17th Annual Panama Jazz Festival Dedicated to Reggie Johnson

17th Annual Panama Jazz Festival, Dedicated to Reggie Johnson, Announced for January 13-18, 2020

Uniting internationally acclaimed jazz artists, renowned educators and jazz fans from around the globe, the 17th Panama Jazz Festival will be held January 13-18, 2020 at The City of Knowledge in Panama City, ATLAPA Convention Center and the Old Quarter of Panama City. The festival will celebrate its 17th anniversary and will honor Panamanian saxophonist Reggie Johnson. Johnson’s is one of Panama’s premier saxophone players. He has performed with diverse groups and renowned national and international musicians for over five decades and has shared the stage with jazz and salsa stars alike including Celia Cruz, Armando Manzanero, Julio Iglesias, among others.

Among the headliners for this year's festival are Dianne Reeves, Cuban star Isaac Delgado, Danilo Pérez, Ravi Coltrane, John Patitucci, Terri Lyne Carrington, Cyrus Chesnut, and David Sanchez. Additional headliners include Detroit All-Star, a band composed by Detroit’s musicians Chris Collins, Mike Dease, Wesley Reynoso, Marion Hayden, Nate Winn; and Chilean artist Patricia Zarate Perez who will be presenting her latest recording Violetas featuring Colombian singer Lucia Pulido, bassist Ben Street, and drummer Adam Cruz.

Other national groups include this year’s honoree Reggie Johnson’s All-Star, the all-female Panamanian band Las Hijas del Jazz directed by Berklee Global Jazz Institute’s alumni Jas Kayser, Panama-Cuba Collective, Joshue Ashby’s C3, and several Fundacion Danilo Perez Ensembles.



Bands from all over the world will be featured at the Global Stage and other venues including Fundacion Armonía Colectiva (Costa Rica), Quinteto de Orion Lion (Chile), Niki Campbell & Masuco, pianist Kevin Harris (USA), drummer Guillermo Nojechowicz (Argentina), among many others.

Furthermore, the festival will host the 8th Latin American Music Therapy Symposium which theme is Music and Health, bringing music therapists and doctors from Chile, Argentina, Panama, Colombia, USA, among other countries to present on the therapeutic effects of music; the 4nd Symposium of the cultural, artistic and musical expressions of the Afro-descendants of Panama; and the classical music program Encuentro de Música Clásica, lead by distinguished international guests and assisted by teachers and staff of the New England Conservatory

Participating educational institutions include Boston-based institutions, Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory, which will be holding auditions for admission and scholarships. Other institutions include New York Jazz Academy, Perdue University, Crossroads High School, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, Newton South High School, and Shea Welsh Institute of Jazz. The Berklee Global Jazz Institute will hold master classes, perform social work with Panamanian youth and perform in various settings throughout the festival. Berklee will repeat last year's innovative program where students will earn college credit.

Since its inception in 2003, the Panama Jazz Festival has attracted over 350,000 jazz fans worldwide and announced over 4.5 million dollars in national and international scholarships. Its educational component brings 5,000 music students from all over the world every year and in January of 2019 the festival brought together over 30,000 people from all over the world.

Bowman Trio - Peristance

‘Persistence’ is a strong effort, showcasing the young trio's knack at creating dynamic, sparse and memorable music which carries well the term "loft jazz" occasionally attached to it. Here, drummer Sami Nummela, trumpeter Tomi Nikku and bassist Joonas Tuuri present 9 strong originals, 8 of which are penned by Nummela and one by Nikku.

On the course of the new album, Bowman Trio moves from the introspective, calm moments of 'Badwater', "Mac Elliot" and 'Mä en jaksa' to the full swing of 'The Chase' and the solid grind of 'Persistence'. The album closing track 'Sista sommardagen' ("The last day of summer" in Swedish) is a hauntingly beautiful, delicately breezy ballad. Two years in the making, the album is a testament to the album title and a fine example of a band taking time in developing their sound to perfection.

Bowman Trio debuted in 2016 with the group's first LP also being the first release on Helsinki's We Jazz Records, and since then their reputation has grown in Finland and beyond. The trio is known for making music which invites the listener in and takes it sweet time in unraveling its secrets. Their sound is somewhat dry, naturally relaxed and there's a lot of room for manoeuvre within it for all of the players.

That being said, each of the musicians in the trio know how to play for their team, and the compositions move forward constantly and effortlessly. Bowman Trio makes music which always feels close to you, like you're right there in the room with the band. That's "loft jazz”.

 

Leon Ware - Rainbow Deux

Co-produced by Taylor Graves, it has stellar musical contributions from the likes of Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Ronald Bruner Jr, Rob Bacon and Wayne Linsey. The melodically adventurous soul of Leon Ware continues its expression in his final opus Rainbow Deux, released on double vinyl.

The album features new songs recorded and performed by Leon before his health turned, leading to his transition on February 23rd 2017.

Taylor Graves came into Leon’s musical family in 2002 when he, his brother Cameron and the Bruner brothers Ronald Jr and Stephen (Thundercat) were playing along with their schoolmate Kamasi at an L.A. jazz club. Taylor, Cameron, Ronald and Stephen became Leon’s band for his debut shows in Japan in 2002 and Taylor continued to work with Leon as his mentor and collaborator over the next 15 years.

“Leon was ALWAYS writing something or developing his musical palette” his wife Carol Ware tells us, so it’s impossible to pinpoint any single moment of Rainbow Deux’s genesis. Six of the songs go back to 2012/2013 and were released in 2014 as part of Sigh, a Japan-only CD collection heavy with Rob Bacon’s tasteful licks and Wayne Linsey’s piano vibes. The rest of the material comes from Leon’s sessions with Taylor.

Describing Leon’s and his process, here’s Taylor: “We’d start by having some great homemade food! Then a glass of wine ‘to slow down time’. After we’d have our fill and smoked our joints we’d go into his studio room to listen and create.”

The album was finished-up around August of 2016 in a back-and-forth between Leon and his go-to mastering engineer Toni Economides in the UK.

Leon worked on Rainbow Deux with life’s greatest challenge looming over him, yet it is one of his most focused and cohesive solo offerings since the 1980s. The entire record is a vibe: mellow, deep and smooth as silk. The lyrical themes are eternal, and the music is elegant, soulful and sensual. The album opens with the hypnotic throb of “For The Rainbow”, coming on like a percussive, slow-mo house shuffle. Gilles Peterson is a fan. The exotic “Let Love In” follows, with its gradual-build Island Funk, intricate guitar picks and sassy female vocals. It explodes when it hits its stride. 

“Sigh” is the stylish slow jam close-out to side A. Serene guitars and polished drums create neck snapping funk, with a swaggering finger-snap strut. 

Side B opens with the easy-burning broken-beaty “The Darkest Night”, the centrepiece of the album. Kamasi Washington’s lurking sax, restrained and beautiful, unfurls into the dank, sticky atmosphere of Thundercat’s signature creeping bass laid over his brother’s in-the-pocket drums. Leon’s vocals are perfect, a masterclass in seductive sax-soul. 

“Surrender Now” conjures waves of vocals to swell and wash over the glossy piano, subtly bumping hip-hop drums and bubbling synth-bass stabs. It’s got the trademark Leon layers. “Summer Is Her Name” has Kamasi’s effortless, melancholic sunshine sax give way to rising tempos and propulsive rhythms. 

“Are You Ready” is a total highlight (and we’ve been playing it out for ages). It’s a nimble groove of piano and synth rolling around Theo Croker’s sensual trumpet playing. Digi-soul at its finest. 

With lush G-Funk sensibilities “Streets (Keep Me Runnin’)” sounds like a lost Dam-Funk produced gem. All tough kicks and snares and street sounds. Leon’s hood pass will be forever intact. 

“Samba Dreams” is the first of two tracks that bring a little Rio magic to Rainbow Deux. Leon created a whole body of work in partnership with Brazilian legend Marcos Valle that includes “Rockin’ You Eternally” – a hit for Leon – and “Estrelar” – a hit for Marcos. Leon channels his obvious love of Brazilian music here through more of Croker’s sumptuous trumpet, played over loose percussion. 

“Let’s Go Deep” is next up. A dreamy between-the-sheets quiet storm anthem and a real showcase for Leon’s vocals. 

The dripping, honeyed harp-funk of “We Should Be Laughin’” marks the star turn of the brilliant Kimbra. Leon first met her on-stage to do an impromptu duet of “Inside My Love” during an open-air celebration of Minnie Riperton in July of 2014. Kimbra was working with Taylor on her music and he brought her to Leon’s house to do some writing. This was the result. Warm synths radiate shuffling samba soul on “Wishful Thinking” as those Brazilian rhythms return to bring Rainbow Deux to a close.

During an apartment move Leon and Carol rediscovered some watercolours Leon had done years ago. One of these paintings had been dubbed “Deux Hearts” and Leon decided it should be on the cover of Rainbow Deux, getting as far as approving a draft concept for the artwork.

Carol has overseen developing that draft into the final gatefold sleeve. It brings together quotes, photographs and tributes in what is a reflection on the music, relationships and philosophy of the sensual minister. Jerry “the gov” Brown, Leon’s long-time sound engineer, was by his side throughout the project, recording and mixing. The album was mastered by Toni Economides and Simon Francis’ additional sensitive work makes sure this double LP sounds like it should on vinyl.

Be With’s first ever release was Leon’s eponymous LP. Re-issuing that album planted the seed of a relationship that has grown to grant us the privilege of presenting his crowning achievement. We know that Leon’s fans all over the Earth will love Rainbow Deux. But we also hope that this album, the final entry in a phenomenal body of work, will reach new fans and find fresh conduits for the spirit of this oft-unsung hero of Soul.

Leon always said “they will get it when I’m gone.”

He also said that “the spirit never dies”…

Prince masterpiece 'When Doves Cry' re-imagined by former Temptations lead singer, Louis Price

Prince masterpiece 'When Doves Cry' re-imagined for the song’s 35th Anniversary by former Temptations lead singer, Louis Price, and gold record recipient, pianist, and producer, Starr Parodi.

“Why do we scream at each other?”  The question Prince asked 35 years ago inspires Los Angeles artists in acoustic neo-soul arrangement that explores lyric’s current relevancy to global relationships. Available now.

In the summer of 1984, the world-renowned musician, Prince, released his iconic 'Purple Rain' album that would go on to receive multiple awards during his lifetime and beyond.  One of the album’s signature songs, 'When Doves Cry', earned the American Music Award for Favorite Song – Soul/R&B in 1985.  Recently, multi-award-winning pianist and composer, Starr Parodi, and former Temptations lead singer, Louis Price were moved by current events to re-imagine this preeminent song.

Parodi met Prince while playing keyboards in the Arsenio Hall Show house band in the 90's.  “When I recently reflected on the lyrics, ‘why do we scream at each other'”, Parodi explained, “the significance of those words hit me like never before. They embody the heartbreak and division of what I’m seeing every day in the news and on social media”. Parodi is an award-winning pianist who won an RIAA Gold Record for her popular version of The James Bond Theme. In 2017, she was awarded Best Piano Album-Solo by ZMR International Radio Broadcasters for her work on “The Heart of Frida”.  Parodi also serves as the President of the Alliance for Women Film Composers.

Louis Price, former Temptations lead singer, had his own take on the lyrics from 1984. “Why did Prince write this song? I feel it’s because there was a lot of confusion going on in the world at that time, and it’s going on in our world right now”.  Louis has performed globally on stage and in studio, and can be heard on films including The Lion King, Happy Feet, and Superfly.  He has also performed on recordings with Elton John, Carole King, and Mary J. Blige.

Parodi and Louis re-imagined 'When Doves Cry' in an acoustic neo-soul arrangement that blends Starr’s haunting Steinway piano textures and melodies with Louis’ vocal depth and heart. Both artists spontaneously performed the song for a benefit audience in Santa Monica, California.  “We received such an incredible response,” Parodi recalled, “that Louis and I decided we needed to capture the emotion of this new take on ‘When Doves Cry’”. Louis added, “We got people fussin’ at each other all the time, making a lot of noise and creating a lot of pain. The sentiment in this song can really help bring people together.”

Central to reimagining “When Doves Cry” is their respect for Prince and his legacy.  Parodi said, “We wanted to pay homage to Prince and his call for peace through his art.” Louis agreed. “The time to release this new arrangement is now.”

PETROLOUKAS HALKIAS and VASILIS KOSTAS : THE SOUL OF EPIRUS

Veteran Clarinetist PETROLOUKAS HALKIAS and Young Laouto Master VASILIS KOSTAS Improvise on the Soulful and Mysterious Music of Northwestern Greece

The story behind The Soul of Epirus begins years ago, in a little village in the heart of northwestern Greece. It’s the story of a young Greek boy named Vasilis who would grow to become an acclaimed musician, performing with some of the world’s best. But before that, there was the village, and a family who lived immersed in the soulful mystique of Greek folk songs. During seasonal festivities, the entire village would gather in the main square and Vasilis would dance to the sound of the clarinet. He didn’t know it then, but eventually he would become a master of the stringed instrument known as laouto – the Greek version of the lute – and create an innovative new place for it in contemporary music.

On October 4, the release of The Soul of Epirus (Artway Technotropon) marks the culmination of a lifelong exploration of the beauty inherent in the music of Epirus – its slow tempos, reflecting the isolated nature of this mountainous region close to Albania, and its haunting pentatonic scales, based on five notes instead of the more common seven-note scale. A collaboration between Berklee College of Music graduate Vasilis Kostas - a member of Danilo Perez's Global Messengers -- on laouto and veteran clarinet master Petroloukas Halkias, the album delivers a rare opportunity to go beyond the usual clichés associated with Greek pop, illuminating the gorgeous melodies and superb musicianship to be found in Epirus’ folk traditions of decades past, its ability to evoke both the inescapable sadness of the human condition and its life-affirming joy.

“The dialogue between Petroloukas’ clarinet and my laouto opens up a new window into traditional music,” reflects Kostas in a lilting Greek cadence that resonates with the accent of his hometown. “As a kid, dancing in those country festivities allowed me to experience that specific groove not only through my fingers and mind – by playing an instrument – but through my entire body.”

When Kostas turned 15, his grandfather introduced him to his friend Andreas Fakos, a clarinet player who had experienced fame in Australia and retired in the village of Klimatia, in Epirus. “I spent the next three years studying with him,” he recalls. “The lessons would last four to five hours. He would challenge me to learn the harmonies of old Epirus tunes and play lines designed for violin and clarinet on the guitar. Andreas would play his clarinet in rehearsals and start crying, overwhelmed by the depth and emotional power to be found in our music. I later understood what a gift it was to grow up with such a teacher.”

By the time he was 18, Kostas dreamed of establishing himself as a jazz guitarist. He auditioned for a spot at Berklee College of Music and was granted a scholarship. Once in Boston, he was chosen as part of a group of musicians that would travel to Spain representing traditional Greek music. Before leaving, he realized that he wanted an authentic 8-stringed laouto to be his instrument of choice as a tribute to the music of his childhood. He dropped the guitar and practiced a difficult folk piece in the trademark Petroloukas Halkias style – “Skaros,” which ended up The Soul of Epirus CD – before flying to Madrid.

“As it turns out, two legends of flamenco were present at the show: Pepe Habichuela and José Mercé,” Kostas says with a nervous laugh. “Mercé came to see me after the show and told me: ‘Young man, the laouto is the future for you; it will lead you down unexpected paths.’ It was the green light that I was looking for. I returned to Berklee as a full time laouto student, learning to play Coltrane’s ‘Giant Steps,’ learning to sight read and improvise.”

In 2015, Halkias traveled to the U.S. for a concert and Kostas performed with him for the first time. Halkias had developed a style of spiraling, highly complex melodic lines pioneered in Epirus by virtuoso clarinetist Kitsos Harisiadis during the ‘20s and ‘30s. Halkias was the only musician who preserved Harisiadis’ complex aesthetic, allowing it to survive for over 90 years since its inception. 

When Kostas performed “Skaros,” the veteran master told him that he played it on the laouto with the exact same phrasing that he favored on the clarinet. He encouraged Kostas to continue delving into his repertoire, but also to “let himself go,” creating extended musical phrases on his instrument. Their artistic partnership took off with the spontaneity of two musicians who hail from neighboring villages and speak the same dialect. For the first time in the history of this unique repertoire, the laouto assumed equal footing with the clarinet as an improvisational instrument.

At the time, Kostas had graduated with a Masters degree from Berklee and was invited by visionary Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Pérez to become a member of his group Global Messengers, effectively bringing the laouto into a refined jazz context. But the idea of making an album going back to the music of his youth was impossible to resist.

“When Petroloukas told me it was time to think of our first album, I felt like the earth was shaking under my feet,” says Kostas. “He has been a musical hero not only to me but to my family and many other families. I was very happy that it was he who suggested recording an album together.”

“Throughout my life, I have tried to express different emotions through my clarinet,” adds Halkias. “Happiness, sadness, vulnerability, pain. There’s no end to music, and it is my deepest hope that a new generation of musicians will take what we created and develop it even further.”

The Soul of Epirus was recorded in Athens, during three days of feverish collaboration at the renowned Sierra Studios. Kostas then returned to Boston, where he spent additional time at Futura Productions adding new material and perfecting the mix. Eight of the album’s nine tracks are old Epirus classics – songs about rivers and villages, shepherds and laments for the dead - with one original composition by Kostas, “To Parapono tou Laouto”, paying tribute to Andreas Fakos, his first music teacher.

“It is rare for a master of Petroloukas’ stature to connect with a musician from a younger generation,” Kostas concludes. “He appears to be very enthused by our collaboration. And I’m eternally grateful for that.”                                                                                                                          

CHICK COREA REUNITES WITH CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE AND BRIAN BLADE FOR "TRILOGY 2"

When an iconic pianist like Chick Corea gets together with such modern masters as bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade, perhaps it should come as no surprise that the music they create together is absolutely magical. Their 2014 release Trilogy earned universal acclaim, including a pair of GRAMMY Awards (Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo for “Fingerprints”), and confirmed the trio as one of Corea’s most revered ensembles. 

Despite sprawling across three jam-packed CDs, Trilogy left fans everywhere clamoring for more. So when the three virtuosos reunited for another world tour, the results were captured for posterity and the highlights are now collected on the long-awaited follow-up, Trilogy 2. Set for release on October 4, 2019 via Concord Jazz, the double album is another treasure trove of sparkling energy and thrilling in-the-moment invention. 

Each member of this trio is a giant in the jazz world and beyond, but the peerless chemistry they share elevates their collaborations into the realm of the truly special. Even before coming together as a self-contained unit, the three had gelled on tour with Corea’s Five Peace Band, an electrifying all-star ensemble he co-founded with fellow legend, guitarist John McLaughlin, and featuring Kenny Garrett on saxophone. On their own, the trio pairs high-caliber musicianship with an easy camaraderie, making for music that is as artistically exhilarating as it is fresh and playful. 

“In every group that I work with, the fun factor is the number one criterion,” Corea says. “This trio is incredible fun. That’s not something you can dictate, but if that’s the experience then the music just flows. With Christian and Brian, we have a blast on the road.” 

That feeling is captured throughout Trilogy 2, which features tracks hand-picked by Corea from throughout the trio’s recent world tour. The albums capture the feel of a concert program, both in the flow of the music and in the illuminating recording by Bernie Kirsh, Corea’s longtime engineer. The material spans a range of inspirations, from American Songbook standards to jazz classics, reaching back into Corea’s own catalogue as well as that of some of his most renowned collaborators, including Miles Davis and Joe Henderson. 

Corea likens the experience of playing live with this trio to “taking a stroll down the street and having a casual conversation. We have a pretty extensive repertoire of songs, and because of the looseness of the trio each one becomes a new thing every time we approach it.” 

After briefly welcoming an audience in Bologna and introducing his “genius partners,” Corea kicks off the program with an incisive, querying solo introduction to “How Deep Is the Ocean?” – one of only two tracks reprised from the original Trilogy. Over the next twelve minutes the trio plumbs the depths of the familiar standard, seemingly intent on exhausting every possible answer to the titular philosophical question. From the depths to the heavens, they follow up with Corea’s own “500 Miles High,” originally recorded by the first incarnation of Return to Forever in 1972.

The trio delves into Corea’s composition book for two other pieces on the album. “La Fiesta” dates back to the first Return to Forever album and showcases the pianist’s passion for Latin music, a side that he explored earlier this year with the release of Antidote, the debut of his Spanish Heart Band. “Now He Sings, Now He Sobs” is the title track to Corea’s first-ever trio album (and only the second release to his name), recorded in 1968 with Miroslav Vitous and Roy Haynes. This marks his first official recording of the tune since then;  McBride and Blade both requested it for this tour, and the result is the set’s most expansive excursion. 

“More than being a pianist,” Corea says, “I always think of my basic purpose as being a composer. Though I love playing the piano, too. Thelonious Monk was a model for me in that regard. He was a composer, a piano player, and a bandleader, who defied so many conventions and created a body of work that is completely up there with Stravinsky and Mozart, in my opinion.”

Monk’s compositions are as ubiquitous a part of Corea’s live repertoire as are his own tunes, and Trilogy 2 offers a pair of the jazz icon’s eccentric pieces. “Crepuscule with Nellie” is a favorite of jazz pianists (despite Corea’s admission to a lifelong misreading of the title), taken here at a warm, leisurely pace. “Work” is a more obscure selection, though a particular favorite of Corea’s; it also appears on the first Trilogy, and he recently arranged it for Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

“‘Work’ is a quirk,” Corea jokes. “Monk was a quirk, for that matter – the most genius, amazing quirk in the music world. His tunes are incredibly fun to play and rework.”

The trio’s romantic side emerges on a lovely reading of Jimmy Van Heusen’s “But Beautiful,” featuring lush brushwork from Blade, an elegant, wistful solo by Corea and a breathtakingly lyrical turn from McBride. The pace picks up for bassist Steve Swallow’s “Eiderdown,” its sharp turns unleashing a ricocheting, rapid-fire back-and-forth between Blade and Corea. 

Corea’s arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s classic “Pastime Paradise” was sparked by a suggestion from the soul genius himself. “I’ve been friends with Stevie since he used to come around to listen to Return to Forever in 1973 at The Bitter End,” Corea says. “A few years ago Stevie sat in with us at Catalina’s in Los Angeles and we went out to dinner afterwards. We were talking about songs and I was using the term ‘standards,’ and Stevie turned to me and said, ‘Hey Chick, what do you think about playing some new standards?’ I thought that was interesting and asked, ‘What do you mean?’ And he said, ‘You know – my music!’ He was kind of kidding around, but not completely, and I thought that was a great idea.” 

“All Blues,” of course, harkens back to Kind of Blue, the landmark album by Corea’s famed former bandleader, Miles Davis. The trio takes the tune at a loose, buoyant tempo that’s as infectiously fun to listen to as it undoubtedly was to perform. Corea also spent some formative years in the band of tenor giant Joe Henderson, whose “Serenity” (another McBride suggestion) is rendered in a smoldering take featuring the bassist’s fleet, muscular solo. The piece is tied in Corea’s memory with the closing tune, Kenny Dorham’s “Lotus Blossom.”

As the pianist recalls, “I spent a great, memorable week playing with Kenny at the Jazz Workshop in Boston when he and Joe Henderson had their quintet with Reggie Workman and Joe Chambers. We played ‘Lotus Blossom’ and ‘Blue Bossa’ and some of Joe’s tunes. That was a really pleasant memory for me.” 

At the age of 78 Corea continues to generate indelible memories for audiences around the world. No doubt the performances captured on Trilogy 2 have lingered in the imaginations of the audiences fortunate enough to catch them live; now they get to live on in the minds of jazz lovers everywhere. 

Track Listing

Disc 1:

How Deep Is the Ocean

500 Miles High

Crepuscule with Nellie

Work

But Beautiful

La Fiesta

Disc 2:

Eiderdown

All Blues

Pastime Paradise

Now He Sings, Now He Sobs

Serenity

Lotus Blossom

THE ANDREW SCHILLER QUINTET - SONORAN

Sonoran is the second album from bassist/composer/bandleader Andrew Schiller featuring an adventurous quintet of like-minded musicians. The artist explores the limits of his unique writing style in this evocative nine-part suite, written as a contemplation of the Sonoran Desert landscape, a setting that he called home for most of his childhood. A diversely beautiful region located across the American Southwest and Northwestern Mexico, the area has historically and recently become subject to contentious debates on political borders. The desert, though, does not abide by man-made boundaries and drawing a line through the region, physically or figuratively, cannot break the connectedness of people and cultures sharing the same harsh and astonishing environment.

Sonoran is a cinematic suite embodying some of the unique elements of the desert-the blistering heat of an inescapable sun, the surreal mountain ranges with jagged rock formations, needled flora and venomous fauna, and hauntingly vast stretches of barren earth. The composition is built on contrasting and interlocking themes, bridged together by the exploratory improvised dialogue from members of the quintet. By experimenting with techniques in counterpoint, harmonic layering, and motivic development, Schiller blends jazz stylings with folk melodies, contemporary classical, third stream, and avant-garde.

The album's title track Sonoran simmers with an intertwining ostinato of alto saxophone and bass clarinet, introducing a swelling unison melody shared by tenor saxophone and arco bass. Tension increases gradually during the harmonic progression of the piece, and dissipates at the arrival of four sustained chords followed by a pause. An accelerated bass line introduces a flurry of full-group improvisation, which evolves into the piece's climax, a howling chant played together by three horns.

OSTINATO - POUR ME A GROG: THE FUNANÁ REVOLT IN 1990s CABO VERDE

In the 1950s, a few young men, known as Badius, embarked on a nearly 2,500-mile (4000 km) journey from the northern rural interior of Cabo Verde’s Santiago Island to the island of São Tomé off the Atlantic coast of central Africa. Incredibly, they made the arduous journey not to earn a better living or send money back home — but to simply buy an accordion, locally known as a gaita. They would work years in harsh conditions to earn enough to buy the instrument and then a few more years to buy a ticket back to Santiago.

Returning home, they slowly formed an elite class of self-taught gaita players, who achieved a status similar to the griots of West Africa: venerated, wise elderly men archiving Badiu history in their diatonic button accordions. The gaita became the maximum expression of Badiu identity, one defined over centuries by a persistent culture of revolt and rebellion against domination and injustice. In a land lacking electricity, the acoustic instrument is king.

The gaita masters marriage to a hard-won instrument gave birth to raw Funaná music, undoubtedly a trans-Atlantic sibling of Colombian Cumbia. Hypnotic notes on aged accordions, tuned and flavored in ways found nowhere but Santiago, became infused with inviting baselines, raucous rhythms, blade-on-iron percussion and the bubbling lyricism and lament of the island’s finest ambassadors, their lyrics spoke of the trials of daily scarcity and playfully crafted whole metaphors within songs.

Their music was outlawed under colonial rule, with strict curfews monitored by the ever watchful eye of Portugal’s secret police to prevent gatherings since Funaná was dance music meant for large crowds, centered on one of the many star gaiteiros. Yet, naturally defiant, Badiu Funaná continued unfazed at the risk of arrest, detention, or worse.

Funaná remained an isolated style, largely an affair for Badiu ears only. But in 1991, Cabo Verde had its first democratic election. Elections are tricky business anywhere, let alone a state divided into several islands, each needing a tailored approach. Political parties found a novel solution, perhaps even a model, to successfully get their campaign messages out to large audiences with ears wide open: music festivals. Until today, Cabo Verde plays host to dozens of festivals a year, some sponsored by the government.

The music of the proud African interior became the soundtrack of choice at campaign rallies and music festivals. It drew large crowds, engaged the youth, kept people content, and undoubtedly won votes, setting the stage for traditional Funaná’s entry into the mainstream. But professional production and recording remained elusive. Younger artists empowered by the politically-backed proliferation of Funaná in the early ‘90s began traveling inland to learn the trade secrets from the gaita griots, taking up the once maligned artform to counter what they saw as global pop sounds diluting Cabo Verdean output and preventing genuine local music from competing on the airwaves.

Another revolt was afoot, and in 1997, an “earthquake shook the country,” a Cabo Verdean newspaper wrote, when a group of youths, calling themselves Ferro Gaita, “dared to make a disc based on the gaita, ferrinho and bass guitar.” That best-selling first album — 40,000 copies in a country of just 400,000 — changed the entire trajectory of the country’s music.

Ferro Gaita’s success caught the attention of affluent producers based in Cabo Verde’s large European diaspora, namely Rotterdam. Widespread sentiment was to honor the old gaita masters from the small villages of Santiago by commercially publishing their work for the very first time, giving what was once hidden the bigger stage it deserved.

This compilation curates eight tracks from a short period in the late ‘90s when cherished pioneers, who risked everything to give their proud culture a sound, were finally put in recording studios; an album in itself a revolt in favor of the music of the most marginalized and once deliberately silenced.

Pour yourself a grog, the Cabo Verdean moonshine distilled from sugarcane crushed by bulls, imbibe responsibly, listen carefully, and dance recklessly.

New Music Releases: U-Nam; Kutimangoes; Evgeny Masloboev Ensemble

U-Nam - The Love Vault (Future Love Part 2)

Well known throughout Europe and the US as a musical trendsetter and innovative player in Instrumental Music, Soul, and R&B, Emmanuel “U-Nam” Abiteboul has more than earned his reputation as a virtuosic guitarist and producer. Since his move to the US from Paris, France in 2007, Guitarist U-Nam has had the opportunity to perform, record and produce several of the top artists in the Smooth Jazz, R&B, and Soul genres. He has traveled throughout the US at events and Festivals including the Catalina JazzTrax Festival, Jazz on the Green, the JazzTrax Big Bear Festival, the Dave Koz and Friends Cruise et al. U-Nam has played, recorded and worked with: Barry White, Kool & the Gang, Billy Paul, George Duke, Marcus Miller, Eric Benet, Dave Koz, Najee, Phil Perry, Stokley Williams (Mint Condition), Rahsaan Patterson, Patrice Rushen, Paul Jackson Jr., WahWah Watson, Paul Jackson (The Headhunters), Rick Braun, Jonathan Butler, Jeff Lorber, Jeff Golub, Maysa Leak, Ronnie Foster, Abiodun (The Last Poets), Daddy-O (Stetasonic), Norman Connors, Dennis Chambers, Andreas Oberg, Alsou, Luis Fonsi, Honeyz, MC Solaar, Ophélie Winter, Marva King, Tony Terry, Oleta Adams, Candy Dulfer, Deniece Williams, Brian Simpson, Euge Groove, Bob Baldwin, Tom Braxton,Gregg Karukas, Michael Paulo, Joey Sommerville, James Day, Cool Million and many more…His new album, “The Love Vault” (Future Love Part 2) set for release on 10/11/19.

Kutimangoes - Afrotropism

The Kutimangoes keep on refining their groove with each new release – and really open up with a nice sense of variety from the usual Afro Funk mode! The horn section still has a strong role – two saxes, one trombone – but there are also both instrumental and rhythmic shifts from track to track – so that in the former, a keyboard or guitar might stand out more in the lead – or in the latter, the groove changes from more familiar modes to really help expand their style, and also open up some of the jazzier currents in their all-instrumental approach! There's even some great ngoni at a few points, which really sounds wonderful - and titles include "Call Of The Bulbul Bird", "Thorns To Fruit", "Money Is The Curse", "sand To Soil", and "A Snake Is Just A String". ~ Dusty Groove

Evgeny Masloboev Ensemble – The Book of Ice

Baikal Dream Club invited me to participate in the embodiment of ideas in creating a large-scale performance «Ice Library». That’s how the First Baikal Ice Music Festival started, which I curated, being an audial expert, composer, musician. The result of almost a month of work was a unique acoustic experience. The acoustic properties of Baikal ice and the possibilities of transferring research results to the field of aesthetics from sound images to full-fledged musical compositions were studied. Also, experiments were conducted on the timbre combinations of sound waves extracted from ice structures with audio palettes created by using objects made out of a variety of materials. Experiments with making and extracting sounds from ice marimbas, balafons, horns, ice flutes and ice percussion are a process, in which my musician friends and I are trying the ice for love of fire and in which the tone is checked against the beat of the heart.

New Music Releases: Nate Wooley & Ken Vandermark; Estrada Orchestra; Ethan Iverson

Nate Wooley & Ken Vandermark - Deeply Discounted II

Two fantastic side-long improvisations – but we hardly would have expected anything less, given that the proceedings feature Nate Wooley on trumpet, and Ken Vandermark on tenor and soprano clarinet! The latter sounds really wonderful in Ken's hands – full of these unusual sharp sounds that are matched beautifully by Nate's always-creative work on trumpet – as the pair move together effortlessly through sonic space, and create with a spontaneous intensity that must have been something to watch in person! Oddly, the music was captured in the studio, though – not on stage – but has the energy of some of the best live improvised performances that either musician has given us – on long tracks "Deeply Discounted II" and "Sequences Of Snow (For Michael Snow)". ~ Dusty Groove

Estrada Orchestra - Zucker Tanzclub

Excellent long-form funky work from Estrada Orchestra – a group with plenty of jazz-styled instrumentation over the top, and some monstrous funky drums at the core! The group record here with producer Misha Panfilov, who you'll know from other great material on funky 45s – but the style here is longer and more stretched out – psychedelic jazz, with lots of fuzz on the guitar, keyboards, and even funky flute – working together as one rumbling mass with a heck of a lot of sonic power! Titles include the side-long "Zucker Tanzclub", plus "Hold My Plasticine Hands Tight" and "Fish Sticks Rhapsody". ~ Dusty Groove

Ethan Iverson - Common Practice

Some of the darkest sounds we've heard from trumpeter Tom Harrell in years – really fitting the spirit of this quartet led by pianist Ethan Iverson, as they slowly step their way through a mix of standards and original tunes in a live set recorded at the Village Vanguard! Tom's developed a fantastic range over the years – and here, he finds this really special sonic space to resonate with Iverson's choices on the piano – still very much his own man, especially on the solos, but also a key cornerstone in a group that also features Ben Street on bass and Eric McPherson on drums. The approach is maybe most striking on the mellowest numbers, which really resonate with shadowy depths – and titles include "All The Things You Are", "I Can't Get Started", "The Man I Love", "Philadelphia Creamer", and "Jed From Teaneck". ~ Dusty Groove

MOTOWN UNRELEASED 1969: 60 Previously Unreleased Songs

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the celebrated label, Motown/UMe today released MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1969, a digital only collection that contains 60 previously unreleased studio recordings made during 1969 including songs by Diana Ross & the Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Jr. Walker & the All Stars and many more.

The collection captures the width and breadth of Motown's iconic catalog, the richness of the label's roster, and the diversity of material that was being produced at the time. The songs showcase a vision of the future that's coming into focus, with seminal albums from Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and The Temptations on the horizon.

Owing to the non-stop recording activity at Motown's studios, more than half of the tracks on MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1969 are never-before-heard compositions, including the heart-breaking-yet-hopeful "I Had a Dream (Opus I)," written and produced by Ashford & Simpson for Gladys Knight & The Pips, recorded a year after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Stevie Wonder's joyful "Mister Moon," one of his first self-productions, infused with ecstatic falsetto harmonies; and "Pretty Little Brown Skin Girl," a celebration of African-American beauty from The Temptations. Also among the jewels is "Touched by Love," a Johnny Bristol production recorded by Bobby Taylor while he was grooming the Jackson 5 in advance of their first album.

"Motown is clearly evolving at this time," said Harry Weinger, Vice President of A&R at Universal Music Enterprises, who oversaw the project. "There's an opening for writers and producers to experiment with the Motown sound but, for certain topics, or musical ideas, or even artists, the company isn't ready. Or, it's a simple case of having only so many slots for releases. So, until now, those songs went unreleased."

Additional tracks are unique covers of previously released songs, including several by Ivy Jo Hunter, one of the great unsung Motown writers and producers who re-works the hits he had created for other artists including "Dancing in the Street" and "Ask the Lonely." The Jackson 5, just two months from debuting with "I Want You Back," lay down a thrilling, up-tempo version of the Miracles' "What's So Good About Goodbye," providing a fresh take of a Smokey Robinson classic. Diana Ross & the Supremes deliver an achingly beautiful version of "For Once In My Life," an historic session that marks the last time Ms. Ross, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong are together in the studio.

On other tracks, UMe's A&R executives and studio engineers were able to repair technical issues on the original recordings that had prevented Motown from releasing the songs, including Kiki Dee's "While They Watch" and "You're My World."

The collection also includes five funky instrumental tracks by the Funk Brothers house band – surely highlighted by the Paul Riser production, "Moratorium" –  recorded under the name of their indomitable leader, Earl Van Dyke.

All of the new collection's tracks have been mastered for the first time at Studio 4 by Phil Nicolo from their original analog master tapes, which were individually selected by Motown A&R specialists from UMG's secure storage facilities. Half the collection's tracks were sourced from their original Motown mixes, while the rest were mixed for the first time for this release, by Obie O'Brien at Mixville USA and by John Morales at M+M Mix Studios.

Track credits available here: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/motown-unreleased-1969-rarities-out-now

Stream all of Motown's greatest hits: https://stream.lnk.to/Motown.

MOTOWN UNRELEASED: 1969

1.  Diana Ross & the Supremes / For Once In My Life

2.  Stevie Wonder / Can't Do Without Your Love

3.  Ivy Jo / It's Love I Need

4.  Chris Clark / My World Is Empty Without You

5.  The Temptations / Pretty Little Brown Skin Girl

6.  The Volumes / Forever I'll Love You

7.  Jr. Walker & the All Stars / (Baby) I Need You

8.  Frank Wilson / Look Out Your Window

9.  Edwin Starr / I'll Always Love You

10.  Earl Van Dyke / Stone Soul Booster

11.  Gladys Knight & the Pips / You Took Me This Far (Take Me All The Way)

12.  Smokey Robinson & the Miracles / Won't You Come and Fly With Me

13.  Edwin Starr / Born Just To Be That Way

14.  Smokey Robinson & the Miracles / What About Me

15.  Jonah Jones / Too Many Fish In The Sea

16.  Edwin Starr / Fan The Flame

17.  Chris Clark / The Last Thing On My Mind

18.  Smokey Robinson & the Miracles / Backfire (version 1)

19.  Gladys Knight & the Pips / I Had A Dream (Opus I)

20.  The Temptations / Why (Must We Fall In Love)

21.  The Fantastic Four / What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted

22.  Ivy Jo / Ask The Lonely

23.  Ivy Jo / Yesterday's Dreams

24.  Ivy Jo / I Got To Get To California

25.  The Originals / Blame It On War

26.  The Stylists / The Jackpot

27.  The Spinners / Don't Think It's Me

28.  Michael Denton / MacArthur Park/Didn't We

29.  Michael Denton / Someone For My Own

30.  The Volumes / One Lucky Day I Found You

31.  The Rustix / Generation

32.  Jr. Walker & the All Stars / Country Girl

33.  Jr. Walker & the All Stars / Something You Got (studio version)

34.  Bobby Taylor / At Last (I Found A Love)

35.  Bobby Taylor / Love Is Here And Now You're Gone

36.  Jackson 5 / What's So Good About Goodbye

37.  Bobby Taylor / You've Really Got A Hold On Me - feat. the Jackson 5

38.  Earl Van Dyke / The Stranger

39.  Earl Van Dyke / I Wish It Would Rain

40.  Stevie Wonder / Start Out A New Day

41.  Gordon Staples & the Motown Strings / All the Many Shades In Between

42.  Valerie Simpson / You Ain't Livin' Till You're Lovin'

43.  Edwin Starr / Pain From My Loneliness

44.  Yvonne Fair / All I Could Do Was Cry

45.  The Temptations / Home Is Where The Heart Is

46.  Stevie Wonder / Mister Moon

47.  Rare Earth / Your Heartaches I Can Surely Heal

48.  Ivy Jo / Dancing In The Street

49.  Marvin Gaye / I'll Take Care Of Business

50.  Ivy Jo / Pride, Foolish Pride

51.  Earl Van Dyke / Moratorium

52.  Kiki Dee / While They Watch

53.  Terry Johnson / This Is The Beginning

54.  Terry Johnson / I Blew My Mind

55.  Earl Van Dyke / Chicken Little 69

56.  Kiki Dee / You're My World

57.  Bobby Taylor / Touched By Love

58.  Hearts of Stone / When Push Comes To Shove

59.  Jimmy Ruffin / I Gotta Cover A Whole Lotta Ground

60.  Terry Johnson / Tomorrow's Child

Rainforest Band - Peace To The Planet

Rainforest Band delivers a timely album with a timeless message

Thirty years before the devastating Amazon rainforest fire and decades before the global climate crisis was one of the crucial issues facing the survival of life on earth, keyboardist Merl Saunders forecasted the future after witnessing the destruction occurring in the Amazon. Teaming with Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, Saunders brought the need to preserve rainforests into pop consciousness by creating an album, “Blues From The Rainforest – A Musical Suite,” featuring Garcia that they described as “environmental earth music.” Merl’s son, bassist Tony Saunders, is continuing his late father’s mission with the October 25 release of “Peace To The Planet” by Rainforest Band, which drops on San Francisco Records with a portion of the proceeds going to The Jerry Garcia Foundation and Rainforest Action Network. 

“The rainforests around the world are disappearing at an alarming rate. This band has three strong souls as leaders and our mission is to bring awareness with our music to a cause that needs vigilant attention – long before the Amazon fires put the issue back in the news. To honor the history of the music Jerry and Merl made and to do something to help save the planet is why we made this album now,” said Tony Saunders, who is based in the Bay Area along with his Rainforest Band mates, guitarist Vernon “Ice” Black and keyboardist Sylvester Burks.

“Peace To  The Planet” was produced by Black and San Francisco Records chief Ron Umile with social activism at the fore. Umile said, “The band and I have been concerned about the rainforest, climate change and all the related issues. We are also concerned about senseless gun violence in America, the rise of bigotry in our country, the extinction of animals and plants, and the lack of acknowledgement and action from the present administration and general government to address these issues and seek real solutions. The music on ‘Peace To The Planet’ tries to instill calmness for a minute to allow reflection on how we can do our part to be part of the solution. If we can visualize a peaceful planet, we could possibly inspire our audience to take action to save the planet.”

While Garcia crossed genres to collaborate with Merl Saunders, who was an African American jazz musician, the twelve songs composed by Rainforest Band members for “Peace To The Planet” are rooted in improvisational contemporary jazz and soulful R&B. The disc features performances by Billboard chart-topping saxophonist Jeff Ryan, noted keyboardist Gail Jhonson, drummer Austin White and percussionist Maquinto Brasil. The first single garnering playlist adds is the funky “S.I.Z.” on which Ryan’s tenor sax wails up a thunderous storm. 

The continued relationships and support of both nonprofit partners – The Jerry Garcia Foundation and Rainforest Action Network – was natural. Tony Saunders toured for a year playing in the original Rainforest Band concerts thirty years ago with his father and Garcia, including gigs for Rainforest Action Network. Garcia’s wife and daughter, Manasha and Keelin Garcia, run The Jerry Garcia Foundation and have collaborated with Tony on multiple projects and music catalogue decisions over the years. The foundations are the beneficiaries of the album release concert planned for November 1 at the Terrapin Crossroads Grate Room in San Rafael. 

The Rainforest Band principals are seasoned professionals equipped with lengthy resumes built during accomplished music careers. As a guitarist, vocalist, producer, composer and music director, Black has amassed recording, touring and film credits that list Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Lionel Richie, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Spice Girls. Tony Saunders has played or recorded with legends Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, David Crosby, Joe Sample, Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson Jr. and Paul Brown. He has won two Emmy Awards for writing television scores and is an award-winning composer of jingles and motion picture scores. Burks’ work with ten Grammy winners includes Patti LaBelle and Lalah Hathaway along with gospel superstars Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, Shirley Caesar, Bebe Winans and The Hawkins Family. For more information, please visit https://rainforestband.net.