New Releases: Terkel Nørgaard With Ralph Alessi – We Jazz; George David Kieffer - Encounters with the Moon; Jimmy Layton and His All-American Not-Your-Daddy's-Jazz Band - Fortunes Of A Misspent Youth

Terkel Nørgaard With Ralph Alessi – We Jazz

Danish drummer Terkel Nørgaard presents his trio consisting of some of the key players in the Copenhagen scene and adding ECM-recording American star trumpeter Ralph Alessi on the lineup. Not merely a "feature", Alessi and the Danes form a coherent band unit capable of producing memorable and highly inspired contemporary jazz which links to the Nordic tradition of dynamic sound ranging from delicate minimalism to powerful avantgarde eruptions. ‘One’ and ‘Twelve’ are the first tracks shared from the upcoming album, a fitting introduction to a solid selection of seven compositions which place Nørgraard at the forefront of the current Nordic jazz scene. On the new album, the Danish trio plus Alessi achieve something that can always be regarded a remarkable feat. They deliver a highly inspired set of music which links the album onto the ever-evolving lineage of jazz music, and at the same time introduce a new band capable of stunning the listener in the here and now.

George David Kieffer - Encounters with the Moon

After studying piano as a boy, George began writing his own music in law school. While his impressive law and civic careers took center stage, he continued to hear music in his head and he would compose – whether he wanted to or not. It was a calling he kept largely to himself – an emotional respite and a creative outlet. However, his Memorial Day classic composition, Arlington, was discovered and debuted with the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra in 2014. In 2015 he added lyrics and Arlington was released with vocals by the famed Los Angeles Master Chorale. His Fanfare for the Special Olympics played at the Opening Ceremonies in Los Angeles 2016. Which brings us to today – a debut album of simple, elegant and inspiring solo piano pieces – Encounters with the Moon. This collection features 9 original compositions.

Jimmy Layton and His All-American Not-Your-Daddy's-Jazz Band - Fortunes Of A Misspent Youth

With no sign of musical talent, Jimmy taught himself how to play keyboards as a teenager. Later, he studied classical piano and took theory classes at San Francisco City College. His interest in jazz started through listening to fusion (Return to Forever; Weather Report; Pat Metheny and others). His interest in composition arises from his admiration of Frank Zappa, Charles Mingus, and playing in original, jazzical-rock group, Dr. Duck. Jimmy headed up GRoK, a SF Bay Area original fusion band, which has opened for Allan Holdsworth, Zero and Roy Rogers. He has released 3 CDs of his own music which have included jazz, blues, progressive rock, electronic and new age pieces ~ the last release being with EmptyHand.