Thursday, May 25, 2017

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem presents The Savory Collection Volume 3 - Honeysuckle Rose: Fats Waller and Friends

Nothing defined the essence of swing-era jazz better than the spontaneity of live performances for appreciative audiences, whether in person or on the radio. And that is perfectly demonstrated with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem's The Savory Collection Volume 3 - Honeysuckle Rose: Fats Waller and Friends, the latest entry in its outstanding series of historic swing-era jazz.

This extraordinary and unique historical archive features swing era jazz artists at their peaks. Performing inspired and extended performances of previously unissued material, this music has been preserved in superior sound quality by sound engineer/technical genius Bill Savory. The full multi-volume collection is now available for streaming exclusively on Apple Music.

The result of a 30-year effort to secure these recordings for the Museum by Founding Director and Senior Scholar Loren Schoenberg, this new collection is another remarkable addition in a series that clearly sustains its excitement and importance with each ensuing release.

"Many times when there is a multivolume series, the content tends to weaken as the series goes on. That's far from the case here; we have so many superlative recordings, that we took extra special care to space them out as the series continues so that there are true highlights in every volume," says Schoenberg. "This one was especially fun to work on; you should've seen us dancing around the museum!"

Through the efforts of Schoenberg and the Museum, the timeless Jazz Canon continues to expand, adding new jewels to a treasury of riches in this utterly unique and transcendent art form. As the esteemed documentarian Ken Burns says in his liner introduction, "The Savory Collection adds a new and significant piece to the jigsaw puzzle of jazz's evolution. Several dozen hours' worth of the music's greatest artists playing the true Golden Age of the music...."

Following in the fashion of the previous volumes, a stellar representation of the era's foremost artists is featured, including single cuts by Albert Ammons, Roy Eldridge, Chick Webb and Joe Sullivan; and a pair by Benny Carter. But the collection is dominated by a five-tune jam session co-led by three legendary figures -- pianist Fats Waller, trombonist Jack Teagarden and guitarist Eddie Condon; and ten tracks by the highly innovative bassist John Kirby's Sextet.

The 1938 jam session, broadcast on New York City's WNEW radio and a forgotten event until now, also includes jazz masters Pee Wee Russell on clarinet, tenorman Bud Freeman, the bass/drums tandem of Artie Shapiro and Zutty Singleton, along with Jack's brother Charlie Teagarden on trumpet; and of course Fats and Jack add their singular vocal stylings to the mix. The repertoire includes Fats' iconic "Honeysuckle Rose," striking interpretations of the standards "China Boy," "I'm Coming Virginia," "I Got Rhythm" and an intimately compelling blues excursion simply titled "Blues" -- all marked by both the expected extraordinary musicianship in this unexpected collaboration with Fats.

The collection's titular "Honeysuckle Rose" is also one of the Kirby selections, featuring a delightful vocal by scat-singer Leo Watson, broadcast in 1938 -- the first radio broadcast by the all-star group that included Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Russell Procope on alto sax, clarinetist Buster Bailey, with Billy Kyle and O'Neil Spencer joining Kirby in the rhythm section on piano and drums, respectively. The remaining nine tracks are from 1940, tied together with a spoken narrative.

Although the Western Classical touches for which Kirby was known are not part of this set, the wit, virtuosity and aplomb of his highly original ensemble certainly are on full display. With six band originals by Shavers, Kyle and Kirby -- "From A Flat to C," "Blues Petite," "Front and Center," "Effervescent Blues," "Milumbu" and the experimental "Rehearsin' for a Nervous Breakdown" -- alongside items like "Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day," "Boogie Woogie" and Duke Ellington's "Echoes of Harlem," clear evidence is provided as to this group's special place in jazz history.

The third version of "Honeysuckle Rose" comes from the orchestra of another giant, Benny Carter. Recorded live at the Savoy Ballroom in 1939 along with Edward Eliscu's and Billy Rose's "More Than You Know, "the 16-piece orchestra includes such heavyweights as trombonists Vic Dickenson and Tyree Glenn (also on vibes), trumpeter Joe Thomas and Eddie Heywood on piano. With arrangements by Carter, he also vividly demonstrates his impeccable solo skills on both alto sax and trumpet.

The single artist tracks are also gems. Albert Ammons testifies to his royal stature as the king of boogie-woogie piano with his rollicking "Boogie Woogie Stomp," recorded in 1939 at New York's Café Society. Drum master Chick Webb tears off some spectacular drum solos unlike anything heard on his commercial recordings on his 1938 take on the Gershwins' "Liza" with a studio orchestra, made even hotter with the trumpet fire of Roy Eldridge. From that same session (but without Chick), Roy adds his own version of "Body and Soul" to the list of profound interpretations of that beautiful song.

This spectacular collection closes out with a brief, but sparkling take on "China Boy" by pianist Joe Sullivan's sextet, recorded the same night as the Albert Ammons track that provides the opening bookend to this album. As the liner notes so aptly state, "Once again, Bill Savory's exquisite taste in music has afforded us the rare chance to revel in some of the greatest jazz sounds that without his intervention would have been lost to the ages -- thank you, Bill!"


New TERRACE MARTIN debut album from THE POLLYSEEDS, THE SOUNDS OF CRENSHAW VOL 1. out July 14

The Pollyseeds Includes Terrace Martin,
Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington, Marlon Williams, Robert “Sput” Searight, Rose Gold, and more

Today, Terrace Martin announces The Pollyseeds: a collaborative group of A-list producers, musicians, and creators including Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, Marlon Williams, Robert “Sput” Searight, Craig Brockman, Chachi, Rose Gold, Wyann Vaughn, and more. The band's debut album The Sounds of Crenshaw Vol. 1 will be released on July 14th via Ropeadope. In an interview with Rolling Stone, The Pollyseeds' founder and producer Terrace Martin revealed news of the album along with its lead single "Intentions (feat Chachi)." Along with his 2016 Grammy nominated album Velvet Portraits, Martin is known for his work with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Herbie Hancock, Snoop Dogg, and YG.

Listen and embed the album's first track "Intentions (feat Chachi)"

"To honestly express yourself at a high level while paying homage, yet being current and innovating the times... is The Pollyseeds," Pollyseed Robert Glasper says of the project. Continuing with the theme of innovation, Pollyseed Rose Gold says "the band is about progression. Never becoming comfortable. Always growing. And always pushing the envelope."

Crenshaw Blvd is best known as the commercial spine of Black and Latino Los Angeles, as well as a transitional home for displaced middle class Japanese Americans after WW2. While it begins and ends in the wealthy neighborhoods like Hancock and Rolling Hills, the other parts of Crenshaw Blvd are where the action was. The classic Maverick’s Flat – the Apollo Of The West — featured acts like Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Ike and Tina Turner, and Parliament. There can be no argument that this is where the soul resides. The creativity, the street culture, the real stories of struggle and defiant joy – all are found here in a land of eternal sun and concrete. This is the place where low riders would cruise, immortalized in songs and videos by west coast rappers. You can draw a parallel with Harlem River Drive here, but Crenshaw is solid Los Angeles.

Terrace Martin knows the true value of the corner of Crenshaw and Slauson in his own evolution, and its importance to the world. On TSOC Volume 1, he brings together some of The Pollyseeds and distills the seemingly disparate pieces of Crenshaw's history into an instantly recognizable sound.

Focusing heavily on songwriting, The Pollyseeds pay heed to TSOP, The Funk Brothers, and The Wrecking Crew, as well as early Steely Dan. This family of musicians is making the records that those artists never did, because they live in a time where it is possible.

Tracklisting:
1. Tapestry
2. Chef E Dubble
3. Intentions (feat. Chachi)
4. Funny How Time Flies (feat. Robert Glasper)
5. Mama D/Leimert Park
6. You and Me (feat. Rose Gold)
7. Believe
8. Up & Away
9. Wake Up
10. Your Space
11. Feelings Of The World (feat. Rose Gold and Chachi)
12. Reprise of Us
13. Don't Trip


NEW RELEASES: BOBBY HUTCHERSON - HIGHWAY ONE / CONCEPTION THE GIFT OF LOVE / UN POCO LOCO; LUIS ALAS & LA CALLE OCHO FUNK; ALEX SIPIAGIN – MOMENTS CAPTURED

BOBBY HUTCHERSON -  HIGHWAY ONE / CONCEPTION THE GIFT OF LOVE / UN POCO LOCO

A trio of incredible records from Bobby Hutcherson – two on CD for the first time ever! Highway One is a wicked post-Blue Note session from Bobby Hutcherson – one that's put together in a different way than his previous work, but still completely sublime throughout! The feel is almost to Hutcherson's earlier work what Woody Shaw's Columbia recordings were to his – tighter, with sharper production – yet still wonderfully soulful and with a strong sense of spirit. Key soloists include Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Hubert Laws on flute – and the record also features George Cables on acoustic and electric piano, Cedar Walton on acoustic piano, and Eddie Marshall on drums. Includes the lovely "Sweet Rita Suite", plus "Circle", "Secrets Of Love", and "Bouquet". Conception is a really beautiful album from Bobby Hutcherson – late in his 70s career, but handled with the soulful depth of his brilliant early 70s work on Blue Note! The group's got George Cables on piano and Eddie Marshall on drums, plus a bit of extra percussion work by Bill Summers – and they're augmented by some larger arrangements on a number of tracks, but in a way that never gets in the way of the core souful playing on the record. Cedar Walton put the whole thing together with a masterful talent – both leading, arranging, and producing – and Bobby's never sounded better carving out his message on vibes. Titles include "Remember To Smile", "No Siree Bob", "Dreamin", "Dark Side Light Side", and "Quiet Fire". Un Poco Loco is a surprisingly great album by Bobby Hutcherson – and like his other albums for Columbia, a record that manages to be smooth, yet still has an edge! The format's bigger and more ambitious than previous years, but it's also an extension of the modal soulful style he forged with Harold Land – a really stretched out approach to the vibes that differs nicely from his 60s work, and which has some really soulful touches throughout. The group features George Cables on electric and acoustic piano, John Abercrombie on guitar, and Peter Erskine on percussion – but the real strength of the set is Bobby, who slides between vibes and marimba with a skittish energy that really cracks a lot of life into the set. Titles include "Un Poco Loco", "Ivory Coast", "The Sailor's Song", "Ebony Moonbeams" and "I Wanna Stand Over There". ~ Dusty Groove

LUIS ALAS & LA CALLE OCHO FUNK

Miami’s La Calle Ocho Funk was the idea of its two founders Luis Alas and Joel Edgecombe. Both Luis and Joel have worked with many artists and corporate bands and have been flown around the world to perform for such names as Paul McCartney, Chris Bosch and many others. After working together over five years in various projects including Luis' solo project, Luis and Joel decided that putting a band with a unique twist was only natural. Wanting to bring the party elements they experienced playing with one of the top wedding bands in the country, while adding the flare of pop music and the musicality of Jazz, La Calle Ocho Funk was born! The band comprised of top musicians in the music industry which individually perform with some of the biggest names of stage include J-Lo, Jon Secada, Julio Iglesias and many more. Since the band's inception, they have been taking crowds by storm with their unique mix of high energy performances, with superb musicianship performing both original music and covers. Most recently front-man and saxophonist Luis Alas released an EP which has received great reviews on Smooth Jazz magazine, and who's title track Shades Of My Soul broke the top 200 smooth jazz charts. Their new single is entitled "Chocolate".

ALEX SIPIAGIN – MOMENTS CAPTURED

We've loved the music of trumpeter Alex Sipiagin for quite some time – but there's really something special going on here – a slightly different vibe that makes the record stand out from the rest of the pack! First off, the album features all original compositions – songs that seem to work together as a larger suite, yet still stand strongly on their own – allowing the players to soar out with a fantastic sense of individuality, while still holding together as a unit. Secondly, there's a sweet electric current that comes from the use of Prophet 6 by John Escreet – who also plays acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes. The Prophet's never used in a way that's too overdone – just these light waves of spacey sound that are balanced out by the raw power of the horns – Sipiagin's work on trumpet, the tenor of Chris Potter, and alto and soprano of Will Vinson – a fantastic frontline that really blows us away. Most tracks are long, and have lots of room for solo space from everyone – and the group also features Matt Brewer on bass and Eric Harland on drums. Alina Engibaryan sings on two tracks – "Moments From The Past" and "Breeze" – and other titles include "Evija Bridge", "Unexpected Reversal", and "Bergen Road". ~ Dusty Groove


Wednesday, May 24, 2017

NEW RELEASES: MAURICE BROWN – THE MOOD; ROBERT LUTHER SMITH - PSYSYCHEDELIA; DEZRON DOUGLAS – SOUL JAZZ

MAURICE BROWN – THE MOOD

Fantastic sounds from trumpeter Maurice Brown – a straight jazz player by training, but one who opens up here in a warmly soulful groove! The record bristles with loads of great keyboards from Kris Bowers – whose sound is as important to the album as Brown's trumpet – and the rhythms are played live, but have a nicely chunky quality that fits in well with the occasional vocal from Maurice – as well as guest vocal contributions from Talib Kweli, Chris Turner, and J Ivy! Most tracks also feature tenor from Chelsea Baratz – and the whole thing's got a nice groove that's maybe in the same electric territory as some of the more soul-drenched titles in recent years from Blue Note. Titles include "The Mood", "On My Way Home", "Stand Up","Moroccan Dancehall", "Shenanigans", "Capricorn Rising", and "Journey Exotique". ~ Dusty Groove

ROBERT LUTHER SMITH - PSYCHEDELIA

Robert Luther Smith is an R&B artist from the UK who has been at it since 1973. All these years later he's still got it as he's released his sixth album, Psychedelia.
Robert Luther Smith has been playing music since the early '70s and in between then and now has done his fair share of legwork. Now he's ready for the world to get their hands (and ears) on his latest release, Psychedelia. When Luther sits down to construct his music, he tackles every element. Writing, singing and producing. He puts his all into his work, and the result he says is more like a collection of short stories laid over R&B music. He called it "romantic fiction." A term not often used in music, but easily understood. Luther writes with his heart and his latest result is his album, Psychedelia. R&B with hints of pop, singles such as "Philly Girl" and "Mediocria Firma" have garnered attention from listeners via his site since being released. Starting in the early '70s at the legendary Regent Sound Studios in Denmark Street London, he started making his own records come 1978. A short while later he was signed to RCA in '82. From there he was on the road with Hot Chocolate that same year. Six records released to date, including Psychedelia, Luther has shown no signs of slowing down in his lengthy career. Although he doesn't gig as much as he used to, today he's focused more on people hearing his music via the record.

DEZRON DOUGLAS – SOUL JAZZ

Bassist Dezron Douglas is always a name we look for on a record – and although this set is one of the few he's ever given us as a leader, his playing and approach never let us down! For the set, Douglas revisits a number of older soul tracks, but in a way that's completely instrumental – much more complicated than the 60s soul jazz modes you might expect from title, with a wonderfully changing sense of rhythm and flow that's abetted by work from Donald Brown on piano and Willie Jones III on drums – both working at a level that matches their own great records as leaders. Saxophonist Jimmy Greene blows both tenor and soprano sax on the album – adding an important voice over the top – and titles include "Hey There Lonely Girl", "I Want You", "Tears Of A Clown", "Cupid", "Ooh Baby Baby", "Having A Party", and "So Amazing". ~ Dusty Groove




NEW RELEASES: MAYSA – LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD; ROZINA PATKAI - PARAÍSO NA TERRA; STANLEY CLARKE - THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION

MAYSA – LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD

"I definitely feel responsible for putting out music that helps people," shares the humble, stunning and down to earth Grammy nominated singer Maysa. "That is my calling in life and that is what God put me on this earth to do." Maysa has remained one of the most instantly identifiable voices in R&B and Jazz over the past 25 years by staying true to her musical vision. Stevie Wonder declares, "Maysa is WONDER-ful!" Maysa launched her musical career as a member of Stevie's Wonderlove and has enjoyed the spotlight as the long-time front vocalist with the explosive UK Jazz/Funk sensation Incognito.  The Soul Train Award winner has recorded 13 solo albums and her latest, Love Is A Battlefield (out May 26th), is arguably her best. Maysa explains, "Love Is A Battlefield is my political cry and hopefully many people will understand what I'm trying to say through the words of those writers." Love Is A Battlefield features ten tracks of mostly R&B gems, with two tracks delving into the Rock/Pop arena.  Drawing inspiration from such diverse artists as The Isley Brothers and Natalie Cole to Pat Benatar and Justin Bieber, Maysa's true artistry shines as she demonstrates her unique ability to transform virtually any song into her own unique work of art. As much as anything, Love Is A Battlefield is an oasis and a sonic journey capable of uplifting us all. It is also a testament to Maysa's resilient spirit. "I choose to be happy deep inside my soul no matter what goes on around me. Even when life kicks my ass I try to return to that center, my peaceful place." 

ROZINA PATKAI - PARAÍSO NA TERRA

On her second album, Rozina Pátkai - a Hungarian singer renowned for her highly unique renditions of Bossa Nova classics – is expanding her artistic repertoire to include a selection of new original songs which, although still rooted in authentic Brazilian music, will depart from the traditional form by infusing the genre with elements from jazz, pop and even progressive music. With instrumental improvisations and exhilaratingly naïve melodies replete in catchy hooks, the dynamics promise to be anything but predictable. Since the songs themselves are a multicultural celebration of the many unexplored possibilities latent within Bossa Nova and rely on the tradition as more of a launching pad into the contemporary than a nostalgic look into its past, the lyrics are a collection of Portuguese, Spanish and English poems respectively written by Zsófia Bàn, Jane Tyson Clement, Giovanni Pintaude, Ádám Szabó, Rory Winston and the legendary Garcia Lorca. Produced by Márton Fenyvesi @ TomTom Studio


STANLEY CLARKE - THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION

When it comes to the Bass guitar, the first name that comes to mind for most people is the Legend that is Stanley Clarke, so we here at Robinsongs are immensely proud to be issuing the Definitive Collection of Stanley's amazing career. . A Double CD of Stanley Clarke's work from 1975 through to 1990, which also covers the Clarke / Duke project, Fuse One and the Stanley Clarke Band eras. . This superb package features sleeve notes by Charles Waring, who interviewed Stanley specifically for this release, and you get a true insight into how some of the tracks were recorded and Stanley's thoughts about certain tracks and the friends that played with him. . This "Definitive Collection" features all the album versions, so you can enjoy the classics such as 'School Days', 'We Supply' (which was co-written with Louis Johnson) and 'Heaven Sent You' (featuring Shalamar's Howard Hewett on vocals) along with the jazzier side to Stanley's work like the amazing 'Concerto For Jazz' parts 1 & 2. . Stanley Clarke had a very successful period recording with his friend George Duke as the Clarke/Duke Project and this package features five tracks from those albums including the brilliant version of Parliament's 'Mothership Connection' and the smash 'Sweet Baby', a track that Stanley recalls was a real pivotal moment in their careers.


Saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff Discovers New Approaches to Melding Exploratory Jazz and Classical Music with his Ethereal Trio

Saxophonist and composer Quinsin Nachoff has become renowned for his unique and ingenious mergers of modern jazz and contemporary classic music. His music daringly ventures to the farthest edges of both idioms while dancing elegantly along the often uneasy borderline between them. While it shares the same roots, Nachoff's new Ethereal Trio takes a somewhat different approach - as the name implies, there's something looser, more elusive and free-ranging, about this trio as opposed to the more rigorous hybridization of some of Nachoff's other ensembles (Flux, the Horizons Ensemble, Magic Numbers).
In part, that's due to the musicians involved. 

The Ethereal Trio - whose self-titled debut will be released May 19, 2017 via Whirlwind Recordings - teams Nachoff with two of modern music's most forward-thinking artists: bassist Mark Helias and drummer Dan Weiss. Both are inveterate explorers well-versed in absorbing a variety of complex musical vocabularies and expressing them in personal and compelling fashion. But the singularly, well, ethereal feeling of this music can also be credited to Nachoff's astute compositions, which blend methodically composed material with free improvisation in a way that leaves enticing, inspirational space for all three to roam.

"As a contrast to some of my other recent projects," Nachoff says, "this ensemble allows me to explore as a saxophonist, visiting different pillars and languages within the jazz tradition but striving for a personal sound and narrative."

The Ethereal Trio was birthed directly from the composer's interest in merging jazz and classical influences. Nachoff was commissioned by the Penderecki String Quartet to compose "Stars and Constellations: Scorpio," a piece for string quartet and saxophone trio, which prompted the New York-based, Canadian-born saxophonist to further the idea of establishing a chordless trio as a distinct project away from his larger ensemble successes. A stand-alone concert with seasoned Helias and Weiss created the conceptual spark, and following the writing of new material early in 2016, a series of concerts in New York, Toronto and Montreal neatly led to this recording.

"I enjoy writing this way as it gives me two distinct voices that I can really work with," Nachoff says. "As a bassist, Mark Helias is such an experienced musician - I can compose harmonically or contrapuntally and he always expands it to such an extent that we're never missing harmony; if we play in more of an open setting, it leaves us more freedom. Dan Weiss is a master of dealing with anything rhythmically -so he can be very free within even something very structured. All three of us love to investigate different colors and extended techniques, so many different directions are possible. Once we've understood what the direction is for each composition, that's when the magic starts to happen."

Each piece on the album has its own plot and internal logic, yet the trio's predominant vibe is searching and otherworldly - hence the "ethereal" tag, which should not be understood as implying something delicate or dreamlike. This is fiery, passionate, relentlessly venturesome music that boldly seeks new discoveries in the far reaches of Nachoff's structures. The titles seem to juggle left and right brain notions in provocative ways, suggesting a mixture of art and science that finds equal stimulation in both the speculative and the cerebral.

"Clairvoyant Jest" opens the album with Nachoff's saxophone dancing across rhythmically twisted swing, characterized by double-stopped, open-stringed bass and harmonics which highlight the harmonic motion. "Gravitas" follows, focusing on freer response and reflection as its questioning saxophone motifs are interpreted by arco bass. Suggesting a change in our imaginative picture of the world, "Imagination Reconstruction" pairs sax and Helias' bass harmonics magnificently, and the ten-minute progression of "Portrait in Sepia Tones" ramps up into a superbly percussive maelstrom. "Push-Pull Topology" possesses an underlying walking bass thread, stretching and pulling different rhythms - fives over fours over threes - while the bristling landscapes of "Subliminal Circularity" summon the leader's equally raw and rippling saxophonic tones.

Quinsin Nachoff relishes the freedom and the opportunities this trio offers: "I'm regularly involved in projects which include a lot of composing, arranging and organizational effort to make them happen. This Ethereal Trio album became much more about simply playing the saxophone, which was extremely fun and rewarding - and these musicians are such a pleasure to play with. That's the world I like to live in."


Pianist Pete Malinverni asks, "Heaven - is this it, right here?"

With Heaven Pete Malinverni adds to the long list of varied and moving projects he's given us over time, including in the trio, quartet, quintet, solo piano, big band and choir formats. Always searching in spirit but engaging in nature, Pete's music asks the larger questions in a way that is both challenging and approachable.

Heaven is no different, except that it was born of a remarkable set of circumstances. First, Pete's wife, singer Jody Sandhaus, died in 2012, causing him to look to many places, including deep inside, to find a way forward in life. He had to - he loves life and he has a son. Through that search, Pete found a new appreciation for the quotidian things one encounters on a daily basis and that speak of something larger - something, call it what you will, that is worth notice and appreciation.

Then, just over a year ago, Pete himself had a health scare - unfounded, but yielding that existential fear some of us know all too well. During a fraught week, Pete resolved that, should he have time for just one more recording, it would deal with spiritual things. With the eventual 100% clean bill of health came relief - but also a new determination that the difficult week had served the purpose of giving his art a new focus.

Heaven is the result of that clarity. Featuring Pete in trio with Ben Allison and Akira Tana, the album features songs that speak in varied ways of spirituality, from Curtis Mayfield's People, Get Ready to Hungarian Jewish martyr Hannah Senesh's Eili, Eili, to the American Spiritual, A City Called Heaven to the title track, Duke Ellington's Heaven.

Also featured on the date for one selection each are Karrin Allyson (Jody Sandhaus' favorite singer, by the way), saxophonist Steve Wilson and trumpeter Jon Faddis, each guest offering a unique and stirring meditation in his/her own unique voice.

The question of Heaven is an old one. Does it exist - and, if so, how can it be better than this? Well, Pete Malinverni has learned for sure what he always suspected: if the beauty of every moment - every personal encounter, every lick from a dog, every breeze - is tasted as it should be, then isn't Heaven right here, right now?

Indeed, in his liner notes, Malinverni says, "We all want to look up - we hope, maybe we even trust, that somewhere there is unalloyed truth and beauty. Much art memorializes tristesse, encouraging us to abide, to await Relief, Rest or Joy. Other art suggests that Joy can be experienced right now, if only we choose it. For lack of a better term, let's call that thing for which we wait, or which we savor presently, Heaven.

"This recording is meant to reconcile those two perspectives, presenting music of various traditions with one thing in common - the notion that even this vale of tears is tinged with the essence of the transcendent, of the beautiful and the true".

The album opens with a jaunty reading of the title track, Malinverni taking a hint from the first two chords of the harmony, modulating up every chorus. Following immediately behind is Psalm 23, Pete's dynamic new commissioned choral composition, offered here in the trio format. The American folk song, Down in the River to Pray is next, played in a "5" meter, calling to mind the scene at the shore early one Sunday.

Next, the ever-soulful Karrin Allyson joins Pete at the water with Shenandoah, followed by the trio's rendering of Eili, Eili, by the young Jewish martyr Hannah Senesh, who parachuted with the RAF into her native Hungary to help lead Jews out of their then-dangerous home. Instead, she was caught, tortured and killed by the Nazis and this poem, an appreciation of the simple and profound beauty of nature, is her legacy.

Then, the swinging version of the soul hit, People, Get Ready precedes a beautifully intimate Come Sunday by Jon Faddis and the trio, followed by a Ben Allison feature on A City Called Heaven. Steve Wilson burns down the house on Wade in the Water and the recital closes with Ashokan Farewell, a new song of loss and what's left behind, featured prominently in Ken Burns' Civil War series.

All in all, Heaven is a worthy addition to Pete Malinverni's oeuvre, and not to be missed.


STING: THE COMPLETE STUDIO COLLECTION - FULL SOLO CAREER-SPANNING VINYL BOX SET

A&M, Interscope Records and Deutsche Grammophon have announced the release of The Complete Studio Collection on June 9th. Encompassing the entirety of Sting's illustrious solo studio album catalogue on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl – from his 1985 debut album The Dream Of The Blue Turtles through to the latest 57th & 9th – The Complete Studio Collection is the first ever complete anthology of Sting's unparalleled solo career.

Following the release of the now sold out The Studio Collection box set via A&M and Interscope Records, The Complete Studio Collection includes all of the A&M / Interscope Records catalogue plus his Deutsche Grammophon discography – Songs From The Labyrinth (2006), If On A Winter's Night... (2009) and Symphonicities (2010) – in addition to his new album 57th & 9th; bringing together all 12 solo studio albums for the very first time.

For fans who purchased the original The Studio Collection box set, a separate bundle has been specially created entitled The Studio Collection: Volume II that contains the 4 newly added albums – Songs From The Labyrinth, If On A Winter's Night..., Symphonicities and 57th & 9th – with space within the set for all of the remaining albums to create The Complete Studio Collection.

All of the included catalogue LPs are presented in meticulous reproductions of their original artwork with new vinyl masters cut at the world-renowned Abbey Road Studios to ensure the highest possible audio quality throughout.

The Complete Studio Collection highlights the incredible full range of Sting's seminal songwriting, inimitable storytelling, and awe-inspiring arrangements through a myriad of musical styles. From the jazz-infused politically-charged The Dream Of The Blue Turtles to the deft pop songcraft of …Nothing Like The Sun, the globetrotting Brand New Day to the evocative electronica of Sacred Love, through to the exploration of complex classical forms in Songs From The Labyrinth, expanding in magnitude and concept on  If On A Winter's Night…, and further developing into the genre-melding orchestral expanse Symphonicities, before finally culminating in the triumphant return to pop/rock on 57th & 9th; The Complete Studio Collection showcases all facets of the ever-evolving and truly inspirational artistry of Sting.
  
Sting's 57th & 9th World Tour, with special guests The Last Bandoleros and Joe Sumner, is taking the world by storm with stunningly rave reviews from fans and critics alike. The guitar-driven rock tour, featuring a 4-piece band, has seen sold out performances throughout North America and Europe. Sting is currently performing across South and Central America, before venturing to Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Osaka. Sting then returns to Europe for a string of summer festival and concert dates throughout Europe. Visit www.sting.com for complete tour and ticket details.

Sting will also be awarded the 2017 Polar Music Prize, which celebrates the power and importance of music and is given to individuals, groups or institutions for international recognition of excellence in the world of music. The Polar Music Prize ceremony is on June 15th in Stockholm, Sweden in the presence of the Swedish Royal Family.

THE COMPLETE STUDIO COLLECTION – TRACKLISTING:
THE DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES (Original Release: 1985)
Side A:
1.     If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
2.     Love Is The Seventh Wave
3.     Russians
4.     Children's Crusade             
5.     Shadows In The Rain             
Side B:
6.     We Work The Black Seam
7.     Consider Me Gone
8.     The Dream Of The Blue Turtles
9.     Moon Over Bourbon Street
10.  Fortress Around Your Heart

…NOTHING LIKE THE SUN (Original Release: 1987)
Side A:
1.     The Lazarus Heart
2.     Be Still My Beating Heart
3.     Englishman In New York
Side B:
4.     History Will Teach Us Nothing
5.     They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)
6.     Fragile
Side C:
7.     We'll Be Together
8.     Straight To My Heart
9.     Rock Steady
Side D:
10.  Sister Moon
11.  Little Wing
12.  The Secret Marriage

THE SOUL CAGES (Original Release: 1991)
Side A: 
1.     Island Of Souls
2.     All This Time
3.     Mad About You
4.     Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)
5.     Why Should I Cry For You?
Side B: 
6.     Saint Agnes And The Burning Train             
7.     The Wild Wild Sea
8.     The Soul Cages             
9.     When The Angels Fall

TEN SUMMONER'S TALES (Original Release: 1993)
Side A:
1.     If I Ever Lose My Faith In You
2.     Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)
3.     Fields Of Gold
4.     Heavy Cloud No Rain
5.     She's Too Good For Me
6.     Seven Days
Side B:
7.     Saint Augustine In Hell
8.     It's Probably Me
9.     Shape Of My Heart
10.  Something The Boy Said
11.  Epilogue (Nothing 'Bout Me)

MERCURY FALLING (Original Release: 1996)
Side A:
1.     The Hounds Of Winter
2.     I Hung My Head
3.     Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot             
4.     I Was Brought To My Senses
5.     You Still Touch Me
Side B:
6.     I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying
7.     All Four Seasons
8.     Twenty Five To Midnight
9.     La Belle Dame Sans Regrets
10.  Valparaiso
11.  Lithium Sunset

BRAND NEW DAY (Original Release: 1999)
Side A: 
1.     A Thousand Years
2.     Desert Rose (feat. Cheb Mami)
3.     Big Lie Small World
Side B:
4.     After The Rain Has Fallen
5.     Perfect Love...Gone Wrong
Side C:
6.     Tomorrow We'll See
7.     Prelude To The End Of The Game
8.     Fill Her Up
Side D:
9.     Ghost Story                    
10.  Brand New Day

SACRED LOVE (Original Release: 2003)
Side A:
1.     Inside            
2.     Send Your Love (feat. Vicente Amigo)
3.     Whenever I Say Your Name (feat. Mary J. Blige)
Side B:
4.     Dead Man's Rope
5.     Never Coming Home
6.     Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)
Side C:
7.     Forget About The Future
8.     This War
9.     The Book Of My Life (feat. Anoushka Shankar)
Side D:
10.  Sacred Love
11.  Send Your Love (Dave Audé Remix)

SONGS FROM THE LABYRINTH (Original Release: 2006)
Side A:
1.     Walsingham
2.     Can She Excuse My Wrongs? [First Booke of Songes, 1597 - Arr. E.H.Fellowes]
3.     "Ryght Honorable: As I Have Bin Most Bounde Unto Your Honor..."
4.     Flow My Tears
5.     Have You Seen The Bright Lily Grow
6.     "...Then In Time Passing One Mr. Johnson Died..."
7.     The Most High And Mighty Christianus The Fourth, King Of Denmark, His Galliard
8.     The Lowest Trees Have Tops
9.     "...And Accordinge As I Desired Ther Cam A Letter To Me Out Of Germany..."
10.  Fine Knacks For Ladies            
11.  "...From Thence I Went To The Landgrave Of Hessen..." 
12.  Fantasy
Side B:
13.  Come Heavy Sleep
14.  Forlorn Hope Fancy
15.  "...And From Thence I Had Great Desire To See Italy..."
16.  Come Again
17.  Wilt Thou Unkind Thus Reave Me
18.  "...After My Departure I Caled To Mynde Our Conference..."
19.  Weep You No More, Sad Fountains
20.  My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home  
21.  Clear Or Cloudy
22.  "...Men Say That The Kinge Of Spain Is Making Gret Preparation..."
23.  In Darkness Let Me Dwell

IF ON A WINTER'S NIGHT… (Original Release: 2009)
Side A:
1.     Gabriel's Message        
2.     Soul Cake
3.     There Is No Rose Of Such Virtue
4.     The Snow It Melts The Soonest
5.     Christmas At Sea
6.     Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming
7.     Cold Song
Side B:
8.     The Burning Babe
9.     Now Winter Comes Slowly
10.  The Hounds Of Winter
11.  Balulalow
12.  Cherry Tree Carol
13.  Lullaby For An Anxious Child
14.  Hurdy Gurdy Man
15.  You Only Cross My Mind In Winter

SYMPHONICITIES (Original Release: 2010)
Side A:
1.     Next To You
2.     Englishman In New York
3.     Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Side B:
4.     I Hung My Head
5.     You Will Be My Ain True Love
6.     Roxanne
Side C:
7.     When We Dance
8.     The End Of The Game
9.     I Burn For You  
Side D:
10.  We Work The Black Seam
11.  She's Too Good For Me
12.  The Pirate's Bride
13.  Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (Bronx Street Fair Mix)

THE LAST SHIP (Original Release: 2013)
Side A:
1.     The Last Ship
2.     Dead Man's Boots
3.     And Yet
4.     August Winds
5.     Language Of Birds
6.     Practical Arrangement             
Side B:
7.     The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance
8.     Ballad Of The Great Eastern
9.     What Have We Got? (feat. Jimmy Nail)
10.  I Love Her But She Loves Someone Else
11.  So To Speak (feat. Becky Unthank)
12.  The Last Ship (Reprise)

57TH & 9TH (Original Release: 2016)
Side A:
1.     I Can't Stop Thinking About You
2.     50,000
3.     Down, Down, Down
4.     One Fine Day
5.     Pretty Young Soldier
Side B:
6.     Petrol Head
7.     Heading South On The Great North Road
8.     If You Can't Love Me
9.     Inshallah
10.  The Empty Chair

57th & 9th Tour Itinerary – with special guests: The Last Bandoleros and Joe Sumner
Wed. May 17, 2017 / Mexico City, MX National Auditorium
Thu. May 18, 2017 / Mexico City, MX National Auditorium
Sat. May 20, 2017 / Monterrey, MX Auditorio Banamex
Sun. May 21, 2017 / Guadalajara, MX Auditorio Telmex
Sun. May 28, 2017 / Singapore, SG Singapore Indoor Stadium
Wed. May 31, 2017 / Seoul, KR Understage By Hyundai Card
Sat. June 03, 2017 / Hong Kong, HK Convention & Exhibition Centre
Tue. Jun 06, 2017 /Tokyo, JP Budokan
Wed. June 07, 2017 / Tokyo, JP Budokan
Thu. June 08, 2017 / Tokyo, JP Budokan
Sat. June 10, 2017 / Osaka, JP Chuo Gymnasium

Summer Festival Performances
During the months of June and July, Sting will perform throughout Europe at a series of festivals and special concert events including shows in Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal and Italy.

Composer, singer-songwriter, actor, author, and activist Sting was born in Newcastle, England before moving to London in 1977 to form The Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. The band released five studio albums, earned six Grammy Awards and two Brits, and was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

As one of the world's most distinctive solo artists, Sting has received an additional 10 Grammy Awards, two Brits, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, four Oscar nominations (most recently for "The Empty Chair" from JIM: The James Foley Story), a TONY nomination, Billboard Magazine's Century Award, and MusiCares 2004 Person of the Year. Also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, in December 2014 he received the Kennedy Center Honors, and most recently was given The American Music Award of Merit. Throughout his enduring career, he has sold close to 100 million albums from his combined work with The Police and as a solo artist.

Sting's support for human rights organizations such as the Rainforest Fund, Amnesty International and Live Aid mirrors his art in its universal outreach. Along with wife Trudie Styler, Sting founded the Rainforest Fund in 1989 to protect both the world's rainforests and the indigenous people living there. Together they have held 18 benefit concerts to raise funds and awareness for our planet's endangered resources. Since its inception, the Rainforest Fund has expanded to a network of interconnected organizations working in more than 20 countries over three continents.


NEW RELEASES: THELONIOUS MONK / JOHN COLTRANE – THE COMPLETE 1957 RIVERSIDE RECORDINGS; HAMPSHIRE AND FOAT – GALAXIES LIKE GRAINS OF SAND; JORN SWART - MALNOIA

THELONIOUS MONK / JOHN COLTRANE – THE COMPLETE 1957 RIVERSIDE RECORDINGS

For an all-too-brief, magical time in 1957, two of the greatest musicians in history-Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane-made their only studio recordings together, which are compiled in this deluxe 3-LP box set, due out June 9th. Launching the newly-minted imprint Craft Recordings, this collection features remastered audio from the original analog recordings, a unique "file folder" packaging, rare photos, and 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI. Includes notes by the late Orrin Keepnews, who, as producer of the original sessions, was present at the creation of every note.

HAMPSHIRE AND FOAT – GALAXIES LIKE GRAINS OF SAND

UK Jazz pianist Greg Foat has teamed up with Mercury Award nominated The Bees member and multi instrumentalist Warren Hampshire to collaborate on a new LP drawing on their diverse musical influences. Ranging from classic British library music, ‘60s Italian soundtracks to Americana combined with touches of modern classical, minimalism, Jazz and Folk, Galaxies Like Grains Of Sand is an incredibly rich and diverse work, a deeply cinematic and evocative experience. Featuring many members of Greg and Warren's previous bands and one of the UK’s finest jazz drummers, Clark Tracy, the LP also features an orchestra and handpicked soloists, all scored by Foat and Hampshire. Recorded all analogue onto 2" multi-track in Edinburgh, mixed down by Mattias Glavå at his studio in Gothenburg, Sweden, then mastered and cut in Helsinki, Finland, the LP is truly a European affair flying in the face of the brexit nightmare.

JORN SWART - MALNOIA

Jorn Swart is a spirited up-and-coming jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, currently living and performing in NYC. The Dutch pianist's refined playing and emotive compositions have garnered him much recognition, here and abroad. In November, 2013 he toured Europe to present his debut CD, A Day in the Life of Boriz, featuring some of NYC's most thrilling and fearless jazz musicians. Swart now proudly announces the release of his compelling new sophomore album, Malnoia, available on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records on May 26, 2017. Malnoia is timeless and sophisticated, and reshapes the concept of the traditional jazz piano trio. In replacing double bass and drums with bass clarinet and viola, the project elegantly and creatively expands the limits of what is possible within a "piano trio". On Malnoia, Swart drew inspiration from classical composers such as Maurice Ravel, Bela Bartok and Paul Hindemith, and combined them with elements of jazz, creating an atypical sound that can be both lyrical and nostalgic, and abstract and unpredictable. His melancholic themes suddenly turn into unruly improvisations or sparkling romanticism. The Malnoia trio, featuring Swart with Benni von Gutzeit (of the Turtle Island Quartet) on viola, and Lucas Pino (whose "No Net Nonet" has had a residency at Smalls Jazz Club for over three years) on bass clarinet, possesses the ability to sweep the listener up in a moving musical experience that has been described as "hallucinogenic chamber music".