JOHN ELLIS & ANDY BRAGEN - MOBRO

Saxophonist/composer John Ellis is proud to announce the release of Mobro, Ellis' and librettist/playwright Andy Bragen's seventy-five-minute through-composed piece, for nine musicians and four singers, which was commissioned and created at one of NYC finest jazz venues, The Jazz Gallery, in April 2011. Mobro marks Ellis and Bragen's third collaboration (the others being Dreamscapes and The Ice Siren, commissioned by the Gallery in 2007 and 2008, respectively). 

Mobro was inspired by the intriguing 1987 journey of a garbage barge of the same name that became a national news headline, sparking intense interest in, and action on, a multitude of environmental issues. Ellis and Bragen composed, work-shopped, rehearsed and performed Mobro at the Jazz Gallery in April 2011 (to sold out audiences), making use of the space on a prolonged basis, not only for the performance, but also as an integral part of their creative process. The work was commissioned by The Jazz Gallery as part of its 2011 Residency Commissioning Series, which was supported by grants from the Jerome Foundation and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. It was developed with additional support from The Playwrights' Center, Minneapolis, MN in partnership with the Network for Ensemble Theaters. This epic work enjoyed a second staging at The Jazz Gallery over four nights in December of 2011.

Ellis and Bragen's Mobro uses the historical journey of the Mobro 4000 as a thematic launching point, examining issues of what we consume, what we waste, and what we reject. However, the environmental issues are primarily secondary; the historical journey of the Mobro is used as metaphor: this is an epic quest told through the eyes of the garbage - a story of yearning, of escalating rejections, of self-knowledge, and ultimately of redemption.

fter receiving the commission, Ellis and Bragen spent several months researching the historical journey and drafting a twelve part narrative super-structure that provided the framework for the piece.  Ellis selected musicians for their gifts at communicating the widest range of emotion, and then wrote with their individual temperaments in mind.  Conceived of as one continuous seventy-five minute work, the transitions are of critical importance; events flow into each other in surprising ways and the widest palate of color and tension is used to pull the listener into another world.  In order to appreciate the vision as intended, MOBRO should ideally be listened to in one uninterrupted sitting.

More on Mobro: The Mobro 4000 was carrying the trash no one wanted; refuse from an overflowing city that sailed the seas for five months and 6,000 miles. Denied port repeatedly, the barge's contents were viewed as hazardous and infectious. This "Flying Dutchman" of garbage barges returned home close to twenty five years ago, but the questions it raises about what we consume, what we waste, and what we reject are still urgent and relevant. The odyssey of our trash may also serve as a metaphorical microcosm for western society, with a particular focus on those that we expel or deny.

Ellis and Bragen use as a thematic launching point the journey of the infamous New York garbage barge which hauled over 3,000 tons of trash from Islip, New York to North Carolina in March 1987, then down to New Orleans, Mexico, Belize and ultimately back to Brooklyn where the trash was finally incinerated and hauled back, as ash, to where it started: Islip. This new work is a narrative chamber piece with song, jazz compositions and jazz improvisation. The musical ensemble consists of nine musicians and four singers. The piece also features sound design by Roberto Carlos Lange.

Bragen explains further: "There is a strong story behind this piece: the journey of the Mobro 4000. We've taken the real story, and re-imagined it as a kind of ODYSSEY type voyage, far out into the world, and ultimately back home, to be burned. We gave the trash a voice, and in a way, the trash stands in for all that we throw away and reject, all that we look past. The piece has a great emotional scope, and there's something about a long sea journey that allowed us to find the epic nature of it all."

Ellis adds: "I think it has the potential to resonate on a lot of different levels, including a global warming/consciousness of waste level.  It's a pretty intense rejection story, but it also has some comic relief.  It really does feel like an amazingly satisfying ride."

John Ellis is widely recognized as one of New York's premiere tenor saxophone voices. A sideman to artists as diverse as bass icon John Patitucci, organ legend Dr. Lonnie Smith, and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenon, John has performed extensively around the world for the last 20 years. With more than 100 album credits as a sideman, John can be heard with artists as wide ranging as Charlie Hunter, Robert Glasper, Darcy James Argue, Edward Simon, and Sting. John was the 2nd place winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition in 2002, was the recipient of three composition grants through The Jazz Gallery for the creation of new work ("Dreamscapes", "The Ice Siren", and "MOBRO") and was selected as the 2014 Make Jazz Fellow by the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica. John has released seven albums as a leader, two of those featuring his wildly popular New Orleans-centered band Double-Wide, which has toured extensively and was featured on the Main Stage of the 2012 Newport Jazz Festival. For more information: www.johnaxsonellis.com

Andy Bragen's honors include a Workspace Residency and a Process Space Residency with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Clubbed Thumb Biennial Commission, and a Jerome Fellowship.  His play for one actor This is My Office was produced off-Broadway this past autumn by The Play Company.  Other plays and translations have been seen and heard at numerous theatres, including PS122, Queens Theatre in the Park, Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep, and Soho Rep. He has an MFA from Brown University and is a member of New Dramatists. For more information: www.andybragen.com

MELISSA ALDANA & CRASH TRIO TO RELEASE SELF-TITLED CONCORD JAZZ DEBUT JUNE 17, 2014

Jazz saxophonist Melissa Aldana is set to release her first record for Concord Music Group on June 17, 2014. (International release dates may vary) The self-titled album Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio is the first recording of the three band mates together - Aldana, bassist Pablo Menares and drummer Francisco Mela. Recorded at Sear Sound Recording Studio in New York, the album consists of originals written by all three band members and includes two covers - the Harry Warren classic “You’re My Everything” and Thelonious Monk’s “Ask Me Now.”

Speaking on this new album Aldana says, "Pablo Menares & Francisco Mela both help bring a unique perspective to playing in the saxophone trio format. Our approach is very much coming from the core of the Jazz Tradition, not least from contemporary musicians such as Kurt Rosenwinkel & Mark Turner, but with Mela being from Cuba and Pablo and I both from Chile, there is no question there is a flavor of that as well.”

In September 2013, Melissa became the first female instrumentalist and first South American ever to win the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition.  Judges for the competition included Jane Ira Bloom, Branford Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Wayne Shorter and Bobby Watson. In addition to a scholarship to the Monk Institute, Melissa won a recording contract with Concord Music Group.

Born in 1988, Aldana began to play the saxophone as soon as she was able. She was taught by her father Marcos Aldana, who was also a renowned jazz saxophonist and sought out teacher in their hometown of Santiago, Chile. By age 13, Melissa was frequenting the jazz clubs in Santiago with her father and by 16 was headlining the Club de Jazz de Santiago, which, at the time, was the center of the Chilean jazz community.  In 2005, with help from Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Pérez, she procured auditions at the Berklee School of Music and the New England Conservatory. She was accepted into both and chose to attend Berklee, from which she graduated in 2009.

After graduating, Melissa immediately moved to New York. With the help of mentor, the legendary George Coleman, and former teacher Greg Osby, among many others, Melissa recorded two albums Free Fall (2010) and Second Cycle (2012) for Osby’s Inner Circle Music label, and quickly became a vital part of the New York jazz scene. She has since performed in such prestigious venues as the Blue Note, Lincoln Center and Smalls. After a 2013 performance at the Jazz Gallery, The New York Times touted, “…she moved toward a kind of music (including ‘First Cycle,’ from her new record) that really felt like the current moment in jazz…Ms. Aldana worked over short motifs, using the full range of her instrument, articulating long and fast lines. But she also condensed her phrases into great wipes of sound up and down the horn, and clamped into the rhythm…She wasn’t just exhibiting her own voice but embodying it…”

Pablo Menares is one of the most important bass players in Chile.  His bass playing is considered to be elegant, musical and lyric, while firmly rooted in swing and polyrhythmic concepts. Menares has performed and/or recorded with all the leading jazz musicians in Chile and has also performed at major jazz festivals all over South America. Since moving to New York City in 2009 he has become a sought after bass player for both Jazz and Latin music. He has performed in many of NYC's most notable jazz clubs including Lincoln Center, Jazz Gallery, Smoke, Smalls Jazz Club, Fat Cat, 55 Bar and world famous venue Carnegie Hall. He has performed with such jazz luminaries as Sam Yahel, Arturo O’Farrill, Randy Brecker, Aaron Goldberg, Greg Hutchinson, Claudia Acuña, among others; and has toured throughout North America, becoming an increasingly important presence in the jazz and Latin music scene.

Francisco Mela is a favorite among jazz’s elite instrumentalist, including Joe Lovano, Kenny Barron and McCoy Tuner, all of whom cite his charisma, sophistication and life-affirming spirit as an extension of his incredible talents as a composer and drummer. Born in 1968 in Bayamo, Cuba, Mela moved to Boston in 2000 to pursue a degree from Berklee College of Music. Since then, he’s made quite a name for himself by becoming an integral part of Joe Lovano’s quartet, joining McCoy Tyner’s trio and developing himself as a band leader. Mela has released three albums, all receiving compelling critical acclaim. His latest project, Cuban Safari, is an amalgamation of his favorite bands that inspired him to become a drummer – Miles Davis’ fusion group featuring Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, Weather Report, and the Latin- jazz super group Irakere.

CHICK COREA - SOLO PIANO: PORTRAITS

Solo Piano: Portraits features Corea classics, music from Thelonious Monk, Stevie Wonder, Béla Bartók and much more, as well as improvisations that paint musical "portraits" of audience members from around the world

Solo Piano: Portraits, set for international release May 6, 2014, is an extraordinary audio document, a rare opportunity to hear Chick Corea, one of the most legendary jazz artists of his generation, in a compelling, insightful overview – spoken and played – of the intimate aspects of his art. (International release dates may vary)

When Chick recorded Piano Improvisations on the ECM label in 1971, he was one of the first jazz pianists of his era to release such a recording. The groundbreaking album literally opened the floodgates to a new genre of solo piano that continues strong today.

In 2014, Chick will be releasing this new solo CD set and embarking upon a world tour with a presentation that is as fresh and innovative as ever. With a perfect balance of in-the-moment improvisation, Corea classics, jazz standards, classical renderings and the inimitable Children’s Songs, it is a must-see concert if there ever was one.

The roots of the album trace to the warm interaction Chick has always had with his concert audiences.  Thus the title of the CD set.

“I've always found it difficult,” he says, “to just walk on stage, sit down at the piano and just play, without talking to the audience.  Maybe I should try that some time, but I don't know how to do it yet.  What I really do is try to create kind of a living room atmosphere in the concert hall itself.”

In his desire to enhance that environment, he began to invite audience members on stage and offer to do individual musical portraits of each.

“We place a chair beside the piano,” Chick recalls, “and a volunteer comes up, not exactly knowing what's going to happen, I watch the way they walk, how they're dressed, etcetera, I ask their name and then try to define who they are in an improvised solo.”

On the new album, Chick begins to take a similar path in the first disc with “Chick Talks: About Solo Piano,” a thoughtful spoken narrative about the unique and special qualities of solo jazz piano playing.  He follows his remarks with an in-performance presentation of those qualities via his version of the standard “How Deep Is the Ocean?”

Having expressed his own illuminating view of the inventive potentials of solo piano jazz, Chick digs deeply into Portraits with a series of paired tracks, recorded in various cities around the world.  With each, he discusses his views regarding the work of a group of legendary jazz figures, followed by his own solo excursions through some of their familiar originals and interpretations.

However, the Portraits of Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Steve Wonder, Bud Powell etc. were not, according to Chick, created as portraits comparable to those he creates with audience members.

“I see the Bill Evans, Monk, etc. pieces,” he says, “as something more than portraits.  They're really more like interpretations of their music.”

The initial “interpretation” opens with “Chick Talks: About Bill Evans,” in which Chick's spoken thoughts about the much honored Evans are linked to the next track, showcasing his unique version of Evans' “Waltz for Debby.”  Eleven years older than Chick, Evans had a powerful impact upon the pianists of the post WWII generation of jazz artists. More than most, Chick – born in 1941 – has transformed that impact into his desire to honor Evans' music while finding his own jazz pathways through the ever-complex world of jazz.

The second Portrait takes a different slant, as “Chick Talks: About Stevie Wonder,” recalling his early interest in the soul and R&B sounds of Stevie Wonder, followed by his own version of Wonder's “Pastime Paradise” from the hugely successful album Songs in the Key of Life.

The range of expressive creativity between the first two Portraits – Bill Evans and Stevie Wonder – continues to be handled brilliantly by Chick as he goes on to explore new Portraits over the course of the album's remaining tracks.

The next Portrait focuses on the incomparable Thelonious Monk. The linkages between Chick and Monk may seem unexpectedly wide, but Chick's creative imagination has always been receptive to an extraordinarily far-ranging array of ideas.  And, as Chick notes in “Chick Talks: About Thelonious Monk,” he found some compelling aspects among Monk's many eccentric musical qualities.  Many of those qualities are fully present in Chick's versions of “'Round Midnight” (the most recorded jazz standard composed by a jazz musician) and “Pannonica” (inspired by the British jazz supporter, Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter).

The fourth Portrait explores the music of legendary bop pianist Bud Powell.  Chick begins with his “Chick Talks: About Bud Powell,” in which he tells of the impact Powell had upon his early development.  Fully illustrating that impact, Chick follows his “Talks” with his richly communicative renderings of Powell's “Dusk in Sandi” and “Oblivion” from Powell's album Bud Powell's Moods.''

Disc 1 of Solo Piano: Portraits closes with a musical change of pace, devoting the final track to the flamenco music of Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucía.  The choice isn't surprising, given Chick's affection for Latin music of all sorts.  After his “Chick Talks: About Paco de Lucía,” he wraps the first disc with a rhythmically dynamic version of de Lucía's “The Yellow Nimbus,” (first recorded by Chick on his 1982 album Touchstone).

Disc 2 of Solo Piano: Portraits continues with a very different collection of musical illustrations.  But this time Chick begins with classical music and children's songs before climaxing with his impressionistic jazz piano views of memorable locations around the world

The first track features Chick's spoken thoughts about the melodic lyricism and the lush harmonies of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin, whom Chick describes as a powerful influence.  Fully expressing the significance of that influence, he interprets Scriabin's Preludes #2 and #4 from the unique perspective of his ever-exploratory solo piano playing.

Chick's classical episode continues with one of his favorite composers, Béla Bartók.  Opening the segment with “Chick Talks: About Bartók” he notes that “Béla Bartók was the first classical composer that really caught my attention when I was in high school, a long time ago.”  He then underscores his narrative with a dynamic performance of the arching, Hungarian-tinged phrases of Bartók's colorful Bagatelles #1 through #4.

The program shifts into a different direction next, via Chick's fascination with music for children.  After opening with his narrative about children's songs, he plays a sequence of nine original Children's Songs. Each overflows with luscious melodies and the tangy dissonance of child-like rhythms.

Disc 2 comes to an enlightening geographical close with yet another collection of Corea originals, this time applying his compositional and improvisational talents to illustrate what he calls “A journey through some of my favorite landscapes, and some unknown ones, too.”  The “favorite landscapes” are gifted with Chick's finest impressionistic playing, creating convincing musical views of Krakow (Poland), Casablanca (Morocco), Easton (Maryland) and Vilnius (Lithuania).  Each is a spontaneous portrait of an audience member in those geographical locations who came on stage to experience Chick's musical artistry.

And it's no exaggeration to describe the “favorite landscapes” on the second disc of Solo Piano: Portraits as appropriate, climactic final acts in what will surely be recognized as one of Chick Corea's most creatively mesmerizing performances.

AL JARREAU & GEORGE DUKE TRIO "ROOF GARDEN" LIVE AT JAVA JAZZ FESTIVAL

NEW RELEASES: JUNE ROCHELLE - OUR LOVE IS HERE TO STAY; RORY MORE - LOOKING FOR LAZLO; RUDY ROYSTON - 303

JUNE ROCHELLE - OUR LOVE IS HERE TO STAY

June Rochelle is a humanitarin,songstress, professional songwriter, television show producer, director, media content editor, graphic artist, animator and overall making this world a better place. On her soulful and sexy new single, June Rochelle offers an empowering message for those who think perhaps that hope has abandoned them for good -- a compelling R&B, urban and jazz styled reminder that while it may hide as we experience life’s darker moments. The power of “Love Is Here To Stay” and the resulting collaboration between June and Michael Houston is all the more incredible considering that they have only been working together since they reconnected last November. The two have a music chemistry that is undeniable and the lyrics and the music to “Love is Here to Stay” is masterfully written, produced and arranged by Rochelle and Houston. He also added his stellar, jazzy piano work to complement the emotion of her vocals. Tony Cummings of the UK’s Cross Rhythm Magazine called her “one of the classiest new soul divas to emerge in recent times,.” and Clarence Waldron, former Senior Editor of JET Magazine wrote during her inspirational music days, “June Rochelle is helping make gospel music last.”

RORY MORE - LOOKING FOR LAZLO

Electric organist Rory More is still the one-stop shop for melody-intense grooves, dusty oscillations and liltingly hip lounge pop vocal excursions. It began with the über organtastic loungsters Les Hommes - the retro moderne jazz exotica trio who swung their way around much of Europe in the early 2000s. Still ensconced within a uniquely niched jazz pop panoramica, and after a decade of solidly collectible 12s and 45s, Rory More's curiously seductive and unapologetically magical mondo moods have maintained his profile at medium-cool status. Rory More's new long player Looking for Lazlo is a concept album of sorts with motifs recurring and ebbing, plundering a lush dynamic array of tonalities and mood vibrations, taking the electric organist out from behind his console to incorporate sweeping soulful strings, rare electronica, orchestral tempos, the pop-noir tones of Gemma Ray and the arcadian lyricism of Brit folk discovery Anna Sheard. From the soaring swing of the Main Title, the harmony-laden lament of Lost To The Blue, the other-worldly exotica of Misty Atoll to the out-there harp of Free At Last... Lazlo, whoever he thinks himself to be, is fearlessly adrift amongst it all. Available as limited edition vinyl and download.

RUDY ROYSTON - 303

The first album as a leader from drummer Rudy Royston – a player we've enjoyed for years in the company of others, and one who emerges here with a really fresh voice of his own! Rudy's drums are bold, but also have this way of opening up and allowing magical interplay between all the other members of the group – a warm combo that features Jon Irabagon on saxes, Nadja Noordhuis on trumpet, Nir Felder on guitar, Sam Harris on piano, and either Mimi Jones or Yasushi Nakamura on bass. The guitar and piano combo is wonderful – ringing with these compelling chromes, especially on the tracks that feature Jones' wonderfully soulful work on bass. Most tracks are originals by Rudy – furthering the personal voice of the record – and titles include "Mimi Sunrise", "Play On Words", "Miles To Go", "Gangs Of New York", "High & Dry", and "Bownze". ~ Dusty Groove

PAULO NUTINI - IRON SKY EP; CAUSTIC LOVE ALBUM

Atlantic recording artist Paolo Nutini has announced an array of activity surrounding the recent release of his long awaited new EP. "Iron Sky" -- the Scottish singer/songwriter's first new release in over five years -- is available now on the iTunes Store and at other digital retailers.

"Iron Sky" heralds Nutini's extraordinary new album, "Caustic Love," which is slated for US release later this year. The album is already proving a phenomenon in the United Kingdom, where it scored the biggest first day and first week sales of the year thus far and the first to sell a six-figure total with 109,000 copies, debuting at #1 on the UK Album Chart. In addition, "Caustic Love" has ruled the iTunes Store's "Top Albums" chart in a stunning range of countries, with #1 sales in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Malta, Slovenia, Bahrain, and the Netherlands, as well as top 3 success in Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Switzerland, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bermuda, South Africa, Germany, Norway, Poland, Taiwan, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, and the Cayman Islands.

"Caustic Love" has earned Nutini the most glowing accolades of his already acclaimed career. "The 27-year-old and his whisky-soaked words writhe their way around a multitude of Motown-inflected could-be singles," noted The Guardian, "paying homage to Prince, Marvin Gaye, Echo & The Bunnymen, the Beach Boys, and D'Angelo along the way." The Observer praised Nutini for exhibiting "real grit and passion," while The Scotsman hailed "Caustic Love" as "another leap forward for the restless musician after the infectious mixtape approach of 'Sunny Side Up.'" "What's he been doing (for the past five years)?" wondered The Sunday Times before answering, "Writing the best songs of his career." The Independent's Andy Gill summed it up, declaring "Caustic Love" to be "an unqualified success... the best UK R&B album since the 1970s blue-eyed-soul heyday of Rod Stewart and Joe Cocker."

Nutini will celebrate the stunning popularity of "Caustic Love" with an epic world tour, featuring festival sets, European headline concerts, and an eagerly awaited series of North American live dates. Highlights include an exclusive New York City headline show, slated for June 12th at Webster Hall -- tickets will go on sale beginning Friday, April 25th (check local listings) -- as well as an appearance at San Francisco's Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, set for August 8th - 10th in Golden Gate Park. A full scale North American headline tour will be unveiled soon. 

"Iron Sky" is highlighted by the gospel-flavored title track as well as an exclusive acoustic rendition of the new album's "Better Man." The EP has already won over such fans as the one and only Adele, who recently praised Nutini's "Abbey Road Live Session" version of "Iron Sky" (steaming now at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELKbtFljucQ&list=PLG-6sLnL75vYnl5_f9qk0jJi11tZV3cuy) as "one of the best things I've ever seen in my life hands down."

Produced by Nutini and Dani Castelar (Snow Patrol, R.E.M.), "Caustic Love" pushes at the boundaries of modern pop to create something soulful, funky, and distinctly original. Songs such as "Scream (Funk My Life Up)" and "Fashion (Feat. Janelle Monaé)" showcase the gifted tunesmith's mastery of memorable melody and insightful lyric, all given brilliant life by Paolo's gritty and unpredictable vocal stylings. Other highlights include "One Day," which The Sun declared "the most infectious song Nutini has made" to date.

Signed by none other than legendary Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun when he was just 18, Paolo Nutini made an impressive debut with 2007's "Theses Streets," earning the Paisley, Scotland-born troubadour a plethora of critical praise and worldwide sales in excess of 2 million. A uniquely talented live performer, Nutini toured nearly non-stop following the album's release, headlining countless shows and appearing at some of the world's biggest festivals, including the Isle of Wight Festival 2007 which saw him singing "Love In Vain" alongside Mick Jagger during The Rolling Stones' festival-closing set. Nutini served as sole support at Led Zeppelin's now-legendary 2007 reunion show at London's O2 Arena, benefiting the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund. He has since shared stages with a variety of other musical icons, including a 2008 soul spectacular at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl which saw Paolo more than holding his own alongside Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Etta James and Solomon Burke.

"Sunny Side Up" arrived in 2009 and confirmed the Scottish troubadour was officially here to stay. Fueled by hit singles like "Candy," the album debuted at #1 in the UK upon its initial release on its way to 3x platinum certification, a BRIT Awards nomination as "Best British Album," and a prestigious Ivor Novello Award honoring excellence in songwriting and composition. As ever, Nutini and his crack band spent considerable time on the road, including a memorable performance at the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Concert at Hyde Park.

NEW RELEASES: JEF GILSON AND MALAGASY; JOE HENDERSON - THE STANDARD JOE; KELIS - FOOD

JEF GILSON AND MALAGASY - GILSON ET MALAGASY

Think Mulatu and Ethiopea, Fela Kuti and Nigeria - now think Malagasy and Madagascar! Over recent years,  Jazzman Records have delved deep in into the life and work of the late French jazz pioneer Jef Gilson. The outcome has been two double albums featuring the best of his life's work, and has included many previously unreleased tracks. As well as spending his days (and nights) composing, recording, producing, arranging and performing, part of Gilson's life involved the study and exploration of music, and in the late 1960s his curiosity led him to the ex-French colony of Madagascar, the island just off the south eastern coast of Africa. Indeed, Gilson was fascinated by all kinds of music, not just jazz, and his thirst for musical knowledge led him to make several trips to Madagascar not only to study the indigenous music, but also to spread his passion for jazz. His absorption ofMalagasyculture and the strength of his personality would eventually result in the release of 3 exceptional albums ofMalagasyjazz, as well as a string ofMalagasyconcerts, events and radio shows performed across France. This new release is the entirety all 3 of these albums, as well as 2 further albums of previously unreleasedMalagasymaterial, in an attempt to address the profound contribution that Gilson and Malagasyhave made to world jazz.

JOE HENDERSON - THE STANDARD JOE

There's nothing standard about this set – as Joe Henderson always brings something special to a recording session – especially at this point in his career! The album has a wonderful format – Joe's unique tenor tone set up beautifully alongside the bass of Rufus Reid and drums of Al Foster – no piano or other horns at all, just an open, swinging combo with a really great sense of energy! Joe's bold lead really sets the tone for most numbers – and a few tracks are compositions that Henderson recorded famously early in his career, recast here with a whole new sound and heightened sense of maturity. Titles include "Blues In F (aka In N Out)", "Blue Bossa", "Inner Urge", "Body & Soul", and "Take The A Train". Also features a bonus alternate of "Body & Soul". ~ Dusty Groove

KELIS - FOOD

The never predictable, always endearing spacey pop soul chanteuse Kelis's debut for Ninja Tune – working with producer Dave Sitek – and it's her best record in years! We've loved Kelis from get-to around here, going back to when her vocal presence grounded the spacier sounds of the young Neptunes production style in genuine soul, and she's doing that again here with Sitek in the production booth. As you'd guess from the album and song titles, it's got a foodie theme, but it's loose one, and the songs stand strongly on their own. The surprising thing is how rooted in timeless soul it is; if you thought the move to Ninja Tune would beget a farther trip to the dancefloor cosmos, think again. Keep on defying expectations, Kelis. It's just one of the reasons we've always loved ya! Includes "Breakfast", "Jerk Ribs", "Forever Be", "Floyd", "Runnin'" Hooch". "Cobbler", "Bless The Telephone", "Friday Fish Fry", "Change", "Rumble", "Biscuits N' Gravy" and "Dreamer". Bonus CD edition includes a disc with remixes by Mount Kimbie, Machinedrum, Will Saul & Komon, Ben Pierce and more!  ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: JARED GOLD - JG3+3; THE FAR OUT MONSTER DISCO ORCHESTRA; MOONCHILD - PLEASE REVIEW

JARED GOLD - JG3+3

Jared Gold's Hammond trio is nicely augmented here by three other horn players – as you might guess from the album's title! Gold's Hammond is one of the best things going for the Posi-Tone label these days – and a perfect fit for their old school style of recording – a mode that's expanded even more strongly with the presence of Patrick Cornelius on alto, Jason Marshall on baritone, and Tatum Greenblatt on trumpet! The added players soar strongly alongside the electric lines from Gold and guitarist Dave Stryker – in a formation that's definitely got some contemporary sense of structure, delivered with a classic sense of soul. Titles include "Cubano Chant", "Charcoal Blues", "Shower The People", "Sermonette", "Spirits", and "Pendulum". ~ Dusty Groove

THE FAR OUT MONSTER DISCO  ORCHESTRA - A 20TH YEAR CELEBRATION RECORDING

A really wonderful project that was years in the making – a mix of American club and Brazilian elements – put together by a group that includes members of Azymuth and Banda Black Rio, as well as the legendary Arthur Verocai! Jose Roberto Bertrami's the strongest contributor here – and the music really echoes that great late 70s/early 80s point when the Azymuth fusion groove crossed over into tighter, funkier territory – coming off here with a sound that's got really universal appeal and a wickedly classic vibe overall – like some unusual cross-breeding of Brazilian grooves and Salsoul Records! Vocals are by Mia Mendes and Marcina Arnold, but the instrumentation is even better than the lyrics – filled with jazzy touches, blended with bits of strings, and perfectly produced all the way through. Really tremendous stuff – one of the freshest records we've heard from Far Out in years – with titles that include "Mystery", "Keep Believing", "Dead Dance", "The Last Carnival", "A Disco Supreme", "Vendetta", and "Don't Cha Know He's Alright". ~ Dusty Groove

MOONCHILD - PLEASE REVIEW

Really really wonderful work from Moonchild – even better than we remember from the first time around! The group have this perfect balance of vocals and jazzy instrumentation – played by a trio who handle all the instruments themselves, then produce the whole set – in support of vocalist Amber Navran, who also plays tenor on the record! Rhythms are spare and crackling – never overdone, and just the right sort of laidback funk for Navran's wonderful vocals – sliding out in this smooth, slinky way that has plenty of jazz undercurrents, and no sort of commercial styles at all. A decade ago, these guys might have been headed towards major label stardom – but it's the indie, underground nature of the record that's going to keep them strong for years – as you'll hear on cuts that include "The Truth", "Nobody", "More Than Ever", "Winter Breeze", "Just A Minute", "Moonlight", and "I'll Make It Easy". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: JERRY BERGONZI - INTERSECTING LINES; JD ALLEN - BLOOM; AJ AND THE JIGGAWATTS

The title's a great one for this album – not just because tenorist Jerry Bergonzi always seems to have this forward-thinking, linear quality about his work – but also because his talents here intersect strongly with the alto sax of Dick Oatts! The pair really create some magic here – a balance between Bergonzi's bold tone and that raspier, more personal sound of Oatts – wrapped up beautifully with bass from Dave Santoro and drums from Andrea Michelutti – no piano at all, which only seems to further the fluid quality of the saxophones! There's a loose, free swing to the record – a quality that's still quite rhythmic, but which opens up without the piano and lets the saxophonists get very expressive – sparking stunning lines on original Bergonzi tracks that include "Creature Feature", "Tanzania", "Dig Oatts", "Itchy", "Arbonius Unt", and "Horton's Lament". ~ Dusty Groove

JD ALLEN - BLOOM

JD Allen just gets more and more deft with each new release – able to craft these sharp, angular lines on tenor sax that seem to spill effortlessly out of his horn – yet all with this wonderfully spontaneous quality too! Allen's lead is a great match for the album's piano work from Orrin Evans – which is blocky and bold, but in a way that's very different than JD's horn – both players rising together with a sense of pride and majesty, creating rich textures throughout! The quartet also features bassist Alexander Claffy and drummer Jonathan Barber – the latter of whom has this crashing energy that really drives things forward – almost this sense of surprise and excitement at the creations of Evans and Allen, which then explodes to set new fire to their leads. Titles include "The Rule Of Thirds", "The Dreamer", "The Secret Lives Of Guest Workers", "Jack's Glass", and "Bloom". ~ Dusty Groove

AJ AND THE JIGGAWATTS - AJ AND THE JIGGAWATTS

The first-ever full length we've ever heard from AJ & The Jiggawatts – and a record that really lives up to the promise of their work on funky 45! These guys are a deep funk combo, but one with a difference – energy that's a bit more raw and rough around the edges, in the best possible way – so that sometimes it feels like the vocals or instrumentation are ready to burst right out of the speakers! The lyrics often have this slight distortion that really reflects the feeling AJ puts into his expression – and the group more than keeps pace alongside, sometimes at a mighty fast clip. The whole thing's a great antidote to too-slick, too-polished funk records – and titles include "98 Degrees", "Pushin Forward", "Throw A Fit", "Get Wild", "Back Alley Beale Street", "Brown Bottle Fever", and "Typical Feeling". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: PETER BRENDLER - OUTSIDE THE LINE; ORRIN EVANS' CAPTAIN BLACK BIG HAND - MOTHER'S TOUCH; RALPH BOWEN - STANDARD DEVIATION

PETER BRENDLER - OUTSIDE THE LINE

Bassist Peter Brendler is at the helm of the set, but we're especially enamored of the trumpet work here – played by Peter Evans on both standard and piccolo trumpet – the latter of which has this wonderfully personal sound! Almost all tunes are originals from Brendler, who turns out to be a pretty great writer – and sets up these strong showcases for Evans' trumpet lines, which seem to leap right out front even before his solos – when he's still sharing the lead with tenorist Rich Perry. Perry's pretty great, too – but there's a freshness to Evans' phrasing that's really great – bold at some minutes, with lots of offbeat twists and turns – and more fragile and honest on the piccolo trumpet tunes. Drummer Vinnie Sperrazza completes the group – and titles include "Blackout Reunion", "Drop The Mittens", "The Darkness", "Blanket Statement", "Lawn Darts", and a surprisingly nice cover of "Walk On The Wild Side". Dusty Groove

ORRIN EVANS' CAPTAIN BLACK BIG HAND - MOTHER'S TOUCH

We've really grown to love pianist Orrin Evans in a trio setting, but he's a surprisingly strong talent at the helm of this large group too – an ensemble with a rich sound and a sense of feeling that really matches Evans' own piano! There's a boldness to the music that really brings out a whole new side of Evans – this sense of majesty that's always lurking in the way he approaches the keyboard in a smaller group, but which takes off here with work from a larger group of saxophones, trumpets, and trombones. Evans gets in many great solos – and other key moments come from Marcus Strickland on tenor or soprano sax, Stacy Dillard on tenor, Todd Bashore on alto, Conrad Herwig on trombone, Tatum Greenblatt on trumpet, and Ralph Peterson on drums. Titles include the originals "In My Soul", "Explain It To Me", "Dita", "Prayer For Columbine", and "Mother's Touch (parts 1 & 2)". ~ Dusty Groove

RALPH BOWEN - STANDARD DEVIATION

Tenorist Ralph Bowen blows some strong magic here – the kind of tone and timing that really transforms the more familiar numbers chosen for the set – so that older standards are turned inside out and opened up as new vehicles for expression – yet all while still managing to swing! The rhythm trio is tight, but fluid – and features Bill O'Connell on piano, Kenny Davis on bass, and Donald Edwards on drums – yet to our ears, Bowen's the main star on the record – and we've never heard him sounding so powerfully creative! Most tracks have a strong focus from start to finish, but cover a surprising amount of ground – and titles include "Yesterdays", "No Moon At All", "Isn't It Romantic", "Dream Dancing", "By Myself", and "You Stepped Out Of A Dream". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: KYOTO JAZZ MASSIVE - ABSTRACT JAZZ JOURNEY; TRI 4TH - FIVE COLOR ELEMENTS; ROOT SOUL - DESTINY REPLAYED

KYOTO JAZZ MASSIVE - ABSTRACT JAZZ JOURNEY

Kyoto Jazz Massive take us on an abstract jazz journey – in a style that echoes the same energy of the other volumes in this series from King Street – but with the greater sense of depth that we'd expect from KJM! The music here is often in the best spirit of the group's own work – upbeat, joyous, and with this really positive vibe – a contemporary club approach that still has very open ears for all the best sounds of the classics, yet which is always willing to move things forward as well! Tracks were selected and mixed by Shuya Okino and Yoshiiro Okino – and titles include "Dreams (exclusive version)" by Lady Alma Project, "A Wonderful Place (KJM recreated)" by Blaze presents UDAUFL with Ultra Nte, "Beautiful Life (Jose Carretas Son Liva voc rmx)" by Stephanie Cooke & Diephuis, "Pick It Up (Sean McCabe club voc mix)" by Carolyn Harding, "Afrik Bounce (orig)" by Groove Assassin, "Lost Without You (orig)" by Bah Samba with Anna Cavasos, and "Look Ahead (KJM recreated)" by Shuya Okino with N'Dea Davenport. ~ Dusty Groove

TRI 4TH - FIVE COLOR ELEMENTS

A cool combo from the Japanese club jazz scene – but one who's even more acoustic and classic-sounding than most of their contemporaries! The vibe here is right up there with the best groups we love on the Ricky Tick label – an acoustic quintet that's heavy on trumpet and tenor, laid out over soaring rhythms from piano, bass, and drums – all pure jazz all the way through, with a definite 60s sort of vibe – and a very strong focus on upbeat numbers and groovers! The trumpeter, Yusuke Orita, is especially strong – and blow these brilliantly bold lines on flugelhorn as well – and drummer Takao Ito has this romping quality to his kit that really keeps the whole album moving along strongly. Pianist Daisuke Takeuchi adds in some nice lyrical touches – and titles include "Harvest", "Everybody Knows That", "Flash By Flashback", "Hope For World Peace", "Session A", and "Last Dancer".  © 1996-2014, Dusty Groove, Inc.

ROOT SOUL - DESTINY REPLAYED BY ROOT SOUL - SHUYA OKINO (KYOTO JAZZ MASSIVE)

A wonderful reworking of a wonderful record – as Root Soul take on all the tracks from Shuya Okino's Destiny record – and delivery them with an old school funky club sound! The instrumentation is great – live and very spontaneous, with an energy that takes us back to vintage Salsoul or some of the best Philly club work of the 70s – or a bit like Brand New Heavies at times, especially on the tracks that feature N'Dea Davenport on vocals! That great singer appears on three of the album's excellent tracks – alongside other work from Navasha Daya, Diviniti, and Pete Simpson – who each get a few tracks too. Titles include "Destiny", "Still In Love", "Look Ahead", "Let Nothing Change You", "Deep Into Sunshine", "Give Your Love A Chance", "Just Do It", "Take A Look At Yourself", and "Sun Will Rise". ~ Dusty Groove

SMOOTH JAZZ NEW YORK ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR SMOOTH CRUISE SERIES

Smooth Jazz New York is pleased to announce a star-studded line up for the All New Smooth Cruise series, now in its 17th year. The 2014 season marks a change to a new boat, The Hornblower Infinity, a luxurious 210-foot luxury yacht.

The cruises set sail Thursday evenings, June 12 through August 28. The summer’s roster includes 11 nights featuring 19 of the world’s greatest contemporary jazz acts in a superb, intimate setting with shows at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. The Smooth Cruises depart from Pier 40, located at Houston Street at the West Side Highway and cruise down the Hudson, not only offering exceptional music but breathtaking views of the Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline.

“We’re very excited about our new cruise night and new boat. The Hornblower Infinity is a much larger ship than past years, offering our guests improved sightlines to view an amazing array of acts. It’s a fresh twist to our annual tradition of presenting the world’s best contemporary jazz out on scenic Hudson harbor,” notes Bill Zafiros, co-founder of Smooth Jazz New York.

The 2014 Smooth Cruise Schedule:

June 12: Jazz Attack feat. Peter White, Euge Groove, & Rick Braun

June 26: Patti Austin and Marion Meadows

July 3: Pieces of a Dream

July 10: Najee

July 17: David Sanborn

July 24: Will Downing with special guest talent

July 31: Love & Soul Tour feat. Jonathan Butler, Norman Brown, & Alex Bugnon

August 7: Maysa

August 14: Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns Tour with special guests Gerald Albright, Richard Elliot, & Mindi Abair

August 21: Rachelle Ferrell

August 28: Boney James

Recently remodeled with a bold design, the Hornblower Infinity matches the uniqueness of New York — and the Smooth Cruises. The open bow, covered sky deck, and over-sized windows provide endless opportunities to enjoy the countless sites in NY Harbor as guests kick back with the best jazz artists in the business. Smooth Cruise attendees will enjoy the world’s finest contemporary jazz on climate controlled interior decks with multiple dance floors, and can take in the sights outdoors on spacious exterior sundecks.

The Smooth Cruises offer food and beverage service at an additional charge. A buffet dinner may be purchased for an additional $25, cash bar. Limited Deluxe Packages are available featuring a separate boarding line, a premium buffet on a private dining deck, and a premium open bar.

For information and to purchase tickets, visit SmoothJazzNewYork.com. Tickets are on sale now online at Ticketweb.com and by phone at 1-866-468-7619. Ticket prices range from $45 to $65. See individual show pages on the Smooth Jazz New York web site for ticket details, package pricing, and available limited time discounts. It is recommended that tickets be purchased early because the Smooth Cruises sell out quickly.

NEW RELEASES: MARK EGAN - ABOUT NOW; HANK MOBLEY - THE CLASSIC BLUE NOTE COLLECTION 1955-1961; JACKIE MCLEAN - 4, 5 AND 6

MARK EGAN - ABOUT NOW

Contemporary jazz bassist and composer Mark Egan has released his seventh recording as a leader on Wavetone Records in a super trio setting featuring master drummer Danny Gottlieb and brilliant keyboardist Mitch Forman. Mark Egan is considered to be one of the most respected and in-demand electric bassists on the music scene today. His unique fretless bass sound and style is both distinctive and versatile and his musical contributions incomparable. With three platinum & three gold albums to his credit, Mark has recorded with the likes of the Pat Metheny Group, Sting, Arcadia, Roger Daltry and Joan Osborne; performed with the Gil Evans Orchestra, Marianne Faithful, David Sanborn, John McGlaughlin and Sophie B. Hawkins. Includes: Sailing, Slinky See, About Now, Cabarete, Graceful Branch,  McKenzie Portage, Little Pagoda, Tea In Tiananmen Square, and  Puerto Plata.

HANK MOBLEY - THE CLASSIC BLUE NOTE COLLECTION 1955-1961

With his exceptional chord changes, Hank Mobley is widely recognized as one of the great composers of originals in the hard-bop era. This compilation covers Mobley's 'Golden Age', the albums he recorded for Blue Note Records between 1955 and 1961. The five disc set includes 10 full albums which the great man released during the finest era for Jazz music that the world has ever witnessed. Includes 43 tracks in all, including the following songs: Love For Sale, Just Coolin’, Touch And Go, Double Whammy, Mobley Mania, My Sin, Reunion, Funk In Deep Freeze, Fit For A Hanker, Bag's Groove, and Double Exposure.

JACKIE MCLEAN - 4, 5 AND 6 

In 1956 Jackie McLean was only beginning to assert himself as a true individualist on the alto saxophone, exploring the lime-flavored microtones of his instrument that purists or the misinformed perceived as being off-key or out of tune. 4, 5 and 6 presents McLean's quartet on half the date, and tunes with an expanded quintet, and one sextet track -- thus the title. Mal Waldron, himself an unconventional pianist willing to explore different sizings and shadings of progressive jazz, is a wonderful complement for McLean's notions, with bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor the impervious team everyone wanted for his rhythm section at the time. The quartet versions of "Sentimental Journey," "Why Was I Born?," and "When I Fall in Love" range from totally bluesy, to hard bop ribald, to pensive and hopeful, respectively. These are three great examples of McLean attempting to make the tunes his own, adding a flattened, self-effaced, almost grainy-faced texture to the music without concern for the perfectness of the melody. Donald Byrd joins the fray on his easygoing bopper "Contour," where complex is made simple and enjoyable, while Hank Mobley puts his tenor sax to the test on the lone and lengthy sextet track, a rousing version of Charlie Parker's risk-laden "Confirmation." It's Waldron's haunting ballad "Abstraction," with Byrd and McLean's quick replies, faint and dour, that somewhat illuminates the darker side. As a stand-alone recording, 4, 5 and 6 does not break barriers, but does foreshadow the future of McLean as an innovative musician in an all-too-purist mainstream jazz world. ~ Michael G. Nastos

RAMSEY LEWIS - COMPLETE RECORDINGS 1957-1960

The albums on this four-disc set represent the first recordings by pianist Ramsey Lewis as a leader or in a featured-artist capacity. All but one originally appeared on Argo. There are eight complete albums in this slipcase box, beginning with Ramsey Lewis & His Gentle-Men of Swing and Ramsey Lewis & His Gentle-Men of Jazz, Volume 2 albums (aka the earliest Ramsey Lewis Trio sides with Eldee Young and Redd Holt), both on disc one. 

Disc two collects the stellar The Colorful Strings of Jimmy Woode and Max Roach's Max. Trumpeter Lem Winchester's date with the trio and the group's own Down to Earth -- as well as the first two cuts from vocalist Lorez Alexandria's collaboration with the group, Early in the Morning -- take up disc three. The remaining eight cuts from Early in the Morning commence disc four, rounded out by An Hour with the Ramsey Lewis Trio (their lone album for Mercury). 

The good news is that this set is almost unbelievably inexpensive. The bad news is twofold. Enlightenment is a U.K. label and therefore not required to pay copyright fees on material at least 50 years old. It also means that they didn't have to use master tapes as their source material -- it's highly debatable as to whether these recordings were actually taken from tapes rather than vinyl LPs. You get what you pay for. The stars are for the music, not the package. ~ Thom Jurek This compilation features Ramsey Lewis' complete recorded output from his first album, 1956's Ramsey Lewis & His Gentle-men of Swing, through to 1960's An Hour with the Ramsey Lewis Trio. The selection here includes 8 complete LP's released through this golden age for Jazz, and Ramsey Lewis in particular, including as it does collaborations with other jazz giants such as Jimmy Woods and Max Roach ~ cduniverse

JACQUES LOUSSIER RELEASES TWO 2-DISC RETROSPECTIVE COLLECTIONS

In a career that spans more than a half century, pianist and composer Jacques Loussier has built an enormous body of work by blurring the lines between classical and jazz. Beginning in 1959 with his Play Bach Trio, and later with alternate lineups that explored numerous other classical artists, Loussier and his various collaborators forced musicians and audiences of both jazz and classical music to re-evaluate the boundaries – and indeed the similarities – between their respective genres. Along the way, he has sold more than six million albums worldwide.

Fifty five years after those bold first steps with Play Bach Trio, Telarc celebrates Loussier’s upcoming 80th birthday in October 2014 with the release of two collections that provide a cross section of his masterful fusion of classical tradition with the jazz idiom. My Personal Favorites: The Jacques Loussier Trio Plays Bach and Beyond Bach: Other Composers I Adore – two specially priced 2-CD sets, each with tracks chosen by Loussier as personal favorites – are scheduled for a May 27, 2014, release on Telarc International, a subsidiary of Concord Music.

  

Personal Favorites: The Jacques Loussier Trio Plays Bach:

The Bach collection principally features the trio that Loussier formed in 1985. “His personal selection of pieces from his Bach repertoire looks back on the one hand to his earliest triumphs, but also shows how the trio has developed and responded to the music over time,” says jazz  historian Alyn Shipton, author of the liner notes for both collections. “So, while the opening ‘Air on a G String’ is clearly recognizable as having affinities with his original recording from the Play Bach era, as the improvisation develops, there is a conversation between Vincent Charbonnier’s bass and the piano that would not have been part of the 1959 trio’s remit.”

“My interpretation of ‘Air on a G String’ was featured  in many Benson & Hedges cigar commercials on television between 1964 and 1999,” Loussier recalls, “and my music was suddenly exposed to millions of listeners. There were nearly 100 TV spots in all. They were very funny, especially the last one, which most people will remember.”

The collection also includes some noteworthy “firsts” in Loussier’s career with the Play Bach Trio. Prelude No. 1 in C Major from “The Well-Tempered Clavier” is the first Bach piece he ever arranged in a jazz context. Bach’s Toccatta and Fugue in D Minor, meanwhile, was the piece the trio debuted in Paris in 1959.

In “Pastorale in C Minor,” piano and bass double and then alternate the lead before going into a jazz passage where the bass takes on a walking role beneath the piano. Loussier’s choices on the CD, says Shipton, are an interesting mix of oft-requested Bach favorites and the composer’s own preference for slightly lesser-known music where the players bring their own personalities into the recipe.

“Italian Concerto” mixes a variety of elements in a way that never loses sight of Bach’s original, but which includes many original touches. “These include the sense of more than one tempo in the opening movement, for example, or the dramatic bleakness of the central Andante, with bass pedal notes and atmospheric drums creating a landscape that goes a great distance beyond Bach’s,” says Shipton. “The joyous conclusion is everything that its fans love about the trio: precision, delicacy, and hard-hitting swing, yet in a context of familiarity for the classical audience, and with moments of departure into a more abstract style.”

The collection also includes pieces that reflect the most contrasting moods from Loussier’s ambitious Goldberg Variations album. After the opening aria comes the impressionist treatment of Variation 2, and the uptempo Number 5. “It all comes together in the longer exploration of Variation 25,” says Shipton, “which as well as showing how the trio can be loyal to Bach while traveling a long way from its original, it can create a musical scene that is entirely its own, and testament to the creativity of its founder.”

   

My Favorite Composers:

The Vivaldi concerto here – the second of the Four Seasons quartet – demonstrates how successfully Loussier applied his jazz approach to a classical composer. Instead of the strong harmonic development of J.S. Bach, with its affinities to jazz structure, Vivaldi deals in songlike melodies.

“Vivaldi’s Four Seasons was our first CD after a long series of Play Bach recordings,” says Loussier. “It was quite different from what I’d been doing, and I wondered if it would be possible to make Vivaldi swing in the same way I had done with Bach, who is an interesting composer but not easy to improvise. After making that album, I decided I could do anything with any other composer.”

“There’s a direct connection between the summery feeling Loussier was aiming for in the opening of the Vivaldi and the laid-back calm of Gymnopedie No. 1 by Eric Satie,” Shipton explains. “Gnossiene No. 1 is more rhythmic, but overall in these pieces, Loussier uses the originals as an opportunity to add his own compositional touches, altering a harmony here, adding a subtle melodic flourish there.”

“I chose to record Satie’s Gymnopedie’s because this is already a swinging piece – like Bach is, but in a different way,” says Loussier. “But I felt very much at home with this unique piece of harmonistic and relaxing music.”

The baroque adventures in music by Handel and Scarlatti on these CDs sit closer to Jacques’ original experiments with Bach. Indeed, the Scarlatti has great affinities to the work of his first trio. And so, too, does the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major.

The remaining pieces on the album are a testament to the variety of material that Jacques has explored. The charming simplicity of Schumann’s songs leads to a catchy inevitability about the arrangement of ‘Of Foreign Lands and People,’ whereas the selections from Chopin’s Nocturnes reveal Loussier’s skill as a solo unaccompanied musician.”

For years, Loussier has been consistently celebrated for his versions of Ravel and Debussy, both of which are included here. “I was fascinated by the avant garde minimalism of ‘Bolero de Ravel,’” says Loussier. “The constant crescendo, a repetitive and insistent theme in the orchestral version of the piece, created a new challenge when reinterpreting the piece for only three instruments!”

The Debussy album, meanwhile, remains “the masterpiece of the latter-day trio,” says Shipton. “Listen to ‘Clair de Lune,’ and revel in its liquid beauty as you join Jacques in celebrating his 80th birthday.”