps on getting better and better – to a point where his music may well be a genre unto itself! This album's got Matt working with a larger ensemble – a mix of woodwind and string players, augmented with some key vocal passages as well – a double-length record that's mostly instrumental, but which has these beautiful songs step forth at just the right points – with lyrics delivered by Sarah Marie Young and Grazyna Auguscik. Matt leads the group, plays bass, and provides some slight backing vocals – and the mix of cello, violin, piano, clarinet, and flute is sublime throughout. Titles include "Gave Proof", "The Farm", "Innocent", "Black Squirrel", "Resilin", "When Everything Is Just The Same", "Viscous", "Seeker", "Sweet Bitter", and "Mary Shelly".  ~ Dusty Groove

RYAN KEBERLE & CATHARSIS – INTO THE ZONE

Ryan Keberle's a trombonist, but one with a very light touch on his instrument – so much so that he blends wonderfully with the trumpet of Mike Rodriguez in this quartet – dancing along in a flurry of rhythms and colors with a bright, joyous sort of vibe! Like other albums on the Greenleaf label of late, this set's moving way past straight jazz – although there's still a very strong jazz center at the core. Bits of voice from Camila Meza come in and further warm the colors in the music – and the wonderful interplay between the bass or Jorge Roeder and drums of Eric Doob go way past the usual too. Titles include "Inevitable Blues", "Without A Thought", "Simple Sermon", "Cheryl", "Zone", and "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men".  ~ Dusty Groove

ROB MAZUREK & BLACK CUBE SP – RETURN THE TIDES: ASCENSION SUITE & HOLY GHOST

Rob Mazurek just keeps stunning us more and more over the years – growing way way past his earlier straight jazz roots, and even his key work in the Chicago underground – to a level where he's easily encompassing many different styles and genres at once – then finding a way to make the sounds all his own! This project has Rob furthering the electronic sounds of recent records, while still holding onto a core element of jazz with his work on cornet – an instrument he uses here with wonderfully rich acoustic tones, and hardly at any sort of easy Miles electric modes, or anything like that. The players here are all part of his scene in Sao Paulo – including Mauricio Takara on drums, Guilherme Granado on keyboards, Thomas Rohrer on electronics and soprano sax, and Rogerio Martins on percussion – but all players also take on other instruments, add in bits of voice, and work with the production and processing to really create some amazing sonic energy throughout. All tracks are long – and titles include "Let The Rain Fall Upwards", "Return The Tides", "Oh Mother", and "Reverse The Lightning".  ~ Dusty Groove