Al Di Meola releases his brand new studio album “OPUS”

Al Di Meola is a pioneer of blending world music, rock and jazz. His ongoing fascination for complex rhythmic syncopation, combined with provocative lyrical melodies and sophisticated harmony, has been the heart of his music throughout a celebrated career that has spanned over four decades.

The Grammy award winner achieved worldwide fame for both, being a solo artist and for his collaborations with Frank Zappa, Jimmy Page, Stevie Wonder, Chick Corea, Paco De Lucia, John McLaughlin, Jean-Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke, Luciano Pavarotti, Paul Simon, Phil Collins, Santana, Steve Winwood, Herbie Hancock, and many more. Al Di Meola holds the highest amount of Guitar awards in different categories from Guitar Player magazine (US).

With a curriculum vitae rich of exciting musical moments and incredible works, Al Di Meola is still challenging himself pushing his music towards new boundaries but with a more relaxed way to see things. Over the last few years he has in fact literally started all over, reinventing himself in both, his private life and music.

“With OPUS I wanted to further my compositional skills as I think that the evolution of this part of my persona has labelled me more composer/guitarist than guitarist/composer” - says Di Meola – “at the same time this record also marks a new era in my life. For the first time in my life, I have written music being happy, I’m in a wonderful relationship with my wife, I have a baby girl and a beautiful family that inspires me every day. I believe it shows in the music.”

Track listing

1. Milonga Noctiva: Wandering in the Dark (feat. Kemuel Roig)

2. Broken Heart

3. Ava's Dream Sequence Lullaby

4. Cerreto Sannita (feat. Kemuel Roig)

5. Notorious

6. Frozen In Time

7. Escapado

8. Pomp

9. Left unsaid

10. Insieme

11. Rebels (feat. Kemuel Roig)

Al Di Meola’s commentary on the songs:

Milonga Noctiva: Wandering in the Dark

“The inspiration derived from the more emotional side of Nuevo Tango.”

Broken Heart

“A piece I had originally written for orchestra in a less rhythmic way. This new version represents a more lyrical approach with electric guitar as its main voice combining the original feeling with enhanced rhythm.”

Ava’s Dream Sequence Lullaby

“As I watched my baby daughter moving to music, I naturally came up with this very lullaby-like melody. And what started out as a simple lullaby turned into a suite-like composition.”

Cerreto Sannita

“Named after my grandfather’s village in the region of Campania, Italy. Last year in June, my wife surprised me with a trip to the village and the places my grandfather had frequented. I also received the honorary citizenship of the town. It was one of the most emotional moments in my life. I hadn't expected such a warm welcome and meeting so many “Di Meolas” I had never known before.”

Notorious

“When I was writing this piece, I was thinking of Led Zeppelin meets Al Di Meola.”

Frozen in Time

“This song I wrote at 5 AM and it just poured out of me so effortlessly that I realized I shouldn't lose the opportunity to write it down. The offset lyrical melody against the 5/4 arpeggiated harmonic movement makes this piece for me very special.”

Escapado

“Here’s a piece that was directly influenced by the Tango movement. During the recording, this piece went through the most changes of all. The end result is just something I can’t describe in words. I think each listener will come back with a different vibe from this particular piece.”

Pomp

“Pomp is a duet that reminds me of an avantgarde procession featuring Moroccan master percussionist Rhani Krija.”

Left unsaid

“This is a piece that I wrote late at night in Miami where I do a lot of my writing while my wife and baby daughter were asleep in the next room. It represents a very peaceful and happy time that cannot be put into words.”

Insieme

“A more complex, highly syncopated multi-part composition with more intricate counterpoint.”

Rebels

“Walking from the Hippie era incense vibe of St. Marks Place over to the Fillmore East, changing to a Motor Cycle on Fourth Street in the East Village where the Hells Angels held court, arriving in Little Havana in Miami.”

Sy Smith - Sometimes A Rose Will Grow in Concrete

Sometimes A Rose Will Grow In Concrete” (SRWGC) is fifth studio album by critically-acclaimed progressive soul artist Sy Smith. Often called the “Queen Of Underground Soul”, her previous works include “The Syberspace Social” (named in the top 10 albums of 2005 by The Boston Globe), “Psykosoul Plus” (2007) “Conflict” (2008, with charting radio singles “Fly Away With Me” and “The Art Of You”), and “Fast And Curious” (called “one of the best releases by a female” of 2012 by Soultracks.com). SRWGC is the first album completely written and produced by this multi-talented singer/songwriter/musician and features her slick synth bass playing and lithe fingering on piano/keys along with her incomparable soprano voice and signature harmonies/vocal arrangements. Sy Smith is finally having her singer/songwriter moment (think a 21st century Roberta Flack) - this album flourishes with compelling musical/vocal arrangements, thoughtful lyrics and Sy’s voice sounding better than ever.

As a producer, Sy displays an expected but not-before seen maturity on SRWGC. When she does play keys and synth bass, she does both effortlessly; but she brings in some of the top sidemen when the songs call for a different touch. Sy enjoys international acclaim having toured/recorded with some of the best-known recording artists including Whitney Houston and Meshell Ndegeocello. She’s currently a featured special guest on tour with Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti and is featured on his Grammy-nominated DVD “Live In Boston”. SRWGC features many of these previous/current bandmates including legendary percussionist Sheila E. (with whom Sy has toured/recorded) and violinist Lucia Micarelli (bka Annie on HBO’s Treme). 

Vocally, Sy’s soprano soars effortlessly; she shows off a sure-footed whistle tone (a la Minnie Riperton), confident jazz chops (Sy has been featured with numerous orchestras in tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, including at Carnegie Hall & Kennedy Center), a full-out commanding belt in her upper register - but usually her whimsical, conversational tone is utilized to tell the stories on this project. Still carrying a strong pen, Sy reveals victories won and battles still being fought as she allows her listeners into the most intimate spaces she’s ever exposed. The title track is a powerful, if haunting, ode to people (especially Black women in this case) who come through the harshest of trials and still bloom as beautifully as roses. Sy is that defiant rose throughout this entire project.

Toronto-based jazz quartet, Peripheral Vision releasing new CD, More Songs About Error And Shame

From March 2nd to 11th, JUNO-nominated Canadian jazz quartet, Peripheral Vision is launching their fourth album, More Songs About Error And Shame, with a tour of Western Canada and the Yukon.  Following the tour, they will have their Toronto CD release concert on April 3rd.  Full tour details can be found below.

"A rules-breaking quartet made up of some of the best modern players around. Fast-paced, intricate, and inventive" (CBC), Peripheral Vision extends their no-holds-barred performance aesthetic into the production concept on this album.  Once again, they have teamed up with mad-scientist engineer, Jean Martin (Barnyard Records) to orchestrate a bigger sound for the record, adding layers of overdubs and studio treatments to the live-off-the-floor recordings.  Peripheral Vision has always been a live show band, and the seven new Herring and Scott originals on More Songs About Error And Shame show what can be gained from years of touring, including three recent tours throughout Europe as well as many trips across Canada.

Co-leaders Michael Herring (bass) and Don Scott (guitar) delve into their own neurotic psyches, finding inspiration not only in music, but also in art, literature and standup comedy.  The album title is a reference to the iconic album by famously neurotic band, Talking Heads, and this cross genre nod is indicative of how they like to mix genres and themes, blending classic and modern jazz, the rock music of their youth, and non-musical influences such as the Catalonian artist Miró, and British comedian Stewart Lee.

This is a working band with a long-time rapport - Herring and Scott have been joined by drummer Nick Fraser and tenor saxophonist Trevor Hogg since the band's inception in 2008.  Peripheral Vision is fuelled by this long-time musical friendship, bringing years of tour van talks about music and life to the stage and studio, and this dynamic group interaction creates the provocative sound of More Songs About Error And Shame.

Peripheral Vision is:

Trevor Hogg – tenor saxophone

Don Scott – guitar

Michael Herring – bass

Nick Fraser – drums

Canadian Tour Dates

March 2nd – Yardbird Suite (Edmonton, AB)

March 3rd – The Bassment (Saskatoon, SK)

March 5th – Bushwakker (Regina, SK)

March 6th – Mardi Jazz @ CCFM (Winnipeg, MB)

March 7th – China Cloud (Vancouver, BC)

March 8th – Avalanche Bar & Grill (Courtenay, BC)

March 11th – Yukon Arts Centre (Whitehorse, YK)

April 3rd – Tranzac Club (Toronto)

GIZELLE SMITH - RUTHLESS DAY

When Gizelle Smith stormed from relative obscurity onto the funk scene in 2008 as the front woman of Hamburg-based band The Mighty Mocambos, critics and music lovers alike immediately hailed her as “the golden girl of funk”. Mention the name Gizelle Smith in funk-knowing circles and ears will immediately prick up with curiosity and tangible excitement, eagerly ready to hear more.

Born and raised in Manchester, the love child of a Seychellois mother and an Afro-American father who was a band member of legendary Motown group The Four Tops, Gizelle has a multicultural upbringing steeped in soulful music. Gizelle‘s first single “Working Woman” with The Mighty Mocambos became an overnight smash and a prime-time club favorite of funk & soul DJs worldwide, leading legendary producer and Grammy nominee Kenny Dope (Masters at Work / Bucketheads) to remix the song for his own Kay Dee Records. The album that followed, “This is Gizelle Smith and the Mighty Mocambos” on Mocambo, Légère and Soulbeats was released in 2009 and sold nearly 10,000 copies in spite of the ongoing music industry crisis. Follow-up solo singles “June” released on Record Kicks in 2009 and “Johnny” on Mocambo in 2012 sold-out in record time and are now both highly collectible 45s.

In the wake of her breakthrough releases Gizelle has enjoyed extensive radioplay on national stations such as BBC 2 and BBC 6 (UK), Radio Nova (FR), Radio 3 (SP), Rai 2 (IT) and more, and has performed far and wide, from London to Manchester, Paris to Marseille, Frankfurt to Berlin, Milan to Oslo, solidifying her reputation as a highly energetic, dynamic and incredibly charming performer. After a hiatus from gigging to work on her debut solo album, in February 2017 the London funk scene was raving about Gizelle Smith‘s performance on stage with the mighty LeRoy Hutson, and once again tongues were ablaze with excited talks of her vocal talent and upcoming projects, setting the scene for the launch of what will no doubt be Gizelle Smith‘s most significant work to date: her debut solo album “Ruthless Day”.

NEW RELEASES: RE:FUNK – THE HARDER WE TRY; LEA LOVE - DOCTOR; FABIO TULLIO – COCKTAIL SAX

RE:FUNK – THE HARDER WE TRY

They've set fire to some of the most prestigious stages Switzerland has to offer, such as Montreux Jazz Festival, Jazz Ascona Festival & Locarno Film Festival, they've been chosen by legendary saxophonist, composer, arranger and long-time James Brown collaborator Pee Wee Ellis to accompany him on tour in Europe, and now Lugano's heaviest funk outfit Re:Funk are ready to unveil their first official single. "The Harder We Try" is a scorching tribute to 70s blaxploitation movie soundtracks, with jangly guitar, infectious horns and a heavy backbeat.  Think cinematic funk (picture a breathtaking chase down the hills of the Frisco Bay if you like) with a disco-like hook that highlights a tormented and passionate love story, and you get the gist of Swiss-based funk ensemble Re:Funk's first single. This is only the first step for the eight-piece powerhouse, (who for the occasion of this single appear with an expanded formation of twelve), stay tuned for more!

LEA LOVE - DOCTOR

Sultry and smooth R&B/reggae singer Lea Love asks listeners to take a hit of some love on her mellow and vibey new song "Doctor." Combining full bass lines, healing lyrics, and warm harmonies in "Doctor," Lea creates an environment of hypnotic and sweet sonic bliss for listeners to enjoy. The Oceanside based songstress will release her new single “Doctor” on February 9th, the title track from her upcoming debut EP slated for a March release. Her music and multi-layered artistry draws from her rich Hawaiian, Japanese, and Samoan heritage. “Doctor” is a perfect Valentine’s Day anthem that will surely resonateinto the upcoming warmer months and BBQ weather as well. Love explains, “Doctor is a metaphor for love. Much like a doctor cures a physical defect, love soothes the soul.” The catchy riddim is produced by Edimah Production, while the vocal production came from Lui Kriamau from the GRAMMY-nominated Common Kings. With the high anticipation for her EP, Love adds, “Doctor really sets the tone for the rest of the EP. The music has an upbeat and sexy vibe, yet there is a strong message behind the lyrics.”

FABIO TULLIO – COCKTAIL SAX

Slinky sax with a touch of funk – served up here by Fabio Tullio at a level that's way nicer than you'd expect from the title! At some level, the record's clearly trying to evoke earlier eras of Italian instrumentalists on the sax – such as the long run of 60s and 70s albums by Fausto Papetti – but Fabio's sound is a lot more soulful here, and often mixes his lead with the kind of easygoing backgrounds that are more 70s sophisticated, as when Stanley Turrentine or Hank Crawford might play with bigger backdrops – than they are any sort of sound from the cocktail generation! Tullio plays tenor, alto, baritone, soprano, and flute – depending on the track – and the album features a total of 19 numbers that nicely slide into the kind of grooves we've always loved from Irma Records, with very nice Fender Rhodes on a number of tunes. Titles include "Che Sara", "Anonimo Veneziano", "Ladybug Bossa", "Staying For Good", "Estate", "My Love", "Parole Parole", "September Morn", and a nice remake of the Morricone classic "Metti Una Sera A Cena".  ~ Dusty Groove

Tenor saxophonist NOAH PREMINGER & Pianist FRANK CARLBERG collaborate on Whispers and Cries

Brooklyn-based Red Piano Records is proud to announce the release of Whispers and Cries from tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger and pianist Frank Carlberg.  This album features Preminger and Carlberg in an intimate duo setting. Recorded at the historic Jordan Hall in Boston, with its exquisite acoustics, on this program they explore standards and jazz classics.

On Whispers and Cries Preminger and Carlberg engage in a musical dialogue that ranges from hushed whispers to roaring expressions of emotions. The duo has a deep simpatico and rather than follow each other, they compliment each other with unerring ease. The listener is treated to a private recital, as if eavesdropping on these two remarkable improvisers making music together.

The program opens with a delicate reading of George Gershwin's Someone To Watch Over Me. The piano introduction with its icy chords and fleeting allusions to I Got Rhythm and Rhapsody In Blue (also by Gershwin) leads to Preminger's entrance with the melody. His sound luscious and his expression soulful, making for a memorable reading of the tune. After improvised statements the melody is given a short recap before the last yearning cries fade away in to silence.

Billy Strayhorn's classic Take The A Train starts with a humorous variation on the familiar intro. Preminger and Carlberg engage in a lively and playful exchange constantly shifting tempos and ideas around before finally settling in to a medium tempo that leads to the piano solo.

With Embraceable You we return to Gershwin. The song is given a straightforward reading except for the rare delicacy and sensitivity exhibited by both the saxophonist and pianist. It is with a sense of maturity that they trust in the music and let their sounds and expressiveness lead us to a rarefied air of intimacy.

Thelonious Monk's Reflections starts with some searching harmonies and a hint of It Never Entered My Mind. The duo has a rubato conversation around the melody until the last A-section when they settle in to tempo. After lively sax and piano statements the melody reappears before a tongue-in-cheek multi-phonic by Preminger ends the track over piano ruminations.

Bobby Troup's The Meaning Of The Blues, maybe best remembered from some Miles Davis/Gil Evans collaborations (think Miles Ahead...), is given an energetic reading here with a sense of sustain and suspense. The track starts with Preminger's solo sax statement before the duo converges on a pedal tone. Some extensive improvised statements follow until the propulsion finally slows down to a halt as the melody fades in to the ether.

The old standard These Foolish Things gets a treatment here that owes more than a little to the Monk version on his celebrated trio recording on the Prestige label. The stride-like piano gait leads the music forward while Preminger hoots and hollers on top.

Otis Redding and Frank Sinatra introduced Try A Little Tenderness to many new listeners. The track opens with a virtuosic extended solo sax intro with shades of the melody always close by. As the piano enters Preminger seems to be channeling Redding's treatment of the song. After the piano takes over and the melody is restated the solo sax ends with echoes of the intro. A true tour-de-force by Preminger.

Aura Lee is given a spacious and impressionistic treatment here. A folk melody, known to many from Elvis Presley's (Love Me Tender) version, finds the duo in a contemplative mood. Carlberg reaches inside the piano and Preminger is at his breathy best before the two build to an emotional climax and then quickly fade away.

On the old classic Tea For Two Preminger gets things started. The duo then tumble phrases at and around each other. Carlberg takes over and Preminger rejoins, and just like their idols (Monk, Rollins, Young etc.)the duo improvise in close proximity to the melody. After more resourceful melodic variations we get a final hint at the original at the end.

To close the album the duo treats us to I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face (of My Fair Lady fame) a delicate and hushed reading. This performance, a heartfelt tribute to the memory of Carlberg's mother, finds the duo at its sensitive best; not a phrase or gesture too much - just a sincere dialogue between two musicians happy and comfortable with each other's company.

Noah Preminger has recorded numerous critically acclaimed albums and is steadily listed as one of the best tenor saxophonists by critics and readers on the annual DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll.

Preminger grew up in Canton, Connecticut, released his debut album, Dry Bridge Road, just after his 21st birthday which was named Debut of the Year in the Village Voice Critics Poll. The saxophonist has performed on key stages around the world, and he has played and/or recorded with the likes of Billy Hart, Dave Holland, John Patitucci, Fred Hersch, Dave Douglas, Rob Garcia, Joe Lovano, Victor Lewis, John and Bucky Pizzarelli, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Roscoe Mitchell, and Dr. Eddie Henderson.

The Finland-native, Brooklyn-based Frank Carlberg has an extensive catalogue of compositions including pieces for small jazz and improvisational groups, big band, orchestra, music for dance companies, and over 150 songs with settings of contemporary American poetry. He has over twenty recordings to his name as a leader and countless others as a sideman, and has worked with the likes of Kenny Wheeler, Steve Lacy and Bob Brookmeyer. He owns and operates Red Piano Records.

UPCOMING SHOWS

Wednesday, March 28th, Jazz at the Kitano, New York NY

Friday, March 30th, Dimensions In Jazz @ Woodfords Church, Portland ME

 

Kurt Elling's The Questions / New Album Out March 23

The Questions, Kurt Elling's newest studio recording, is his musical response to this moment in history and the widespread anxiety of our times. It touches artfully on challenges -- personal, political, global, spiritual, and existential -- and on hopes and aspirations for the future. Elling offers a vibrant and surprising choice of songs, from Bob Dylan and Paul Simon classics to jazz, Broadway, and the Great American Songbook, plus two new originals. The Questions, Elling's second recording for OKeh Records/Sony Music Masterworks, will be released on March 23, 2018.

The Questions unfolds into a rich and irresistible musical conversation, encouraging listeners to join Elling in living with big questions and finding courage to face our fears in difficult and uncertain times.

Of the ten songs on The Questions, Elling says, "At first I didn't understand how they were going to relate to each other." The title finally came to him as the album was being mixed. NEA Jazz Master and celebrated saxophonist Branford Marsalis co-produced The Questions with Elling and performs on three tracks. As Elling and Marsalis worked together on the mix and sequence of songs, Elling realized that they all lined up on various sides of some big, deep questions:

What is this life?

Does meaning have being?

Why is there such suffering and pain?

Where is the wellspring of wisdom?

The Questions opens with the powerful, insistent questions and stark, disturbing answers of Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." What follows is the surprising assurance of "A Happy Thought," a poem by the American poet Franz Wright, set to music by Elling's collaborator, pianist and arranger Stu Mindeman. This establishes a kind of back-and-forth on The Questions -- searching inquiries and thoughtful responses that both challenge and inspire us to find our own answers.

The world-weary resignation of Paul Simon's "An American Tune" is followed by falling, loss, and redemption in Peter Gabriel's "Washing of the Water." The Jaco Pastorius instrumental, "Three Views of a Secret," becomes the celebratory "A Secret in Three Views" with Elling's lyric inspired by a poem by the 13th century mystic Rumi. Elling's lyric concedes that quests to find meaning and purpose may all be for naught, but it also encourages us to take heart and awaken to the transforming power of love. In contrast, "Lonely Town," from the Broadway musical On the Town, by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, reflects the empty inner landscape when there is no love to come home to.

Carla Bley's "Lawns" becomes "Endless Lawns," with Elling's new lyric interposed with a poem by Sara Teasdale, bearing the weight of emotional suffering and then finding an uplifting freedom. Rodgers and Hammerstein's "I Have Dreamed," from the musical The King and I, is followed by "The Enchantress," a new song by pianist Joey Calderazzo with Elling's lyric adapting parts of a Wallace Stevens poem. This pair touches on the fluid, shifting boundaries between dreams, imagination, and reality. The Questions closes with the gentle, wistful wonder of Hoagy Carmichael/Johnny Mercer's "Skylark."

Elling notes, "I began experimenting with 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall' in November of 2016, just after the U.S. election. Today I wonder what I can possibly say that's relevant now." He adds, "Branford brought in 'Washing of the Water' and 'Lonely Town.' I was doing some Sinatra shows during his 100th birthday year, and I love his rendition of 'I Have Dreamed.' Guitarist John McLean came up with the gorgeous arrangement, and Branford has his big solo moment there. I like to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am who can fill in the blanks. John also arranged 'Skylark.'"

"'The Enchantress' began as a song called 'The Lonely Swan,'" he recalls, "but what brought the new title to mind was a poem by Wallace Stevens ('The Idea of Order at Key West') that I draw on. It's dedicated to Branford's mother, who died last year, and to my aging mother. The lyric becomes clear once you have that in mind."

Elling collaborated with Marsalis on their 2016 GRAMMY Award-nominated recording, Upward Spiral (OKeh Records), and now Marsalis has collaborated on The Questions. Elling speaks of their musical partnership, "We're two musicians who have dedicated ourselves to a similar task -- to be jazz musicians to the greatest extent of our abilities. We pay attention to the real heroes of the music, we play in the style and spirit of the greatest jazz musicians who ever lived, and we don't cut corners. We're here to play great melodies and express authentic emotion -- to be the real deal as much as we can."

Kurt Elling - The Questions Tracklist:

1. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (feat. Branford Marsalis & Jeff "Tain" Watts)

2. A Happy Thought (feat. Stu Mindeman)

3. American Tune

4. Washing of the Water

5. A Secret in Three Views (feat. John McLean & Stu Mindeman)

6. Lonely Town (feat. Joey Calderazzo & Marquis Hill)

7. Endless Lawns (feat. Marquis Hill)

8. I Have Dreamed (feat. Branford Marsalis)

9. The Enchantress (feat. Joey Calderazzo)

10. Skylark (feat. Stu Mindeman)

Ted Nash Quintet Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola

Two-time Grammy–winning composer and saxophonist Ted Nash releases his first live recording in over 25 years. Known for his larger works (Presidential Suite, Chakra, Portrait in Seven Shades) this much anticipated release provides an opportunity for Nash to share his improvisational side. His inspired solos are impassioned and interactive. On this album he finds new areas of expression that will excite and move you.

These three nights at Dizzy’s were electric for me. I think you’ll hear in it the combination of great players, with history letting loose on music that has grown with me over the course of my career. On this album we share not just a night of music but the history of collaboration.

It was a wonderful opportunity to make music again with many of my favorite musicians. I have known Rufus Reid since I was 24, when we recorded an album featuring my mother and father (which never was released). Rufus always plays with tremendous instinct and flexibility and brings decades of experience to the music. Rufus appeared on my Mancini Project album (Palmetto).

I first met Matt Wilson when I was 18 and he 14, when I came to Rock Island, Illinois to play with Louie Bellson’s quartet. Of course I had no idea the skinny teenager I met that night would become one of jazz’s greatest contributors, appearing on more than 250 recordings. Matt has played on several of my albums, including Sidewalk Meeting, Still Evolved, La Espada de la Noche, In the Loop, and The Mancini Project.

This is the second time Warren Wolf and I have played in a quintet at Dizzy’s together. He is one of the most consistently killing vibraphonists I have heard; at once fiery and cool. He is also one of the most melodic players – on any instrument. I have always had a connection with the vibes, as my jazz teacher was the great vibraphonist Charlie Shoemake, with whom I also played my first small band gigs, at the long-gone Donte’s in Los Angeles.

I have known Gary Versace for years, hearing him with many great ensembles, and have always wanted the chance to play in a small group with him. I got that chance, and the experience is something I will never forget. The moments he found on Emily, for example (which we played as a clarinet and piano duo) were rich, inspiring and truly original. I feel Gary is on the cusp of being acknowledged as one of piano’s superstars.

This performance was also a chance to revisit a couple original compositions in an entirely new context, and re-explore music by some of my favorite composers: Chick Corea, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Johnny Mandel, and Henry Mancini.

Legendary Trumpeter Eddie Henderson Explores the Many Facets of Musical Vision on New Recording, Be Cool

Before he walks out the door on his way to a gig, 77-year-old trumpeter Eddie Henderson always gets two words of advice from his wife: be cool. The legendary trumpeter has taken that mantra to heart, and on Be Cool, his new release on Smoke Sessions Records, he shows just how hot cool can get.

Of course, if you're going to be cool it helps to surround yourself with the coolest of the cool, and Henderson has done just that: his smokin' quintet also features saxophonist Donald Harrison, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Essiet Essiet, and drummer Mike Clark. Together, the band conjures smoldering funk, lush ballads, broad-shouldered swing, and bristling bop -- in all, a prismatic display of the many facets of cool.

"For me, 'be cool' means compose yourself and don't act jagged, musically or personally," Henderson offers. "One connotation is to not play so erratically, to push the envelope to the edge but not go over. It's like going fishing: if you're not prepared when you throw your line out there, you might catch Jaws instead of a minnow. Personally, it's about playing with people who love each other and share a good chemistry."

That's undoubtedly the case with the group Henderson has convened for his second Smoke Sessions outing as a leader. His relationship with Barron stretches back more than three decades, to the early days following his return to New York in the mid-'80s after a decade spent practicing medicine in San Francisco. He's been working regularly with Clark in recent years, especially in the Wolff & Clark Expedition, the drummers co-led band with pianist Michael Wolff. But they also share roots in the fusion bands of Herbie Hancock -- Henderson with Mwandishi and Clark immediately after with Headhunters. Essiet, meanwhile, has been a constant in Henderson's recent bands, while he's shared stages with Harrison under the auspices of the super-group The Cookers.

With compositions by Barron, Clark and Harrison, not to mention Henderson's wife and daughter, Be Cool recalls the title of the trumpeter's previous album, Collective Portrait. "I like my albums to have a wider scope than to just be a self-portrait of my musical taste," he explains. "This really is a collective portrait with a much wider spectrum of music. That's the nature of the game: you always want to grow each time you play, rather than just sit back and play what you feel comfortable with."

Henderson asks the same of his sidemen; hence, Barron's uncharacteristically funky "Smoke Screen," which opens the album on a lively note. "Usually you don't hear Kenny playing funky like that," Henderson says. "He's a consummate pianist and a consummate trio player, but he really rose to the occasion on this Horace Silver-type tune."

  

Penned by Henderson's wife Natsuko, "Be Cool" follows, its anthemic melody echoing her titular words of warning. A true family affair, the album also includes a contribution from Henderson's daughter, Cava Menzies -- the mysterious "Nightride," its intriguing contours enticing searching solos from the trumpeter as well as Harrison and Barron.

The familiar standard "After You've Gone" is usually played up-tempo, but Henderson transforms it into a poignant ballad, reimagining the classic melody as a funereal memoriam for lost loved ones. "Every time I play that tune people in the audience have tears running from their eyes," Henderson says. "Maybe they're remembering people they've lost. Sometimes it reminds me of my mother who passed and it's hard for me to finish playing the melody."

Clark's "Loft Funk" restores the buoyant mood with its gritty, deep-in-the-pocket groove. In the Wolff & Clark Expedition the song is typically taken at a breakneck pace, so Henderson opted to slow it down and evoke the taut pace of contemporary hip-hop. Henderson brings a similar feel, albeit with a more slippery melody, to his contribution, "The Sand Castle Head Hunter," highlighted by a captivating Essiet solo, exquisitely paired by Clark's coloristic accompaniment.

The burnished warmth of the leader's muted trumpet is a perfect match for Miles Davis' classic "Fran-Dance," which evokes memories of the iconic trumpeter's visits to San Francisco. "I grew up with Miles as a staple of my musical diet," Henderson says. "When he was playing at the Blackhawk he would stay at my parents' house, so seeing him play when I was a teenager is indelibly printed in my brain. I've always wanted to record that tune."

Another piece by a trumpet great follows: Woody Shaw's "The Moontrane." Henderson and Shaw were close friends, meeting shortly after Shaw recorded this piece with organist Larry Young. "I had a little group in medical school," Henderson recalls, "and we used to play that tune. I wanted to record it to pay homage to my friend, the late, great Woody Shaw." The trio of compositions by jazz giants concludes with John Coltrane's immortal "Naima," its achingly beautiful melody here accompanied by a more urgent, steelier tempo.

Henderson looks back on his days in Mwandishi with Hancock's "Toys," while "Easy Living" is another old favorite, especially in versions by Lee Morgan and Clifford Brown. The album takes a more exotic detour to close, with the entrancing Eastern European romance of Polish drummer Tomek Grochot's "Dla Juzi."

From now on, Eddie Henderson has a ready response whenever his wife chimes in with her regular reminder. With scintillating interpersonal chemistry, tasteful but captivating soloing, and a stellar melodic sense, one spin of this album is enough to prove that Henderson has taken the words Be Cool deeply to heart.

  

"Be Cool" was produced by Paul Stache and Damon Smith and recorded live in New York at Sear Sound's Studio C on a Sear-Avalon custom console at 96KHz/24bit and mixed to ½" analog tape using a Studer mastering deck. Available in audiophile HD format.

Eddie Henderson · Be Cool

Smoke Sessions Records · Release Date: May 4, 2018

NEW RELEASES: ROBIN GRANT – GOOD GIRL; JAN STURIALE - ROADMAPS; CHARLIE PEACOCK – WHEN LIGHT FLASHES

ROBIN GRANT – GOOD GIRLS

Sensitive storytelling, in the opinion of many, is the most significant test of a singer. If that is the case, then a song has found a friend in Robin Grant. A native of Chattanooga TN, Robin has been delighting local audiences for many years. With the upcoming radio release of her first CD, 'Good Girls' there's no doubt she is about to garner international acclaim. Good Girls is a collection of original jazz songs reminscent of the all-time great standards but with a modern flair. Robin's soulful stylings may take her listeners back to the great Tinpan Alley days of the 1920's 30's and 40's, but it's with an edgy delivery and sizzle that resonates with the youthful in body & spirit. Her live shows showcase her flaming vocals  throughout her diverse repertoire of all-time-favorites mixed with her popular original compositions. Robin began her music career at an early age. She developed her performance ability through classical training, by earning her degree in Vocal Performance and by embracing musical theater.  She later transitioned into jazz with the help of her mentor, bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks is also a native of Chattanooga and toured for many years with Ella Fitzgerald. Robin's meticulously phrased singing and controlled but inescapable intensity is supported by her talented band, The Standard. Over and over they have proven their ability to captivate and move any audience.

JAN STURIALE - ROADMAPS

A new release from jazz visionary Jan Sturiale entitled "Roadmaps" which features 6 original songs performed by an outstanding band. "It was a privilege working with pianist Marko Churnchectz, saxophone player Jure Pukl and Miha Koren and Klemens Marktl as rhythm section. We recorded all my new music in 1 day at the Bunker Studios in Brooklyn, N.Y. a fantastic studio owned by John Davis. The record has been mastered by Alex De Turk at Strange Weather studio in Brooklyn. I started playing with Jure back in 2011 and we did lot of gigs together in these years so I decided to put together a band with him and go into the studio. I wrote a few new compositions and adding a few covers we've played live. I'm talking about Peter Gabriel's Mercy Street and Frank Zappa's Blessed Relief. For me music it's all about enviroment and creating relationship with other musicians...it's a huge aspect that's why I try to stay as active as possibile and challenge my self as much as I can. The record is out from December 23rd 2017 on all digital sellers." - Jan Sturiale

CHARLIE PEACOCK – WHEN LIGHT FLASHES

Recognized as “one of the most prolific cultural influencers to come out of Nashville” (Bright Revolution), Grammy® award-winning record producer Charlie Peacock adds another chapter to his diverse musical story – When Light Flashes, his 4th jazz recording (2/16/18). The album features saxophonist Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones), Jim Black collaborator Hilmar Jensson on guitar, bassist Felix Pastorius, drummer Ben Perowsky and trumpeter Matthew White. As the sonic architect behind best-selling music duo The Civil Wars, Peacock is largely known for his deft and moving productions, including “Misery Chain” by the late Chris Cornell from the soundtrack of Twelve Years a Slave and “Hush,” the title theme to the AMC drama Turn: Washington’s Spies featuring Joy Williams and The National’s Matt Berninger. Peacock’s special guests on When Light Flashes include Nashville neighbors Jeff Taylor on accordion (The Time Jumpers, Elvis Costello), fiddler/mandolinist Andy Leftwich (Ricky Skaggs) and A-Team session phenom Jerry McPherson on electric guitar. Bassists Matt Wigton and Scott Mulvahill, synthesist Tony Miracle and drummer Jordan Perlson also contribute. In honor of his northern California roots, When Light Flashes includes a Peacock composition titled “Automatt” dedicated to producer David Rubinson and pianist Herbie Hancock. The Automatt was a Rubinson-owned studio in San Francisco where Hancock was based for several years. Peacock gives a nod to his mid-south Nashville roots, too, with “Wendell Berry in the Fields at Night,” a tribute to the celebrated southern agrarian-poet of the same name. Six more songs round out the collection including two covers, “Still Water” by Daniel Lanois and “Masters of War” by Bob Dylan.

Camille Bertault - Pas de géant

The album’s title is a homage, sidestep and claim all at once. It is the literal translation of Giant Steps, the legendary John Coltrane standard from 1959, which Camille Bertault made her own in a YouTube video, including every note of the saxophone solo and marking the start of her rise in spring 2015.

In the album Pas de géant, she turns this virtuoso exercise into a phenomenal, liberated vocal display, explaining, sharing and declaring her passion - the astonishing song Là où tu vas [Wherever You Go]. This funny, erudite text is both humble and provocative. She asked Ravi Coltrane for permission to put it over Giant Steps and record - “We met up, I explained my approach and he accepted”.

And what was her approach? Words, rhythms, notes, a staggering way of having its meaning rush around at breakneck speed over music at the top of its game; sweet, free and unbridled in style. In truth, Coltrane has a bigger influence on her than do singers, even Betty Carter or Ella Fitzgerald.

But it's also worth listening out for the clear paradoxes she writes into the lyrics for Certes [Sure] (“Certes, il faut ne pas trop penser / Penser en s’remplissant la panse / De vide gras et d’existence / Et se concentrer sur sa chance” [“Sure, don’t think too much/Think while you fill your belly/With fatty nothingness and life/And concentrate on your luck”]). And then there’s the textual farce of Comptes de fées [Fairy tales] (“Elle c’est la fée, lui c’est le comte / Des contes de fées, il en raconte / Sur le contrat, il conte fleurette / Vite fait bien fait à fée Clochette” [“She’s the fairy, he’s the noble/He tells fairy tales/About the contract, he woos Tinker Bell/Quickly and masterfully”]).

And she sings the aria from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations at full speed, covers Serge Gainsbourg’s Comment te dire adieu, the surrealist Conne by Brigitte Fontaine and La Femme coupée en morceaux by Michel Legrand, written and sung in Brazilian over some Wayne Shorter and in French over Bill Evans.

Her giant steps go in ten different directions at once, weaving Les Double Six together with Helen Merrill, Claude Nougaro with Meredith d’Ambrosio, the films of Jacques Demy with Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Jacques Loussier with André Minvielle... Her thoughts: “I wanted an album which reflected me rather than one which reflected its own genre.”

Pianist Roberta Piket Revisits Jazz Trio Format With the Release of "West Coast Trio"

Roberta Piket West Coast TrioRoberta Piket, one of the most virtuosic and versatile pianists on the current international jazz scene, revisits the iconic jazz piano trio format with the April 6 release of West Coast Trio on her label 13th Note Records. Joining Piket is the consummate rhythm section of drummer Joe La Barbera and bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz -- part of the vibrant West Coast jazz scene centered in metro-Los Angeles and whose presence inspired the album's title. Guitarist Larry Koonse guests on two tracks.

In addition to debuting two new Piket originals ("Mentor," "A Bridge to Nowhere"), West Coast Trio includes inspired interpretations of an eclectic set of songs ranging from standards like "Falling in Love with Love," "Windmills of Your Mind," and "My Buddy" to the samba "Flor de Lis" by Brazilian singer-songwriter Djavan, as well as works by fellow modern jazz pianist-composers Chick Corea ("Humpty Dumpty"), John Hicks ("Yemenja"), and George Shearing ("Conception").

Serendipitously, West Coast Trio's release comes almost 22 years to the day that Piket entered the studio to record her debut album as a leader -- 1996's Unbroken Line (Criss Cross), primarily a quintet session, with Donny McCaslin, Javon Jackson, and Michael Formanek, among others -- and embarked on a career path now in its third decade. Along the way the pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader has explored with equal ease and equanimity a spectrum of stylistic settings ranging from the mainstream to the avant-garde, from acoustic to electric, from the solo recordings Solo (2012) and 2015's Emanation (Solo: Volume 2) to 2016's critically acclaimed One for Marian: A Tribute to Marian McPartland, a loving homage to one of her champions and mentors and, until now, the crown jewel of a multifaceted discography. A sextet project featuring Steve Wilson, Virginia Mayhew, Harvie S, Bill Mobley, and Billy Mintz, One for Marian celebrated McPartland's underappreciated body of work as a composer while offering Piket meaty material as an arranger.

Piket's first love and the format that inspired her early love for jazz was the piano trio, and she is at her most relaxed and commanding when she's stretching out with a bassist and drummer -- something she demonstrates with authority throughout West Coast Trio. "I definitely feel the most at ease in a trio," Piket confides. "What the trio means to me is intimacy. There's such a directness of communication between the three musicians. It's all about interaction and not knowing what's going to come next. It's the essence of jazz."

"The last few records I've done had more of an agenda with regard to the repertoire," Piket reflects. "On the two solo records I was thinking of ways of challenging myself. I wanted to choose pieces that force me to stretch, not just a bunch of standards. West Coast Trio is the first record in a while where I chose several tunes that are simply fun to blow over. Our only agenda was to make some beautiful music."

Roberta Piket Born in Queens, New York in 1965, Roberta Piket inherited a passion for music from both of her parents. Her father was the Austrian composer Frederick Piket, who made significant contributions to both the musical liturgy of Reform Judaism and the concert hall. Her mother, Cynthia, introduced her to the treasures of the Great American Songbook, and she learned by ear the tunes of Porter, Gershwin, Kern, Rodgers, and Berlin.

Piket enrolled in the joint five-year double-degree program at Tufts University and New England Conservatory, graduating with a degree in computer science from the former and in jazz piano from the latter. After a year as a software engineer, she realized that her calling was music and returned to New York, where an NEA grant set her up to study with pianist Richie Beirach. Piket made her recording debut on an album by jazz legend Lionel Hampton and gained invaluable experience during the formative years of her career performing as a side-woman with David Liebman, Rufus Reid, Mickey Roker, Benny Golson, and Ted Curson.

She performs regularly with the Scott Reeves/Jay Brandford Tentet and the Virginia Mayhew Quartet, in duo with Mayhew, and with Mintz's quintet/quartet with saxophonists Tony Malaby and John Gross, and bassist Hilliard Greene (with whom she also plays in his In & Out Ensemble) as well as focusing on solo piano performance.

Roberta Piket will perform with her trio -- bassist Harvie S and drummer Billy Mintz -- at Mezzrow, NYC, on Thursday 4/19. She'll also be appearing at Maureen's Jazz Cellar, Nyack, NY, on Saturday 4/21. 

 

Jazz-R&B keyboardist David Garfield seizes the opportunity to create “Outside the Box”

Four decades into an accomplished career that has seen him record and tour with many of the brightest stars in the contemporary jazz, R&B and pop galaxies as well as front his own bands and solo albums, keyboardist, songwriter, producer and arranger David Garfield still feels like an outsider.

“All my life, I’m just trying to make music that I really believe in and can get really excited about. It’s never fit into one particular category thus, in many ways, I’ve spent my whole music career outside the box. It’s never been intentional and it’s not like I’m trying to be different just to be different. I’m just trying to be creative while striving for the highest level of musical and artistic integrity. In the long run, my career has taken place outside the box,” said Garfield, about “Outside the Box,” the extensive collection of recordings that he’s curating featuring a stellar cast of A-listers and premier session players that will be released on his Creatchy Records label.

The multi-part, genre-crossing project spanning various types of jazz, R&B, pop, country and rock will unfold in a series of record releases beginning with the March 23 release of “Jazz Outside the Box,” a straight-ahead jazz set with performances by Randy Brecker, Michael McDonald, The Doors’ drummer John Densmore, Tom Scott, Jason Scheff (Chicago), Will Lee, Eric Marienthal, Steve Ferrone, Vinnie Colaiuta, John Clayton, Michael Thompson, Brian Auger and Charlie Bisharat along with the accompaniment of full horn and string sections.

The second outing, “Jamming Outside the Box,” slated to drop this summer, has already spawned a Billboard No. 2 single with “Go Home,” showcasing a sizzling lineup on the Stevie Wonder original comprised of Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum, guitar aces Paul Jackson Jr. and Tony Maiden (Rufus), bassist Freddie Washington, fellow keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, and horn players Marienthal and Stephen “Doc” Kupka (Tower of Power).  This disc will be comprised of smooth/contemporary jazz cuts, including the second single presently climbing the charts, “Jamming,” a remake of the Bob Marley classic showcasing guitarist Mike Campbell (a member of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers) and saxophonist Brandon Fields (The Rippingtons, Tower of Power). Icons David Sanborn and George Benson are among the luminous guests on the album, the latter for whom Garfield has served as music director since 1986. Other prominent players in the mix are Rick Braun, Nathan East, Marcus Miller, Ray Parker Jr. and Rickey Minor.    

Presently rising up the Mediabase country charts is a preview of “Vox Outside the Box,” a set of vocal songs that will be the third release of the series. “I Lied” is one of two songs Garfield wrote for the project with legend Smokey Robinson and radio programmers have been swift to embrace the cinematically sweet ballad with adult contemporary crossover potential (http://bit.ly/2BolVeF).

The fourth component will be “Stretchin’ Outside the Box,” which Garfield describes as “more adventurous with extended intros and special arrangements, a record perhaps geared towards musicians and music enthusiasts. It’ll have more fusion plus bonus tracks and alternate versions.” Garfield is also planning a seasonal selection entitled “Holidays Outside the Box.”  

“Outside the Box” includes some of the final performances from the late guitarists Chuck Loeb and Larry Coryell. Their passings are part of what sparks Garfield’s inspiration for this enormous undertaking.

“The truth is we’re all getting older, and I wanted to gather all these great talents together while everyone is still alive, active and accessible,” said the St. Louis native and longtime Los Angeles resident. “I think that this will be the last time I’ll have the chance to do anything like this, especially of this scope and magnitude. The feeling I had throughout the project - from session to session, even as the personnel changed - was that we were collectively creating a powerful sense of community through the music.”           

Despite all that he has done and achieved, including composing music for television, film, commercials and several international organizations, “Outside the Box” feels like it will be a career capper for Garfield, a crowning musical statement that he hopes will have a lasting impact. “I’m thinking about both the present and future, putting these tracks out in the world for consumption now, but in the hopes that after we’re gone, musicians who come up years from now will know what it was like to set up a Fender Rhodes and a drum set in the garage and play. Despite all the technology we have at our disposal, that’s where the raw energy begins. That energy is the core and driving force behind these songs, which to me truly represent not just the incredible musical legacy of Los Angeles, but various music communities from around the world.”

Saxophonist Owen Broder's American Roots Project Offers a Stunning New Vision of American Folk, Bluegrass, Spirituals and Blues on HERITAGE

Our roots run deep, and keep us connected to and nourished by the soil of our birth. But they also twist, tangle and intertwine while feeding our growth and evolution. With his American Roots Project, saxophonist/composer Owen Broder explores the weft and weave of American roots music - from Appalachian folk to early blues, spirituals to bluegrass - through bold and inspired new interpretations envisioned through the perspective of another distinctively American musical tradition: jazz. On the American Roots Project's debut album, Heritage, Broder combines several of modern jazz's most acclaimed composers and arrangers with an outstanding ensemble of gifted musicians to create a striking blend of tradition and innovation.

Heritage (due out March 1, 2018 through ArtistShare) calls on the talents of an impressive roster of composer/arrangers. They offer striking new twists on familiar American folk tunes as well as their own new pieces, each inspired by its creator's deeply personal take on the country's rich musical tradition. In addition to Broder, whose two originals open and close the album, there are contributions from Ryan Truesdell, founder of the celebrated Gil Evans Project, who also produced the album; Grammy-winning pianist/arranger Jim McNeely, known for his long tenure with the renowned Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; composer/arranger Bill Holman, long associated with the legendary Stan Kenton Orchestra; in-demand trumpeter/composer Alphonso Horne; and Tokyo-born bandleader/pianist Miho Hazama, whose m_unit ensemble melds big band jazz and classical chamber music.

Broder's American Roots Project interprets these remarkable pieces through the voices of an exceptional eight-piece ensemble: Broder on woodwinds; Sara Caswell, a violinist who regularly bridges the worlds of jazz and Americana; trumpeter Scott Wendholt; trombonist Nick Finzer; vibraphonist and percussionist James Shipp; pianist Frank Kimbrough; bassist Jay Anderson; and drummer Matt Wilson. On three tracks the band is joined by the transcendent vocal trio of Wendy Gilles, Kate McGarry and Vuyo Sotashe.

"It's an amazing group of people who all have great relationships with each other," Broder says. "All of these composers really brought the musicians' personalities into their writing. I think we all prefer to write for the people that are going to be playing rather than just the instruments."

That's certainly true of the bandleader himself, whose "Goin' Up Home" begins the proceedings with an entrancing, gradually expanding piece that works as an introduction to the ensemble and the concept. Sparked by the work of contemporary Americana innovators like Chris Thile, Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss, the song dawns slowly, with Caswell and Finzer intoning the folksy melody over Shipp's tick-tock pulse. As it proceeds, the song builds in complexity, layering in jazz harmonies and infectious swing rhythms. Broder just earned a 2018 Herb Albert Young Jazz Composer Award for the piece.

Hazama's first contribution, the original "Wherever the Road Leads," is a singular meld of perspectives, coming from the sole composer who doesn't share the others' American background. Taking on the role of the inspired outsider, Hazama borrows rhythmic and melodic themes from Appalachian tunes and reimagines them via a twelve-tone harmonic progression, leading to a kaleidoscopic collage of folk idioms. For her second piece, Hazama gives Gillian Welch's "I'm Not Afraid To Die" an impressionistic gloss pierced by the gorgeous melody sung by Wendholt's flugelhorn.

Hank Williams' familiar "Jambalaya," is transposed from the Crescent City to a more urban jazz environment in Bill Holman's rendition - as Broder writes, "this swinging re-imagination of the Cajun

tune has closer ties to Birth of the Cool than the streets of New Orleans." McNeely, meanwhile, drew upon his love of bluegrass music for his radical remake of the folk song "Cripple Creek," taking a narrative approach that leads the tune on an adventure through an ever-changing landscape.

Frank Kimbrough's brooding piano sets the tone for Truesdell's take on the timeless "Wayfaring Stranger," which also introduces the sublime vocal harmonies of Gilles, McGarry and Sotashe. The cleverly-titled "Brodeo" is Truesdell's version of a foot-stompin' bluegrass tune, setting the scene for a somewhat abstract rodeo. Broder, who has worked with the composer's Gil Evans Project, praises Truesdell as a bandleader, composer, and as Heritage's producer. "Ryan's a leader on a level that few others are," he says. "He's such a perfectionist and so detail-oriented, with incredibly fine-tuned ears. As a producer he was invaluable."

Horne's soaring "The People Could Fly" looks at a different side of the American odyssey, taking a piece of Bantu folk music from South Africa through the travails of slavery as it survives to find a place in the African-American church. Broder returns to conclude the album with "A Wiser Man Than Me," a looser piece that reflects the improvisational storytelling tradition through a wistful group improvisation on a simple, gospel-tinged melody.

The American Roots Project scans the history of American music and, through the inspiration that Broder finds there, discovers a new path into a profoundly personal contemporary vision. Heritage is an apt name for this moving collection, at once an inheritance and a gorgeous new link in a continually growing chain.

"The strains of American musical tradition are as deep and diverse as the lands of our forebears," Broder writes in his liner notes. "Heritage celebrates that diversity and the different backgrounds that combined to shape an American cultural identity."

Based in New York City, saxophonist/composer Owen Broder runs in a variety of musical circles as both bandleader and sideman. Broder's jazz quintet, Cowboys & Frenchmen, received critical acclaim for its 2015 release, Rodeo, and its 2017 follow-up Bluer Than You Think. Broder is a member of the Anat Cohen Tentet and has performed with internationally respected jazz artists including Ryan Truesdell's Gil Evans Project and Trio Globo; he has traveled with The Temptations and The Four Tops, and opened for Grammy Award-winner John Legend with his own soul band, Bitchin' Kitchen; in musical theater, he was a member of the pit orchestras for the German tour of Grease and the off-Broadway production For the Last Time, appeared with the band in David Bowie's Lazarus, and originated the woodwind chair in the U.S. Premier tour of The Bodyguard: The Musical. Broder holds a bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music and a master's from the Manhattan School of Music and recently earned a 2018 Herb Albert Young Jazz Composer Award.

owenbroder.com