PAUL SIMON - THE COMPLETE ALBUM COLLECTION TO FEATURE 12 STUDIO ALBUMS + TWO FULL-LENGTH LIVE CONCERT RECORDINGS

Paul Simon - The Complete Albums Collection brings together, in a deluxe library box with magnetic closure, the 12 studio albums and two full-length live concert recordings which comprise the official canon of an extraordinary writer and tunesmith whose voice and music inform six decades of popular culture. This 15-disc collection will be released on October 15, 2013 via Legacy Recordings.

Included on Paul Simon - The Complete Albums Collection are the artist's seminal and groundbreaking solo recordings from the 1960s (The Paul Simon Songbook), the 1970s (Paul Simon, There Goes Rhymin' Simon, Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin', Still Crazy After All These Years), the 1980s (One-Trick Pony, Hearts and Bones, Graceland), the 1990s (The Rhythm of the Saints, Paul Simon's Concert In The Park - August 15, 1991, Songs from The Capeman), the 2000s (You're The One, Surprise) and the 2010s(So Beautiful or So What).

Each of the titles in Paul Simon - The Complete Albums Collection includes the original album in entirety, plus reissue bonus material not appearing on the original 12" vinyl releases (37 bonus tracks in all).  The 15-disc collection includes a 56-page book of photos with new liner notes penned by American music historian Ashley Kahn. The deluxe complete set includes The Paul Simon Songbook, an acoustic album--recorded in London in the summer of 1965--showcasing solo versions of many songs that would become central to the Simon & Garfunkel repertoire. 

During the period covered (1965-2011) in Paul Simon - The Complete Albums Collection, Paul Simon continually expanded his musical vocabulary, each new album taking the artist beyond six-string acoustic accompaniment into whole new worlds of sound, while remaining consistent and true to the crafts of writing and recording. In the 1970s, he explored reggae, progressive jazz and Latin music.  By the 1980s and 1990s, Simon was creating new music steeped in Louisiana zydeco and South African jive, Brazilian street samba and Puerto Rican salsa.  On 2011's So Beautiful or So What, he channeled Indian ragas, Delta blues, and West African kora music, even sampling Reverend J.M. Gates' 1941 recording for "Getting Ready for Christmas Day."

PAUL SIMON - THE COMPLETE ALBUMS COLLECTION

The Paul Simon Song Book (1965)

1. I Am A Rock

2. Leaves That Are Green

3. A Church Is Burning

4. April Come She Will

5. The Sound Of Silence

6. A Most Peculiar Man

7. He Was My Brother

8. Kathy's Song

9. The Side Of A Hill

10. A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)

11. Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall

12. Patterns

13. I Am A Rock (alternate version) *

14. A Church Is Burning (alternate version) *

Paul Simon (1972)

1. Mother And Child Reunion

2. Duncan

3. Everything Put Together Falls Apart

4. Run That Body Down

5. Armistice Day

6. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard

7. Peace Like A River

8. Papa Hobo

9. Hobo's Blues

10. Paranoia Blues

11. Congratulations

12. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard (Demo - San Francisco 2/71) *

13. Duncan (Demo - San Francisco 2/71) *

14. Paranoia Blues (Unreleased Version) *

There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)

1. Kodachrome

2. Tenderness

3. Take Me To The Mardi Gras

4. Something So Right

5. One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor

6. American Tune

7. Was A Sunny Day

8. Learn How To Fall

9. St. Judy's Comet

10. Loves Me Like a Rock

11. Let Me Live In Your City (Work In Progress) *

12. Take Me To The Mardi Gras (Acoustic Demo) *

13. American Tune (Unfinished Demo) *

14. Loves Me Like A Rock (Acoustic Demo) *

Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin' (1974)

1. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard 

2. Homeward Bound 

3. American Tune 

4. El Condor Pasa (If I Could) 

5. Duncan 

6. The Boxer 

7. Mother And Child Reunion 

8. The Sound Of Silence 

9. Jesus Is The Answer 

10. Bridge Over Troubled Water 

11. Loves Me Like A Rock 

12. America 

13. Kodachrome (Alternate Version) *

14. Something So Right (Alternate Version) *

Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)

1. Still Crazy After All These Years

2. My Little Town

3. I'd Do It For Your Love

4. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover

5. Night Game

6. Gone At Last

7. Some Folks' Lives Roll Easy

8. Have A Good Time

9. You're Kind

10. Silent Eyes

11. Slip Slidin' Away (Demo) *

12. Gone At Last (Original Demo w/The Jessy Dixon Singers) *

One-Trick Pony (1980)

1. Late In The Evening

2. That's Why God Made The Movies

3. One-Trick Pony

4. How The Heart Approaches What It Yearns

5. Oh, Marion

6. Ace In The Hole

7. Nobody

8. Jonah

9. God Bless The Absentee

10. Long, Long Day

11. Soft Parachutes (Unreleased Soundtrack Recording) *

12. All Because Of You (Outtake) *

13. Spiral Highway (Unreleased Soundtrack Recording) *

14. Stranded In A Limousine *

Hearts and Bones (1983)

1. Allergies

2. Hearts And Bones

3. When Numbers Get Serious

4. Think Too Much (b)

5. Song About The Moon

6. Think Too Much (a)

7. Train In The Distance

8. Rene And George Magritte with Their Dog After The War

9. Cars Are Cars

10. The Late Great Johnny Ace

11. Shelter Of Your Arms (Unreleased Work-In-Progress) (Bonus Track) *

12. Train In The Distance (Original Acoustic Demo) (Bonus Track)  *

13. Rene And George Magritte with Their Dog After The War (Original Acoustic Demo) (Bonus Track) *

14. The Late Great Johnny Ace (Original Acoustic Demo) (Bonus Track) *

Graceland (1986)

1. The Boy In The Bubble

2. Graceland

3. I Know What I Know

4. Gumboots

5. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes

6. You Can Call Me Al

7. Under African Skies

8. Homeless

9. Crazy Love, Vol. II

10. That Was Your Mother

11. All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints

12. Homeless (Demo) (Bonus Track) *

13. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes (Unreleased Version) (Bonus Track) *

14. All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints (Early Version) (Bonus Track) *

15. You Can Call Me Al (Demo) *

16. Crazy Love (Demo) *

17. The Story of "Graceland" (As told by Paul Simon, Recorded January 2012) *

The Rhythm of the Saints (1990)

1. The Obvious Child

2. Can't Run But

3. The Coast

4. Proof

5. Further To Fly

6. She Moves On

7. Born At The Right Time

8. The Cool, Cool River

9. Spirit Voices

10. The Rhythm Of The Saints

11. Born At The Right Time (Original Acoustic Demo) (Bonus Track) *

12. Thelma (Bonus Track) *

13. The Coast (Work-In-Progress) (Bonus Track) *

14. Spirit Voices (Work-In-Progress) (Bonus Track) *

Paul Simon's Concert in the Park (1991)

Disc 1

1. The Obvious Child

2. The Boy in the Bubble

3. She Moves On

4. Kodachrome

5. Born at the Right Time

6. Train in the Distance

7. Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard

8. I Know What I Know

9. The Cool, Cool River

10. Bridge Over Troubled Water

11. Proof

Disc 2

1. The Coast

2. Graceland

3. You Can Call Me Al

4. Still Crazy After All These Years

5. Loves Me Like a Rock

6. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes

7. Hearts and Bones

8. Late in the Evening

9. America

10. The Boxer

11. Cecilia

12. The Sound of Silence

Songs From the Capeman (1997)

1. Adios Hermanos

2. Born in Puerto Rico

3. Satin Summer Nights

4. Bernadette

5. The Vampires

6. Quality

7. Can I Forgive Him

8. Sunday Afternoon

9. Killer Wants to Go to College

10. Time Is an Ocean

11. Virgil

12. Killer Wants to Go to College II

13. Trailways Bus

14. Shoplifting Clothes *

15. Born in Puerto Rico (Demo with Jose Feliciano) *

16. Can I Forgive Him (Original Demo Recorded March 1993) *

You're The One (2000)

1. That's Where I Belong

2. Darling Lorraine

3. Old

4. You're the One

5. The Teacher

6. Look at That

7. Senorita with a Necklace of Tears

8. Love

9. Pigs, Sheep and Wolves

10. Hurricane Eye

11. Quiet

12. That's Where I Belong (Live) *

13. Old (Live) *

14. Hurricane Eye (Live) *

Surprise (2006)

1. How Can You Live in the Northeast?

2. Everything About It Is a Love Song

3. Outrageous

4. Sure Don't Feel like Love

5. Wartime Prayers

6. Beautiful

7. I Don't Believe

8. Another Galaxy

9. Once Upon a Time There Was an Ocean

10. That's Me

11. Father and Daughter

So Beautiful or So What (2011)

1. Getting Ready for Christmas Day

2. The Afterlife

3. Dazzling Blue

4. Rewrite

5. Love and Hard Times

6. Love Is Eternal Sacred Light

7. Amulet

8. Questions for the Angels

9. Love and Blessings

10. So Beautiful or So What

* Expanded CD reissues conta

~ Legacy Recordings

NEW RELEASES - THEO PARRISH'S BLACK JAZZ SIGNATURE, LEBRON, MARCUS GOTTSCHLICH

THEO PARRISH"S BLACK JAZZ SIGNATURE - BLACK JAZZ RECORDS 1971-1976

Detroit – Chicago – Berlin. Two out of three of those cities call Theo Parrish their own. Arguably one of the world’s most important underground dance music producer/DJs lends his hands to selecting and mixing a set of jazz and funk records licensed from and originally released on the Black Jazz label 1971-1976. World renowned for his DJ sets and remixes/productions, this Chicago-raised artist is near impossible to pigeonhole. Revered by a wide spectrum of dedicated music fanatics, he is known for his otherworldly DJ sets, and his serious approach to DJ’ing as an art form. Theo gives special attention to fellow Chicago musicians The Awakening (3 consecutive tracks, 4 total on the mix), one of the best funk/fusion groups that the Black Jazz label released, and whose only output was on that label. The set itself is a masterful “2 turntables all vinyl” execution, a format that Theo is dedicated to – no mp3, no CDr, just the vinyl palette for the true aural experience. Sit back and be drawn into his world, hear things his way. ~ blackjazz.com / groove attack.com

LEBRON - SHADES

Saxman Lebron releases Shades, his major label CutMore Records debut, a revealing musical masterpiece that is sure to turn some industry heads. Working alongside Lebron is producer Darren Rahn who crafts melodies and hooks better that result in pure magic. Not content with one super producer on the project Paul Brown joins in and takes a ride with cameos on the lead radio single 'Groove City', an infectious number propelled by a driving bass line and sweet guitar licks in all the right places. So pocket that you ll find your change rumbling around with it. Shades should do well to move Lebron to the top of the stack, not to become just another needle, but to set fire to it.
8 out of the 10 sides could easily be huge radio hits and present a unique challenge for the record label picking singles with this much meat on the bone.

MARCUS GOTTSCHLICH - OF PLACES BETWEEN

Of Places Between is the aptly titled sophomore release from this Vienna Austria native that grew up in what was once Beethoven's apartment. This captivating release walks the harmonic tightrope between what is commonly referred to as the new sub genre of chamber jazz here in the United States when in reality this aesthetic format has been a lyrical exploration for performers in Europe over the last quarter century. Markus Gottschlich utilizes a small ensemble built around the more organic sound of the violin, cello, and accordion yet transcends any reasonable and often arbitrary tag that critics would enjoy placing on this and similar music just to make their life easier. While Of Places Between is a break in tradition for what is considered the norm for small ensemble pianists, I decided to continue my quest in rewriting the rules of critical review by asking Markus about his influences and feelings on where his improvisational wheelhouse is truly grounded. Tracks: Invitation; Sleepless Night; Wehmut; A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing; Schubert Impromptu Op. 90 Nr. 3; Sojourner; Lilly; Dark Horses.~ gottschlichmusic.com

NEW RELEASES - STEVE TURRE, JOE MCPHEE, PEDRO MARTINS

STEVE TURRE - THE BONES OF ART

This one is a really wonderful sound from trombonist Steve Turre – a set that unleashes a very hip three-trombone style in the lead, served up by a host of players who previously worked with Art Blakey! The set's way more than the usual Blakey tribute album – not just because the tunes are all originals, penned by Turre, Steve Davis, Robin Eubanks, and Frank Lacy – but also because the multi-trombone format really gives the record a fresh voice that's very different than any Jazz Messengers set – very rich and soulful, at that rare level we find in Turre's best work! The trombones have none of the hoke you might get in other sessions of this type – no attempt to hang on cliches of the JJ & Kai sound – and the strength of the record is a real testament to Steve's continuing growth as an artist. Titles include "Blue & Brown", "Slide's Ride", "Sunset", "4 & 9", "Fuller Beauty", and "Shorter Bu".  ~ Dusty Groove

JOE MCPHEE - SONIC ELEMENTS

The title really gets things right here – as Joe McPhee is in some of his most sonic territory – really working sometimes at a level that's way beyond music, yet still managing to bring a strong sense of soul to the set too! The album begins with "Episode One", dedicated to Don Cherry – and really featuring some incredible pocket trumpet work from McPhee – blown at a level that's very subtle in shape and texture, but which gains power as the track moves on. "Episode Two" is dedicated to Ornette Coleman, and features much more dynamic alto sax – handled at a level that's more tenor-like than Coleman ever would have done – with a free-flowing vibe that's really wonderful!  ~ Dusty Groove

PEDRO MARTINS - DREAMING HIGH

Pedro Martins is really soaring high here – working in these fluid waves of sound that have his guitar joining beautifully with tenor, bass, piano, and drums! The set's got a curved feel that's much warmer than the angular twists it initially presents – a way of arcing Martins' tonal colors wonderfully alongside the tenor of Josue Lopez, piano of Felipe Viegas, bass of Andre Vasconcellos, and drums of Alex Buck. The approach is hard to describe in words, but holds us rapt the minute the record begins – on titles that include "Anos Luz", "Viva O Hermeto", "Ciclo Da Vida", "Nas Nuvens", and "Sonhando Alto".  ~ Dusty Groove

DAVE HOLLAND SETS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

Craig Taborn / Dave Holland / Kevin Eubanks / Eric Harland
Photo:Ulli Gruber

Dave Holland and his band are embarking on an eight-city North American tour in support of his latest album – Prism., from  September 21 through November 30. The band, comprised of Kevin Eubanks on guitar, Craig Taborn on piano and Fender Rhodes and Eric Harland on drums, will be touring in support of their new album, Prism (available September 3). The tour will include performances at The Monterey Jazz Festival; The Dakota in Minneapolis, MN; Evanston Space in Evanston, IL; MIM Music Theatre in Phoenix, AZ; Royce Hall at UCLA; SFJazz Center in San Francisco, CA; Jazz Alley in Seattle, WA and Birdland in New York, NY.

In the 40 years since Dave Holland's recording debut as a leader, with his landmark album, Conference of the Birds, the bassist, composer, and bandleader has produced a remarkable series of recordings and groups documenting his eclectic musical journey.  On Prism, his latest album release on Dare2 Records (Holland's imprint, with distribution from Redeye), he introduces his latest working band (of the same name). With each band member contributing distinctive compositions, Prism sets forth a new musical direction for Holland - a horn-less quartet with an explosive and visceral edge, while maintaining an organic approach overall.

Debuting at the 2012 TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival last June, Prism brings together four musicians who are each forging their own musical path and together have created a unique and contemporary musical statement on this recording. Holland's groups have always reflected a collaborative spirit with the goal of creating a musical context that allows the musicians to express their creative individuality, a concept that is an underlying theme to the group's namesake and eclectic sound.  "I liked the image of a prism dividing light into spectrum of colors," says Holland. "A visual symbol of the one becoming many. The music being a unification of diverse parts."

The resulting factor of these combined efforts on Prism, Holland's first album in nearly three years, is an electrifying outing that is equally groove-oriented as it is avant-garde. Holland attributes a portion of this new musical direction to the instrumentation. "The sound of this group is different from other projects I've done previously," reflects Holland. "Most groups have featured horn players and I've rarely worked with keyboards in the band. But I wanted a different sound for this group and started thinking about a quartet with guitar, piano doubling on Fender Rhodes, bass and drums. That certainly has opened up some different musical directions."

In conceiving the band's personnel, Holland first looked to reunite with one of his oldest collaborators: guitarist Kevin Eubanks. The two began working together on various projects in the late 1980s, and Eubanks soon after led The Tonight Show Band from 1995-2010. "It's usual for me that the inspiration for putting a group together begins with the musicians that I want to play with. I'd felt a strong musical connection with Kevin when we'd played together previously and the time was right for us to get back together again." Craig Taborn and Eric Harland joined the group shortly thereafter, having both worked with Holland in different contexts over the past few years, and Prism was formed.

Tour dates:

September 21 / Monterey Jazz Festival / Monterey, CA

September 28-29 / The Dakota / Minneapolis, MN

October 1 / Evanston Space / Evanston, IL

October 4 / MIM Music Theatre / Phoenix, AZ

October 5 / Royce Hall, UCLA / Los Angeles, CA

October 6 / SFJazz Center / San Francisco, CA

October 8-9 / Jazz Alley / Seattle, WA

November 26-30 / Birdland / New York, NY

NEW RELEASES - BILLY PRESTON, FATHER'S CHILDREN, BARRENCE WHITFIELD & THE SAVAGES

BILLY PRESTON - 16 YR. OLD SOUL

Many folks only became aware of Billy Preston in the late ‘60s through his work as a Beatles sideman and his signing to their Apple Records label as a solo artist. But Preston had actually been recording for many years before that, and his first big break came courtesy of none other than Sam Cooke. Preston—then still in high school—was hired to play on Cooke’s 1963 album Night Beat, and Cooke was so impressed with the teenager that he signed him to the Derby imprint of his SAR Records label, and got him in the studio right away to record 16-Yr. Old Soul. The album features a cookin’ batch of instrumentals propelled by Preston’s funky organ and piano licks leading two tasty combos, one composed of the legendary Earl Palmer on drums, Gene Edwards on guitar and Clifford Hils on bass, the other Hils, guitarist Tommy Tedesco and drummer Milt Turner. This CD debut—yours courtesy of Real Gone Music and ABKCO Music & Records—adds a couple of bonus tracks, “Sweet Thing” and “Win Your Love for Me,” with sound overseen by ABKCO’s Chief Audio Engineer Teri Landi and notes by Bill Dahl. ‘60s soul instrumental fans, take heed! Available 10/1/13.

FATHER'S CHILDREN - LOVE & LIFE STORIES

Warmth, wisdom and soul from DC area legends Father's Children! The Father's Children story is a pretty remarkable one – starting out with some creatively masterful, though long-time buried funky soul in the early 70s that finally saw light of day decades later, thanks the good fellows at The Numero Group -and later recording an excellent, should-be classic self-titled set for Mercury, which should have made them stars, but it fell through the cracks. All these years later, Father's Children are doing their own thing on their own terms, with a mature sound, solid group vocals and wise songcraft. Good stuff! Includes "Be Careful", "Saying I Do", "Strange Place", "Unspoken", "History", "For Better Or Worse", "Tunnel Vision", "The World Is Changing", "It's Time", "Conversation" and more.  ~ Dusty Groove

BARRENCE WHITFIELD & THE SAVAGES - DIG THE SAVAGE SOUL

Raucous rock 'n' soul from Barrence Whitfield & The Savages – who reformed and cut a killer record for the deep soul and garage rock diggers at Munster Records a few years back – and they're doing it with even more soul and savagery for our friends at Bloodshot! The band mixes wild-eyed vintage school rhythm & blues at it's most rugged, but without compromising the soul at the core. Barrence can growl and shout with the best of 'em, but he's got a tender side, when he wants to show it – which is rarely, but that's the point – this is all about the floor shaking and roof tearing good times. It's Savage Soul in both style and title – and dig it, we most certainly do! Includes "The Corner Man", "My Baby Didn't Come Home", "Oscar Levant", "Bread", "Daddy's Gone To Bed", "Blackjack", "Hey Little Girl", "I'm Sad About It", "Subar", "Turn Your Damper Down" and more.  ~ Dusty Groove 

NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN RETURNS TO THE FOREFRONT WITH HIS LATEST RELEASE - THUNDER 2013

Tarpan Records has announced the national release of Thunder 2013, a new full length album by Narada Michael Walden on September 17th 2013. This release features new songs that span Rock, Fusion, Funk and even a ballad or two. This is the first worldwide official release by Narada Michael Walden on his new imprint Tarpan Records.

Narada Michael Walden has produced many household names including: Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Regina Belle, Steve Winwood, Ray Charles, Wynonna Judd, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Mariah Carey, Barbara Streisand, Lionel Ritchie, Elton John, Sting, Carlos Santana, Shanice Wilson, Tevin Campbell, Lisa Fischer, Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck and The Temptations. He was awarded Grammys for Producer of the Year in 1988, Album of the Year for the movie soundtrack The Bodyguard in 1993 and the R&B Song of the Year in 1985 for Aretha Franklin's Freeway of Love. Billboard Magazine also named him one of the “Top Ten Producers with the Most Number One Hits”.

As impressive a production and songwriting resume as Narada Michael Walden has assembled over the past thirty years, he has earned equal acclaim as a recording and performing artist in his own right. Beginning as a drummer with the pioneering Mahavishnu Orchestra (replacing Billy Cobham at 19 years old), Narada also toured with Jeff Beck, Tommy Bolin, and Weather Report. With eleven acclaimed solo albums of his own which produced Dance Hits such as, I Shoulda Loved Ya, Divine Emotions, I Don’t Want Nobody Else to Dance With You, along the way, he has achieved greatness in a wide range of sonic arenas. Walden’s music includes groundbreaking soundtrack work on such blockbuster films as The Bodyguard, Free Willy, Beverly Hills Cops II, 9 ½ Weeks and Stuart Little to the EMMY-winning “One Moment In Time,” the theme to the 1988 Olympic Games.

Thunder 2013 is a strong new direction from Narada Michael Walden, inspired by his recent successful two-year tour with the Jeff Beck Band. Narada returned home to finish this album and put together his band to tour on his own. In early February 2012, Narada Michael Walden returned from a well received 10 day stint of shows at the Blue Note in Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan to perform at the White House in an all-star band for President Obama’s “Red, White and Blues” Concert with legends B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Trombone Shorty, Booker T Jones and more. Narada enlisted some amazing musicians and performers for his band on Thunder 2013 including: Nikita Germaine (Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, James Taylor, and Patty Austin) on Vocals, Frank Martin (Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige, Madonna, Jennifer Hudson, John McLaughlin, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen) on Keyboards, Angeline Saris (Gretchen Menn, Zepperella) on Bass and Vocals, Matthew Charles Heulitt (Zigaboo Modaliste, Salvador Santana, Megan Slankard, Eion Harrington) on Guitars.

His new label, Tarpan Records is a home for many great established artists and some amazing up-and-coming artists as well. Tarpan Records specializes in artist development, full service project management, promotion, and distribution. Initially focused on Narada Michael Walden’s releases, the plan is to apply this business model to up and coming and established recording artists in the years to come.

Tarpan Records will release Narada Michael Walden’s new album Thunder 2013 nationally in late September of 2013 with help from distribution and marketing powerhouse Independent Distribution Collective. This new album is a Rock masterpiece, with many flavors of Narada’s vast history mixed in. On September 24th 2013 the label will also release Narada Michael Walden’s Rising Sun, an instrumental EP that features Narada and his fantastic new band performing remakes of his greatest Fusion Hits.

Narada Michael Walden and his band will perform a series of shows across the USA in the new few months in support of the release of Thunder 2013. The first in this series, deemed a “pre-release” concert, will be held at Yoshi’s Oakland - 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland, CA 94607 on September 5th, 2013 doors at 7pm show at 8pm. This show will feature songs from Thunder 2013, Rising Sun, and of course some of the hits from Narada’s legendary catalog. 

IVO PERLMAN / JOE MORRIS / BALAZS PANDI - ONE

One brings together the potent forces of Brazilian tenor saxophonist and prolific free jazz icon Ivo Perelman, veteran bassist-guitarist Joe Morris (a ubiquitous figure on the avant garde jazz scene, making his recorded debut on electric bass guitar here) and Hungarian hardcore drummer Balazs Pandi (Slobber Pup, Obake, Metallic Taste of Blood, Merzbow). With no rehearsals, no charts, no sketches or musical road maps whatsoever, the three risk-taking musicians entered the studio and made a joyful noise in daring, unadulterated fashion, pulling no punches while following their instincts from start to finish. Fueled by the hard and fast beats of Pandi, who also demonstrates his remarkably versatile skills and keen listening instincts throughout the session, One is a highly interactive studio encounter that borders on the telepathic at times. And with Perelman's cathartic, Albert Ayler-inspired tenor sax blowing on top and Morris' electric bass lines bubbling underneath, sparks ensue on this turbulent project.

From the opening strains of the kinetic and aptly-titled "Freedom," which kicks off the potent improv outing, to the dynamic 17-minute closer "Stigma," it is clear that these three kindred spirits are going for it with reckless abandon. Along with the blowtorch intensity of Perelman's sax playing and Pandi's thunderous drumming, there are moments of tender reflection on One.

"What Love Can Lead To" has Pandi playing in more understated fashion on mallets while Perelman pursues a poignant, searching melody. "To Remember What Never Existed" builds from a lightly swinging intro to a tumultuous crescendo capped by Ivo's mighty overblowing and Balazs' bashing. The title track is an intimate, conversational duet that has Morris playing contrapuntal bass guitar lines to Perelman's angular and skittish sax lines. "Universal Truth," a frantic barrage fueled by Pandi's dynamic polyrhythmic pulse and Morris' bubbling bass lines, comes across like Ivo's white-hot homage to Albert Ayler. And the visceral, suite-like closer, "Stigma," travels across a myriad of moods while serving as a perfect microcosm of what these three such potent forces can do together.

While Perelman, Morris and Pandi had all previously recorded before (Perelman most recently on two trio projects with drummer Gerald Cleaver for Leo Records - 2012's Family Ties and Living Jelly) and Morris had previously played with Pandi in Slobber Pup (on their 2013 debut Black Aces for RareNoise Records), One marks the first time that Ivo and Balazs had ever played together. "Balazs clearly comes from a rock or hardcore background," says Perelman, "but you can still hear some Elvin Jones in his playing, which I really love. So the idea of playing with Pandi was very exciting to me."

At Pandi's invitation, Perelman came down to The Stone, John Zorn's experimental music club on Manhattan's Lower East Side, to hear the drummer play with Slobber Pup, a thunderously intense band featuring Morris on distortion-laced guitar, Trevor Dunn on electric bass and Jamie Saft on keyboards. "I totally enjoyed Balazs' playing, although I had to cover my ears at times because I wasn't used to hearing such intense music. And as I watched them I thought that if we played together it would sound great with Joe on electric bass, just to give it that punch to match Balazs' intense backbeats."

As Pandi recalls of that first encounter with Perelmen, "After the show at The Stone, Ivo ran up screaming and told me pretty much that I can't leave the States without us recording. Within three days, we were in the studio."

And so, a power trio was born. They went into the studio carte blanche and pressed the record button. And the result is One. What you hear is what they played that day in the studio. "This has pretty much been the way on mostly all the recordings I have done," says Ivo. "I really like not playing with a particular person before I go into the studio because I want the first reaction to be documented right there, right then."

While Perelman was well aware of Pandi's thunderous nature, he was not surprised by the sheer versatility the drummer exhibited from track to track on One. "I wasn't surprised by the quality of his other kind of playing because I could tell he was a sensitive listener and would adapt to the environment and bring something tasteful to the plate." Adds the Hungarian drummer. "Playing lightly is nothing new to me. I used to play timpani in an orchestra when I was nine years old, so I grew up dealing with all kinds of tempos and dynamics and playing, from playing solo to playing with up to 60 musicians. People know me more from playing intense and loud music, but in the end my goal is not to kill anyone at the session or to be the most intense performer ever. Also, it is possible to play heavy music with light dynamics. Sun Ra is the best example of this. So it is possible to play at a lower dynamic but still destroy."

Balazs is definitely a unique drummer," adds Perelman. "I don't even know how to name what he does because it's so unique, but I definitely never played with anybody with that intensity, really. When I played with Rashied Ali, to me that was beautiful and very intense. But Balazs has something unique. So he forces me to play in a different way as well." Morris concurs. "Balazs does a lot of different things. He's somebody who has a rock and metal sort of feel, this sort of head-banging kind of thing, but he has incredible ears and really good technique and he's very pliable and flexible. So he's really easy to play with. And I think Ivo was blown away at how different it was and yet how good it was."

Though Perelman has amassed an extensive catalog of free jazz recordings over the years, he says it is never easy to remain in that place of pure improvisation. "Easy is never a good word, I think, because every day it's a different set of parameters. You're dealing with the situation, whether it's studio or live, the psychological, the social, the spiritual. So many factors play into this so every day is a challenge to say something meaningful, fresh, honest and good. So it wasn't easy improvising with Joe but it was familiar in the sense that I relate to him in a beautiful way. He's a keen listener and he gives me back ideas, so it's a back-and-forth type mutual collaboration. And now I feel like I'm developing that same kind of communication with Balazs. So I'm looking forward to collaborating with him again to see if we can take it to the next level.

Ivo adds that he was pleasantly surprised by the results of Morris' first-time use of electric bass guitar on One: "I've played and recorded with Joe both on acoustic bass and electric guitar. And for me, the electric bass is like a great mixture of both. So on this recording I got a bit of his 'bass thinking hat' and I got a bit of his 'guitar playing hat.' I really dug that and I have a feeling that Joe will expand and be asked to play electric bass guitar more and more when people hear what I'm hearing. This is the beginning of a new language for him, a new axe. Between the chording, the things he does with his pick, the nuances and speed he can generate on the instrument...I don't hear electric bass players doing that. So I think Joe bumped into something great. I'm happy that I brought it up to him."

Says Morris, "I had never done a gig on electric bass before. I do play bass and I've done a lot of gigs and records on upright bass. And I've played electric bass at home but I've never done any kind of performance on electric bass. So this was the first one that I did. In fact, I had to borrow my son's Fender Jazz bass for this session. And for a while I was thinking about being a bass player on it but then I started thinking, 'Well, it's really a bass guitar.' So at that point in the session I sort of shifted to being a guitar player and just thinking of it as being a bass guitarist. And that's when it sort of went to a different place because that realization gave me an opportunity to shape the form a little bit differently."

With the release of the powerhouse triumvirate's One, Perelman, Morris and Pandi are poised to destroy. And each night that they play together on tour to promote their RareNoise debut, it's bound to be a new and different and undeniably intense experience. As Morris put it, "Every time I pick up my instrument, whether it's the guitar, upright bass or electric bass, it's my obligation to do something different than what I did last night. And it's great when you play with people like Ivo and Balazs, who both have the same attitude. They're both seem to be innate musicians who have tons of energy, who are great listeners and who don't get stuck because they can change and go with the flow. They're great improvisers. And together, we have something real special."

NEW RELEASES - SAINT ETIENNE PRESENTS SONGS FOR A CENTRAL PARK PICNIC, FROOTFUL, MICHAEL PEDECIN

SAINT ETIENNE PRESENTS - SONGS FOR A CENTRAL PARK PICNIC (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

Imagine a beautifil day sitting under a shady tree in Central Park, and you bring along some music to create a truely relaxing atmosphere. This really cool summer set includes a total of 25 songs and it feature: Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (Vince Guaraldi); Bee Born (Sammy Davis Jr.); Stranger On The Shore (The Drifters); Gopher Mambo (Ymo Sumac);Boato (Bistro) (Lalo Shifrin);  Yes I Love you (Paris Sisters); Moon River (Jerry Butler); Some For Cat (Henry Mancini); Lost For Sure (Dion); Private World (Artie Farr); Bad Boy (The Jive Bombers); A Kiss From Your Lips (Billy Storm); Raincoat In The River (Sammy Turner); Moon Guitar (The Rangoons); Untie Me (The Tams); Marie (The Four Tunes); Quiet Firl (Don Rondo); You Don't Have To Be A Tower of Strength (Gloria Lynne); Where Have You Been (Arthur Alexander); plus many others!

FROOTFUL - THE ROAD / BENEDICT'S BOOGALOO 

Frootful return with a new two track 45 taken from Heavyweight - their follow-up to their eclectic 2011 debut long player - Colours. The Road feature UK soul vocalist Mazen Bedwei, who was first featured on a Freestyle release when he sang on Nick Van Gelder's Somethings Gotta Give compilation Sounds From The Soul Underground. The Road is a light, breezy, and uplifting soul groove that has something of a late 60's feel, where shimmering horns underpin Mazen's Curtis Springfield inspired vocals, while Frootful's Nick Radford's tasteful guitar picking locks down the sweet summer sound.  One the flip side the mood is altogether greasy as Benedicts Boogaloo is a gritty soul-jazz work out that been double dipped in the funk.  Nick gets the chance to display his guitar cjops wonderfully, while the guitar bass line in unrelenting while a dirty and distorted organ grooves out to a stunning climax.   This is just an example of what is come from the new album - Heavyweight.

MICHAEL PEDECIN - WHY STOP NOW...UBUNTU

Tenor saxophonist Michael Pedicin is in the midst of an impressive creative surge clearly reflected in his prolific work as a recording artist and composer. His new CD, Why Stop Now ... Ubuntu, is his 12th as a leader -- and 5th in the last six years. Scheduled for release on September 24 by his GroundBlue label, the disc reconfirms his status as a masterful post-bopper. Much of the music on Why Stop Now was inspired by the 2012 Newtown tragedy, including the haunting ballad ("Newtown") by guitarist Johnnie Valentino and Pedicin's glowing impromptu solo passage ("Ubuntu"), which closes the album. "'Ubuntu' means 'human kindness,' an African philosophy focusing on our connections with one another," says Pedicin. "It echoes my constant hope for peace and connectedness in our world." Along with Valentino, who's been an essential collaborator on all of Pedicin's recent recordings, the saxophonist is joined by regular bassist Andy Lalasis and two newcomers to his working quintet, tasteful drummer Vic Stevens and rising young pianist Rick Germanson. Pedicin continues his relationship with producer Joseph Donofrio, best known in the jazz world for his work on Pat Martino's Grammy-nominated Blue Note recordings and also at the helm for last year's Pedicin CD Live at the Loft. W hy Stop Now contains four originals by the leader, including "Trane Stop," a tribute to his musical hero, as well as two by Coltrane himself, "Tunji" and "Song of the Underground Railroad." "I lived my life admiring and idolizing Trane, every day, all day," Pedicin says unabashedly. "I identify with everything about him."

NEW RELEASES - DONNA SUMMER, YUNA, LOU DOILLON

DONNA SUMMER - LOVE TO LOVE YOU DONNA

Verve Records has announced the release of Love To Love You Donna, a remix record celebrating the life and voice of five-time Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter Donna Summer. A dozen highly sought after DJs and remixers have contributed a diverse and creative spin to some of the most beloved tracks in dance and pop music history. The first single is "Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)," remixed by Chromeo & Oliver.  It will be followed by legendary producer Giorgio Moroder's entirely re-imagined version of "Love to Love You Baby," the classic song he recorded with Donna, released in November of 1975. Love to Love You Donna was produced by Dahlia-Ambach Caplin, the architect of the five-volume Verve Remixed series, and Randall Poster, the legendary producer and music supervisor. Posthumously, Donna Summer will be awarded The Legends of Dance award at the Promo Only Summer Sessions, Tuesday, August 13th, in Atlantic City, NJ. ~ ververecords.com

YUNA - NOCTURNAL

Breakthrough singer/songwriter Yuna is set to release her forthcoming new album “Nocturnal” on Verve Records on October 29.  The new album marks Yuna’s first full-length follow-up to her critically acclaimed self-titled debut from last year. “Nocturnal” features Yuna’s distinctive blend of organic pop, R&B soul and acoustic folk while also “digging deeper into her huge bag of pop star potential” (okayplayer.com).  “Nocturnal” is a collection of eleven infectious new songs featuring the intoxicating single “Falling” produced by Robin Hannibal of the soul-pop group Rhye as well as the effervescent and uplifting track “Rescue” produced by Chris Braide.  Other album highlights include “I Wanna Go” produced by Michael Einziger of Incubus as well as the breezy “Come Back.” The album marks a new chapter for the Malaysian-born artist who is earning plenty of comparisons to female vocalists such as Feist, Adele and Norah Jones. ~ ververecords.com

LOU DOILLON - PLACES

Places was recorded at Studio De LA Seine in Paris and originally released via Universal France on September 3^rd, 2012 and quickly achieved critical praise across Europe, referred to as “a real wonder” by Mad and “splendid and miraculous” by Le soir. The chantueuse has followed in the footsteps of the French singers before her such as Carla Bruni, Keren Ann and Charlotte Gainsbourg to craft an array of beautiful, sweeping songs with producer Zdar (Phoenix, The Rapture, Beastie Boys).  As the daughter of international icon Jane Birkinand Jacques Doillon, and with Serge Gainsbourg as her step-father, it goes without saying that Lou was born into a creative environment. Although she originally pursued acting and modeling careers, Lou always kept music as a hobby, and even wrote many songs in English, which she refers to as her “private language.” Lou finally revealed her musical talents in the spring of 2012 with the European release of the first track on the album, “ICU.” Its haunting vocals, compelling melody and twilight ambience held the immediate promise of a bright future.The first single off the album “Devil or Angel,” an immediate classic, is an emotionally revealing song showcasing Lou’s effortless storytelling ability. The album continues to showcase Lou’s unique voice and timbre. Describing days of melancholy passing at the pace of a drum roll, “One Day After Another” is reminiscent of Patti Smith’s narrative art, while “Make A Sound’s” pop immediacy holds a reference to its writer’s “leaded wings”. Much like Cat Power, Lou Doillon is equally at home with an acoustic range (the iridescent clearing in the middle of the album: Same Old Game) and brass-backed soul (Jealousy and Questions And Answers - two visas for Memphis). These livelier tunes also heighten the depth of her startlingly flexible voice. ~ ververecords.cp,

JAMES BOOKER - CLASSIFIED: REMIXED AND EXPANDED

James Carroll Booker III was also an unheralded genius of American music, a New Orleans pianist whose dizzying technique and mastery of the keyboard was matched only by his imagination and his soulfulness. His short and often flamboyant life was also marked by struggle and lost opportunity.

Classified, recorded in October, 1982, was one of only two studio albums released during his lifetime, and this remixed and expanded edition offers a poignant and often surprising look at his music, for if James Booker is often cited in the piano lineage that passes from Jelly Roll Morton to Professor Longhair to his own student, Harry Connick Jr., New Orleans tradition was only his jumping-off point.

On October 15, 2013, Rounder Records will release James Booker’s Classified: Remixed and Expanded. The expanded volume’s 22 tracks, which include nine never-before-released performances, range from the pure rhythm and blues of “All Around the World,” to the light classical “Madame X,” to his astonishing version of the jazz standard “Angel Eyes.” Among the unreleased songs is the slow blues instrumental, “I’m Not Sayin’,” and his syncopated reading of Nino Rota’s  “Theme From the Godfather.” Whether playing solo or accompanied by saxophonist Alvin “Red” Tyler, bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich, Booker ties together a giddy array of musical influences with virtuosity and an often quirky sense of humor. If New Orleans was the only place that could have produced such a talent and such a character as James Booker, the scope of his musical vision was boundless, and he stands alone in the New Orleans piano pantheon.

All Music Guide cites the original edition of Classified as arguably Booker’s best album (even if that mythical collection may still reside in the live recordings his passionate fans have traded over the years). Three decades later, with the new material and dramatically improved sonics, it stands as a lynchpin in his discography.

Included are new notes by co-producer Scott Billington and several new photographs. Classified will be released both on CD and as a limited edition double-LP vinyl set. Lily Keber’s film, Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker, has been playing to rave reviews, and that interest in James Booker is expanding beyond his devoted cult following.

According to Grammy Award-winning pianist George Winston, “James Booker and Professor Longhair and Dr. John are the three biggest influences and inspirations for the New Orleans piano renaissance that is happening more and more, and James’s music is even more influential now than when he was alive. He is my biggest overall piano influence and has been since I first heard his recordings in 1982. It’s so great to have everything here from his final studio sessions.”

Track Listing:
1.  Classified
2.  If You're Lonely
3.  Warsaw Concerto*  2:47
4.  Lawdy Miss Clawdy (solo piano alternate take)*
5.  Medley: Tico Tico /  Papa Was a Rascal / So Swell When You're Well*
6.  All Around the World
7.  Angel Eyes
8.  Lonely Avenue*
9.  Professor Longhair Medley: Tipitina / Bald Head
10. King of the Road
11. Theme from The Godfather*
12. Lawdy Miss Clawdy
13. I'm Not Sayin'*
14. Hound Dog
15. All These Things*
16. Yes Sir, That's My Baby*
17. Baby Face
18. If You're Lonely (solo piano alternate take)*
19. Madame X
20. One For the Highway
21. Three Keys
22. Amen

*previously unreleased 

NEW RELEASES - JAHEIM, MILLIE JACKSON, PINK MARTINI

JAHEIM - APPRECIATION DAY

After a long hiatus, the super crooner is back by popular demand. When asked about his return, Jaheim mentioned that he's anxious to get back to his fans, "It's been so long since I've had a chance to create music from my heart for the fans that have loved and supported me from the start. I decided to call the project 'Appreciation Day' because that's exactly what this album is. My show of appreciation to them." The lead single off the albun is "Age Ain't A Factor" and the album featuress smash hits like: "Chase Forever," "Sticks and Stones" and "Morning," a call back to the Shirley Murdock classic. A vocalist in the tradition of such greats as Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross, Jaheim has released three albums over five years: his 2001 debut, "Ghetto Love"; 2002's sophomore set, "Still Ghetto" -- both of which reached RIAA platinum status; and 2006's "Ghetto Classics." During that time, he also scored nominations for the BET and Soul Train Music Awards. In 2007, the chart-topping artist returned with his Atlantic Records debut, "The Makings of a Man." No stranger to personal loss and struggle, Jaheim promises to make "Appreciation Day" more than just the name of an album, but an invitation for him and his fans to show those that mean the most to them, how much they care. "It's a feel good album with very special messages hidden in every song. I'm looking forward to this journey with my fans."  

MILLIE JACKSON - AN IMITATION OF LOVE (INCLUDES BONUS TRACKS)

Sweet 80s groove from Millie Jackson – a set that's got a very different vibe than her famous southern soul work of the 70s – but one that still has the singer very much at the top of her game! The backgrounds are a bit more electric than before – especially the rhythms – but Jackson's raspy, raw approach to the lyrics really holds fast – and, if anything, helps make the set a new vision in rootsy soul for a more contemporary generation. Some of the "nasty gal" tones of previous years are put on the backburner – and Millie returns to those mellower ballads that were always some of her strongest work – really shining nicely on tracks that include "It's A Thang", "An Imitation Of Love", "Hot Wild Unrestricted Crazy Love", "Wanna Be Your Lover", "Love Is A Dangerous Game", and "I Fell In Love". CD features lots of bonus tracks – including "Hot Wild Unrestricted Crazy Love (7" edit)", "Love Is A Dangerous Game (ext mix)", "Wanna Be Your Lover (7" version)", "It's A Thang (ext mix)", "Hot Wild Unrestricted Crazy Love (inst)", and "Love Is A Dangerous Game (inst)".  ~ Dusty Groove

PINK MARTINI - GET HAPPY

Get Happy is the long-awaited studio follow-up to 2009's Splendor in the Grass. The project began back in early 2012 when Thomas Lauderdale and audio engineer Dave Friedlander flew to Los Angeles to visit Thomas's new friend, Phyllis Diller. While there, they recorded Charlie Chaplin's 'Smile', which turned out to be Phyllis Diller's final recording, and became the soundtrack for the many tributes to her when she passed away six months later. Get Happy features a batch of guest artists  including exotic cabaret sensation Meow Meow, sunny French eccentric Philippe Katerine, the handsome and brilliant radio superstar Ari Shapiro, warm-hearted wunder-siblings The von Trapps, and a riveting appearance by the exquisite Rufus Wainwright! The album features 16 songs selected and arranged by Lauderdale.

NEW RELEASES - CHUCK LOEB, QUINCY DAVIS, SYLVIA WOODARD THOMPSON

CHUCK LOEB - SILHOUETTE

Chuck Loeb’s latest release is Silhouette which features guest appearances by stellar jazz musicians such  as Fouplay band mate Nathan East, Will Lee (of David Letterman fame), legendary drummer Steve Gadd (Steely Dan), Eric Marienthal, Andy Snitzer (Rolling Stones), and others. Silhouette lso features vocals from Loeb’s wife, Carmen Cuesta, whose sensuous delivery has resulted in her own growing fan base. With over 25 Top 10 Smooth Jazz radio hits to his credit, including an incredible 15 #1 smashes, Chuck Loeb is truly an icon and pioneer of the Smooth Jazz genre. The first single off the album is the title track, Silhouette, which is currently climbing up the smooth jazz radio charts.  Other tracks include Silver Lining, Present Sense. Appreciation, JT, Lockdown, Stompin’, Esta Tarde Vi Llover, My One And Only Love, and Las Eras. Loeb is also a member and lead guitarist of the super group Fourplay. 

QUINCY DAVIS - SONGS IN THE KEY OF Q

This is the debut album by Quincy Davis, who has long been highly regarded as one of the great jazz drummers of his generation. On Songs In The Key Of Q,  listeners will enjoy a compelling glimpse into the mind and soul of Davis as a composer. He is joined by a stellar band: Dayna Stephens (tenor sax), Warren Wolf (vibraphone), Xavier Davis (piano), Vicente Archer (bass) and Richie Goods (electric bass, 1 track). Davis' music can be described as very "melodic, sophisticated, introspective, soulful and catchy". His playing can be described as simply "refreshing". While the roots of jazz are deeply embedded throughout this album, you will hear no cliches what-so-ever.

SYLVIA WOODARD THOMPSON - FOR THE LOVE OF JAZZ

Sylvia Woodard Thompson's contributions to the jazz music scene have been recognized and praised by listeners and fellow musicians. This second jazz CD, "For the Love of Jazz," is part of her continuing effort to keep traditional vocal jazz front and center for the enjoyment of a new generation of jazz enthusiasts. Her music is rooted in traditions that stem from a jazz-musician father and a music-loving family. Her performances feature smooth vocal jazz, delivering classic love songs from the era when jazz was in its heyday. Together with seasoned jazz instrumentalists, her music brings easy-listening memories to the older set and provides something new for younger audiences.

TETINE - IN LOVELAND WITH YOU

Tetine are Brazilian artist/musicians Bruno Verner and Eliete Mejorado from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Based in Hackney (East London) since 2000, the duo have created a multitude of music, performance art and films - including art projects, community and street actions around the area.

In Loveland With You is Tetine's fourth album to be released in the UK and Europe - a follow up to their Tropical Punk album trilogy which included debut album Let Your X's Be Y's on Soul Jazz Records (2008) and both of their self-released records; From A Forest Near You (2010) and Voodoo Dance & Other Stories (2011) out on Slum Dunk Music. But this is in fact their 14th album since the band formed in Sao Paulo, back in 1995.

Recorded and produced by Bruno Verner and Eliete Mejorado between 2010 and 2012, In Loveland With You is one of Tetine's most personal records to date. It features 14 tracks heavy on electronic and organic sounds with funky basslines, drum machines, glacial soundscapes and a very distinctive melodic and harmonic sense. It also brings a darker approach to Tetine's music in terms of lyrics, vocal delivery, structure and atmospherics with less of their luminous tropical punk/ baile funk sound of past records & more of their melancholic electronic pop - without ever loosing its directness and simplicity.


The album features collaborations with Brazilian psychedelic legend Arnaldo Baptista - formerly of legendary Tropicalia band Os Mutantes - guesting on the opening track 'To Burn', and it is heavily influenced by Brazilian marginal filmmaker Rogerio Sganzerla - to whom this record is entirely dedicated.

MARC CAREY FOCUS TRIO - FOUR DIRECTIONS

Marc Cary has spent close to a decade honing a distinctive sound and improvisational approach with his enduring and much acclaimed Focus Trio. Four Directions, the band's first studio recording in eight years, follows on the heels of two powerful interim releases (Focus Trio Live 2008 and Focus Trio Live 2009). Despite a few shifts in the bass chair, and an ever-transforming array of acoustic and electronic instrumentation, the band's original mission, as Cary stated in his liner notes for Focus, the band's 2006 debut, remains the same: "to bring indigenous rhythms together with American jazz to create new palettes of sound."

On Four Directions, Cary once again leads the boundlessly creative Sameer Gupta on drums and percussion with two new recruits: Burniss Travis and Rashaan Carter sharing the bass chair, on some tracks alone and on some together. "Rashaan and I are both from DC," Cary says, "and his father [tenor saxophonist Russell Carter] gave me my first gig. I wanted both him and Burniss to be represented on the record because they've both been playing with the group at different times."

From the precise melodic hits and surging swing of "Ready or Not" to the pervasively unsettled "Outside My Window," Cary devotes Four Directions in part to an acoustic aesthetic - while also exploring a full range between organic and electronic sounds. This multi-dimensional approach has always been a foundational hallmark of Cary's musical identity.

Cary and Gupta are committed students of traditional Indian music but they always bring their own sensibilities to bear. Namaskar, Gupta's 2010 Motéma release (also featuring Carter on bass), was co-produced by Cary and featured a diverse cadre of highly celebrated musicians, combining jazz with North and South Indian ragas and well-known Bollywood themes.

Cary's originals include the ethereal, drone-based "Open Please" (which Cary calls "a prayer to the ancestors - open our minds, our hearts"), and "Waltz Betty Waltz," dedicated to the legendary Betty Carter, one of Cary's pivotal mentors. "She used to swing," Cary marvels. "She used to love waltzes and she used to kill it. I wanted to do something that was tasty and fitting for her."

Of the synth and keyboard-driven numbers, "Todi Blues" stands out for its unique blend of Indian classical concepts and go-go rhythms. Based on the traditional Todi raga, the piece is divided between an alap, or solo introduction, and a rhythmic template for improvisation, or tala. Cary solos on synth and Rhodes, trading between the two in a way that evokes "East meets West," he explains: "The Rhodes is kind of the Western assimilation into raga, and the synth is taking the place of the voice, or voice-like instrument, in Indian classical music."

"Tanktified," a Terreon Gully composition that Cary recorded with Stefon Harris's Blackout group on the GRAMMY® Award-nominated Urbanus, moves between 7/8 and 17/16 and comes under further expansion with Gupta's turbulent drum solo. "Spectrum," by Tony Williams' Lifetime, is straightforward trio with Cary on Rhodes: "Having played it with Cindy Blackman, Will Calhoun and others, I had the opportunity to approach that song in different ways, with added rhythm changes."

In addition to piano, Cary plays the Access Virus TI2 and Novation UltraNova synthesizers, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer and organ, creating a sonic environment that reflects his limitless musical interests - from jazz to go-go, hip-hop, electronic music, Indian classical music and more. "There's nothing blocking any music coming out of us," Cary insists. "It's like, melanin is a superconductor, you know? That's how it's coming out of our fingers and our minds."

Cary was born in New York in January 1967, grew up in DC and went on to become an important figure in the city's burgeoning go-go scene. He attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and upon relocating to New York in 1988, began his rise as a jazz piano modernist. In 1994 he began a life-changing 12-year tenure with vocalist, songwriter and jazz icon Abbey Lincoln. (For the Love of Abbey, Cary's spellbinding solo piano tribute to Lincoln, came out in May of 2013 on Motéma.)

In addition to Lincoln, Cary has worked with such masters as Arthur Taylor, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach and Shirley Horn. His talent has elevated the music of everyone from Russell Gunn and Marcus Printup to Q-Tip, Meshell Ndegeocello and Ani DiFranco and as a recording artist his ensemble work has helped earn GRAMMY® Award-nominations for albums by Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter, Roy Hargrove and Stefon Harris.

Cary debuted on the Arabesque label as a leader in 1995 with Cary On. Then at the turn of the century, his electronica odyssey, Rhodes Ahead (Vol. 1) won him the first annual Billboard/BET "Best New Jazz Artist" award in 2000. Cary debuted his fledgling Focus Trio project on the Motéma label in 2006, with an eponymous release which received major critical and public acclaim that led to increased international touring and a multi-record commitment from Motéma.

  In addition to his long-standing Focus Trio, Cary also has toured and recorded regularly with his band Indigenous People since 1999. Cary's 'Indigenous' project specifically mines the rich musical history of indigenous cultures around the world with a special focus on music of the African diaspora - from African folk melodies, Brazilian and Caribbean grooves to jazz, funk and go-go rhythms. Indigenous People has documented its sound on the albums Captured Live in Brazil (1999), Unite (2001) and N.G.G.R. Please (2003). Cary has now rebilled the group as "Cosmic Indigenous" and has a forthcoming Motéma release in the works. Meanwhile, he continues to work steadily as a producer and collaborator on recorded and live projects in the jazz, hip-hop, R&B and dance arenas.

"The things that have kept the Focus Trio concentrated are basic principles of openness and intent to play like it is our last chance, every time," notes Cary. "And we keep having these incredible discoveries, which happen mostly on the bandstand. There's a great understanding of our love for the music and what we're seeking."

Marcy Carey will soon be appearing: August 25 / Westminster Church / Washington, DC // August 29 / Scullers Jazz Club (For the Love of Abbey, solo) / Boston, MA // September 21 / Monterey Jazz Festival (Focus Trio) / Monterey, CA // October 16 - 17 / Monk at 96 / Los Angeles, CA

Four Directions (release date Oct. 8, 2013) - Track Listing

1. Todi Blues

2. Waltz Betty Waltz

3. He Who Hops Around

4. Open Baby

5. Tanktified

6. Boom

7. Ready or Not

8. Spectrum

9. Indigenous

10. Outside my Window