Helen Welch's Newest Album "Spellbound" Takes On An Exclusive Twist Of Soulful Pop And Dusty Jazz

Critically-acclaimed vocalist Helen Welch is known for her live stage performances which explore a diverse range of musical compositions, starting with the 1930s up through present-day. Whether she's singing Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Sarah Vaughan, or Elton John, Sting and Randy Newman, Helen's sophisticated vocals and humor leave audiences breezily enchanted. On her new studio album Spellbound, she presents an inspired collection of music including fresh arrangements of songs by Lennon and McCartney, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Michel LeGrand, Dolly Parton, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and Chick Corea. Featuring soulful-pop fused with some jazz elements, "this CD needs to be heard!" quoted on CD Baby. El Cerrito Records agrees that "this is a great compilation of songs that are beautifully arranged and produced."

Welch's mix of warm alto tones and gentle soul vibrations combine well on reworking's of Lennon and McCartney's "For No One," and Dolly Parton's "Jolene," each beautifully arranged in a way that transports the listener back in time. Helen Welch (vocals, producer) is joined by a range of other talented musicians that she collaborated with on this album, including Joe Leaman (piano, keyboards), Bryan Thomas (bass guitar), Anthony Taddeo (drums, percussion), and Joe Parker (guitar).

A native of England, Welch is well-known throughout the United Kingdom for her musical theatre roles and unique performances. She has landed starring roles in popular Broadway musicals including Hello Dolly!, Barnum, 42nd Street, Oliver Twist, Calamity Jane, Show Boat, and Carousel; she debuted in the traditional English Christmas show, Robin Hood, as 'Maid Marion,' starring renowned English actor and a former "Dr. Who," Colin Baker, who played Welch's wicked uncle. On a whim, Welch tried out for a singing competition and beat out 800 opponents to land a role in the smash-hit Lieber and Stoller musical Smokey Joe's Café on Broadway. Her experience, from a brief rehearsal in London to jetting off to New York to join the Broadway production, was captured on film by a camera crew and made into a television documentary for the BCC.

From performing in intimate spaces for small groups to outdoor amphitheatres in front of thousands, Welch has not only impressed audiences with her raw talent but appeared in some of the world's most celebrated venues, from solo shows at Cleveland's Playhouse Square Center and Blossom Music Center to London's The Savoy, The Ritz and The Grosvenor House Great Room as vocalist for some of the UK's finest big bands including Opus One, Glen Miller Europe and the BBC Big Band. She can also be spotted guest-starring or headlining with world-class musical organizations such as The Cleveland Orchestra, The Columbus Jazz Orchestra, The Cleveland Pops Orchestra and The Florida Symphony and also became a regular in London's major recording studios. Her voice can be heard in many commercial jingles, films and television productions, and also the background on recordings of well-known international artists.

In addition to being a consummate stage performer, Welch is also president of Big Wow Productions. The company has developed a diverse selection of shows from the hugely popular 'First Ladies of Song' celebrating the music of the world's best female vocalists to 'Beatles a Little Brit Different' in which Helen has taken many great Beatles songs and made them her own. She performs with her quartet through a 16 piece big band and full symphony orchestra.

Welch's unique talents for choosing songs that stand the test of time and making them her own, coupled with her ability to intimately engage her audience, has quickly earned her a large and devoted following. The "Helen Welch experience" is perhaps best described by a fan who wrote on her Amazon page, "If you have a chance to see Helen perform, do it! You are in for a special treat."

Track Listing for Spellbound:

1.     Spellbound

2.     For No One

3.     Jolene

4.     No More Blues

5.     The Windmills of Your Mind

6.     When It Mattered Most

7.     I Put a Spell on You

8.     And So It Goes

9.     Spain

10.   Both Sides Now

http://helenwelch.com/

Pianist Frank Kimbrough's Solstice

Frank Kimbrough counts among a handful of New York-based pianists who have been refining and expanding the language of ensemble playing over the last few decades (this November he marks 35 years in New York and his sixtieth birthday). Declared a "a near-visionary whose piano-improvising, composing, and band-leading skills seek out the dark corners of untrod jazz terrain" by The New Yorker, Kimbrough is noted for his exquisite ensemble, trio and solo recordings as well as his duo work with Lee Konitz, Scott Robinson, Joe Locke and Paul Bley, his work as a sideman in Dewey Redman's quartet, and his long-term involvement with the Jazz Composers Collective and the Maria Schneider Orchestra. On Solstice, acclaimed players and longtime musical companions, bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Jeff Hirshfield join Frank to explore the music of some of the jazz masters who have left a personal imprint on his life.

Kimbrough has had an uncanny ability of meeting the right person at the right time. Shortly after his move to Washington, DC in 1980 Frank met the exceptional singer/ pianist Shirley Horn, who became his friend and mentor. The next year he migrated to New York where he came under the tutelage of one of his heroes, pianist Paul Bley. Around the same period Kimbrough met the ground-breaking pianist Andrew Hill whose music "...literally changed my life. Andrew was an enigma, an inspiration, a mentor, and a dear friend." With the Big Apple as his base, the next years were ripe with tours and recordings. In 1992, Kimbrough helped found the Jazz Composers Collective, an entity that lasted for 13 years, resulting in a concert series, a score of recordings and frequent tours by many of its groups.

In1993 the acclaimed American composer Maria Schneider invited Kimbrough to join her orchestra. This ongoing musical relationship has resulted in Frank's participation in a slew of Grammy award-winning projects as well as in Maria's collaborations with soprano Dawn Upshaw and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and with David Bowie. Schneider marvels, "He wraps himself around each soloist and takes care to go in the direction they're going. I hear things he plays and think Oh God if only I could write that." Add to these impressive credentials his resume of residencies and workshops on 5 continents, an ongoing nine-year stint teaching at the Juilliard School, and some 20 critically acclaimed albums under his own name.

For Solstice, Kimbrough chose two musicians "whose judgment I trust completely." Bassist Jay Anderson has more than 400 recordings under his belt; he has played and recorded with an incredible diversity of musicians, including Michael Brecker, John Scofield, Frank Zappa, and Celine Dion (1997 Record of the Year Grammy). He and Kimbrough have been playing together for some 20 years in Maria's band, the Gil Evans Project and various other groups, as well as on two of Frank's previous albums. Drummer Jeff Hirshfield and Frank also go back 20 years, including several tours together in trio. Hirshfield's and Anderson's musical connection began in the early 80's, and over the years they have often worked and recorded together in a variety of contexts, including Paul Bley's highly regarded album Notes On Ornette. It all intertwines into an enticing spiral of connections between the three.

Kimbrough says that, "I selected compositions that speak to me in ways that are unique and personal. Jay and Jeff didn't know what we were going to play and didn't see the music until we arrived at the date. There was almost no discussion    and no rehearsal - we simply began to play."  Most of the pieces are first takes.

About the tunes, Frank says:

"The simplicity of Seven by Carla Bley shows her genius. I've loved her tunes since first hearing them as a teenager.

Shirley Horn was a magical pianist and vocalist who really knew how to cast a spell. Her recording from a concert in Paris inspired me to play Gershwin's Here Come the Honey Man.

Solstice was composed by Maryanne de Prophetis, the composer/poet/lyricist and vocalist who is my life partner and constant inspiration.

The Sunflower was composed by Paul Motian, a singular drummer/composer, and one of the most unique person- alities in jazz. I enjoyed every moment we spent together both on and off the bandstand.

Annette Peacock's Albert's Love Theme was written for Albert Ayler. Annette's pieces are very personal and spe- cific, yet open, like a landscape.

The only original on the disk is Question's the Answer, as in "the question IS the answer". It has a strong connection to the blues and the bassist has many "root" options.

From California with Love was composed by Andrew Hill in the '70's. I love the mysterious beauty and humanity of his compositions-so modern and free, yet rooted in the tradition.

El Cordobes was written by Annette Peacock for the flamboyant Spanish bullfighter Manuel Benítez Pérez. Like Albert's Love Theme and Seven, I first heard it played by Paul Bley's mid-60's trio.

Walking by Flashlight is from Maria Schneider's song cycle Winter Morning Walks. Maria is a national treasure, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of her musical world."

On their first CD together the trio's philosophy was simply to listen, trust, and respond to one another; in so doing, they have created a gradated musical atmosphere that envelops the enigmatic and the translucent, the mysterious and the artlessly elegant.

Frank Kimbrough Upcoming Performances

2016 

Oct. 27 - Frank Kimbrough Trio w/ Jay Anderson and Jeff Hirshfield - Small's, NYC

Oct. 28 - w/Jay Clayton group - Kitano, NYC

Oct. 29 - Frank Kimbrough/ Kirk Knuffke Duo - Spectrum, NYC 

Nov. 4 - w/Maria Schneider Orchestra - Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA

Nov. 10 - w/Marty Ehrlich Sextet playing music of Andrew Hill - The Stone, NYC

Nov. 18 - w/Maryanne de Prophetis, Ron Horton, Satoshi Takeishi - Michiko Studio, NYC

Nov. 20 - Frank Kimbrough solo piano - the Owl Music Parlor - Brooklyn, NY

Nov. 22, 23, 25 - 27 - with Maria Schneider Orchestra - Jazz Standard, NYC

Dec. 8 - Frank Kimbrough Trio w/ Jay Anderson and Jeff Hirshfield - Kitano, NYC 

2017

Jan. 17 - Frank Kimbrough - Solo piano concert - Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando, FL

Jan. 18 - Frank Kimbrough - master class - Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando, FL

Feb. 10/11 - Frank Kimbrough Trio w/ Jay Anderson and Jeff Hirshfield - "official" CD release weekend - Kitano, NYC   

Feb. 16 - w/Maria Schneider Orchestra - St. Paul, Minnesota

Feb. 17 - w/Maria Schneider Orchestra - Portland Jazz Festival

Feb. 18 - w/Maria Schneider Orchestra - Humboldt St. University, Arcata, CA

Feb. 19 - w/Maria Schneider Orchestra - UC Berkeley

Feb. 20 - w/Maria Schneider Orchestra - Lobero Theater, Santa Barbara, CA

Feb. 21 -w/Maria Schneider Orchestra - SOKA PAC, Aliso Viejo, CA

Feb. 22 - w/Maria Schneider Orchestra - Valley PAC, Northridge, CA

Mar. - w/Maria Schneider Orchestra  - Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

Mar. 10 - w/Maria Schneider Orchestra - Babson College, Wellesley, MA

Mar. 11 - w/Maria Schneider Orchestra - Yale, New Haven, CT

May 25 - 28 w/Gil Evans Project - Jazz Standard

Carlos Santana, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, And Narada Michael Walden Join Jennifer Saran in an Inspiring World Peace Anthem "Wake Up"

Narada Michael Walden and Carlos Santana in the studio collaborating on Jennifer Saran's new single "Wake Up" - an inspiring new world peace anthem

Alt-pop/adult contemporary singer-songwriter Jennifer Saran has teamed up with South African Grammy-winning male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Grammy and Emmy-winning producer, drummer, singer and songwriter Narada Michael Walden (Producer/Co-writer), known for his work with Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Mariah Carey, to create her newest single, "Wake Up." Making a special guest appearance on the track is Grammy-winner and legend Carlos Santana (Featured Guitarist), whose guitar licks generate inspiring vibes. The stunning collaboration is a heartfelt appeal to the world to recognize and address inequality and impoverishment, a cause incredibly personal and important to all the amazing artists involved. "Wake Up" will be featured on Saran's third album, produced and co-written by Narada Michael Walden, which will be released in early 2017.

"Wake Up" is a rousing and uplifting anthem for the world at large. Saran takes meaningful action through her lyrics to encourage change - "It's time to Wake Up!" This worldly, heartfelt, and thought-provoking singer has been dazzling listeners with her message of positivity and encouraging them to stand up to the world's struggles and incite change, first on her debut album Walk With Me (2016), and now on this new song. 

Each of the legendary guest artists joining her on the song believe strongly in her cause. Carlos Santana, whose searing guitar work is featured on the track, says Saran's song is "a beautiful mission of sound and healing." Saran adds, "'Wake Up' is the second inspirational song that Narada and I have written. Eighteen months ago we were inspired to write 'Rise Up Time,' which came from an inspired jam session. We had put aside time to experiment with a new idea in the wake of so much hate and violence in America and what came from that time together was this song."

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who won a Grammy for "Best World Music" in 2015 for their album Live: Singing For Peace Around The World, was brought in through Walden, whose goal was "to make a new sound for the world and inspire a new consciousness in the world - that of waking up."  It was Walden's responsibility to create a space between these artists - passionate about the same worldly concerns - with the intention of inspiring a global movement of like-minded people with a single goal in mind: peace.

Proceeds from sales of the song, which is available now on iTunes, will go directly to the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation. As an outspoken defender of human rights and campaigner for the oppressed, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is one of the world's most revered peacemakers. The mission of his US-based nonprofit is to support and promote the creation of a culture of peace throughout the world.

Saran created an accompanying web-based video that was released on the Archbishop's 85th birthday.  Watch it here: https://youtu.be/rWRljsgvUQY

More info can be found:

http://jennifersaran.com

https://www.facebook.com/jennifersaranmusic/

https://twitter.com/jennsaranmusic

https://www.instagram.com/jennifersaranmusic/

For more information about The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation please visit: http://www.tutufoundationusa.org

VALERIE JUNE’S MESMERIZING NEW ALBUM THE ORDER OF TIME DUE JANUARY 27TH, 2017 VIA CONCORD RECORDS

Valerie June’s highly anticipated second album, The Order of Time, is set for release on January 27th, 2017 via Concord Records. On this enthralling and illuminating leap forward, the Tennessee-bred, Brooklyn based songwriter weaves electric blues, African rhythms, cosmic atmospherics and delicate soul into an inventive and wholly original rumination on love, family, struggle and the passing of time. Produced by Matt Marinelli (Beck, Bad Brains), The Order of Time features twelve original songs all written by June.

Musically, June has refined and expanded her sound on the new album finding space from her previous work in its artful, self-assured restraint and overall cohesion. The collection’s finely sketched character studies brim with richness and detail while June’s ethereal, wide-open soundscapes provide a sterling backdrop for her remarkable Southern gospel and honey voice.  Lyrical touch points such as ‘dancing shadows,’ ‘hot suppers,’ ‘curious neighbors,’ and ‘holy water’ draw the listener in and root these songs with density and weight.

The “inevitability of change” and “time as the ruler of Earth’s rhythm,” is the album’s foundation, explains June.  “And the knowledge that with resilience and faith things can work out.”

“Long Lonely Road” is a reflective and somber lament as June’s voice reverberates over ringing guitar and unhurried drums, whereas the entrancing blues of “If And” internalizes regret in the face of time’s relentless churn. On the spiritual “Astral Plane,” June’s mystical vocal takes an otherworldly turn, whereas the sumptuous string arrangement on “With You,” is reminiscent of Nico’s most affecting work.  Norah Jones adds her distinctive vocals to three tracks and “Shake Down” sparkles with background vocal contributions from her father and brothers.

The Order of Time follows June’s 2013 breakout LP, Pushin' Against a Stone that established her as one of America’s “most intriguing, fully formed new talents” according to the New York Times. She garnered praise from NPR, “a singular performer” and New York Magazine, “a powerful singer and a blunt, bruising songwriter.” June also made memorable appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS Saturday Morning, Rachael Ray, and Austin City Limits. She has toured with Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and Sturgill Simpson, and performed at Newport Folk Festival, Carnegie Hall, and much more.

Look for June, currently on tour with Norah Jones, to announce 2017 headlining dates shortly.  (The European release of The Order of Time will be detailed soon.)

  

The Order of Time Track List:

1.Long Lonely Road

2.Love You Once Made

3.Shake Down

4.If And

5.Man Done Wrong

6.The Front Door

7.Astral Plane

8.Just In Time

9.With You

10.Slip Slide On By

11.Two Hearts

12.Got Soul

NEW RELEASES: ENNIO MORRICONE – RICORDARE: THE SONGS OF ENNIO MORRICONE; CALIBRO 35 – CLBR35 LIVE FROM SPACE; SMOOVE & TURRELL – CROWN POSADA

ENNIO MORRICONE – RICORDARE: THE SONGS OF ENNIO MORRICONE

A fantastic collection of songs originally penned by soundtrack genius Ennio Morricone – served up here in a host of vocal versions that really show how many different artists and styles he influenced over the years! Some of the cuts here are expected Italian pop singles – vocal variations of Morricone themes in Italian – but as the set moves on, there's a really groovy range of different sounds from all over the world – some with a relation to the soundtrack/sound library scene, but lots more by a variety of artists inspired by the genius of the maestro. As with other sets like this on Ace Records, the package features detailed notes – helping put all the music in context – and the 21 track set list is full of surprises, mostly with songs from the golden late 60s/early 70s era, mixed with some stunning gems from later years. Titles include "Questi Vent'Anni Miei" by Catherine Spaak, "Una Stanza Vuota" by Lisa Gastoni, "Hurry To Me" by Amii Stewart, "La Ballata Di Hank McCain" by Jackie Lynton, "Ballad Of Sacco & Vanzetti" by Scott Walker, "Ricordare" by Gerard Depardieu, "It Couldn't Happen Here" by Pet Shop Boys, "Il Tempo Sa" by Romina Arena, "Amalia Por Amor" by Hayley Westenra, "A Brisa Do Coracao" by Dulces POntes, and "Canzione Basilica" by Fausto Cigliano. ~ Dusty Groove

CALIBRO 35 – CLBR35 LIVE FROM SPACE

Calibro 35 have always had a soundtrack style to their music – but here, they seem to hit an even trippier, spacier version of the mode – playing an all-live, all-instrumental set that's bubbling over with loads of wonderful elements! Some tracks are still as funky as before, but others really show the group finding their own sort of bigger picture sound – writing and playing with complexity that allows for some nicely dark corners, while still keeping the overall sound nice and lively! The music's not in that retro-horror mode that some groups are using these days – and instead is more funk at the core, but with lots of cool electric inflections from keyboards that include an Eko Tiger, clavinet, and Korg microsynth – alongside more familiar guitar, sax, flute, trumpet, and trombone. Titles include "Across The 111th Sun", "Ungwana Bay Launch Complex", "An Asteroid Called Death", "Serenade For A Satellite", "A Fistful Of Lead", "Notte In Bovisa", "La Mala Ordina", and "Eurocrime". ~ Dusty Groove

SMOOVE & TURRELL – CROWN POSADA

Smoove & Turrell might have kind of a hokey look on the cover, but they get right down to business on this funky little record – hitting a tight groove that's heavy on influence from both soul and AOR styles from the 70s and early 80s! The music's mostly upbeat and filled with riffing guitar lines and percussion bits – produced with a tightness to match the groove, but a sound that's never too overdone, either – and with plenty of individual elements that show that these guys aren't just slavishly copying their influences, but instead building something great and new of their own. Titles include "50 Days Of Winter", "Crown Posada", "Glass", "Slave To The Blues", "New Jerusalem", "Fight On", "Glue Bag Flags", "No Point In Trying", and "You Could Have Been A Lady". ~ Dusty Groove

Erykah Badu's Game-Changing Debut "Baduizm" And Smash Sophomore Album "Mama's Gun" Released On Vinyl Via Motown/UMe

Erykah Badu's game-changing debut, Baduizm, and her smash sophomore album, Mama's Gun, are now available back on vinyl as part of Motown/UMe's Respect The Classics initiative. Previously released on vinyl as a shortened nine-track single LP, this release marks the first time Baduizm has been released on vinyl in its entirety with 14-tracks across two standard-weight LPs. The vinyl reissue of Mama's Gun is also as a double LP.

Baduizm introduced Badu's unique artistic vision to the world when released in 1997 and established her as one of the emerging neo-soul genre's leading artists. Produced by Madukwu Chinwah and The Roots, the Grammy Award-winning album peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 and went to #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Universally hailed by critics, it topped many year-end lists and earned rave reviews with Entertainment Weekly enthusing, "Badu's nouvelle-soul debut hits the target, blows it up, reinvents it," Q calling it a "warm thoroughly idiosyncratic record which mixes jazz, soul and a slice or two of hip hop into a rich, smoky musical brew," and Rolling Stone remarking, "Baduizm showcases the heart and soul of a bohemian B-girl who happens to have an effortless jazz swing." Baduizm was honored with a bevy of honors including the Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for breakout single "On & On." Other accolades included eight American Music Awards, three Soul Train Music Awards and two NAACP Image Awards, taking home trophies for Outstanding New Artist and Outstanding Female Artist. The album is certified triple platinum in the U.S. with sales of more than three million and is gold in both the UK and Canada.

Mama's Gun was Badu's highly-successful follow-up to Baduizm, selling a million copies just two months after its release in November 2000. Hailed by Rolling Stone as her "zenith," Mama's Gun cemented Badu's place in the world of R&B with many praising her growth as a songwriter, composer and lyricist; she was lauded for her more direct and confessional approach to her lyrics. Recorded at Jimi Hendrix's famed Electric Lady Studios, the album was co-produced by Badu along with producers James Poyser and Jay Dee (aka J Dilla). It features a host of all-star musicians including drummer Questlove, jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, veteran vibes player Roy Ayers and Stephen Marley who duets on the reggae-tinged "In Love With You." Lead single "Bag Lady" became a Top 10 hit and was nominated for two Grammys: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song, an honor her song "Didn't Cha Know?" also received. Mama's Gun continues to grow in stature 16 years after its release as it finds new fans year after year and is revisited by critics. In the BBC's 2012 reexamination they hailed it as "a fabulous, ever-evolving work by one of the most dazzling artists of the past two decades." More recently, Pitchfork reviewed the album in their esteemed Sunday Reviews section awarding it a 9.4 and declaring, "More than a decade before Queen Yoncé, Erykah Badu laid down the blueprint for a black feminist album that went well beyond documenting tales of heartbreak to address issues greater than the sum of any one relationship. She made a record that wore its awareness of the larger traumas and challenges that complicate human intimacy on its sleeves. It was music for the revolution that wasn't televised."

BADUIZM TRACK LISTING

Side A

1. Rimshot (Intro)

2. On & On

3. Appletree

4. Otherside of the Game

Side B

1. Sometimes (Mix #9)

2. Next Lifetime

3. Afro (Freestyle Skit)

4. Certainly

Side C

1. 4 Leaf Clover

2. No Love

3. Drama

Side D

1. Sometimes...

2. Certainly (Flipped It)

3. Rimshot (Outro)

MAMA'S GUN TRACK LISTING

Side A

1. Penitentiary Philosophy

2. Didn't Cha Know

3. My Life

4. ...& On

Side B

1. Cleva

2. Hey Sugah

3. Booty

4. Kiss Me on My Neck (Hesi)

5. A.D. 2000

Side C

1. Orange Moon

2. In Love With You

3. Bag Lady

Side D

1. Time's a Wastin

2. Green Eyes

Drummer Jerome Jennings Debuts as a Leader with "The Beast"

Jerome Jennings The Beast Since moving to New York from his native Cleveland 12 years ago, Jerome Jennings has become one of the most in-demand jazz drummers on the scene. Currently a member of the Christian McBride Trio, Craig Handy's 2nd Line Smith, and the groups of vocalist Paula West and singer/trumpeter Bria Skonberg, Jennings boasts an impressive resume that speaks to his versatility and rhythmic mastery.

With the release on November 18 of his debut CD, The Beast, on his new Iola Records imprint, Jennings is now stepping out as a poised, swinging, and strong-minded leader in his own right. He has drawn together some of his favorite players from coast to coast -- five-time Grammy-award-winning bassist Christian McBride, poll-winning fellow Ohioan Sean Jones on trumpet and flugelhorn, McBride trio pianist Christian Sands, longtime Harry Connick Jr. trombonist Dion Tucker, and the explosive Oakland tenor saxophonist Howard Wiley, a member of Jennings's current band -- for a set of compositions by Freddie Hubbard, Ben Webster, and bassist Jon Burr; adaptations of an ice-cream-truck jingle and a chart-topping R&B hit (New Edition's "Cool It Now"); and three originals by the leader. Jazzmeia Horn, winner of the 2012 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Vocal competition, joins the sextet for an arrangement by Jennings and Curtis Fuller of the standard "You Don't Know What Love Is."

The title track is based on an incident in which a Princeton, New Jersey, police officer pulled Jennings over while he was driving home from a gig at 2 a.m. for allegedly having a tiny Cleveland Browns football helmet hanging from his rearview mirror. He was held for 50 harrowing minutes before being released without having even been issued a ticket.

The hard-swinging number begins with a press roll on the snare drum that slows to a stop, indicating the process of pulling off the road. Tension between the horn and rhythm sections during the head and solos reflects the way Jennings was repeatedly interrupted while trying to answer the officer's questions.

"I call it 'The Beast' because that's another way of saying 'police' or 'system,'" the drummer explains. "Everything I do in that tune is significant."

          

Jerome Jennings was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 28, 1980. His early interest in drums turned into a passion after his mother brought home an Art Blakey album. He played in various ensembles in high school before receiving a full scholarship to Ohio State University, where he studied with trumpeter Pharez Whitted. He went on to receive a Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance from Rutgers University and a Master of Music Degree in Jazz Studies, Performance, and Drums from Juilliard.

In 2001, Jennings set out to meet and play with as many former members of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers as possible. They included Charles Fambrough, Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson, David Schnitter, Ronnie Mathews, Javon Jackson, Curtis Lundy, Wynton Marsalis, Lonnie Plaxico, Valery Ponomarev, Bobby Watson, Frank Lacy, and, the drummer adds, "even Mr. [Sonny] Rollins. He played a bit with Blakey. I worked with Sonny for three years. That was almost an out-of-body experience.

Jerome Jennings "I felt that if I could play with guys who played with great drummers, particularly Art Blakey, and they could tell me I'm swinging, then I'm swinging," he explains. "I learned so much from them in terms of the spirit of the music. It's not necessarily a technical thing. It's how you're carrying yourself and how you carry the music and move it forward by addressing where it came from."

Jennings's knowledge of and passion for the music has led to him teaching in a variety of jazz education programs over the years. He's presently giving classes for Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz for Young People program, Jazz for Teens at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and is a featured lecturer for Jazz At Lincoln Center's Swing University.

When he's not playing drums or teaching, Jennings pursues an acting career as time permits. He played a minor role as Chuck Berry's drummer in the motion picture Cadillac Records, spent four months off-Broadway at The Little Shubert Theatre playing drums and acting in Lady Day starring his friend/mentor Dee Dee Bridgewater, and recently starred in Laurence Holder's one-man play The Gospel According to Max Roach at the Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City, among other credits. He's had to miss out on some important auditions because of his musical commitments, "which is always tough. But music is the priority for me."

Jennings has planned CD release shows for 11/22 at Dizzy's in New York City, and 11/26-27 at Night Town in his hometown of Cleveland. Personnel will include Dion Tucker, trombone; Kenyatta Beasley, trumpet; Howard Wiley, tenor saxophone; Christian Sands, piano; and Elias Bailey, bass. Jazzmeia Horn will be featured with the sextet at Dizzy's.

 

Brazilian vocalist Paula Santoro and guitar virtuoso Ian Faquini release Metal na Madeira (Metal on Wood)

Once you've heard the luminous voice of Paula Santoro and the enthralling guitar virtuosity of Ian Faquini, their sound will become permanently etched into your heart. Metal na Madeira (Metal on Wood), their new collaborative album, takes inspiration from Xylography, a traditional art form from Northeastern Brazil in which the artist develops an image by engraving wood with a metal object. Likewise, Faquini and Santoro create their intoxicating music from the way in which the metallic harmonics of her voice affect and enrich the woody tones of his guitar.

The image that ultimately emerges from Metal na Madeira is more than a portrait of two artists creating together. It also conjures the timeless landscape of the Brazilian Northeast, from which both artists originally hail. Into that space, Faquini and Santoro invite an all-star cast of collaborators, including Brazilian saxophone great Spok, leader of Recife's Spok Frevo Orquestra; Bay Area multi-reedist Harvey Wainapel; trombonist Jeff Cressman; keyboardist and accordion player Vitor Gonçalves; bassist Scott Thompson; drummer/percussionist Rafael Barata; and pandeiro player Sergio Krakowski.

The album consists of nine original compositions by Faquini and presents a fresh take on traditional Northeastern rhythms such as Maracatu, Frevo, Baião, Xote, and Toada. Faquini's music keeps one foot firmly planted in the past while stepping briskly towards the future with modern harmonic and melodic structures. The songs' lyrics describe the exuberance and poverty of that region of Brazil -the joy, colors and natural beauty, but also sadness, drought and longing of a people who are accustomed to living with extremes. Their stories are movingly and compellingly expressed through Santoro's gift for storytelling and painting with words.

Ian Faquini was born in Brasília and has lived in Berkeley, California since he the age of eight. He graduated from the California Jazz Conservatory and was immediately invited to join the faculty, teaching guitar and Brazilian music. Influences include Guinga and Marcus Tardelli, with whom Ian studied for six years.

Paula Santoro was born in Minas Gerais, where she began her career as part of the local vocal group Nós & Voz and toured the country as lead singer of the progressive rock band Sagrado Coração da Terra. Her enticing blend of jazz and Brazilian Popular Music (MPB) has since become well known through her recordings and frequent TV appearances. She won the Troféu Faísca Award, the Visa Award and was nominated for the Rival Petrobrás Music Award, all as best vocalist.  Santoro has performed with a range of luminaries including Edu Lobo, Yamandú Costa, Mário Adnet, Monica Salmaso, Renato Braz and the Muiza Adnet releasing the álbum Mario Adnet - a look on Villa-Lobos nominated for Best Classical Album in the Latin Grammy Awards.  She has earned wide critical acclaim in Brazil and Europe, and released numerous albums including Mar do meu Mundo on the Borandá label with special guests including UAKTI, and Paula Santoro, released by Biscoito Fino label, featuring special guests Chico Buarque, Toninho Horta and Jaques Morelenbaum.

Paula and Ian were introduced in 2007 by the influential Brazilian composer Guinga in Rio when Paula was collaborating with Guinga on a recording and tour. Ian had met Guinga at the age of 16, an encounter that changed his life and music. Hearing and falling in love with Guinga's music led Ian to devote himself to exploring his own Brazilian roots through music. Paula and Ian came together musically in 2014 when both were part of the faculty at California Brazil Camp, a performing arts camp focused on Brazilian music and dance. Their mutual admiration sparked a desire to work together, resulting in Metal na Madeira, recorded at the famous Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA in September of 2015.

Eraldo Bernocchi Joins Hindustani Lap Steel Guitarist Prakash Sontakke On Sublimely Beautiful New Release - Invisible Strings

On his latest RareNoise release, the one-time Italian punk guitarist and current experimental musician-producer-sound designer Eraldo Bernocchi joins Indian slide guitar master Prakash Sontakke for a rare encounter on the sublimely beautiful Invisible Strings. A melding of East and West, Bernocchi plays sparse guitar lines behind the Hindustani lap steel virtuoso on this evocative collaboration between the two. From "The Last Emperor Walked Alone" to "Sublime Skies," "Bangalor Electric" and "The Unsaid," Bernocchi and Sontakke strike an uncommon accord on this meeting of the spirits.

   

"The first time I heard about Prakash was in a project with Eivind Aarset where he played guitar. His name popped out again from a journalist who suggested I should do something with him because we could really get along. He actually was right. Prakash is such a sensitive person, able to adapt to any style or sound environment. And he has an amazing way of mixing Hindustani classical music with new technologies as well lap steel guitar."

   

In shaping a sonic environment for Prakash to play in, Bernocchi was mindful of letting things flow in the studio as the music took shape. "It's difficult for me to start with a sound concept," he says, "as sound lives by itself and blooms according to what's surrounding it. I was intrigued by the idea of working with another guitar player, especially one coming from a different tradition who was confronting himself with a more western instrument. I have loved Indian and Asian music since I was a teenager and for me to work with someone so skilled, so amazingly dynamic has been a kind of dream fulfilled."

   

Bernocchi acknowledges that Brian Eno's 1983 ambient music project Apollo (which utilized lap steel guitar) was a seed for his own work on the Invisible Strings project. "I own Apollo on vinyl, CD and tape, "he says. "It is one of my favourite records of all time. It's very likely that in a silent way, when I had the chance to play with someone who eventually reminded me of those moments, my brain reacted to it with a big smile."

   

Add the fact that Prakash is Indian and Bernocchi professes a special love for that place and its music, and you have the makings of magical outing. Bernocchi, who co-founded RareNoise Records in 2008 with Giacomo Bruzzo, has recorded with the bands Obake, Metallic Taste of Blood and Owls and also collaborated with minimalist pianist-composer Harold Budd for the London-based label. For Invisible Strings, he saw his role as a guitarist from a couple of different points of view.

   

"The first approach was creating atmospheres around Prakash's guitar magic. I used a lot of pedals and I completely reshaped the sound of the guitar as we know it," he explains. "On the record there are a lot of sounds that are made with guitar but they sound like from other instruments. I've always been interested in using the guitar as a tool, as something that could create sounds out of space or nowhere. There are pads, drones, keys that are coming from my guitars. I mainly used baritone guitars, especially a custom- made aluminum one built for me by Nude Guitars from Italy. They're amazing instruments with such a sustain that sometimes you think there's compression applied but it's just the aluminum neck dialoguing with the wood body.The second phase was duetting with Prakash, creating something that could be a sort of dialogue. This was much more risky as he is such a skilled player and so sensitive that I was worried to spoil the magic of his melodies. But I think in the end it worked well and everything was natural."

   

Bernocchi explains the process of carving out the evocative soundscapes heard behind Sontakke throughout Invisible Strings. "Every track starts with a melody, a harmony, a loop of something I had in mind that I was sending to Prakash to record on. He was then sending me back his guitar parts or his ideas for melodies and harmonies, and from that point I was starting to build tracks. So every groove, beat, bass line or my guitar parts are always dialoguing with what he was sending me. Sometimes we reversed the process with me sending over themes, like on 'The Unsaid' for example. It's a time-consuming process, especially because I'm a studio maniac and I'm never satisfied. So ultimately it took one and a half years of sessions to complete this project.

   

"It is a very emotional album," Bernocchi continues, "as during the process of composing and recording it, we exchanged a lot of personal stories, impressions, memories. A lot of small stories surfaced during the making of Invisible Strings -- some happy, some melancholic, some really sad. Prakash is one of those persons with whom I could fully open my heart to emotions. I can't wait to play live with him."

   

Invisible Strings, Bernocchi's most genuinely heartfelt and strikingly evocative recording to date, will be released on RareNoise Records in November.

TRACKS

1.    The Last Emperor Walked Alone

2.    Will You Stay

3.    From Star To Star

4.    The Invisible Ferry

5.    Sublime Skies

6.    Bangalor Electric

7.    Purple Yellow

8.    Walking Backwards Again

9.    The Unsaid

BOBBY PREVITE'S MASS: Monumental Work Blends Early Music And Metal

As widely renowned for his unerring, intuitive grooves behind the kit as he is for his inventiveness as a composer and bandleader, Bobby Previte stretches into some totally new musical terrain on Mass, his RareNoise debut as a leader and followup to 2014's cooperative trio project The New Standard with bassist Steve Swallow and keyboardist Jamie Saft. A modernist re-imagining of the choral epic Missa Sancti Jacobi by 15th century composer Guillaume Dufay, Previte's Mass prominently features the imposing sound of cathedral pipe organ along with an acclaimed early music chamber vocal group, the 11-voice Rose Ensemble conducted by Jordan Sramek, and a slamming core group consisting of Previte on drums, Marco Benevento on pipe organ and Rheem organ, Don McGreevy, Stephen O'Malley, Mike Gamble and Jamie Saft on electric guitars and Reed Mathis on electric bass. A kind of heavy metal requiem mass, full of thrashing feedback guitars and grinding power chords, hellacious fuzz bass, thunderous beats and the glorious sound of a Medieval vocal choir, Mass is unlike anything Previte has done before in his extensive discography, which covers recordings by his bands Weather Clear Track Fast, Latin for Travelers, The Coalition of the Willing, Bump and the Beta Popes.

   

"I've been thinking about this idea for at least 12 or 13 years now," says thed rummer-composer. "In fact, I scored a version of it in the early 2000s that I toured Europe with. Then when when I got home, I decided it wasn't right and threw it all in the trash. It wasn't powerful enough. So I went back to the drawing board."

Previte first encountered composer Guillaume Dufay in his Early Music class in college. "You have to remember, when Dufay wrote his music it was performed at a time in which there were no loud man-made sounds -- no amplifiers, airplanes, bombs, etc. Performed in a hard-walled stone church, the sound racing around the walls and bouncing off the ceiling, it had to have been an overwhelming  experience. Now it feels quiet, meditative, but in the context of its time I believe it was a powerful, soul-shaking, transportive, otherworldly music. And I needed to match that power, so I had to go with Metal -- a reviled music that somehow still keeps coming."

   

Previte and his wife, the writer and choreographer Andrea Kleine, presented the piece in 2007 as a full-blown theater production at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. "She wrote the book and directed it," he explains. "It was then that I met the Rose Ensemble. They specialize in Early Music, which was essential to me. It's a very different discipline than other vocal music. And for them to have the courage and the openness to do a project like this, where I asked them to sing in a different tempo, key and time signature while the crushing metal band was playing -- that was truly inspiring."

   

The players involved in Mass are old cohorts of Previte. Organist Benevento and bassist Reed played in his The Coalition of the Willing. Saft played in Previte's Latin for Travelers band and is also a key member of 2014's The New Standard on RareNoise. Guitarist Gamble has been a longstanding collaborator and is also a member of Previte's current working quartet, Bobby Previte and the Visitors. Guitarists O'Malley and McGreevy are members of the Seattle-based drone and doom metal bands Sunn O))) and Earth, respectively. "O'Malley in particular used a gigantic wall of amps in the studio," says Previte. "If you want that sound, you can't use a little stomp box, you have to actually move all that air. It was exhilarating to watch."

   

Twelve years in the making, Mass is the culmination of a long road for Previte. "I am super happy with how it turned out, as it is extremely difficult music to perform," he says. "Each of the three pillars of the piece -- choir, metal trio, and pipe organ -- are operating within their own algorithms, their own keys, time and tempo. And the piece is written for them to be on parallel tracks but making a different fourth thing, dovetailing together on the cadences. Eventually we all began to be able to hear how it all worked, what notes the choir should be singing when you, as the guitarist, were on your third beat of your bar number 15, a 4/4 bar, at quarter note = 60, as they were in their 33rd bar of 6/8 in a completely different tempo. It sounds crazy. Well, it is crazy! But the design worked eventually, which is a testament to the musicians and their resilience."

Previte adds about his latest opus, "It has probably the greatest cover art I have ever had on any of my records. Astonishing work by, and all respect to, the artist, Hadi Nasiri."

Audio Fidelity To Release Two Jazz-Fusion Classics on Hybrid SACD By Weather Report and Return To Forever

Marshall Blonstein's Audio Fidelity will be releasing Weather Report, “Tale Spinnin'” and Return to Forever, “Musicmagic” on Hybrid SACD. Both recordings are considered essentials from the jazz fusion era of the mid-'70s.

Recorded in early 1975, “Tale Spinnin'”, Weather Report's fifth studio album is filled with sunny textures of Latin and African flavors. The album stands with anything recorded during the period for the range of fresh, intriguing originals by the band's co-founders and principle composers, the keyboardist Joe Zawinul and the saxophonist Wayne Shorter.

Zawinul's pioneering interest in world music is in full evidence with the exotic percussion, wordless vocals, sandy sound effects and Middle Eastern and North African musical spices. His synthesizer sophistication is growing along with the available technology of the day. Wayne Shorter's work on soprano sax is more animated than on their previous albums and Alphonso Johnson puts his melodic bass more to the fore.

“Musicmagic” is Return to Forever's final studio album and one of the best jazz recordings released in the fusion genre. The album contains the final line-up of the band with only founders Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke returning from the earlier recordings. This 1977 release was the first Return to Forever album in five years to contain vocals, performed here by Gayle Moran and Stanley Clarke. This album also marked the return of original member Joe Farrell on saxophone and flute, along with several new members making up a killer five-piece horn section.

The sound is remarkably more orchestral than anything the group had previously done, a cross between fusion, jazz vocals, big band and grassroots accoustic jazz. Musicmagic celebrates the pure joy of music.

Both releases are mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and the SACD Authoring was done by Stephen Marsh at Marsh Mastering.

Weather Report “Tale Spinnin'” 

Produced by Wayne Shorter, Josef Zawinul

TRACKS:

1-Man in the Green Shirt

2-Lusitanos

3-Between the Thighs

4-Badia

5-Freezing Fire

6-Five Short Stories

Return To Forever “Musicmagic”

Produced by Chick Corea - Co-produced by Stanley Clarke

TRACKS:

1-The Musician

2-Hello Again

3-Musicmagic

4-So Long Mickey Mouse

5-Do You Ever

6-The Endless Night

Singer Songwriter Stephen Parker Releases New Pop Jazz Album on iTunes - One Step Closer to the Blue

Veteran musician Stephen Parker has just released his latest pop-jazz album “One Step Closer to the Blue".   The album is the brand new aural sojourn by Parker that presents a profound musical tapestry of emotional and spiritual wandering and fulfillment. A travelogue which takes the listener from the French countryside to the dusty plains of Wyoming, from a twilight tango in California to the mountains of western North Carolina, and to the idyllic fishing village of Alyki on the Greek island of Paros!

The album has created quite the buzz since its release earlier this Summer. News of the release has been picked up by popular websites such as BlogHer, TrendingToday and WN.com (which powers many email browsers like AOL and Yahoo!).  He was also featured as a part of the Community News in The Chicago Tribune and on the  RetroMix 107.9 website as well.

The album was also picked up by The Deuce Radio Show in the UK which is broadcast on over 40 radio stations worldwide. They have put Stephen’s song “Carry The One (Love)” in regular rotation on numerous shows.

Without a doubt, Stephen Parker recorded something quite magical at Spectra Sound Recording Studio, in Nazareth, PA with veteran engineer/producer Jim McGee. Stephen beckons listeners to open their hearts and bring their ears on a journey. Fans can purchase “One Step Closer to the Blue” on iTunes and CD Baby as well as on his engaging new website www.StephenParkerMusic.com

Stephen’s original material and capacity for exquisite story-telling lyrics began to surface and take shape, culminating in the release of his first solo album, "Cheyenne Autumn" in 1979. Following his debut LP, Stephen released a string of 6 CD releases starting with “The Gathering Storm” in 1990 which featured the rocking single "High Horse".

Stephen moved more towards an acoustic music focus in 1999. This acoustic band phase eventually culminated in the release of "Joined in Progress" in 2003 which featured an amazing live concert at the newly opened Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA. After this acoustic phase, Stephen moved into yet another new type of format leading to the creation and release of his delightful 2008 jazz/pop album, "What Goes Around."   After recording the exquisite last track "Tabula Rasa" with the Eric Mintel Jazz Quartet, the door was left open to reconvene at some point and explore recording more material with his changing and evolving sound. The result of that reunion is the magnificent new release “One Step Closer to the Blue”

www.StephenParkerMusic.com 

Acclaimed Jazz Trumpeter TERELL STAFFORD Releases FORGIVE AND FORGET

Trumpeter Terell Stafford has a new release and it called “Forgive And Forget” and it’s the second installment in a series of recordings dubbed “Jazzmasters Unlimited”.  A master trumpeter with over 20 years of experience on the jazz scene, Terell has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by McCoy Tyner.  

A powerful with a finely honed sense of swing, and the ability to croon lilting balladry and great beauty, Terell can play modern, uptempo or groovy in the pocket.  The Terell Stafford Quintet, which includes Tim Warfield-saxes, Bruce Barth-piano, Peter Washington-bass, and Dana Hall-drums, is an acclaimed ensemble which plays major festivals and clubs around the country and has issued fine recordings like “Brotherlee Love” which topped the prestigious Jazzweek charts for two non-consecutive weeks in 2015 and as nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and ‘This Side of Strayhorn” which was a Downbeat Magazine Editors pick in 2011.

As a soloist, Terell is constantly in demand and has performed with a who’s who of jazz luminaries including Bobby Watson, McCoy Tyner, Benny Gibson, Kenny Barron, Jimmy Heath Big Band, Matt Wilson Arts & Crafts, the Clayton Brothers, and the Grammy Award winning Village Vanguard Orchestra.Stafford can be heard performing on over 130 albums; a sampling is included here. Stafford with the Hamilton-Clayton Jazz Orchestra, performed on Diana Krall’s GRAMMY nominated From this Moment On (2006). John Clayton invited Stafford to perform with the Clayton Brothers Quintet, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and to teach for the prestigious Vail Jazz Foundation. In celebration of Jimmy Heath’s 80th birthday, Stafford recorded with the Jimmy Heath Big Band for the album Turn Up the Heath (2006). As a member of drummer Matt Wilson’s group Arts and Crafts, Stafford is featured on the album Scenic Route (2007). Stafford performed on Alvin Queen and the Organic’s album I Ain’t Lookin’ at You (2006).

Stafford was a member of the GRAMMY nominated Bobby Watson’s Tailor Made Big Band for their album Tailor Made. Stafford is a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and they were awarded a GRAMMY in 2009 for Best Large Ensemble, Live at the Village Vanguard. Stafford had the privilege of performing solo trumpet with the Temple University Symphony Orchestra for the premiere performance of Fourth Stream…La Banda. This commissioned piece for orchestra, jazz combo and solo trumpet, was written by GRAMMY winning composer Bill Cunliffe, former Boyer College faculty member. It was recorded on the university’s music label, BCM&D, and subsequently nominated for a GRAMMY in 2010 for Best Instrumental Composition. He is a member of the GRAMMY nominated Clayton Brothers Quintet for Best Instrumental Composition, Brother to Brother 2010 and New Song and Dance 2011. Another Temple University commissioned piece, Overture; Waltz & Rondo was nominated for a GRAMMY in 2013.

With over 130 album appearances to his credit, Forgive And Foret is Stafford's ninth overall as a leader and features the following tracks: No, No, No (That Ain't the Way It Go); A Two-Per to Fill; Forgive and Forget; The Owl Express; The Tint Train; Please Rest My Soul; No, No, No (That Ain't the Way It Go) [Take 2]; The Owl Local (No Passengers!); and Some Many Second Chances.

NEW RELEASES: PAULETTE REAVES – SECRET LOVER; THE SURE FIRE SOUL ENSEMBLE – OUT ON THE COAST; SAO PAULO UNDERGROUND – CANTOS INVISIVEIS

PAULETTE REAVES – SECRET LOVER

A fantastic album from deep soul singer Paulette Reeves – one of the most unique talents of her generation, and an artist who's never fully gotten her due! Paulette's got a southern soul range in her vocals, and works here with Miami TK arrangements from Clarence Reid – but she also has these more sophisticated modern soul currents in her music – at a level that makes us think of her more along the lines of singers like Jean Carn or Phyllis Hyman! The set's quite different than some of the other TK Records material of the time – and was quite possibly overlooked at the time, due to its release within their disco-heavy catalog – whereas Reeves is a singer who really would have gotten strong attention on a label like Philadelphia International. The whole thing's great – and the album includes her classic midtempo number "Let Me Wrap You In My Love", plus other nice ones – like "Secret Lover", "There's Fire Down Below", and "If You Don't See Me Again". ~ Dusty Groove

THE SURE FIRE SOUL ENSEMBLE – OUT ON THE COAST

Great work from one of the freshest funk combos going today – a group who really grabbed our ears with their initial singles and debut album – but who seem here to be heading into even hipper territory overall! There's a brilliant blend of sharp-edged instrumentation and more exotic touches – particularly some East African inflections on the horns, which gives them a vibe that's a nice change from usual funk phrasing, but without any sort of easy Afro-styled cliches as well. At times, the music also has some great southern Cali elements that fit the title and the cover – laidback rhythms that are never sloppy, but maybe just have a cool, kicked-back approach that furthers their unique groove. Titles include "Baja Norte", "Tche", "Jeannie's Getdown", "Out On The Coast", "Pig's Feet", "Volcano Vapes", "Face 1", "Balboa Park", and "Rise Of The East". ~ Dusty Groove

SAO PAULO UNDERGROUND – CANTOS INVISIVEIS

Rob Mazurek's Sao Paulo Underground group just keeps on getting better and better – and opening up with new ideas we never would have expected in their music just a few years before! The group's been an important springboard for a newly emotional, spiritual side of Mazurek's music – but they've also gelled together so wonderfully, they've hit some really tremendous territory as a unit – and on this set, they almost re-embrace some of the electronics of Rob's more abstract years, but find a way to create sounds that live up to their emotional range on previous records. The balance is wonderful – we can't imagine anyone else pulling it off this well – and although the songs might still have some jazz aspects, they also maybe function more as paintings in sound – with Rob on cornet, moog, Mellotron, percussion, and a modular synth – with Mauricio Takara on drums, cavaquino, and more electronics; Guilherme Grando on keyboards and electronics; and Thomas Roher on flutes, soprano sax, rabeca, electronics, and percussion. The sound of the music is as dense as the image on the cover – and maybe as cosmic, too – and titles include "Fire & Chime", "Violent Orchid Parade", "Cambodian Street Carnival", "Estrada Para A Oeste", "Of Golden Summer", and "Falling Down From The Sky Like Some Damned Ghost". ~ Dusty Groove