NEW RELEASES - MALA, CONTE CANDOLI, COLEMAN HAWKINS

MALA - CUBA ELECTRONIC / CALLE F

In May 2011 Mala (Digital Mystikz) travelled to Havana, Cuba with Gilles Peterson to record and collaborate with local musicians. The results are documented on his album Mala in Cuba – scheduled for release on Brownswood Recordings on 10th September 2012. The album will be preceded by a 12’’ featuring ‘Cuba Electronic’ and ‘Calle F’ released on 6th August 2012.

A devotee of Jamaican sound system culture, Mala led from the front as the first waves of so-called ‘’dubstep’’ filtered out from Croydon’s Big Apple Records, battering bassbins across South London in 2002/03 alongside the likes of Skream, Benga, Coki and Loefah. Fiercely independent, he co-founded the label and legendary club night DMZ (with Coki and Loefah) and has produced some of the scene’s most vital and acclaimed tracks as Digital Mystikz. He also established his own imprint – Deep Medi Musik – in 2006 as an outlet for his own sonic experimentations alongside those of his favourite producers. Mala is universally respected as an innovator and leader not only within the global dubstep movement but also within the broader electronic realm. The results of a true culture clash, Mala in Cuba marries the intricate rhythms and deep, spiritual roots of Cuba with Mala’s own roots in South London and his dedication to bass culture. ~ www.surus.co.uk

CONTE CANDOLI – LITTLE BAND BIG JAZZ

An incredible record – and the kind of rare LA bop session that got totally lost because it was never packaged properly! This obscure set was issued by the Crown label under a number of names – both the Conte Candoli All Stars and Vince Guaraldi – and the group includes Conte Candoli, Buddy Collette, Vince Guaraldi, Leroy Vinnegar, and Stan Levey – all playing with a fantastically tight and incredibly soulful bop groove, of the sort you always hear them credited for, but which you can never find on any of their snoozy more famous records. Vince Guaraldi plays some incredibly soulful piano, in a manner that's very different than his Fantasy recordings – and he's playing here with a killer group of LA players who deliver some of their finest recorded work! Trust us, the session's a gem – and it's one of those you can put on and surprise your friends, and yourself! Tracks include "Muggin The Minor", "Mambo Diane", "Macedonia", and "Little David". ~ Dusty Groove

COLEMAN HAWKINS – THE HAWK SWINGS

Massive later music from Coleman Hawkins – a date that might be easy to overlook, given the unassuming package – but one that really features that newfound mix of modernism and soul that graced the later years of Hawk! The setting is a bit unusual, but that's part of the charm – as Hawkins' tenor comes into play with the trumpet of Thad Jones, piano and vibes of Eddie Costa, bass of George Duvivier, and drums of Osie Johnson – a group who are mostly easygoing, and really let Coleman take the lead – although Jones gets in a few great moments too! Titles include "Cloudy", "Almost Dawn", "Stake Out", "Cross Town", and "Shadows". ~ Dusty Groove

JEFF COFFIN & THE MU'TET - INTO THE AIR

Saxophonist/composer Jeff Coffin has maintained a singular balancing act for the last 15 years: His demanding, high-profile stints with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and Dave Matthews Band provide a creative counterweight to his thriving careers as bandleader and educator. Since 2001, he's led the one-of-a-kind Mu'tet, whose 6th CD, Into the Air, expresses off his unique, wide-ranging musical passions and will be released by Ear Up Records on September 4.

"This is not easy music to play, but these guys make it sound easy," says Coffin of his current Mu'tet colleagues -- Bill "The Spaceman" Fanning, so attuned to Coffin's approach that "it's like listening to me playing trumpet"; keyboardist (and flutist) Kofi Burbridge, a veteran of the Derek Trucks/Susan Tedeschi Band; electric bassist Felix Pastorius, 30-year-old son of Jaco, hired on the recommendation of Flecktones bassist Victor Wooten (Felix also plays with the Grammy-winning Yellowjackets); and drummer Jeff Sipe, another longtime collaborator and a founding member of rock experimentalists the Aquarium Rescue Unit. Special guest Lionel Loueke, the Beninese singer-guitarist, is featured on two numbers, including the like-named "Loueke," composed by Coffin and Pastorius.

"All of my favorite musicians -- Ornette Coleman and Louis Armstrong and Bob Dylan and Radiohead -- have a similar quality," says Coffin. "They all give me goose bumps. I think if you're not getting goose bumps from what you're doing, if your hair isn't standing on end, then the music is missing something. That's what I'm looking for when I play and write and explore. Improvisation is, by original definition, about surprise or the unexpected. I want to be surprised."

Indeed, the Mu'tet's name was inspired by the Shelley poem, "Mutability" (Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow; Nought may endure but Mutability").

When Jeff Coffin enrolled in the renowned jazz program at North Texas State (now called the University of North Texas), many of his fellow saxophonists were trying to emulate Michael Brecker, Bob Berg, and Bob Mintzer. Coffin became determined to find his own voice.

A turning point came when a percussionist at the school turned Coffin on to African music. Coffin was carried away by the revelatory Juju music of Nigeria's King Sunny Ade, Congolese field recordings, and much more. "It changed my life," he says. "Just realizing there was this ceremonial music for everything: for birth, death, puberty, marriage, rain, drought. I had no idea it existed. Listening to these four- and five-year-old African kids dancing and singing in polyrhythms blew my mind."

Coffin's hunger for different kinds of music, from Asia and Europe and India as well as New Orleans and Mississippi, has never stopped. He made the unusual (for an improvising musician) move to Nashville in 1991 because "it felt like New England to me." (Coffin, 47, was born in Massachusetts and grew up there and in Maine and New Hampshire.)

In 1997 Coffin made his solo recording debut with the Jeff Coffin Ensemble's Outside the Lines, featuring Fanning. That same year he joined Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, remaining with the group until 2010 (and earning three Grammys during his tenure). Following the 2008 death of saxophonist LeRoi Moore, a founding member of Dave Matthews Band, Coffin joined DMB. He's featured on their upcoming CD Away from the World, to be released September 11, and is the subject of a cover story in DownBeat magazine's October issue.

The Mu'tet debuted in 2001 with Go Round, followed by Bloom (2004), Mutopia (2008), the double-CD set Live! (2011), and the belatedly released 1997 recording, 3iomusik.A passionate music educator and a top Yamaha Performing Artist/Clinician, Jeff Coffin has presented more than 300 clinics at schools of all kinds around the world. "I love teaching and being involved with students," he says. "I feel it might be the most important thing I do. I hope students experience something beautiful and life-changing through music."

Upcoming clinics include: 8/14 PM Woodwind, Evanston, IL; 8/16 Summerhays Music, Murray, UT; 8/17 Caleb Chapman Music, American Fork, UT (with a Mu'tet performance that evening at Downtown Jazz at Gallivan Center, Salt Lake City); and 8/20 Saxquest, St. Louis, MO.

Jeff Coffin & the Mu'tet will be appearing 8/10-12 at Blues Alley, Washington, DC; 8/13 Nighttown, Cleveland; and 8/18 Snowbasin Resort, Huntsville, UT, with additional dates to be announced.

HIROMI - MOVE

Move features contra-bass guitarist Anthony Jackson and drummer Simon Phillips

On her 2011 album, Voice, Hiromi sought to capture people’s “inner voices” and strove to create what she called a “three-dimensional sound.” For that album, the Japanese composer/pianist assembled a trio that included herself and two veteran players – contra-bass guitarist Anthony Jackson (Paul Simon, The O’Jays, Steely Dan, Chick Corea) and drummer Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who, Judas Priest, David Gilmour, Jack Bruce). While Hiromi had played with Jackson prior to recording Voice, she had never recorded an entire album with either him or Phillips.

“I had such a great time recording with them, and we went on the road together and that was even more fun,” she says. “As soon as we started playing live shows, we grew up as a band. It was the biggest fun I’ve ever had in my life musically. That’s why I wanted to do another record. I couldn’t let it go. I wanted to do it again.”
While on the road, Hiromi started writing music for a follow-up, Move, set for U.S. release March 5, 2013 on Telarc, a division of Concord Music Group. (European release date is October 2, 2012.) “Because I had been playing with Anthony and Simon for quite a bit, I just started to understand their characteristics, and I could find a hidden gem in their playing,” she explains. “As a composer, I really wanted to write the songs especially for them, and I wanted to extract the unique beauty of their playing.”

When it came time to go into the studio to record Move, the trio was able to record quickly and effortlessly since many of the songs had been road-tested. Recorded by GRAMMY®-winning producer and engineer Michael Bishop at Aire Born Studios in Zionsville, Indiana, Move, like Voice, has an overriding theme, which Hiromi describes as “time in one day.”

“You wake up and go to work and then hang out,” she says. “The album is like a soundtrack for a day.” The opening title-track begins with an undulating piano riff that mimics the sound of a ringing alarm. “It’s one of the most difficult pieces I’ve ever written,” says Hiromi. “I had great musicians with me, and we worked hard on that song. In the studios and rehearsals, we spent a lot of time to play it right. It’s very tricky because when a song sounds difficult, it’s not fun. It has to groove and it has to go beyond ‘this is a difficult song.’ It has to make you groove and feel the rhythm. To reach that point really took some time.”

The groove deepens on “Endeavor,” a tune that starts off with a funky guitar riff that gives way to beautiful piano solos before diving back into the funk. “It has a lot of tricks with rhythm so that when you’re feeling the groove and shaking your head with the music, it slips backwards,” explains Hiromi. “Then it slips back again. It has a lot of tricks rhythmically. I really like putting these small treasures in the songs because it’s like treasure hunting.”

The album’s centerpiece is a three-part suite divided into segments entitled “Reality,” “Fantasy” and “In Between.” “I really like writing suites,” says Hiromi. “I’ve done it a couple of times in the past and it’s good for the writer to come up with a big story. I always want to tell stories with my music. I always see visuals, and I always think about music like a select story. I have so much fun writing these songs that are about contrary things like your frustrations and also the fight in yourself. It took awhile to finish and there is a main theme in each song so by the third piece, if you listen to it carefully you will hear the main theme. I like that kind of musical trick.”

The album comes to a close with “11:49 PM,” an 11-minute song designed to mark the end of one day and the beginning of a new one.

“Before you go to bed, you think through what you have been through and you think and all these emotions come out,” says Hiromi. “I think the nighttime is the most emotional time of the day, especially when you’re at home. I don’t know what makes people think that but it’s just the night. People show so much more emotion and heart in that particular time of the day. I started to write a song about it. Whenever I wrote [‘11:49 PM’], it was always at nighttime. I went through all these emotions.”

PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND - ST. PETER & 57TH ST.

Features guests such as George Wein, Del McCoury Band, Allen Toussaint, Ed Helms, GIVERS, Steve Earle, Tao Seeger, My Morning Jacket, Trombone Shorty, Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), King Britt, Blind Boys of Alabama, and Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs

 In commemoration and celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the iconic venue Preservation Hall, the prolific New Orleans jazz legends Preservation Hall Jazz Band are set to release a live recording of the band's acclaimed January 7th performance at Carnegie Hall. Entitled St. Peter and 57th (September 25, Rounder Records), the album will feature a number of special guests from an assortment of genres including, George Wein, Del McCoury Band, Allen Toussaint, Ed Helms, GIVERS, Steve Earle, Tao Seeger, My Morning Jacket, Trombone Shorty, Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), King Britt, Blind Boys of Alabama, and Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs. This performance was a family reunion in many ways, as Preservation Hall Jazz Band have previously worked with each of their guest musicians over the course of the past 7 years, continuing their mission to preserve and perpetuate traditional New Orleans-Style Jazz. The concert was orchestrated to benefit the Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program, directly supporting the passing of the musical and cultural traditions of New Orleans to the city's next generation of musicians. A portion of the proceeds from the album will also benefit the program. The band is also sharing "St. James Infirmary, Part 1" featuring My Morning Jacket's Jim James, which just premiered on Pitchfork.

Continuing the hullabaloo, Preservation Hall Jazz Band will be celebrating the 80th Birthday of clarinetist, saxophonist and flutist Charlie Gabriel at their Brooklyn, NY performance at Brooklyn Bowl on August 4th. Gabriel is a fourth-generation New Orleans jazz musician, raised in a classically trained musical family that emigrated from Santo Domingo in the 1850s. At the age of eleven, Gabriel began playing professionally with the Eureka Jazz Band. Spanning the course of his career, Gabriel has shared the stage with musical legends Tony Bennett, Frankie Avalon, Brenda Lee, Mary Wells, Aretha Franklin, Eddie Willis, Joe Hunter, and many other early Motown artists. Gabriel continues to follow in the footsteps of Preservation Hall Jazz Band/New Orleans' greatest clarinetists including George Lewis, Willie Humphrey, David Grillier, Manuel Crusto, and Ralph Johnson.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band has been carrying the distinctive sound of New Orleans jazz around the world on behalf of Preservation Hall, a unique venue that embodies the city’s musical legacy. With a cast of musicians schooled through first-hand experience and apprenticeship into the music’s historic traditions, the PHJB has served as an irreplaceable, vital link to the earliest days of one of America’s most beloved forms of popular music.

JOSS STONE - THE SOUL SESSIONS VOLUME 2

Joss Stone has been obsessed with soul music since she was a little girl. By the time she was in her early teens she had begun to intuitively hone her now trademark gravelly-but-lustrous vocals by singing along to Aretha’s Franklin’s Greatest Hits. She began pursuing a singing career at thirteen, securing a record deal at 15, and recording her star-making debut album, The Soul Sessions, which was released in 2003. 10 years on from those stunning debut sessions, Joss has decided to bring things full circle and revisit where it all began - with her follow up to that multi million selling debut; The Soul Sessions Volume 2 is a stunning exercise in vocal poise, passion and power, showcasing some great songs and an artist at the peak of her vocal powers.

Following her critically acclaimed arrival on the music scene (which preceded the plethora of soul-inspired female artists that came along in her wake) things took off for Joss in an enormous way. Her second record, 2004’s Mind Body & Soul capitalized on The Soul Sessions’ commercial momentum and critical adoration and earned Stone three Grammy nominations, including one for Best New Artist. It also spawned a self-penned UK Top 10 single, “You Had Me”, and earned her Two Brit Awards that same year. Her third album, 2007’s Introducing Joss Stone, was a more independent, less packaged effort, on which Joss further showcased her songwriting abilities, and revealed the singer had truly been embraced by the American audience when it crashed into the US charts at No.2, marking the highest debut ever for a female British solo artist on the Billboard charts. With over 11 million album sales to date and a wealth of experience under her belt, including recent collaborations on record with the likes of Dave Stewart and Mick Jagger (her latest musical adventures), 2012 seemed like the right time to return to The Soul Sessions model from a new perspective.

In her short young life and already long career, Joss has performed onstage with the likes of James Brown, Gladys Knight, Solomon Burke, Blondie, Smokey Robinson and Melissa Etheridge among many others. She’s contributed to albums by Jeff Beck and Ringo Starr, played the Super Bowl pre-game show, performed on the Grammy’s, - and indeed won a Grammy herself! In her twenty-five years she’s participated in more moments of absolute musical wonder than most people can hope for in an entire lifetime. And she’s approached it all with a sense of independence and joie de vivre. Stone has always been a bit of a rebel, whether she’s dancing barefoot onstage or dyeing her hair various colors or speaking out on issues she’s passionate about, part of what her fans love about her is that she’s a free- spirit, following her own instincts at all times.

The past few years have seen further albums: 2009’s Color Me Free and 2011 saw two releases – Joss’ own debut album release on her label Stone’d Records, LP1, (written and recorded with Dave Stewart) and a collaboration project, Superheavy, with Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart, Damien Marley and AR Rahman.

Despite some of the dramas that have followed or beset Stone in her short life so far, it is her approach to music - intuitive and freeform – merged with the backdrop of nearly a decade of hard-earned experience in the industry – that characterises the Stone mindset. If she wants to do something badly enough she gets it done, no matter what the obstacles – but only if she’s having fun along the way. And she had been thinking for a while that it would be a LOT of fun to revisit where it all began and re explore the vibe of the first Soul Sessions album - this time as a fully formed artist, just turned 25, with the life experience now behind her that was, by definition, somewhat limited first time around at 15 years of age. A phone call with the man who signed her as a teenager, Steve Greenberg at S-Curve Records, and as is often the case with Stone, an idea quickly became a reality – The Soul Session Volume 2 - this time as a joint venture between the two. A stellar cast of musicians, including Ernie Isley on guitar, Delbert McClinton and original Muscle Shoals Swamper Clayton Ivey was gathered together for an electrifying session in Nashville.

Stone commented: “I really had fun revisiting The Soul Sessions idea and I’m really pleased with the results. I’ve committed long term to my label Stone’d Records, but it felt right to team up with Steve and S-Curve again for this release. I think there are some great songs on the album and I loved performing them with such brilliant musicians - so I hope people enjoy it.”

The Soul Sessions Volume 2 includes versions of classic tracks such as ‘(For God’s Sake) Give More Power To The People’ (originally recorded by the Chi Lites) and ‘The Love We Had (Stays on my Mind)’ by the Dells, as well as stunning future single ‘The High Road’ - a stone-cold soul makeover of Broken Bells’ cult hit. Other stand- outs include a classy version of Womack & Womack’s ‘Teardrops’ and a laid back take Sylvia’s ‘Pillow Talk’. The first single from the album will be the uptempo summer sound of ‘While You’re Out Looking For Sugar’, originally recorded by The Honey Cone. It all adds up to a stunning album that showcases an assured artist, comfortable in her skin, and a timely reminder of why we fell in love with Joss Stone in the first place. ~ jossstone.com

BOBBY HUTCHERSON - SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT

New York City is the jazz capital of the world and Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in Jazz at Lincoln Center is one of the music's greatest venues. On October 10, 2009, over the course of two sold-out sets, legendary vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson recorded what would become Somewhere In The Night. The album, which is being released on Kind of Blue Records on September 25, also features theJoey DeFrancesco Trio -- guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Byron Landham as well as its organist namesake.

Of the organist, Hutcherson says, "One thing about Joey, he knows how to play. He doesn't play at the same volume all the time. He can play very soft and then he can increase his volume a lot. Because of that, he's very aware of what volume to play with the vibraphone. Even while he's soloing, he plays at different volumes. It makes it really good, you know." He continues, "Although he's full of ideas, he never gets in the way because he sure is very good at tempo. And I don't mean tempo as speed... I mean tempo as being able to understand what he's playing at any speed, you know, the tempo of life. He paces his notes, so they don't come out cluttered. He understands how to deliver a certain thing, and that's an important thing to do."

Somewhere In The Night manages to capture the live energy of a band in top form. The opening track "Teddy", written for Hutcherson's youngest son, sees the vibes master build a mammoth improvisation that builds in intensity and tempo, while "Little B's Poem", written for Hutcherson's oldest son and the composer's most famous work, is given new life nearly fifty years later by rephrasing the melody into a vamp that leads into a spectacular group improv.

Hutcherson pays tribute to his late mentor, Milt Jackson, on the legend's "SKJ", and displays his virtuosity on Duke Ellington's "Take the Coltrane". Coltrane's "Wise One" was the title track of a previous Kind of Blue release by Hutcherson and is reinterpreted here thanks to DeFrancesco's accompaniment. The organist leads with an improvisation before Bernstein and Hutcherson contribute their touching statements on the melody.

Hutcherson says of the title track of the album, "every time I play with Joey, we play that. I always love to hear Joey and listen to his bass line. Yeah, and that tempo, there's a longing feeling in it." Both Hutcherson and DeFrancesco showcase their ballad chops on Ned Washington and Victor Young's "My Foolish Heart". The vibraphonist says, "it's good to think about the song, singing the lyric, because you know the instrument should be something of a voice. It should be an extension of it. The things that you listen to that really grab you right away are things that make you feel like it's human."

George and Ira Gershwin's "S'Wonderful" closes out the album and features the quartet all swinging with abandon as the crowd tingles with participatory electricity. As Todd Barkan, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola's veteran producer, put it after Hutcherson and crew's set, "Take care of the music and it will take care of you."

Hutcherson, a California native and long time resident of Half Moon Bay, spent his formative years in New York, arriving there more than fifty years ago. Hutcherson has put his stamp on jazz both as a leader and as a sideman on classic records such as Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch and Jackie McLean'sOne Step Beyond. Among the constant gigging and studio sessions, Hutcherson recorded two albums in the mid-sixties pairing vibes with the Hammond organ, a popular combination of the era. Grant Green's Street of Dreams (1964) and Big John Patton's Let 'Em Roll (1965) went largely overlooked but saw Hutcherson's melodious sound combine with the Hammond to produce a blanket of silky resonance. Forty years would pass before the vibraphonist reteamed with the B3 on Joey DeFrancesco's Organic Vibes. Somewhere In The Night continues the relationship between the two musicians.

Somewhere In The Night Track/Personnel Listing:
1. Teddy (Bobby Hutcherson) - 9:05
2. Little B's Poem (Bobby Hutcherson) - 8:06
3. Skj (Milt Jackson) - 8:25
4. Take the Coltrane (Duke Ellington) - 9:05
5. Wise One (John Coltrane) - 11:21
6. Somewhere In The Night (Billy May) - 8:31
7. My Foolish Heart (Victor Young) - 8:34
8. S'Wonderful (George Gershwin) - 6:23

Bobby Hutcherson: Vibes
Joey DeFrancesco: Hammond B-3 Organ
Peter Bernstein: Guitar
Byron Landham: Drums

RONI BEN-HUR / SANTI DEBRIANO / DUDUKA DA FONSECA - OUR THING

The idea and inspiration for Our Thing was born in the summer of 2011 within the walls of the beautiful Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Sardaigne, a 12th century church atop the tiny village of Saint Cezaire, France, where guitarist/composer Roni Ben-Hur and bassist/composer Santi Debriano co-lead a much-lauded annual jazz camp. This duo's eagerly awaited annual concert has become the centerpiece event of Festi-Jazz, the festival held in this quaint French village each summer, founded, curated and conducted by Ben-Hur and Debriano with Fred Rouquier and the Festi Jazz Committee. Our Thing producer Timothy L. Porter was amongst the sold-out crowd of locals and internationals this particular evening (with a portion of the overflowing audience seated under the stars on the steps of the chapel and in the parking area). He sets the scene in the album's liner notes, "as the concert got underway, and indeed throughout the mesmerizing performance, the audience was enthralled, and their excitement as well as our own fueled the resolve of Ted Sanella, my co-producer, and me to share the experience more broadly by arranging for the recording and release of this debut album documenting the long time collaboration of Roni Ben-Hur and Santi Debriano."

Our Thing, which features these stellar musicians on disc together for the first time, is, in essence, a continuation of the sublime musical conversations Ben-Hur and Debriano have shared over the years in Saint Cezaire, with Da Fonseca adding another brilliant, international element. These distinguished members of the jazz diaspora, Ben-Hur (Tunisia via Israel), Debriano (Panama) and Da Fonseca (Brazil), form a trio that is anything but typical. They represent the colorful world of New York City’s jazz scene today, each hailing from a distant culture with the experience of travelling and performing around the globe. Porter elaborates, "their métier may be jazz, and their home may be the New York City area, but their musical conversations transcends and incorporates a world dialog and their conversations utilize rhythms and harmonies from their own North African, Latin, Middle-Eastern and Brazilian origins, sounds reflecting their mutually intense research into the jazz idiom, as well as many other sounds traded and learned along their way." The eleven tunes on Our Thing comprise seven original compositions by these musicians, as well as four unique treatments of well known standards (from Monk, Jobim, and Berlin); a collection that reflects many of strands of the jazz tradition, while being strikingly fresh, original and of the moment.

Roni Ben-Hur is rightfully proud of his many fruitful decades in New York City. He was one of the first Israeli jazz musicians to make his mark in New York City (paving the way for the influx of talented Israeli musicians to follow), emigrating to the United States in 1985 and quickly forming long-lasting connections with some jazz's legendary figures, such as Barry Harris (an integral member of the pianist's band from 1991 to 2007), Walter Booker, Chris Anderson, Cecil Payne, Earl May, and many others. While our immigration laws did their best to keep Ben-Hur out, his fellow artists welcomed him with open arms, based on the fact that Ben-Hur could more than take care of business, delivering big as a musician, and as a human being. "I was incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to be around many of the important jazz artists in New York, hanging out with them, sharing the stage and studio, so many meals and good times. This ongoing experience has taught me a great deal about what this music is really about in ways that could never be taught in a classroom. It has shaped my musical development in a profound way, and I refer to it often when teaching, recording and performing around the world", said Ben-Hur.

Ben-Hur has gone on to release a steady stream of highly-successful and acclaimed albums under his own leadership, including Signature (2005), Keepin' It Open (2007), Fortuna (2009), Smile (a highly praised duet recording with fellow guitarist Gene Bertoncini), and Mojave (2011), all on the groundbreaking label, Motema (www.Motema.com). Ben-Hur's new album for the label, Our Thing, is a co-led trio recording with bassist/composer Santi Debriano, and featuring Duduka Da Fonseca, to be released August 14, 2012 on Motema.

Ben-Hur has established himself as a respected educator, over the years exposing thousands of amateur and professional musicians to the joys of jazz and Latin music. Ben-Hur is the founder and director of the popular jazz program at New York’s Kaufman Center. Ben-Hur is also responsible for spreading the gospel about jazz as one of the music's most active international ambassadors: in collaboration with Debriano, he created and runs the aforementioned jazz camp in Saint Cezaire, France (www.festijazzsc.com). With Nilson Matta, he launched and directs the Samba Meets Jazz Camp in Bar Harbor, Maine and Paraty, Brazil (www.sambameetsjazz.com). These camps offers adult jazz amateurs an opportunity to learn jazz and Latin music, while living and interacting with the community, and have become major attractions in these regions, garnering major press attention. This year, he also started, with his wife, vocalist Amy London, a weeklong seminar in Istanbul, Turkey, called "Jazz and Samba-Istanbul". Ben-Hur's instructional book and CD, Talk Jazz Guitar and his new DVD, Chordability, are popular and respected jazz education tools, both available at www.Ronibenhur.com and www.Motema.com.

Bassist/composer Santi Debriano has studied composition at Union College in New York, and then attended the New England Conservatory of Music and Wesleyan University. He worked with Archie Shepp in the late 70's and early 80's, then moved to Paris and played with Sam Rivers for three years. Upon his return to New York City the bassist has enjoyed associations with the likes of Don Pullen, Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Fortune, Billy Hart, Larry Coryell, Chucho Valdes, Hank Jones, Cecil Taylor, Randy Weston, Freddie Hubbard, Kirk Lightsey, Attila Zoller and many others. Debriano has led several of his own units, including small groups in the late 1980s and Circlechant, a world music-influenced ensemble that has had among its members, Helio Alves, Will Calhoun, and Abraham Burton. His latest endeavor is Our Thing, with guitarist Roni Ben-Hur and featuring Duduka Da Fonseca. Debriano was also the music director for arts at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, New Jersey, and was given an award for jazz education by New York University in 2001.

Drummer Duduka Da Fonseca has a special affinity for the trio format. He is well known as the drummer from the popular Trio Da Paz, and is a Grammy nominated artist for his work with Brazilian Trio, which signed to Motema this year for their second CD, Constelaçao, which has gained considerable praise.

~ www.motemea.com

NEW RELEASES - CHICO HAMILTON / PAUL HORN, STEVE DAVIS, DAVE BRUBECK / PAUL DESMOND QUARTET / CAL TJADER QUARTET

CHICO HAMILTON WITH PAUL HORN


Unusual material from Chico Hamilton – recorded around the same time as his groundbreaking work for Pacific Jazz – but for the smaller Crown/Modern label in LA! The format's a bit unusual, and changes a bit throughout the record – showing Chico's already-strong ear for creative formats that go way beyond conventional jazz. There are 2 numbers at the end of side 2 featuring Chico in the familiar chamber jazz lineup, with Fred Katz on cello and Paul Horn on reeds – "Crazy Cats" and "Lord Randall". The rest of the tracks feature the stringed instruments handling most of the melody, in a free floating style that's got the same "modern yet swinging" approach of some of Jimmy Giuffre's best late 50s recordings, which ultimately places it in a similar context to the chamber jazz numbers. Titles include "Porch Light", "Autumn Landscape", "Uyawda", "Lolly Pop", "Pluck It", "Katz Up", "Crazy Cats", and "Lord Randall". ~ Dusty Groove

STEVE DAVIS – GETTIN' IT DONE

Steve Davis definitely gets it done with this sweet little set – just the kind of record that enforces all the love we've had for his talents over the years! Davis' sound on trombone is totally tops – tight, yet with a soulful flourish that really takes off on his solos – a sort of boldness that's more than enough to inspire the players in his group, as does his set of well-penned original compositions for the set! Davis never lets us down, and this album's the kind of soulful swinger that will have us checking him out for years to come – a set that features Josh Bruneau on trumpet, Mike DiRubbo on alto, Larry Willis on piano, Nat Reeves on bass, and Billy Williams on drums – and tunes that include "Getting It Done", "Steppin Easy", "Alike", "The Beacon", and "Wishes". ~ Dusty Groove

DAVE BRUBECK / PAUL DESMOND QUARTET / CAL TJADER QUARTET

Rare work from the San Francisco scene of the 50s – issued here on the Crown label, who usually just focused on the sounds of LA! As usual with Crown, the notes are a bit vague – but we can say that the set features some sparkling material that really matches the Fantasy Records 50s best of all players – although with a vibe that's slightly more rough around the edges – but we mean that in a good way! The set begins with a long take on Brubeck's haunting "At A Perfume Counter" – almost more of a showcase for the alto of Paul Desmond, which takes some turns and twists that are simply breathtaking – and which will have you raising your love of his talents another notch – if that's possible at all. Next is Desmond as a leader in the haunting "Purple Moon" – a number with a bottom bassy intensity that's a perfect foil for Paul's raspy alto in the lead. Last up is Cal Tjader on "Jazz Latino" – a number that's got a cool blend of vibes, piano, and guitar! ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES - COLEMAN HAWKINS, JOHN DANSER, BUDDY COLLETTE

COLEMAN HAWKINS - COLEMAN HAWKINS AND HIS ORCHESTRA


An obscure session that was nearly lost, because it was issued on a cheapo label – but which features some really great work from Coleman Hawkins! The format is small combo, with long tracks that really open up – and Hawk is blowing in that fantastic mode that he began to use a lot around the end of the 50s. His tone is incredible – at once deep and soulful, but also touched with some raspiness and a bit of a biting reed approach – almost a bit of Sonny Rollins at times, with a sound that really makes us want to listen to more work from this fruitful (and overlooked) time in Hawk's career! Players include Thad Jones on trumpet, Eddie Costa on piano and vibes, George Duvivier on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums – and titles include "Bean In Orbit", "Stalking", "Moodsville", and "Hassle". ~ Dusty Groove

JOHN DANSER – DANSER’S FINEST: RARE TREACKS 1959 - 1985

A massive tribute to the overlooked John Danser – a force on the New York scene for decades – but an artist whose genius is only finally getting its due! Danser's 70s groovers have been causing ripples with crate diggers for years – but this set stretches back to show the full picture of the mighty man – and includes some brilliant numbers that blend hardbop and Latin jazz, others which have a groovy sort of soundtrack feel, and some of the more classic Danser modes – which come across in a funky big band style that's mighty nice! Notes are all in Japanese, so we can't tell you much about the dates or players – but the grooves alone are more than worth the price of admission, and have a soulful brilliance that speaks volumes on their own. Titles include "Burnito", "The Wanderer", "Bossana", "The Alcove", "Moods", "Mucho Loco", "Istanbul Express", and "Have Axe Will Swing". ~ Dusty Groove

BUDDY COLLETTE – BOSSA NOVA

A really cool bit of bossa jazz from reedman Buddy Collette – an artist who's not as well associated with the genre as Stan Getz or Paul Desmond – but who really cooks nicely here! The setting is relatively lean and groovy – with guitar from Howard Roberts, bass from Mel Pollan, and percussion from Leo Acosta and Darias – both of whom bring a nice sort of west coast vibe to the set, one that's different from some of the Verve bossa modes of the time. Jim Helms handled the arrangements, with a nice airy sort of mode – and Buddy plays both tenor and flute, on titles that include "Nao Pode Ser", "Porque De Moras", "A Pele Do Marfin", "A Meie Noite", "Samba Da Tartaruga", and "Amor Levado". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES - BOB BROOKMEYER, CHICO HAMILTON, ORRIN EVANS

BOB BROOKMEYER FEATURING JOHN WILLIAMS & RED MITCHELL

Wonderful work from trombonist Bob Brookmeyer – a record that easily stands next to some of his best Verve recordings of the 50s! The core of the set features Bob Brookmeyer in quartet mode, working with John Williams on piano, Frank Isola on drums, and either Bill Anthony or Red Mitchell on bass. The group's got a very Getz-like approach – one that's clean and modern, but with a looseness that's different from the way a west coast combo might have handled the material. Bob's horn is great throughout – blowing cleanly, but with a good deal of feeling – miles from the more trad modes of other trombonists of the mainstream at the time, and really sparkling on a set of tunes that includes "Last Chance", "Red Devil", "The Blues", "Doe Eyes", and "Liberty Bell". Two more tracks – "Slow Freight" and "Brook's Blues" – feature a great lineup with Bob on piano – alongside Jim Hall on guitar, Ralph Pena on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums – plus guest tenor from Jimmy Giuffree on one track, played in a way that's a great reminder he can hit a soulful, bluesy tone when he wants to! ~ Dusty Groove

CHICO HAMILTON – THE GREAT CHICO HAMILTON FEATURING PAUL HORN

An obscure release by Chico Hamilton – but with some really great moments that more than rival his famous sides for Pacific Jazz in the 50s! The set was issued on the obscure Crown label, and is a bit short on notes – but side one features work by Chico's early trio – a cool group with either Howard Roberts or Jim Hall on guitar, and George Duvivier on bass – really sounding open and airy, yet swinging too – on titles that include "Nutty", "Skinned Strings", "Street Of Drums", and "Blues On The Rocks" – played by a group that seems to feature bass, drums, and guitar. Even better, though, is side two, which features the more complicated "Suite For Horn" – a long piece built around the flute work of Paul Horn – presented here with a shorter track called "Montuna", which is mostly just heavy percussion, bass, and very noisy cello from Fred Katz! ~ Dusty Groove

ORRIN EVANS – FLIP THE SCRIPT

Exactly the kind of bold, powerful album that pianist Orrin Evans does so well – stretching out strongly, yet never going too far to swing – driving his trio here with a great deal of force, and definitely reminding us that the pianist is in the lead! Evans' touch on the keys is amazing – ringing out with clarity of vision right from the start – and although he gets very able support from Ben Wolfe on bass and Donald Edwards on drums, it's almost as of Orrin's ringing out all on his own, and drawing the rhythms along in the process! Titles include "When", "Big Small", "Clean House", "Flip The Script", and "Question". ~ Dusty Groove

THE BRIAN BOGGESS GROUP DEBUT EP

The Brian Boggess Group releases Debut EP - (Midnight Snack Records) on limited edition vinyl and iTunes, including the featured video, "Mistress Anya Knees."

The Brian Boggess Group is a New York City rock band that conjures up a broad scope of classic influences, wielding sharp musical instincts and a twist of madness. Brian spent his formative years in New York City, the Pacific Ring of Fire, and Hong Kong. When Boggess decided it was time to record, he had a very specific idea in mind: “I’ve always considered analog recording superior to digital recording, at least for what I do.” Boggess says, “I wanted to make a vinyl record.”

The EP opens with “Indigo,” firmly establishing a unique and literate voice with broad strokes of avant jazz and power-pop hooks. The introspective slow burn of “Jack Knife” jangles with a haunting melody; amid its air condition-cool cynicism, the lyrics reveal an unbending perseverance in the face of strife. The playfully perverse, rockin’, and tongue in cheek “Mistress Anya Knees” kicks off side two of the vinyl which is followed by the anthemic closer “I Remember When.”

The EP was recorded onto 2" tape with Grammy-winning engineer Geoff Sanoff at Stratosphere Sound, and with the addition of longtime friend and renowned jazz pianist Jon Davis (Jaco Pastorius, Stan Getz) on organ. Grammy-nominated engineer Joe Lambert (Washed Out) mastered the record and cut the lacquers for the 12” vinyl.

You can learn more about The Brian Boggess Group and listen to the album (streaming) on the website at: http://www.brianboggessgroup.com

DAREN BURNS - FEAR IS NOT THE NATURAL STATE OF CIVILIZED PEOPLE

Bassist/composer Daren Burns releases first solo album “Fear is not the Natural State of Civilized People” a four-Part Suite dedicated to freedom fighters Geronimo, Gandhi, Aung San Suu Kyi, And Fela Kuti. Features composer/trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith of AACM fame.

Bassist, composer and educator Daren Burns (John “Drumbo” French of Captain Beefheart) has released Fear is not the Natural State of Civilized People, on Urban Nerds Records, a label Burns founded in 2009. Burns’ first solo album of original instrumental material, this intense and expressive 4-part suite realizes a creative path that began in 2006. The recording highlights Burns' unique visual composition style and displays his use of structured improvisation. Burns uses this technique to maintain compositional control while allowing the performers to “dialogue” with the material and contribute their own musicality, concepts, and spirit.

Described as a “post-fusion recording for the new world”, Fear is not the Natural State of Civilized People, features some of the best recorded work from the brash, multi-textured, avant-garde jazz trumpet player, Wadada Leo Smith (AACM, Anthony Braxton, John Zorn). It also includes longtime collaborators, and fellow California Institute of the Arts alumni, Sarah Phillips (piano), Scott Collins (guitar and loops) and Craig Bunch (drums). The albums unique electroacoustic sound spans stark, haunting ballads and dream-state meditations, to uptempo frenzies with driving grooves; all with imaginative solos that are marked by, Cecil Taylor-esque piano flourishes, imaginative post-tonal guitar backdrops, and a responsive, agile rhythm section.

About Fear is not the Natural State of Civilized People, Burns commented, “The title of this work is a quote from the Burmese political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi, and the music is my comment on the US post 9/11.” Besides Aung San Suu Kyi, the album is dedicated to, and inspired by, Goyathlay (Geronimo) the great Apache leader, Mohandas Gandhi the Indian revolutionary, Fela Kuti the Nigerian fighter of government corruption, and anyone else who believes that “life based on fear is not an option.” Burns also stated, “These four individuals put their lives on the line for their beliefs. How many others are really willing do that? Freedom comes with a cost, and you have to be willing to bet your life on it.”

The recording is the fourth release on the Urban Nerds label. Other releases include: Have We Met?, the debut by piano trio, 3 Squares and Beautiful Dreamer Vol. I & II by improvisatory, spoken word ensemble, Brandy Repairs Utah. The upcoming recording by Onibaba, Daren Burns’ ensemble with Craig Bunch, Scott Collins, Vinny Golia and George McMullen, will be the label’s fifth release in late 2012.

FRANK "PACO" STEWART - YOU ARE MY LIFE

There is no doubt that the bond of love between grandparents and grandchildren is truly a special one. For Frank "Paco" Stewart, a 65-year old retired real estate CEO and grandfather of five, there is no better way to express this love than through his passion for music. You Are My Life is an original song off of Stewart's third studio album.

Since entering retirement, Stewart has jumped with abandon into a second career of singing, songwriting and entertaining. He has recorded over fifty covers and original songs, including this most recent 16-song album You Are My Life, produced by Chris Billias at Bristol Recording Studios in Boston. Billias has worked closely with Stewart throughout the recording process, "When Frank said that he wanted to do a CD based on family, love and friendship, I thought 'what a perfect match'. You Are My Life is the essence of Frank Stewart. He is all about family, caring, nurturing and giving people the opportunity to reach their full potential."

When asked about the reasons for the budding success of his newly-found music career, Stewart pointed solely to his wife of 42 years, their three children and five grandchildren, “They are my true motivators and my life inspiration. My new CD and music video are really less about me than they are about my five precious grandchildren. Molly, Colby, Addy, Christian and Evan are the true stars of the video!" The music video for "You Are My Life" was recently filmed in Gloucester, MA by internationally acclaimed Vassili Shields Productions of Boston and can be viewed on YouTube and Vimeo.

Stewart is motivated by his simple desire to help people touch their inner most emotions through the vehicle of song; to help them celebrate their life’s blessings be it through laughter or even tears. He sings in the style of Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Andrea Bocelli and Neil Diamond, focusing on inspirational pop, oldies and faith-based classics. Bristol Recording Studios' senior producer Ric Poulin believes that this album is sure to touch the hearts of many, "Frank Stewart brings a high level of professionalism and attention to detail in everything he does. So of course he approaches his singing career in this fashion and as a result you have an artist with a voice, an album and a show that is right up there with the best." Stewart is currently entertaining throughout New England and has plans to bring his tour to the West Coast later this year.

Frank Stewart, known to family, friends and fans as "Paco" lives in Gloucester, MA with his wife of 42 years, Marjorie. He recently retired as the CEO of Northland Residential Corporation and for the past several years he has set his sights on pursuing his "second career" through touching people everywhere with the wonder of music. He believes that one of life’s great blessings is the gift of singing and that on truly special occasions music allows people to connect “soul to soul”, to feel good about themselves and all that life has to offer.

Frank’s musical heroes include contemporary artists such as Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Crawford and Ronan Tynan. He is equally at comfort belting out an Andrew Lloyd Webber hit from Phantom of the Opera, as he is in delivering an Andrea Bocelli version of a classical Ave’ Maria. He dearly loves Oldies of 1950’s-70’s vintage and loves to imitate Paul Anka, Neil Sadaka, The Platters, Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond to name just a few.

Paco has performed extensively in Boston’s North Shore locale and throughout New England at a myriad of faith-based events, weddings and memorial services, charity fund-raisers and stage productions. While his industry peers might certainly label his real estate career and legacy as an environmental steward as being proof of his life success, he would point in turn to words by Ralph Waldo Emerson that true success is “to laugh often and love much, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others and to give of one’s self, to leave the world a bit better and to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived – that is to have succeeded”. So listen to Paco and you may indeed find yourself breathing just a bit easier and relaxing with life.

www.facebook.com/frankpacostewart
www.reverbnation.com/frankpacostewart
www.myspace.com/pacothesinger

JOY MOVER RELEASES HER DEBUT CD, JOY MOVER

After many years of writing, producing and recording the music that is so very much a part of her DNA, singer /songwriter Joy Mover is taking her first giant step toward actualizing her lifelong vision with the release of her self-titled debut, Joy Mover.

To say that Joy’s roots are steeped in music is an understatement. Beginning with her great- grandfather, through her maternal and paternal grandparents and uncles, followed by her parents, brother and cousin, Joy’s family has long been populated with professional musicians and singers. A Boston native, Joy has added a new dimension to the family’s musical legacy with her ability to craft original songs, six of which see the light of day on Joy Mover, which has been released on her own Joy Mover Music label. Those originals share space on the album with her distinctive, inimitable take on such classic tunes as “Nature Boy,” “Till There Was You,” “Corcovado,” “Fever,” and “Dream A Little Dream of Me.”

Joy’s creative energy was so sparked when working on the material for this album that she also composed an original verse for the sultry “Fever,” and wrote rap lyrics to introduce her rendition of “Till There Was You,” layering a thoroughly modern attitude harmoniously atop the romantic standard with no trace of discord. Joy’s uncanny knack for attracting incredible musical talent to help her realize her vision, along with her ability to transcend eras and styles are key elements that set her apart from the multitude of talented vocalists working today. The legendary trumpeter, flautist, saxophonist, flugelhornist, and multi-Grammy®-recognized Ira Sullivan (who has known Joy since her childhood) emerged to add his distinctive stylings on trumpet, alto flute and tenor sax to four tracks. Joy’s brother, Bob Mover, an acclaimed saxophonist who has performed with such seminal jazz artists as Chet Baker and Charles Mingus and who is currently working with Esperanza Spalding, provides strong tenor sax support on 2 songs, offering up a stellar solo on “Till There Was You” and romping through “Nature Boy.”

“To follow Joy Mover in song is to exercise the mind. Sometimes easy and fluid, sometimes intricate and challenging, her voice is always… beautiful. Her original compositions possess wit. They are contemporarily ornate and her vocal expression is exciting.” - Ira Sullivan

The collection of artists participating in the making of Joy Mover is beyond impressive. From Joy’s hometown of Boston, guitarist/arranger John Paul, winner of a Billboard Song Achievement award, New England Music Company’s “Best Guitarist” award, and a spot among Jazziz magazine’s “International Top Ten Guitarists,” takes on guitar, bass, synth and vocal duties throughout the project, Paul also arranged several tracks, and co-wrote the instrumental chorus on Joy’s original, “Have You Ever Loved?” Drummer Vinny Damaio (Adam Ant, Jody Watley, Wilson Phillips, and Dianna Krall) provides rhythmic support on Joy’s utterly gorgeous rendition of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Corcovado,” as arranged by John Paul.

Hearkening back to her days at the University of Miami’s Jazz Vocal Department, Joy also makes use of a strong cadre of musicians from the South Florida musical arena, including: pianist/arranger Mike Levine (Jaco Pastorious Big Band, Ed Calle); bassists Jamie Ousley (upright) and Javier Carrion (electric): saxophonist and flutist Billy Ross (James Brown, Julio Iglesias, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme’), and drummers Sammy Levine and Lee Levin (who has performed with Ricky Martin, Julio Iglesias, the Bee Gees, and Jon Secada, and played on more than 1,000 recordings for such artists as Christina Aguilera, Pink, Nelly Furtado, Enrique Iglesias, and Kelly Clarkson). Guitarist Dan Warner (Celine Dion, Justin Timberlake, Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Enrique Iglesias), and percussionist/multi Grammy® Achievement Award winner, Richard Bravo, (Ricky Martin’s MTV Unplugged and Shakira’s multi-platinum Hips Don’t Lie) round out the stellar contingent.

Joy’s decision to combine her own striking original songs with distinctively unique interpretations of familiar material, and to surround herself with an assortment of players that both challenge and support her prodigious vocal talents is proof that while this eponymous album may be her recording debut, she is an artist with a boundless career ahead of her.

www.joymover.com

NEW RELEASES - ELZA SOARES, WALTER WANDERLEY, SOUL MUSIC BRASIL

ELZA SOARES – NEGRA

A fantastic collection of work from Elza Soares – one of Brazil's grooviest singers in the 60s, and an artist who sounded even better in the 70s! The set brings together 22 of Elza's classic albums for EMI/Odeon – 21of them recorded between the years 1960 and 1977, plus one more from 1988, and a disc of rare material too – an incredible amount of work from a singer who really helped transform the sound of Brazilian music! The package features two albums on each CD – which really means that you get a heck of a lot of great albums in the 12-disc set – not just early samba sides from Soares, but some cool late 60s groovy records, early 70s experiments, and great soulful sessions too. Plus, the set also features a bonus CD of rare samba tunes by Elza – most of which haven't appeared on CD before – material from singles and compilations that rounds out this amazing package! Most CDs come with bonus tracks too – and albums include Se Acaso Voce Chegasse, A Bossa Negra, O Samba E Elza Soares, Sambossa, Na Roda Do Samba, Um Show De Elza, Com A Bola Branca, O Maxima Em Samba, Elza Miltinho E Samba, Baterista Wilson Das Neves, Elza Miltinho E Samba Vol 2, Elza Carnaval & Samba, Elza Miltinho E Samba Vol 3, Sambas E Mais Sambas, Elza Pede Passagem, Sangue Suor E Raca, Elza Soares (1973), Elza Soares (1974), Nos Bracos Do Samba, Licao De Vida, Pilao Raca Elza, and Voltei. ~ Dusty Groove

WALTER WANDERLEY - FESTAS DANCANCTES VOL. 1

Amazing work from a key force in jazz organ – not Jimmy Smith, not Jack McDuff, but Brazilian musician Walter Wanderley! Not long after American artists first started hitting the Hammond for groovy sounds in the 50s, Wanderley picked up the instrument down in Brazil – and fused a jazz organ approach with lots of lively samba rhythms – to created a style that went onto become the stuff of legend, thanks to later crossover classics on Verve! The sounds here are those from Walter's roots – four albums recorded for EMI/Odeon at the start of the 60s – most of which we've never even seen in the original – which makes this reissue package even more essential! Many tracks were recorded in the early bossa nova years, and there's definitely a bossa jazz vibe to most numbers here – especially given the tight percussion, and Wanderley's great way with an easygoing groove. 4CD package features rare albums Eu Voce E Walter Wanderley (1959), Feito Sob Medida (1959), Successos Dancantes Em Ritmo De Romance (1960), and Sucesso E Samba (1960) – all totally great all the way through – remastered beautifully, with original cover art too! ~ Dusty Groove

SOUL MUSIC BRASIL (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A wonderful overview of the sound of soul music in Brazil – not the heavy beats of the booty-shaking crowd, or the mainstream R&B of the chart-toppers – but that real soul undercurrent inspired by the best work of American artists of the 60s and 70s – presented here in a great batch of classic and contemporary tracks! The package is equally weighted between the important samba soul generation of the 70s – a time when Brazilian music was really embracing American soul and funk – and work from the first decade of this century, too – made by key Brazilian artists who were going back to 70s roots, and finding new ways to re-work this wonderful blend of styles! There's a few artists here we might have missed otherwise – and the set features 18 tracks that include "Voce Vai Estar Na Minha" by Negra Li, "Colecao" by Cassiano, "Olhos Coloridos" by Sandra Sa, "Eu Nao Vou" by Fat Family, "E Descobridor Dos Sete Mares" by Tim Maia, "Vizinha" by Seu Jorge, "Oba La Vem Ela" by Jorge Ben, "As Dores Do Mundo (rmx)" by Hyldon & Bossacucanova, "Tem Espaco Na Van" by Ed Motta, "Maria Fumaca" by Banda Black Rio, and "Cuidado Com O Bulldog" by Wilson Simonal. ~ Dusty Groove

BRANDI DISTERHEFT - GRATITUDE

"She has the same lope or ryhthmical pulse as my late bass player, Ray Brown. She is what we call serious ." - Oscar Peterson

From her deep, resonating upright bass lines and potent improvisations, it is clear that 27-year-old Brandi Disterheft, an accomplished musician hailing from Vancouver and currently residing in New York City, has a healthy respect for the jazz tradition. A quick check of her bass mentors - Canada's Don Thompson (renowned for his collaborations with jazz guitar greats Lenny Breau, Sonny Greenwich and Jim Hall), Rufus Reid, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, Rodney Whitaker and, more recently, Ron Carter - gives an indication of her low-end pedigree. "I really do like that low end," says Brandi, "whether it's from Mingus playing so raw and passionately or the beautiful walking solos from Monk's bass player Larry Gales or Jimmy Blanton with Ellington and Sam Woodyard. I just love all that stuff. It feels good to listen to and feels good to play."

But to better understand where this talent deserving of wider recognition is truly coming from, you'd have to listen to her compositions. Which brings us to Gratitude, her third release as a leader and most accomplished outing to date. Accompanied by an all-star crew featuring fellow Canadian Renee Rosnes on piano along with alto sax burner Vincent Herring (a longtime member of Cedar Walton's group), flutist Anne Drummond, trumpeter Sean Jones and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, Disterheft reveals her abundant chops and infinite capacity to swing on this superb Justin Time Records release.

Few bassists this young have such a mature approach to the instrument or such a deep appreciation of jazz icons like Charles Mingus and Duke Ellington or revered songwriters like George Gershwin and Jimmy Van Heusen. But that's where Disterheft lives as a budding jazz musician-composer.

Her startling solo bass interpretation of Gershwin's "The Man I Love" is an instant indication of her commitment to the jazz tradition while her adventurous interpretation of Gene McDaniel's "Compared to What" (popularized by the classic Les McCann-Eddie Harris album, The Swiss Movement) has her updating that politically-tinged anthem to fit modern times. "I actually know that song from the Roberta Flack version (from her 1969 debut, First Take), which my teacher, Mr. Ron Carter, played on. That's why someone passed that song to me a few years ago. And I think it really corresponds to what's going on today with all the violence and all the controversy about the war in Afghanistan and how far do we want to go and to what degree do we want to go and nation-build in view of what's happening here with the economy. That song even has resonance in Canada, what with the pipelines and all the drilling going on up there and the potential environmental damage. The world is changing a lot right now and this song really relates to that sentiment. It raises the question, "Who are we trusting and who's in power?"

Elsewhere on Gratitude, Disterheft reveals her accomplished arco work on the relaxed "Blues for Nelson Mandela," then showcases her adeptness at writing horn harmonies along with her forcefully swinging bass lines on the title track, which she dedicates to her cousin David Jahns, who recently died following a bout with cancer. The briskly swinging "Portrait of Duke" was inspired by Ellington's Far East Suite while the gentle "Kissing the Cheek of Providence" straddles that line between rawness and elegance that Mingus regularly crossed. Disterheft shows a distinctive bounce on the swaggering quintet number "Open," then reveals a hauntingly beautiful vocal style on Van Heusen's oft-covered "But Beautiful." She also swings out on Rosnes' harmonically potent "Mizmahta" whispers her way through the dramatic and alluring "Le Regarder La Rencontrer Encore (Rendez-vous Indésirable)," sung in French. "It's basically a song about unrequited love," says Disterheft. "I'm singing: 'I'm here on the sixth floor and my fireplace is smoldering. I've woken up really early in the morning, I can't sleep. I'm shivering from my heart being broken.' And then I'm saying, 'Don't you remember making love under the branches? Can't you see that I'm dedicated to you? Please believe me that I love you. Come back to me. I'm crazy about you.'"

"I love singing in French," she adds. "It's almost like a different persona or different character when I'm singing. And for some reason, it feels very free. You can get as dramatic as you want when you sing in another language. Sometimes in English, maybe I would be quite bashful, but it seems like French is quite a romantic language and you have a lot of artistic freedom in that language. Growing up on the West Coast in Vancouver, you're not exposed to French that much. But I studied French in school and whenever I perform in Quebec, I always make sure to sing at least a few tunes in French. It's just part of the culture there."

Says Disterheft of her accomplished sidemen on Gratitude: "Renee Rosnes is from my high school...North Vancouver, Canada. We had the same band teacher. So I met her years ago and grew up listening to her music. Renee is one of my favorite players. She's got that beautiful touch and she swings so hard. Greg Hutchinson is someone I actually wrote a song for many years ago. He's always been one of my favorite drummers. I've been doing sessions at Vincent Herring's house for the last year and a half. I just love his playing in Cedar Walton's band. I just played with his band actually two weekends ago up at Smoke. He has this big, beautiful sound that has so much tradition, so much fire. And Sean Jones, who played with Wynton's band for years, is someone I met at jazz camp years ago. He's one of my favorite trumpeters. He always talks about how when you play music it's supposed to be about love. You're supposed to emulate love or portray love in music. That's an incredible message. And Anne Drummond is one of my best friends. We met back at the Sisters in Jazz Competition and she introduced me to a lot of people here in New York because she recorded with Stefon Harris and Kenny Barron and so many others. She's quite a composer and can play anything. She's on alto flute, bass flute and regular flute on this album."

Gratitude stands as an increment leap from Disterheft's 2007 Juno Award-winning Debut and 2009's Second Side. It heralds the arrival of a promising new talent from the North with a healthy respect for the bottom.

Gratitude - Track Listing/Personnel:
1. Blues for Nelson Mandela (Brandi Disterheft) - 7:46
2. Gratitude (For David Jahns) (Brandi Disterheft) - 3:01
3. Mizmahta (Ranee Rosnes) - 4:11
4. But Beautiful (Van Heusen/Burke) - 5:53
5. Portrait of Duke (Brandi Disterheft) - 5:48
6. Kissing the Cheek of Providence (Brandi Disterheft) - 8:17
7. Le Regarder La Rencontrer Encore (Rendez-vous Indésirable) (Brandi Disterheft) - 4:49
8. Open (Brandi Disterheft) - 6:48
9. The Man I Love (George and Ira Gershwin) - 2:16
10. Compared to What (Bonus Track) (Gene McDaniels) - 2:53

Brandi Disterheft: bass
Ranee Rosnes: piano
Vincent Herring: alto sax
Gregory Hutchinson: drums
Sean Jones: trumpet
Anne Drummond: flute

brandidisterheft.com

BOB BELDEN – TRANSPARENT HEART

Following on the heels of Animation's 2010 RareNoiseRecords debut, Asiento, and 2011's Agemo, saxophonist-composer-bandleader Bob Belden tells his own story on Transparent Heart. With his new Animation lineup consisting of young musicians hired from his alma mater, the University of North Texas (23-year-old keyboardist Roberto Verastegui, 24-year-old bassist Jacob Smith, 29-year-old trumpeter Pete Clagett and 20-year-old drummer Matt Young), Belden unveils a dark narrative as heard through the musical diary he has composed over 29 years of living in Manhattan.

An imposing electronic noir masterwork, Transparent Heart travels from Belden's initial awestruck impressions of New York City ("Terra Incognito") to his feelings of foreboding ("Urbanoia") and hope ("Cry in the Wind") as a city dweller on Manhattan's Upper West Side, to the pervasive angst of post-9/11 Manhattan ("Seven Towers," "Provocatism"). He also addresses the mass exodus of artists from the city ("Vanishment") and concludes his musical memoir with the clash of the social classes manifested in the Occupy Wall Street movement ("Occupy!"). Belden has concocted a powerful, provocative suite of music that is charged by the intensely driving, highly intuitive playing of his young energetic Animation band mates.

"This record is not a jazz record, it's about my life in Manhattan," says the Grammy® Award-winning composer-arranger-producer. "In essence, the music on Transparent Heart is a reflection of the lingering tension since 9/11. It's an honest look at Manhattan through music."

The concept for Transparent Heart has been in the making for more than 30 years. "I first visited Manhattan in 1979 when I was with Woody Herman's band. I'll never forget seeing the dark shadows, steam rising from the streets, crowds of strange people lingering in Times Square well past midnight, all the tall buildings and how they created a post-gothic canyon effect. That's 'Terra Incognito,' a term used by local residents to describe Central Park above 96th street. Darwinistic Urban Gentrification. The uncertain outcome of riding the subway late at night. Alphabet City. Bonfire of the Vanities. AIDS. Subway Gunman. Guardian Angels. Central Park jogger. Preppie murder. Sparks Steakhouse. That's 'Urbanoia.'"

"Cry in the Wind," with Clagett's muted trumpet carrying the melancholy theme reflects another Manhattan experience, "One night from inside my ground-floor studio apartment I heard the voice of a woman crying for help faintly mixed with the sound of the wind and rustling tree leaves. Bringing my phone outside, I saw this woman who had just been stabbed, and called 911. She reached up, grabbed my hand, and didn't let go until the ambulance got there. I helped this woman live because I cared. This tune is about hearing the cries in the wind of extreme loneliness and helplessness that are heard all the time throughout the city."

The darkly propulsive title track echoes the hard-hitting production that Bill Laswell brought to Herbie Hancock's 1983 hit single "Rock It." To listen to Transparent Heart is to think about Manhattan's self-reflective nature exemplified by extreme conflicts between physical/corporatist and social/humanist structures and the perpetual sense of energy that is created and dissipated illogically in light and shadow.

"Seven Towers" is Belden's reaction to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. As Belden reflects, "9/11 is a reaction to the power and influence that capital, centered in Manhattan and symbolically the World Trade Center, has on parts of the world, in the form of abject terrorism. I watched it happen from Chambers street in Lower Manhattan. This tune recreates my own autobiographical timeline of 9/11. It starts with the NORAD radio broadcast finding out a plane hit the North Tower; followed by the NYPD and NYFD responding. It's very haunting. I believe that this moment has defined the course of history for Manhattan as well as the world at large. This album is offered in deep respect to those who lost their lives that morning of September 11, 2001 and to the families that have to live with this loss forever."

"Provocatism" reflects the immediate aftermath of 9/11. "People fled the city as companies anticipated an economic downturn, laying off thousands upon thousands of workers. For years there were constant alerts, color-coded like a crayon book. Many small business, dependent on the World Trade Center complex, died after 9/11-replaced by the ubiquitous chain store, coffee shop, and branch-bank. The intense build up of the New York Police Department to the point of having one of the largest standing armies in the world, placing citizens under surveillance on the streets and in the subways-'stop and frisk' developed from this Quasi-military policing initiative."

""Vanishment" refers to the exodus of artists and musicians who couldn't afford to live in Manhattan anymore to a point where the localized creative culture is now gone. Musicians work here in the clubs, but don't live here. And you have this influx of college student musicians who have no real attachment to the city-it becomes a line on a resume. Thus, Manhattan post-9/11 is very different from the Manhattan that existed when I moved here in 1983."

The final track, "Occupy!" is the most intense and harrowing of Belden's musical memoir. His turbulent ode to the Occupy Wall Street movement is imbued with the sounds of screams and violence in the streets during clashes between protesters and police. "The Occupy movement is based on a psychological philosophy rather than political or industrial. These people are angry and frustrated with nowhere else to address their grievances, so they take to the streets-essentially declaring a philosophical war on Manhattan."

The musicians on Transparent Heart are the most talented of their generation, performing complex operatic improvisations, sounds, and textures. They are serious musicians deep into the subtle and not-so-subtle nature of this music. That they are virtually unknown to the jazz public is a blessing, as you will hear them tabula rasa, with no conditions on what to expect. From this point on you will expect greatness from each one of them.

For Belden, Transparent Heart is a musical tool to get people to think about social issues. "Music must be returned to its place as a social engineer; provoking thought amongst society. This record is not about tunes, solos, and arrangements, it's a way of telling a story that has something to do with my life, OUR lives, and for anyone who has ever landed with excitement, wonder, fear, and hope on this tiny island off of the coast of the United States. It's not being a musician, but rather a citizen."

Transparent Heart Track/Personnel Listing:
Produced by Bob Belden
All compositions by Bob Belden

1. Terra Incognito - 3:18
2. Urbanoia - 14:29
3. Cry In The Wind - 2:43
4. Transparent Heart - 7:27
5. Seven Towers - 16:32
6. Provocatism - 12:45
7. Vanishment - 3:52
8. Occupy! - 15:48

Bob Belden: soprano saxophone and alto flute
Pete Clagett: trumpet and effects
Jacob Smith: bass
Roberto Verastegui: keyboards and samplers
Matt Young: drums

ULI GEISSENDOERFER - COLORS

COLORS was founded in 2011 by Uli Geissendoerfer as an amalgam of his two earlier Las Vegas projects RED, A Latin Jazz powerhouse sextet and BLUE, a World Music quartet to octet. It is geared towards spanning the globe of Jazz, with a special emphasis on vocalist Pascale Elia and her interplay with saxophonist Charles McNeal. Ryan Rose and Derek Jones complete the high-energy rhythm section. The group features many original compositions by Mr. Geissendoerfer and highly creative arrangements from various styles; from The Beatles to Sergio Mendez.

Pianist and composer Uli Geissendoerfer is a very creative and outstanding musician. Originally from Munich, Geissendoerfer’s life long musical journey contains a central theme of exploring rhythms and melodies across many styles of music, with a special emphasis on World, Jazz and improvisation. Uli’s deep understanding of various musical styles is demonstrated by the various musicians he has worked with: William Cepeda (awarded a Grammy nomination), Groove Collective, Giovanni Hidalgo, Tito Puente, Blood Sweat & Tears, Leslie Uggams, Cirque du Soleil, Kofo the Wonderman and Ute Lemper.

Uli’s current projects, also diverse in style and texture, include: Colors (a World Jazz Quintet), with their debut CD entitled, Colors, featuring Pascale Elia. The Beregovsky Project, a duo with violin virtuoso Alicia Svigals. Bangalore Breakdown, and an Indian World Jazz project featuring Premik Russell Tubbs. Premik and Uli just finished recording a Duo CD entitled Passport, which is due out in September. Uli has previously released two albums as a leader: The Extension and Transformation 9/11 (on the Caramella d’Oro label). The Extension features some of New York’s finest Latin Jazz artists and Transformation 9/11 is a highly emotional, completely improvised solo piano CD dealing with events and emotions of September 11.

As film composer, Uli has collaborated with Emmy nominated composer Steve Sandberg for the critically acclaimed short film, “Climbing Miss Sophie,” winner of the NYU film festival 2002, along with an invitation to Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival among other prestigious festivals worldwide. Bill Plympton’s new cartoon “Idiots and Angels” features three works of Uli’s and Nicole Renaud’s. Uli was awarded best sound design at the 48 hour film festival earlier this year and one of his and Nicole’s songs, “Red,” made it to the short list for the Oscars.

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