RECORD STORE DAY 2019 IS SATURDAY, APRIL 13TH AMAZING TITLES FROM DOZENS OF INCREDIBLE ARTISTS ANNOUNCED!

ANDERSON PAAK & BUSTA RHYMES * BOB DYLAN * BRIAN MAY & TAYLOR HAWKINS * CANNED HEAT * COURTNEY BARNETT  * CRAIG MACK & NOTORIOUS B.I.G. * DAVID BOWIE * ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE IMPOSTERS * ERYKAH BADU & JAMES POYSER * FOO FIGHTERS * GREEN DAY * GRETA VAN FLEET * HIGH ON FIRE *JANIS JOPLIN * JEFF TWEEDY * JOHN LENNON * JOHN THE MARTYR * JASON ISBELL* MARC MARON * MARK RONSON & MILEY CYRUS * MOTORHEAD * PEARL JAM * PRINCE * SLY & THE FAMILY STONE * SOCCER MOMMY * SWERVEDRIVER * WEEZER 

First, a little note: we’re bringing tiny back! This year we’re introducing our own turntable, the RSD3, and it is an adorable little thing. Of course, if you’ve got a 3” turntable, you need some 3” records, and we’ve got those two. A Foo Fighters 3” record, (ironically, it’s “Big Me”), and two blind box series from Epitaph Records and Third Man Records hit the shelves on April 13. (With more to come, for the cutest little record collection you’ve ever seen).

We’re always asked what we’re most excited about, and this year, we can say we’re looking forward to the release of In The Garage: Live Music From WTF With Marc Maron, a collection of lovely intimate performances from the podcast, which brought together a team that included Marc, folks from Newbury Comics, Fingerprints, Tito’s HandMade Vodka and us—for the first release on our own Record Store Day record label. Best part? This compilation with music from Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite, Karen Kilgariff, Jason Isbell,  Dave Alvin, Eels, J Masic, Aimee Mann, Melissa Etheridge, Margo Price and Nick Lowe benefits the amazing organization Musicians on Call, who know something about the beauty of the intimate performance—they bring musicians to hospital facilities to bring a little joy to patients across the country.

Other than that, we’re always psyched about any title that ties back directly to a record store or artists we know are record store lovers. Our 2019 Ambassadors Pearl Jam certainly fit the bill—and their RSD 2019 contribution is the vinyl release of their legendary Live At Easy Street CD. Not only was this set recorded live at a record store in Seattle, the audience was made up of staff from record stores across the country (who says there are no perks of the job?) Our beloved PRINCE was devoted to his local Minneapolis record stores, and he’s got two titles on this year’s list: a vinyl release of His Majesty’s Pop Life/The Purple Mix Club and the truly sought after The VERSACE Experience: PRELUDE 2 GOLD, a cassette release never commercially released—but given out at Versace’s 1995 Paris Fashion Week show. Ooh la la!  Jeff Tweedy spent some time working at a record store himself, and he’s got a spot on the list with an entirely new album, Warmer. Recorded during the sessions for his latest album, Warm, this companion album for Record Store Day is ten brand new songs.

Collaborations run strong too, as Anderson Paak teams up with Busta Rhymes for a single, Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus get physical with their hit “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart”, we revisit a classic cassette from Craig Mack and the Notorious B.I.G.  and if posthumous collaborations count, the group that came together when Queen’s Brian May and Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins fleshed out a track left by Beach Boy Dennis Wilson is  pretty cool. (Brian May is everywhere this RSD: his other band has a reissue single of that song that will never be a hit--- “Bohemian Rhapsody”, with its original B-Side “I’m In Love With My Car”; a picture disc of the Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack: and he has a single all his own.) And while there are usually some David Bowie treasures to be found on Record Store Day, the single celebrating the celluloid collaboration of Bowie with Marlene Dietrich in Just A Gigolo stands out. 

Musicians love music just as much as we do, and some of them use RSD as a chance to take on their own favorite songs. Erykah Badu and James Poyser take Squeeze’s “Tempted” down another road, Swervedriver bring the shoegaze out in classic tracks from the Byrds and The Supremes, Motorhead’s love of the Ramones is evident on their RSD 2019 7” release, High On Fire give Celtic Frost and Bad Brains some attention on the flip side of their brand new single, and Weezer tops them all with their full covers record The Teal Album (guess what color that vinyl is?).

Elvis Costello and The Imposters release the tidy Purse EP that brings together the songs Elvis has written with some of the best songwriters in history, including Paul McCartney and Johnny Cash.  Some other names on a lot of ‘Best of All Time’ lists are also on our RSD 2019 list, including Steve Earle, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Joe Strummer, U2, Gorillaz, Rolling Stones, Devo, Aretha Franklin, Charlie Parker and more. Two of the most well known albums ever released get a fresh look on April 13: Bob Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks—The Original New York Test Pressing and John Lennon’s Imagine (Raw Studio Mixes) give fans a new look at beloved music, while newer artists like Greta Van Fleet, Courtney Barnett, John The Martyr and Soccer Mommy are here for that musical discovery side of record stores.

And of course, this year marks the 50th anniversary of that magical time out on Yasgur’s Farm, and the Record Store Day 2019 list highlights that with releases of the sets from Janis Joplin, Sly & The Family Stone, Canned Heat and a 3 LP Mono release of the original Woodstock soundtrack—exactly as you would have heard it from the loudspeakers in August 1969.  (Oh, and for good measure, a release that visits Green Day’s set from that second Woodstock.)

About Record Store Day

Record Store Day, the organization, is managed by the Department of Record Stores and is organized in partnership with the Alliance of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and promotes independent record stores year-round with events, special releases and other fun things.

Record Store Day, the global celebration of the culture of the record store, takes place annually in April. Record Store Day 2019 is April 13.

Record Store Day Sponsors:

ADA, Caroline, Crosley Turntables, D’Addario, Dogfish Head Brewery, Furnace Record Pressing, Glowtronics, InGrooves, Music Business Association, MVD Entertainment, The Orchard, Redeye Distribution, Sony Music, ThinkIndie, Traffic Distribution, URP Distribution, , Vans, Vinyl Styl, WEA

For more information about Record Store Day, please visit www.recordstoreday.com

Claudia Villela Offers Panoramic Showcase of Her Brilliant Vocal Talent on "Encantada Live"

Claudia Villela Encantada Live Vocalist-composer Claudia Villela puts her stunning, supple virtuosity on vivid display with the April 12 release of Encantada Live on her own Taina Music label. Drawn from several live performances, the album alternates between performances by a septet, a quartet featuring Villela on piano, and intimate duets with various partners. It also includes three of Villela's originals, three interpretations of key Brazilian composers, and three wholly improvised pieces by Villela and her accompanists.

The sweeping panorama of Encantada Live -- only her sixth recording in a 40-year career -- is the direct result of a near-death experience in December 2017. While visiting Rio de Janeiro, Villela escaped from a terrifying electrical fire in her own apartment. Her own injuries were fairly minor, but the fire devastated her home, many keepsakes, and the masters of an album she'd been working on for two years.

"It left with me with a deeper recognition of the preciousness of time. It's time to really live in the moment and move on," Villela says. "I want to put everything out. I'm not going to hold it back. This is a cathartic album."

Whether by coincidence or fate, it's also an album that showcases everything that she can do. The opening "Cuscus" alone demonstrates Villela's enormous range and imagination, modulating from a guttural growl to a soprano squeak and inventing in the moment both a melody (with guitarist Bruce Dunlap) and a fully developed Portuguese lyric. The same duo creates a warm, introspective ballad on the closing "Em Paz." The nearly 15-minute "Minas" is an exquisite but multifaceted improvisation with Villela's longtime collaborator, pianist Kenny Werner.

However, Encantada Live also places her remarkable abilities into the context of compositional form. Villela proffers a beautiful, wordless rendition (with guitarist Peixoto) of 20th-century Brazilian classical composer Heitor Villa-Lobos's "Bachianas #5," as well as rhythmically exciting septet versions of two popular Brazilian songs: Edu Lobo's "Viola Fora de Moda" and Alex Madureira's "Cumeno com Cuentro."In addition, she revisits three of the original pieces from her 1994 debut, Asa Verde: "Negra," with guitarist Jeff Buenz; "Jangada," with a quartet featuring Buenz, bassist Gary Brown, drummer Celso Alberti, and Villela herself on piano; and "Taina," featuring newly improvised lyrics, with the septet (Brown on bass plus Jasnam Daya Singh, piano; Ricardo Peixoto, guitar; Andy Connel, soprano saxophone; Michael Spiro, percussion; and the late drummer Paul van Wageningen).

Claudia Villela Claudia Villela was born August 27, 1961 in Rio de Janeiro. She grew up surrounded by music in her grandmother's home, beginning to make music herself when she was only a year old. She started singing in college festivals around Rio at age 15, and before long found work as a studio musician. She also started performing around the city, while developing a book of original songs featuring her lyrics and music. Initially planning to enroll in medical school, Villela decided to combine her two passions and earned a B.A. in music therapy from the Brazilian Conservatory of Music.

Relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-1980s, Villela quickly immersed herself in the region's thriving jazz scene, gaining valuable experience with the Down Beat-award winning De Anza College Jazz Singers. She studied with NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan and with John Robert Dunlap of the New York Metropolitan Opera before making her recording debut with 1994's Grammy-nominated Asa Verde. 

She has since performed and recorded with such major jazz figures as Michael Brecker, Toots Thielemans, Toninho Horta, Hermeto Pascoal, Airto, Guinga, Romero Lubambo, Mario Adnet, Dori Caymmi, and Kenny Werner (with whom she recorded her 2004 fourth album, Dream Tales, as a duo). That same year, she recorded a live performance at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California, for broadcast on NPR; it was released as Live @ Kuumbwa 2004 in 2013. Encantada Live is her second live album.

Claudia Villela will perform at SFJAZZ's Joe Henderson Lab, San Francisco, on Wednesday 3/27, and Thursday 4/4; at the Hillside Club, Berkeley, Friday 4/26; at Kuumbwa Jazz, Santa Cruz, Monday 4/29; and at SFJAZZ's Miner Auditorium, Wednesday 6/19. 

New Releases: Don Grusin and Filippo Gaetani - Populism Dystopia; Cinematic Orchestra – To Believe; Julian Lage – Love Hurts

Don Grusin and Filippo Gaetani - Populism Dystopia

American jazz pianist grammy winner Don Grusin and producer Filippo Gaetani long friendship culminated in a wild 4-day recording session in Vienna Tic studio in summer 2017 and continued through 2018, resulting in a 4 track Ep. “Populism Dystopia” will be released on April 26th via Rayrecordings. Between classical influences and ambient jazz, pop and soundtrack elements, it moves from a modern Indie sound to Steely Dan influences with dystopian Bossa Nova. Release date: April 26th 2019 and pre-release March 26^th. Youtube trailer: https://youtu.be/1Stg8mf7xeU

Cinematic Orchestra – To Believe

As longtime fans might know, the Cinematic Orchestra isn't a large ensemble, but a duo – yet the pair also have this fantastic way of creating a really spacious sound in their music – thanks in part to a very open door when it comes to creative guests! This time around, there's some fantastic voice in the lead – singers who really help give the music a very rich shape, including Moses Sumney, Roots Manuva, Tawiah, Heidi Vogel, and Grey Reverend – who add lyrics to most of the songs on the album, while the duo of Jason Swinscoe and Dominic Smith help keep the focus on the large instrumental landscape, which receives some fantastic light touches from the genius of Miguel Atwood-Ferguson this time around. It's been a while since the last project from the group – but if anything, the break has only seemed to help deepen their sound. Titles include "To Believe", "A Caged Bird/Imitations Of Life", "A Promise", "Zero One/This Fantasy", "The Workers Of Art", and "Wait For Now/Leave The World".  ~ Dusty Groove

Julian Lage – Love Hurts

Julian Lage is often one of the more compelling contemporary jazz guitarists on record – and this time around, he definitely lives up to that legacy – by offering up unusual trio takes on the music of Ornette Coleman, David Lynch, and Keith Jarrett – while also adding in a few of his own great tunes too! Lage often has a bit of fuzz around the edges – not full distortion, but also not the clean, crisp sound that's more often heard with jazz guitar – and that fullness of tone really makes things interesting, and often pushes out a sound that feels like a lot more than a trio – especially when the bass of Jorge Roeder and drums of Dave King get a bit more dynamic. Titles include "In Heaven", "Tomorrow Is The Question", "Trudgin", "Love Hurts", "In Circles", "Encore A", "The Windup", and "Crying".  ~ Dusty Groove

New Releases: A Day In The Life – Impressions Of Pepper (Various Artists); AZYMUTH – DEMOS 1973-75 / LTD. RECORD STORE DAY 7”; EUMIR DEODATO - OS CATEDRATICOS 73

A Day In The Life – Impressions Of Pepper (Various Artists)

Some of today’s most exciting up and coming and established jazz artists pay homage to the iconic Beatles record Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Musicians were given the challenge to create loose interpretations of these classic songs, and the result is impressionistic, original, avant-garde takes on legendary tracks like “With A Little Help From My Friends”, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”, “Getting Better”, and “A Day In The Life”. Featuring artists like Keyon Harrold, Brandee Younger, Shabaka & The Ancestors, and Antonio Sanchez this release will impress Beatles fanatics by highlighting the timeless material in a brand-new light, while showcasing some of the most exciting names in jazz today!

AZYMUTH – DEMOS 1973-75 / LTD. RECORD STORE DAY 7”

For a special one-off Record Store Day release, we are extremely proud to present two previously unreleased and unheard tracks from the formative years of Brazil’s iconic jazz-funk titans. Recorded between 1973-75 at the late great keyboard maestro José Roberto Bertrami’s home studio in Rio, the demos are a mesmerising document of the futuristic sound Bertrami, Ivan Conti (drums), Alex Malheiros (bass) and Ariovaldo Contesini (percussion) were developing, before going on to release their cult favourite, self-titled debut with Som Livre. With a huge opening 8-bar drum break, and Bertrami’s keyboard spaceship including Arp Solina Strings, Fender Rhodes 88, and a Clavinet with Wah Wah, the release captures Azymuth’s alien space-funk sound in its rawest, most progressive form. Following this special limited 7” will be a two-volume LP release comprising a comprehensive archive of some of the samba-jazz-funk mavericks’ wildest, unreleased early music. The best care has been taken in restoring and mastering these recordings from the original cassette tapes, given to Far Out founder Joe Davis by Bertrami at Azymuth’s first studio sessions for the label back in 1995. The record will be available on Record Store Day, 13th April from selected participating stores.

EUMIR DEODATO - OS CATEDRATICOS 73

Composed at the height of his productivity in the early 70s, Eumir Deodato's Os Catedtraticos 73 was recorded between Rio de Janeiro and New York. The album features a Brazilian rhythm section including Azymuth drummer Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti, percussion master Orlandivo, and Sergio Barroso on bass, while the horn section features some of the Big Apple’s top players from the CTI in-house brass. A firm favourite with rare-groove enthusiasts and fans of Latin jazz alike, Deodato melds the musical sensibility of post-bossa nova Brazilian jazz with North American soul & funk, and the explosive Latin influences of ‘70s New York. Os Catedraticos 73 certainly swings harder than some of Deodato’s earlier releases and opening track ‘Arranha Ceu’ (Skyscrapers) is a euphoric party classic, which has been lighting up dance floors for years.

If Music Presents: You Need This – World Jazz Grooves 2018

Fresh from bringing us two incredible volumes of ‘A Journey into Deep Jazz’ and providing an introduction to Black Saint & Soul Note Records on BBE, IF Music’s Jean-Claude joins forces with Victor Kiswell for new compilation, ‘World Jazz Grooves’.

Currently celebrating 15 years of trading from his London record shop IF Music, Jean-Claude has built an enviable reputation over the past 25 years, as the go-to rare vinyl vendor for some of the biggest DJs and producers on the planet. Fellow record dealer and specialist music expert Victor Kiswell has travelled the globe several times over, hunting for rare records and DJing, appearing on a Cairo edition of Boiler Room in 2017.

As you might expect, this treasure trove of music contains a generous handful of obscure and brilliant musical gems, carefully mined from all corners of the globe.

“Europe, The Americas, Africa and Asia are all represented herein and hopefully a few surprises foryou, the listener, too” say Victor & Jean-Claude, summing up the project.

From its inspired opener: Vietnam veteran Billy Bang’s visceral New York social commentary ‘Illustration’ whose Watts Prophets inspired spoken word vocal is (sadly) as relevant today as it was in 1978; through to the album’s closer, a touching African township ballad titled ‘ITwenty-Five’, ‘World Jazz Grooves’ takes the road less travelled to provide a jaw-dropping journey through world jazz culture.

As Jean-Claude and Victor put it: “Jazz will always have its appeal: though influenced, jazz does not need to be dictated by trends. It has been experimented with by (almost) every population on the planet. It is its diversity, the fusing of various elements of different folklores, that allows jazz to constantly evolve and maintain its relevance.”

Tracklist:

1 Billy Bang’s Survival Ensemble – Illustration

2 Michel Sardaby – Martinica

3 Kafé – Fonetik A Velo

4 Le Steel-Band De La Trinidad – Calypso Jazz Improvisation*

5 The Theo Loevendie Consort – Timbuktu

6 The Jazz Committee For Latin American Affairs – Ismaa**

7 Armand Lemal – Souffle (Part II)

8 Masabumi Kikuchi – Pumu #1**

9 Joe Malinga & Southern African Force -‎ IT Twenty Five

*vinyl and digital bundle only

Godwin Louis Explores the Worldwide Impact of Afro-Caribbean Sounds and Concepts on Music and Takes them Global

Saxophonist Godwin Louis had an epiphany when he came to New Orleans to study at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. He explored the city’s music--and kept getting an eerie sense of familiarity. “My mother and father are from Haiti, and though I was born in the States, I lived in Port-au-Prince for a few years in the 1990s,” recounts Louis. “When I moved to New Orleans, I felt that similarity everywhere, in the presence of Catholicism, the funeral marches, the second-line culture, the spiritual traditions tied to vodoun. I said, this is incredible. Where does this similarity come from?”

The answers turned out to be Global (release: Febuary 22, 2019), Louis’ first major release of his compositions and work as a band leader. Louis discovered the impact of Haitians on the music of New Orleans, arguably the musical heart of the US, and with it a history of Haitian presence going back to the French Colonial and Haitian Revolutionary period. Yet as Louis dug into the past, his understanding and musical vision expanded geographically and sonicly, as DNA tests led him to West and Central Africa (“Nago-Kongo”), Brazil, tiny Pacific islands--the entire global filigree of Afro-diasporic peoples and their art.

The resulting double-album of original compositions (with one anthemic concluding piece by composer Hermeto Pascoal) plumbs the past while remaining steadily grounded in contemporary and exploratory musical practices, that improvisatory, ever-fresh edge of jazz. A seasoned sideman--Louis’ touring history reads like a who’s who of jazz and pop--Louis felt it was time to bring his discoveries, in breathtakingly intricate and skillfully rendered form, to the world.

“My travels and studies let me fully explore and find this musical sound dedicated to the diaspora that you hear on Global,” says Louis. “The world is way more connected than we think. We’ve all heard of the Transatlantic trade slave and its tragedies and horrors, but so much came out of it and formed global culture, so much that’s rarely highlighted. You can feel it intensely in places like Santiago de Cuba, Bahia in Brazil, New Orleans, in L’artibonite, Haiti. The musical sound that came from those places has gone global, and it’s all filtered into pop culture. That’s where I started.”

Born in Harlem, Louis remembers encountering the beauties of jazz via his guitarist uncle, Robert “Magic” Saint Fleur. He marveled at his uncle’s ability to improvise and wanted to know his secret. “I was really drawn to that element of improvisation,” recalls Louis. “I would hear him riff off a song, and it seemed like the most incredible thing, how he came up with all these beautiful melodies on the spot. It showcased such knowledge of the songs and total mastery of the instrument.” His uncle encouraged him, then turned him on to Charlie Parker, and Louis was hooked.

He studied at Berklee and made an admirable name for himself among jazz’s creme de la creme. Though relatively young, Louis has already toured, performed, and recorded with Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Roger Dickerson, Ron Carter, Al Foster, Jack Dejohnette, Jimmy Heath, Billy Preston, Patti Labelle, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Madonna, Gloria Estefan, Barry Harris, Howard Shore, David Baker, Mulatu Astakte, Mahmoud Ahmed, Wynton Marsalis, and Terence Blanchard, among others, seeing a great swath of Africa, Asia, and Europe in the bargain.

As Louis developed his own style, where gospel and traditional Haitian and West and Central African songs, avant arrangements and grounded grooves collide, he discovered new concepts in African-heritage musical thought that enriched his jazz foundations. Fellow musicians in Mali, for example, based melodic phrases on underlying texts, not on arbitrary numbers of beats or bars.“Because it’s all based on the words, there's no common tempo,” explains Louis. “When the phrase is done, it’s done and then you move on. I decided to experiment with approaching notes the same way. An idea can keep on going. In general, Global questions tradition: Why should the form be one way and not another? If the idea isn’t done yet, it goes on, even when another idea comes. The melody is king in that approach.” The resulting feel is polyphonous, many different voices and perspectives chiming in and overlapping.

The overlap fascinates Louis and inspired many of Global’s pieces. He reveals into how European sacred music seeped into an Afro-diasporic melody found around the Atlantic, rich with triple meter. (“Four Essential Prayers of Guinea”) And how, in counterpoint, African instruments can inform Protestant hymns, despite centuries of church animosity toward West African sounds and forms. (“Bondye Ede-n”) He looks at narrative threads that unite the lyrical forms of Afro-Caribbean and Afro-South American romance (“Present” featuring Cuban singer Xiomara Laugart), and the playing techniques and moods that unite the Francophone cultures of the Caribbean (“Siwèl”).

Yet the wide-ranging journeys remain rooted in Louis’ personal experience as a person with a multilayered heritage and full awareness of past and present struggles. As the composer noted regarding the album’s title suite (“Global, Parts I and II”): “This is about my traveling experiences all over the world. I’ve been to 100 countries as of now. I have so many stories, some sad, some triumphant. So did our ancestors,” Louis reflects. “Sonically, I wanted to pay homage to some of our lesser-known ancestors that contributed to the development of music in Europe. People like Joseph Boulogne, Chevaliers De Saint-Georges who was a brilliant composer during the classical era. Overall, Global is the history of music and culture in the Americas. Cultures that came from Africa, met with indigenous aestheticism, and were refined or rarefied via colonialism, as a result changing the course of music history and culture worldwide.”

A Different Path: The Mediterranean-Hued, Poetic Pleasures of Johno’s The Road Not Taken

It’s not always easy to tell where a road begins. For producer, musician, and songwriter Johno, the road to his first solo album The Road Not Taken began imperceptibly. Its unconventional path proved long, winding, and musically breathtaking, embracing music and musicians from around the Mediterranean and Ireland and poetry from Shakespeare to Mahmoud Darwish. 

The wild trip that led to The Road Not Taken might have begun the moment Johno got his first producer gig in Albania or in the West Bank. It might have started that moment in a library in Tunisia, when Johno sketched out a setting for a beloved poem with a local friend and violinist. It may have started decades before, when his parents, Irish-born, London-based, shared verses close to their hearts, quietly inspiring their son. 

This poetic inheritance unfolded for Johno over time, revealing hidden melodies and songs. “When you read these poems, they have these beautiful meters,” he reflects. “You just have to discover the songs in them. Much like Michelangelo said about stones, that they were all waiting to have a sculpture carved out them, these poems were begging to become musical compositions.” 

But the compositions he discovered were radical departures from the poem’s origins, suggesting styles and locations for recording far off the beaten path. Johno drew on a decade of close collaboration and recording experience around the Balkans, North Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey, as well as his ancestral stomping grounds of Ireland, to find astonishing arrangements for the songs that sprang from poems. 

As companions to his original pieces, Johno chose several songs that fit the theme and resonated with the other works, and heard them through the same unconventional filter. “It was important for me to have a few key covers take a trip,” he explains. “So I didn’t just want to do the Beatles track as a jazz number. Instead, I put it in ⅞ and recorded it in Jordan with a Turkish orchestra. I recorded a really straightforward John Denver song with a Tunisian orchestra with two hundred tracks of instruments, vocal harmonies, and percussion. I loved these songs and simply heard them differently.” 

  

Johno was trained as a jazz musician but found himself increasingly in the recording booth on the other side of the glass. His skills were coupled with a growing fascination with the sounds, styles, and musical thought he discovered in other cultures. Over time, project after project came to him. As he worked with more and more well-established musicians in far-flung locales, their music and craft began to seep into his own writing.

It wasn’t, however, until recently that he resolved to step in front of the mic. Johno realized he had enough material to make his first album, songs he’d built up over years of travel and homecoming. The basis for these pieces was the poems he knew from childhood, as well as poems by icons like Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish that he discovered along this journey. They influenced the way he crafted music. 

“Like many writers, I sometimes start with a riff, but to work with these poems, I chose a more theatrical way. You take the poem and read it really slowly, repeatedly and theatrically. it’s embarrassing to even demonstrate,” he laughs. “After you do that, you have the scale. You hear, for example, that it’s kind of major but it has a flat two, which suggests a certain mode you’ll hear in Arabic music. That scale is there, at the back of your mind, and it just blends with cadence of the poem.”

  

Once a song had emerged, Johno decided where the song could best be recorded, often fitting sessions into his travels as a producer. He invited his favorite musicians to join him, from American jazz heavyweights to Arabic hotshots. “Each song lent itself to the location. If you’re recording something like ‘Country Road,’ in ⅞ with Arabic riffs, it needs to be recorded in Tunis. Byron’s ‘Made for Loving,’ took a famous Arabic melody for the chorus...You can’t do that and record it in Germany!” Johno exclaims. “That’s why it was recorded in Jordan and Turkey. ‘Homeward Bound,’ the only song about returning home, had to be in Ireland.”

  

The resulting tracks are steeped in the sounds and approaches of these places, the bold horns of the Balkans, the elegant modal melodies of the Eastern Mediterranean, the rippling percussion lines. “It’s more than influence, really; the feeling of the place where I recorded--Jordan, Tunis, Ireland--is baked in there,” Johno notes. “The album wound up weaving in rhythms in 13, 7, 10, 5, as well as Arabic and Turkish modes, North African tonality. I’m lucky to know the best musicians in each place, because I’ve already had a chance to work with them.”

  

Some of these talents contributed directly to the composition process, as in the case of “If,” the popular Kipling poem. Johno handed the poem over to a close friend and talented musician Nikos Mixalodimitrakis, who lives not far from Johno in Greece. What came back was a wonderful surprise, a version in 5/4 with serious Greek traditional flavor. “If I had tackled it alone, it would never have sounded anything like it,” Johno says. “I love giving something to people you trust and then getting it back and being delighted.” This different, delightful approach to classic poetry promises to take listeners and literary buffs along for the moving ride.

50% of the album’s earnings will be put back to community cultural development in Johno’s various philanthropic collaborations.

Swing Français Live and Remixed: Paris Combo Comes Back to the US for a Tour and with a Red-Hot Remix Album

Called “marvelously eclectic” by the LA Times, Paris Combo are returning to the US for their 21st tour in January 2019. The musically devious Parisians will be showcasing songs from their latest studio release Tako Tsubo, as well as favorites from their previous six albums, and their set will once again highlight their signature blend of swinging gypsy jazz, cabaret, French pop, Latin and Middle Eastern rhythms.

Featuring the vocals of charismatic chanteuse Belle du Berry, the line-up also includes founder-members, the Django-influenced guitarist Potzi, Australian-born trumpeter & pianist David Lewis, drummer-crooner François Jeannin, as well as virtuoso bassist, Benoit Dunoyer de Ségonzac. They are also joined by Rémy Kapriélan on percussion, vocals and sax for some dates.

Paris Combo's musical roots run deep and varied – Belle du Berry began her musical career in post-punk bands of the late eighties but also cites influences such as Arletty, the French singer-actress of the ’30s, the Surrealists and a panoply of more recent artists including the B-52’s. Potzi’s guitar has multiple influences including Django Reinhardt and his own North African heritage and this, along with François’ ska or Latin grooves creates a fascinating, toe-tapping blend.

Lewis, who previously played with a wide variety of Paris-based bands including Manu Dibango and Arthur H, attributes the group’s approach to Paris’ cosmopolitan atmosphere. Belle, Potzi and François first performed together in Paris as members of a quirky retro revue, “Les Champêtres de Joie” which went on to collaborate at the closing ceremony of the Albertville Winter Olympic Games in 1992. Du Berry and David Lewis met while performing together at the “Cabaret Sauvage” revue and in 1995 the group began to hone their sound playing in cafés and barges along the Seine under the name Paris Combo.

Paris Combo’s eponymous 1997 debut disc arrived as the swing revival was in full bloom, yet the band’s wide-ranging mix of musical influences instantly set them apart from other groups in the genre, winning critical praise and appealing to international audiences.

The mainstream success of their second album Living Room (1999) gave the group unique status as a French indie band capable of drawing crowds not only in France, where the album went gold, but also in Australia and the USA where they performed their songs – always in their native French - to growing audiences, culminating in 2004-5 with three concerts at the Hollywood Bowl.

Returning to performing in 2011 after a five-year hiatus, the group made their US comeback, again at the Hollywood Bowl with symphony orchestra, and went on to release their fifth album, simply entitled 5 on DRG Records.  Media response was enthusiastic and in 2013-14, they sold out venues across the country with their first US tours in a decade and a triumphant return to Australia in 2015.

Following the 2017 release of their sixth album Tako Tsubo in the US on the DRG/eOne label, the group successfully toured the US, Australia / New Zealand and Europe. On their new record, the chanteuse Belle du Berry leads us through a deliciously varied collection of musical atmospheres, ranging from the intimacy of the live combo to more lush orchestral settings and beautiful 60's retro à la Bacharach with near-psychedelic overtones. The lyrical leitmotif of the album - suggested by the song titles, “Mon Anatomie,” “Spécimen,” “Anémiques Maracas,” “ID d'Heidi,” “Profil” - is the human physique and the way our emotional and physical beings interact. “Tako Tsubo,” the lounge-tinged title track, is inspired by a rare condition known also as “broken-heart syndrome." (Thank goodness Paris Combo have the cure!) Songwriter Belle du Berry indeed sees the human body as kind of « machine », capable of feeling, permuting and expressing an infinite gamut of emotions.

In April 2018 they released Remixed, an original collection remixes of their songs by some of France's most inspired DJ's to coincide with an electrifying, celebratory show at La Cigale in Paris. “After releasing 5 and Tako Tsubo, we gave some of our songs to remixers in our immediate entourage, giving them carte blanche so they could reinterpret them, and in particular, our best-known song “Living Room,” says David Lewis. “We loved the result.”  Fans are sure to feel the same.

New Releases: Nessa Dove - Light It Up; Tom Harrell - Ingfinity; Dwight Trible - Mothership

Nessa Dove – Light It Up

Nessa Dove is a Canadian born Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter with diverse East African heritage. Her sprinkle of sweet, hint of raw, and dash of unconventional, spews out a delicious Pop and Alternative blend. Based in New York City, Nessa writes, arranges, and co-produces her music, in addition to playing a mean guitar! In her music, you may hear virtuosic guitar riffs, licks, and solos while she pulls you in with sweet melodies and catchy hooks. Nessa rocks with her heart and soul, creating musical Bliss, for all to experience with her.

Tom Harrell - Infinity

Trumpeter Tom Harrell's got this amazing way of always blowing our mind – always bringing something new to the table, but never in a way that ever sounds gimmicky, or like a throwaway project at all! The quality is really something special – because, especially in recent years, each new album from Harrell always has a distinct voice and vision – one that seems to open up even new chambers of expression for the trumpeter, even after all his many years in music! This time around, there's some great work on both acoustic and electric guitar from Charles Altura – a player whose sense of color and timing really makes for a fantastic balance with the always-great sounds from Harrell on trumpet and flugelhorn. The group's also got some sharper edges from Mark Turner on tenor, and bassist Ben Street and drummer Johnathan Blake have this really compelling way of flowing together that seems to set even the more gentle moments on fire. Titles include "Coronation", "Hope", "The Fast", "Dublin", "Hope", "The Isle", "Duet", and "Taurus".  ~ Dusty Groove

Dwight Trible - Mothership

One of the most amazing jazz vocalists of our generation returns here with an incredible group – a majestic combo to match all the spiritual inclinations in his music – with work from Kamasi Washington on tenor, Mark De Clive-Lowe on piano, Miguel Atwood Ferguson on viola, and both Carlos Nino and Derf Reklaw on percussion! Dwight Trible on his own is already more than enough to get us to run out and buy a record – but here, the combination of his unique voice with these musicians makes for an album that's an instant masterpiece – and one that even has lots of new colors and styles compared to some of Dwight's previous work! Songs include numbers by older west coast spiritual jazz heavyweights – like Horace Tapscott, Linda Hill, Nate Morgan, James Leary, and Jesse Sharps – mixed with some of Trible's own songs, and versions of work by Carmen Lundy, Oscar Brown Jr, and Donny Hathaway. From top to bottom, start to stop, the album's a treasure – with tracks that include "It's All About Love", "Thank You Master", "Song For My Mother", "Brother Where Are You", "Some Other Time", "These Things You Are To Me", "Desert Fairy Princess", and "Mothership".  ~ Dusty Groove

The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club Vol. 6

"If I say so myself, this 6th volume of The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club may just be the best yet - we have so much top tunage on this album, I have just about managed to squeeze 2Lbs of funk into a 1lb bag - featuring seventeen cool contemporary cuts from 21st century purveyors of quality funky, soulful, jazzy, latin, gospel and bluesy sounds - and two original 1970's, rare groove monsters from The Mighty Ryeders, and the equally mighty Brian Auger's Oblivion Express!

Volume 6's finest funk comes courtesy The Get Up, and The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, sweet soul is supplied by Michelle David, Kizzy Crawford and Gizelle Smith, there's jazzy business from Chip Wickham, Courtney Pine and Menagarie. We have latino lunacy courtesy Grupo Magnetico's version of Papa Was A Rolling Stone, and sassy salsa from Orquesta Akokan direct from Cuba.

Someone once said that 'talking about music is like dancing about architecture' so instead, just take a look at the full tracklist below - I hope you want it, love it and go and get it! May it keep you boogieing, and grooving until the Volume 7.. the only thing for me to say now is.. of course.. Awooga!" ~ Craig Charles.

1. The Bamboos  - Golden Ticket

2. Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum - Smokey Joe's La La

3. The Mighty Ryeders - Evil Vibrations

4. Matador! Soul Sounds - Too Late

5. Grupo Magnetico - Papa Was A Rolling Stone

6. The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio - Ain't It Funky Now

7. Michelle David and The Gospel Sessions - Gonna Be Alright

8. Mestizo Beat - Featherbed Lane

9. Smoove and Turrell feat Izo FitzRoy - You're Gone

10. Kizzy Crawford - Progression

11. Chip Wickham - Rebel No 23

12. The Lewis Express  - Brother Move On

13. Courtney Pine feat Omar - Rules

14. Brian Auger's Oblivion Express feat Alex Ligertwood - Foolish Girl

15. The New Mastersounds - Tantalus

16. The Getup - Hush

17. Orquesta Akokan - Mambo Rapidito

18. Gizelle Smith - Scared of Something

19. Menagerie - Spiral

Brian Culbertson’s “Colors” comes alive

The electric entertainer captured his hit-filled Colors of Love Tour in Las Vegas for his first live concert video that dropped Valentine’s Day as a stunning Blu-ray and double CD.

Fans have been asking multi-instrumentalist hitmaker Brian Culbertson for years, “When are you going to put out a concert video?” As the dynamic performer rolled out his elaborate Colors of Love Tour on a 77-show, 14-week journey last year, he knew he had to capture the magic. Filmed during his stop in the neon city, “Colors of Love Tour – Live in Las Vegas” was released by BCM Entertainment on Valentine’s Day as a Blu-ray disc and two-disc CD through Culbertson’s site (www.BrianCulbertson.com). Amazon also has the CD set available now and will soon list the Blu-ray. Digital fans can obtain the audio version now from all major digital retail outlets. 

“I’ve been aspiring to finally film a concert and for this tour, I knew we had an impressive-looking show and a great-sounding band. It’s the most visual show I’ve ever created in terms of the lighting, video elements and wardrobe. It’s stunning. Once the tour started, I knew we had to film it somehow,” said Culbertson about his first live concert video.

  

The 2018 spring/summer trek was mounted in support of the “Colors of Love” album, a romantic release that dropped last Valentine’s Day and was inspired by Culbertson’s 20th wedding anniversary. In addition to showcasing the bouquet of love songs from the intimate collection, Culbertson constructed a generous three-act set list comprised of more than two hours of music culled from his extensive catalogue of Billboard No. 1 hits and fan favorites. With the first and third acts centered on the amorous material from “Colors of Love” along with similarly-themed library cuts, the second act is a high-energy, get-down-tonight funk set. Culbertson holds down the keyboards, grand piano, trombone and vocals, sharing the stage and spotlight with his five-piece band – Marqueal Jordan (saxophone, vocals and percussion), Eddie Miller (keyboards, organ and vocals), Tyrone Chase (guitar), Joewaun Scott (bass) and Chris Miskel (drums). They are joined by special guest vocalist Noel Gourdin along with comedic bits from Sinbad that separate each act. 

Three video screens adorned the stage projecting Sinbad’s comedy sketches, a fun cartoon sequence that accompanies the performance of “Mile Sauce,” and photos of Culbertson’s wife, Michelle, and Culbertson’s collaborators, Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire) and Bootsy Collins. Helmed by award-winning television producer-director Scott Sternberg in his first full-length concert video, the production utilized ten cameras to film the concert that took place at the Aliante Casino last May. The two-and-a-half-hour performance was lensed in its entirety with the video offering 26 songs plus bonus features, including “BC Medley” from 2016’s Funk! Tour Live, an in-studio performance of “Through the Years,” a solo piano performance of “All My Heart” shot live at SiriusXM, the “Mile Sauce” cartoon, and a commentary track from Culbertson and Miskel.

“The ‘Colors of Love’ album is personal and intimate, so we set out to create a show and video that tells a more personal story. The videos and photos on stage, like the pictures of my wife who inspired the music I wrote, is part of that. Scott (Sternberg) and his crew used unique camera angles so that it feels like you’re on stage with the band when you watch the video. It’s much more up close and personal than most concert videos,” said Culbertson.

  

Although Culbertson knew early on that he wanted to film the production, what he didn’t know initially was the how and where. After financial backing arrived upon sharing his creative vision for the project, he looked at the itinerary and circled the two-night stand in Las Vegas.

“I earmarked the Vegas dates because I knew the venue has great in-house lighting that would look amazing on camera. We recorded the audio from both nights to have as a backup, but the film crew shot only the one show, so we had to nail it in one take,” said Culbertson.

  

The video opens with Culbertson walking the Vegas strip filmed overhead by a drone. “I wanted viewers to feel like they are in Las Vegas. It was important for the opening to establish that feeling and location,” said Culbertson. “After we shot the concert, I put on my silver-sequined jacket and we drove the strip at midnight to shoot additional footage for the opener. I can’t wait for people to see the video. It’s really exciting energy.”

  

To view the trailer for “Colors of Love Tour – Live in Las Vegas,” click https://bit.ly/2OFW1Kp.       

The songs included on the Blu-ray and CD are:

ACT 1

“Love Transcended”

“It’s On Tonight”

“Another Love”

“I Want You”

“Wear It Out”

“You’re My Music” featuring Noel Gourdin

“I Could Get Used To This”

“All About You”

“Hookin’ Up”

“Somethin’ Bout Love”

“Through The Years”

“Colors of Love”

Sinbad – “Kinda Pimpish”

ACT 2

“Feelin’ It”

“Funkin’ Like My Father”

“Always Remember”

“Been Around The World”

“Damn, I’m Hungry”

“Mile Sauce”

“Got To Give It Up”

“Hollywood Swinging”

“Play That Funky Music”

Sinbad – “I’m Black Dangit, 100%”

ACT 3

“Secret Garden”

“Michelle’s Theme”

"On My Mind”

“Colors of Love Reprise”

“Our Love”

http://www.brianculbertson.com

Saxophonist Elan Trotman has “Got To Give It Up” to Marvin Gaye

He drops a tribute album, “Dear Marvin,” on April 2, the iconic crooner’s 80th birthday. The first single, “Got To Give It Up,” is the No. 1 most-added single on the Billboard chart this week.

Sax salutes sexy soul on Elan Trotman’s “Dear Marvin,” a collection of ten of Marvin Gaye’s best-loved songs that drops on April 2, the late legendary R&B singer’s 80th birthday. Preceding the set’s arrival is the single “Got To Give It Up,” a vibrant reboot of one of Gaye’s funky dance tracks that is the No. 1 most-added single on the Billboard chart this week as an instrumental from the Woodward Avenue Records album produced by Charles Haynes (Marcus Miller, Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah) and Trotman.

“It’s amazing how this project came about. ‘Got To Give It Up’ has been a huge part of my live show for the past two years and has always been a crowd favorite. That is just one of the many factors that inspired me to record the song and to dig deeper into Marvin’s catalogue and life story. I had no idea that his 80th birthday would be coming up around our time of completing the album, but once I found out, I knew we had to release it on April 2 to mark the occasion,” said Trotman, an award-winning saxophonist who has topped the Billboard singles chart more than ten times.

  

In reimagining Gaye’s catalogue in instrumental form, Trotman shares the spotlight on “Dear Marvin,” with premier soloists, including Grammy-winning keyboardist Jeff Lorber, seminal urban-jazz flautist Najee, esteemed trumpeter Patches Stewart, soul-jazz-hip hop-funk trombonist Jeff Bradshaw and veteran guitarist Sherrod Barnes. Trotman strategically deploys vocals to illumine a few key tracks. Ray Greene (Santana, Tower of Power) begs on “Mercy Mercy Me”; rapper Obadele Thompson plies his come-on skills to “I Want You”; and Tim “Smithsoneon” Smith provides the cure through “Sexual Healing.” Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra enhance a pair of tracks with strings. Including Haynes, Trotman’s core collaborators are his former colleagues from Berklee College of Music: keyboardist Mitch Henry (Marsha Ambrosius), bassists Kyle Miles and Keithen Foster (H.E.R.), and percussionist Atticus Cole.       

  

“It’s been an honor to be able to share my interpretations of some of Marvin’s classics. As with all cover projects, I made an extra effort to learn lyrics and storylines for each composition in order to truly understand his interpretations and performances on each song,” said the Boston-based Trotman, who is planning to be in Los Angeles on April 2 for an 11am ceremony held by the United States Postal Service at The Greek Theatre to celebrate the release of the Marvin Gaye commemorative Forever stamp.

  

“We, Marvin's family, heard about Elan doing a musical tribute to Marvin. We are very pleased with his album 'Dear Marvin,' and are so happy that it will be released on his birthday, April 2. The musicians are all incredible! Thank you, Elan Trotman. Job well done,” said Janis Gaye, Gaye’s second wife.

“Dear Marvin,” is Trotman’s eighth album and second on the Woodward Avenue Records imprint. The label issued the saxophone-flute player’s 2013 disc, “Tropicality,” an autobiographical album that colors contemporary jazz with native sounds from Trotman’s homeland, Barbados. Trotman curates, produces and hosts the Barbados Jazz Excursion and Golf Weekend annually over Columbus Day Weekend with the sixth edition taking place this October 10-14. Bringing that winning formula closer to home, he will launch the first annual Martha’s Vineyard Jazz Excursion and Golf Weekend in Oak Bluffs, MA on June 28-30. To support the album release, Trotman will perform at festivals, theaters and nightclubs through October beginning with the prestigious Boscov’s Berks Jazz Festival in Reading, PA on April 5.     

“Dear Marvin,” contains the following songs:

“Inner City Blues” featuring Sherrod Barnes

“Got To Give It Up”

“Distant Lover” featuring Patches Stewart

“Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing”

“Mercy Mercy Me” featuring Ray Greene

“I Want You” featuring Obadele Thompson

“Sexual Healing” featuring “Smithsoneon”

“After The Dance” featuring Najee

“Trouble Man” featuring Jeff Lorber

“I Heard It Through The Grapevine” featuring Jeff Bradshaw

http://elantrotman.com

RANDY BRECKER ROCKS & NDR BIGBAND - THE HAMBURG RADIO JAZZ ORCHESTRA & DAVID SANBORN

This CD came to fruition after two successful tours featuring Randy Brecker fronting the NDR Bigband - The Hamburg Radio Jazz Orchestra [please note the spelling: Bigband versus Big Band]. Arranger/Conductor Jörg Achim Keller handled works Randy composed from different periods of his career. The tours were so well received that the "higher-ups" in the NDR organization gave the green light to record everything in a studio situation. Jörg's idea was to have the original three-horn front line of the Brecker Brothers Band augmented by the NDR Bigband, with an extended woodwind section featuring double reeds such as oboe and bassoon, and extensive woodwind doubling like bass clarinets and flutes, etc. for coloring.

Original Brecker Brothers Band member alto saxophonist David Sanborn was brought in, along with Ada Rovatti on tenor and soprano saxophones, and world famous drummer Wolfgang Haffner. Ada Rovatti (Randy's wife) has been a member of the Brecker Brothers Band Reunion since its inception, has had a successful recording career of her own, and has continued the tradition of 'saxophonistic excellence' in the Brecker family.

The end results are organic big band arrangements, which augment the concepts behind Brecker's original compositions. Along with the other soloists - all regular members of the NDR Bigband - this CD is a spirited romp, one that will stand the test of time. Have fun listening, there is never a dull moment!

For further information, please go to: http://randybrecker.com/

TRACKS

1. First Tune Of The Set [8:08]

2. Adina [6:16]

3. Squids [6:38]

4. Pastoral [7:22]

5. The Dipshit [6:22]

6. Above And Below [7:32]

7. Sozinho [7:26]

8. Rocks [6:54]

9. Threesome [6:33]

All Randy Brecker compositions from different periods.

Dave Liebman, Adam Rudolph, Hamid Drake - CHI

 A transcendent collaboration deeply possessed of fresh inspiration and deep roots, ancient traditions and modern invention.

Chi brings together these three master musicians for a breathtaking excursion into spontaneous composition, an extended, adventurous set of free improvisation that maintains a through line of resilient architecture and unexpected twists and turns. Nowhere revealing the tenuous moments that might be expected in an initial collaboration, the music is vivid and powerful from beginning to end, evoking timeless traditions while surging forward with ferocious abandon.

"Taoism is all about being in tune with our true nature," Rudolph explains. "Chi is all about the yin and yang of receptivity and action. Musically, that becomes the ebb and flow of listening and generating ideas. The music on Chi was so successful because everyone was listening and letting the music happen in a very natural, organic, spontaneous way."

Chi captures what was, until that moment, the only time these three pioneering artists had shared the stage together. Recorded on a spring evening at The Stone at the New School in New York City, the freely improvised set is fueled both by the vitality of new encounters and the unparalleled chemistry of longstanding relationships.

"There's real freedom going on in this music," Rudolph continues. "I feel like anything that I can imagine, Dave and Hamid will be able to hear and understand it, and respond to it through their creative action."

Rudolph and Drake share a nearly half-century of history together, dating back to their teenage years in Chicago. The two met in a downtown drum shop when both were 14 years old, and have since enjoyed a profound personal and creative friendship. In the decades since they're worked together with such greats as Don Cherry, Yusef Lateef, Fred Anderson, Pharoah Sanders and Hassan Hakmoun and in each other's ensembles.

"We grew up sharing a similar pursuit," Drake says. "The music, of course; not only the history of the various musical traditions that we're interested in but also the cosmology of those traditions, the spiritual practices that informed or fed those musical genres."

In both Drake and Rudolph, that spiritual element has fueled a never-ending search that has led both to constantly pursue new avenues of expression and exploration. Traveling those parallel pathways, that continual seeking has allowed their decades of collaboration to be renewed and invigorated each time they've convened. "When you've known someone for a long time but you also share a creative pursuit, that feeds into and gives energy to the relationship," Drake says. "My relationship with Adam continues to be refueled. It's not just the embers; new logs are always being put on the fire."

The addition of Liebman's singular voice certainly stokes that already blazing flame. While this recording marks the veteran saxophonist's first meeting with Drake, he's been enjoying a fruitful collaboration with Rudolph over the last several years. The pair first worked together during another of the percussionist's residencies at the original Stone in 2016, then expanded to a trio with the inventive Japanese-born percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani for the RareNoise release The Unknowable.

Long before that, however, Rudolph and Drake had deeply immersed themselves in Liebman's voice via his influential work with such icons as Miles Davis and Elvin Jones. "Dave Liebman was one of the people who was committed to pushing the music forward," Drake says. "When Adam and I were studying Miles' music, at the time when he started moving into other dimensions, Dave was a strong force in that movement. So as players coming up and trying to delve into that, he was one of the exemplars for us. And he continues to remain open to many different types of music and musical vocabularies."

Liebman has always found a great source of inspiration in the sound of the drums, making him an ideal partner for the two virtuosic percussionists. As far back as 1974, his Liebman's second album as a leader was titled Drum Ode and featured a stellar gathering of percussionists from various traditions that included Bob Moses, Barry Altschul, Badal Roy, Patato Valdez, Collin Walcott and Jeff Williams.

Rudolph pays Liebman the high compliment of calling him a "rhythmist," a term he reserves for only the most simpatico of improvisers. "Not every 'melody' player is a rhythmist," he explains. "That means having a really evolved sense of phrasing and timing. Dave went through the Elvin Jones and Miles Davis schools, and you have to be a supreme rhythmist to go through those experiences. Hamid and I have developed a unique language together, and Liebman can not only hang with that but thrive in it and add to the mix with a multiplicity of layers and interweaving thematic threads."

"The drum has always been a focal point of my playing career," Liebman says. "The more the better. In this case, when I turned around and saw what these two guys had in back of me, it was like a Hollywood set. If you sit in the middle of all that rhythm, you're definitely going to play something different and hopefully adventurous."

That battery of instrumentation includes Rudolph's trademark hand drumset, which includes kongos, djembe and Tarija, as well as a variety of other percussion instruments and the three-stringed Gnawa lute known as the sintir. Drake supplements his drumset prowess with the thunderous frame drum and his own arsenal of percussion. In addition, both Rudolph and Liebman take turns at the Stone's piano, while Rudolph adds multiphonic vocals as well as the limitless possibilities offered by electronic processing.

Liebman is particularly excited by the transformative effect of Rudolph's electronics, an interest that dates back to the percussionist's days in the groundbreaking electronic music program at Oberlin College. "I love the different textural elements it contributes," Liebman says. "If my back is turned and I hear something going on, I don't know if it's coming from Adam or from Hamid, from a machine or form outer space."

The album initiates with otherworldly electronic shimmers on "Becoming," as the sound of bamboo flute is mutated into ricocheting breaths against the stark tolling of piano keys and Drake's subtle interjections on his cymbals. The piece builds in intensity with the entrance of Liebman's soulful tenor before abruptly dissipating.

"Flux" begins with the subtle, interlocking rhythms of Rudolph and Drake, which Liebman then weaves a serpentine path through and around. The momentum builds like an avalanche before hanging suspended for a moment on the saxophonist's breathy soprano. His wisps of melody become warped into spirals of sound via Rudolph's processed echoes, which Drake engages in a playful tug of war.

A suspenseful, prodding dialogue between the two percussionists opens "Continuum," eventually pierced by the plaintive wail of Liebman's soprano, establishing a tension that is maintained thrillingly through the remainder of the piece. "Formless Form" begins on a dark, ominous note with Liebman's ruminative piano accented by faint percussion atmospherics. The piece is a masterpiece of slow build, from the gripping use of space to an exhilarating cavalcade of discordant eruptions.

The compelling power of the drums is evident in the rapturous conversation that opens the album's longest piece, "Emergence." The instant rapport of these three masters is nowhere more in evidence than in the sustained structure and organic evolutions of this 14-minute piece, which moves from the sinuous dance of Liebman's soprano with Rudolph's vocals to hypnotic grooves and wrenching howls. Rudolph's sintir provides the foundation for album closer "Whirl," utterly mesmerizing in its fluid momentum.

While the life force it attempts to describe has been given many names across a wide swath of cultures, the trio chose the Taoist word Chi due to Rudolph's and Drake's shared study of the Chinese martial art and health exercise T'ai chi ch'uan. "This life philosophy has informed our worldview," Rudolph says. "Being in tune with each other's chi and the chi around and about us is where this group works really well. Approaching the musical moment with humility and receptivity: that's the philosophy of this music."