New Music: Luca - Lions; Gary Burton - Take Another Look: A Career Retrospective; Aimee Nolte – Looking For The Answers

Luca - Lions

Influenced by the laid-back neo-soul of D'Angelo, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and Anderson .paak, and the expressive lyricism of Joni Mitchell, Kendrick Lamar, and Elliot Smith, Lions is the culmination of a childhood of musical discovery. Written, recorded, and co-produced by Luca (vocals/keyboards), backed by seasoned session musicians Jordan Scannella (bass), Sean Dixon (drums), and Josh Dion (synth bass/drums), and joined by a horn section of rising jazz musicians Zaq Davis and James Haddad (both trumpet), all at the helm of prolific producer and engineer David Lawrence Goldman, Lions is an immersive musical calendar, with each song dedicated to a month of the year. Luca, a jazz pianist and singer-songwriter from NYC, is only 18 but musically an old soul. Inspired by the great concept records of the 1970s, he creates a vivid sonic landscape for each season, in which songs live and breathe. From "Spring Again," a vibrant homage to the synth-rich funk of Stevie Wonder, to "Saint Sulpice," a passionate plea for honest love inspired by a choral concert in a church in Paris, the album is a window into a year in Luca's life. Like the passage of time, Lions is cyclical, beginning where it ends; more importantly, it's music that we can all get down to.

Gary Burton - Take Another Look: A Career Retrospective

Mack Avenue was honored to be Gary Burton’s final home, releasing two critically acclaimed albums by his remarkable New Quartet featuring guitarist and protégé Julian Lage, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Antonio Sánchez. But Take Another Look encompasses the entirety of Burton’s 50+ year career, from his attention-grabbing early releases for industry powerhouse RCA Victor, through his wide-ranging sessions for Atlantic and his iconic ECM recordings, on to his fusion-era reinvention on GRP and his eclectic and generation-spanning efforts for Concord and Mack Avenue.

Aimee Nolte – Looking For The Answers

LOOKING FOR THE ANSWERS, the newest album by AIMEE NOLTE, is a compelling showcase for this multi-talented artist’s first-rate vocal, piano, and compositional skills. Nolte is a successful YouTube creator with over 140,000 subscribers, where she shares her music and educational ideas, such as harmony, arranging, and advanced jazz piano technique. LOOKING FOR THE ANSWERS consists of several of Nolte’s original compositions as well as three reimagined standards. An accomplished arranger, Nolte expands her already substantial musical vocabulary by using orchestral-type scoring for woodwind instruments on a couple of tracks. Based in Los Angeles, Nolte is joined by some of the best players in Southern California, including bassist BRUCE LETT, guitarist MIKE SCOTT, woodwinds players JOHN REILLY and DOUG WEBB, and drummer JAMES YOSHIZAWA. Legendary bass player JOHN CLAYTON appears on one tune, performing a voice and bass duet with Nolte on “Bye Bye Blackbird.” Aimee Nolte is a singer, pianist, composer and arranger whose personality imbues her work. Married for many years, Nolte is a mother of four whose innate