Alliage Quintett - Lost In Temptation

On their new album “Lost In Temptation” the Alliage Quintett presents a multifaceted sound panorama for saxophone quartet and piano – with works by composers from Henry Purcell via Johannes Brahms and Camille Saint-Saëns to Kurt Weill.

The make-up of the Alliage Quintett is unique, consisting as it does of four saxophones and a piano. But it is this very combination that enables the four saxophonists and pianist Jang Eun Bae to delight one audience after another with masterpieces from all eras of music in sophisticated arrangements that respect the composer’s intentions. So successfully has the Alliage Quintett transferred its ideals to disc that it has already won the ECHO Klassik award twice. “Lost in Temptation” is the quintet’s fifth album for Sony Classical, presenting works from 300 years of music history. There are rousing instrumental movements from Henry Purcell’s semi-opera “The Fairy Queen”. The Armenian Aram Khachaturian offers music from his hit ballet “Spartacus”. An arrangement of Johannes Brahms’s popular song “Guten Abend, gut’ Nacht” joins a Fantasia on five songs from Kurt Weill’s famous “Threepenny Opera”. And as we have come to expect of the Alliage Quintett with their multifaceted approach, each and every one of the arrangements sounds as if it had been written as an original work for the really rather unusual formation of “Saxophone Quartet + Piano”.

In keeping with their album title “Lost in Temptation”, the artists celebrate the sensual, seductive effects of music. For that matter, many of the works deal with human enticements and temptations such as those of love. Henry Purcell’s semi-opera “The Fairy Queen” of 1692 is based on Shakespeare’s comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, where the love of the royal fairy couple Titania and Oberon is put to the test. Nor do Purcell’s magic spells in sound fail to enchant the listener in the quintet’s suite of his operatic instrumental movements. To capture something of the performance practice of the late 17th century, Alliage Quintett has commissioned a version that features percussion instruments and more. Accordingly, Jang Eun Bae has swapped her Classical grand piano for a Baroque harpsichord.

Further highlights of “Lost in Temptation” include the famous “Bacchanal” from the opera “Samson et Dalila” by Camille Saint-Saëns and the “Seven Scottish Airs” of Englishman Gustav Holst. Other delights are a suite taken from Ottorino Respighi’s “Antiche arie e danze”, for which he arranged works for lute from the 16th and 17th century for orchestra. And love and passion are certainly what makes the world go around in one of the world’s greatest operatic hits – Kurt Weill’s & Bertolt Brecht’s “Threepenny Opera”. The Alliage Quintett approached Stefan Malzew and he agreed to arrange five songs from the opera. But for the founder of the Alliage Quintett, Daniel Gauthier, Malzew has not so much written a classic arrangement as composed a fast and furious “Threepenny Opera Fantasy”.

The Alliage Quintett are touring Australia in February / March, performing with Sabine Meyer.

Trumpeter Bill Warfield Pays Tribute to His Late Mentor, Colleague, & Friend Trumpeter Lew Soloff On "For Lew"

Bill Warfield Big Band For LewBill Warfield's career as a trumpeter was launched the moment he heard Lew Soloff's immortal solo on the Blood, Sweat & Tears hit "Spinning Wheel." "It just completely knocked me out," says Warfield, who was 18 at the time and gigging as a pianist, having given up hope of earning a living as a horn player due to dental problems. "I'd never heard anything like it. I decided at that point that I wanted to play the trumpet again."

Eventually, Warfield would get to know, study, and record with Soloff, who died in 2014 at age 71. Warfield's latest album, For Lew, set for release on March 9 by Planet Arts Records, is a tribute to his late mentor, colleague, friend, and inspiration. Compiled from material Warfield recorded with his big band between 1990 and 2014, the album includes ten selections that first appeared on New York City Jazz (1990), The City Never Sleeps (1994), A Faceless Place (2005), and Trumpet Story (2014). Two of the tracks are previously unreleased.

"Lew was such a warm, supportive human being," Warfield says of Soloff. "When he died, it took me a week to get over it. I patterned my playing after him. I wanted to do the gigs he did. I wanted to sound like him. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to be him. I patterned my whole career after that guy. He was a little nerdy guy who would put a horn in front of his mouth and became Superman. He was the guy who got me to take my writing seriously. On the second record I used him on, I used a few other people's charts. Then he pulled me to the side and said, 'Look, your writing is really special. You shouldn't include anybody else's stuff on your records.'" 

Five tunes on For Lew are Warfield originals; six arrangements are his. While drawn from four different sessions, each made up of different players, every track is an all-star affair. Soloff is the soloist on one track, "Salsa En Mi Alma," and is heard playing lead trumpet on that song and two others. In addition to Warfield, who solos on three tracks, other world-class instrumentalists among the disc's collective personnel are trumpeters Randy Brecker and John Eckert; trombonist Matt Havilan; saxophonists Dan Block, Andy Fusco, Bob Hanlon, Rich Perry, Chris Potter, and Walt Weiskopf; pianists Ted Rosenthal and Joel Weiskopf; guitarists Vic Juris and Dave Stryker; bassist Mike Richmond; and drummers Tim Horner and Bob Weller.

Warfield followed Soloff's advice and over the past quarter century has created a canon of music for large ensemble that showcases his distinctive composing and arranging style. He counts Hank Levy, Fred Lipsius, Dick Halligan, Mike Abene (who would produce his first two big band albums), Michel Colombier, Charles Mingus, Thad Jones, Gil Evans, and Bob Brookmeyer, along with Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Webern, Prokofiev, and other classical composers, as influences on his arranging style.

Bill WarfieldBill Warfield was born in Baltimore on March 2, 1952. He took up trumpet in the fourth grade because, he says, "it looked cool. Because it only had three buttons, I thought it would be easier to play." By the time he was 14, he played Saturday mornings with the orchestra and brass ensemble at the Peabody Conservatory Preparatory School and Saturday afternoons with the Maryland Youth Symphony, as well as with a teenage soul band called Nina and the Marcels.

After recovering from a car accident in which he lost his front teeth, he studied for four years at Towson State with Hank Levy, an arranger noted for his charts for Don Ellis and Stan Kenton who was a key early influence.

Warfield moved to New York City in 1980 and began subbing in the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, playing and arranging for the Bill Kirchner Nonet, and copying music for Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, and others, while earning a master's from the Manhattan School of Music. He toured Europe with Ornette Coleman, having been recommended by Lew Soloff.

Warfield has spent three decades as an inspiring music educator. After stints at the Dalton School in New York, Brooklyn College, Towson State University in Maryland, and the University of North Florida, he joined the faculty at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, in 1996. He continues to teach and direct the jazz program there three days per week.

The other four days are usually spent in back in Manhattan, where he currently directs four bands: the New York Jazz Repertory Ensemble, the New York Jazz Octet (which includes tenor saxophonist Don Braden and pianist Kenny Werner), the Hell's Kitchen Funk Orchestra, and the Bill Warfield Big Band.

The Bill Warfield Big Band will be performing two sets (7:00pm/8:30pm) at the Zinc Bar in Greenwich Village to celebrate the release of For Lew.

 

Award Winning Saxophonist Angella Christie Charts Billboard with "Intimate Conversations"

Stellar Award winner, Smooth Jazz and Dove Award nominated Saxophonist Angella Christie, lands coveted rankings on two Billboard Charts – Gospel and Contemporary Jazz.  "Intimate Conversations," Christie's long-awaited new release and ninth album captures her posing as a mesmerizing musical conversationalist bringing a fresh innovative approach to well-known Gospel and Christian tunes; which was recorded on her own label – ACSM, Inc.

The album strikes familiar chords in the heart of listeners, offering different audiences a seat as Christie seamlessly merges generations and genres through songs like, "Break Every Chain," which explodes melodiously with power as it weaves through various rhythmic styles of expression such as rock, fusion, smooth jazz and gospel as Angella leaves no stone unturned in this rendition. "Alpha & Omega," stands alone as a ballad of shear expression of worship with an acoustic piano and sax, while "I Can Only Imagine," gives you that easy listening neo soul feel, like a generous plate of comfort food on a Sunday afternoon.  "Draw Me Close Medley," raptures ones' soul into a place of blissful intimacy, as pure joy oozes from popular African worship tunes – "IGWE" and "K'abio Osi."

  

"Intimate Conversations," will touch the depth of your spirit with impactful messages lodged deep in the melodies of every song. The tracks are smooth; yet possess a continual elevating terrain of diverse musical ambiance. Angella introduces you to a new spiritual landscape with every note as she plays with an urbane but deliberate purpose that permeates the soul as each familiar song reawakens during her impressive instrumental presentation.

Christie is a pioneer in the format of Instrumental Gospel music, which has the infusion of Gospel, Pop, Urban, and Jazz styling expressions. Graduating from Houston Baptist University, she began touring the states with a $300 saxophone purchased from a pawnshop. In the 1980's, Christie engineered the instrumental gospel sound that rivals some of the best alto players articulating in ranges from subtone lows to altissimo highs. Her signature sound has segued into a popular genre, sometimes referred to as GospelJazz.

Known for her shoeless performances, Christie passionately pulls audiences into a natural inclination of Praise & Worship. This response has been consistent throughout the United States, Japan, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Germany, London, Bermuda and the Caribbeans. Consequently, her gravity defying-faith has made her the first internationally acclaimed female gospel saxophonist world-wide. Her life-time journey and first hand experiences have also transformed her into an effective diverse speaker of hope, singleness, entrepreneurship and Christ-like living.

Previously, Christie released, "Eternity" and "Hymn & I" on AIR Records and in 2004, launched ACSM, Inc. releasing "Draw the Line" and "The Breath of Life."

"Intimate Conversations," is available on compact disc and digital album distributed to ‎mainstream physical retailers and‎ to worldwide digital outlets by ADA (a Warner Music Group company) in association with GoDigiPath, LLC. Provident Distribution (a Sony Music Entertainment company) in association with Fair Trade Services and GoDigiPath, LLC provides the CBA worldwide physical retail distribution.

http://www.AngellaChristie.com

The Debut Recording From Flautist MAYU SAEKI - HOPE

Flautist and composer Mayu Saeki's debut recording, Hope (available on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records, March 16), breathes and resonates with beauty and optimism. Hope tells the story of Saeki's journey to NYC from her native Tokyo. There she left a complete life for an uncertain future in New York City. Shortly after arriving, armed only with extensive classical training and mentorship, determination and hope, not to mention an abundance of talent, the opportunity presented itself to be a part of Chico Hamilton's group. She toured and recorded with Hamilton, appearing on several albums, including Revelation and Euphoric (both were released in 2011 from Joyous Shout! records), until his passing in 2013. His final recording, The Inquiring Mind (released posthumously in 2014) features her composition, "Hope". During her time in Hamilton's band, Ms. Saeki began composing and actively performing with her own trio in 2011, making her debut at Jazz at the Kitano with Aaron Goldberg on piano and Joe Sanders on bass, and leading her band on several Atlantic coastal tours. This was the beginning of the road that led Saeki to create this recording, Hope.

Hope feels like the fifth or sixth offering from a veteran on the scene. Ms. Saeki certainly had an advantage, recording with Aaron Goldberg, Joe Sanders, John Davis and Nori Ochiai (a former student of Goldberg's and a fine modern jazz pianist in his own right), but her self-assurance comes across without dubiety. Her solo on the title track bears a joyful swagger (immediately following a gem of a solo from Mr. Goldberg). Her playing, specifically the intro, solo & outro, on "Soshu-Yakyoku" are also moments to behold, as they encapsulate the sincerity and soul of this album. And, her band mates are on board completely, and given ample space to express their brilliance. Check out Joe Sanders' truly breathtaking playing on "Do You Know", and behold drummer John Davis' brilliant, flowing solo over the vamp of the same tune. Goldberg is flawless throughout, but a highlight is his accompaniment and solo on the opening track, "Dilemma". "Libertango" and "Oblivion" showcase Mayu's classical training and her love for the music of Astor Piazzolla (with "Oblivion" displaying Mayu's expertise on piccolo flute). Hope truly "offers the listener a glimpse into the musical heart of one of today's great musicians. Mayu Saeki is a shining example of the hope we all can have when we combine passion, perseverance, and a strong voice. Mayu's voice is a gorgeous flute sound that will surely inspire hope in everyone who hears it". - Demarre McGill, Principal Flutist of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

With nearly a decade of her musical career in New York City, Mayu Saeki, an alumni of Elizabeth University of Music, still keeps transforming herself, apparently with no limits. Her versatile and passionate style is deeply rooted in her early childhood classical training and mentorship with Sanae Nakayama, Keiji Oshiro, Kazukiyo Inoue, Pierre Yves Artaud, Alain Marion, and NEA jazz master, Chico Hamilton. Post-Chico Hamilton, and in addition to leading her own group more frequently, Saeki's "sideman" career continues to grow with an all-female Irish music group, Four Celtic Voices, and Cosmos Sunshine's Butterfly Effect (appearing on Butterfly Fight Effect, released in 2016, and their new album,

Comes With The Fall, due out on March 9). In addition, Saeki has recently joined a project titled "Mark Gross with Strings", led by Grammy award-winning jazz saxophonist, Mark Gross (also the liner note writer for Hope). Saeki also regularly performs with harpist/vocalist Erin Hill's group.

"It was a pivotal moment to record my own album, and I'm very happy that I was able to deliver before I mark my tenth year being in New York. This album is reflections of my life, filled with passion and curiosity, love of music, and hopes that I never, ever let go of. Music has been with me since I was little. It has always been honest and keeps giving me hope for a better day. I wish that this HOPE, the feeling I have, is going to reach straight to your heart and sincerely hope your day is better tomorrow. I would like to dedicate this album to the memory of my father, Kazuo, and my mentor, Chico Hamilton, who left me invaluable experiences and precious memories". - Mayu Saeki

Mayu Saeki - Hope

1 - Dilemma (Mayu Saeki) - 7:52

2 - Hope (Mayu Saeki) - 7:24

3 - Soshu-Yakyoku (Ryoichi Hattori, arr., Saeki) - 9:43

4 - Libertango (Astor Piazzolla, arr., Saeki) - 7:34

5 - Oblivion (Astor Piazzolla, arr., Saeki) - 9:57

6 - Do You Know...? (Mayu Saeki) - 7:03

Recorded by John Davis at The Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, NY

Mayu Saeki (flute, piccolo, shinobue), Special guest Aaron Goldberg (piano, tks 1, 2, 3), Nori Ochiai (piano, tks 4, 5, 6), Joe Sanders (upright and electric bass), John Davis (drums)

www.MayuSaeki.com 

CRAFT RECORDINGS TO REISSUE GROUNDBREAKING SOUL MASTERPIECE FROM THE STAX RECORDS FAMILY ON 180-GRAM VINYL

On February 9, Craft Recordings will reissue the definitive version of one of the most ambitious, groundbreaking records in the Stax catalog: The 24-Carat Black Ghetto: Misfortune’s Wealth. Composed, arranged, and produced almost entirely by longtime Isaac Hayes collaborator Dale Warren, the album draws marked comparisons to the lush, transformative arrangements penned by Warren for the seminal trio of Hayes albums, Hot Buttered Soul, The Isaac Hayes Movement, and …To Be Continued. Often cited as one of the first concept albums in the soul, funk and R&B genres at a time when such boldly artistic statements were reserved for progressive rock bands like Pink Floyd, this ‘soul opera,’ featuring just eight tracks, is an entrancing mixture of lush, orchestral soul ballads and Blaxploitation-era funk grooves, split into vignettes dealing with aspects of everyday life in some of America’s poorest areas. Its unique blend of immaculately arranged grooves and socially conscious narrative launched the album into cult-classic status among DJs and producers who have sampled it for tracks, most recently by Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, Digable Planets, Dr. Dre, and many others.

  

This pressing, released as part of Craft Recordings’ “Made In Memphis Series,” features 180-gram vinyl cut at Ardent studios on the original Stax lathe and pressed in Memphis at Memphis Record Pressing. The Old-school style tip-on jacket with printed inner sleeve contains new liner notes by Rob Bowman, Grammy® Award winning author of Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records.

Track Listing:

Side A

A1. Synopsis One: In The Ghetto / God Save The World

A2. Poverty’s Paradise

A3. Brown-Baggin’

Side B

B1. Synopsis Two: Mother’s Day

B2. Mother’s Day

B3. Foodstamps

B4. Ghetto: Misfortune’s Wealth

B5. 24-Carat Black (Theme)

More about The 24-Carat Black Ghetto: Misfortune’s Wealth: 

Composed of Larry Austin (bass); Tyrone Steels (percussion); Jerome Derrickson (saxophone); Ricky Foster (trumpet); James Talbert (electric piano); William Talbert (organ); and Princess Hearn, Kathleen Dent, and Valerie Malone (vocals), The 24-Carat Black was helmed by Dale Warren who famously orchestrated the strings for Isaac Hayes' albums Hot Buttered Soul, The Isaac Hayes Movement and ...To Be Continued. This reissue of their lone studio album for the Enterprise label follows a 2009 archival compilation from the Numero Group entitled Gone: The Promises of Yesterday (2009), which collects previously unreleased material from the group.

In connection with last year’s celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Stax Records, Craft Recordings paid tribute to the ambitious spirit of Memphis-based Stax Records by releasing a series of albums that embody the label’s diversity and inclusive nature. The series, composed of unique and historically underrepresented albums in the legendary Stax canon, celebrates some of the lesser-known stories from the label and the community that made it possible for the label to succeed and thrive as a distinctly American cultural institution. Featuring audio from the original analog tapes, remastered and cut at Ardent studios in Memphis on the original Stax Records lathe, each album in the series boasts 180-gram vinyl pressed at Memphis Record Pressing and new liner notes. Other releases in the series include John Gary Williams’ self-titled, soul-searching debut, Moloch’s blue-eyed psychedelic blues trip, and Melvin Van Peebles’ groundbreaking soundtrack to the Blaxploitation genre-buster, Sweet Sweetback’s Baaddasssss Song.

NEW RELEASES: NICOLE MITCHELL AND HAKI MADHUBUTI - LIBERATION NARRATIVES; TINKR'S CLASSY, GREASY, JAZZY, FUNKY, OLE AZZ BOOGA BAND - BLENDED; MENAGERIE - THE ARROW OF TIME

NICOLE MITCHELL AND HAKI MADHUBUTI - LIBERATION NARRATIVES

An incredible meeting of two massive Chicago talents – with results that are even more amazing than you might think! We've always loved the music of flute player Nicole Mitchell – and have reveled in watching her get even more righteous and sophisticated in her projects in recent years – and we've always had deep respect for the words and wisdom of Haki Madhubuti, a writer who makes us incredibly proud to live in the Windy City. Yet together, these two genius talents resonate with even more strength than we might ever have imagined – as Nicole turns in some of her deepest music in years, to set up the right kind of setting for Haki's words – all served up in a mixture of jazz and spoken passages that almost blows away most classics of this nature from the 70s! The group is wonderful – with Mitchell on flute, alongside Pharez Whitted on trumpet, Tomeka Reid on cello, Harrison Bankhead on drums, Renee Baker and Zara Zaharieva on violins, Tomas Fujiwara on drums, and Jovia Armstrong – and singer Ugochi provides additional vocal support for Madhubuti's spoken lead – as the group also soars out on some strong instrumental passages too. The scope of Mitchell's writing is even broader than before – and titles include "Rise Vision", "Move Into Our Own", "Gwendolyn Brooks", "Often Hard To Believe", "Woman Black", "We Walk The Way Of The New World", "Peace Starts Inside You", "Blackman Unfinished", and "Too Many Of Our Young".  ~ Dusty Groove

TINKR'S CLASSY, GREASY, JAZZY, FUNKY, OLE AZZ BOOGA BAND - BLENDED

When Jan Gaye, Marvin’s widow, heard Tinkr Barfield’s gritty, rockin’ gospel-jazz rendition of one of the Motown legend’s classics, she said, “Job well done, Tinkr Barfield.” Pop, funk and urban jazz fans everywhere will heap that kind of praise for the whole set list that Luther Vandross’ former bassist puts together on BLENDED, the eminently funky, richly eclectic debut from Tinkr’s Classy, Greasy, Jazzy, Funky, Ole Azz Booga Band. Working Quincy Jones-style with a massive all-star cast of studio and touring musicians and singers, Tinkr embodies all those adjectives and more (symphonic, brassy, electronica-based, etc.) on a mix of vibrant, rhythmically diverse originals and sly re-imaginings of classics by Dave Brubeck, The Beatles and Rogers & Hammerstein. True to its title, BLENDED’s got something for everyone’s classy, greasy, jazzy, funky, ole azz booga musical fantasies.~ www.smoothjazz.com

MENAGERIE - THE ARROW OF TIME

Deep sounds from Menagerie – a group led by funky genius Lance Ferguson, who's given us wonderful work in a variety of styles over the years – but who here has turned his talents to the world of spiritual jazz, which he takes on brilliantly with this excellent ensemble! Menagerie have a classic vibe that really lives up to the cover of the record – a style that's in that post-Coltrane moment when jazz groups were getting even more sophisticated with both their performance and sense of composition – really pushing the boundaries with new ideas, and a much larger vision in jazz. Lance plays guitar in the group, but the fuller energy comes from the tenor, alto, and soprano sax of Phillip Noy, as well as the trumpet of Ross Irwin, and use of piano and Fender Rhodes by Mark Fitzgibbon – all excellent players who can really hit the right sort of crescendo in spirit! The leadoff track has some great vocals, and all others are instrumental – nice and long, and very deep – with titles that include "Evolution", "The Arrow Of Time", "Escape Velocity", "Spiral", and "Nova". ~ Dusty Groove

COLIN CURTIS PRESENTS - JAZZ DANCE FREEDOM

2017 saw Colin Curtis celebrate his 50th anniversary as a DJ, a career that started out in his mid-teens at Newcastle-Under-Lyme’s Crystal Ballroom, before making his all-nighter debut at Stoke’s hallowed Golden Torch, one of Northern Soul’s foundation venues, eventually becoming one of the scene’s leading figures as a result of his legendary ‘70’s partnership with Ian Levine at the Blackpool Mecca. This is Colin’s own story:

By 1979 the development of Jazz rooms at major Soul / Funk Alldayers was providing a much-needed outlet for the more discerning collectors and the fanatical Jazz dancers. The UK Jazz Funk scene began for me in earnest in 1978 when I moved from the Blackpool Mecca to Manchester’s Rafters nightclub on Oxford Street. The clash of new imported Soul, Funk and Jazz music coming out in the USA and being shared with a fresh new audience in clubs like Rafters Manchester, Chaplains Birmingham, Locarno Birmingham, Rufus Manchester, Cassinellis Standish Leeds Central and Nottingham Palais was creating a potpourri of music fashion and dance styles.

I had started to experiment with the jazzier side of dance tracks at Blackpool Mecca in around 1976 with artists like Patrice Rushen, Bill Summers, Azar Lawrence, Charles Earland, Johnny Hammond, Donald Byrd etc, all artists I had discovered using the inner sleeves of Blue Note, Fantasy, Prestige and Mercury labels. As a collector of all styles of black music including Soul, Funk and Jazz my interest was being drawn more to albums and particularly Jazz albums as my brain, as proven with 60’s and 70’s soul, had an unquenchable appetite for knowledge and unearthing new music. I was thriving on searching out more of this amalgamation of Jazz styles adding fusion, percussion, vocals and tempo to this burgeoning genre.

As the Jazz room identity increased within this environment for me Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds, Manchester all became prominent in their enthusiasm for Jazz Dance. The fashion, passion and dance began to take on almost a religious aura combined with the unique camaraderie and respect. Out of this grew a passion amongst certain dj’s in the midlands and the north of England to start digging a lot deeper for music in the Jazz Fusion / Dance category. Baz Fe Jazz, Chris Reed, Shaun Williams, Simon Mansell, Jonathan Woodliffe, Paul Murphy, Eric & Floyd, Hewan Clarke and many others were willing to push the barriers. This Jazz Dance explosion spread across the country with Dj’s like Dr Bob Jones, Colin Parnell & Boo Sylvester adding to the London connection via clubs like The Electric Ballroom and The Horseshoe. This scene thrived for me featuring club nights devoted to Jazz Dance and an increase of Jazz rooms and Jazz breaks on the AllDayer circuits drawing in both interest in the music and the voyeurism of watching the dancers and their individual interpretations.

So this compilation acts as an introduction to this electric, cool and uplifting music that was affecting so many enthusiastic dancers and Dj / collectors. All the tracks on here are taken from one of the most prolific and emerging labels for this genre Muse Records that offered the complete spectrum of styles to fit in with this emerging scene crossing over with Jazz Fusion, Be Bop, vocals, electric keyboards, and percussion.

PAT METHENY with Antonio Sanchez, Linda May Han Oh & Gwilym Simcock plus Lean On Me: JOSÉ JAMES Celebrates Bill Withers Set for Newport Jazz Festival®

Be among the first to secure your seats at one of Newport's most popular summer eventsfeaturing Pat Metheny with Antonio Sanchez, Linda May Han Oh & Gwilym Simcock plus Lean On Me: Josè James Celebrates Bill Withers at the Friday evening concert of the Newport Jazz Festival® presented by Natixis Investment Managers.  The concert takes place August 3 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino, 194 Bellevue Avenue. The cocktail party begins at 6:30 pm, followed by the concert at 8:00 pm. 

"Pat Metheny is someone I first admired from afar, then wound up having the privilege of working with over the last 25 years. I consider him a true friend, a mentor and a constant source of inspiration, on and offstage," said Artistic Director Christian McBride. "Every time he makes music, the world listens. It's an honor to have him at Newport Jazz Festival this year."

McBride added, "I first met and worked with Josè James 10 years ago. I was the musical director for a Marvin Gaye tribute. I didn't know who he was then, but a number of musicians I respect told me I should hook up with him because he was a star in the making. They couldn't have been more correct. Josè has become one of the major voices of this generation and I can't wait to see and hear him wow the audience at Newport again."

The Newport Jazz Festival Friday evening cocktail party on the Horseshoe Piazza welcomes a limited number of attendees for pre-concert socializing with music, food and beverages. Tickets include open bar and hors d'oeuvres. Tickets are limited and exclusively for concertgoers. Party attendees must purchase a separate ticket to the Festival concert.

The 2018 lineup for the Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Investment Managers also features concerts at Fort Adams State Park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, including Living Colour; Sangam with Zakir Hussain and Eric Harland; Rudresh Mahanthappa Indo-Pak Coalition; Michel Camilo; and Matthew Shipp Trio on Friday, August 3. Andra Day; Charles Lloyd New Quartet with Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland; and Mary Halvorson's Code Girl take the stage on Saturday, August 4.  Artemis featuring Cécile McLorin Salvant, Renee Rosnes, Anat Cohen, Melissa Aldana, Ingrid Jensen, Noriko Ueda & Allison Miller; Charles Lloyd & Friends featuring Lucinda Williams with Jason Moran, Marvin Sewell, Stuart Mathis, Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland; and Jazzmeia Horn will perform on Sunday, August 5.

Ohio Players - The Funkiest Band On Earth - Back With New Music and CD Collection

It's not an understatement to suggest Ohio Players are one of the greatest bands of all time. They are an American national treasure, a band that truly broke the mold and changed the face of music forever. The Players music is pure and organic, at their heights they produced 17 Top 40 hits, with several platinum and gold selling albums, including masterpiece songs such as 'Skin Tight', 'Fire', 'Love Rollercoaster' and 'Who'd She Coo?'

The Players sound has been ingrained into modern popular culture. Their music has been used everywhere, from McDonald's commercials to The Sopranos. In 2004 the Players were given a prestigious BMI award for the use of the song 'Fire' on 12 seasons of Hell's Kitchen. The Players also paved the way for the next generation of funkateers; samples of their music have enhanced the careers of Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Jay-Z, Outkast, Notorious BIG, 2Pac, Mary J Blige and a great many others. Their songs have also been covered by a vast array of artists including Red Hot Chili Peppers.

In 2013, the Players were inducted into the inaugural class of the Official R&B Music Hall of Fame and in 2018, for the first time in almost 30 years Ohio Players are back with new music!

The original Players members of James 'Diamond' Williams (Drummer), Billy Beck, (Keyboardist), Clarence 'Chet' Willis (Guitarist) and Robert 'Kuumba' Jones (Percussionist) have been back in the studio recording the new music. The first single to drop is called 'Reset' and rest assured, that Player groove is ever present. Mature and refined and complete with that earthy timeless signature sound that made Ohio Players international superstars.

Coinciding with the release of the new record, Cherry Red Records out of the UK have put together the definitive three CD collection of Ohio Players works, combining music from the Capitol, Westbound, Mercury, Arista & Boardwalk days alongside various spin off projects by the members over the years for a total career overview of this exceptional Funk Band.

Saxophonist/Clarinetist Dan Block Revisits His Hometown of St. Louis with his Brother, Guitarist Rob on "Block Party"

Shut down the streets, it's time for a Block Party! The latest album from saxophonist and clarinetist Dan Block is a joyous event fully in keeping with the warm spirit of its namesake: a time to join together with other families, meet with your neighbors, and enjoy a timeless tradition. In this case, the tradition spans several generations of jazz, the neighbors are fellow transplants from Block's native St. Louis to the jazz mecca of New York City, and the family is, well, family - in this case, brother and guitarist Rob Block.

Block Party (due out January 19 from Miles High Records) is, at heart, a celebration of the Block siblings, recording together for the first time in their lives. Their collaboration shows off an easy camaraderie laced with a fiery competitive spark natural to brothers. The pair combine with the kind of unspoken communication that can only come from shared roots, qualities that many musicians spend decades working together to achieve but which comes naturally from two artists who've grown up in the same household.

"We have a certain chemistry when we play together," Dan Block says of working with his brother. We fell into it much later. "We're very different people but he brings something intangible out in me, and vice versa. You're completely free to be yourself when you're sharing the stage with your brother."

Sharing a bloodline with your sidemen is a rare opportunity, but sharing a hometown may be the next best thing. That explains why St. Louis native Neal Caine provides such a strong backbone for the band; best known as the longtime bassist for Harry Connick Jr.'s band, Caine's path paralleled Rob Block's, detouring through New Orleans on the way to New York City. Tokyo-born pianist Tadataka Unno and in demand drummer Aaron Kimmel don't share those same roots but they do have a common sensibility, one that doesn't get hung up on one era or style of jazz.

"We're all conversant in the whole history of the music," Block declares, an attitude that has endeared him to the similarly all-embracing Wynton Marsalis, with whom he performs regularly in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Block feels comfortable expressing himself in traditional Dixieland jazz bands as well as bop, modal jazz and beyond. That wide scope is reflected in the repertoire on Block Party, which draws from several decades' worth of source material while maintaining a cohesive sound.

Block's lyrical clarinet provides a welcoming tone to being the album on the somewhat obscure standard "Dinner For One Please, James," a favorite of singers like Nat King Cole and Eartha Kitt. It's followed by the Latin rhythms of "No, No, No," an unknown piece by nonagenarian songwriter Phil Springer, with whom Block has forged a close working relationship and friendship. Best known for "How Little We Know" and the perennial "Santa Baby," Springer was thrilled that Block wanted to interpret a different tune from among his stacks of sheet music. "Phil's a really fine songwriter and a brilliant musician," Block says. "He's one of the few people left who still writes in the tradition of the Great American Songbook."

Block wields the clarinet for a wistful, relaxed take on the Thelonious Monk classic "Light Blue," but the pace picks up via Kimmel's propulsive beat for Gigi Gryce's "Smoke Signal," highlighted by some delightful back and forth between the brothers Block. The pace is maintained for an update of composer Ferde Grofe's "Wonderful One," originally recorded in the 1920s by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra but gien a several-decade refresh in Block's bristling arrangement.

Block also dips back into the early decades of the 20th century for two Walter Donaldson compositions, both of which were recorded by one of the saxophonist's most powerful influences, legendary corentist Bix Beiderbecke. The first, "Beautiful Changes," is transformed into a time-shifting burner that sounds more like something found on a mid-60s Impulse! LP than an antique 78. "Ain't No Land Like Dixieland," on the other hand, retains a sense of burnished nostalgia without forsaking its modern pulse. All of these choices highlight the fact that Block finds inspiration from throughout the jazz timeline, recognizing fertile ground for exploration regardless of how long it's been abandoned.

"So many things were tried and left behind back then," he says. "There was a lot of experimentation at that time, influenced by impressionist composers like Debussy and Ravel, but those influences haven't been returned to very much since. But it's still rich territory to explore and use as a point of departure."

"By the Fireside," on the other hand, traverses more well-worn ground, a classic, gritty blues. The angular theme of Block's sole original contribution, "Option Click," reflects the nervy tension the composer feels when confronted with modern technology. Finally, Dan and Rob pair off for a lovely ballad of brotherly love on the album's closing track, the Harold Arlen classic "It Was Written in the Stars."

You can go home again, if the warm and wonderful sounds captured herein are to be believed. And when you do, hope to be received with a celebration as lively and lyrical as Block Party.

Saxophonist/clarinetist Dan Block has a dual reputation in the jazz world: he is well-regarded mainstream player, yet is best known as a specialist in traditional jazz. He's a diverse talent, fitting like a chameleon into a host of musical genres on a variety of instruments. He has worked as a sideman with Toshiko Akiyoshi, Frank Wess, Richard Wyands, Wynton Marsalis  and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Harry Allen, Jerry Dodgion and Howard Alden. In the more traditional jazz vein he has worked frequently with Vince Giordano, Marty Grosz and Judy Carmichael. Quite a bit of his work has been with singers, performing and recording with the likes of Michael Feinstein, Natalie Cole, Anne Hampton Calloway, Bobby Short, Linda Ronstadt and Rosemary Clooney. Block's clarinet and saxophone have been heard in a number of motion pictures including The Aviator, The Good Shepherd, Revolutionary Road and most recently the critically acclaimed HBO series Boardwalk Empire. He has also played on countless radio and television commercials. He won the 2016 Charlie Parker Award as part of the BMI Jazz Composer's Workshop.  Block has recorded numerous CDs including his most recent, the Duke Ellington tribute From His World To Mine and the duo project Duality, both on Miles High. Dan Block has the kind of musical focus that onlycomes with real experience. Classically trained at Juilliard, he has played nearly every style and genre of music from Salsa to Caribbean to, Klezmer, which have all come together to form a unique sound: his own.

danblockmusic.com

Drummer Jeff Hamilton's band with Tamir Hendelman and Christoph Luty takes its place in the trio pantheon with Live from San Pedro

Little did anyone imagine that it would take a masterly drummer to pick up the mantle of the late, great Oscar Peterson as a leader of outstanding piano, bass and drum trios. Still, those with attuned ears will recognize that Jeff Hamilton has assembled one of the most meticulous and exciting small ensembles of present day jazz. With the virtuosic pianist Tamir Hendelman and the redoubtable bassist Christoph Luty working in swinging tandem alongside him, Hamilton-one of the most acclaimed drummers of the past five decades-reasserts his role as an invaluable bandleader. Live from San Pedro, available February 16, 2018 via Capri Records, is proof that the chemistry between these three equally gifted and assertive players remains unabated 17 years into the group's existence. Nodding to the grand tradition that predates them, yet eager to put a fresh face on the musical proceedings, the Hamilton trio stakes its place as a classic ensemble within the hallowed history of piano trios.

Captured at a single night's performance at the Alvas Showroom in San Pedro, California, the trio dives deep into an imaginative repertoire that includes bop standards ("In Walked Bud"), a beloved ballad ("I Have Dreamed"), reworked show tunes ("Gary, Indiana"), a classic from the Ahmad Jamal playbook ("Poinciana") and a host of original tunes from group members and others including John Clayton and Joe LaBarbera. The set demonstrates the indivisible unity that the threesome has achieved, as well as the individual virtuosity of each distinguished trio member. While not overtly resembling the trios of Oscar Peterson, the Hamilton trio shares the same rigorous adherence to stop-on-a-dime arrangements, careful dynamics and perfectly framed improvisations.

While asserting his leadership through his extraordinary rhythmic control, not to mention his exquisite taste, Hamilton is the opposite of a grandstanding percussionist. As Geoffrey C. Ward has written, "He's a musician first and foremost, always eager to serve the music, not to make the music serve him." One of the great practitioners of the art of brushwork, Hamilton gets to exhibit his mastery throughout the recording; his feature, "Brush This," composed by the bassist John Clayton (Hamilton's cohort in the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra) is a special treat. His equally renowned stick work is also abundantly on display. With Hamilton navigating the trio through its paces, and Hendelman and Luty locking in with communal exactness, the band becomes a well-oiled, yet creatively inspired, swing machine.

One of the giants of mainstream jazz drumming, Jeff Hamilton has been heard with the big bands of Woody Herman and Count Basie, and as a member of the popular L.A. 4, as well as with such icons as Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Brown, Monty Alexander and Oscar Peterson. In addition to his work with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Hamilton has appeared with Diana Krall both in performance and on recordings.  Live from San Pedro is his third Capri Records album with the Jeff Hamilton trio.

The Israeli-born Tamir Hendelman has played with such luminaries as Tierney Sutton, Teddy Edwards and Harry Allen, and is the pianist for the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Christoph Luty is also a member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and has worked with Diana Krall, John Pizzarelli and Milt Jackson, among others.

A UNIQUE VOICE IN JAZZ: DOLORES SCOZZESI RELEASES “HERE COMES THE SUN”

Dolores Scozzesi's voice is an anodyne for the cookie cutter vocals of so many singers we hear today. Here Comes The Sun, her newest CD, features Scozzesi’s unique sound and an engaging mix of tunes ranging from jazz and pop standards to off-beat and rarely done compositions. It follows up her 2010 release, A Special Taste, which received excellent reviews. 

Scozzesi, a New York City transplant, has been performing in Los Angeles clubs for many years. She began her professional singing career at Budd Friedman’s Improvisation Comedy Club, singing between comedy acts of up-and-coming talent, many of whom, like Robin Williams, Larry David and Jay Leno, have gone on to become household names. She began developing her singular style by singing in jazz and cabaret rooms around Los Angeles. Scozzesi also had the opportunity to perform in France, where she sang traditional American blues and jazz in Lyon and Paris. Over the years, she’s built a fan base and a solid reputation as a singer who can captivate an audience with her sultry voice, charismatic personality, and forthright honesty. 

Scozzesi’s musicality is a product of her diverse cultural heritage. According to Scozzesi, “My taste in music is a bit unusual. Although I love straight-ahead jazz, I also have a strong affinity for Latin and World music. I’m part Mexican and Irish with a dash of African-American, and I don’t doubt that my multi-ethnic background has been instrumental in forming my musical tastes. In any case, the songs that I like to sing must have a perfect marriage of lyrics and melody … whatever the genre.” 

Scozzesi opens the CD with a crisply enunciated rendition of Cole Porter’s “It’s Alright with Me,” arranged by Rich Eames and Scozzesi. Eames, the versatile pianist, composer and arranger, also wrote the arrangement for George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun,” which features the stellar guitarist Larry Koonse. Scozzesi takes a very different approach on this tune from Harrison’s original version. She sings with an earnestness that acknowledges the darkness and difficulties of the past that give urgency and much needed hope for a better, sunnier future. 

Quinn Johnson and Dori Amarilio also wrote arrangements for this project. Johnson, the longtime musical director for Steve Tyrell, wrote a funky arrangement for Randy Newman’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” as well as arrangements for the jazz standards “Wild is the Wind” and a very moody version of “In My Solitude.” As Scozzesi relates, “I want to know who an artist is, and I’m attracted to artists who reveal themselves on stage. I always try to get to the truth of who I am when I perform, and I’m entranced by singers who are totally authentic.” Indeed, Scozzesi sings “In My Solitude” with a somber sensitivity that cuts right to the heart of the lyric. 

Amarilio is a busy guitarist with a long resume of film, television, and gaming credits. His version of “I’m in the Mood for Love” opens with Scozzesi singing with only the accompaniment of Lyman Medeiros, a first call bassist in L.A., and features a melodica solo by Andy Langham, who has performed with a virtual Who’s Who of top jazz artists including Poncho Sanchez, Christian McBride, and Jane Monheit. Amarilio also wrote arrangements for Dave Frishberg’s “A Little Taste,” “Harlem Nocturne,” and a quirky version of “Tequila,” with new lyrics by Amarilio and Mark Winkler, who produced this CD.

Winkler is a popular vocalist and songwriter. He has released more than a dozen CDs as a leader, and over 250 of his songs have been recorded or sung by popular jazz and cabaret artists. Winkler and Scozzesi are old friends who met when she sang at the Hollywood Bar and Grill. They’ve worked together before. Winkler produced Scozzesi’s debut CD, and Scozzesi co-produced Winkler’s CD “Sweet Spot.” Scozzesi says, “I really enjoy working with Mark. He gets what I’m about, and he’s a pleasure to work with. For Mark, the process of making a CD should be fun, and he brings that attitude to the studio.” 

Scozzesi is also joined by Nolan Shaheed on trumpet and Kevin Winard on drums. Both are top-notch studio musicians with extensive resumes that include some of the most well-known names in the music industry. With Scozzesi’s rich and edgy voice, emotive interpretations, and wide-ranging choice of material, Here Comes The Sunis an enticing tour de force by an artist who defies easy categorization and it will be available in stores and online everywhere on March 1, 2018. 

NEW RELEASES: CARLOS NINO & FRIENDS – GOING HOME; CHARLIE MINGUS QUARTET – LIVE AT MONTREUX; THE RU-JAC RECORDS STORY VOLUME THREE 1966-1967 - FINALLY TOGETHER

CARLOS NINO & FRIENDS – GOING HOME

Carlos Nino is definitely going home here – hitting some of the most righteous modes we've heard in years – and also returning to his roots in spiritual jazz! The album's still got some of the meditative qualities of some of Nino's other music, but it's also got more bite too – thanks to help from friends who include Dexter Story on drums, Josh Johnson on alto and organ, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on strings, and Jamael Dean on keyboards. As usual, Carlos handles a lot of instrumentation himself – including bells, percussion, keyboards, and more – in addition to doing the larger sonic vision of the record with his production and arrangements. the enigmatic Iasos guests on one track – and titles include "Deep Deep Breaths", "Light Codes", "OrganicSelf", "Garden Of Bells", and "Perrssspeshhhhiift".  ~ Dusty Groove

CHARLIE MINGUS QUARTET – LIVE AT MONTREUX

A pillar of jazz music history, Charles Mingus was one of the all-time great jazz bass players, as well as an innovative composer, bandleader and pianist. Having played with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, and Duke Ellington, Mingus pulled elements from every music genre he experienced, tracing gospel, blues, New Orleans jazz, swing, Latin music, and even modern classical. Recorded at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival on July 20, 1975.

THE RU-JAC RECORDS STORY VOLUME THREE 1966-1967 - FINALLY TOGETHER

The Ru-Jac label is really on fire here – taking off with some sweet female soul singers, as you might guess from the image on the cover – in modes that mix their deep soul core with some nice jazzy touches too! Two big artists grab the first half of the collection here – Kitty Lane, who might have been right at home working for Stax Records – and Rita Doryse, a jazzier singer who recalls early Marlena Shaw material at Chess! Other artists here continue some of the male deep soul styles that have made Ru-Jac a real favorite for collectors of rare singles – and as with other volumes in this series, the package also includes a number of tracks that were never issued at the time. Titles include "When I'm Alone", "Wait Til Then", "Born To Be Loved", and "Please Let Me Love You" by Rita Doryse; "It's Love I Need", "Sweetheart", and "The Feeling Is Gone" by Kitty Lane; "I Would Cry" and "I Tell You" by Gene & Eddie, "Do The Roller" and "Working Hard" by Leon Gibson, "I Can't Stay Away" and "Who Can It Be" by The Caressors; "She's My Girl (demo)" and "My Love (demo)" by Winfield Parker, and "Sweet Little Girl" and "Finally Together" – both unreleased tracks by an unknown artist!  ~ Dusty Groove

Simon Pilbrow & The Brent Fischer Orchestra Collaborate on Compositions Penned Over 30-Year Period on Colours of Sound

Before their paths ever crossed, Simon Pilbrow and Brent Fischer had spent nearly four decades building upon their musical endeavors, Pilbrow forging a corpus of musical compositions, and Fischer pursuing an impressive resume and accumulating accolades, both within their respective circles. Pilbrow was very active in the Melbourne, Australia jazz scene and a composer of nearly 200 pieces, some of which are held in the U.S. Library of Congress as part of the Gerry Mulligan Collection.

Fischer, meanwhile, had established himself as an acclaimed bassist, orchestral percussionist, composer and arranger -- first under the tutelage of his father, renowned composer/arranger Dr. Clare Fischer, then under his own auspices and as the keeper of his father's legacy. With nearly 40 years in the music industry, Fischer has acquired credits on more than 30 million albums, writing for esteemed artists such as Michael Jackson, Al Jarreau, D'Angelo, Toni Braxton, Elvis Costello and many more. He has received many accolades including winning a GRAMMY® Award for best Latin Jazz album and a GRAMMY® nomination for Record of the Year.

The two were unknown to one another, however, until Pilbrow submitted a letter expressing his admiration to Clare Fischer's website in 2011. The legendary composer's health was already in decline (he passed away in 2012), but that email launched a friendship between Pilbrow and Brent Fischer, which resulted in regular contact and ultimately sparked a musical collaboration that can now be heard on the vibrant and enthralling new album Colours of Sound (out now via Clavo Records).

"It's wonderful to hear people playing my tunes and bringing the music to life," Pilbrow says. "These musicians lovingly get into the music and play with heart and soul -- and great technical capacity. These tunes have gestated for a long time, so finally recording them was kind of like birthing a child."

For listeners outside of Australia, Colours of Sound will serve as a stunning introduction to the music of Simon Pilbrow, featuring compositions penned over more than 30 years (all while maintaining a thriving medical practice). These long-unheard works have been given brilliant new life through the arrangements of Brent Fischer and the virtuosic playing of his gifted orchestra -- along with the electrifying contributions of special guests Ken Peplowski, Larry Koonse and Bobby Shew. Fischer's wide-ranging approaches -- from full-throttle big band vigor to sleek, supple nonet and quintet voicings, lush string orchestrations to an elegant clarinet choir - find the ideal soil for each of Pilbrow's diverse tunes to take root.

"I wanted to showcase Simon's compositional talents in a unique way," Fischer says. "Rather than making a whole album with one quartet or one big band, I felt we should present the broad swath of his compositions in an equally broad variety of settings."

That Pilbrow and Fischer share a love for diverse orchestrational approaches should come as no surprise given the fact they both share a deep admiration for Clare Fischer's music. The elder Fischer's own work took many forms over the course of his career, including modernist and straight ahead big bands, Latin groups, vocal or woodwind ensembles and a brass corps, among others. Beyond that he worked with a staggering array of artists, from Dizzy Gillespie and Donald Byrd to a long-running association with Prince.

Pilbrow says that his first encounter with Dr. Fischer's music was "an epiphany." Throughout a lifetime listening to music, he continues, "you have moments where you hear something fresh that opens up a new vista, a new kind of landscape. Clare Fischer's Duality was one of those -- then as I became more familiar with his music I was inspired by the fact that he produced such a broad range of music that it was nevertheless coherently and completely 'Clare Fischer.' As I've come to know Brent I've appreciated that same quality in his musical skills."

For Fischer's part, he took the responsibility of premiering Pilbrow's compositions to heart. "I wanted to present the music in as clever a fashion as I could without covering anything up," he explains. "I didn't want any of the musicians on the session to treat the melodies like they were familiar old standards that one could take a lot of liberties with. I was meticulous about how I wrote things so that the phrasing would represent what I heard Simon doing when he played these songs for me for the first time."

The album kicks off with the brisk, lively swing of Pilbrow's ode to his native land, "Australia." The first hint of the album's range comes with the gentle waltz "A New Beginning," written for Pilbrow's wife, Jean -- the first of many she's inspired over their 28 years together. It's highlighted by a warm soprano turn by Alex Budman and Koonse's spiraling runs. Jean also served as the muse for the ballad "September," here swathed by the rich tones of a string ensemble.

"Remembering Woody Shaw" was penned not long after the trumpet great's death in 1989, and reflects on Pilbrow's sole chance to meet the jazz legend in 1981. It's made all the more poignant by a bristling solo by Ron Stout, who counts Shaw among his own mentors. Other departed musical icons have served to inspire Pilbrow over the years, including Antonio Carlos Jobim -- memorialized by the breezy Bossa Nova "Autumn Breeze" -- and beloved trumpeter Blue Mitchell, the subject of the earliest piece on the album, 1981's bop-flavored "Blue Six," which includes a standout solo by Bobby Shew.

Perhaps inevitably, Clare Fischer himself is paid homage on "A Fischer's Line," which Pilbrow originally envisioned as a clarinet feature and which Brent Fischer realizes with a five-part clarinet choir, anchored by 89-year old bass clarinetist Gene Cipriano, purportedly the most recorded saxophone player in history (and still in amazing voice). The Latin-inflected "Studio City," one of the most recent additions to Pilbrow's catalogue, was directly inspired by his visits to the Fischer family in Los Angeles, reflecting the city's gleaming, multi-cultural urban landscape.

Pilbrow has also been inspired by musicians still among us, including longtime Fischer collaborator Gary Foster -- whose name the composer anagrammed as "Try For Ages," a lilting tune that reprises the clarinet choir and features clarinet master Ken Peplowski. "Fast Fingers" tips the hat to the fleet digits of Benny Green, a modern keyboard-blazer in the tradition of Oscar Peterson and Roland Hanna. Finally, the joyous "Surprise" blooms in Fischer's polyphonic reimagining, while a similar sentiment finds more urgent life in 2005's "Joyful."

"Tunes arise in all sorts of circumstances and from various inspirations," Pilbrow says. "What's beautiful about the arrangements Brent has done is that he's completely maintained the character of each one, while enhancing them greatly with his great skill and the nuances that he brings. It's been a wonderful experience."

 

BIGYUKI (Talib Kweli, Matisyahu & A Tribe Called Quest Collaborator) Announces Debut Album Reaching For Chiron

Torn between the ferocity of the equine and the civility of man, Chiron was considered to be the noblest of the centaurs. His front legs were not of a horse but of a man. He trotted about mythological worlds as a refined anomaly, forged with the best traits of both beasts. For keyboardist and songwriter BIGYUKI we are all on the verge of that transformation with our digital devices amplifying and polishing our intellects. His debut album Reaching For Chiron is a perfect synthesis of heart and technology, heavy beats and buoyant melodies.

"We don't memorize phone numbers anymore. We don't memorize maps. It's like a part of the brain now," says BIGYUKI. "There is an ongoing discussion about AI creating a god or summoning a devil. I kind of feel like in the near future there is no way a human will develop themselves without help from AI. It's a unity between human and machine."

BIGYUKI is naturally the perfect embodiment of that modern man. Raised in Japan, he moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music. Up until that point a majority of his keyboard experience had been with the classical masters. "Playing classical music I learned how to depart from this realm. Me becomes not me. That's when I learned that. I love Chopin. I could really relate as my young self. He has beautiful melodies. I loved it. I think that part is still in me. Whatever music I play, it's always there."

Not long after arriving in Massachusetts, BIGYUKI began to see the changes, expanding and acquiring the knowledge that would create his powerhouse sound. An encounter with the much sought-after drummer Charles Haynes at Wally's Cafe landed BIGYUKI a church gig in the Boston suburb of Dorchester, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the state. "People seemed to like my enthusiasm, attitude and maybe my playing. I didn't know any songs but I have an ear that doesn't suck. I can figure it out." And he did. He played that gig for six years, lasting far longer at the church than at the college. "That really kind of gave me a sense that maybe where you are from and what your background is doesn't really matter."

A move to New York helped to solidify BIGYUKI's transformation. He worked regularly with hip-hop artists like Talib Kweli and Matisyahu and made numerous contributions to the long-awaited return from A Tribe Called Quest. All of these elements -- Chopin, jazz, gospel, hip-hop -- reside between the keys on BIGYUKI's debut, trampling anyone who stands in the way.

  

The album opens by tuning into an intergalactic transmission with the ethereal "Pom Pom," a malleable swim through space dust that is engulfed in a storm of synths, Randy Runyon's panic attack-inducing guitar and drummer Justin Tyson's driving hi-hat. Despite its intensity, "'Pom Pom was one of the simpler ones," BIGYUKI explains.

He gets an assist from Taylor McFerrin on two tracks. "Eclipse" features vocalist Chris Turner in a swoony mood, crooning poet J. Ivy's impassioned lyrics over drummer Louis Cato's thundering presence. Drummer Marcus Gilmore sprinkles the funk on "Missing Ones," a chill-out crawl that blinks breathlessly from the atmosphere.

"Coming up with the bass lines and the changes was the easy part. Harmonies and melodies are very simple but then coming up with a form? Figuring out how to make the four-minute piece interesting enough so that you don't stop in the middle of it? That's the hard part." "Belong" and "In A Spiral" both showcase BIGYUKI's more sensitive side.

"Belong" features some of BIGYUKI's most delicate work on the album. Amid the clipped rhythms programmed by Reuben Cainer, BIGYUKI channels an inner calm that becomes even more stripped down on "In A Spiral," a virtual cabaret performance amidst the unrelenting futurism found throughout the album.

"I wanted to come up with something that was straight fire. That was the idea. Let's make something that hits people hard." There isn't any mystery to "Burnt N Turnt." BIGYUKI is aiming straight for the club floor with help from producer Bae Bro. The two mix samples and synthesizers for a menacing spin. "Boom," the duo's second collaboration further along the record, is equally indebted to the heavy jam, vocal samples twisted into place by dense drum programming.

"It was after one of those taping sessions for Stephen Colbert's late show. I was part of the house band for two months. I started jamming over my piano figure with Louis Cato and I recorded it on my phone." That sample made its way into the final recording of "NuNu." Drummer Lenny "The Ox" Reece lays down a skittering track that melds seamlessly with a distant vocal sample manipulation. There is a latin-ish vibe simmering beneath the surface throughout. "Reuben Cainer sprinkled a little bit of his flavor to it and the rest is blood and tears."

BIGYUKI first worked with Bilal years ago. The soul singer is the main guest on "Soft Places" making the tune decidedly his own. "You know that it's Bilal as soon as you hear his tone. He gives musicians such a freedom to stretch. He makes the music his playground." With help from co-producer and sound designer Stu Brooks, BIGYUKI presents a post-apocalyptic love song that veers through time to create a soundscape that ears can easily tumble into.

"Simple Like You" puts hip-hop in the center of BIGYUKI's universe. Javier Starks brings a swagger to the album that is refreshing and unexpected. A staccato riff keeps everyone on their toes while Celia Hatton's top melody on viola packs a hard-left turn with a symphonic break.

The album closes with "2060 Chiron," another floating collaboration with Cainer. An industrial pulse surrounds the futuristic song that is also incredibly indebted to the science fiction soundtracks of the 1980s. And as quickly as it arrives it goes, taking with it the future of BIGYUKI, the shape-shifting keyboardist, part man, part beast, all soul.