GAUDI: THE RARE NOISE CATALOG RE-SCULPTED - an album of entirely new music using various mutitracks from different RareNoise releases

This 10" Vinyl EP is the first manifestation of an exciting collaboration between London-based music producer / performing artist Gaudi and the ever classy champions of genre-bending and experimental contemporary music, RareNoiseRecords. This hot-off-the-press taster, which will also be available in multiple DL formats, is an introduction to the forthcoming full length release, to be titled Magnetic, due to be released late Spring 2017.

Gaudi, a much respected producer and performer with 15 studio albums under his belt, has been working to dissolve musical boundaries for over 35 years now, and is best loved and noted for his genre blending and high quality dub-centric productions. He has been let loose in the RareNoise vaults and has set himself the creational challenge of composing an album of entirely new music using the full palette of the RareNoise catalog as his orchestra.

Gaudi is no stranger to this kind of undertaking having previously taken on the challenge of composing and producing an album of new music working with vocal parts from archives of legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The result of this multi-year endeavor, released with the title "Dub Qawwali", earned him a nomination for a BBC World Music Award: It was not only a beautiful and sensitively handled piece of work, but also a landmark album in which the very concept of 'remix' was taken to the next level to become 're-composition'.

In this respect, "Magnetic' represents an even greater challenge than Dub Qawwali: the sheer breath of the source material offered by the RareNoise catalog, which spans a high dimensional manifold of genres, has stimulated and challenged Gaudi to work with a vast array of styles, instrumentation and flavors in order to create the master blend, a true challenge of distillation.

Side A of this 10" Vinyl EP is home to the track "30Hz Dub Prelude" and there's no mistaking from the first bar that this one is all about the bass - provided by psychedelic prog-rock artist Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree fame. Drawing also from the rock side of the spectrum this track gets edge and pace from the drums of Ted Parsons from cult band Killing Joke. Guitars are by Eraldo Bernocchi and vocals by Japanese experimental vocalist Coppé are used as texture throughout and under the surface. Gaudi plays Minimoog, korg MS20 and fender rhodes. The trombone of Brian Allen (member of Brainkiller) draws you in and leads you as it meanders like a liquid brass river through the track.

Side B is a more subdued affair. "Electronic Impromptu in E-flat Minor" is an evocative time-slip into subjective reverie. A melancholy piece featuring Bill Laswell and Lorenzo Feliciati on Bass. Electronic noises and textures are crafted by Masami Akita (aka Merzbow) and tremulous nostalgic guitar by Eraldo Bernocchi punctuates the soundscape. It is a deep, drawing track which is tense and moody in tone, but softened by the satie-esque piano of Alessandro Gwis and Gaudi's trademark Theremin with it's unmistakable and luring voice. Drums by Steve Jansen (the drummer from art pop band Japan) give the track a purposeful yet faltering pace which further reinforces the space and flavour of the track - it is a song of counterpoints, spacious yet introspective, dark yet with a hint whimsy.

The list of artists who have lent their sounds and skills to the overall project reads like a 'who's who' of musical talent and gives warranted indication as to the quality of the ingredients; Artists to be featured in the final full length release Magnetic willinclude Tony Levin (best known for his work on bass with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel), Pulitzer prize finalist and avant-garde jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, ambient music legend and master of sonic experimentalism Harold Budd, Pat Mastelotto (drummer from XTC, David Sylvian, King Crimson, Sugar Cubes), experimental guitarist Buckethead (Guns 'n' Roses, Bootsy, Iggy Pop) and internationally acclaimed Italian born jazz trombonist Gianluca Petrella to name but a few.

In this project Gaudi has become like the master blender at the whisky distillery... Carefully searching through the warehouses to find the right flavours, taking a hand picked selection of the best spirit of the RareNoise stable and from amongst their individual notes and character, creating his own unique blend - the RareNoise signature malt!

TRACKS AND CREDITS

A SIDE - 30HZ DUB PRELUDE

GAUDI - minimoog, korg MS20, fender rhodes, programming

COLIN EDWIN - bass 

TED PARSONS - drums

BRIAN ALLEN - trombone

ERALDO BERNOCCHI - guitar

COPPE' - voice

B SIDE - ELECTRONIC IMPROMPTU IN E-FLAT MINOR

GAUDI - theremin, minimoog, piano, programming

BILL LASWELL - bass

STEVE JANSEN - drum

ERALDO BERNOCCHI - guitar

MASAMI AKITA (aka MERZBOW) - electronic noise

LORENZO FELICIATI - bass

ALESSANDRO GWIS - acoustic piano

Produced and arranged by Gaudi.

THE VINYL contains the download code for a third track as well - called "Nocturnal Sonata," which also will be part of the 2017 release "Magnetic."

Bonus Download - NOCTURNAL SONATA

GAUDI - Drum, Piano, Vocal Choir, Minimoog, Korg MS20, Programming.

MARK AANDERUD - Piano

BILL LASWELL - Bass, Drones

BUCKETHEAD - Guitar Noises

MARTIN SCHULTE - Electronics, Programming

HERNAN HECHT - Drums

Todd Clouser Joins Forces With Members Of Abraxas On MAGNET ANIMALS: BUTTERFLY KILLER

On the heels of his genre-defying A Love Electric trilogy and subsequent song project, Man With No Country, guitarist-composer-poet-lyricist C Todd Clouser joins forces with drummer Jorge Servin and the potent one-two punch of Abraxas guitarist Eyal Maoz and bassist Shanir Blumenkranz in forming Magnet Animals. Their slamming and startlingly unique debut, Butterfly Killer -- full of skronking noise guitars of blast furnace intensity and stream of conscious raps over righteous riffs and humungous backbeats -- stands as one of the most strangely compelling outings in the extensive and wildly eclectic catalog of London-based RareNoiseRecords.

From the opening salvo of "Headphone Girls" to the jarring punk-funk of "Martha Fever," the eerie Ennio Morricone-styled spaghetti western vibe of "I Give Up And Love Somebody" and the sinister title track, Butterfly Killer sidesteps convention at every turn while boldly stepping to a different kind of muse. Throw in a B-52s-styled '80s dance party number ("Igual, Pero Peor"), a throbbing jam with a haunting, an evangelist preacher styled incantation ("Little John The Liar") and an ode to a late junkie author/hipster ("Bill Burroughs") and you have one of the most daring, fully self-realized creations of the current year.

Credit Clouser with creating the vehicle for such a powerful statement to take place. "The Magnet Animals record is very impulsive," explains the auteur. "With the A Love Electric records, we write, re-write, edit, produce, cut tunes in half and tour together on 120 dates a year. With Magnet Animals, I wanted to get back to just a creative impulse, honoring that, expressing, and moving on. I wrote the tunes in one weekend in a cabin a week before we had the tour planned. We played a week's worth of shows, recorded on the last day in about an 8-hour session. I took the sessions to Minneapolis to mix, and that was it. I wanted it to be fast, a reflection of the personalities of the players and their instincts, and not think myself out of what I needed to say, and what this group was on its first impulse, instinctively."

Regarding his role as principal wordsmith and narrator of the vivid imagery conjured up throughout Butterfly Killer, Clouser says, "I like lyrics that can survive as poetry -- just on the page. I'm not sure if I am a poet or a lyricist but words are important to me. If I am going to use them, I want them to have purpose. Sometimes it's in humor, like on 'Headphone Girls.' I travel a lot and there are all these thousands of headphones they sell all over airports now -- every color and size and sales pitch, and its a trip! So I wrote that 'look at me listening' little line when I was in the Atlanta airport on A Love Electric tour and thought it was fun to sing, or talk. Other times, like on 'Atayde,' there is this tremendous nostalgia and some kind of sadness to the words. Atayde is the name of a family circus in Mexico City and their circus tent was just ripped down, It was giant, big and blue, with a ball that looked like a clown's shoe on top. It's like a whole block long and it's located right where all the hookers hangout on paydays, on Tlalpan. There's so much absurdity there that somehow there is beauty and calm in it, like complete resignation to our human instincts, failures, all of it. So that was an easy and kind of emotional song to write. That's really more of a spoken piece. In the end, I think it's just about observing and trying to find the humanity, the emotion, in whatever I want to write about."

Clouser details his connection to the three other intrepid improvisers and skilled musicians who comprise Magnet Animals. "Eyal and I have talked about playing together for years and when I was on tour with A Love Electric I visited his apartment a couple times and we just set up and improvised. He is so fearless and himself. He kind of plays how Mexico City sounds to me. I played with Shanir Blumenkranz at the John Lurie tribute show at NYC Town Hall with Billy Martin and John Medeski. We played Marvin Pontiac songs from that Lurie record (1999's The Legendary marvin Pontiac: Greatest Hits). Shanir is so scouted when he plays and his feel is so warm. We got along well and talked about doing something together at some point. I have played now with a lot of the 'Downtown scene' heroes, including John Zorn, Cyro Baptista, Medeski Martin & Wood, and always crossed paths with Shanir. It seemed like it was time to play together."

Though Clouser wrote all of the songs on Butterfly Killer, he says the recording is very much a product of everyone's contributions. "With other players, this could be a corny fusion record, the way the tunes are written. It had to be a crew of guys willing to get into the dirt. Much of what we did and what we captured on record is about the energy of the performance, the risk, knowing we are reading tunes but we are free to abandon them in dramatic ways. Shanir had a big hand in arranging the tunes and working out feels. He's so good at that. Eyal has such a strong and unique voice, it's like having an electric piano player, theremin player and jazz guitarist all at once."

And while modernists may point to the influence of guitar shredders like Sonny Sharrock or Nels Cline or Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore in the skronking metallic interplay heard on harsh tunes like "Headphone Girls," "Martha Fever" and "State of My Face," Clouser explains that the influence actually goes back much further. "A lot of it, honestly, is old Delta blues, the voices as much as the guitars. Listening to Skip James sing, going back to a lot of the Alan Lomax recordings of prison song, field song, gospel...that raw feel is all there. That being said, I grew up in the late 90's, so Sonic Youth was an influence as well as a lot of the NYC downtown stuff I started to listen to. I liked the personality and personalities of it. People there had something to say that I related to. I have spent a lot of time with old blues records and psych rock records, some of the Brazilian psych rock stuff and Os Mutantes, and then, of course, hip-hop.But I have a background in jazz, knowledge of these harmonies, and spent time playing Thelonious Monk music, so some of that creeps in as well."

Clouser also explains that the sparse, lonely, vaguely Americana feel that comes across on tunes like "Atayde" and "I Give Up And Love Somebody" comes from his Midwestern upbringing. "I was born in Kansas City and grew up in Minneapolis. Though I live in Mexico City now, I can only run so far from driving up and down highway 35 through the cornfields, Flying J travel centers, and listening to unreasoned preachers and minor league baseball games on the radio. I did so many van tours up and down that highway, you have time to write. I would write for hours if I wasn't driving, just looking around and being romantic about something so many people are so dismissive of. You find romance, resignation there in the simple. The Coen Brothers are great at putting that to story and film. I love that kind of Americana when it sounds in music."

As for the kind of evangelical fervor that he takes on in his spoken word rants on "Little John the Liar" and the title track, Clouser explains that it comes from the deepest recesses of his childhood. "It's just a character, but I do think I am perhaps unhealthily drawn to talking about religion, Jesus and preaching in my music. My parents, who I love so much, sent me to Sunday school when I was kid, which I hated so much. It was horrible. I knew they were lying to me and I was stand-offish. So I think sometimes I still haven't gotten over that, and gotten over this whole disillusioned idea of a savior who makes you right even when you are wrong. So maybe I lash out in music, or in what I write, or how I sing it. Sometimes the lash is to caricature-ize the 'preacher.' I also think having listened to a lot of spiritual music, a lot of gospel, early jazz, Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite, these types of records, I am drawn to this sort of prophetic voice, and emoting that way."

He further explains that "Bill Burroughs" was an homage to someone he greatly admired and felt a kinship with. "I never met him. I didn't share much time on Earth with him but I live about a mile away from where he did when he was in Mexico City. I love his writing. His story is tragic and heroic and offensive and teaching. I almost died from being an addict and I am gay. That's two big ones. From there on, its pretty easy to relate."

  

Of his current place of residence, Clouser couldn't be happier. "In Mexico City I fell into a great thing. I had no plans to live there but I met two musicians, Hernan Hecht and Aaron Cruz, and that became our group A Love Electric. This was about three years ago. We all had the same impetus, to go out and share our music wherever we could but in the most human, non-pretentious way possible. For example, we just got a grant from he US Embassy some months ago. We had offers to take it and go to a couple big festivals for free or a reduced rate. We decided to go to Honduras, Nicaragua and South Mexico and play in community centers and bars instead. And I would do that again in a second, and these two guys are the same way.

"There are songs everywhere in this city. I have been assaulted by way too many ideas since I moved here that I am still trying to sort through and make records or bands or whatever might be next. There is an energy here that I am attracted to, a chaos, but at the same time something very human. Because at some point you have to help each other out or the whole thing is going to blow up and the city will drown in itself. And now touring a lot in Mexico, going to places like Oaxaca up in the mountains to work with traditional wind musicians, or on the Yucatan to a town where Maya is the only language spoken, these things are fascinating, invigorating, exciting. I am able to learn by living all day long, and when that is happening there is no escape from inspiration."

It takes an inspired person to come up with something as audacious and uncompromising as Butterfly Killer. Clouser and his Magnet Animals crew deliver goods on this provocative new release on RareNoise Records.

TRACKS

Headphone Girls

Atayde

Martha Fever

Baby Gods

Butterfly Killer

I Give Up And Love Somebody

State Of My Face

Bill Borroughs

Little John The Liar
Igual, Pero Peor

Chat Noir Re-Imagines the Piano Trio On New Outing: Nine Thoughts For One Word

The adventurous trio Chat Noir has for the past 12 years defied easy categorization with its organic mix of ambient music, electronic textures as well as chamber music and jazz. Their singular approach to the piano trio, cinematic in scope and startlingly beautiful, has garnered critical raves throughout Europe. 

On Nine Thoughts for One Word, their sixth recording overall and second for London-based RareNoise Records, the two founding members, pianist Michele Cavallari and bassist Luca Fogagnolo, are joined in their further explorations by electronic/ambient music composer and producer Jan Peter Schwalm (Brian Eno, Eivind Aarset). Together they make a conceptual leap on what a piano trio can be, with the invaluable input of Schwalm's studio magic.

This delicate balance of electronic experimentalism with acoustic piano and acoustic bass has been evolving gradually from the group's initial release in 2006, Adoption, and continued on 2007's Decoupage through 2008's Difficult to See You. 2011's Weather Forecasting Stone and 2014's Elec3Cities. Their collective experimentation continues on the evocative Nine Thoughts for One Word. "Experimentation has always been a fundamental part of our work," says bassist Fogagnolo. "We would describe our journey as a ship adrift. If jazz was our starting point we've always felt free to explore different languages."

From the dramatic peaks of "Eternally Tranquil Light," grounded by the resonant, woody tones of Fogagnolo's upright bass, to the lyrical delicacy of Cavallari's piano on "Fundamental Mind," from the throbbing techno vibe of "Blinking Neon" to the Indonesian gamelan flavored introspection of "Detuning Leaves" and the mesmerizing trip-hop of "Uneven" and "Soft Ground," Chat Noir explores myriad musical languages on Nine Thoughts for One Word. They also offer a very pleasing vocal number, "Momentarily Continual," which is underscored by the pure, resonant tones of Fogagnolo's upright bass, and they close out the program on a gentle note with Cavallari's sparse piano work on the hymn-like "Crystallized Flow."

"This album has more spatial sound and compositions, which in turn may sound (paradoxically) more 'acoustic'," Cavallari explains. "'Crystallized Flow' is pointing towards this different, more spacious dimension, which is also linked to the new lineup and to the role that J. Peter in particular had in our project."

Though Schwalm trained as a drummer, he is now playing mainly electronic instruments and music. "We met him at a festival in Norway (Punkt 2008) and immediately fell in love with his style," Cavallari recalls. "As we rearranged our lineup about one year ago, we decided to ask him for collaboration. For Luca and I, it was a natural choice to abandon the classic piano-bass-drums format and try something different, but in line with the evolution of our style, which incorporated more and more electronic textures over the years. Peter brought in his experience with sound processing and treatments, as well as his personal taste as co-producer of the album. Given his strong background in ambient music, his participation in the project sound-wise contributed to the very spacious dimension of the album, in line with the already ethereal vibe of the compositions."

As for his longstanding musical relationship with Fogagnolo, Cavallari says, "Luca and I are good old pals. Our friendship and music collaboration informs one another. On the one hand, music made our friendship even stronger. On the other hand, we can rely on shared ideas about music, and even more generally about life, when playing together. It's a constant dialog of spoken as well as unspoken words.

"We often have similar taste for music," he continues. "But more importantly, when coming from different musical references and preferences, Luca and I have contributed even more to each other's musical ideas and ways to perform."                                                                    

Cavallari adds that his method of playing and recording together with Fogagnolo changed radically four years ago when the two Italians relocated to different countries -- Michele to the United States and Luca to Germany. "Our rehearsal room changed from being a shared space, where we used to physically meet quite often, to a virtual place. Nine Thoughts for One Word is our second album recorded through cloud-based sharing of music ideas and sessions. This wouldn't have been possible without a long-term relationship. But somehow the distance helped to develop even more our personal taste, before sharing ideas for new tunes as we've always done. In the process of developing new tunes, we can count on a strong shared basis, established throughout our long collaboration, as well as on a naïve attitude and openness towards different ideas, and potentially surprises."

He further describes the group's modus operandi on Nine Thoughts for One Word: "Our approach is to try to understand where the composition is pointing to and to give meaningful contribution to it, by either contrasting or corroborating the original idea. Basically, the process we follow to compose and play together is grounded in the root of two essential and mutually reinforcing aspects: friendship and freedom."          

                                                                       

Cavallari also explains that he and Fogagnolo have joint experience working on soundtrack recordings, which may explain why so much of their music has such a cinematic quality. "We did work on movie soundtracks in the past. Some of our tunes were featured in Cristina Comencini's films - Don't Tell (nominated for best foreign language film category at the 78th Academy Awards) and Black and White - as well as Francesca Comencini's documentary In Fabrica. Our music has often been associated with cinematic features. Rather than thinking visually when composing, I guess we approach compositions in away that has similarities with film direction. We try to develop 'stories' and 'plots' through melodic lines and sometimes more abstract parts that overall follow a dynamically organized flow.

"As to the our way to approach compositions, either one of us usually 'plants the seed' of a new tune on his own. Then, from the original basic idea, we let the other totally express himself without limitations. Sometimes we go through multiple iterations of sending music ideas back and forth between us, as additional contributions can inspire new direction of the tune. It never happens that we don't like what the other brought in terms of contribution to the song. In this sense we are totally connected."

It is easy to see how such kindred spirits continue to collaborate and thrive, even when living on separate continents. And together with ambient mixmaster Schwalm, they travel to some wholly new musical territory on Nine Thoughts for One Word, the most transcendent Chat Noir release to date.

"Chat Noir is definitely one of the most refreshing forces in the current European new jazz / modern hybrid music movement." -- Igloo Magazine

TRACKS

Eternally Tranquil Light

Fundamental Mind

Momentary Continual

Blinking Neon

Detuning Leaves

Uneven

Soft Ground

Crystallized Flow

NEW MUSIC: NAT BIRCHALL – CREATION; RICH HALLEY – THE OUTLIER; NELS CLINE - LOVERS

NAT BIRCHALL – CREATION

“Creation” is Nat Birchall's eighth album and his most fully realised to date. The group assembled for this recording features two drummers, Johnny Hunter and Andy Hay, and along with Nat, pianist Adam Fairhall and bassist Michael Bardon they create a sound and energy perfectly matched to reveal the deepest messages within the music. The group create enough kinetic energy for interstellar travel, which is exactly where the music takes the listener! From the opening bars of “Love in the Cosmos” to the closing diminuendo of “Light of All Worlds” the music stretches and soars, taking the listener both deep within themselves and also to the furthest reaches of space/time on a journey of profound emotional expression that ultimately uplifts the spirit. Gilles Peterson said Nat is “one of the best musicians in the UK, no question”, plus Nat's last album (“Invocations”, on Jazzman Records) was featured in his best of 2015 show. Nat's music is regularly featured on Gilles' radio shows, as well as BBC Radio 3 shows, Jazz on 3 and Jazz Line-Up, plus Jamie Cullum's BBC Radio 2 show and shows like Gideon Coe on BBC 6 Music.

RICH HALLEY – THE OUTLIER

Saxophonist and composer Rich Halley releases The Outlier, featuring multi-reed player Vinny Golia, trombonist Michael Vlatkovich, bassist Clyde Reed and drummer Carson Halley. The Outlier is the new recording by the Rich Halley 5 and features a mix of new original compositions by Rich Halley and free improvisations by the group. The addition of Vinny Golia's baritone sax and bass clarinet to the front line creates new colors, textures and harmonic possibilities which energize the music.  The Outlier combines roots, exploration and real emotion in an engaging and powerful statement. Rich Halley has released nineteen recordings as a leader.  The Outlier follows the Rich Halley 4's earlier Eleven, Creating Structure, The Wisdom of Rocks, Crossing the Passes, Back from Beyond and Requiem for a Pit Viper, all critically acclaimed.

NELS CLINE - LOVERS

Lovers is an expansive double-album that Nels Cline has dreamed of making for over 25 years. Inspired by the likes of Bill Evans, Jim Hall, Gil Evans, Johnny Mandel, Henry Mancini and others, Cline finally realized his ambitious mood music project with an ensemble of 23 stellar musicians conducted and arranged by Michael Leonhart. Lovers was produced by David Breskin and recorded and mixed by Ron Saint Germain. The material on Lovers is wide-ranging; the album s 18 tracks include Cline s striking originals as well as Great American Songbook standards and songs by Sonic Youth, Arto Lindsay, Jimmy Giuffre and others. Cline was named by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He has led various groups of his own, most consistently the avant-garde ensemble the Nels Cline Singers, and appeared as a guest or feature player on more than 200 albums. In addition, for the last dozen years, he s been a full-time member of the acclaimed rock band Wilco.

Kevin Hays New Day Trio North Featuring Kevin Hays, Rob Jost & Greg Joseph

Having lived in the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Harlem for five years, pianist Kevin Hays couldn't escape the vibrations of the historic neighborhood. He was reminded of the deep musical history of Harlem when he photographed a wall that was uncovered in the midst of the City's continuous redevelopment. The wall was festooned with concert posters from decades past, an image Hays interpolated for the cover of his new recording, North.

In New York City, Harlem is considered North. Hays isn't the only pianist to find a special meaning in the top of the compass. Glenn Gould made a well-known documentary about the tundra of Canada and his fascination with it in the late 1960s entitled The Idea of North. There is something in these latitudes that Hays finds compelling, not only for historical reasons, but for emotional and spiritual reasons, as well. Hays relates a feeling of calm that came from his prior residence in Upstate New York, a place of beauty and repose; the album title also references finding one's true North on one's spiritual compass.

It has been some time since Hays recorded an acoustic piano trio. Over the past few years, Hays has become reacquainted with former roommate, and terrific drummer, Greg Joseph. Through Joseph, he met bassist Rob Jost, a player of wide taste and tremendous ability. This led to Hays forming his New Day Trio, a dynamic ensemble that can handle the leader's challenging jazz charts and his more folk/rock leaning vocal pieces.

The Trio's last recording, New Day, featured pieces that Hays wrote with lyrics and showcased his wonderful voice. On their follow up recording, the Trio approaches the material instrumentally, though the material doesn't lack lyrical content. For Hays, his writing has begun to have a "thinning membrane between lyrics and melodies." As a sort of quality control, Hays sings while composing, insuring that his phrasing is lyrical. From there, he can go back and add challenging harmonic puzzles underneath, which makes his tunes deceptively difficult. 

The pieces recorded on North focus on these elements of history, beauty and hope. Hays's musical scope goes beyond the jazz standards he incorporates on the record, bridging his love of classical, blues, soul, folk and rock music into his originals.

The recording begins with a "derangement" of Charlie Parker's "Scrapple from the Apple," the Trio utilizing a favorite technique of Hays to modulate the melody up a half step after every two bars and then reharmonize. Hays recorded "Elegia" on an earlier record with Brad Mehldau, revisiting his lovely ballad, which was written as challenge to write a song in under an hour. "Violetta" is a tribute to Chilean nueva cancíon singer Violeta Parra; it captures a South American folk feel in 5/4 time.

"Schumann's Chamisso" is an arrangement of the first movement of the legendary composer's song cycle based on poet Adelbert von Chamisso's Frauenliebe und leben. Differing completely, the grooving "Sweet Caroline" is not by Neil Diamond but was written as a song with lyrics and features some wonderful bass work by Jost. An impressionistic rendition of Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" leads to dramatic reworking of "All The Things You Are."

The title track "North" was written to portray a sense of peacefulness and solitude, feelings Hays relates to Upstate New York and that help him ground himself. A spontaneous take of Johnston and Raye's "I'll Remember April" is an intriguing arrangement in 6/8. The recording concludes with the uplifting "Morning," another short form piece written with lyrics and that traverses all 12 keys under a tuneful, free melody.

Kevin Hays is a musician who has been seeking a higher ground, both literally and figuratively. The creation of the New Day Trio and their work together have been inspiring and humbling for Hays. The new recording North sheds a light on the direction of Hays and The New Day Trio and it looks as if all roads lead.... 

www.kevinhays.com

Featured This Week On The Jazz Network Worldwide: Vocalist Erin Krebs "Love Always Wins"‏

Soaring vocals, stellar musical performances, and an upbeat vibe are the essence of this exciting debut album by Erin Krebs.

Love Always Wins is comprised of eleven original songs presented in a variety of styles from start to finish- from traditional Jazz to soulful R&B and gritty Blues. Listeners will be tapping thier feet to the swing tunes, falling for the ballads, and groovin' with the R&B songs.

Erin has always been influenced by the Great American Songbook and traditional Blues styles. The songs and arrangements are reminiscent of those traditions, but with a modern twist. Her lyrics are honest and somehow familiar, because they are about things we encounter in everyday life.

The recording process was also influenced by the Jazz and Blues masters of the past, with the musicians all working together in the moment. Love Always Wins takes you back to that simpler time, and it works because Erin assembled an amazing group of talented and award-winning musicians.

Love Always Wins kicks off with "Love Ride", a swinging tune with virtuosic solo work, then melts into one of the album's ballads, "Fall Song", featuring Mark Martin on piano. "It's You, My Love" is a light Latin-inspired tune, and one of two songs where Erin plays flute. Next up is a minor swing tune, "I See You", where you'll hear some word-painting with the melody and lyrics and some playful improvisations before getting to "My Favorite Day", another Latin Jazz style tune featuring Justin Zopel on bass. "One Summer Day", a beautiful ballad, is stripped down to just Erin accompanied by her partner and guitarist, Jeff Johnston. 

The band is swinging with a catchy melody on "Count on the Blues" before getting soulful on the slow-jam of the album, "When Love Comes to Play", which features Stephan Cooper on tenor sax. "Ahead of the Game" is an up-beat catchy R&B tune featuring a fantastic solo by Brian Gruselle on Hammond organ who is also featured on the next tune. "The Man I Want" is a fast Blues Swing with a blazing tenor sax solo. Erin lays it all out on the final track "Love Always Wins" a soulful Blues-inspired song with a stellar guitar solo by Jeff Johnston.

Those that have seen Erin Krebs perform know that when she sings, she sings from her soul. Her performances are genuine and heartfelt, and audiences feel an instant connection to her and her music. New listeners will sense that same incredible energy, and it resonates in the performances on this album, Love Always Wins.

Visit THE JAZZ NETWORK WORLDWIDE "A GREAT PLACE TOHANG" at: http://www.thejazznetworkworldwide.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network 

Genre-Warping Pianist Uri Caine Continues to Reinvent the Jazz Trio Format on Calibrated Thickness

Uri Caine is best known as a genre-warping, restlessly inventive pianist and sonic thinker whose every project is as predictably unpredictable as the last. But the piano trio remains a touchstone for Caine, who returns regularly to apply his expansive imagination to that core jazz format. On his latest album, Calibrated Thickness, Caine debuts a new trio with two longtime collaborators: drummer Clarence Penn and bassist Mark Helias.

"There's a lot of freedom in the piano trio," Caine says. "It's very open and loose. We keep the structure together, but within that I like the freedom it offers."

Though the title is a phrase that Caine stumbled across in a technical manual, Calibrated Thickness vividly captures the sense of controlled dynamics and calculated density that this trio so ably masters. The album's 15 songs are in a sense a distillation of the musical identity that Caine, Penn and Helias have forged over the last few years as a trio (in addition to many more in different contexts). Live, Caine's memorable compositions are landmarks that the trio happens upon in the course of lengthy improvisations, fluidly morphing from one tune to the next at a moment's whim.

On Calibrated Thickness, the tunes are presented in a more pristine fashion, showcasing Caine's gift for witty, agile melodies, inspiring structures and wide-ranging stylistic approaches. The short pieces (few of which top five minutes) give the trio the opportunity to spark concise, focused improvisations from the flint of the leader's well-honed compositions. "When you're playing and writing music you're always calibrating how to build it or structure it or form it," Caine explains.

The relationship between Caine and Penn dates back a couple of decades, most notably in trumpeter Dave Douglas' quintet that also featured saxophonists Chris Potter or Donny McCaslin and bassist James Genus. The pianist came to work with Helias through their shared tenure in Don Byron's band. Joining the trio on three tracks is the ingenious cornetist Kirk Knuffke, whose sharp, probing sound adds an extra edge to the pieces on which he appears.

  

Caine offers a straightforward, no-nonsense reason for assembling this particular trio, his first release in that guise since 2011's Siren with bassist John Hébert and drummer Ben Perowsky. "I like the sound," he says, a simple enough proposition but one that can be maddeningly elusive. "I like the way Clarence accompanies and sets things up; Mark has a really warm sound and is really flexible. There's a lot of room to move with them."

The 15 Caine originals contained on Calibrated Thickness run the gamut of styles, from jagged, angular modern pieces to more straight-ahead swingers that harken back to Caine's early days playing hard bop in Philadelphia (albeit with his usual idiosyncratic twists and turns) to more lyrical, ballad-inspired playing that spotlights the warm expressiveness that sometimes gets eclipsed by his bold eclecticism.

The album kicks off with the powerful, rollicking swing of "Manahatta," titled for the original Lenni Lenape name for the island at the epicenter of the jazz world. "Woke Up This Morning" uses a blues cliché to label a piece of pure, rattletrap abstraction that depicts the trio's explosive spontaneous interplay. That tune contrasts sharply with the shimmering, delicate "Icicles," highlighted by Helias' moving lyricism, eventually consumed by the tune's surging roar.

Knuffke makes his first appearance on the zigzagging "Submission," while "Golem" offers a round of broad-shouldered, barrelhouse swing. "Bleeding Heart" is remarkably hushed and intimate, the album's quietest, most delicate moment despite building with nervous intensity. "Night Wrestler" is bright and buoyant, "Climb To the Top" barbed and dissonant." Knuffke returns to provide darting, keen-edged lines on "Hidden Glances," while "Scatterbrain Suite" offers a slapstick soundtrack for an imaginary silent film.

Caine's playing on "He Said She" sparkles with classical elegance and hymn-like simplicity, while "Sticks and Stones" dances with brisk soulfulness. Helias' tense, scraping bowed bass pairs with Penn's jittery rhythms to give "Time in Between" its frenetic urgency, while "Shadow of a Doubt" kicks off with an odd-angled dialogue between Caine and Knuffke. "Downward Spiral" brings the album to a close with a nimble, circling figures that draw an aural picture of the title.

"I wanted to include all these different styles of playing trio," Caine says of Calibrated Thickness. Despite being a more traditional setting than many of the pianist's projects--his eccentric, style-smashing reimaginings of classical repertoire come immediately to mind--the piano trio offers no less opportunity for Caine to show off his broad-spectrum tastes and approaches.

From his early days backing soul-jazz horn players in Philly nightclubs through his convention-defying work with Downtown New York avant-gardists and adventurous classical ensembles to his always-surprising catalogue as a leader, all facets of Caine's diverse artistry are contained herein.

  

Uri Caine · Calibrated Thickness

816Music · Release Date: August 12, 2016

Trombonist Reggie Watkins Delivers a Deeply Personal Tribute to Jimmy Knepper On His 3rd CD "Avid Admirer"

Trombonist Reggie Watkins had the opportunity to meet trombone master Jimmy Knepper just once, shortly before Knepper's death in June 2003. Watkins was performing in his native Wheeling, WV with Maynard Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau Band, and Knepper, himself a Ferguson alumnus, was in the audience. The older musician complimented Watkins after the concert and shook his hand.

Little did Watkins realize that a series of remarkable circumstances ten years later would lead him to record an album of Knepper compositions, played on the late musician's Bach Stradivarius 36 trombone. The CD in question, Avid Admirer: The Jimmy Knepper Project, will be released on Matt Parker's BYNK Records on July 15.

Avid Admirer, Watkins's third album as a leader, was first set in motion by his mother Liz's friendship at church in Wheeling, circa 2013, with a woman who was the widow of Jimmy Knepper. After Maxine Knepper passed the following year, Jimmy's daughter Robin Knepper Mahonen donated her father's collection of musical instruments to Watkins. "Dad made me promise that his horns would go to a musician," Mahonen writes in the CD liner notes. "Reggie Watkins is the man that will take up these horns and give them a voice again."

 Reggie WatkinsAvid Admirer is a magnificent result of Mahonen's generous gift. It features the trombone virtuoso performing eight of Knepper's original compositions, as well as "Goodbye," a Gordon Jenkins ballad that Knepper had been especially fond of playing. Matt Parker, the brilliant saxophonist who co-produced the disc with Watkins, alternates between soprano and tenor. (Parker worked alongside Watkins in Maynard Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau from 2004 to 2006.) Orrin Evans and Tuomo Uusitalo take turns at the piano. Bassist Steve Whipple and drummer Reggie Quinerly round out the quintet. They are New Yorkers all, save for the leader, who has long been based in Pittsburgh.

"I've always been a serious Charles Mingus fan and became aware of Jimmy Knepper's work through Mingus's music," Watkins says. "Having contact with Robin was the beginning of me exploring Jimmy Knepper the composer."

Watkins found "Avid Admirer," a swinging blues in B-flat from a 1957 Bethlehem album by Knepper with Bill Evans on piano, to be an ideal choice as a title for the present CD. "I don't know if I've ever enjoyed a session more," says Watkins.

          

 Reggie Watkins Born in 1971 in Wheeling, WV, Reggie Watkins played trumpet and tuba in high school before switching to valve trombone, then eventually slide trombone. It was as a music major at West Virginia University that he was first exposed to the playing of 'bone legend J.J. Johnson.

In Pittsburgh, Watkins was influenced by Roger Humphries, the local legend known for playing with Horace Silver on such classic albums as Song for My Father. Watkins became involved in various bands and gained a reputation for his strong, groove-minded playing.

In 1999, Watkins became Maynard Ferguson's trombonist, music director, and arranger. He is featured as a trombonist and arranger on Swingin' for Schuur, the 2001 album the trumpeter made with singer Diane Schuur. The next year, Watkins recorded his first album, A-List, which was part of the Maynard Ferguson Presents series. The recording featured his compositions and arrangements. One for Miles, One for Maynard, his second date as a leader, was released in 2014.

"Reggie Watkins brings a sophistcated fire to his music that is infectious," says Matt Parker. "Working with him on The Jimmy Knepper Project showed me what it means to learn from the masters that came before us."

"I feel as if I have been set upon a wave of musical destiny that began a long time ago and could continue long after I'm gone," says Watkins. "What I hope for this record is that people listen, enjoy the music, and be compelled to further explore the music of Jimmy Knepper. I will forever be influenced and inspired by his artistry."

CD Release Shows for Avid Admirer: The Jimmy Knepper Project:

7/16 V.O.M.A. (Venue of Merging Arts), Johnstown, PA, 7:30pm

   (w/ Matt Parker & Friends)

7/23 Pittsburgh Winery, 9pm

   (w/ Matt Parker, ts; Orrin Evans, p; Paul Thompson, b; David Throckmorton, d)

8/31 South, Philadelphia, 7pm & 9pm

   (w/ Matt Parker, ts; Orrin Evans, p; Matt Parish, b; E.J. Strickland, d)

9/1 Cornelia Street Café, NYC, 9pm

   (w/ Matt Parker, ts; Tuomo Uusitalo, p; Steve Whipple, b; Reggie Quinerly, d)

NEW RELEASES: ANTHONY JOSEPH – CARIBBEAN ROOTS; RICHARD BONA & MANDEKAN CUBANO - HERITAGE; MADCLIFF

ANTHONY JOSEPH – CARIBBEAN ROOTS

Strut team up for the first time with respected French label Heavenly Sweetness for the brand new album by the inspired poet, novelist and musician, Anthony Joseph. The Caribbean is an influence that runs through Joseph’s discography, obliquely or headon, suggested or on full display. It resonates on each of his albums, from the furious trance of ‘Bird Head Son’ to the more polished ‘Time’. On ‘Caribbean Roots’, he has now decided to turn a guiding thread and a reference point into a communications cable – a powerful bond that makes light of distance and braves the seas to link his island to that of his friends in the Caribbean arc, dancing to the strains of tumbélé and mendé only a few miles from Port of Spain where people live it up to rapso and soca beats. ‘Caribbean Roots’ represents a return to his roots for Anthony Joseph, who has always remained true to a powerful, deep-seated sense of his Caribbean identity. Having started out as a joint project with the outstanding percussionist Roger Raspail (Cesaria Evora, Papa Wemba, Kassav), ‘Caribbean Roots’ swiftly grew into a creative force incorporating the rhythms, sounds and vibes that rock the Caribbean from San Fernando, Scarborough, Kingston and Les Abymes to Port-au-Prince and Havana. Backed by a band made up of a blend of local musicians, the album attempts to unite the different islands into a single entity whilst ensuring that the identity of each is in no way diluted by the mix, instead creating a richer and stronger alloy. The saxophones of Shabaka Hutchings (The Heliocentrics) and Jason Yarde, the trumpet of Yvon Guillard (Magma), the bass of Mike Clinton (Salif Keita) and the trombone of Pierre Chabrèle (Creole Jazz Orchestra) all combine to form a group of Caribbean All Stars to which Andy Narrell, the master of the steel pans, brings ringing drum beats.

RICHARD BONA & MANDEKAN CUBANO - HERITAGE

Fans call him 'The African Sting', writers call him a pro, but it is his unique and electrifying style of connecting with his audience that makes him what he really is - a true musician. Richard Bona's seemingly effortless voice, fierce skill on the bass, unique songwriting/arranging expertise and ability to learn just about any instrument simply from watching, position him as a rare African artist to have established an unscalable reputation on an international platform. This has led to a host of awards, along with fruitful collaborations with colleagues such as Bobby McFerrin, Pat Metheny, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, John Legend and Stevie Wonder. Originally from Cameroon, Bona remains true to his roots on 'Heritage', his eighth album as a leader but the first with his Afro-Cuban band Mandekan Cubano. An energetic, life-affirming and truly fantastic album, it explores the alchemy of African rhythms in Cuba. This may seem ambitious, but it sounds as natural and effortless as anything Richard Bona does; together with the Mandekan Cubano ("five A-list veterans of the Latin music scene in New York", Downbeat), he has carefully crafted a fusion of sounds that merge cultures together via their ability to speak the universal language of music.

MADCLIFF

Madcliff recorded this, their only album in 1977. Singer, Songwriter, Drummer, Bassist and Keyboardist Chris Hills wrote all of the songs, two of them with Chico Waters with whom he had co written with on Herbie Mann's Embryo label in 1971. The album has a broad range of Soul, Funk and Disco tracks. It contains the original versions of two tracks that Chris would go on to record as a member of the Players Association later the same year. The early cuts of 'I Like It' and 'Goin' To The Disco' have a more raw approach than the better known and more polished versions. The killer cut is the funk bomb 'You Can Make The Change'. This track was made popular by Keb Darge at his legendary deep funk nights. 'It Takes A Little More' was co written with Danny Weiss with whom Chris would work with as The Players Association and then as the group Feel in the early 80's. This album is one of the rarest that we have released in our classic albums series. 

NEW MUSIC: AXWELL – BLACK SUMMERS’ RIGHT; THE RIPPINGTONS FEATURING RUSS FREEMAN – TRUE STORIES; JASPER HOIBY – FELLOW CREATURES

MAXWELL – BLACK SUMMERS’ RIGHT

It's taken us a bit longer than expected to get this second installment in Maxwell's Black Summers' Night series – but it's been well worth the wait, given the greater depth in the music! All that we love about Maxwell's previous records is alive and well here – but there's also kind of a sharper edge to the sound, too – these fuller bottom currents that almost seem to be adding a second sort of instrumental commentary, alongside the lyrical activity up top – all while the whole thing is wrapped together with that warm keyboard flow that first made Maxwell stand out so many years back! There's almost this double edge to the whole thing – rough with the smooth, or turmoil under peace – which gives the whole thing a lot more power than this sort of record from some of Maxwell's contemporaries. Score another win for the mighty one – on tracks that include "The Fall", "Lake By The Ocean", "Lost", "Gods", "Fingers Crossed", "Hostage", "1990x", and "All The Ways Love Can Feel". ~ Dusty Groove

THE RIPPINGTONS FEATURING RUSS FREEMAN – TRUE STORIES

True Stories is the 30th Anniversary release from The Rippingtons. Russ Freeman has been at the forefront of the contemporary jazz, smooth jazz, and instrumental pop music genres! They have sold over 3 Million albums to date. Every new Rippingtons album has Debuted in the Top 5 of the Billboard Jazz Chart including 4 Number 1 Debuts! With every album a new chapter has been written with their innovative songwriting, in studio production and inventive instrumentation. The Rippingtons throughout their storied history have featured an incredible array of talented musicians who have gone on to wonderful solo careers including Dave Koz, Kenny G, Paul Taylor, Kirk Whalum, and Omar Hakim. For True Stories, rejoining the Rippingtons for this milestone, is saxophonist Brandon Fields, who first performed with the band in 1986 in the pioneering breakthrough hit album, Moonlighting. My Promise features Special guest Jeffrey Osborne, who had a hit single with the Rippingtons in the mid nineties.

JASPER HOIBY – FELLOW CREATURES

Fellow Creatures is the new album from the prolific and formidable bassist, bandleader and composer Jasper Høiby. This vital new project combines a strong sense of groove, driving energy with atmospheric textures and contrapuntal rhythms. It is described by London Jazz as '..fusing the infectious grooves of a Phronesis rhythm section with the off-kilter hooks of Polar Bear'. This landmark album from Jasper Høiby builds on the meteoric rise and continuing critical success of his glowing international career as one of the most creative, innovative and powerful performers, composers and bandleaders of his generation in Europe. The band includes leading lights young and old(-er) of the UK jazz scene, with Mark Lockheart on tenor sax, Laura Jurd on trumpet, Will Barry on bass and Corrie Dick on drums. Primarily known for his ongoing work with Phronesis, the trio he formed in 2005, Jasper is also one third of Malija and has performed / recorded with a number of original artists including Mark Guiliana, Django Bates, Shai Maestro, Julian Joseph, Kurt Elling, Antonio Loureiro, Tom Arthurs, Mark Lockheart, Liam Noble, Julia Biel, Marius Neset, Kairos 4tet, Jim Hart and Ivo Neame. He has appeared at jazz clubs, concert halls and festivals across the world.

Austin’s 10-Piece Collective and Purveyor of African Funk, HARD PROOF Releases PUBLIC HI FI SESSIONS 03

The award-winning 10-piece collective is the finest purveyor of African funk, world music, and jazz inspired by the sub-Saharan African continent in the state of Texas. Formed in 2008, Hard Proof features members of Black Joe Lewis, The Calm Blue Sea, Ocote Soul Sounds, Spanish Gold, The Echocentrics, and several other notable Austin acts.

Public Hi-Fi Sessions 03 is the fourth release from Jim Eno’s (Spoon) record label after three successful vinyl releases from Dupree, Dana Falconberry and Sondre Lerche. This release was recorded in two separate sessions at Eno’s Public Hi-Fi studio in Austin. What makes this release so unique is that the recording sessions were live and 100 percent analog from top to bottom. Stephen Bidwell, the drummer for Hard Proof states, “The first half of the tracks were recorded in December 2015, and Eno was teaching a class from Ohio University, so we had half a dozen ‘interns’ running around learning how to track a large group live to tape. This was sort of a no-pressure situation, but the tracks we got out of it were so solid that we knew we needed to release it. After some talking with Jim, we came back with three more songs in February 2016 and rounded out the record.” Jim Eno expresses: “I first saw Hard Proof at the Continental Club in 2012. It was an amazing show. The 10-piece band had a great feel and magnetic energy. I’d recently recorded the jazz band Dupree live to 1/2-inch tape, and it hit me that Hard Proof would be perfect for this type of project. To record live to tape, the band needs to be incredibly tight because no overdubs are possible, and no mixing occurs after tracking; the tracks are mixed as the band plays in real time. I was confident that Hard Proof could pull this off.”

The six songs on the record each pack their own punch but holistically showcase the band at a new level with its compositions and dynamic live-to-tape performances. The three main composers for the release are Derek Phelps (trumpet), Joe Sokolik (bass), and Joe Woullard (bari sax/flute). Phelps breaks down some of his inspiration and creative process around the songs he composed. He states: “For ‘The Break,’ I was on a break from playing the trumpet due to a busted lip, but that helped me break through my writer’s block, and this tune is one of the first to come out of that.” ‘Popemobile’ was built off a melodic figure created around the beginning of the band, which we played a handful of times, and then I sat on it for many years. When I knew this recording was coming up, I brought it back with a different perspective. It’s one of those simple songs that leaves a lot of room for the group’s interpretation. ‘Institution’ is about the idea of religion and the institutions it creates because I started questioning the religion I was brought up in. Being an instrumental tune, communicating something as complicated as religion is not really possible, but it can be an inspiration.”

Woullard explains his inspiration of compositional songs: “‘Painted Flowers’ is about a grocery store in Texas that sells flowers painted in bright, unnatural colors. Why would you want to paint a flower? Flowers are already beautiful as they are. Some of the prettiest ones are free, growing wild on the side of the road. ‘Revenge’ is a great tune where the ensemble locks into in an aggressive rhythm. Sparse melodies weave between percussive barks and stabs; harmony emerges as lines converge in urgent dialogue. Revenge is a cycle of tension.”

Sokolik rounds out the compositions with ‘Default,’ mentioning that, “The song is a result of an externally imposed deadline where I got to cranking out melodies and overlapping rhythm parts. After running it a few times with the band, we decided it needed to be a lot faster. Then Gerardo came up with the concept for the deceptive introduction, and we ran it in the studio until it worked.”

While Hard Proof’s releases are always well-received, there seems to be universal agreement that the band’s live shows are something not to be missed. KUTX tastemaker Laurie Gallardo put it best. “This local ensemble always puts on an electrifying live show,” she says, “an absolute blowout of nonstop percussion action and blasting brass, bringing the best of both worlds to the stage by mixing classic styles and plenty of their personal panache.” Stay tuned for Hard Proof’s upcoming shows and a new full-length album later in 2016.

Tracklisting:

Side A:

1. The Break

2. Revenge

3. Default

Side B:

4. Painted Flowers

5. Institution

6. Popemobile

Hard Proof is:

Stephen Bidwell – Drums, Tommy Spampinato – Percussion, Tony Cruz – Congas, Joe Sokolik – Bass, Aaron Sleator – Guitar, Gerardo Larios - Guitar/Keyboards, John Branch – Guitar, Joe Woullard - Bari Sax/Flute, Jason Frey - Tenor Sax, Derek Phelps – Trumpet

 

NEW MUSIC: SOME KINDA MAGIC: THE SONGS OF JERRY MOSS; BETTY DAVIS – THE COLUMBIA YEARS 1968-1969; FREDDIE REDD – WITH DUE RESPECT

SOME KINDA MAGIC: THE SONGS OF JERRY MOSS

Soaring sounds from the great Jerry Ross – a one man powerhouse on the Philly scene of the 60s – and one of the guys who was really responsible for setting the city's music scene on fire! A Jerry Ross tune is always marked by an upbeat, positive sort of vibe – a mode that works equally well on soul, rock, or pop – all of which are featured here – although even the latter two styles seem to have a bit more of a soul vibe than you might expect, as Ross was something of a blue-eyed maestro with a tune! The collection is long overdue – as Jerry's one of those guys who had a big impact at the time, but maybe wasn't as out there in the spotlight as some of his contemporaries – often just content to make magic from the other side of the studio on great tunes like these. CD features 24 cuts in all – all with detailed notes on each song – and tracks include "Love Love Love" by Bobby Hebb, "The 81" by Candy & The Kisses, "You Better Believe It Baby" by Chubby Checker, "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by Dee Dee Warwick, "Some Kinda Magic" by Jerry Butler, "Together" by The Modern Ink Spots, "Eeny Meeny" by The Showstoppers, "He's No Ordinary Guy" by Dee Dee Sharp, "You Gave Me Somebody To Love" by The Sidekicks, "Daylight Savin Time" by Sandy Edmonds, "These Will Be The Good Old Days" by The Dreamlovers, "Gonna Be A Big Thing" by The Yum Yums, "Help Yourself" by Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, "I've Got Mine You Better Get Yours" by The Sapphires, and "You Don't Know What You Got" by Willie Hobbs. ~ Dusty Groove

BETTY DAVIS – THE COLUMBIA YEARS 1968-1969

A soul and funk fan's dream come true – never-heard recordings by the legendary Betty Davis, done for Columbia Records a few years before her debut album! At the time, Betty was hanging with Miles Davis, and turning him onto the sounds of fuzzy funk – and Miles actually produced these recordings, and used instrumentation from key associates like Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Wayne Shorter on reeds, and John McLaughlin on guitar – plus the mighty Larry Young on keyboards! The whole thing's amazing – every bit as great as Betty's work for the Just Sunshine label, but maybe even grittier – and with this unbridled vibe that's totally wonderful – and we're stunned that this is the first we're hearing of this music – but are mighty happy it's finally seen the light of day. A few cuts also feature Davis with The Crusaders and Hugh Masekela – for a groovy Cali soul sort of vibe – and titles include "It's My Life", "Hangin Out", "Politician Man", "Down Home Girl", "I'm Ready Willing & Able", "Born On The Bayou", and "Live Love Learn".  ~ Dusty Groove

FREDDIE REDD – WITH DUE RESPECT

It's easy to give the great Freddie Redd due respect – especially when the pianist sounds every bit as wonderful here as he did on his classic Blue Note albums from decades back! Freddie's a hell of a pianist, with a very unique vibe – able to be modern in conception, but lyrical in execution – sharp edges and angles warmed with a sense of humanity that always has Redd's music making this beautifully inherent sense, and drawing us right in, right away! The same seems to also be the case for his sidemen – who really flower in the setting – a lineup that includes John Mosca on trombone, Chris Byars on alto and flute, and Stefano Doglioni on bass clarinet. Mosca's trombone is especially nice – a real treat to hear in Redd's music – and titles include "A Night In Nalen", "Reminiscing", "Blue Hue", "I'm Gonna Be Happy", "OD", "Ole", "Lady J Blues", and "Melanie". ~ Dusty Groove