Pianist HELEN SUNG presents SUNG WITH WORDS - A Collaboration with Dana Gioia

Winning a 2014 Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation "New Jazz Works" grant (given each year to support the compositional efforts of U.S. based jazz artists) enabled pianist/composer Helen Sung to fulfill a long-time dream: to create Sung With Words, a collaborative project with the celebrated American poet Dana Gioia. Utilizing jazz and poetry as powerful catalysts to create new music, Sung With Words is Sung's first recording to feature all original music, consisting of vocal works where Gioia's poems serve as lyrics, as well as instrumental compositions inspired by words (for example, her Lament for Kalief Browder). She enlists longtime musical colleagues to help bring the music to life: multi-reedist John Ellis, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Kendrick Scott and percussionist Samuel Torres. Vocalists Jean Baylor, Carolyn Leonhart, Christie Dashiell, and Charenee Wade interpret the words of Gioia, whose poems have been described as "resonant with music".

Jazz writer David Adler perceptively states in his liner notes: "The affinity between jazz and poetry stretches back to Langston Hughes and others writing in the "Jazz Age" of the '20s, forward to the Beat Generation and up to today. Poets played a central role in the '60s avant-garde and free jazz, not to mention the current intertwined exchange between jazz and hip-hop. In recent years, Andrew Rathbun has composed works inspired by Margaret Atwood; Luciana Souza by Neruda and Elizabeth Bishop; John Hollenbeck by Kenneth Patchen - the list goes on." 

Now, Sung and Gioia enter the fray, and with aplomb! Sung first met Gioia at a White House State Dinner and discovered he was a fan and champion of jazz (during his term he spearheaded the revival of the National Endowment's Jazz Masters Award into the robust program it is today, and his younger brother is noted jazz author Ted Gioia). Poetry hadn't been an area of focus for the pianist/composer so she was intrigued to meet a 'live' poet. "Dana has a fascinating story, both personally and professionally, and one of his many gifts is his ability to make poetry accessible and even enjoyable for the layperson, similar to how Wynton Marsalis does with jazz," Sung says. Elaborating further, "After high school required poetry, I stayed away, remembering how I disliked feeling unsure of a poem's meaning, worrying that I was the only one who didn't 'get it'."

In conversation with Gioia, however, Sung found her footing: "I admitted my general feelings about poetry, and he said, 'Don't worry too much about literal meaning. Read the poem out loud, listen to how the words fall rhythmically, how they flow, how the consonants and vowels sound, and meaning will come - usually sideways.' It was a revelation! I also discovered when I would imagine lines of poetry as a melodic phrase or rhythmic pattern, it would illuminate the words and the poem would come alive with meaning. I soon thought, why not make this into a song? This led to the desire to create a full-length album of songs, and I couldn't think of a more exciting and inspiring collaborator than Dana when I applied for the Chamber Music America 'New Jazz Works' grant."

Sung With Words also reflects Sung's fascination with the direct connection vocalists have with the listener. Unlike instrumentalists who deal purely with sound, vocalists are armed with lyrics that can be readily understood by the listener - they can be storytellers in a very tangible way. "It has been a great learning experience dealing with words - building sonic worlds around Dana's poems that express what those words mean to me," says Sung. "In my research for writing the music for Sung With Words I found inspiration in music where words, rhythm and sound are interwoven in ways that move me - music of artists such as Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, A Tribe Called Quest, Me'shell Ndegeocello, Esperanza Spaulding, Terri Lyne Carrington, etc. I have a great respect for the art of song-writing and wanted to answer the challenge: to present Dana's words in my own musical language - as an honest distillation of what I hear, and how I hear."

  

Helen Sung is a pianist of great breadth and excellence, able to enrapture an audience as a soloist; one of the few pianists in the world who can perform in a duo setting with the legendary Ron Carter; lead a trio with such fire and absolute brilliance that it will transport you back to the heyday of Bradley's in the 80s/90s; or, dive into a larger formats ranging from Quartet to Big Band (as evidenced by her contribution on Jazz at Lincoln Center's 2017 Blue Engine release Handful of Keys). Steeped in the blues and post-bop, with an affinity for Monk, but also able to expertly deal with James P. Johnson and Jelly Roll Morton, Sung has worked with a "Who's Who" in jazz, including the late Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, Terri Lyne Carrington, the Mingus Big Band and MacArthur Fellow Regina Carter. A graduate of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, Sung knows the tradition and uses this bedrock to build upon and expand her artistic vision. Her recorded output reveals a composer and bandleader, second to none: Push (2003), Helenistique (2006), Sungbird (2007), Going Express (2010), (re)Conception (2011), and Anthem For a New Day (2014). Sung With Words is a thrilling next step in the pianist's glorious and inspiring evolution, and Sung fittingly declares, "It's been a great adventure and I look forward to sharing this music with the world!"

  

Upcoming Tour Dates:

Aug 15 - Smalls Jazz Club (NYC)

Aug 16-19 - Jazz Standard (NYC)

Aug 23 - Bayside Summer Nights Jazz Series (San Diego)

Aug 28-Sept 1 - Birdland Jazz Club (NYC)

Sept 14 - CD Release at the Blue Whale (Los Angeles, CA)

Sept 15 - Christianity, Community, Churches, and Challenges, (Irvine, CA)

Sept 18-22 - Birdland Jazz Club (NYC)

Sept 28 - Met Museum of Art (NYC)

Sept 30* - CD Release concert (LIU Post, Long Island)

Oct 5-7 - w/Oregon Coast Jazz Party (Newport, OR)

Oct 8 -  Chapel Performance Space (Seattle, WA)

Oct 9 - Edmonds Woodway High School (Seattle, WA)

Oct 10 - Monk Centennial Celebrationg (San Francisco, CA)

Oct 12-22 - Ronnie Scott's (UK)

Oct 24-25 - Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (NYC)

Oct 25 - WBGO/Yamaha Concert Series 2018 (NYC)

Nov 7-10 - (exact dates TBC) Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival

Nov 16 - NJPAC (Newark, NJ)

Nov 17 - Kennedy Center (Wash., DC)

Nov 18 - McCarter Theater (Princeton, NJ)

Dec 1 - CD Release at North Coast Brewing's Sequoia Room 

(Fort Bragg, CA)

Dec 2 - Healdsburg Jazz (Healdsburg, CA)

Dec 4 or 5 - CD Release at Dazzle Jazz (Denver, CO)

Dec 6 - CD Release at Kuumbwa Jazz Center (Santa Cruz, CA)

Jan 19 - CD Release at Vermont Jazz Center (Brattleboro, VT)

Jan 26 - CD Release at 2019 Trinity Jazz Festival (Houston, TX)   

In a New Six Album Solo Recording, Guitarist Miles Okazaki Plays the Complete Thelonious Monk Songbook

The year 2017 marked the centennial of Thelonious Monk's birth, full of commemorations and remembrances of the master composer. After performing in a tribute concert that year, guitarist Miles Okazaki decided to embark on a deep dive into Monk's music, documenting his progress as a recording project. 

Over the course of the next year, he exhaustively researched every composition in the repertoire and translated each one onto the guitar, staying as faithful as possible to the original material while improvising arrangements with a focus on rhythm. With 70 compositions spanning six full-length albums, this is the first time that the complete Thelonious Monk songbook has been recorded on a single solo instrument.

Miles Okazaki is a NYC based guitarist originally from Port Townsend, a small seaside town in Washington State. His approach to the guitar is described by The New York Times as "utterly contemporary, free from the expectations of what it means to play a guitar in a group setting - not just in jazz, but any kind." His sideman experience over the last two decades covers a broad spectrum of approaches (Kenny Barron, John Zorn, Stanley Turrentine, Dan Weiss, Matt Mitchell, Jonathan Finlayson, Jane Monheit, Amir ElSaffar, Darcy James Argue, and many others). 

He was seen most prominently with Steve Coleman and Five Elements from 2009-2017. As a leader  Okazaki is known primarily as a composer, having written four volumes of original compositions over the last 12 years. His most recent album Trickster was released on Pi Recordings last year to wide acclaim, receiving editor's picks in DownBeat Magazine and JazzTimes, called "a true concept album" by The Wall Street Journal and "a mature work for the ages" by PopMatters. This album of Thelonious Monk compositions is his first recording of standard repertoire. 

 

MoonJune announces new release of the Catalan drummer extraordinaire XAVI REIJA "The Sound Of The Earth"

Featuring:

XAVI REIJA drums

TONY LEVIN bass guitar, upright bas, stick

DUSAN JEVTOVIC guitar

MARKUS REUTER touch guitar

The Sound Of The Earth  Notes by Dan Burke:

First heard on Xavi and Dusan’s inspired 2014 album, “Random Abstract” by XaDu, “Deep Ocean” starts things off with a fanfare of muscular guitar and cymbals crashing like waves on the rocky coast, carving out the beach and unearthing a primal groove with growling bass and jittering spectral figures. “The Sound of the Earth I” brings to mind David Sylvian’s post-Japan near ambient instrumental excursions where space and pause became as integral to the “composition as place” as his trusty Prophet 5. Once this world is created, and with a decidedly Beckian vibe (Jeff, that is), Dusan wrings from the neck of his guitar, some of the most emotive broken phrases and edited soulful voicings.

“From Darkness” finds Tony’s minimalist bass pulse in 5/8 with snare/kick serving as the groundwork for Dusan and Markus’ spiraling moebius strip guitar riffery. There is a slightly frenzied insistence to this track which serves as a great counterpoint to the more atmospheric work.

Leading off with playful skipping brushwork and a rich and supple Levin bass groove, then painted with Reuter’s ominous stained and weathered guitar tones, “The Sound of the Earth II” is a dark canvas of shifting clouds of color. Dusan’s skittery clipped chords and abbreviated lead lines bring necessary tension for the fluid guitar phrasings which seem to erupt and then run down the face of this 12 minute tone painting. “Serenity” is an inspired atmospheric piece which features an abstracted melodic lead buoyed by an insistent tamboura-like repeated wavering note. There is enough creativity and inspiration in this one track to feed a whole album’s worth of music.

Beginning with a deep space Curtis Mayfield vibe, “The Sound of the Earth III” unfolds slowly with a practiced teasing restraint that allows the music to bloom naturally. “Lovely Place” finds the notes of Dusan’s guitar projected, like light, into a prism and coming back as a myriad of shimmering colors. Reuter’s stellar fluid guitar solo has a heroic and almost “Hotel California” build and break before returning to Dusan’s delicate finger work.

At nearly 17 minutes long, “The Sound of the Earth IV” would feel right at home on side 3 of a double Kosmiche Musik LP from 1969. This is heady stuff with lots of room for some really spirited interplay. Markus inspires this kind of creativity with his willingness to step way outside of the comfort zone. The musicians feel as though they’ve played together for years. In “Take a Walk” Dusan knits a lean triplet argeggiated guitar riff into a tight braid to give structure while a swaggering monster groove builds and builds, all the while tugging mercilessly at the yarn of his guitar until it temporarily unravels into a series of more tentative notes and slightly bent chords.

You can feel the room in this recording and, by that, I mean you can sense both the physical space and the emotional space between these four gifted players. There is a level of trust and comfort here that puts the listener at ease and ready to take the ride. Band leader and Catalan drummer, Xavi Reija and Serbian-born guitarist Dusan Jevtovic have worked together on numerous projects these past few years and have become an intuitive musical unit. Born in Boston, Tony Levin, with his impeccable pedigree from Herbie Mann and Chuck Mangione to Peter Gabriel and King Crimson as well as his own 10- year ongoing project Stick Men, along with fellow Stick Men, Crimson ProjeKCt and Centrozoon member German-born Markus Reuter, have likewise developed a common language communicating through music.

Such heartfelt and enthusiastic playing is in short supply these days. This is not music pigeon-holed for easy consumption, rather, it challenges and rewards more and more with each listening. So put down your phone, lower the lights and prepare to experience the gift of this inspired recording.

Pianist Jim Wilson's soul-stirring cinematic portraits are unveiled in “Remembrance”

Along life’s journey, we may be lucky enough to meet someone who inspires us, has a lasting impact and transforms how we love and live our life. Pianist Jim Wilson said goodbye to his inspirational figure last year when his aunt passed away at age 97. He wrote “The Girl From Eastland County” for Aunt Billie Jo for his forthcoming tenth album, “Remembrance: A Collection of Cinematic Portraits,” but the presence of the woman who embodied unconditional love is felt throughout the redolent session of poignant piano poetry that drops September 28 from Willow Bay Music. Remembering another dear confidante, Andrew Gold, Wilson offers a sprightly instrumental remake of the late singer-songwriter’s worldwide hit “Thank You For Being A Friend,” which was remixed for radio airplay by the track’s guitarist Chris Standring.

  

On “Remembrance,” Wilson pours his seemingly endless fount of sweeping melodies and grandiose harmonies to craft vivid sonicscapes rendered with heart and emotion. Inherently expressive and sentimental, his exquisite piano strikes resonant notes that penetrate deep to the core. The color and scope applied to Wilson’s canvases vary, sometimes favoring a full palate of lavish orchestrations such as on opener “Shadow Falls,” the title track, “Under A Highlands Moon” and “Denouement”; other times choosing dreamlike ambient hues (“Tangerine Moon” and “Diogenes Lantern”); or opting to leave his reverential pencil sketches sparsely adorned (“In The Stillness” and “Home is Where the Heart Is”). Whether the accompaniment be minimal and atmospheric or illumined by noteworthy musicians including keyboardist Brad Cole (Phil Collins), drummer Charlie Morgan (Elton John), Irish flutist Eric Rigler (“Titanic” soundtrack) and noted session players Troy Dexter (guitar) and Neil Stubenhaus (bass), Wilson’s aim is to connect and lead his listeners on an affecting path of discovery.

“I’ve always been told that my music has a visual quality to it, but I wanted to take it to a new level with this record, creating a collection of ‘cinematic portraits’ that take the listener on an emotional journey. ‘Remembrance’ has a reverent, contemplative feel that serves as centerpiece for the rest of the album. What matters most is that this music enriches the lives of those who hear it,” said Wilson, who concluded by addressing the role his aunt still plays in his life. “I strive to be more like her in every aspect of my life.”

  

Wilson grew up in Amarillo, Texas, but he is a longtime Los Angeles-area resident. Three of his albums hit the Billboard Top 20 - “Northern Seascape,” “Cape of Good Hope” and “A Place In My Heart” - and two of his concerts have been made into PBS specials, including “A Place In My Heart.” His work as an innovator pioneered and revolutionized MIDI adaptors for piano by allowing it to interact with computers and synthesizers. He taught Paul McCartney, Elton John, Jackson Browne, Burt Bacharach, Carole King and many others how to use the MIDI-piano. As a television composer, Wilson wrote music for the CBS series “Frank’s Place” and has performed on ABC and QVC. His previous albums include appearances by David Sanborn, Stephen Bishop, J.D. Souther, Chris Botti and Dan Fogelberg. In addition to solo performances, Wilson has long served as keyboardist and music director for Bishop, for whom he is presently touring and opening.               

Wilson’s “Remembrance” contains the following songs:

“Shadow Falls”

“Remembrance”

“The Girl From Eastland County”

“In the Stillness”

“Tangerine Moon”

“Home is Where the Heart Is”

“Diogenes Lantern”

“Under a Highlands Moon”

“Thank You For Being A Friend”

“Denouement”

Saxophonist Eli Degibri Reimagines Saxophonist Hank Mobley's Iconic Soul Station

About twenty years ago, when Eli Degibri was attending Berklee School of Music, his teacher commented on a solo he’d played during a casual session on Wayne Shorter’s “Yes Or No.” “He stopped the music,” Degibri told DownBeat magazine in 2011. “He said, ‘You play old in a new way.’ In this one phrase, he basically said my motto.”

Keep the playing-old-in-a-new-way mantra in mind as you listen to Soul Station (October 5 via Degibri Records), the 40-year-old tenor saxophonist’s eighth album. If the title evokes a sense of déjà vu, that’s because Degibri conceived the date as a tune-for-tune “remake” of an iconic 1960 album of that name for Blue Note Records led by tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley (1930-1986) with a hall-of-fame rhythm section of master practitioners of swing and blues-oriented expression — pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey. Fifty-seven years later, Tel Aviv native and resident Degibri and his rhythm section of Israeli twenty-somethings capture the soulful earthiness of those proceedings, while imbuing the repertoire with their individualism and articulate it in their own manner.

On the album-opening “Remember,” for example, Degibri and company sustain the “perfect dancy-funky groove” of the original, but create a fresh pathway by using composer Irving Berlin’s original changes in lieu of what Degibri calls Mobley’s “perfect reharmonization.” On Mobley’s “This I Dig Of You,” long a jam session staple, he plays a transcription of Wynton Kelly’s original solo on soprano saxophone in unison with the gifted pianist Tom Oren. Degibri counter-states Mobley’s medium-up-swing interpretation of “If I Should Lose You” by playing it as a ballad, adding his own touch by reharmonizing the changes. He alters Mobley’s up-tempo rhythm changes line, “Split Feelings,” by blowing on soprano while also reharmonizing the bridge of the melody.

Degibri concludes the proceedings with his sole original, “Dear Hank.” “I tried to get into Hank’s head and imagine how he’d be composing if he was alive today,” he says. “It’s a true and pure tribute to my hero. Soul Station made a huge impact on me at a very early age. Every time I think about Hank, every time I imagine his sound, I feel happy and good—his sense of sound and melody is embedded in my music.”

Known colloquially to his generational peer group as “the middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone,” Mobley deployed authoritative chops to tell lyrical stories that danced around the rhythm, constructing long, complex, harmonically adventurous lines that he resolved with cat-like elegance. On the homage, Degibri packs a heavyweight wallop with impassioned, ascendant, muscular, ever-melodic declamations, rendered with what his long-time colleague Aaron Goldberg described as a “refined, creative jazz sensibility.”

Ron Carter got Degibri’s message early, and recommended him to Herbie Hancock, who hired him in 1999 for what would be a 30-month stint performing repertoire from Hancock’s GRAMMY® Award-winning Gershwin’s World album. He further refined his artistry as a member of drum master Al Foster’s group from 2002 until 2011, and as the leader of bands that included such internationally acclaimed musicians as Goldberg, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Street, Jeff Ballard, Kevin Hays, Gary Versace, Gregory Hutchinson, and Obed Calvaire, resulting in seven well-regarded recordings of primarily original music, including Cliff-Hanging.

After moving back to his homeland from New York in 2011, Degibri — who is the artistic director of the Red Sea Jazz Festival — began forming bands culled from Israel’s large pool of young hardcore jazz oriented musicians. He’s worked with the musicians on Soul Station — pianist Tom Oren, bassist Tamir Shmerling, and drummer Eviatar Slivnik—for the last three years.                                              

“All my guys knew all this music, because in Israel Soul Station is taught in school,” Degibri says, explaining why this quartet of Millennials renders the repertoire with the seasoned flair you might associate with masters who came of age during the aftermath of World War II. “The kids in Israel know their tradition. They don’t feel it’s not cool to play 4/4 rhythm changes or to play the blues. “I think it’s nice for my audience to hear where all the music came from. At the end of the day, I like to play standards. Making them sound good and fresh is important to me. Why is it acceptable to remake a classic Hollywood movie but such a faux pas to remake a classic jazz record?

“When I came to New York, I didn’t write. My only goal and dream was to be able to play and to speak the language, and the only way to that was by playing with great musicians and playing standards,” says Degibri. “I’m very proud of my compositions, but this album is also a way for me to free myself and say, ‘I’ve done that.’”

StreamTracks from Soul Station

Eli Degibri · Soul Station

Degibri Records · Release Date: October 5, 2018

Saxophonist Camille Thurman to release "Waiting For The Sunrise"

Acclaimed by Downbeat Magazine as a "rising star" singer with “soulful inflection and remarkable, Fitzgerald-esque scat prowess” and hailed by All About Jazz as a “first class saxophonist that blows the proverbial roof of the place”, Camille Thurman has been amazing audiences throughout the world with her impeccable sound, remarkable vocal virtuosity and captivating artistry. Many have praised her vocal abilities to the likeness of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter. Her lush, rich & warm sound on the tenor saxophone has led others to compare her to tenor greats Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon.

Following up her Chesky debut, Inside the Moment, which debuted #25 on the Billboard Jazz Albums Chart, Camille Thurman returns for her sophomore Chesky effort. Supported by Jazz veterans Cecil McBee (Bass), Jack Wilkins (Guitar), Steve Williams (Drums), and Jeremy Pelt (Trumpet), Camille showcases her remarkable talent and potential both vocally and on saxophone on this collection of Jazz standards entitled Waiting for the Sunrise.  Part of the Chesky Binaural + Series, all recorded with a single microphone, the band appears right before you with this spacious, lush and multi-dimensional recording. Now headphone users will hear the same three-dimensional sound and imaging as audiophiles have for the past 25 years with Chesky Recordings. Also these new Binaural+ Series albums capture even more spatial realism for the home audiophile market, bringing you one step closer to the actual event. You will hear some of the most natural and pure music ever recorded. Catch her CD release show on 8.30.18 at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola.

Organist JOCELYN MICHELLE’s newest album, LIVE AT VIVA CANTINA!

Organist JOCELYN MICHELLE’s newest CD, LIVE AT VIVA CANTINA!, is a toe tapping, festive project of serious music that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Although she’s lived on the Big Island of Hawaii for several years, she decided to record this CD back in Los Angeles, her old stomping ground, where she and her husband, guitarist John Rack, lived and worked for many years. 

Viva Cantina is a Mexican restaurant and music performance venue with two stages in Burbank. It has the kind of party atmosphere that Jocelyn thought would be a good fit for a live performance with her band. Released on Tony Monaco’s Chicken Coup Records, Jocelyn arranged all the tunes and brought on board players based in Hawaii and Los Angeles. 

Besides being a top-notch organist, Jocelyn is also a skillful composer, and the CD includes four of her compositions, including “Englewood Cliffs,” “Oh No, Could I Be in Love,” “A Sister’s Love,” and “Sylvia’s Song.” Jocelyn also wrote the lyrics to “Oh No, Could I Be in Love,” sung on this disc by Laura Dickinson, whose lilting voice is often heard on  the Disney Channel programs. Dickinson also sings on Jobim’s “One Note Samba.”  LIVE AT VIVA CANTINA! is the kind of music you put on to get the party going.  It captures the energy, spontaneity, and fun of Jocelyn Michelle’s live performances.

Jazz Great Turned Pop DIVA HILARY KOLE releases new single “Without You”

Since launching her performing career as the youngest singer ever to grace the stage at NYC’s legendary Rainbow Room, Hilary Kole has conquered the hearts of jazz fans throughout the world with her intimate piano and vocal performances, themed shows with her jazz ensemble and special concert hall symphony performances. Capping nearly a decade of popular, critically acclaimed recordings showcasing her storytelling panache via fresh interpretations of pop and jazz standards, the multi-talented performer launches the next phase off her storied career with the infectious and emotionally compelling new pop single “Without You” – available NOW on iTunes, Google Music and other digital platforms.

Showcasing a more intimate side of her artistry than any previous release, Hilary co-wrote “Without You” with fellow multi-talented New York singing sensation Devin Bing, whom HuffPo has proclaimed as “a total original with the charisma of a ‘Golden Age’ entertainer.” Devin also produced the track and plays the haunting piano that introduces Hilary’s narrative of facing the crippling enduring realities of heartbreak and finding the renewed strength to move on in a healthy positive way. Driven by their similar backgrounds (she went to Manhattan School of Music, he to the University of Miami to study music) and a sharply intuitive musical chemistry, Hilary and Devin are currently working on several follow-up singles that they plan to release throughout the winter and spring 2018.

“I have never worked with a vocal producer like Devin before,” Hilary says. “On my earlier studio recordings, I would play off the band in a very similar way to what I did live. But doing pure pop as we are on ‘Without You’ was a totally different thing that took me to deeper places within myself. Devin set the bar really high and kept encouraging me to bring more power to the performance, saying ‘You can belt this.’”

Longtime Hilary fans know that in addition to being a brilliant song stylist and interpreter, she is an accomplished songwriter who has included in her shows original material among the Gershwin, Porter, Bernstein and Mercer pieces for the past five years. “Though I’ve made my living as a jazz singer,” she says, “I’ve sung a lot of pop songs, too. Most people don’t know that I studied composition in school and have been writing my own music for a long time. When you become known as an interpreter of standards, it’s a challenge to get people to see you in a different light.

“As much as I will always love singing those tunes, as I get older I am more excited than ever to break out of my comfort zone and explore all artistic colors. I’ve been fearless with other people’s music, and it’s taken me a long time to gain the confidence to share my own songs with the world. I felt like ‘Without You’ was the one that called out to me, and I asked myself, “what am I waiting for?”

In addition to headlining famed NYC venues as Town Hall, Birdland, The Blue Notes, Iridium, Jazz At Lincoln Center, The Jazz Standard and Carnegie Hall (with the New York Pops and with Michael Feinstein), Hilary debuted at the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel as the co-writer and star of the critically acclaimed, Off-Broadway revues “Our Sinatra” and “Singing Astaire.” She made her concert hall debut at Lincoln Center as part of the "American Songbook Series”.

In June 2007, Hilary appeared at Carnegie Hall in a Tribute to Oscar Peterson, a performance reprised in January 2008 at the Canadian Memorial to Dr. Peterson at Roy Thompson Hall alongside Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock and Nancy Wilson. Globally, she has headlined at the Umbria Jazz Festival, The Montreal Jazz Festival, the Nairn Jazz Festival in Scotland, and the Cotton Club and Blue Note in Japan. In 2016, upon releasing The Judy Garland Project, she toured the U.S. and Asia, performing Garland’s iconic repertoire with a small ensemble group and orchestras. Hilary is currently writing a new show for orchestra based on the top female composers of the past half century, from Peggy Lee to Alanis Morissette and Heart.

Her previous discography includes the John Pizzarelli produced Haunted Heart (2009); You Are There (2010), featuring vocal piano duets with legendary jazz pianists Dave Brubeck, Michel Legrand, Benny Green, Cedar Walton, Hank Jones and others; and the deeply personal A Self-Portrait (2014), which included interpretations of contemporary pop classics from the rock era. 

KATE REID’s “THE HEART ALREADY KNOWS,” featuring duos with Fred Hersch, Romero Lubambo, Taylor Eigsti and more…

Vocalist KATE REID performs stunning duets with some of the finest pianists and guitarists on the scene today. Reid is a nuanced singer, attuned to the subtleties of a song’s lyrics and harmonic structure. The duo setting is perfect vehicle for Reid’s jazz explorations and sexy, smoky, alto voice.  PETER ELDRIDGE, the critically acclaimed vocalist, pianist, composer, and founding member of the internationally acclaimed vocal group New York Voices, produced the CD. THE HEART ALREADY KNOWS is an intimate project that comprises a mix of standards, modern jazz compositions, and pop tunes that take on new life in the hands of these A-list musicians. 

Reid is also a pianist and performs in duo, trio, and quartet settings at jazz venues in the Los Angeles and Miami areas.  Her previous CD, “The Love I’m In,” featured tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts and pianist Otmaro Ruiz. Her first project, “Sentimental Mood,” received extensive airplay on jazz radio stations around the world.

Reid is also a working studio/session singer who has lent her voice to several films, including Star Trek Into Darkness and Men In Black III. Her voice can also be heard on several network television series as well nationwide commercial spots.

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/katereid/sets/the-heart-already-knows/s-GmteL

featuring

Kate Reid vocals

Paul Meyers guitar (1,7)

Larry Koonse guitar (2,4)

Fred Hersch piano (3,9,11)

Romero Lubambo guitar (5,10)

Taylor Eigsti piano (6,8)

Tracks

1. Something to Live For (4:46)

2. Confessin’ (3:33)

3. No More  (3:17)

4. Two Grey Rooms  (4:15)

5. Endless Stars  (3:15)

6. Busy Being Blue  (7:02) 

7. Just a Lucky So and So  (4:46)

8. Secret o’ Life  (3:58)

9. If I Should Lose You  (3:58)

10. Minds of Their Own  (5:13)

11. Lazin’ Around  (3:38) 

Haitian-American Singer MALOU BEAUVOIR Releases SPIRITWALKER; melding Haitian Folk, Soul, Hip Hop and Jazz

On her new release, Spiritwalker, Haitian-American singer-songwriter Malou Beauvoir communes with and for the spiritual traditions of her island heritage. The album is at once a celebration of the Vaudou spirits that embody and enrich the culture of Haiti, as well as a conveyance of their message of peace and awakening to the world at large.

Beauvoir’s music is a rich blend of Haiti’s folk traditions and a compelling weave of contemporary influences, melding soulful melodies, hip hop grooves and jazz virtuosity. The songs – a blend of original compositions, traditional folk tunes and beloved popular Haitian songs – convey a powerful message of acceptance and community at a time of turmoil in Haiti and polarization around the globe.

“If you have a voice, it’s to be used to communicate for someone or for something,” Beauvoir says. “It’s great to just sing songs, but we (as a group) wanted to focus our art on bringing about change. I wanted these songs that we grew up with – their values, their principles, the ideas behind them –to become hip, to become accessible to the younger generation so that we can use our own identity to express our frustration, and motivate each of us, as individuals, to bring about change.”

Spiritwalker, set for release on November 2 on Panthera Music International, was recorded at Brooklyn’s Kamoken Studios with a multi-national band of gifted musicians. The core group of Haitian musicians included co-producers and instrumentalists Chico Boyer (an activist and community leader who also owns Kamoken Studios) and Cheff Loncher along with acclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Beaubrun and percussionists Sirgo Decius and Jean Guy Rene. In addition, the band comprised artists from Cuba (pianist Axel Laugart), Japan (pianist Yayoi Ikawa, guitarist Hiroyuki Yamada) and the U.S. (guitarist Jon Gordon, bassist Calvin Jones, and Haitian-American drummer Gashford Guillaume).

Born in Chicago to Haitian parents, Beauvoir was raised in Long Island while spending summers either in Paris, where her parents met, or in their native Haiti. “My father, who desperately loved Haiti, would constantly regale us with stories,” Beauvoir recalls. “Then every summer you would go and find yourself on this beautiful island with a whole community of friends and family, and it was such a different life from New York that it really tempted you to stay.”

Stream Tracks:

https://soundcloud.com/dlmedia/sets/malou-beauvoir-spiritwalker/s-rvC1Z

Another compelling aspect of Beauvoir’s time in Haiti was the tutelage of her uncle Max Beauvoir, a biochemist and high-ranking Vaudou priest, who ushered her into the island’s profound spiritual traditions. She considers herself a natural Vaudou priestess or mambo, a word that implies an ongoing quest for knowledge in the Vaudou belief system. “We believe that when someone becomes a priest or priestess, it’s the beginning of their journey,” Beauvoir explains. “It’s your invitation by the spirits to learn, to delve and to continue the rest of your life acquiring that knowledge. It has opened the door for me for a lifetime of learning, to cross that threshold and become a chalice to receive – and to give.”

Beauvoir followed a circuitous path on her road to giving back through her music. After studying at the American University in Paris she earned a master’s degree from the University of Hartford and began a successful career in marketing. A rapid ascent up the corporate ladder proved to be far less satisfying spiritually than it was financially, and she decided to pursue a more fulfilling, less secure life in music.

Malou’s muse drew her into the jazz world, where she performed in Paris, Belgium and New York, released three albums and shared the stage or studio with such modern greats as Donny McCaslin, Terrell Stafford and Donald Vega.

The escalating turmoil in her beloved Haiti following the devastating earthquake of 2010 and the further havoc visited on the island by Hurricane Matthew led Beauvoir to connect more directly with the music of her cultural roots. Hearing the voices of the Vaudou spirits in her ear, she decided to convey a message of pride and empowerment to the people of Haiti, while communicating the importance of spiritual awakening and togetherness to an increasingly divided world.

“I was tired of seeing things that started out as spiritual beacons being used by politicians and profiteers to forward divisive political messages and greedy economic causes,” Beauvoir says. “I started with Vaudou, saying these are our roots, this is what gave courage to slaves to revolt against Napoleon’s army and win our freedom; why don’t we dig deep down into our culture, our beliefs, our spirituality, and find the courage now to revolt against what’s going on in our country and in the world. Vaudou is not a well-known religion, but I want people to judge it on what it is, not what it is portrayed to be.”

The material on Spiritwalker stems from a variety of sources. The opening call to arms, “Rasenbleman,” was written by Haitian actress and singer Toto Bissainte, who herself brought together folkloric traditions with the modern music of her day. “Papa Loko,” and “Kouzen” are both traditional songs, the former invoking the spirit of the first Vaudou priest, the latter paying homage to the spirit of the land and the hard work of agriculture. “Yoyo” is a folk song about a Haitian street boy, translated into English by Beauvoir and given a twist of simmering, sultry groove. “Gran Bwa,” inspired by James Germain’s arrangement on “Kreole Mandingue,” pays respect to the ancient and venerable tree god who watches over the forest.

“Nwayé,” titled for the Kreyol version of the French word “to drown,” was co-written by Beauvoir and Beaubrun meditates on the tragedies wrought by hurricanes over the course of Haiti’s history, but more importantly addresses the issue of discrimination against marginalized groups in our society, imploring us to see through the lies and see and accept people for what they truly are. The two also worked together on “Simbi Dlo,” which calls to the Snake Spirit of the river and features the piercing guitar work of Jon Gordon, known for his work with Suzanne Vega and Madonna. Beauvoir’s original “There’s a Man” dates back to the time of her own spiritual awakening, referring to a troubling vision that led to her changing her life for the better. The album ends with a reprise of “Papa Damballah,” a jazz take on the Haitian classic “Papa Damballah” originally recorded for her 2016 album Is This Love and featuring Andy Ezrin (piano), Ben Whitman (durms, percussion), David Finck (bass) and Bobby Mann (guitar).

“Spiritwalker has always been a term that I use to describe myself and all people who are in communication with the spiritual world,” Beauvoir concludes. “I believe that everything in our world has a soul, from the grass to the stones to the air, which all have different energies that find their place and create a balance in the world. Spiritwalker strives to walk in step with the spirits that surround us.”

Malou Beauvoir · Spiritwalker
Panthera Music International · Release Date: November 2, 2018
www.maloubeauvoir.com

OSTINATO PRESENTS TWO NILES TO SING A MELODY: THE VIOLINS & SYNTHS OF SUDAN

In Sudan, the political and cultural are inseparable.

In 1989, a coup brought a hardline religious government to power. Music was violently condemned. Many musicians and artists were persecuted, tortured, forced to flee into exile — and even murdered, ending one of the most beloved music eras in all of Africa and largely denying Sudan’s gifted instrumentalists, singers, and poets, from strutting their creative heritage on the global stage.

What came before in a special era that protected and promoted the arts was one of the richest music scenes anywhere in the world. Although Sudanese styles are endlessly diverse, this compilation celebrates the golden sound of the capital, Khartoum. Each chapter of the cosmopolitan city’s tumultuous musical story is covered through 16 tracks: from the hypnotic violin and accordion-driven orchestral music of the 1970s that captured the ears and hearts of Africa and the Arabic-speaking world, to the synthesizer and drum machine music of the 1980s, and the music produced in exile in the 1990s. The deep kicks of tum tum and Nubian rhythms keep the sound infectious.

Sudan of old had music everywhere: roving sound systems and ubiquitous bands and orchestras kept Khartoum’s sharply dressed youth on their feet. Live music was integral to cultural life, producing a catalog of concert recordings. In small arenas and large outdoor venues, musical royalty of the day built Khartoum’s reputation as ground zero for innovation and technique that inspired a continent.

Musicians in Ethiopia and Somalia frequently point to Sudan’s biggest golden era stars as idols. Mention Mohammed Wardi — a legendary Sudanese singer and activist akin to Fela Kuti in stature and impact in his music and politics — and they often look to the heavens.

Such is the reputation of Sudanese music, particularly in the “Sudanic Belt,” a cultural zone that stretches from Djibouti all the way west to Mauritania, covering much of the Sahara and the Sahel, lands where Sudanese artists are household names and Sudanese poems are regularly used as lyrics until today to produce the latest hits. Sudanese cassettes often sold more in Cameroon and Nigeria than at home.

But years of anti-music sentiment have made recordings in Sudan difficult to source. Ostinato’s team traveled to Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and Egypt in search of the timeless cultural artifacts that hold the story of Africa’s most mesmerizing cultures. That these cassette tape and vinyl recordings were mainly found in Sudan’s neighbors is a testament to Sudanese music’s widespread appeal.

With our Sudanese partner and co-compiler Tamador Sheikh Eldin Gibreel, a once famous poet and actress in ’70s Khartoum, Ostinato’s fifth album, following our Grammy-nominated “Sweet As Broken Dates,” revives the enchanting harmonies, haunting melodies, and relentless rhythms of Sudan’s brightest years, fully restored, remastered and packaged luxuriously in a triple LP gatefold and double CD bookcase to match the regal repute of Sudanese music. A 20,000-word liner note booklet gives voice to the singers silenced by an oppressive regime.

Take a sail down the Blue and White Nile as they pass through Khartoum, carrying with them an ancient history and a never-ending stream of poems and songs. It takes two Niles to sing a melody.

Release date: Septe,ber 14, 2018

Stream: 

https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/album/two-niles-to-sing-a-melody-the-violins-synths-of-sudan

Award-winning pianist Walter Gorra releases "In Due Time" mixing Jazz, Afro-Cuban, and Brazilian music

Award-winning pianist and composer Walter Gorra launches the worldwide distribution of his first CD that blends United States Jazz with Afro-Cuban Music, Brazilian music and the music of South America. It took Gorra two years to produce the CD, but the release on Aug. 1 is the culmination of his being true to all of these influences. Gorra calls it “a snapshot” of his life.

Denver jazz station KUVO/KVJZ 89.3 will air an interview and live performance with Walter Gorra and his quartet on August 17 at 2 p.m. hosted by KUVO’s music director, Arturo Gomez.

“The last composition on the CD entitled Rumba Pa’ Senen is a Cuban Rumba dedicated to my grandfather,” said Gorra. “It combines the effects my Cuban and Honduran heritage have had on my musical identity with my memories of my grandfather.”

Earlier this year, Gorra was recognized at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola/Jazz at Lincoln Center as the winner of the prestigious DownBeat magazine winner of the Student Jazz Award for original composition for small ensemble.

Originally from western Colorado, Gorra moved to New Jersey to pursue a master’s degree in jazz composition and arranging at William Paterson University. Gorra has performed with NEA Jazz Master and 15-time Grammy Award winner Paquito D’Rivera at the KUVO Jazz studios in Denver. He has also played his original music and arrangements with his Colorado quartet at Denver jazz clubs, and performed at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Festival, the Telluride Jazz Festival and the Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Festival.

Gorra, 24, graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2017 with a master’s degree in structural engineering, along with bachelor’s degrees in jazz piano and civil engineering. He creates and performs music because he finds it an even more powerful way to connect with others than words.

The album features the Cuban Rumba, along with one Cuban Bolero and six original compositions played by Gorra and band members, Greg Tanner Harris, Gonzalo Teppa and Manny Lopez with guest artist Josh Quinlan on four of the tracks. As of Aug 1, the songs will also be available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon and Google Play.

Trombonist Peter Nelson Triumphs Over His Five-Year Struggle with Mysterious Chronic Pain on New Album Ash, Dust, and the Chalkboard Cinema

With the evocatively titled Ash, Dust, and the Chalkboard Cinema, trombonist/composer Peter Nelson retraces his five-year struggle with a debilitating condition that threatened to end his career as a musician just as it was entering its ascendancy. The album's vivid compositions and enthralling playing draw the listener in to experience the grueling emotional journey that Nelson undertook, from the onset of mysterious symptoms through the isolating battle with physical and mental pain through the rigor of healing and the joy and revelation of recovery.

Due out August 31 via Outside In Music, Ash, Dust, and the Chalkboard Cinema enlists three different ensembles to tell its compelling story, all featuring Nelson on trombone: an ethereal trio featuring vibraphonist Nikara Warren and the wordless vocals of Alexa Barchini; a hard-swinging quartet with pianist Willerm Delisfort, bassist Raviv Markovitz, and drummer Itay Morchi; and a brilliant septet supplementing the quartet with alto saxophonist Hailey Niswanger, trumpeter Josh Lawrence, and bass clarinetist Yuma Uesaka.

A native of Lansing, Michigan, Nelson earned his degree in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University, where he studied with heavy hitters like bassist Rodney Whitaker. After recording two albums in his home state he decided to move to Brooklyn in 2013, and soon found himself performing with longtime heroes like pianist/bandleader Orrin Evans and drummer Matt Wilson. Almost simultaneously, however, he started to develop strange symptoms while playing.

At first the issues were minor: small, localized pain and subtle feelings of anxiety. Before long, the symptoms escalated to include chronic hyperventilation, severe shortness of breath, and excruciating pain in the face down his back and arms. "Here I was playing with a lot of my heroes, in musical settings that I'd dreamed about and I spent a lot of time trying to cultivate," Nelson recalls. "And it became very difficult to be on the bandstand while at the same time fighting my horn and fighting my body. It felt like a physically violent way of losing my medium for relating to the world, and was emotionally and spiritually crippling."

Nelson sought the help of innumerable doctors, physiologists and educators, failing to find satisfactory answers from any source. After more than a year and a half of intense pain and frustrating questions, Nelson found his way to physiologist and trombonist Jan Kagarice, one of the world's leading authorities on musicians' health. Kagarice diagnosed him with focal dystonia, chronic hyperventilation and Chvostek sign, and in a single lesson reversed 60% of his pain, immediately allowing him to play again.

His symptoms, it turned out, were the result not of some curious illness but of bad pedagogy - bad habits inherited from teachers working from a misunderstanding of the human body and the physical process of making music. "The stereotype is that brass players have chops problems and difficulty with endurance," he explains. "But the entirety of brass pedagogy is not only physiologically destructive but physics-wise has very little to do with how sound is actually made."

Five years after the onset of his symptoms, Nelson is fully recovered and playing as beautifully as ever, pain-free. Writing the ten compositions on this album meant excavating a number of difficult feelings, but the trombonist was intent on engaging fully and honestly with the full spectrum of his ordeal. He brings his experiences vividly to life with the help of his gifted collaborators, each of whom have played an important part in his life in one context or another, from the bandstand to the classroom.

Nelson is hesitant to reveal the meaning behind his somewhat cryptic album title, but a few themes emerge: Ash and Dust make obvious references to things crumbling away and left behind, referring perhaps to the composer's symptoms or incorrect approaches. The Chalkboard Cinema, meanwhile, suggests the somewhat illusory nature of education, jazz education in particular - lessons taught as gospel but more akin to the flickering images of the silver screen.

Ash, Dust, and the Chalkboard Cinema traces each step along Nelson's road to recovery, from the creeping onset in "It Starts Slowly (First in Your Heart)" to the confounding spiral of "Cyclical Maze (Round and Round We Go)" through the zen-like mantra "Do Nothing (If Less Is More)," a tribute to Kagarice and her life-altering teachings. "Behind Kind Eyes (Thank You)" is a meditation on the loss of a loved one, a nod to the tragedies that can occur around us while we're struggling through our own, while "Closure is a Wasted Prayer (Release, Relax)" ends with the ambiguous acknowledgment that expecting any chapter of life to neatly draw to a conclusion is a fool's errand.

"We always want closure," Nelson says, "but it's an almost laughable concept. I'm always going to be dealing with dystonia, but it's not something that controls my life. The idea of putting a cap on this whole process does a disservice to the process of excavating these feelings and dealing with them. Everything that I learned about brass playing -- and more importantly about myself and what music-making really means to me -those lessons are priceless and I wouldn't change a thing."

Born in Lansing, Michigan, Peter Nelson discovered the trombone at age 10. Earning a bachelors degree in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University allowed him to study and perform with some of today's top jazz artists, including Rodney Whitaker, Etienne Charles, Diego Rivera, Michael Dease and Vincent Chandler. After spending a year after college producing and recording his second album as a leader, Nelson moved to Brooklyn, NY where he currently performs, composes, and teaches in a number of settings. Nelson has been a finalist in every major North American jazz trombone competition and in 2012 was awarded the prestigious Sudler prize in the Arts. He leads multiple groups and is also a sought after section player, having performed with jazz orchestras backing the likes of John Hendricks, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Jamie Cullum and Terence Blanchard. As a composer, Nelson has amassed a body of work that includes everything from jazz ensemble to contemporary pop. His versatility as a performer has led to a wide variety of performances and recordings with artists such as Christian McBride, Verve Pipe, Orrin Evans' Captain Black Big Band, Jamie Cullum, The Hudson Horns, Marianne Solivan, the Dan Pugach Nonet, Matt Wilson, Grupo Ayé, The George Gee Swing Orchestra, Fleur Seule, Valerie Ponomarev, Michael Dease Big Band, and a score of others.

peternelsonmusic.com

Liz Beebe, Front-Woman of Dustbowl Revival, To Release Hush Now: Lullabies for Sleepy People

Liz Beebe is best known as the female powerhouse of the critically acclaimed band Dustbowl Revival. With an international touring schedule that spans over continents, and months on the road, Beebe found herself becoming an aunt in the midst of the madness. A desire to be present and contribute to the lives of her family and loved ones became what is her first lullaby album, Hush Now, Lullabies for Sleepy People.

The idea of a children’s album focused on lullabies was something that had been brewing for a year or so before Liz started creating the demos. Inspiration came from her friends and family who sent her lists of songs they loved and sang to their own children. From there, she put her own unique twist on each song. Liz recalls, “I wanted to challenge myself and make something of my own. I work with seven talented musicians who, mostly, came up in the industry knowing that working and touring would be part of their career. As someone who fell in sideways, unexpectedly, I have been known to treat myself, with more doubt and skepticism. Making this album was an exercise in creativity and joy.”

While on the road with Dustbowl Revival, Liz could be found in her makeshift recording booth, a hotel closet stuffed full of winter sweaters, jackets, pillows, comforters- anything she could find to create soundproofing material. Back at home and demos in hand, Liz set out to lay down the album - with the same ingenuity she learned from the road, turning her home closet into a booth. Her bandmate, Connor Vance, lent her a hand in tracking the album’s gorgeous natural guitar, violin and viola. Daniel Gordon (Phoenix Asteroid, Sun Domingo) and Brahm Bourque (Echoes De Luxe, and Liz’s husband) produced the album and brought the playfulness and dreamy sweetness of the tracks to life.

From Liz, “I took care of children from the age of 11 until about a year after moving to Los Angeles as an adult. I used to sing those children to sleep for every nap and bedtime. I hope this album is a way of continuing that tradition, with songs people know and love.”

The standout tracks include a cover of James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James”, Liz’s favorite “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon” a song she first heard when sung by Shawn Colvin on “Elmopalooza” when her baby brother was born. Alongside classics like “Baby Beluga”, “Blackbird”, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “ You are My Sunshine”. Hush Now: Lullabies for Sleepy People proves itself a soundtrack for all ages and generations and their loved ones. The album out now on Mensch House Records and available everywhere. 

Track List

1. "Baby Beluga"

2. "You Are My Sunshine"

3. "I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon"

4. "Edelweiss"

5. "Baby Mine"

6. "Blackbird"

7. "Sweet Baby James"

8. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

9. "Stay Awake"

10. "Dream of Powder Blue"

Justin Kauflin's New Album "Coming Home" Produced By Quincy Jones and Derrick Hodge

Home is where you hang your hat, or so the old adage goes. For Justin Kauflin, critically acclaimed and accomplished jazz pianist and composer, the last few years home has been many places. Originally from Virginia, Kauflin’s touring schedule, has taken him across the nation and abroad expanding and growing the idea of home. Kauflin lost his sight when he was 11 years old, but his travels are still a visual experience. Through the sounds and feelings of a city or space, he can see vibrant and captivating scenes of moving psychedelic colors. On the forthcoming album, Kauflin invites others to experience the world from his perspective as he sonically paints the homes he has found throughout his global travels.

Coming Home will be Kauflin’s third release, and second with the tastemaker imprint Qwest Records. With this release he ventures into new sonic territory bringing in more modern influences of synths, electric guitar and bass. Kauflin said, “I’ve always loved music that had a good groove to it, whether it was swing or funk. With Corey Fonville’s help, we got into all sorts of great feeling grooves that I can’t wait to share.”

From the start, recording Coming Home was electric. Quincy Jones and Derrick Hodge produced the album at Quincy Jones’ infamous Westlake Studios (Michael Jackson, Madonna, Frank Ocean). Kauflin was joined by Chris Smith on acoustic and electric bass, Corey Fonville on drums and percussions, and Alan Parker on acoustic and electric guitar. The musicians had a blast bringing the album to life. Kauflin recalls, “Derrick was in there with us bringing such positivity and encouragement. I feel as if I was able to be more authentically me because Derrick was there to give me that confidence. He was an incredible catalyst for much of how the songs took shape. And if that wasn’t enough, to have Quincy overseeing the proceedings and giving his guidance and experience brought everything together in such a beautiful way.”

The album is 13 tracks that resonate emotions and transport the listener across space and time. The lead single “Coming Home,” due out August 17, opens the album and evokes Kauflin’s southern sensibilities. He comments “This song serves as an invitation to join me as I share how I experience the world around me through colors and vibrant ever-shifting textures and shapes. Alan Parker’s acoustic guitar inserts that down home feeling from my home in Virginia.” Another standout is “Lost,” Kauflin mentions, “As exciting as traveling the world has been, there have certainly been times where I’ve felt disconnected and out of my element. This is not just a feeling that is connected to where I am physically. This also delves into how I feel emotionally at times. Life itself can leave one feeling quite lost.”

The album also includes an ode to his time spent living in Brooklyn with the cover of “John My Beloved.” An impromptu on the spot session with Derrick Hodge created “ Something Somethin.” A tribute to Kauflin’s favorite food, fried chicken, most famously found in his home state on the track, “Country Fried.” “Pendulum” is about New York, and the feeling that at times it is the greatest place on earth and at others it is overwhelming. And “Strawberry Fields” as solo and band-accompanied tracks, Kauflin comments “I’ve always found the idea of an imaginary place where one can find refuge to be incredibly attractive. It is such a perfect marriage of harmony and melody and it conjures up this barely out of reach sensation, as if the place for which I’m looking is just right around the next corner.” He continues, “When I know what I’m really looking for is actually inside.”

Justin Kauflin is a pianist extraordinaire and an undeniably rare talent. He is an alumnus of the William Paterson University jazz program, mentee, protégé, and bandmate of legendary Clark Terry (winner of the 2010 Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz), signed to Quincy Jones’ management artist roster and label, and featured in the critically acclaimed film “Keep On Keepin’ On” which chronicled Kauflin’s friendship, and mentorship with Clark Terry. He has appeared on The Queen Latifah Show and the TODAY show and he was invited to perform at the Library of Congress. Kauflin has toured with Quincy Jones on a few world tours and is currently playing at international jazz clubs, and festivals.

Justin Kauflin is planning a tour to support the new album. He is excited to get back on the road and create new experiences with his music. He comments, “We had a great time in the studio, but I’m confident that each of the tracks will take a whole new life once we get a chance to take them out and play them in front of audiences. What will happen on tour will be a combination of what we created for the album and the energy we feel from the crowd.” Check out and follow his tour dates here.

Coming Home is due out on September 14th.