MULTI-GRAMMY®-WINNING ELIANE ELIAS REVIVES SONGS FROM A CLASSIC BROADWAY MUSICAL WITH MUSIC FROM MAN OF LA MANCHA

Created at the request of the original composer, the April 13 release features Eddie Gomez, Jack DeJohnette, Marc Johnson, Satoshi Takeishi and Manolo Badrena

Following her 2015 GRAMMY®-winning Made in Brazil and 2017’s Latin GRAMMY®-winning Dance of Time, Eliane Elias returns with Music from Man of La Mancha, set for release on April 13, 2018, via Concord Jazz. Recorded with two different trios—one that finds the piano virtuoso accompanied by bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette and the other featuring Marc Johnson on bass with Satoshi Takeishi on drums, with Manolo Badrena joining on percussion—the nine-track collection is a unique all-instrumental reinterpretation of songs from the legendary Broadway musical.

Dance of Time, which debuted at number one on two Billboard charts, the iTunes Jazz Albums chart and the Amazon.com Brazilian and Latin Jazz charts, and Made in Brazil, also debuting at number one on the iTunes and Amazon.com Jazz Albums charts, were recorded in Elias’ homeland. The back story for the new release adds another chapter to the prolific pianist-singer-composer-arranger and producer’s résumé: Although Elias has, in the past, recorded tributes to such giants as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chet Baker and Bill Evans, Music from Man of La Mancha marks the first time she has put her own spin on a specific set of songs from a Broadway musical.

Elias’ 26th album in a highly distinguished career, Music from Man of La Mancha was recorded in 1995 and produced by Elias with co-production by Mitch Leigh, the late composer of the music for the original Broadway production.

Man of La Mancha premiered in 1964 and was inspired by an earlier, non-musical stage production, I, Don Quixote, itself inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ 17th-century masterpiece Don Quixote.  Among the classic songs authored by Mitch Leigh for the musical was the oft-recorded “The Impossible Dream,” reimagined by Elias for this project.

 The concept for the album came about, Elias recalls, when she was asked out of the blue to meet with the Tony Award-winning Leigh. The composer came to the musician’s New York apartment with a proposition: that he commission Elias to arrange, perform and record a new album of songs from the show. The Brazilian pianist, who had already been living in the United States for more than a decade, immediately warmed to the idea.

“Of course, I knew about the show, and was flattered when Mitch, who was accompanied by Neil Warner, the arranger for the original musical, chose me for the project he had in mind. He said he liked what I had done with the music of other composers,” Elias recalls. “I’d made a recording called Eliane Elias Plays Jobim and he was inspired by that as well as other things I had done.  He was taken by the way I treated songs and he loved the arrangements. He wanted me to do something like that with his music. He gave me a copy of the original Broadway cast recording and I chose the songs I felt I could create more around.”

Upon re-familiarizing herself with the material, Elias ultimately focused on nine pieces including “The Impossible Dream,” as well as the show’s title track and such favorites as “A Little Gossip,” “The Barber’s Song” and “It’s All the Same.” Each track bears Elias’ indelibly personalized touch. “This record is Brazilian/Latin/jazz,” she says. “It has all the elements together, which felt like a natural blend to me.” 

Music from Man of La Mancha begins with back-to-back arrangements of “To Each His Dulcinea” and “Dulcinea,” the former featuring the Johnson-Takeishi-Badrena combo and the latter Gomez and DeJohnette.  “When sequencing the tracks, I thought it was a beautiful way to start by showcasing the two trios,” she says. Elias approached each arrangement differently, based on what the music said to her. “A Little Gossip,” Elias explains, “felt just perfect to be set within the Brazilian rhythm of frevo.  In general, arranging the songs was a combination of applying different rhythms, re-harmonizations, new improvisational sections, inventing completely new parts such as introductions, interludes, endings, using modulations to create color and overall momentum, lift and interest while staying true to the original melodies. Some of the songs have more Latin flavor; others have more of a Brazilian flavor. ‘The Barber Song’ is more like a Brazilian baião where I harmonize every note of the melody and freely play over the bar-line. ‘The Impossible Dream’ is a samba. Every tune has its own treatment. ‘What Does He Want of Me’ and ‘Man of La Mancha’ have a lot of interplay. There’s a lot of variety.  I really enjoyed preparing the arrangements for this recording because Mitch gave me artistic freedom.”

All of the music was recorded live in NYC’s Power Station Studio and it was mixed at Leigh’s Secret Studio in New York City. “For the most part, we usually ended up using the first take,” she says. “That spontaneity and freshness when you first record something is hard to beat. Of course, the musicians were prepared and rehearsed. My choices as to which musicians played on which songs were based on the type of arrangements that I wrote. I played to the strengths of each trio. It brought beautiful and varied interpretations, different feels and colors to the music by having two different bassists and two different drummers.”

Due to contractual circumstances, the album was not released at the time of recording, and Leigh has since passed away. Elias says that she was gratified to see how much Leigh enjoyed what she had done, saying, “I was thrilled to see Mitch’s excitement, enthusiastic approval, joy and delight with these arrangements and interpretations. Speaking from the arranger’s chair, it is the highest praise when the composer is enamored with the reimagining of his work.” Leigh’s children have stated, “Our dad loved this album, playing it for guests, with pride, but also when he was on his own, listening to it again and again. We all feel sure he’d be very proud it’s being issued for the public.”

Guitarist LENI STERN with her trio featuring Mamadou Ba and Alioune Faye release "3"

Critically acclaimed guitarist/composer returns to SXSW with her trio featuring Mamadou Ba and Alioune Faye. They are excited to be performing music from Leni Stern's latest album, "3" (LSR), to be released on April 27th.

With "3", guitarist/composer Leni Stern offers us her most authentic recording to date, a true trio collaboration, featuring Mamadou Ba on bass and Alioune Faye on percussion and vocals. This band weaves the rhythms of Senegal into the music of NYC, creating the brilliant follow up to Stern's critically acclaimed "Dakar Suite" (2016). For more than two decades Stern has been a beacon of inspiration and a nomadic force, spreading the beauty of her music from her native Europe to her adopted home of NYC. Since the mid-2000s, Stern has followed her heart to Africa and her travels have harvested many rewards, not the least of which is her brilliant new album, "3".

Leni Stern is an unstoppable force of bottomless energy. Her long-time fans know her from a successful jazz career that saw her touring the globe on the stage of every major festival and legendary club with bands that included some of the biggest heavyweights on the scene (Dennis Chambers, Paul Motian, Bill Frisell... to name a few). Everything changed when in 2005 Leni was first invited to perform at the Festival au Desert in Timbuktu, Mali. It was there that she would meet Bassekou Kouyate and his wife Ami Sacko, embraced by their family and their bands, she dove headfirst into the traditions of West African guitar and later the n'goni (African banjo). It was a natural path from jazz, a personal journey to where her playing and the genre all began, a sort of spiritual exploration coupled with devoted study and practice.

In the past 13 years Leni has worked her hardest, forging a new sound that is all her own, composing, studying, practicing, with the rhythms and tonalities of West Africa through the chops of an accomplished jazz guitarist. It is finally, with "3", that her most authentic voice can be experienced.  Joined by her regular NYC-based trio of Mamadou Ba and Alioune Faye, Leni's compositions pay humble homage to the drum patterns of traditional Senegalese folk songs. What emerges is a new repertoire of cross-pollinated ideas and reverence to jazz, to blues, to Africa, to a folk music of today's diaspora.

Andrew Rathbun Releases New Jazz Orchestra Recording - Atwood Suites

Continuing a prolific streak over the past two decades, saxophonist-composer-arranger Andrew Rathbun premieres three new suites of moving, meaningful music on his triumphant large ensemble debut for Origin Records. Two of the suites, "Two Islands" and "Power Politics," are set to the evocative poetry of Margaret Atwood, who has enjoyed a rediscovery in the wake of the popularity of the Golden Globe-winning original series on Hulu, The Handmaid's Tale, based on the Toronto native's darkly dystopian and some would say prescient novel published in 1985 set in a near-futuristic totalitarian society. Rathbun's extremely ambitious 2-CD set, Atwood Suites, includes music from a third five-movement suite. Recorded in just three days in New York, it documents the composer's most accomplished and compelling writing to date, performed by a stellar crew of the Big Apple's finest, many of whom are leaders and composers in their own right. Anchored by drummer Bill Stewart, who's propulsive drive and interactive instincts color the proceedings in wholly unique ways, this mammoth undertaking features the brilliant flugelhorn playing of Tim Hagans and showcases the wistful, alluring vocals of Rathbun's longtime collaborator Luciana Souza, who breathes new life into the Atwood poems "Excerpt From Circle/Music Poems" on the "Two Islands" suite and "We Are Hard On Each Other" on the "Power Politics" suite. "Luciana does such a great job," he said. "The project really can't be realized without her in a lot of ways. Of course, she did a record of poems by Pablo Neruda and another set to the poems of Eliza- beth Bishop, so she really knows what's involved. She's a pivotal part of this recording."

The composer thanks his mother, an English teacher, for initially turning him on to the poetry of Margaret Atwood. "I had read 'The Handmaid's Tale' but knew nothing about her poetry. My mom just sent me a photocopy of a bunch of different things, a couple of which I actually set to music for my True Stories project in 2001, which also featured Luciana."

Regarding his main muse for this project, fellow Canadian Atwood, the Toronto native and Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at Western Michigan University recalled, "We've met twice. The last time was after a lecture she gave on her book "Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing" in New York. I was just really lucky again this time around again to get her blessing to use her work. I was a bit concerned this time around, due to the fact that the Netflix series has been so popular, but luckily it all worked out."

The roots of this latest Rathbun project go back to 2001, when the saxophonist was asked by the great Canadian trumpeter-composer Kenny Wheeler to write some new material for an engagement at the Birdland nightclub in New York City. He came up with the three-movement "Power Politics" suite, which was performed by Wheeler's big band at Birdland but never recorded. "I wrote those with Kenny in mind," he explained. "One of my dreams was to get to get to record that with him but it just wasn't in the cards. I've been working with Tim Hagans a little bit lately and thought he'd be great for this. He's got a whole other thing, this incredible slippery chromatic language that he brings to the table, which I adore.

Hagans figures prominently on the two Atwood suites contained on the first CD. As renowned big band pianist-composer-arranger Jim McNeely points out in his liner notes to Atwood Suites, the flugelhornist's "lyricism ranges from thoughtfully introspective to wildly expressive." From his bracing solo on the first movement to "Two Islands" to his golden tones on the achingly beautiful second movement to his surging exclamations on the swinging section of the third movement, Hagans presence is deeply felt on this outing. Likewise, he delivers an attractive flugelhorn solo in the first movement of "Power Politics," navigates the churning 6/8 groove of the second movement and delivers a bristling solo over Stewart's interactive pulse and guitarist Nate Radley's rich voicings on the third movement. Trombonist Mike Fahie, tenor saxophonist Dan Pratt and alto saxophonist John O'Gallagher also contribute potent solos throughout the highly charged "Power Politics" suite.

  

Rathbun conceived "Two Islands" during his residency at the Atlantic Center of the Arts artists' colony in Florida during the late 2000s. "I brought a couple anthologies of Margaret Atwood's work with me and just and started experimenting with that poem. And after a couple of weeks I had sketched most of the suite. There was a composer there at the same time named Lewis Spratlan, an amazing Pulitzer Prize winning composer. He was really helpful in bouncing ideas off of during the writing, frequently offering sage suggestions. And the things he'd say about music were really inspirational to me."

The other pieces on this 2-CD set, including the aggressive "Fractured" (inspired, as Rathbun notes, "by the continued political divisions that have plagued this county for the last decade and seem to get worse rather than improve") and the majestic three movements, "V" "I" "II," utilize the soaring wordless vocals of singer Aubrey Johnson. "I used her voice more like an instrument," Rathbun explains. "She's got this beautiful sound, with a light and flexible vocal quality, which blends really well in the ensemble. She sang some of my other vocal music, and I thought she would be a great addition to this project."

Rathbun has similar kudos for Stewart, a remarkably flexible drummer who has been a longstanding sideman to guitarist John Scofield. "He's not normally known as a big band guy, but I was curious to see what it would sound like if he was put in the middle of all this stuff. His beat and his phrasing and the way he sets things up are incredibly contagious and also different than anyone who, for lack of a better term, is more of a big band drummer. So I was really excited to get him into the mix. He just brings this propulsion to the music that is one of a kind. He's not only got great time and feel but he's also an incredible listener. He knows exactly how much to contrast what the soloist is playing and how much to complement."

All the elements of churning rhythms, attractive melodies, exquisite textures and rich colors come together in stunning fashion on Atwood Suites, Rathbun's crowning achievement to date. Meanwhile, the composer is "clearing the decks" to create his next opus. "My writing has taken on, I hope, some new characteristics that I do want to document in the future. So I was determined to get all this stuff that I've written out of the way and next time around start with a blank-slate. I want to put the things that I've already completed in the rear view mirror now. Let's look ahead and see what comes next." Stay tuned. There's more to come for this important voice on the modern jazz scene. - Bill Milkowski

Flutist JAMIE BAUM Explores Links Between Sacred Music Traditions on BRIDGES

Hailed by DownBeat Magazine for her "remarkable artistic facility" and by The New York Times for her "remarkable balance of fluidity and restless creativity," New York-based flutist/composer and 2014 Guggenheim Fellow Jamie Baum is proud to announce the release of her sixth CD as a leader, Bridges, featuring The Jamie Baum Septet+. The highly anticipated follow-up to her 2013 recording In This Life, Bridges offers yet another recording of incredible depth, beauty, spirituality, undiluted zeal and is the culmination of Baum's search for common links between some of the world's great religious music traditions. While conducting research for her Guggenheim Fellowship Award, Baum explains, "I found there to be very deep connections going back centuries, between certain types of Jewish music (my earliest musical influences), and Muslim/Arabic and Hindu/South Asian music." Exploring these musical connections, and composing new music inspired by her findings, became the focus of Bridges.

Baum's advanced harmonic sensibility and sonic imagination, beautifully brought to life by the stellar members of her long-running ensemble, proves yet again the capacity of modern jazz to absorb and transform music of diverse traditions, without sacrificing the improvisatory element at the core of jazz's identity. In her album notes Baum cites Wikipedia's definition of the word "bridge," one that seems to sum up her artistic mission here: "a structure built to span physical obstacles without closing the way underneath." At the same time, Baum's musical wanderings highlight something even deeper: our shared humanity, and the common threads that run throughout our history.

With great respect for these varied traditions and their vast languages, Baum's goal was not to play or compose exactly in these styles, but to have her travels and playing experiences inspire new ways of writing and improvising. The diverse musicians who make up the Jamie Baum Septet+ are all first-call artists on the jazz scene, many of them accomplished leaders in their own right. Their presence gives Baum limitless compositional freedom and inspiration: "Having specific players to write for is a bandleader/composer's dream and offers an incredible opportunity for experimentation and growth," she says. We hear this borne out in the lyrical melodies, intricate contrapuntal passages and complex rhythmic ideas at the heart of Bridges, and in the textural warmth and surprise of Sam Sadigursky's alto sax and bass clarinet, Brad Shepik's guitar, Amir ElSaffar's trumpet and voice, John Escreet's dazzlingly virtuosic piano and of course Baum's compelling improvisations on flute and alto flute throughout the album.

Baum's fascination with world sacred music traditions stemmed from her love of South Asian music and in particular for Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistan's late Qawwali vocal master. Her previous album In This Life was inspired by Khan's legacy, because she "found in him what I have found in those musicians who have touched me, like Coltrane, Miles and Pavarotti...a truly gifted, deeply spiritual and soulful artist," Baum writes in her album notes. Expanding her focus from Qawwali outward to other forms of religious music, Baum arrived at the focus of Bridges.

Khan's influence is also felt on "Joyful Lament," derived from a melody of Khan's called "Lament," Baum explains. This piece was arranged with Shepik's guitar in mind, and "his solo certainly exceeds anything I could have imagined," Baum enthuses.

In addition to her study of Khan, Baum's travels to India and especially Jazzmandu, the Kathmandu Jazz Festival, in 2003 and again in 2009, widened her musical horizons immeasurably. The three-movement "Honoring Nepal: The Shiva Suite," a centerpiece of Bridges, represents Baum's wish to give back to a community that has given her so much. The piece was commissioned by the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art in New York. "It was difficult to watch the pain and destruction the 2015 earthquake caused to the beautiful people and historic sites in Nepal, including musicians I knew and places I'd been," Baum writes. "I knew I wanted to highlight and pay tribute in some way to this event and found inspiration in a painting of Shiva ... a pan-Hindu deity revered widely by Hindus in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Shiva is the 'destroyer of evil and the transformer' within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu. Shiva is the Supreme Being who creates, protects and transforms the universe. Completely contradictory aspects of life have been built into the personality of Shiva.... A particular 'thank you' to my rhythm section [Escreet, bassist Zack Lober and drummer Jeff Hirshfield] for their drive, sensitivity and expertise in navigating and highlighting the changing colors, dynamics and intensity, giving so much meaning to the arc and intent of this suite!"

The Nepali influence emerges again on "Mantra," arranged by Baum with Nepali musician Navin Chettri, who plays tanpura and sings on the track. The tune is based on Mahamrityunjaya Mantra "meant for healing, rejuvenation and nurturance," Baum writes. "According to Shiva Purana when you have fear of any unknown event this chant helps you to overcome the fear. The Shiva Purana is the highest science of elevating human nature to the very peak of consciousness, expressed in the form of very beautiful stories."

"From the Well" opens the album with the sound of a scale "common to Maqam, Jewish and South Asian music," writes Baum. "Song Without Words," a tribute to Baum's late father, highlights the composer's Jewish influence - in particular the Kol Nidre prayer so central to the holiday of Yom Kippur. "There Are No Words," with its relaxed straight-eighth feel and beautiful chamber-like interplay within the ensemble, revisits the theme of loss as well. And the closing track, "Ucross Me," was written during Baum's residency at the UCross Artist Colony in Clearmont, Wyoming in March 2015. It's a piece "about crossing boundaries and connecting influences," Baum writes, encapsulating the theme of Bridges as a whole.

  

In addition to her Guggenheim Fellowship (an honor she shared the same year with Steve Coleman and Elliott Sharp), Baum was awarded the 2017 New Music USA Project Grant and selected as a 2014-15 Norman Stevens Fellow during her MacDowell Colony residency. Baum's exemplary career has been built on superlative performances in the studio and on stages around the world, alongside a long list of renowned jazz artists including Randy Brecker, Mick Goodrick, Tom Harrell, Dave Douglas, Fred Hersch, Uri Caine, Ralph Alessi, David Binney, Anthony Braxton, Wadada Leo Smith and many others. She has placed in the DownBeat Critics' Polls annually since 1998 and has been nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association as "Flutist of the Year" eight times; the Jamie Baum Septet+ was nominated in 2014 as "Best Midsize Ensemble of the Year" in the same category as the Wayne Shorter Quartet and Steve Coleman's Five Elements. She has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, International Jazz Composers Alliance, Meet the Composer, Chamber Music America and the American Music Center. Her playing credits include tours as a State Dept./Kennedy Center Jazz Ambassador, in 1999 to South America and in 2002 to India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand and Bangladesh. Baum has served on the faculty of the jazz department at Manhattan School of Music since 2007 and on the adjunct faculty roster at the New School University since 2004. Altus Flutes/KHS America has sponsored her innovative clinic "A Fear-Free Approach to Improvisation for the Classically Trained Musician"™ at colleges, conservatories, festivals, flute clubs and "music and art" schools worldwide since 1993.

 

Other Upcoming Tour Dates, With Jamie Baum & Short Stories:

Jamie Baum & Short Stories: Jamie Baum-flutes, Andy Milne-piano,

Andrew Rathbun-sax, Joe Martin-bass, Jeff Hirshfield-drums 

April 13 - University of Wisconsin-Madison, concert & workshops 

April 14 - The Glen, Glenview, IL, afternoon concert

April 14 - Constellation, Chicago, IL, evening concert

April 15 - Chicago Flute Club, afternoon concert & workshop

April 15 - The Jazz Estate, Milwaukee, WI, evening concert

April 16 - Western Michigan University School of Music, Kalamazoo, MI    concert & workshops

 

U-Nam's #1 Best Seller Album in the US and Japan "Weekend in L.A" (A Tribute to George Benson), originally released in 2012 is back for more in a very special deluxe edition

"This monumental project includes some of my superstar friends who are among the world’s best known artists of our time.The man known as U-Nam, is destined to become one of the most controversial musicians and his music will give you renewed desire for powered guitar. It is an honor to be the subject of this new guitar and musical star. This project sounds FANTASTIC…”  - 10X Grammy Award Winner and NAC Jazz Legend George Benson -

Featuring George Duke, Marcus Miller, Stokley (Mint Condition), Phil Perry, Patrice Rushen, Paul Jackson Jr., WahWah Watson, Ronnie Foster, Andreas Oberg, Tim "TiO" Owens, Torsten Goods, Michael White, Dwayne "Smitty" Smith, Dio Saucedo, Denis Benarrosh, Linn Rountree, Jeff Lacey and many more...

It includes a lot of bonuses that were only available in the Japanese release as well as alternate versions (ex: Japanese version of Before You Go/ Breezing' features a different piano solo from Patrice Rushen!)

Weekend in L.A (A Tribute to George Benson) [Deluxe Edition]

15 tracks - 1Hour 46Minutes

1. Weekend in L.A (feat. Andreas Oberg & Ronnie Foster)

2. Give Me the Night (feat. Tim Tio Owens)

3. Shiver (feat. Paul Jackson Jr. & Tim Tio Owens)

4. Love X Love

5. Nature Boy (feat. Stokley Williams)

6. This Masquerade (feat. George Duke, Marcus Miller, Phil Perry, Lin Rountree & Tim Tio Owens)

7. Hip Skip

8. I Just Wanna Hang Around You (feat. Tim Tio Owens)

9. Turn Your Love Around

10. Before You Go / Breezin' (feat. Patrice Rushen)

11. On Broadway (feat. Tim Tio Owens & Jeff Lacey)

12. Never Give up on a Good Thing (Japan Bonus) [feat. Torsten Good]

13. This Masquerade (Japan Bonus) [feat. George Duke, Marcus Miller, Phil Perry, Lin Rountree & Tim Tio Owens]

14. Before You Go / Breezin' (Japan Bonus) [feat. Patrice Rushen]

15. Give Me the Night (Rap Version) [feat. Jeff Lacey & Tim Tio Owens]

Pianist Dayramir Gonzalez Releases The Grand Concourse

Cuban pianist Dayramir Gonzalez (recently welcomed as a Yamaha Artist) has innovative style, energetic performance, and impressive diversity shining through on his upcoming album,

The Grand Concourse. Serving as the follow up to his 2007 debut, this record is defined by the voyage of a young artist from Havana whose creation of musical works sheds light on the gems of traditional Cuban sentiments, contemporary Afro-Cuban jazz, and the vanguard sounds of New York.

Extending the concept of his debut album Dayramir & Habana enTRANcé, Gonzalez continues the Cuban musical feast on The Grand Concourse with songs featuring GRAMMY® Award-nominated guest artists like Pedrito Martinez, Yosvany Terry, and Oriente Lopez in special musical configurations that span string quartet, full orchestra, solo piano, choir, and Afro Cuban jazz septet.

With songs like "Situaciones en 12/8," a purely Afro-Cuban jazz sentiment driven by pulsating rhythms, or his contemporary approach to Cuban classical music on the orchestral chamber piece "Sencillez," to more contemporary popular Cuban sounds found on "Iyesa con Miel" (a tribute to the Yoruba goddess Ochun), whose melody is carried by the iconic voice of Martinez, Gonzalez's music is defined by just that: the diverse spectrum of musical genres executed with virtuosity, approached with a contemporary perspective that maintains an underlying Cuban savor.

"This is an ambitious project that doesn't present me as only a pianist or improviser, but also as a composer, arranger, orchestrator, and bandleader," says Gonzalez. "For me, making an album is always about creating a full and complete piece of art, where I have a palette of different colors to choose from and can paint all those sounds that float in my head."

Gonzalez was born in the humble Havana neighborhood of Cerro, during what is referred to in Cuba as "the special period" and known as one of the toughest economic times in Cuba's history. Although the island severely lacked many of the basic necessities, it continued to support and promote musical education on the island.

Gonzalez's young life centered on music. His father, Fabian Gonzalez (a successful Afro-Cuban jazz trumpet player) became a driving force and inspiration in his musical development. At the age of eight, he began attending Paulita Concepcion Elementary School of Music, where he found his instrument, the piano. He was later accepted to Cuba's famed National High School for the Arts (ENA).

Gonzalez kept busy during his time at ENA. In his first year there, at the age of 16, former Irakere singer and percussionist Oscar Valdes discovered him. He was invited to become a founding member, pianist, and composer for Diakara. After three successful years with Oscar, Cuban drumming legend Giraldo Piloto found Gonzalez and invited him to join Klimax, with whom he would perform and record with for the next six years.

In 2004, he won first place in performance at the annual JoJazz Festival and competition known as Havana's top venue for up and coming jazz performers. In 2005, he won first place in the composition category and won his first record deal with the national record label Colibri. He recorded his first album with his recently founded group Habana enTRANCé, which became for him the perfect platform to develop his skills as artist, bandleader, and composer. This album would later win three Cubadisco, known as the Grammys of Cuba, for Best Debut Album, Best Jazz Album, and Best Engineered Recording.

Gonzalez was accepted to the prestigious Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana, where he spent four years studying composition with renowned professor Juan Piñera. Even with his intensified workload and studies, Gonzalez was invited by now longtime friend and mentor Chucho Valdés to open the Havana Jazz Festival in 2008.

In 2009, Gonzalez received an exciting invitation to prepare an application and audition for the venerable Berklee School of Music in Boston. His acceptance to the school made him the first Cuban national to receive a full scholarship. In 2011, in only his second year at the institution, Gonzalez was signed by Berklee's Jazz Revelation Records. In that same year, he was selected as one of the top five pianists in Berklee's annual Piano Gala, performing at the Berklee Performance Center.

In 2012, he was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall as part of their Voices of Latin America series, along with Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Danilo Perez, Egberto Gismonti and Aldo Lopez-Gavilan. In 2013, Gonzalez graduated Berklee Summa Cum Laude after receiving the Wayne Shorter Award for Most Outstanding Composer of the Year.

  

Dayramir Gonzalez · The Grand Concourse

Digital Release Date: March 2, 2018 · Physical Release: June 15, 2018

John Coltrane's Iconic 'Blue Train' Album To Be Released In A Limited 60th Anniversary Color Vinyl LP Edition Available Exclusively From The Sound Of Vinyl

Special Edition 180-Gram LP on Opaque Blue with Black Swirls Vinyl Limited to 1000 Copies Worldwide

On March 9, John Coltrane's transcendent Blue Train album will be released in a limited 60th Anniversary color vinyl LP edition by Blue Note/UMe. Limited to 1000 copies worldwide and available exclusively from The Sound of Vinyl, the collectible special edition presents the classic album's stereo mix on a 180-gram LP pressed on opaque blue with black swirls vinyl.

In 1957, while still discovering his own voice on the tenor saxophone in bands led by Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane enlisted a band of peers to record a new album at Rudy Van Gelder's Hackensack, NJ studio. With a new spirit rising, Coltrane was joined by trumpeter Lee Morgan, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Kenny Drew, and the rhythm section from Davis's classic '50s quintet -- bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones -- to create Blue Train, a 40-minute-plus masterwork that stands as one of the greatest jazz records of all time. Released in December 1957, Blue Train was Coltrane's second album as leader and his sole recording under his own name for Blue Note Records.

Coltrane went on to launch new rockets of interstellar music, including 1959's groundbreaking Giant Steps, 1964's sublime jazz prayer A Love Supreme, and 1966's large ensemble expedition Ascension, which sparked the burgeoning free jazz movement. But it all started for Coltrane with Blue Train, a pioneering five-song, blues-steeped, post-bop outing that exhilarates with pockets of brawn and poetry, excursions of ferocity and finesse, stretches of blazing velocity and soulful tenderness. By all measures it began as an organic session with four spirited Trane originals and a gorgeous rendition of the Jerome Kern-Johnny Mercer ballad, "I'm Old Fashioned." Graced by the incantations of inspired improvisation, Blue Train yielded a transcendence that few recordings achieve. Coltrane himself recognized the consummate character of Blue Train, referring to it later in his career as one of his favorite recordings.

johncoltrane.com

Legacy Recordings Announces Eclectic Assortment Of Collectible 7", 12" Vinyl And Cassette Titles For Record Store Day 2018 (Saturday, April 21)

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, today announces its most ambitious line-up of collectible releases for Record Store Day, to be released Saturday, April 21, 2018.

With 29 releases on 7" and 12" vinyl as well as cassette, this extraordinary collection of titles is Legacy's largest release slate in 11 years of celebrating Record Store Day with independent record retailers across the globe.

These exclusive releases celebrate some of the greatest acts in pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, country and jazz, including Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, The Allman Brothers Band, Jeff Buckley, Eurythmics, Van Morrison & Joey DeFrancesco, Rage Against The Machine, Uncle Tupelo, Bob Dylan & The Grateful Dead, Johnny Mathis, Wu-Tang Clan, Aaliyah, Soul Asylum, Marvin Gaye, Thelonious Monk and many more.

Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1400 independently owned record stores in the U.S. and thousands of similar stores internationally. This year, Run The Jewels has been named as Record Store Day's Official Ambassador.

To locate your nearest participating RSD shop, please visit http://www.recordstoreday.com/Stores

Legacy Recordings' Record Store Day 2018 releases include:

The Allman Brothers Band, Live At The Atlanta Pop Festival, July 3 & 5, 1970 (4LP 12" vinyl – Individually Numbered – First Time on Vinyl)

The Allman Brothers Band was one of Georgia's top live acts still looking for a national break when they were hired to open the three-day Atlanta International Pop Festival. The band's Southern blues style, bolstered by jams that stretched to epic lengths, won over audiences—and two days later, after legends like Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter and B.B. King took the stage, the Allmans were invited back for a second set. Recorded nearly a year before At Fillmore East established them as one of America's hottest bands, fans can now discover these landmark nights in Allman Brothers Band history with this individually numbered, limited edition box set, available on vinyl for the first time and packaged in an oversize slipcase with an eight-page booklet of photos and liner notes.

Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, It Takes Two: 30th Anniversary Edition (LP – Red Opaque Vinyl)

As hip-hop moved into the mainstream in 1988, Harlem duo Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock changed the game with "It Takes Two," one of the undisputed classic singles of the genre. The group's debut album It Takes Two, which featured the title track as well as the dance hits "Joy and Pain" and "Get On The Dance Floor," has been newly remastered in high definition from the original tapes and pressed on red opaque vinyl—its first appearance on the format since its original release 30 years ago.

Big Audio Dynamite II, On The Road Live '92 (12" Single – First Time on Vinyl)

The Clash's Mick Jones resurrected Big Audio Dynamite with a new lineup in the early 1990s, releasing The Globe, the band's best-selling album in America, in 1991. This five-track EP, available for the first time on vinyl, features performances from live dates in Chicago and New York—including a rendition of the band's U.K. No. 1 single, "Rush."

Jeff Buckley, Live At Sin-é: Legacy Edition (4LP 12" vinyl – Individually Numbered – First Time on Vinyl)

In a cramped club on the lower east side of Manhattan, armed with only an electric guitar, Jeff Buckley stunned audiences with his mysterious, emotionally uncompromising live sets, packed with eclectic covers and his own originals. The four-track Live At Sin-é EP, released in 1993, was his debut release for Columbia Records; here, it's expanded as a numbered, limited edition in a deluxe hard shell slipcase housing four individually designed LP jackets and an eight-page, full-color booklet of photos and liner notes. Live versions of favorites like "Grace," "Last Goodbye" and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" appear here on vinyl for the first time.

Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition (5LP 12" vinyl – Individually Numbered – First Time on Vinyl)

"Hello…I'm Johnny Cash." With those four words, The Man in Black solidified his legend as outlaw country pioneer with two spirited sets recorded at Folsom State Prison in 1968 and released as At Folsom Prison, one of the most acclaimed live albums of all time. This special box set includes both full concerts available for the first time on vinyl, including performances by June Carter, Carl Perkins and The Statler Brothers. This numbered deluxe package, featuring individually designed LP jackets packaged in a deluxe hard shell slipcase with an eight-page, 12" x 12" booklet, also includes a bonus 12" single featuring previously unreleased audio of Cash and friends rehearsing at the El Rancho Motel in Sacramento, California, the night before the concerts took place.

Circle Jerks, Gig (LP)

Released during a four-year hiatus for the seminal Los Angeles punk band, Gig features live highlights from the group's tenure on the Combat label during the latter half of the 1980s. Gig is now available on vinyl for the first time in the United States, and features newly-restored album packaging.

Cypress Hill, Black Sunday – Remixes (12" Single)

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of the best hip-hop albums of the '90s with this newly-compiled stash of rare remixes from Cypress Hill's breakthrough sophomore album Black Sunday. Includes alternate versions of "Insane In The Brain," "Lick a Shot," "When The Sh-- Goes Down" and "Hits From The Bong," plus the non-album track "Scooby Doo."

Bob Dylan & The Grateful Dead, Dylan & The Dead (LP – Red and Blue Tie-Die Vinyl)

In 1987, two legends joined forces for an unforgettable tour. Now, Dylan & The Dead, featuring The Grateful Dead backing up Bob Dylan on seven of his classic songs, including "All Along The Watchtower," "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Gotta Serve Somebody," is available on red and blue tie-dye vinyl for a trip unlike any other.

Eurythmics, 1984 (For The Love of Big Brother) (LP)

To be released on vinyl in the U.S. only for Record Store Day, the mostly-instrumental soundtrack to the British film adaptation of George Orwell's renowned dystopian novel (also released in 1984) is one of Eurythmics' most experimental works, as well as one of the duo's personal favorites. Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart's diverse electronic stylings accentuate the dark mood of the film, and "Sexcrime (1984)"—which was met with controversy from U.S. radio for its perceived content—became the duo's sixth consecutive U.K. Top 10 hit.

Marvin Gaye, Sexual Healing: The Remixes (12" Single – Red Smoke Vinyl)

In 1983, after a six-year absence from the upper reaches of the pop charts, Marvin Gaye re-established his soul supremacy with "Sexual Healing," an addictive romantic classic and the final pop hit of his lifetime. This EP, pressed on red smoke vinyl, includes seven versions of this unforgettable song (several making their vinyl debuts), including the original 12" single version, a rare alternate vocal version and remixes by Ben Liebrand, Kygo, SNBRN and more.

Jimi Hendrix, Mannish Boy b/w Trash Man (7" Single)

Recorded at New York City's Record Plant on April 22, 1969, this uptempo reworking of Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" marks Jimi Hendrix's first recording session with bassist Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles—the trio who became known as Band of Gypsys, whose work with Hendrix had a significant impact on his remarkable legacy. First released on Both Sides Of The Sky, a new studio album of rare and unissued Hendrix recordings, "Mannish Boy" is issued here as a 45 RPM single backed with "Trash Man," an April 3, 1969 studio recording made by the original Jimi Hendrix Experience. "Trash Man" is drawn from Hear My Music, a Dagger Records "official bootleg" album not sold in stores and otherwise only available to fans via jimihendrix.com.

Hot Tuna, Live At The New Orleans House (2LP – First Time on Vinyl)

Legacy Recordings' Live From The Vaults series uncovers rare and unreleased concerts on vinyl, featuring classic bootleg-inspired jacket design with unique, artist-specific outer wraps (OBIs)! Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane first conceived Hot Tuna as a loose, easygoing side project showcasing the duo's favorite pre-war country and blues songs in an intimate, acoustic style. Live At The New Orleans House features alternate performances from the same weeklong run of shows in Berkeley, California that were used for the band's self-titled debut in 1970—all released here for the first time on LP!

Living Colour, Live At CBGB's, 12.19.89 (LP – First Time on Vinyl)

Legacy Recordings' Live From The Vaults series uncovers rare and unreleased concerts on vinyl, featuring classic bootleg-inspired jacket design with unique, artist-specific outer wraps (OBIs)! For the first time on LP, experience Living Colour's triumphant homecoming set at the legendary New York City punk club. Recorded at the end of the tour promoting the group's smash debut album Vivid, this hard-driving set also previews songs from the band's next album, Time's Up, released in the summer of 1990.

Kenny Loggins, Return To Pooh Corner (LP – Purple Swirl Vinyl – First Time on Vinyl)

Kenny Loggins' 1994 children's album featured tender, gentle renditions of songs like "Rainbow Connection," "Somewhere Out There" and "Pure Imagination," plus a re-recording of Loggins & Messina's classic "House At Pooh Corner." This album (featuring guest appearances by David Crosby, Graham Nash and Amy Grant) makes its LP debut, pressed on purple swirl vinyl.

Johnny Mathis, I Love My Lady (LP – Clear Smoke Vinyl – First Time on Vinyl)

In 1982, Johnny Mathis attempted one of the biggest gambles of his lengthy career: an album of disco-ready funk and bossa nova tracks, written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, the founders of CHIC and hitmakers for Sister Sledge, Diana Ross and others. Unreleased for more than 35 years, the legend of I Love My Lady looms large. First released in Mathis' 2017 career-spanning CD box set The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection, I Love My Lady now makes its standalone debut, pressed on clear smoke vinyl and packaged in a jacket that captures the look and feel of a 1982 vintage Columbia Records release.

Thelonious Monk, Monk (LP)

Thelonious Monk's fourth studio album for Columbia Records, released in 1964, featured a sprightly mix of standards ("Just You, Just Me," "April In Paris") and originals ("Teo," a unique arrangement of "Children's Song (That Old Man)"). Monk would use this lineup (himself on piano, Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, Larry Gates on bass and Ben Riley on drums) in the studio and in concert for the next four years. To close Monk's centennial year, rediscover this overlooked gem in his discography, newly remastered at high resolution from the original master tapes.

Van Morrison & Joey DeFrancesco, Close Enough for Jazz b/w The Things I Used to Do (7" Single)

This limited edition 7" single is a collaboration between legendary vocalist Van Morrison and jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco, featuring a new version of Morrison's "Close Enough for Jazz" and a stunning rendition of Guitar Slim's "The Things I Used to Do."

Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy: Comedian (LP)

Recorded in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1983, Saturday Night Live superstar Eddie Murphy's raucous, no-holds-barred stand-up set tackled family barbecues, ice cream trucks and Reaganomics with the one-of-a-kind energy that quickly established him as one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars. That set became the acclaimed stand-up special Delirious and the album Eddie Murphy: Comedian, a Grammy Award winner for Best Comedy Album—now back on vinyl for the first time in more than 30 years!

Pink Floyd, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (Mono) (LP)

The psychedelic debut album by Pink Floyd was their sole album completed with original vocalist/guitarist Syd Barrett and featured the early classic "Interstellar Overdrive." The original mono version of Pink Floyd's first LP, named one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, is available on vinyl for the first time in more than 50 years.

Elvis Presley, The King In The Ring (2LP – Individually Numbered – Red Vinyl – First Time on Vinyl)

Elvis Presley re-established himself as The King of Rock and Roll with ELVIS, the widely-seen "comeback special" broadcast on NBC at the end of 1968. The show's many highlights included laid-back live performances recorded in the round before a small audience and featuring a powerful ensemble—including guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana, both part of Elvis' original, classic backing band. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of ELVIS, both electrifying, intimate "sit-down" sets will be released on vinyl for the first time in an individually numbered 2LP package with a newly created gatefold sleeve, pressed on red vinyl. The history of Presley's amazing "comeback special" is told in Elvis Presley: The Searcher, the new documentary premiering April 14 on HBO.

Prodigy, Keep It Thoro (Picture Disc)

As half of the iconic group Mobb Deep, Prodigy (1974-2017) was a key player in New York hip-hop's mid-1990s renaissance, delivering in-depth, uncompromising verses about life in the Queensbridge projects. Certified Classics honors Prodigy's legendary and undisputed legacy with a special picture disc release using the original artwork from his debut hit solo single, 2000's "Keep It Thoro," and featuring instrumental and a cappella versions of the track as well as a remix by Prodigy's Mobb Deep partner Havoc.

Rage Against The Machine, Democratic National Convention 2000 (LP – First Time on Vinyl)

Less than a year after the release of the album The Battle Of Los Angeles, Rage Against The Machine performed a concert in protest of the American political party system across from the Staples Center while the Democratic National Convention was held inside. Rage Against The Machine's set is now available for the first time on vinyl for Record Store Day.

Soul Asylum, Live From Liberty Lunch, Austin, TX, December 3, 1992 (2LP – Previously Unreleased – First Time on Vinyl)

Legacy Recordings' Live From The Vaults series uncovers rare and unreleased concerts on vinyl, featuring classic bootleg-inspired jacket design with unique, artist-specific outer wraps (OBIs)! This never-before-heard set features Soul Asylum's hard-driving performance at the legendary Austin venue Liberty Lunch, just months after the release of their breakthrough album Grave Dancers Union.

Bruce Springsteen, Greatest Hits (2LP – Individually Numbered – Red Vinyl)

Originally released in 1995, Greatest Hits was the first collection of powerful hit singles from the first two decades of Bruce Springsteen's career—and kicked off an exciting new chapter in his story with three brand-new songs recorded with The E Street Band after nearly a decade apart. Long unavailable on the vinyl format, this individually numbered 2LP set, pressed on red vinyl, is assembled from the brilliant remasters of Springsteen's discography by Bob Ludwig.

Uncle Tupelo, No Depression – Demos (LP – First Time on Vinyl)

Released in 1990, Uncle Tupelo's debut album No Depression was a genuine milestone in American rock and roll, a striking fusion of traditional folk and country with post-punk innovation and hardcore ferocity. For the first time on vinyl, fans can hear Jeff Tweedy, Jay Farrar and Mike Heidorn's legendary demo tape Not Forever, Just For Now, recorded in 1989, plus a demo of "No Depression" recorded a year prior.

Various Artists, Dogfish Head Brewery: Music To Drink Beer and Make Love To (LP)

Dogfish Head Brewery and Legacy Recordings' ongoing Music To Drink Beer To series is a Record Store Day tradition—and this year's entry offers a perfect playlist for refreshment as well as romance. Get in the mood with tracks from Teddy Pendergrass, Ginuwine, Jeff Buckley, Bill Withers, A Tribe Called Quest, Nina Simone and many more!

Wu-Tang Clan, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Cassette)

25 years ago, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) introduced hip-hop heads to one of the genre's most unconventional groups ever. Rediscover the debut of Ol' Dirty Bastard, RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man and all the rest, now available on cassette for the first time since its original release.

NEW RELEASES: MICA BETHEA - SUITE THEORY; MENAGERIE – ARROW OF TIME; FIRE (MATS GUSTAFSSON) - HANDS

MICA BETHEA - SUITE THEORY

On Suite Theory, composer and arranger Mica Bethea has turned a devastating, life altering accident into an inspired work of art. When he was just 21 years old, a car accident left him a quadriplegic, but his artistic drive and deep musicality remained unscathed.  This is Bethea’s third CD. His previous projects have established his reputation as a distinctive voice whose big band writing is infused with soulfulness and a satisfying complexity.  Although he’s drawn on personal experiences in his previous releases, Suite Theory is a thoroughly biographical project. It follows the arc of his life from before the accident until today.  Since this was going to be an extended composition, he decided to write it as a symphony in four movements with each movement corresponding to a period of his life. Although Bethea’s music is rooted in the big band genre, he has a voice that’s all his own. That’s largely because he writes for himself and doesn’t worry about categories or stylistic purity. His music is both fun and complex. It’s brimming with originality and technical sophistication.  Although his body is limited, his mind, heart, and artistic soul are flying free and unfettered in the musical cosmos. SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/mica-bethea/sets/suite-theory/s-Am2XV

MENAGERIE – 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

FIRE (MATS GUSTAFSSON) - HANDS

Fire may well be on fire more than ever before here – which is saying a lot, given the trio's previous run of really amazing records! The set features lots of bold work on electric bass from Johan Berthling – who almost seems out to transform the avant jazz combo into some sort of heavy rock trio from the Brit scene of the early 70s – inspired clearly by all the fuzz and dark tones of that generation, which makes an amazing match for the reeds of Mats Gustafsson and drums of Anreas Werliin! There's this amazing freakout vibe here – almost as if the ESP generation of the late 60s had drunk deep from the brew of early Sabbath – then commenced to merge outside jazz and rock in ways that Albert Ayler or Archie Shepp never could have imagined. Mats blows tenor, baritone, and bass saxes – and also plays electronics – while Werliin controls some feedback on the performance, which certainly adds to its ferocity. Titles include "To Shave The Leaves In Red In Black", "Washing Your Heart In Filth", "Touches Me With The Tips Of Wonder", "The Hands", and "When Her Lips Collapsed". ~ Dusty Groove

 

Van Morrison Joins Forces with Jazz Organ Virtuoso Joey DeFrancesco on You're Driving Me Crazy, a New Studio Album

Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release Van Morrison's new 39th studio album, You're Driving Me Crazy, a musical collaboration with Hammond organ virtuoso and trumpet master Joey DeFrancesco, on Friday, April 27.

The successor to Versatile, Van's chart-topping jazz album from 2017, You're Driving Me Crazy will be available in 1CD/2LP physical configurations. A limited edition 7" single--featuring Van Morrison's "Close Enough For Jazz" b/w Morrison's stunning rendition of Guitar Slim's "The Things I Used To Do"--will be available for Record Store Day 2018 (celebrated at independent record stores nationwide on Saturday, April 21).

  

A new milestone in Van Morrison's ever-expanding catalog of essential recordings, You're Driving Me Crazy finds the iconic Irish singer-songwriter-performer exploring a variety of jazz and blues standards and classics ("Miss Otis Regrets," "The Things I Used to Do," "Everyday I Have the Blues") alongside fresh interpretations of songs from Van's own catalog ("Have I Told You Lately," "The Way Young Lovers Do," "Magic Time").

You're Driving Me Crazy finds Morrison collaborating in the studio with DeFrancesco and his band--including Dan Wilson (guitar), Michael Ode (drums) and Troy Roberts (tenor saxophone). DeFrancesco, who signed his first deal with Columbia Records at the age of 16, has performed with Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Grover Washington, Jr. and many more while leading his own band, and is responsible for bringing the classic Hammond organ sound back to the world of jazz in the late 1980s.

The release of You're Driving Me Crazy caps more than a year of non-stop activity for Van Morrison, who released his 37th and 38th studio albums (Roll with the Punches and Versatile) in quick succession in the fall and winter of 2017. Roll With The Punches became his 13th album to reach the Top 10 of the U.K. charts, while Versatile topped Billboard's jazz chart.

The world of jazz has provided a vital ongoing influence on the music of Van Morrison, whose acclaimed 1968 studio masterpiece, Astral Weeks, showcased jazz musicians Connie Kay, Jay Berliner, and Richard Davis.  Inspired by the spontaneity, soul and sound of jazz, Morrison has performed on stage and/or in the studio with a variety of jazz and blues musicians including John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, Mose Allison, Bobby Bland, Solomon Burke, Jeff Beck, Georgie Fame, Robbie Robertson, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Maceo Parker, Candy Dulfer and others.

Joey DeFrancesco is a prolific American jazz organist, trumpeter, and vocalist and Grammy-nominee who signed his first record deal (with Columbia Records) at the age of 16 and has gone on to release more than 30 albums. He has performed on stage and in the studio with a wide variety of artists including Miles Davis, Jimmy Smith, Ray Charles, Bette Midler, David Sanborn, Arturo Sandoval, Larry Coryell, Frank Wess, John McLaughlin, Danny Gatton, Elvin Jones, and many more. DeFrancesco is a nine-time winner of the Down Beat Critics Poll (organ) and has won the Down Beat Readers Poll every year since 2005. He has won a number of JazzTimes Awards and is an inaugural member of the Hammond Hall of Fame.

YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY

1. Miss Otis Regrets (Cole Porter)

2. Hold It Right There (Terry, Grey, Vinson)

3. All Saints Day (Van Morrison)

4. The Way Young Lovers Do (Van Morrison)

5. The Things I Used To Do (Eddie Jones)

6. Travellin' Light (John Mercer, James Mundy, James Young)

7. Close Enough For Jazz (Van Morrison)

8. Goldfish Bowl (Van Morrison)

9. Evening Shadows (Van Morrison / Acker Bilk)

10. Magic Time (Van Morrison)

11. You're Driving Me Crazy (Walter Donaldson)

12. Everyday I Have The Blues (Peter Chatman)

13. Have I Told You Lately (Van Morrison)

14. Sticks and Stones (Titus Turner)

15. Celtic Swing (Van Morrison)

NEW RELEASES: MATTHEW SHIPP - ZERO; IVAN LINS & GILSON PERANZZETTA - CUMPLICIDADE; THE CONGREATION – RECORD COLLECTION

MATTHEW SHIPP - ZERO

Two sides of zero from Matthew Shipp – one CD of solo piano material, and a second disc that features spoken Shipp delivering "A Lecture On Nothingness"! As you might guess, we're most moved by the piano work – which is wonderful, and seems to have Matthew rediscovering some of his warmer elements, while still keeping things very angular, experimental, and full of surprise! There's these subtle colors here that could sometimes be missing from Shipp's music in points over the past decade or two – and there's some especially beautiful moments that almost have him working in territory of Herbie Nichols or Thelonious Monk – with lots of beautiful angles and shapes from the piano. Titles include "Zero Skip & A Jump", "Zero", "Abyss Before Zero", "After Zero", "Pattern Emerge", "Cosmic Sea", and "Zero Subtract From Jazz". ~ Dusty Groove

IVAN LINS & GILSON PERANZZETTA - CUMPLICIDADE

A really wonderful setting for the lyrical talents of Ivan Lins – a set that has the singer working alongside pianist Gilson Peranzzetta – but at a level that's maybe even more expressive than some of his recent albums with fuller arrangements! Gilson is a partner of Lins in a legacy that goes back to the 70s – and both artists play keyboards and piano here, interweaving rhythms and lines in this way that's light, but quite powerful – yet still spare, which leaves Ivan to dominate the proceedings strongly with his vocals – and remind us that his singing helped transform a generation, and open up a global market for his songs. Titles include "Abre Alas", "Antes Que Seja Tarde", "Lembra De Mim", "Ai Ai Ai Ai", "Love Dance", "Setembro", and "Temporal".  ~ Dusty Groove

THE CONGREATION – RECORD COLLECTION

The Congregation must have quite a big record collection – given the range of classic influences that go into their music – a wealth of sounds from Motown to Memphis soul, to some deeper blues currents that come from their Chicago hometown! The group are a tight little collective – able to burn slow, or burst out strongly on their horns – and this time around, they seem to have an even stronger southern soul vibe than before – all graced by the lead vocals of singer Gina Bloom. Titles include "Record Collection", "They Will Fall", "Sentimental One", "Until We Die", "Love Letter", "Better Days", and "The Bottom". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: SEAN KUTI & EGYPT 80 – BLACK TIMES; DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO – CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR; MONOPHONICS - MIRRORS

SEAN KUTI & EGYPT 80 – BLACK TIMES

Some of the most righteous and furiously funky Afro Soul since Fela Kuti's prime – and it's beyond appropriate for such a committed, perfect personification of a classic sound via a modern player come from Fela's own son Seun! As strident as Seun's approach is, much like his father at his best, the call for revolution is as personal and soulful as it is political – this is a universal that's as riveting as you'd hope. Joined by veterans of the Egypt 80 band that Fela helped form back in the day, and featuring guests as legendary as Carlos Santana – who sounds SO good in a supporting roll on an Afro Soul tune – and modern soul jazz heavy Robert Glasper, this is among the finest new albums on the Strut label in years. Includes "Last Revolutionary", "Black Times" feat Carlos Santana, "Corporate Public Control Department (CPCD)", "Kuku Kee Me", "Bad Man Lighter (BML)", "African Dreams", "Struggle Sounds" and "Theory Of Goat And Yam". ~ Dusty Groove

DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO – CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR

An organ trio, and one with plenty of soul – romping drums, riffing guitar, and some mighty sweet work on the Hammond by Delvon Lamarr! This is the first we've ever heard of the group, but they're rock solid and right on the money – working with a lean, hard style that's completely classic, but also a bit contemporary too – maybe swinging in the best sort of space between the Jack McDuff Quartet of the 60s and the Sugarman Three group of Desco Records fame! David McGraw handles the drums with a clear love of funk, and Jimmy James is wonderfully wicked on guitar – never trying to dominate too much, as there's no need – given how much he brings to the overall groove. Delvon's a hell of an organist too – the kind that knows that a little can often go much farther than a lot when handling the electric keys – which he does to set up some sweet solos on cuts that include "Ain't It Funky", "Al Greenery", "Can I Change My Mind", "Walk On By", "Between The Mustard & The Mayo", "Raymond Brings The Greens", and "Little Booker T". (Black vinyl pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove

MONOPHONICS - MIRRORS

A nice little project from The Monophonics – one that has the group turning their fuzzy funk talents towards a host of classic cuts from the 60s and 70s – which they remake with a very distinctly different sound! You're bound to recognize most cuts here, but it might take you a minute or two – as the Monophonics bring plenty of instrumentation that wasn't on the originals – from heavy drums, to Hammond, Fender Rhodes, electric sitar, mini moog, Arp, and trumpet – along with vocals from a few different singers, both male and female. Titles include "Summer Breeze", "Lying", "I'd Be Nowhere Today", "California Dreaming", "My Heart Cries", and an especially nice version of "Beggin". ~ Dusty Groove