Chloe Perrier & The French Heart Jazz Band - Petite Fleur

A true musical citizen of the world, French born, NYC based vocalist Chloe Perrier has one goal every time she and her French Heart Jazz Band take the stage at clubs throughout Manhattan - to make people happy and transport them away from the chaos and stress of life in the modern world. Drawing from such influences as Josephine Baker, Ella Fitzgerald and Blossom Dearie, the singer uses her velvety voice, spellbinding style and charming accent to transform any room she plays into a realm harkening back to the golden age of jazz.

Holding court onstage these past three years at venues as Club Bonafide, Cornelia Street Café and the McKittrick Hotel, Chloe and her “dream team” of musicians dive deep into a repertoire of French “chansons” and American jazz standards from the jazz age, taking their audiences on a journey back in time for a soul transportive experience she playfully describes as “Gatsby in Paris.” The idea sparked in 2016, when the Consulate General of France invited her to put together a “Gatsby themed soirée” to celebrate the 90th anniversary of its residence on Fifth Avenue. Chloe eventually built an entire show around the concept.

Now, with her new album Petite Fleur, released and distributed worldwide by the independent label Jazzheads, Chloe brings her alluring Parisian charm beyond the Big Apple for the first time. The October 22nd drop of the album will be celebrated with a party and performance at The Cutting Room, and prior to that, the album's lead single “Comes Love” and its music video -- created by Chloe and Los Angeles based cinematographer Jesse Green -- will premiere on September 13th. Simultaneously, Chloe and the French Heart Jazz Band will be performing at the Sunset-Sunside jazz club in Paris.

Before moving to New York from Paris six years ago to develop her career as a singer and actress, Chloe had already visited the city, working on an arts-related documentary. While she was gathering footage of the daily lives of New York based artists, she met guitarist Akira Ishiguro, who later introduced her to drummer Rodrigo Recabarren: the chemistry was immediate and she launched her first trio – which ultimately evolved into the French Heart Jazz band, when upright bassist Jim Robertson was added to the band.

Petite Fleur features soulful, lyrical and swinging performances by the original quartet, joined memorably for this project by special guests clarinetist Jon Hunt and - adding touches of magical retro-romance – violinist Caroline Bugala. The 12-track collection was produced by Chloe and recorded at the Samurai Hotel Recording Studio in Queens by Grammy-winning sound engineer Max Ross from System Two.

Drawn from favorites among the band’s ever-expanding repertoire, Petite Fleur includes two of French songwriter Charles Trenet's greatest hits, “Menilmontant” and “Que reste-t-il de nos amours”; a tribute to American jazz vocalist Helen Merrill’s seductive and whimsical “Lorsque tu m’embrasses (Just Squeeze Me)”; George Shearing's Ella Fitzgerald popularized sexy swinger “Lullaby of Birdland”; the sensual “J’ai deux amours” originally written for Josephine Baker in 1930; an unexpected high energy take on Edith Piaf's classic “La Vie En Rose”; the briskly paced “Je voudrais en savoir d’avantage” made famous by 1930s bandleader Ray Ventura, which lends itself to Chloe’s quick, rhythmic phrasing; and of course, the “hidden” title track “Petite Fleur,” by the great Sidney Bechet, recorded by Chloe in honor of her grandfather's favorite song.

The album’s tracks in English include a classic of the Django Reinhardt repertoire, the spirited call and response tune “Coquette”; “Guilty,” one of Al Bowlly's signature songs, previously included in the soundtrack of popular French film Amélie; and the bolero-mambo classic “Sway,” given a touch of international class and sass via Chloe’s French accent.   

“What I love about this period from the 1920s to the ‘40s is that the music is really happy, and it brings people great joy when I sing it,” says the singer. “This is an atmosphere I love to communicate to my audiences. Coeur de Francaise, my first album that I recorded in France before moving to New York, was more romantic and melancholic, based on songs from the 60s through the 90s. Petite Fleur is about love and its sound is decidedly more joyful and upbeat."

“The times we live in are pretty dark,” she adds, “and I like the opportunity to take people away from their problems and help them stay positive, even if just for an hour. People tell me at the end of the show that they feel like they’re in Paris in the 30s. The challenge is to keep those who have seen the show multiple times engaged, so I am always YouTube hopping or buying old vinyls in search of unique jazz standards and French chansons from that era."

Born in the French Alps, Chloe started ballet dancing and playing the violin at a young age. At age ten she moved to Paris where she started acting and singing, and by age thirteen she was already working professionally in the entertainment industry. After a well-received first concert at “Le Reservoir” -- thrown together on a dare, after a bet with famous actor and comedian Mouss Diouf -- she began focusing on music, studying vocal jazz with Sara Lazarus as well as composition and piano with Joe Makholm for three years at the Bill Evans Piano Academy in Paris. During this time, Chloe started to compose her first songs. Furthering her education, Chloe participated in various workshops with prominent French and American musicians. 

After years of performing in France and releasing her successful first album, she decided “to follow her dream and dive into the wonderful world of NYC Jazz." "Barely speaking English, I moved to the Big Apple with my artist visa and my microphone. During my time here, I’ve been able to meet and work with wonderful musicians from all around the world including my dream team, which I call my brothers from another mother. After playing all over the city that doesn’t sleep, I created a new band with them called the French Heart Jazz Band.”

 Nowadays Chloe performs with these and other musicians in different formats, from duet to septet, in several locations and clubs both in Paris and in NYC -- at the Zinc Bar, The Iridium, Feinstein's/54 Below, Winter Cabaret festival, Summer Cabaret Festival, Vintage Train Swing Festival, Why Not jazz club, Cornelia Street Cafe, Club Bonafide,The Manderley and Gallow Green at The Mc Kittrick Hotel (Home of the famous show Sleep No More), The Top of the Standard, The Plaza, Lotte New York Palace, The Beekman Hotel, the Flatiron Room and Fine & Rare and more. The singer has also performed live on radio and TV shows like “Jazzbox” on Radio Aligre, “La bande Passante” on RFI, Bastille TV, and “Telematin” France 2.

“As a little girl growing up in France,” Chloe says, “I fell in love with music and I was listening to old records of Claude Nougaro, Serge Gainsbourg and the musical for kids ‘Emilie Jolie’ all the time. All these years later, it’s a wonderful pleasure to sing for people and provide a type of musical therapy for others the way my favorite music has always been an uplifting and healing force in my life. Club Bonafide where I have a residency and other clubs has been a wonderful ‘laboratory’ for me and my band to try out new material and develop arrangements and a repertoire that helps lift everybody’s mood. Together, we capture a vintage feeling with a modern twist – and were able to take that into the studio and, with Max Ross’ help, make some real magic!”

Alex Hahn Wins First Prize at Inaugural Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition

Second Prize: Alex Weitz

Third Prize: Artem Badenko 

First Prize: $12,500 / Second Prize: $7,500 / Third Prize: $2,500

The Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition is delighted to announce that Alex Hahn has won first prize in the inaugural competition with Alex Weitz and Artem Badenko coming in second and third, respectively. The final rounds took place at the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat, Israel on Monday, August 26, 2019.

The semi-final round was judged by Dan Gottfried (first artistic director of the Red Sea Jazz Festival), Marquis Hill, Donny McCaslin, and Marcus Ratka (founder of JAM Music Lab in Vienna, Austria). The four judges selected Hahn, Weitz and Badenko to compete in the final round at the main stage of the Red Sea Jazz Festival’s second day. The final round was judged by Ron Carter, Eli Degibri, Kenny Garrett, and Donny McCaslin.

By virtue of their selection, each of the semi-finalists — Artem Badenko, Niall Cade, Nathan Bellott, Alex Hahn, Sheridan Hitchcock, Sean Payne, Daniel Varga, and Alex Weitz — embodied the spirit and influence that Michael Brecker’s artistry will impact for generations to come. Hailed by The New York Times as “among the most influential musicians in jazz since the 1960s,” Brecker passed away in 2007 at 57 years old after a battle with leukemia.

As a result of his stylistic and harmonic innovations, the 15-time GRAMMY® Award-winner will forever be regarded as one of the most eminent saxophonists of this or any generation. Brecker’s discography of more than 900 albums features work with his brother Randy, as well as Frank Zappa, Herbie Hancock, Aerosmith, James Brown, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, Steely Dan, John Lennon, Elton John, Chick Corea, and Pat Metheny — among others.

Michael loved the company of musicians and especially aspiring young saxophonists. He would listen to the unsolicited tapes received, would return with feedback, and would always take time to speak to young musicians following his gigs. In his characteristically humble way, Michael had an uncanny ability to make everyone feel special. In recognition of Michael’s generosity, and to assist in providing ballast to deserving careers, The Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition was created — with the assistance of lead donor Herb Alpert. 

Susan Brecker, Michael’s widow and a co-founder of the competition said, “Michael was always supportive of young saxophonists and would have been delighted and humbled by this competition in his honor.” Added her co-founder Darryl Pitt — Michael’s former manager who encouraged Michael to appear at the inaugural Red Sea Jazz Festival to help the Festival get started thirty-three years ago, “Mike was an astounding musician and an even better man; I miss him dearly — as does everyone who was blessed to have him in their lives.”

The preliminary judges for the competition were critically acclaimed saxophonists Melissa Aldana, Marcus Strickland and Ben Wendel, who made their decisions solely based on the recorded performances provided. The promotion of the competition and its preliminary round was run through Pitt’s office with judges only being provided an identification number assigned to each competitor. No other information was provided. Pitt brought in the world’s foremost expert in running jazz competitions, Jeff Levenson, to help to create this competition’s structure. Said Susan, “We are so fortunate to have had Jeff’s participation.”

Vocalist Moy Eng debuts with The Blue Hour

Chinese-American poet-vocalist Moy Eng debuts with The Blue Hour, an intoxicating blend of autobiography and imagination in collaboration with composer-arranger Wayne Wallace

Recording debuts often provide only a starting point: the seeds of a musician’s artistic vision, which may or may not flower and grow in the course of a career.The Blue Hour, the debut recording from vocalist and poet-lyricist Moy Eng,is something altogether different. It introduces the measured and mature work of a new (not young) artist – a woman who has excelled as a visionary arts administrator and philanthropic executive, embarking on a second-act career that she had hardly anticipated.

In collaboration with her songwriting partner and producer, the four-time GRAMMY-nominated trombonist and bandleader Wayne Wallace, Eng has created a debut masterwork. The songs on The Blue Hour,slated for release by Wallace’s Patois Records on July 26, 2019, embody the lessons of a lifetime even as the writing retains the wide-eyed delight of a gifted sensualist. Eng’s lyrics are a blend of autobiography and her expansive imagination, and they range across the emotional landscape. There’s the spiky sass of “Filthy Gorgeous,” her inspired description of the dichotomies inherent in a new relationship; the ethereal sweep of “Magnolia Light,” a lazing dreamscape that transforms the sky itself into a lead character; and, in the ramp-up to “I Love A Girl Who Parties,” Eng’s remembrance of the impact Aretha Franklin’s music had on her, growing up in a traditional Chinese-American family during the 1960s.

Traversing themes related to love, loss, travel, and identity, Eng presents these songs as a colorful basket of individual gifts, each wrapped in a gently sumptuous and frankly beautiful alto – a silky but unruffled singing voice as warmly clear as the poetic “voice” that infuses her writing. To complement her words, Wallace’s compositions – and especially his spot-on arrangements which draw on his eclectic musical experiences in pop, rock, jazz, and Latin music – enhance each of Eng’s lyrics, underscoring emotions both spoken and implied. 

Eng’s achievement is all the more impressive when you consider that, despite having “always had an affinity” for literature and writing, she only started putting pen to paper about 15 years ago. Since then she’s written some 500 poems, finding that genre best suited to what she needs to express. “Trusting myself with the process of capturing a memory, a scent or an experience – there’s something powerful that unfolds,” she explains. Her affinity for music runs even deeper. “I’ve never not sung,” she says; “it’s part of my earliest memories, since I was 4 or 5. It has always been part of my daily life, like breathing.” Nonetheless, and despite her early classical voice training, she has performed only occasionally on stage; this explains why most people are hearing her now for the first time. But in the arena of philanthropy and grant making, she’s a superstar, with more than three decades’ experience supporting initiatives in the arts, renewable energy, gender equality, and human rights.

Wayne Wallace requires no such introduction to modern jazz listeners. He is perhaps best known as  a powerful trombone soloist with expertise in a startling range of Afro-Caribbean and South American rhythms, as displayed in his eponymous Latin Jazz Quintet, which has earned three of his four GRAMMY nominations. These accomplishments rest upon a hidden foundation forged in San Francisco’s pop, soul, and Latin music scenes of the 1970s and 80s – one of his first gigs placed him in a James Brown cover band – and as a coveted writer and producer. The stylistic variety of his work on The Blue Houroffers a glimpse into this extensive resume, demonstrating that, as he points out, “I do more than just Latin Jazz.”  

Eng first encountered Wallace more than a decade ago, when she enrolled in a songwriting class he was teaching at a Bay Area music camp. “I wanted to learn what made a great song, even if I were never to write one. I felt that some of the phrasing and imagery in my poems might work as songs. And Wayne was very encouraging,” she recounts. About a year later, Eng called to tell Wallace that she’d written close to 100 pieces of poetry, and asking if they might try writing a song together. His reaction? “I was wondering when you would call me.” Eng sent him close to a dozen poems. Wallace chose three of those as likely candidates, and in 2010 they got to work on their first song, “Alpha Girl,” drawn from Eng’s X-ray observations of “post-feminist women with the ambitious goal to be all things to all people.”

The two have a fairly strict division of labor – music by him, words by her – but as Wallace explains, “We’re almost always in the room together when we write; it’s not like I come in and say, ‘Oh, look what I came up with on my own.’ It’s more, ‘What do you think of this? Then how about this?’ It’s definitely a collaboration – even though Moy doesn’t count herself as having written the music.”

At first they had no plans to make an album at all. But as the partnership continued, they soon found themselves with some 35 fully-fledged songs and began presenting them in Bay Area clubs. Positive reaction from audiences convinced them to cull the ten they thought would best complement each other, while at the same time exploring the full range of the “Eng-Wallace Songbook.” Several tunes – “Sleepless in Paris,” “Hong Kong,” “A New York Moment” – explore the wondrous disorientation of visiting places away from home; the jazz-rock anthem “Wild Plum” uses a Chinese symbol of winter as sexy metaphor. 

As Eng explains: “Wayne and I try to create worlds, with words and arrangements, that people can step into and connect with their own experiences.” 

Born in New Jersey, Moy Eng received her M.A. in Arts Administration from New York University, then launched her professional career with a bang, as fundraiser for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – where she worked directly with the company’s legendary founder – and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. She has been a grant maker in foundations whose assets ranged from $100 million to $9 billion, including the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Her “day gig,” as she puts it, has earned her honors from the California Arts Council and from the World Affairs Council, which called her a social entrepreneur “who will shape our tomorrow.” She currently leads the Bay Area’s Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST), a young nonprofit organization that develops affordable workspaces for the arts in one of the most expensive regions to live and work in the world. 

In a career that spans four decades, San Francisco native Wayne Wallace has lent his myriad talents (sideman, arranger, composer, producer) to the likes of Count Basie, Aretha Franklin, Tito Puente, Sonny Rollins, and Carlos Santana. His debut album as a leader, 2000’s Three In One(Spirit Nectar), showcased his writing skills and his encyclopedic knowledge of Afro-Cuban rhythms, which he developed in the close-knit Bay Area jazz community, most notably as music director of John Santos’s Machete Ensemble. Wallace’s outsized role in Bay Area jazz includes his creation of Patois Records, with a catalog that includes his own albums and also recordings by vocalists Kat Parra and Alexa Weber Morales, as well as two highly regarded anthologies of Bay Area salsa and Latin jazz. A gifted educator, Wallace now spends the academic year as professor of jazz trombone and practice in jazz studies at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, having previously taught at San Jose State University and Stanford University.

The BRANDON GOLDBERG Trio: Upcoming Tour Dates

Hot on the heels of his much-lauded, standing-room-only, debut appearance at the 65th Annual Newport Jazz Festival, pianist Brandon Goldberg leads his trio of Ben Wolfe on bass and Donald Edwards on drums (also featured on Let's Play!) in continued celebration of his debut recording, Let's Play!, with dates at The Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme, CT (9/14), Keystone Korner in Baltimore, MD (9/18), and the Birdland Theater in NYC (9/19). The trio will be playing music from Let's Play!, standards and new music from Goldberg. 

What you experience when hearing pianist Brandon Goldberg (who turned thirteen in early 2019) on his debut album, Let's Play!, is a refined gift, sculpted by years in the woodshed, inspired by pianists recognized by one name, Monk, McCoy, Chick, Bud and others, imbued with a pure love and joy for this music and nurtured by a supportive family - all fortified by the Florida sun!

What one hears frequently when talking about the young Mr. Goldberg, is, "he plays sooo great . . . for any age! . . .". In fact Wendy Oxenhorn (head of the Jazz Foundation of America) stated that, "Brandon's phrasing and his bigger-than-life -genius makes it hard to believe he is only 13. When he was 10 and performed at our Apollo concert, I went on stage after and asked to see his drivers license because after hearing him play and speak, I thought he had to be 44! Brandon is an old soul who will keep this music alive in the new world." And, the legendary pianist Monty Alexander added emphatically that, "this is a masterful performance for this twelve year old, and not because he's a twelve year old but because he's Brandon. Along with all of the cleverness, the sophistication and the tasteful choices, this young man is swinging-swinging hard. Brandon is as affecting as any other new artists appearing on the scene today. I am a fan."

Equal parts hard work, talent (an other-worldly talent!) and passion are the ingredients for success, and precisely what you have in Goldberg. "I started playing the piano to play the songs I liked in preschool," he explains, "and my grandma introduced me to a lot of music - Andrea Bocelli at first, then Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, which led me to check out Tony Bennett with Bill Evans." Classical studies followed and by age eight Goldberg was studying at The University of Miami and the Litchfield Jazz Camp & Festival. Along the way Goldberg also studied formally and informally with Matt Wilson, Avery Sharpe, Paul Bollenback, Ira Sullivan, Shelly Berg, Chuck Bergeron and Don Braden. He went on to make appearances on the Harrick Connick Jr. show, "Little Big Shots" with Steve Harvey, sitting in with the aforementioned Monty Alexander at Jazz @ Lincoln Center, a performance at several Tedx Talks, and performing Haydn's Piano Concerto No. 11 with the South Florida Youth Symphony. Regarding Florida, Goldberg follows in the footsteps of many other prominent jazz musicians the Sunshine State has produced, including Cannonball and Nat Adderley, Archie Shepp, Junior Cook, Arturo Sandoval, Ira Sullivan and Marcus and E.J. Strickland.

In conceptualizing Let's Play! Goldberg took great care in the selection of music, and his band. "I really love this band. I've got a special connection with both Ben Wolfe (bass) and Donald Edwards (drums) and I'm so honored to be able to call them my friends and sidemen. Dan Miller, who I met at All County Honors Band in Miami, introduced me to Ben when I was starting to put together a band for my record. Ben and I got along immediately. He helped me put the rest of the group together and suggested using Donald on the record (who then nine-year-old Goldberg had played with while sitting in with the Mingus Big Band), and I'm so glad he did. Then, we reached out to Marcus Strickland to play on a few tracks - I was so excited when he said yes! I am so happy to have these incredible musicians on my debut album and I really feel like we all have a special connection on and off the bandstand. I call Ben every two or three days and we talk on the phone for a good half hour. He's always there to help me out with any questions I have musically and he's a really great guy to talk to. I am really into drums and cymbals and that kind of stuff so every time I hang out with Donald I get to geek-out with him. It's such a fun group to play with and I hope you can hear our excitement in the music."

Let's Play! (available now) is the premiere album from an energetic, swinging new force on the piano, with a hopeful and happy side note that he happens to be thirteen! Hopeful and happy, because this means we have decades of new music to look forward to from this young artist.

Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' 50th Anniversary Edition And 'Sinatra Sings Alan & Marilyn Bergman'

On October 11, Capitol/UMe and Frank Sinatra Enterprises will release a 50th anniversary edition of Frank Sinatra's classic album My Way and Sinatra Sings Alan & Marilyn Bergman, a compilation of songs written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

On October 11, Capitol/UMe and Frank Sinatra Enterprises will release a 50th anniversary edition of Frank Sinatra’s classic album 'My Way' and 'Sinatra Sings Alan & Marilyn Bergman,' a compilation of songs written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

On October 11, Capitol/UMe and Frank Sinatra Enterprises will release a 50th anniversary edition of Frank Sinatra’s classic album 'My Way' and 'Sinatra Sings Alan & Marilyn Bergman,' a compilation of songs written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

Released on Reprise in March 1969, and produced by Don Costa and Sonny Burke, My Way features a varied collection of contemporary pop songs, including Lennon and McCartney's "Yesterday," Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson," and the iconic title track, "My Way." Recorded on December 30, 1968, in just one take, "My Way" charted in the U.S. and stayed on the U.K. charts for a record-breaking 75 weeks.

The My Way 50th anniversary set features four bonus tracks, including a live version recorded at The Ahmanson Theatre in 1971, which is available for streaming and for immediate download with pre-order.

Sinatra Sings Alan & Marilyn Bergman features songs by the esteemed, Academy Award winning songwriting duo, including the title track from Sinatra's 1960 Grammy-nominated album, "Nice 'N' Easy." "As lyric writers," say Alan and Marilyn Bergman in liner notes, "to have a singer understand and be able to communicate what you wrote, whether it be about love or love lost or songs that needed a humorous approach, Frank got it... his readings were always on the money and more than what we heard in our minds."

Frank Sinatra: My Way (50th Anniversary Edition) [CD; Digital; LP; limited edition color LP]

1. Watch What Happens

2. Didn't We

3. Hallelujah, I Love Her So

4. Yesterday

5. All My Tomorrows

6. My Way

7. A Day In The Life Of A Fool

8. For Once In My Life

9. If You Go Away

10. Mrs. Robinson

Bonus Tracks: (*Not on LP)

11. My Way – duet with Willie Nelson

12. My Way – duet with Luciano Pavarotti

13. My Way – Live at Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, June 13, 1971

14. My Way – Live at the Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX, October 14, 1987

Sinatra Sings Alan & Marilyn Bergman [CD; Digital; LP]

1. Nice 'N' Easy

2. Ol' MacDonald

3. Sentimental Baby

4. Love Looks So Well On You

5. Sleep Warm

6. What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life?

7. The Summer Knows

8. Summer Me, Winter Me

9. L.A. Is My Lady

10. How Do You Keep The Music Playing?

Bonus Tracks: (*Not on LP)

11. Christmas Memories

12. Leave It All To Me – previously unreleased

Throughout his seven-decade career, Frank Sinatra performed on more than 1,400 recordings and was awarded 31 gold, nine platinum, three double platinum, and one triple platinum album by the Recording Industry Association of America. Sinatra demonstrated a remarkable ability to appeal to every generation and continues to do so; his artistry still influences many of today's music superstars. The Oscar® winner also appeared in more than 60 films and produced eight motion pictures.

Sinatra was awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards from The Recording Academy, The Screen Actors Guild and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as well as the Kennedy Center Honors, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Today, he remains a legend and an inspiration around the world for his contributions to culture and the arts.

sinatra.com.

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R&B-jazz saxophonist Dante’ releases "Mint"

It’s common. You go to school and prepare for a certain career path, but somehow the focus shifts. Years can go by before you realize that you have veered off course. R&B-jazz saxophonist Dante’ caught himself drifting and after some soul searching, realized that his joy would be found in music as a recording artist. He assembled an experience crew of proven producers, songwriters and musicians to help him craft “Mint,” his debut album that drops October 4.   

Dante’ is a Berklee College of Music graduate who was featured on rapper J. Cole’s 2011 heralded first album, “Cole World: The Sideline Story.” As an entrepreneur, he created Dante’ Neck Straps, handcrafted performance straps used by sax stars Dave Koz, Paul Taylor, Jackiem Joyner, Marcus Anderson, Walter Beasley, Mike Phillips, Joe Lavano and others. There were other successful business ventures outside of music that Dante’ spearheaded, but his spirit wasn’t fulfilled. After introspection, he felt that what would satiate his artistic expression would be making records as an artist. 

“I’m constantly tangled up in multiple projects. One day I said to myself, ‘What do I really want to do? What will bring me the most joy?’ The answer was music. Instead of dropping everything and start chasing gigs, I decided to create a record and put myself out to the world through music,” said Dante’, who plays soprano sax throughout “Mint” with the exceptions being an alto sax on two songs: “Kansai Groove” and “Before We Begin.” 

He knew his first single had to be “something fun to get people moving,” introducing his sound – a fusion of contemporary jazz, soul, funk and pop – with the help of an established hitmaker. Dante’ tapped fellow saxophonist and chart-topping artist-producer-songwriter Darren Rahn to craft “Vibin’ Out,” which goes for playlist adds on September 9. 

Dante’ co-wrote all of the original songs for “Mint,” writing half the tunes with Grammy and Emmy nominee Rex Salas (Janet Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Boyz II Men). “I owe a lot to Rex because he gave me my first shot and believed in me when no one else did.” 

The melodies and rhythms on the session were played by an accomplished crew consisting of guitarists Darrell Crooks and Allen Hinds; keyboardists and programmers Rahn, Greg Manning and Daniel “Doc Junya” Hargrove; bassists Anthony Crawford, Nate Kearney and Mel Brown; and drummers Eric Valentine, Tarell Martin and Nate Barns. Dante’ produced “Mint” with Manning, who co-wrote and plays piano on the Japanese tinged, New Jack Swing cut “Kansai Groove.”  

  

The album’s lone cover is Daniel Caesar and H.E.R.’s “Best Part,” which Dante’ re-envisions as an atmospheric instrumental.    

“I would say the best part of doing this record is the fact that I got to learn a lot about the process to the point where I could help someone else make a record. I’m a jack of all trades and I learn very quickly. Add to that the fact that I had access to some of the best talent in the business, which made everything possible. Watching and learning how they do what they do was priceless,” said the Los Angeles-based Dante’.

“Lately, I have been trying to focus on fewer things and doing them well instead for doing lots of things and overlooking fine details. With ‘Mint,’ I really focused and made sure I had the right people on my team to execute every component of the record. It was a lot of trial and error, but in the end, I came out with a project that I am very proud of.”

“Mint” contains the following songs:

“Vibin’ Out”

“Breathe”

“Take It Slow”

“Mint”

“Kasai Groove”

“The Wish”

“Before We Begin”

“Best Part”

“The Wish (Acoustic)”

https://dantesax.com

 

Marvin Gaye 'What's Going On Live' Newly Mixed For Its First Standalone Release

May 1, 1972 was a whirlwind day of celebration in Marvin Gaye's hometown of Washington, D.C. Designated "Marvin Gaye Day," it began with Gaye giving a speech to students at Cardozo High, the school he'd attended, before he and his parents were ushered by motorcade to other points around the city. They visited the office of D.C.'s mayor, Walter Washington, who presented Gaye with a key to the city. A VIP reception followed at the U.S. House of Representatives' Rayburn House Office Building, before the evening's hotly anticipated main event at the Kennedy Center: Marvin Gaye's first live performance in four years. After opening acts and onstage testimonials by others, Gaye finally 

The legendary concert – Marvin Gaye's only live performance of his iconic 1971 What's Going On album in full – was recorded. After being shelved for decades, the recording was eventually released on CD in 2001 within Motown/UMe's expanded deluxe edition for Gaye's What's Going On album. Never before issued on vinyl or as a standalone CD, What's Going On Live is newly mixed by John Morales at M+M Mix Studios and mastered by Alex Abrash at AA Mastering for its October 18 release by Motown/UMe. The album is making its vinyl debut in black 2LP and limited  turquoise 2LP editions with deluxe gatefold packaging, in addition to CD and standard digital, ADM (Apple Digital Masters), and 96kHz/24-bit HD digital audio editions. The vinyl and CD packages include rare photos from Gaye's performance and new liner notes by Marvin Gaye biographer David Ritz.

What's Going On Live includes the only known live recordings of Gaye performing four songs: "That's The Way Love Is" and "You," which he opened the D.C. concert with as part of a meditative 13-minute medley; "Right On;" and "Wholy Holy." Due to an unfortunate lag in switching the first reel-to-reel tape to a second one during the concert, Gaye's performance of "Mercy Mercy Me" from the What's Going On album was not successfully recorded.

  

Gaye did not tour in 1972, and he had not toured in years prior, following the collapse and subsequent tragic death of his singing partner Tammi Terrell. While he was on top of the world with the massive success of What's Going On, he much preferred the studio to live performance, suffering from acute stage fright throughout his career. That year, his only live shows were the D.C. concert and one other, a brief set in Chicago on September 27, which was filmed and recorded for the Save the Children documentary film.

Years later, Gaye reflected on his "Marvin Gaye Day" experience in Washington, D.C., telling David Ritz, "I understood that I'd been punishing myself by staying away so long. I'd been denying myself love, and that's one of the most foolish things a man can do. It was certainly the biggest day of my parents' life. Here they came to Washington in the thirties without a penny, and their son was being honored by the mayor as some sort of hero. At least on this one day I felt like I made Father proud."

What's Going On Live's extended time spent unreleased parallels the long-delayed release of another shelved Marvin Gaye project from 1972. The Kennedy Center concert was recorded just as Gaye's new single, "You're The Man," was released, but he did not perform the song in his set. Earlier this year, Motown/UMe released Gaye's never-issued 1972 Tamla/Motown album, You're The Man, in 2LP gatefold vinyl, CD, and digital editions. The album's release has been met with excitement and widespread critical acclaim.

  

Leon Lee Dorsey Explores the Music of Thelonious Monk On "MonkTime"

Recording Features Eight Monk Compositions, Performed by His DSC Trio Featuring Guitarist Greg Skaff, Drummer Mike Clark

Twenty years after the release of his last album, bassist Leon Lee Dorsey reassumes the mantle of a recording artist in his own right with the September 13 release of MonkTime (Jazz Avenue 1 Records). The debut of Dorsey's DSC Band, which also includes guitarist Greg Skaff and celebrated drummer Mike Clark, features the trio applying their potent chemistry to eight compositions by jazz titan Thelonious Monk.

While Dorsey is himself a talented, accomplished composer and arranger, he brings a minimal, spacious treatment to bear on MonkTime -- preferring to let the tunes speak for themselves. "We wanted to retain the original character of Monk's music," Dorsey says. "We weren't looking to reinvent the wheel on masterpieces. We wanted to keep the essence of the songs, that timeless commonality they have, while blending in our own spices and flavors."

Those spices and flavors are simultaneously bold and subtle: a paradox that Monk would surely have appreciated. Skaff, as the DSC Band's principal soloist, favors lean single-note lines that tend toward the low and middle registers (as on "Blue Monk"), imbuing them with a distinctive round, dark tone. It gives extra oomph to the chords and high crescendos he does employ in places like "Little Rootie Tootie." Clark reins in his famously brawny chops; he keeps the swing supple and assured but eschews pyrotechnics, even in his solos on "Monk's Dream" and "Epistrophy."

Dorsey, meantime, sets the pace. Whether it comes through his beautiful reading of the melody on "Monk's Mood" or the gentle pulse and solo he lends to "Ugly Beauty," the bassist's command of both the repertoire and ensemble avoids flash, yet is nevertheless unmistakable.

Dorsey keeps it tight on MonkTime; only one of the eight tunes strays beyond to the six-minute mark, and then just barely. "We took a page out of the vinyl era in keeping the songs at a manageable length," he says. It brings a sense of clarity and focus to the performances, spotlighting the trio's interplay as much as the individual improvisations. 

Leon Lee Dorsey was born March 12, 1958 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to a family that was plugged in to the Steel City's storied jazz lineage. He began playing piano in third grade and, the following year, switched to classical cello studies with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony at the famed Center for the Musically Talented, where he remained throughout high school. He also picked up electric bass in the seventh grade and, later, in high school, was drawn to the double bass, having always loved the instrument.

Dorsey attended Oberlin College Conservatory, graduating with double degrees in music in 1981. Under the tutelage of bass legend Richard Davis, he received his first master's at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a second master's from the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Dorsey then pursued doctoral studies at the City University of New York under Ron Carter, finishing his doctorate at Stony Brook University.

In 1986, Dorsey began a two-year stint with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, including performances with Frank Sinatra and visits to the White House, which honed his skills for his next endeavor, namely as a Jazz Messenger. In 1988 he joined Art Blakey's most fabled of jazz finishing schools, which left a lasting impact on his subsequent career.

Since arriving in New York, Dorsey has performed and recorded with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Hilton Ruiz, Cassandra Wilson, James Carter, Freddie Hubbard, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He released his acclaimed debut album, The Watcher, in 1995 and followed it up with 1999's Song of Songs. In 2003 he founded Leon Lee Dorsey Studios in New York City, at which more than 100 albums have since been produced.

Dorsey is also prominent as a jazz educator. From 2008 to 2011 he was Coordinator of Jazz Studies and Director of the Jazz Seminar at the University of Pittsburgh. Currently, he teaches harmony and jazz arranging and composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He looks forward to working with the DSC Band and hopes to be announcing performance dates soon. "I felt from the start that with the chemistry of this band -- there's no horn and no piano, the two instruments that defined Monk's sound -- we could go to the magical music level." 

Herbie Hancock Institute International Jazz Guitar Competition

Herbie Hancock Institute International Jazz Guitar Competition To Take Place December 2-3 in Washington, D.C. Applications Due By October 11, 2019

The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition will be presented on December 2-3 in Washington, D.C. Open to musicians age 30 and under from across the globe, this year’s competition will shine a spotlight on the guitar.

For over three decades, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Competition played a pivotal role in identifying and empowering the next generation of jazz musicians, educators, and influencers. Building upon this important legacy, the newly minted Hancock Institute Competition represents a changing of the guard for one of the jazz world’s most renowned institutions.

The Semifinals of the 2019 Guitar Competition will be held on Monday, December 2nd, from noon to 5:00 p.m. at the Smithsonian Institution. The semifinalists will compete before an all-star panel of judges including jazz guitarists Stanley Jordan, Russell Malone, Pat Metheny, Chico Pinheiro, Lee Ritenour and John Scofield. Each semifinalist will perform for 15 minutes accompanied by a professional rhythm section.

From this group, the judges will select three finalists who will perform in the final round at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday evening, December 3rd. At stake is more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes, including a $30,000 first place scholarship and guaranteed recording contract with Concord Music Group; a $15,000 second place scholarship; and a $10,000 third place scholarship.

According to Institute Chairman Herbie Hancock, whose career epitomizes the ideals of the jazz tradition and innovation, “We look forward to discovering and hearing from the next generation of young jazz guitarists, with their innovative styles and unique approach to the music. We are particularly excited to pay homage to the guitar, which has a rich and colorful history that continues to play a pivotal role in the development of jazz. I have no doubt that this year’s Competition will show that the future of this instrument, and of our music, is in good hands.”

The application for the 2019 Guitar Competition can be found at hancockinstitute.org. All materials must be submitted no later than Friday, October 11, 2019. Please submit any questions to Leonard Brown or by phone at +1 (202) 364-7272.

New Music Releases: David Sanchez; Laura Lee; Mental Abstrato

David Sanchez – Carib (LP)

David Sanchez kicks off the album's liner notes with a great discussion on the African diaspora and its influence on music – one that's always been strongly felt in David's recordings, but which seems to come through even more strongly here! The record's definitely jazz, but borrows lots of rhythmic conceptions from around the globe – using a fair bit of percussion at the bottom of the sound, which is balanced nicely with strong, soulful tenor lines from Sanchez, waves of color on the guitar from Lage Lund, and a mix of piano and Fender Rhodes from Luis Perdomo! There's some especially great interplay between the angularity of the tenor and the warmer, rounder currents of the guitar – on titles that include "Madigra", "Wave Under Silk", "Mirage", "Fernando's Theme", "Canto", "Land Of The Hills", and "Iwa". ~ Dusty Groove

Laura Lee - I Can't Make It Alone (LP)

Sublime soul from the mighty Laura Lee – one of the best deep soul singers of the 70s, even though she recorded with the mostly-northern team of Holland Dozier Holland! The set shows that the trio really knew how to change it up after leaving Motown – and although Lee had recorded for Chess in the 60s, she really finds her groove here – mixing southern soul with a dose of 70s funk – all of which really stands out from most of her contemporaries! Laura's voice is sweet and dusky, in the mode of some of the best underground singers of her day – but also rises above the rest, thanks crack arrangements by HB Barnum and Eugene Moore – who mix strings and soul into a stellar blend of styles! Titles include the breakbeat classic "Crums Off The Table", which begins with some great hard drums – plus the cuts "Every Little Bit Hurts", "I Can't Make It Alone", "Mirror Of Your Soul", and "I Need It Just As Bad As You". ~ Dusty Groove

Mental Abstrato - Uzoma

Really great work from a Brazilian combo that somehow manages to work in a mode that's completely rootsy, but also completely contemporary too! The music here mixes together heavy percussion, bits of jazz, and just the right touches on keyboards, beats, and samples – so that the organic and electric elements are perfectly balanced – at a level that's wonderfully illuminating, and which shifts nicely from track to track on the album – partly because of some of the guests who appear throughout. Titles include "Khamisi", "O Mar", "Mr Cal", "For You", "James Bongo", "Blue Skies", "Afroonirico", "Suco De Acerola", "Samambaia Rainha", and "Down". ~ Dusty Groove

Newly Restored and Expanded Editions of 12 Classic Albums from Acclaimed Jazz Legend Erroll Garner

Mack Avenue Music Group and Octave Music proudly announce the Octave Remastered Series, a historic year-long, 12-album project featuring newly restored and expanded editions of classic Erroll Garner releases from the 1960s and 1970s. Each album contains a newly discovered, unreleased bonus track. Utilizing the Plangent Process playback system for analog tape, these new transfers were remastered and, when needed, remixed by the GRAMMY® Award-winning Garner team.

The Octave Remastered Series -- produced by Peter Lockhart and Steve Rosenthal -- continues Garner’s resurgence, following his return to the top of the Billboard Jazz chart with 2015’s GRAMMY® Award-nominated The Complete Concert by the Sea, which was the first release from the Erroll Garner Jazz Project—a collective formed to curate Garner’s monumental archive. The Garner Project followed The Complete Concert by the Sea with the critically acclaimed, newly unearthed studio record Ready Take One in 2016, and the midnight concert album Nightconcert, which reached #1 on the iTunes and Amazon jazz charts upon its release in 2018.

The first four titles in the new series – Dreamstreet, Closeup in Swing, One World Concert, and A New Kind of Love – will be released simultaneously on September 27. The subsequent series rollout features one album per month – A Night at the Movies, Campus Concert, That’s My Kick, Up in Erroll’s Room, Feeling is Believing, Gemini, Magician, and Gershwin & Kern – leading up to Garner’s centennial in June 2020.

The master tapes for all 12 albums in the series were transferred and restored using the Plangent playback system. Employing a wideband tape head, preamp and DSP package to capture and track the original recorder’s ultrasonic bias remnant, the Plangent Process removes the wow and flutter and FM/IM distortion from the recorded audio. This returns the listener to the original session experience, bringing to life Garner’s incomparable performances of his own compositions, as well as classic works from the jazz canon.

During his 40-year career, Garner published more than 200 compositions, the most famous of which, “Misty,” was ranked by ASCAP as the twelfth most popular song of the 20th century. Since 1954 no other song has been recorded by more jazz artists except Duke Ellington’s “Satin Doll.” In 1971, “Misty” was the centerpiece of jazz aficionado Clint Eastwood’s film Play Misty For Me. It has also been featured in numerous television shows (Cheers, Saturday Night Live, Magnum PI, The Muppet Show) and films (Oscar® nominated Silver Linings Playbook). A previously unreleased studio performance of “Misty” is included in the Octave Remastered Series, on the Gemini album.

The newly minted bonus tracks in the series are all Garner originals, eight of the 12 being previously unreleased compositions. “It’s truly shocking, and one of the greatest joys of this work, to find these fully realized tunes just sitting there on tape,” says Peter Lockhart, senior producer of the Octave Remastered Series.

One of the most prolific composers and performers in the history of jazz, as well as a courageous advocate for African-American empowerment and artistic freedom, Garner is a legend among jazz pianists. His unique approach melds bebop and swing influences into a unique, unrivaled mastery.

Asked to define his musical genius, the late pianist Geri Allen, who was director of the jazz program in Garner’s hometown at the University of Pittsburgh, best captured the essence of Garner’s utterly original vision. “Erroll Garner personifies the joy of fearless virtuosity and exploration. His playing celebrated the greatest swinging big bands through an innovative and impossible pianism,” she explains. “Singular yet all embracing, Garner blurred the line between great art and popular art, and he was a staunch journeyman of the blues and his Pittsburgh legacy.”

In addition to his brilliant keyboard artistry, Garner is also a notable figure in popular music history for the hard-won precedents he set for artistic freedom that still stand today. In 1959, because he had rights of approval on what was released, Garner successfully sued Columbia Records to remove an album they had released without his permission.

His victory was the first of its kind for any American artist in the music industry. Garner and his manager, Martha Glaser, subsequently founded and launched Octave Records, whose 12 releases make up the Octave Remastered Series.

Erroll Garner was a rare musician who was equally adored and respected by peers and devoted fans alike. He and his art were best summed up by the late trumpeter Clark Terry: “The man was complete. He could do it all.”

SEPTEMBER 27 RELEASES

Dreamstreet - Recorded in 1959, the Dreamstreet tapes sat unreleased while Garner fought for control over his catalog. Finally issued in 1961 as the first product of his newly formed Octave Records, it heralded Garner’s return with a set of performances worthy of the wait. A new Garner original, “By Chance,” has been added to the remastered release, restored from the original session reels.

Closeup in Swing - The second product of Garner’s Octave Records, this album features Erroll and his classic trio like they’ve never been heard before, restored and remastered from the original master tapes. Marking the beginning of one of the most prolific periods in his life, this new presentation includes the propulsive, never-before-heard Garner composition, “Octave 103.”

         

One World Concert - This was Garner’s first live concert album after his chart-topping Concert by the Sea, recorded seven years earlier. A tour-de-force performance makes this a worthy successor, complete with his trademark improvisational fireworks. This new presentation includes extended introductions as well as an unreleased version of the Garner ballad “Other Voices,” which has never been issued in a trio arrangement.

A New Kind of Love - While the emotionally charged music of Erroll Garner is particularly well suited for the big screen and has been used in countless films over the years, he only ever composed this one film score. A natural orchestrator and with an uncanny ability to sound like an entire orchestra by himself, on this record Garner makes singular use of a 35-piece orchestra, conducted by Leith Stevens, to bring his music to new heights.

New Music Releases: Down To The Bone; Leo Richardson Quartet; Terje Lie

Down To The Bone - Funkin' Around: A Collection Of Remixes And Reworks

The first ever collection of remixes from the UK's leading jazz groove band DOWN TO THE BONE, whose career took off in the US with the release of "From Manhattan To Staten'" which went to No 2 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. This album of dancefloor and Latin-oriented remixes and reworks opens with DJ Spinna's take on "Electric Vibes" with guest Roy Ayers, while the Agent K (alias Kaidi Tatham) mix of "The Flow" features Brazilian jazz vocalist Flora Purim. Other key cuts include Speedometer's rework of "Funkin' Around", the Afro Elements remix of "Wildfire Woman" and Daz-I-Kue's remixes of "Angel Baby" with Mark de Clive Lowe and US vocalist N'Dambi, the remix of "Right On Baby Yeah" by Hoops Havona (alias Ceri Evans, former Brand New Heavies keyboardist) and German act Beanfield's rework of "Black Choice."

Leo Richardson Quartet - Move

Leo is widely recognised as one of London's leading tenor saxophonists, best known for his honest, straight-ahead, contemporary hard-bop style. His influences include John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon, Horace Silver and Art Blakey. Leo's 2017 debut album, The Chase, received exceptional reviews from around the world, including the first ever 5 Star review for a debut jazz album by the Observer. The Chase was also selected by The Times as one of the Top Ten Jazz Albums of 2017. In America, Downbeat Magazine praised the album as being straight out of the mid-1960's jazz classics.Leo has performed throughout the world and appeared last year at the Love Supreme Jazz Festival in the UK. This summer, Leo's quartet will be performing at the Rochester International Jazz Festival in the US. He has played at Ronnie Scott's, on numerous occasions.Move, Leo's next Quartet album, features his powerhouse rhythm section of Rick Simpson (piano), Tim Thornton (bass) and Ed Richardson (drums). The ubiquitous tenor Alex Garnett joins the band as guest on the final track. The sophomore album picks up where the debut album left off.As Leo describes, "I never thought I'd release my second album so soon after the first, but I just love playing with the band so, I thought, why not?! The compositions on this record are very much a natural progression from the first album. I feel the music has developed and matured, instilling the essence of hard bop but remaining contemporary. The rhythm section in this quartet is absolutely world class and I'm very lucky to be able to play my music with them and develop it together as a band."Leo has been on Ubuntu Music from the start of his recording days. Concerning the Label, Leo explains, "Martin Hummel has put his life and soul into nurturing and growing Ubuntu. I have no idea how he manages to support all of his artists?".

Terje Lie - Slow Pacific

The quintessential cool and laid-back California song, “Slow Pacific” finds Norwegian-born, Southern Cali saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Terje Lie reflecting passionately on his love for the West Coast lifestyle and a calm day gazing out at the ocean. After several hit recordings collaborating with Grammy winners Jeff Lorber and Jimmy Haslip, Lie marks his dynamic emergence here as the producer of his own music. On this seductive track, he leads the tight ensemble of Alex Al (bass), Tony Moore (drums) and Joey De Leon (percussion), while showcasing his own exciting talents on the keyboards and piano. ~ smoothjazz.com

Pianist Leslie Pintchik Releases Same Day Delivery: Leslie Pintchik Trio Live

In a personal note that follows the liner notes of her vibrant new album Same Day Delivery: Leslie Pintchik Trio Live (available October 18 via Pintch Hard Records), pianist/composer Leslie Pintchik writes, “In some ways, the release of this album is a happy accident. It was recorded casually—on a Wednesday evening gig at Jazz at Kitano in Manhattan—just so that I might listen back, at my leisure, to the live performance. When I did listen to the recording, it felt like a special evening; we were fortunate to have had a packed house as well as supportive listeners with generous ears, and they obviously spurred us on. The name of the album reflects the relative ease and speed with which the project came together: a ‘Same Day Delivery’ indeed.”

What a pleasure it is to hear this band and material with the energy and enthusiasm of a live audience. As a pianist, Pintchik plays this music with the wit, nuance and beauty her fans have come to expect. Moreover, the trio—with the exceptionally expressive bassist Scott Hardy and the genre-bending drummer Michael Sarin—has been playing together for over eight years, and it shows. The band and music are tight, but also alive and fresh: both cohesive and vibrant, the best of both worlds.

Pintchik’s new recording showcases her gifts as both composer and arranger, and features six of her original tunes and three standards, each one imbued with a singular character and flavor of its own. The wide range of grooves—swing, New Orleans second-line, samba and various Latin-based rhythms—coupled with the wide range of feeling inherent in the tunes inspire the trio to take this vibey material and run with it.

The Jerome Kern/Otto Harbach chestnut “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” is played as a samba with a recurring hook in a traditional samba rhythm that bookends the melody. A terrific groove—as well as the crowd’s enthusiasm—sets the tone for the evening. Pintchik has suffused the Lerner and Loewe standard “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” with a deep sense of longing. The poignant melody has been re-harmonized and given an extended form with a repeated ostinato rhythm. The performance of Pintchik’s up-tempo swing tune “There You Go” has great energy and verve, and the group’s fine-tuned hookup makes the trio feel like one instrument.

“I was inspired to play ‘Falling in Love Again’ by Friedrich Hollaender and Sammy Lerner,” Pintchik recalls, “when I heard it sung by Marlene Dietrich in the film The Blue Angel.” The trio achieves a beautifully seated mid-tempo “tipping” groove, both sweet and sparky. “Terse Tune,” an up-tempo minor blues that spans two twelve-bar choruses, has a spare melody, hence its name. Pintchik describes her original as “a brief tune with astringent harmonies that ends not with a bang but a whimper.”

This live version of “Your call will be answered by our next available representative, in the order in which it was received. Please stay on the line; your call is important to us.” captures all the zany comic energy of Pintchik’s original. Pintchik’s tune, “Tumbleweed,” features a Brazilian bossa feel with an underlying hint of afoxé, and is a beautifully relaxed hang. “Let’s Get Lucky” starts life as a low-key samba, then morphs into an R & B groove before returning to the original samba feel and a final drum solo; the groove is the star in this Pintchik original. “I’d Turn Back if I Were You” —an extended blues with a New Orleans second-line groove—takes its name from a sign at the entrance to the Haunted Forest in the classic movie The Wizard of Oz. Pintchik shines on an extroverted, enormously playful solo.

  

Before embarking on a career in jazz, Leslie Pintchik was a teaching assistant in English literature at Columbia University, where she also received her Master of Philosophy degree in seventeenth-century English literature. She first surfaced on the Manhattan scene in a trio with legendary bassist Red Mitchell at Bradley's, and in the ensuing years Pintchik formed her own trio which performs regularly at New York City and East Coast jazz venues. Pintchik has performed and/or recorded with saxophonists Steve Wilson and Rich Perry, trumpeter Ron Horton, percussionist Satoshi Takeishi, drummers Michael Sarin, Clarence Penn, Mark Ferber, Rogerio Boccato and Keith Copeland, and the accordion player Shoko Nagai. Pintchik’s debut album So Glad To Be Here was released in 2004, followed by Quartets in 2007. In 2010, she released her third record, We’re Here To Listen, as well as a DVD Leslie Pintchik Quartet Live In Concert. Jim Wilke, creator of the nationally syndicated "Jazz After Hours" radio show included We're Here To Listen on his "Best CDs of 2010" list. Pintchik’s fourth album, In The Nature Of Things, was released in 2014, and 2016 saw the release of Pintchik’s fifth album, True North. Released in 2018, Pintchik's sixth album You Eat My Food, You Drink My Wine, You Steal My Girl! reached #4 in the country for radio spins on JazzWeek, and also remained in the top 10 for five weeks. Also in 2018, two tracks from Pintchik’s releases were included in the soundtrack of the recently released Orson Welles movie The Other Side of the Wind.

Leslie Pintchik · Same Day Delivery: Leslie Pintchik Trio Live

Pintch Hard Records · Release Date: October 18, 2019

Canadian Pianist Martin Mayer to Headline 20-City China Tour

Martin Mayer will be sharing his music with audiences in 20 Chinese cities during his whirl-wind 27-day tour of the Celestial Empire, starting Sunday September 1. The cross-cultural China tour will offer Chinese audiences a unique experience of Canadian music, and is presented by Poly Culture's Vancouver-headquartered North American subsidiary, Poly Culture North America.

The Vancouver-based award-winning Canadian pianist and composer's style is known as instrumental fusion, a symphonic blend of smooth jazz, classical music, pop, rock and various styles of world music.

Martin Mayer started his music education under the watchful eye of his father, and proceeded to continue with his studies at Canada's Royal Conservatory of Music, as well as graduating from Edmonton's Grant MacEwan University, where he majored in Piano Performance and Composition.

Martin Mayer proceeded to compose, perform and produce a number of albums. All of them have met with enthusiasm from the listening public, and all have received heavy international airplay on traditional, internet and satellite radio stations.

Martin Mayer's concert tours of China began after a Chinese Arts Agency saw the recordings of his self-produced debut concert with a 20-piece orchestra. A 16-city-six-week tour of China took place as a result in 2001, dubbed the biggest tour of any artist in China's modern history.

That is when the Chinese media started calling Martin Mayer Canada's 'Prince of Piano.'

All dates during his subsequent tours of China have played to sold-out houses, entertaining thousands in concert, and millions on Chinese national television.

One of Martin Mayer's proudest moments came recently when his latest album "Unbreakable" was listed as one of the Top 25 New Music Critiques of 2018 (Music Connection Magazine, December 2018). It is one of the few independent Canadian records available on Chinese music-streaming platforms QQ, NetEase, QianQian and Kuwo.

The Beijing Times have taken to calling Martin Mayer Canada's 'Prince of Piano, while Canada's National Post predicts that he's poised to take over the world stage.