Grammy Award-Winning Trumpeter Keyon Harrold's Upcoming Album 'The Mugician' Set for Release on September 29th

Grammy Award winner, Keyon Harrold, one of the world's most sought-after genre-bending trumpeters, will release 'The Mugician' on September 29th via Legacy Recordings/Mass Appeal Records.

Long known as the artist's artist – he has worked with Maxwell, Common, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Eminem and a long list of the world's top musical icons – The New York-based musician now takes center stage with a captivating LP that ponders the fears and frustrations of a divided country while yearning for justice and peace.

As the word "Mugician" is an impromptu hybrid of words, this album is an accumulation of Keyon's eclectic tastes, with stylistic twists and turns everywhere taking cues from jazz, hip-hop, blues, rock, reggae, and rap. The new LP features an all-star list of collaborators, including Gary Clark Jr., Big K.R.I.T., Bilal, Pharoahe Monch and Robert Glasper. From spiritual chants and soulful singing to bombastic expressions of frustration and melodic pleas for understanding, Keyon's arrangements color the different ways to hear the world in 2017.

If there are echoes of Miles Davis in Keyon's style and sound, it's no mere coincidence; Keyon played the trumpet sound of Don Cheadle playing Davis in his 2015 biopic Miles Ahead and on its Grammy-winning soundtrack.  Don reflects on this and the birth of "The Mugician", the nickname that came from that project, in the liner notes, which he contributed to the album.

Ferguson holds a large presence throughout 'The Mugician.' The instrumental "MB Lament" is a tribute to Michael Brown as strings echo a smoking gun while the bass line repeats over and over, reminiscent of the frequency of gun violence and systemic police brutality. "When Will It Stop" answers the calling of "MB Lament" as actor and comedian Guy Torry, also from the St. Louis area, uses humor to confront bigotry, sexism, racism, and more while Keyon leads a driving groove. And on "Circus Show," Keyon and Gary Clark Jr. trade verses and hooks while trying to make sense of America's "Broken" newscast over the repeated phrase "What's going on?."

Themes of home and family loom large on 'The Mugician.' With nine brothers and seven sisters, several of whom are also accomplished musicians, Keyon considers family essential; the album opener "Voicemail" features Keyon's own mother encouraging her son to stay true to himself and to never give up in the face of trials and tribulations. 'The Mugician' is Keyon upholding his mother's wisdom.

Keyon Harrold has become one of the most sought-after trumpeters in the world having been featured on nearly 100 albums spanning jazz, R&B, pop, gospel, blues, and hip-hop. Harrold has recorded with the world's leading artists from Maxwell to Keith Richards and has toured with music's most bold-faced names including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Common, Maxwell, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, D'Angelo and the Vanguard, and more. In 2016, Keyon released "Running (Refugee Song)" in collaboration with songwriting partner Andrea Pizziconi as part of their initiative Compositions for a Cause. The song, also featuring Grammy Award-winning rapper Common and Grammy Award-winning singer Gregory Porter was included on Billboard's list of "6 Songs Offering Hope & Perspective During Immigration Ban" this past January.   

Legacy Recordings and Mass Appeal have combined their creative and marketing resources in a first-of-its-kind collaboration on behalf of Keyon Harrold's 'The Mugician.' "We couldn't be more proud of signing Keyon Harrold and of the album he's made," said Adam Block, President of Legacy Recordings."We're especially excited by the record's range of repertoire and the broadness of Keyon's appeal. Working with Mass Appeal, who've long been champions of Keyon's, exponentially expands our ability to reach fans with Key's music and the creativity and channels with which we'll do that."

'The Mugician' track list:

1. Voicemail (ft. Shirley Harrold)

2. The Mugician (ft. Josh David Barrett)

3. MB Lament

4. When Will It Stop? (ft. Guy Torry)

5. Wayfaring Traveler (ft. Jermaine Holmes, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Robert Glasper)

6. Stay This Way (ft. Bilal and Big K.R.I.T.)

7. Lullaby

8. Her Beauty Through My Eyes (ft. Pharoahe Monch)

9. Ethereal Souls

10. Broken News (ft. Andrea Pizziconi)

11. Circus Show (ft. Gary Clark Jr.)

12. Bubba Rides Again

Drummer CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA to Release New Summer Single “FUN, PARTY, SPLASH” Feat. CARLOS SANTANA & Produced by NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN

The past few months have been a blur for CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA, who is currently touring and performing with her husband Carlos Santana, is featured as a vocalist, drummer, and songwriter on “Power of Peace,” the new Santana/Isley Brothers collaboration, and has been busy touring with her own band and recording tracks in the studio with the legendary producer NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN. Together through Walden's Tarpan Records label they will release the new single “FUN, PARTY, SPLASH” featuring Carlos Santana on all digital platforms on August 25, 2017.

CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA is a virtuoso drummer whose artistry spans the realms of jazz and rock. As a bandleader and as a musician, Cindy is a sound innovator with a passion for pushing creative boundaries and exploring movement and change. She is as known for the nuances and colors she brings to her beats and fills as she is for the sheer power of her soulful playing. “Some drummers act, some react. Some keep time, others create it. CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA is among the few who can,” writes Mike Zwerin of the International Herald Tribune.

 

Among a handful of the most innovative, original and influential artists of our time, NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN'S stature as an authentic musical renaissance man is a matter of record. Producing hits for Artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin (including the platinum “Freeway of Love”), Steve Winwood, Ray Charles, Sting, Elton John, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Mariah Carey, Barbara Streisand, Lionel Ritchie, Lisa Fischer, Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, Gladys Knight, and The Temptations, the EMMY and multi-GRAMMY winner (Producer, Album and Song of The Year) has been at the helm of hit music that spans decades.

CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA has been creating magnificent musical time and space since the beginning of her career as a busking street performer in New York City in the '80s through the present day, touring the globe and making albums at the top of her game—including the critically acclaimed Another Lifetime (2010). In addition to collaborating onstage and in-studio with her own group—also known as Another Lifetime—she has toured and recorded with artists including Pharoah Sanders, Cassandra Wilson, Bill Laswell, Joss Stone, Joe Henderson, Al B. Sure, Buckethead, Don Pullen, Hugh Masakela, Buster Williams, and Angela Bofill. Cindy was part of the Tony Williams Lifetime Tribute Band called Spectrum Road with Jack Bruce, Vernon Reid, and John Medeski. From 1992 to 2007 and again in 2014 & 2015 she was the drummer in Lenny Kravitz's band, performing through multiple world tours and hit albums. In 2010, she was part of the all-star line-up performing “Bitches Brew,” a tribute to Miles Davis' seminal album staged at the San Francisco Jazz Festival and NYC Winter JazzFest.

More recently, Cindy has become the regular touring drummer for Santana. Having met several years earlier at a festival in Europe while she was touring with Kravitz, Cindy first played with Santana in spring 2010, when drummer Dennis Chambers had a previous commitment. “They have a great band vibe. It's nice to play with people who have grown together, built a sound together, and stayed together,” she says. “When that happens, you can create so many different levels of communication. That's what they've done, and I love reacting with it and being a part of it.”

Electricity onstage generated chemistry offstage—Carlos proposed to Cindy during a July 2010 concert, and they married in December. Looking ahead, they will collaborate artistically as well, on projects that will no doubt reflect their shared passion for improvisation, and belief in the transcendent nature of music. Cindy was an integral part of the new Santana/Isley Brothers release Power of Peace, featuring the song “I Remember,” which she wrote and sings. “To me,” she says, “music is completely spiritual, it's the way you connect with your higher self, with the universe. It's also a way to share light with millions of people. They don’t need to speak your language, have your beliefs, or be in the same place you are. The music speaks, it channels good energy, and makes a difference in people's lives. Carlos and I are both conscious of doing that.”

NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN started his storied career as a drummer with John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Narada's music flows freely from pop, rock and soul, to the rarified realms of jazz, fusion, and world music. With Jeff Beck, Narada wrote and played drums on the seminal album Wired that earned them both their first Gold Album. Walden was an integral part of introducing Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey to millions of fans worldwide, producing and writing their breakthrough hits. Billboard Magazine honored him as one of the Top Ten Producers of all time.

In 2016, Cindy connected with her fellow drummer and world-class producer NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN, and together the two have been working on new material ever since. CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA continues to build a body of work and artistic legacy that make her one of the finest drummers and recording artists of this or any generation.

Sax-vocalist Michael J. Thomas is “Driven” to compete with an upbeat and diverse passion project

No sophomore slump for contemporary jazz-pop artist Michael J. Thomas, who released his second album, “Driven,” on Friday on the Harbor Breeze Records imprint. The ten-song set burst out of the gate jolted by a wave of national airplay for the first single, “Baby Coffee,” earning Billboard most-added honors in its debut week followed by an add at SiriusXM’s Watercolors, leading the saxophonist-vocalist to sign a distribution deal for the project with Perry Music Group/Sony Music.           

It’s been seven years since Thomas issued his instrumental debut album, “City Beat,” and six years since he made his vocal debut with the infectious standalone single “I Think About Amy,” which peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard chart after a remix by two-time Grammy winner Paul Brown. “Driven” is his first collection to combine sax-led soul-jazz instrumentals and R&B-pop vocal tunes that showcase a voice that programmers and reviewers have compared to Michael Jackson and George Michael. It’s a varied, exhilarating session written and produced by Thomas and longtime collaborator Shannon Wallace with additional tracks produced by Oli Silk, Trammell Starks and Music Man Dre Forbes.  

"I got the bug to record a new album in 2014. I hadn’t written anything new in a while and all of these melodies and lyrics were hitting me. However, the songs didn’t all fit into one genre, but I recorded them anyway. I decided that this would be a passion project for me more than trying to write music that fits the traditional model,” said the Destin, Florida-based Thomas, who is submitting “Driven” for Grammy nomination consideration. “I titled the album after one of the pop-oriented songs I wrote that has to do with staying driven and motivated to compete.”

While “Baby Coffee” has all the makings of a late summer instrumental hit –percolating groove, stimulating funk beats and energizing horn-powered harmonies – Thomas opens the disc with the shimmering and slick “My Love,” one of four vocal numbers. An empowering vocal drop adds street cred to “In America, You Can Do It!,” an instrumental inspired by Thomas’s alto sax and Gino Rosaria’s glistening keyboards. “You Know You Got This” is another confidence-building instrumental. A Minneapolis-style old-school funk party meets disco vibe breaks out on “Girls Got Moves,” a dance floor filler vocal tune that also closes the album in instrumental form. The percussive instrumental “Make Me Crazy” is an aggressive agitator that showcases Thomas trading barbs during an extended improvisational breakdown with trumpeter Paul Scurto. A congenial “Get Your Smooth On” benefits from a luminous anthemic chorus. Thomas caresses on the intimate “Say Goodbye” with a mix of heartbreak vocals and a tender soprano sax solo followed by the reassuring Quiet Storm instrumental affirmation “Never Gonna Leave You.” The title track offers a take-no-prisoners attack on raw ambition as kinetic beats, incendiary horn and synth blasts, and a screaming electric guitar solo from Mark Jaimes (Simply Red) ignite this scorching vocal number.

Underneath the invigorating instrumental veneer and the pure power pop panache that make “Driven” a bright, vibrant and an assured listen, there is a vulnerable artist who struggled to overcome an intense personal crisis to complete the record.  

“‘Driven’ is very personal and represents a particularly sensitive and difficult period that I endured emotionally. I started writing it in the midst of a romantic relationship. Tragically, she passed away and I didn’t know if I could finish the album after dealing with depression in the aftermath. But I did and I continue to push forward. That’s what I want the takeaway to be from this album.” 

The “Driven” album contains the following songs:

“My Love”

“Baby Coffee”

“In America, You Can Do It!”

“You Know You Got This”

“Girls Got Moves”

“Make Me Crazy”

“Get Your Smooth On”

“Say Goodbye”

“Never Gonna Leave You”

“Driven”

“Girls Got Moves” (instrumental)

https://michaeljthomas.net

Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet Showcases Their Unique Fusion of Jazz & Afro-Peruvian Music on "Diablo en Brooklyn"

Gabriel Alegria Diablo en BrooklynGabriel Alegria has dedicated his life to introducing audiences to jazz-infused interpretations of traditional music from his Peruvian homeland, Afro-Peruvian arrangements of works from the Great American Songbook, and original compositions inspired by both styles. On Diablo en Brooklyn, the sixth recording by Alegría's Afro-Peruvian Sextet, the ensemble presents what is without a doubt their most fully realized and boldest album to date. It is also the first to be made entirely in Peru and, most notably, at Lima's legendary IEMPSA Studios-a landmark in the production and distribution of Afro-Peruvian music that was founded in 1942. The new CD will be released by Saponegro Records on September 22.

Trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and educator Alegría has long committed himself to being the standard-bearer of Afro-Peruvian jazz in the U.S. and, over the past 12 years, has brought this music to American audiences through both recordings and concerts. Diablo en Brooklyn was loosely inspired by the Peruvian "Son de los Diablos" tradition going back to colonial days and featuring a parade of mock devils down the city streets of Lima. Alegría, who has lived in Coney Island for the last decade, got the idea to musically transport that tradition to his Brooklyn neighborhood after being exposed to the diverse sounds emanating from the "speakers on wheels" residents roll out to street corners every summer along with their barbecue pits.

"You can't really hear anything but bass," he says. "But over the months, on my way to pick up my daughter from daycare, I would hear bass lines that I really liked." They show up integrated into the Peruvian panalivio and festejo grooves at the heart of his fourt-part "Brooklyn Suite."

In an intriguing departure from standard sequencing, the four movements of the studio-recorded suite are interspersed among four live tracks: three originals featured on previous albums and a 12-minute version of "Summertime," the "hit single" from the band's 2008 debut recording Nuevo Mundo.

  

That the musicians in the Afro-Peruvian Sextet have been playing together for years is evident from their finely-meshed performances and the facility with which the players blend traditional Peruvian rhythms and American jazz. Saxophonist Laura Andrea Leguía, master percussionist Freddy "Huevito" Lobatón, bassist Mario Cuba, drummer Hugo Alcázar, and acoustic guitarist Yuri Juárez tackle the challenges of the polyrhythmic grooves with an energy that is infectious.

Alegría and company celebrated their decade together in 2015 by inviting a stellar cast of guest artists including Ron Carter, Arturo O'Farrill, and Yellowjacket Russell Ferrante to play on their last release, 10. Alegría explains that on Diablo en Brooklyn "we went back to the essence of the sextet. The six core members. This album represents what Afro-Peruvian jazz music and a bicultural ensemble can contribute to the world."

Gabriel Alegria was born in Lima on June 11, 1970. His grandfather, Ciro Alegría, was a famous, politically involved novelist (Broad and Alien Is the World) who spent half his life in exile in Cuba and Chile because of his political views. Gabriel's father, Alonso Alegría, is a prominent playwright (Crossing Niagara) and theater director. Rebelling from the predominantly classical music tastes of his father, Gabriel got into rock and pop via albums by the likes of the Police and Genesis, but when it came time to choose an instrument for the school band, he picked the trumpet. It was in the band that he discovered jazz.

Alegría attended high school in Ohio, where his father was a visiting professor at Kenyon College, and then studied at the National Conservatory in Lima. He returned to Ohio to attend Kenyon College, after which he moved to New York, earning an M.A. in jazz studies at City College under the tutelage of Ron Carter. He subsequently moved back to Peru to play with the Lima Philharmonic. During his five years with the orchestra, and in side gigs in jazz and rock bands, Gabriel started to develop his concept of Afro-Peruvian jazz. In 2005, while completing a PhD in jazz studies at USC, he formed his sextet. Its first album, Nuevo Mundo (2008), recorded for his own label Saponegro ("black frog"), was produced by one of his mentors, trumpet great Bobby Shew.

Moving back to New York he got a major boost from Arturo O'Farrill, who contacted him about writing for his Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. The Afro-Peruvian Sextet recorded its second album, Pucusana (2010), followed by the live Afro-Peruvian Jazz Secrets (2012), Ciudad de Los Reyes (2013), and then its tenth-anniversary disc 10 (2015). That year the band won Hot House magazine's "New York City Ensemble of the Year" award.

Gabriel Alegria y Diablos   

The Gabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Sextet is set to perform an ambitious CD release concert (10/21-22) at Roulette in Brooklyn with special guest Arturo O'Farrill and, direct from Lima, dancers Graciela Bramon, Javier Barrera, and Wendy Cotito, with choreography by Antonio Vilchez. The sextet + dancers will also perform two nights (10/25-26) at DePauw University, Greencastle, IN. Sextet only appears Fri. 10/27, Merriman's Playhouse, South Bend, IN; Sat. 10/28 at the Bop Stop, Cleveland; and Sun. 10/29 at Erie (PA) Art Museum.  

 

NEW RELEASES: TONY WILLIAMIS LIFETIME FEATURING JOHN MCLAUGHLIN – LIVE IN NEW YORK 1969; GIL SCOTT-HERON / BRIAN JACKSON – MESSAGES; JONATHAN FRITZEN - BALLADS

TONY WILLIAMIS LIFETIME FEATURING JOHN MCLAUGHLIN – LIVE IN NEW YORK 1969

Stunning sounds from drummer Tony Williams – a rare live date from the end of the 60s, and one that's even more freewheeling than the performance on his classic Emergency album! The group here is the same as that one – the famous trio with John McLaughlin on guitar and Larry Young on organ – both players who could spiritual modes when they want, but who here are pretty darn noisy at most moments – effortlessly blending rock into jazz, and helping to create the sound of fusion in the process! Tracks are long, and completely unbridled – and titles include "A Famous Blues", "Something Spiritual", "Emergency", and "To Whom It May Concern".  ~ Dusty Groove

GIL SCOTT-HERON / BRIAN JACKSON – MESSAGES

Some of the best tracks ever from the pair of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – some of most righteous, authoritative and thematically heavy soul music ever created – compiled in one incredible set! Messianic, emotive vocals from Gil and stunningly restrained, magical soul jazz arrangements from Brian – words can't express how dynamic these tunes are! Great stuff from classic LPs such as Winter In America, It's Your World, First Minute Of A New Day, Secrets and more! 15 tracks in all: "The Bottle", "It's Your World", "Johannesburg", "Winter In America", "The Liberation (Red, Black & Green)", "Home Is Where The Hatred Is (Live)", "We Almost Lost Detroit", "Angel Dust", "Show Bizness", "Madison Avenue", "Shut 'Em Down", "Alien (Hold On To Your Dreams)".  ~ Dusty Groove

JONATHAN FRITZEN - BALLADS

Over the past ten years, Smooth Jazz fans who like to get a groove on with infectious keyboard melodies have enjoyed being “Fritzenized," that is, having their hearts, souls and dancing shoes infused with the Billboard and SmoothJazz.com Chart-topping recording artist’s blend of lush ballads and all-out party jams. The multi-faceted, Swedish American composer and keyboardist’s sixth album BALLADS showcases the gentle, graceful side of his musical personality. On a mission to “bring calm, clarity and the rejuvenation of both mind and soul,” to a challenged world, he complements his gorgeous piano and keyboard melodies with artful touches of electric guitar, exotic percussion, sweeping synth textures and special guest violinist, Péter Ferencz (Peet Project). Fritzen’s original BALLADS will bring peace to your days and love to your nights! ~ smoothjazz. com

NEW RELEASES: JOAO GILBERT & OTHERS; BOB DOWNES OPEN MUSIC – LET YOUR MIND...SPACE OUT; JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET - BOOTLEG

JOAO GILBERT & OTHERS: JOAO GILBERTO AND THE STYLISTS OF BOSSA NOVA SING ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM

Seminal sounds from the earliest years of bossa nova – a big 59 track package that brings together important early recordings by Joao Gilberto, as well as some other key bossa interpreters of his generation too! The set begins with Joao's early recordings of compositions by Antonio Carlos Jobim – the artist/composer whose influence is a huge part of this package, too – as many of the songs here were penned by Jobim, and the set also features a few of his recordings, too – as well as both Brazilian and American interpretations of many bossa classics from the start of the 60s! The 2CD set is overflowing with interesting material – the kind of well-chosen cuts that always make the El Records selections so great – and titles include "O Nosso Amor" and "Este Seu Olhar" by Joao Gilberto, "Por Causa De Voce" by Lucio Alves, "As Praias Desertas" by Lenita Bruno, "Eurydice" by Luiz Bonfa, "Sucedeu Assim"b y Sylvia Telles, "Arpoador" by Radames Gnattali, "Samba De Uma Nota So" by Tamba Trio, "Estrada Do Sol" by Agostinho Dos Santos, "Eu Preciso De Voce" by Norma Benguell, "Desafinado" by Laurindo Almeida, "Chega De Saudade" by Elizeth Cardoso, "Amor Sem Adeus" by Dick Farney, "No More Blues" by Jon Hendricks, "Sem Voice" by Alaide Costa, "O Amor Em Paz" by Os Caroicas, "O Homem" by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius De Moraes, "Eu Nao Existo Sem Voce" by Lucio Alves and Sylvia Telles, and "Samba De Uma Nota So" by Leny Adrade.  ~ Dusty Groove

BOB DOWNES OPEN MUSIC – LET YOUR MIND...SPACE OUT

Reedman Bob Downes definitely got the title right here – as the music's got a very spacey sound at times – as Bob reworked a contrabass flute, in order to create these really weird, textural sort of tones! Downes has been making amazing sounds since the start of the 70s – and even all these decades later, he still hasn't stopped experimenting and creating – as you'll hear here on the album's surprisingly strong array of inventive instrumentals! Some songs are very meditative, but others have a more pointed vibe – and Downes even vocalizes a bit from time to time with his instrument – sometimes through it. Titles include "Supernatural Being", "Him Bin Go", "Going On A Journey", "On The Run", "Predator", "Let Your Mind Space Out", and "Magdalena Jetelova".  ~  Dusty Groove

JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET - BOOTLEG

Not the dodgy record you might expect from the title – but instead a special vinyl-only collection of the best cuts from the past few years of releases from the mighty James Taylor – one of the coolest keyboardists to come along in the past few decades! Taylor first emerged in the UK mod scene of the mid 80s, then soared to new heights with some of the first new Hammond and Fender Rhodes records to rival the sound of the 60s and 70s – and then continued to give us great music for many years to come! Taylor hit some bigger fame in the 90s, but he's actually sounded even better in more recent years, on his own Real Self label – from which most of this work is drawn – an excellent collection of keyboard funk, with plenty of jazz in the mix too – way better than most of the funky imitators who sprung up in James' wake. Titles include "Boot Up", "Closer To The Moon", "Spencer Takes A Trip", "Showdown", "Man From The Moon", "Blacksmith", "Picking Up Where We Left Off", "Rochester Raining", and "The Exorcism".  ~ Dusty Groove

Saxophonist Tim Armacost Announces The Release of Time Being

The origins of this debut Whirlwind release as a leader, from acclaimed saxophonist and composer, and founding member of The New York Standards Quartet (who's sixth album, Sleight Of Hand is out now on Whirlwind) Tim Armacost, tell a fascinating tale. A marquee player on the New York City and Japanese scenes for many years, with an extensive discography and countless live and recorded collaborations to his name in the US, Europe and Asia, the clear direction for Time Being arrived, remarkably, out of the blue.

As Armacost elaborates: "I pictured myself, like a scene from a movie, playing Ornette Coleman's 'Lonely Woman' in the studio with a trio - double bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. Tain was, in terms of time signature, out on his own, and Bob and I were communicating with each other independently of what he was playing. But what Tain was doing was so incredibly attractive - so eerie and so beautiful - that we both really wanted to go over and be part of that; yet we already had this melody that we had to play together. That whole idea led to these explorations of creating tension by playing in parallel spaces, and then releasing the tension into a beautifully swinging groove by allowing the parallel spaces to merge. It was something I'd never tried before, and the concept was really exciting. We decided to record in Tain's studio, in an intimate live environment with no separation." "So for my compositions and arrangements, I needed to imagine the ideas happening in real time; and fortunately, with Tain and Bob on board - some of the most swinging musicians on the planet - there was a great willingness for exploration, to make it happen." Joining the trio on selected tracks is pianist David Kikoski, providing elegant, rippling color to numbers such as "The Next 20" and "One and Four." 

Through the dedication of these accomplished artists, this concept evolved into a project that is organic, exploratory and swinging. The three 'Sculptures' on the album are very much an expression of this structured experimentation. "Phase Shift" is modeled on an 'X' formation, as Armacost and Watts converge along the left tempo pathways with Hurst on the right until saxophonist and bassist change places - technical in construction, but an exhilarating listen. On "Tempus Funkit," Armacost independently visits the rhythms of Tain and Hurst; and the particle-like conflict of "All The Things You Could Become In The Large Hadron Collider" (based on "All The Things You Are") is also a playful reference to Charles Mingus', "All The Things You Could Be By Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother".

"Lonely Woman" - the seed of this album that engendered so many possibilities, features a call-and-response between tenor and bass, initiating their own improvisations until the drums home in on the bassist. So the differing musical tensions are intentionally part of the unplanned dialogue present throughout this recording. On the title track, "Time Being," the trio divides when Armacost moves to a different tempo, with Hurst following, and Watts reaching them later - as Armacost enthuses: "When we all come back together, the pay-off is really delicious!" "53rd Street" is inspired by the blues melody of Thelonious Monk's "52nd Street"; there's a fine, percussively buoyant interpretation of Monk's "Teo"; and the feisty, original composition "Alawain" says so much about this trio's collective, impassioned spirit.

Tim Armacost describes the session as being playful, wild and serious: "It has been a real source of joy for me to see such open musicians willing to make an attempt at something we've never done before; and especially when things got kind of interesting, and we started smiling - that was a really special, even relaxed experience. I hope that, although this has a demanding concept at its roots, listeners can pick up on its lyrical, singing qualities. The audience is very much part of the conversation - we're doing this thing together, and we invite you in to have fun!"

 

NEW RELEASES: HERB ALPERT – MUSIC VOL. 1; THE B. CHRISTOPHER BAND – FOUR FROM THE SUN; ABRAHAM DAY – THE PURPOSE

HERB ALPERT – MUSIC VOL. 1

Sounding as fresh, hip, edgy and tuneful as ever at 82, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and nine time Grammy winner Herb Alpert takes his inimitable trumpet to many fascinating places on MUSIC VOL. 1. Teaming with Grammy winning producer Jochem van der Saag (Andrea Bocelli, Seal, Destiny’s Child), the legend mines some seriously deep cool and electronic soulfulness in re-imagining many blasts from the past popularized by The Beatles, John Lennon, Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra and his legendary band The Tijuana Brass, as well as from modern pop crooner, Jason Mraz! Blissfully bridging past and present, MUSIC VOL. 1 shows that the master is still in top form! ~ smoothjazz.com

THE B. CHRISTOPHER BAND – FOUR FROM THE SUN

Following his well received debut HIGH TIDE, electric guitarist B. Christopher – leader of The B. Christopher Band - continues his emergence as a solo artist with FOUR FROM THE SUN, which features his fluid melodies and dazzling licks in an exciting variety of jazz, pop, R&B and blues settings. Besides return visits from Nathan East and Anton Fig, the album – whose single word titles all refer to multiple shades of red – includes all-star contributions by saxman Andy Snitzer, drummer Shawn Pelton and bassist Stu Hamm. FOUR FROM THE SUN is red hot! ~ smoothjazz.com

ABRAHAM DAY – THE PURPOSE

After touring with R&B bands and serving as an educator, radio announcer and youth counselor, saxophonist Abraham Day makes a bold declaration about his new creative mission on his debut album THE PURPOSE. As a producer and arranger, he gives his silky, light funk horn style a percolating bed of lightly percussive grooves and enhances his infectious melodies with dreamy atmospheres and trippy sonic textures. Smooth Jazz doesn’t get any more soulful and spiritual than THE PURPOSE! ~ smoothjazz.com

NEW RELEASES: BRENDAN ROTHWELL – TIME ON MY HANDS; TONY SAUNDERS – UPTOWN JAZZ; METHOD OF DEFIANCE "COLUMN 3" - BABYLON DECONSTRUCTION

BRENDAN ROTHWELL – TIME ON MY HANDS

Canadian composer, bassist and producer Brendan Rothwell cites Marcus Miller’s work on Miles Davis’ classic recording TUTU as the reason he chose his lead instrument. On his debut album TIME ON MY HANDS, he emphatically bucks the trend of the bass being in the background. Optimizing the tone, scale, feeling and musicality of the instrument, he showcases its ability to stir melodic excitement while creating deep, hypnotic rhythms. While his soulful, funky fluidity often brings to mind the coolness of the late Wayman Tisdale, there’s also an atmospheric, trippy and mystical exploratory vibe influenced by Miller’s slow simmering fusion style. Fans of Stanley Clarke and Brian Bromberg will be fully engaged as well. You’ll enjoy keeping time with TIME ON MY HANDS! ~ smoothjazz.com

TONY SAUNDERS – UPTOWN JAZZ

The son of legendary keyboardist and composer Merl Saunders, Tony Saunders was taught piano by Herbie Hancock and for his tenth birthday received an electric organ from Sly Stone. But the magic started happening once he shifted to bass, and the two time Emmy Award winner's s third album UPTOWN JAZZ on San Francisco Records is a full-blown celebration of the multiple ways he grooves. Joyfully eclectic throughout, he launched the album with the brassy, ultra-funky title track single that featured Gabriel Mark Hasselbach and Tower of Power's Mic Gillete on horns and Paul Hardcastle, Jr. on sax. Saunders' bass also bubbles beneath the emotional sax passion of Gerald Albright and later engages on an improvisation rich jazz-fusion journey also featuring saxophonists Tom Politzer (Tower Of Power) and Rock Hendricks and vocalist Sakai (Train)! UPTOWN JAZZ gonna give it to ya! ~ smoothjazz.com

METHOD OF DEFIANCE "COLUMN 3"  - BABYLON DECONSTRUCTION

The ever mutating and expanding collective founded by ikonoklast producer / bassist Bill Laswell. This latest release consisting of live and studio recordings transcends obvious genres and challenges all generic boundaries...dub, North African, drum'n bass, reggae vocals, noise, and much more. Column 3 features core members - Bill Laswell - bass, effects, Guy Licata - drums, and Dr. Israel - voice, electronics, beats, with Adam Rudolph - percussion (Jon Hassell, Philip Glass, Yusef Lateef, Pharaoh Sanders), Henry Kaiser - guitar (Richard Thompson, Fred Frith, Wadada Leo Smith), Steven Bernstein - trumpet (Lou Reed, Aretha Franklin, Sting, Sex Mob), Bachir Attar and Mustapha Attar of The Master Musicians of Jajouka, Morocco. 

MARK GUILIANA JAZZ QUARTET FOLLOWS UP FAMILY FIRST WITH DEBUT FOR MOTEMA MUSIC, JERSEY

Mark Guiliana's newest album as a leader - Jersey, to be released in September 2017 on Motema Music - features his compelling Jazz Quartet, with saxophonist Jason Rigby, pianist Fabian Almazan and bassist Chris Morrissey. It's the much-anticipated second album from The Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet, following up 2015's Family First (and its companion release, Family First: The Alternate Takes).

Describing the Quartet's modus operandi on Jersey, Guiliana said: "Many of my releases as a leader have been driven by electronic-inspired beats and textures, but with Family First and now Jersey, it felt like the right time to present my music in an entirely acoustic environment. So the Jazz Quartet is my humble attempt to make a personal statement using the traditional palette of saxophone, piano, bass and drums. For the band, this lineup presents the challenge: How creative can we be inside this box - how much freedom and experimentation can we find? And I have to say that it's always so exciting to hear the guys play this music in ways I never could have imagined."

The title of Jersey references Guiliana's center of gravity and his geographical roots. Born in 1980 in Florham Park, New Jersey, and raised there, Guiliana first discovered jazz in high school through his first drum teacher Joe Bergamini, graduated from William Paterson University in Wayne, lived for years in Jersey City and Hoboken, and now resides in Madison with his wife, singer Gretchen Parlato, and their toddler son.

"The jazz quartet that played Sunday night at La Nouvelle Scène delighted the packed house with strictly acoustic music that throbbed with imagination and refined but rugged playing." - Peter Hum of The Ottawa Citizen (on the Quartet's performance at the Ottawa Jazz Festival)

Beautifully produced by Guiliana, Jersey brims with an energized cohesiveness. "We recorded the album right after a two-week tour of Europe - I really wanted to capture the momentum of the band," said Guiliana. "I'm beyond grateful that Chris, Jason and Fabian are onboard, since they're all such excellent leaders in their own right. As a drummer, I'm a big fan of bass players, and I'm lucky to have played with some great ones. Chris is one of my favorites. He always brings an exciting energy to the music, and because he's also a singer-songwriter, that storytelling sensibility comes out in the way he plays. With Jason, I love his sound and the way he delivers melodies. He's an effortless improviser with a deep connection to the music at every moment. Fabian is the quartet's wild card. He has a unique harmonic and rhythmic sophistication to his improvising that makes for really fun interaction. With these guys, we're always passing inspiration back and forth to each other. We take a lot of chances in the music, developing new ways to play together every night - and that takes trust, a musical and personal empathy. The importance of family was instilled in me naturally just the way I was raised - those sorts of values extend to my bands, and the guys are like extended family for me."

The urgent rhythms of Guiliana at a stripped-down kit launch Jersey via the stylish opener "inter-are," one of six compositions by the drummer, along with the lyrical "Jersey" title track, the atmospheric "September," swinger "Big Rig Jones" and solo drum piece "Rate," an acronymic, virtuosic tribute to drum heroes Roy (Haynes), Art (Blakey), Tony (Williams) and Elvin (Jones). Two more tracks, "Our Lady" and "The Mayor of Rotterdam," are characteristically tune-rich contributions penned by bassist Morrissey. "BP," one of the album's hook-laced highlights, is a piece by Rich Hinman, a guitarist friend of Guiliana. The lone cover is a moving interpretation of David Bowie's "Where Are We Now?" (from Bowie's second-to-last album, The Next Day). "It's a 'thank you' to David, for the incredible experience of working with him," the drummer explains. "This is my way of paying tribute to him, but in an entirely different sonic context from Blackstar."

"Rhythmic interplay and complex layers are key features of Guiliana's style, so these characteristics permeated the entire set. The music is full of surprises, in form and content; in spite of this, the transitions were fluid, even when moving between radically different sections. Sometimes you'd wonder how the music arrived at its current point, so suddenly yet with such ease. Add to this the fact that Guiliana and his bandmates have a gift for intentionally blurring form, and you have an utterly absorbing musical experience, with beautiful twists and turns." - Marlowe Heywood-Thornes in JazzWise Magazine (on The Mark Guiliana Quartet's performance at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club)

   

More on Mark Guiliana: The artist has become recognized as one of the world's leading drummers, admired and in demand across the spectrum from jazz to rock to electronic music for his rhythmic sophistication, creative impulse and individual sound. He has been in the vanguard of drummers creating a new vernacular on the instrument, blending virtuosity on acoustic drums with artfully deployed electronic beats and processing. Guiliana was chosen as Best Jazz Drummer in the Modern Drummer Readers Poll 2017, while DownBeat Magazine dubbed him a Rising Star in its Critics Poll. JazzTimes aptly proclaimed: "Guiliana, a technical master with a rare sense of musicality, has over the past decade become one of the most influential drummers of his generation." Along with leading his own groups - the acoustic Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet and electronica-minded Beat Music - the drummer has appeared on a string of acclaimed recordings with others. The verve and precision of Guiliana's drumming was a prime mover of Blackstar, David Bowie's multiple GRAMMY Award-winning swan song. Guiliana teamed with keyboardist Brad Mehldau as the duo Mehliana for the Nonesuch release Taming the Dragon, and he has also collaborated with such artists as saxophonist (and Motema label mate) Donny McCaslin, jazz legend John Scofield, Soundgarden/Pearl Jam drummer-songwriter Matt Cameron, neo-soul singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello, guitarist-vocalist Lionel Loueke, bassist Avishai Cohen, reggae/hip-hop artist Matisyahu and jazz singer Gretchen Parlato.

  

The Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet On Tour in Support of Jersey

(All dates with The Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet, unless otherwise noted)

September 1-Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago, IL (w/Donny McCaslin Group)

September 2 & 3-Detroit Jazz Festival, Detroit, MI

September 7-Jazz a la Villette, Paris, FR (w/ Donny McCaslin Group)

September 8-Festival Batojazz, Chanaz, FR (w/ Donny McCaslin Group)

October 6-7-Blue Whale, Los Angeles, CA

October 8-Kuumbwa Jazz, Santa Cruz, CA

October 10-Yoshi's, Oakland, CA

October 11-The Fremont Theater, Portland, OR

October 12-The Triple Door, Seattle, WA

October 13-Dazzle, Denver, CO

October 14-Live at the Back Room, Milwaukee, WI

October 15-Constellation, Chicago, IL

October 21-Le Fil, Saint-Eitienne, France

November 2-Cafe Berlin, Jazz Madrid Festival, Madrid, Spain

November 3-Teatro Central, Sevilla, Spain

November 4-Kleine Zaal, Eindhoven, Netherlands

November 6-Jazzclub Fashing, Stockholm, Sweden

November 8-G Livelab, Helsinki, Finland

November 10-Staatsoper Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany

November 11-Rockit Festival, Oosterport, Groningen, Netherlands

November 13-14-Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, London, England

November 15-Babylon Bomonti, Istanbul, Turkey

November 16-New Morning Club, Paris, France

November 17-Lantaren Venster, Rotterdam, Netherlands

November 18-Bimhuis, Amsterdam, Netherlands

December 2-Jefferson Center, Roanoke, VA

 

Featured This Week On The Jazz Network Worldwide: Vocalist, Lisa Lindsley's CD ‘Long After Midnight’ and a ‘sneek peek’ of upcoming release 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly'

Lisa Lindsley is a very unique talent indeed; it seems she is one that seeks out music, which she molds into a message of her own emotional centerpiece. There is a confidence that is sparked in her, creating a synergy with her musicians that elevates our looking and listening into life itself as well as our relationships, all with a natural flare, giving and taking from each song an approach of relaxed phrasing.

Lindsley doesn’t waste any time sharing the music she has gathered on her jazz journey. With its echoes of Thelonious Monk’s iconic ballad “Round Midnight,” James Wilson and Tricia Lee Sampson’s lovely “Long After Midnight” offers an alluring invitation to a seductive night-time world that pulses with the heartbeat of Chambers’ imposing bass. The title track of the quartet’s 2016 release, Long After Midnight, charted for three weeks on the U.S. FMQB Top 40, and remained in the Top 5 slot for seven weeks on the CMJ Jazz charts.

Jazz journalist Andrew Gilbert says of ‘Long After Midnight’, “It’s an album for blissful late-night listening that leaves you wondering what the next day has to offer.”

“A truly sultry singer who captures the evening mood with gusto, Lisa Lindsley casts a musical spell on ‘Long After Midnight’, voicing beautiful love songs from the city for lovers, for the lover in all of us.”  Edward Blanco – All About Jazz

“Lisa Lindsley has a unique style all her own and is not afraid to show it, her originality and phrasing leave the listener spell-bound as to the vocal destinations she takes you to. Her engaging smokey soprano voicings coupled with a tightly cohesive band, musically conversing, taking these international melodic jazz musings to a new height in the presentation of standards that become all her own”, says Jaijai Jackson of The Jazz Network Worldwide social network.

“Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” is an intriguing tribute to film musicals, delivered with heady arrangements, swinging tempos and flawless musicianship. Working with a stellar coterie of Parisian players, she delivers an irresistible program featuring pianist Laurent Marode, drummer Mourad Benhammou, Esaie Cid on flute, clarinet and tenor saxophone, and Bay Area bass master Jeff Chambers (the Paris session’s only ringer).  Lindsley invites listeners to surrender to her smoky soprano, while her vocal command and deft timing assure they will be delighted they did. “Living and creating on two different continents, America and France, is not easy, but the magic that flies when we are together is just heaven. We created this CD in one 8 hour session, just like they use to in the old days. It was difficult to decide which songs, so we just went with our all time favorites and came up with a collection of beloved songs,” says Lisa.

 

La Belle Epoque will tour the U.S. and Europe, fall of 2017. They are scheduled to record their next album in October during their tour in France.

Lindsley’s goal is to reach jazz stages worldwide with her artistry and to exercise her philanthropic heart in fundraising efforts of ambassadorship to non-profit organizations that are meaningful to her life and the lives of children.

Catch Lisa Lindsley’s feature on http://thejazznetworkworldwide.com this week, as well as visit her official websites http://www.LisaLindsley.com.

Dianne Reeves radiates on Light up the Night — Live in Marciac, her first live album since her Grammy-winning 2000 release In the Moment

To catch Dianne Reeves singing on stage is to witness one of the most captivating vocalists on the international music scene today. Through her majestic alto, conversational phrasing and improvisational agility, she delves deep inside each song, unveiling its universal themes in a repartee with her own revelations.

The New York Times hailed Reeves as “the most admired jazz diva since the heyday of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday,” while the Chicago Tribune praised her as “one of the most creative and technically accomplished female vocalists today.”

For her Concord Records release Light up the Night – Live in Marciac, Reeves unleashes some of the lightning that has long ignited her live concerts. It marks her first live recording since 2000’s In the Moment, which earned Reeves her first Grammy for “Best Jazz Vocal Album.”

The now five-time Grammy-winning singer fronted her longtime band—pianist and musical director Peter Martin, bassist Reginald Veal, drummer Terreon Gully, guitarist Romero Lubambo with special guest  harmonica virtuoso Grégoire Maret—at the Jazz in Marciac Festival in August 2016 for what was an unforgettable engagement at one of her favorite jazz festivals.

Light up the Night, set for international release on September 8, 2017, documents Reeves on the final night of her triumphant 2016 European tour.  With Reeves and her band as fierce as ever, they explore road-tested repertoire with inventive spontaneity, resulting in an especially memorable set.

“It’s important to learn to trust your instincts,” Reeves explained. “I just try to find the magic of each night—which includes calibrating how the band and I are creating with one another that night, and how each audience is different. So our sets are not planned; tunes are called out in response to a feeling.  That keeps me on a creative edge…and that’s where I am at my best.”

Reeves begins the disc with her mesmerizing retooling of “Dreams,” the Stevie Nicks-penned hit from Fleetwood Mac’s classic 1977 LP, Rumours

“Dreams” is one of two songs on this disc which appear on Beautiful Life, which won the 2015 Grammy for “Best Jazz Vocal Album.” The other song is the bruising and sassy ballad “Cold,” an original she co-wrote with Martin and Gully. Reeves’ rueful sighs and regal soars bring a bristling conviction to ending an unhealthy relationship.   It’s a performance of sheer theater.

Light up the Night also showcases Reeves’ deep appreciation for the American songbook. Included are sublime readings of Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes” and Miles Davis’ classic “All Blues.” On the former, Reeves deftly channels Shorter’s sense of search and splendor as Maret’s beguiling harmonica adds a level of celestial intrigue. On “All Blues”, Veal’s swaggering upright bass intro provides the perfect bedrock for Reeves’ magnificent scatting.

Reeves, a frequent performer at the White House, returned for the 5th International Jazz Day celebration hosted by President Obama and the First Lady. There she sang alongside the iconic guitarist Pat Metheny on his Brazilian-inflected gem, “Minuano.” On Light up the Night, she revisits this song, unraveling Metheny’s infectious melody at first in unison with Lubambo’s empathic guitar before embarking upon flights of fancy. “I’ve always loved this song because it’s so free and open,” Reeves says. “My performance with Pat at the White House was so memorable that it’s now part of my story that I enjoy revisiting whenever I can.”

Every great storyteller is able to draw upon his or her own personal history. Reeves has done this throughout her career by penning stunning originals, and at Jazz in Marciac, she delivered the fan favorite, “Nine,” where she engagingly reminiscences about the joys of childhood as she effortlessly glides across a samba in 7/4.

For an encore, Reeves delivers a divine, heartfelt rendition of Mali Music’s “Beautiful,” an uplifting song that encourages us to project the best of ourselves while appreciating the greatness of others.

Light up the Night can be viewed as a celebration—an artist in her prime doing what she does best.  The National Endowment for the Arts just tapped Reeves as one of next year’s NEA Jazz Masters—the greatest honor given to jazz musicians in the United States.  While Reeves is appreciative of the many accolades she has received, she is not one to rest on her laurels. “The story continues,” she says. “I look at this record as a moment in my life that sparkles, shines and speaks loudly to audiences while it whispers to me, ‘Good...now keep moving forward.’”

As all listeners will surely agree, on her new live recording, Reeves truly does light up the night.

Master Jazz Pianist Fred Hersch Offers His Most Revealing, Intimate Solo Recording To Date With Open Book, out September 8, 2017 on CD and LP

The uniquely personal, reflective album is a companion piece to Hersch's long-awaited memoir, Good Things Happen Slowly

Release also coincides with September 15 & 16 performances of Hersch's Leaves of Grass at Jazz at Lincoln Center, celebrating the poetry of Walt Whitman with acclaimed vocalists Kurt Elling and Kate McGarry and an octet

Fred Hersch has long been acclaimed as an exploratory artist, an outspoken activist, an influential educator and a uniquely revelatory and lyrical pianist. As one of the most expressive voices in modern jazz, Hersch has never been shy about letting listeners glimpse his most intimate thoughts and emotions. In September, however, Hersch's fans will be treated to even deeper, more revealing insights into the story of the renowned pianist when he publishes his much-anticipated memoir, Good Things Happen Slowly: A Life In and Out of Jazz. As a companion piece, Hersch decided to present an equally direct and vulnerable glimpse into his private musical thoughts with his 11th solo release, Open Book.

The seven pieces on Open Book (out September 8 on Palmetto Records) offer some of the finest, most unguardedly emotional solo music that Hersch has created in a career unique for its profound poignancy and passion. Recorded in a South Korean concert hall on a superb Hamburg Steinway concert grand piano, the album captures the vital essence of the revelatory adventurousness and intense beauty that have made Hersch one of the most important solo artists in jazz. With more than 40 albums to his credit as a leader or co-leader, Hersch remarkably continues to discover new areas of inspiration and depths of feeling.

"For the last two and a half decades I've been pretty open about who I am, what I like and what I'm dealing with at times," Hersch says. "But I've always got to dig deeper, and I thought this might be a chance to make an album that's a window into the kinds of things that I play at home or don't play in public all that much."

The album arrives during a momentous month for Hersch. On September 12, the esteemed publishers Crown Archetype (Penguin Random House) will release Good Things Happen Slowly, Hersch's bravely confessional memoir. The book covers the pianist's meteoric rise in jazz from his sideman days alongside masters like Art Farmer and Joe Henderson to his gradual recognition as one of the most individualistic and innovative artists of his generation, a ten-time Grammy Award nominee and winner of countless accolades including being named a 2016 Doris Duke Artist as well as the same year's Jazz Journalists Association Pianist of the Year. But it also frankly reveals his story as the first openly gay, HIV-positive jazz musician, tracing his path through hedonistic post-Stonewall New York City to the dramatic two-month medically induced coma in 2008 from which he emerged to make some of the most stunning and captivating music of his career.

Later that month Hersch will reprise his ambitious Leaves of Grass full-evening piece at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Appel Room, the first time the song cycle has been performed in New York City since 2005.

Vocalists Kurt Elling and Kate McGarry will reprise their roles from the original project, which sets the verse of American bard Walt Whitman. The legendary poet's timeless ode to the miracle of nature and openhearted love of all beings seems especially vital in our present socio-political moment.

The centerpiece of Open Book, and the spark that ignited the album, is the nearly 20-minute improvisation "Through the Forest." Unique in Hersch's extensive discography, the stream-of-consciousness gem is a miniature masterpiece of narrative development, a compelling journey through an abstract, glimmering landscape, revealing that in his early 60s Hersch continues to take creative risks and daunting inventive leaps.

The creation of "Through the Forest" was as unplanned and spontaneous as the music itself. In Seoul for a pair of solo concerts during a break in a tour of Asia with his esteemed trio, Hersch overslept during an after-breakfast nap and rushed to take the stage at JCC Art Center Concert Hall for his afternoon performance. The titular forest is, in part, a jetlag and coffee-fueled dreamscape through which Hersch wanders, applying his vivid powers of observation to unusual terrain. "I was a little groggy, my defenses were down, and rather than fight it I just gave in to it," Hersch recalls. "I'd never really done anything of that length in public where I had no agenda and was able to stay in that zone for such an extended period of time. I realized it was something special, something different that might be the core of an album."

"Through the Forest" became the leaping-off point for an album intended to be singularly divulgent and reflective. A few months later, Hersch returned to the same hall and recorded the remainder of Open Book alone in the empty venue (with the exception of Benny Golson's classic "Whisper Not," taken from a concert during that return engagement).

The album opens with the stark musings of "The Orb," taken from Hersch's autobiographical music-theater piece My Coma Dreams. A love letter to Hersch's longtime partner, AIDS activist Scott Morgan, "The Orb" is the final dream depicted in the show, and in this solo rendition becomes a nakedly heartfelt outpouring of raw but tender emotion. The mood then takes a turn for the playful and swinging on "Whisper Not," a longtime staple of Hersch's repertoire that here becomes a vibrant, virtuoso marathon of thematic exploration.

The piece also serves as an ideal mirror to the album's other composition from the pen of a jazz icon, Thelonious Monk's "Eronel." Hersch has long been recognized as one of the premier interpreters of the Monk songbook, but despite including one of the iconic composer's pieces in every one of his sets for most of his career, Hersch had never tackled this particular tune, co-written by pianist Sadik Hakim. Monk's original stride-inflected lines come in for a dizzying array of variations in Hersch's endlessly imaginative take.

The music of Brazil has also been a constant in Hersch's career, in particular the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, the subject of one of the pianist's earlier solo efforts, 2009's Fred Hersch Plays Jobim. "Picture in Black and White" is a new addition to that repertoire, majestically transformed from a bossa nova feel to a crystalline hybrid with Chopin's last nocturne. On the other side of "Through the Forest" in the album's symmetrical structure comes Hersch's own classical-flavored "Plainsong," a spare, lyrical piece composed in the bucolic setting of the MacDowell Colony, the inspirational artists' retreat in rural New Hampshire.

Open Book ends on a meaningful ellipsis, Billy Joel's moving "And So It Goes." In title alone it's an apt conclusion, suggesting an embrace of life as lived and hinting at its open-ended continuation. The full lyrics, which Hersch has performed in duo settings with singers including frequent collaborator Kate McGarry, remain unspoken here but obviously deeply felt in every note. "I connect with the sentiment of the words," Hersch says, "and it felt like a good benediction to the whole album."

www.fredhersch.com