Pianist Roberta Piket Releases "Domestic Harmony: Piket Plays Mintz"

Pianist Roberta Piket presents a truly intimate musical offering with the December 6 release of Domestic Harmony: Piket Plays Mintz on her own Thirteenth Note Records. A solo piano performance (her third, following 2012's Solo and 2015's Solo Volume 2), the album assays ten intriguing compositions by Billy Mintz, the highly regarded drummer who regularly collaborates with Piket -- and who is also her husband.

The intimacy on display throughout Domestic Harmony is authentic: it was intended for an audience of one. Piket originally conceived the album a few years ago as a birthday surprise for Mintz. (She allows that it was "a milestone year" for the intensely private Mintz but declines to say which.) She arranged to record it while he was on tour, completed the editing later, and successfully surprised and delighted him when the big day came.

"It was just something I was doing for Billy, and not for anybody else," says Piket. "It was only later that I started to think about putting it out." 

It's a beautiful glimpse of art at its most direct. Every nuance of Piket's lustrous touch, chord voicings, and improvisational energy -- and, on "Destiny," her tender, haunting vocal -- radiates with warmth and fondness for its recipient.

Of course, the recipient in question also played no small part in the creation of this music. "[Billy] has a very personal voice," says Piket. "He has a natural talent for looking at the big picture and going beyond just his instrument.... He writes in a very simple, direct way that's incredibly appealing." He has been honored before by musicians performing his compositions, including saxophonist Adam Kolker, pianist Russ Lossing, and Piket herself, who has previously recorded a few of the tunes on Domestic Harmony.

Roberta Piket 

The context, however, transforms Piket's interpretations of them into something more personal and frank. If "Destiny," with Piket's vocal, is pointed in its expression, her thoughtful piano playing on "Ghost Sanctuary," "Flight," and "Your Touch" is no less so without it. As well, it's difficult to imagine a more perfect balance of affection with the inherent playfulness in "Shmear" and "Cannonball," both of which (uncoincidentally) feature some of the pianist's most assured and inventive improvisational work. Her unique birthday gift for her husband is now their shared gift to the world.

Roberta Piket was born in New York City on August 9, 1965 to a father who was a classical composer father and a mother who was a traditional pop singer. Needless to say, it was a musical household, made more so when at 14 young Roberta stumbled across a secondhand copy of Walter Bishop Jr.'s Speak Low at a synagogue bazaar. It began her journey into jazz piano.

Completing a joint double-degree program at New England Conservatory (in piano) and nearby Tufts University (in computer science), Piket first spent an unfulfilling year in software engineering before deciding that music was her true calling. She returned to New York in 1989 and began building a career and a reputation as a pianist. Within a few years she had established relationships with Marian McPartland (appearing on her National Public Radio program Piano Jazz) and Lionel Hampton (who provided her with her first professional recording session on his 1995 For the Love of Music).

Piket has since established herself as an adventurous and versatile pianist, ready and able to try anything. Her albums (of which Domestic Harmony is the 13th) and performance projects have ranged from straight ahead to free jazz, from solo piano to big band, from chamber jazz ensemble with string quartet to the electric Alternating Current, and any number of other adventures as both leader and sidewoman. In addition, she maintains a working trio with Mintz, in which she has also begun to feature herself more prominently as a vocalist.

In the 2018 Down Beat Critics' Poll, Piket was voted Rising Star in the Organist category and placed 16th in Rising Star Piano, while in the publication's 2018 Readers' Poll she placed 8th in the Jazz Artist category, 7th in Piano, and 5th in Organ.

Piket will be performing Billy Mintz's music with several duos -- including saxophonist Virginia Mayhew, valve trombonist Mike Fahn, and Mintz himself -- at Mezzrow, NYC, on Thursday 1/16/20.

Other upcoming shows: the Roberta Piket Sextet celebrates the music of Marian McPartland, with special guest Karrin Allyson, at Flushing Town Hall, Friday 12/6; a set of duos with Virginia Mayhew at Maureen's Jazz Cellar, Nyack, NY, Sunday 12/15; the Roberta Piket Organ Trio plays the music of Billy Mintz (featuring tenor saxophonists Tony Malaby and John Gross with Mintz on drums) at Quinn's, Beacon, NY, Monday 5/4/20.

In addition, Piket will be a sidewoman on piano and organ with the Billy Mintz Band (also including Rich Perry on tenor saxophone, Adam Kolker on saxophones and woodwinds, Curtis Folkes on trombone, and Hilliard Greene on bass) at Balboa, Brooklyn, Wednesday 12/18; Quinn's, Beacon, NY Monday 12/23; iBeam, Brooklyn, Friday 12/27; and Smalls, NYC, Saturday 12/28. 

Bobby Oroza -: This Love (Instrumentals)

The instrumental version of Bobby’s instant classic debut album. Pressed up on translucent red coloured vinyl with a free poster inside packed into a chipboard cover that tips it’s hat to the very first Bobby Oroza 45 jacket; where it all started...

When Bobby Oroza and the Cold Diamond & Mink production duo first got together in the studio they cut ‘This Love.’ That turned out to be a hell of a start. Since they originally released it in 2016 the tune has become somewhat of an underground hit. From the heavy air play at car shows and swap meets in the South West to being featured in numerous movies and tv shows, it even made its way to an Earl Sweatshirt mixtape. All of this has led to a lot of anticipation for Bobby Oroza’s debut full length which is appropriately named after the tune that started it all.

Bobby pushes the borders of soul and rock balladry and creates a sound distinctly his own. Cold Diamond & Mink provide a pitch perfect collection of lo-fi, low-key classics on which Bobby’s smokey tenor floats atop, breaking hearts on some tunes and melting them on others. Maintaining the band’s signature dark and intimate aesthetic, they run the gamut of tempos, breaking hearts on some tunes and mending them on others. The group’s second single ‘Your Love Is Too Cold’ is a stomper that blends the groovy soul drumming of early Motown records with guitar that could have been lifted from a James Bond score and has been getting heavy spins across the globe at soul parties and on radio shows. Bobby takes care of the dancers with a few up numbers, ranging from the northern soul nods on ‘Lonely Girl’ and ‘Falling in Love’ to the 70s jazz funk nod on ‘Keep On Believing.’ However, the ballad lovers with the uncontrollable urge to two-step late into the night will be the real winners with ‘This Love.’ Bobby thrives on the bed of dark and intimate sensuality found on tracks like ‘Alone Again,’ ‘Down On My Knees,’ and ‘Deja Vu.’

Saxophonist Kevin Sun Meditates on Space and Sound with Ambitious Double Album, The Sustain of Memory

The Sustain of Memory, out November 8, 2019 via Endectomorph Music, is saxophonist and composer Kevin Sun’s ambitious follow-up to his acclaimed 2018 debut release Trio.  Featuring three extended compositions for trio, quartet, and quintet – with trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, pianist Dana Saul, bassists Simón Willson and Walter Stinson, and drummers Dayeon Seok and Matt Honor– the double album shows Sun’s commitment to the formal and dramatic possibilities of small-group formats as well as his emergent vision within them. 

Trio, (described as “rich and endeavoring” by Audiophile Audition), found him navigating through an assortment of musical puzzles and mazes with his trio counterparts Stinson and Honor. Following the release of Trio, Sun continued pursuing his creative direction during a period of self-reflection and meditation. Over the course of 2018 he sought personal expression through space and sound and eventually wrote the two hours of music that make up The Sustain of Memory.

“I’ve always been drawn to sprawling, encyclopedic or maximalist works of art,” says Sun, “Just the idea of creating a complete world that contains its own logic, but that threatens to overspill beyond its borders—that’s been appealing to me.”

The first piece on the album, “The Middle of Tensions,”is also the most recent, composed in the latter half of 2018. Featuring the trio plus the addition of pianist Dana Saul, the work progresses through six movements uncovering new emotional valences in the shadowy post-tonal language favored by the jazz and improvised music vanguard of recent years. Although much has been said about Sun’s study of jazz music in its earlier decades, his explicit interest in contemporary improvisors like Steve Lehman, Matt Mitchell, and Craig Taborn comes to the fore here.

Saul, whose September 2019 album Ceiling features Sun, imbues the quartet with his kaleidoscopic harmonic sense; the two met as roommates at the Banff Workshop for Jazz and Creative Music in 2012, and reconnected after Sun moved to New York City in 2015.

“For a while, I had a sort of phobia about writing music for chordal instruments—almost like a fear of being locked into something,” says Sun, “but that’s not an issue with Dana because he constantly reinvents and extrapolates, so it’s always a surprise.”

The dense, exploratory passages of “The Middle of Tensions” conclude with a tonal sublimation of the musical events that came before, setting the stage for the second piece, Sun’s “Circle, Line” for trio. Set across twelve short movements that employ all possible instrumental combinations within the trio (including duets and solo pieces), this song cycle’s starkness and sonic transparency offer a pleasing contrast.

“The piece sort of reflects its formal patterning,” says Sun. “It’s fairly austere sonically, and there’s really not very much explicit deviation from the composition aside from individual embellishment and occasional melodic improvisation.”

Sun’s infrequent and informal studies with modern saxophone titan Mark Turner are an unmistakable influence on the piece, which, according to Sun, is also a study in the movement of voices. Although not always tonal, “Circle, Line” centers on the different kinds of relationships between melodic voices—whether they move together up and down or go in different directions or at different times, and how that creates a feeling of depth and space within the ensemble.

Given the abstract conception behind the piece, these dozen miniatures share the quality of both being outside of an obvious idiom while evoking certain sound worlds; the first movement has a medieval chant-like quality, while the seventh movement sounds like a strangely understated rock band flattened to its barest melodic elements. Taken as a whole, they represent both the next step and a departure for Sun’s trio as they continue to personalize the time-honored format.

The album’s final piece, “The Rigors of Love,”occupies the entirety of the second disc and introduces a new rhythm team of Saul (piano), Simón Willson(bass), and Dayeon Seok(drums), plus the addition of trumpeter Adam O’Farrill(2019 DownBeat Critics Poll Rising Star) to the frontline. First premiered at New York City’s The Jazz Gallery in May 2018, the title of the work was inspired by the process of composition itself, which, from Sun’s perspective, requires both sustained feeling and discipline.

“After ‘Circle, Line,’ essentially I wanted to write something with more of an emotional thrust to it,” Sun says, “while still using what I’d learned about composition and form from writing the trio piece.”

Orchestrated in three movements, the piece foregrounds a range of ensemble colors and moods that emphasize inwardness and reflection over surface polish and drama. Clarinet and muted trumpet appear and re-appear throughout the piece to indicate shifts in emotional register, and epic solos surface from virtuosic ensemble textures and vice-versa.

In writing “Rigors,” Sun was also mindful of an aphorism attributed to Duke Ellington: The composition begins when the musicians have been chosen. In this case, Sun assembled a different cast of musicians to better suit the nature of the music, which would be more spacious, patient, and subject to interpretation than his more circumscribed works.

Joining him in the frontline is trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, who Ambrose Akinmusire has called his “favorite trumpet player of any generation right now” in a recent JazzTimesprofile. Sun and O’Farrill first played together in a weekly ensemble at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege in 2009, and their reunion on this album amply displays their longstanding chemistry. Pianist Dana Saul, who has employed Sun in the pianist’s own sextet, brought his compositional instincts to bear upon the musical proceedings. Sun notes that Saul exceeded expectations by composing his own piano parts for large portions of “The Rigors of Love.”

“There were sections where I didn’t specify a piano part or chord symbols, so he devised parts, notated them, and brought them to rehearsals, gigs, and the recording session,” says Sun. “That’s dedication.”

Concerning the rhythm team, Sun’s history with each player inspired him to pair them for the ensemble: Sun and bassist Simón Willson were bandmates since their days together at New England Conservatory, where they performed and recorded with co-led ensembles Great on Paper and Earprint. Sun met drummer Dayeon Seok in New York through a mutual friend, and the two became close collaborators in the co-led quartet Mute. Sun emphasized their flexibility and tasteful contributions across a wide range of musical settings.

“I wanted to put them together and take advantage of their flexibility,” says Sun. “I could write sections that swung in a conventional or traditional fashion and also have sections that were more open and idiomatically untethered.”

Sun avers that The Sustain of Memory is a lot of music to take in, but he sees it as part of the process of being a blossoming musician with something personal to share.

“Where I am now, I’m OK with being a bit messy or over-extended if it means I’m going to grow and learn as an artist, which is why I documented this period,” he says. “I hope that people feel some sense of immersion when listening; I’d want nothing more than to give the feeling of stepping into another world, as my favorite artists do.”

Kevin Sun is a saxophonist living in New York City. His trio, established in 2016 and comprising bassist Walter Stinson and drummer Matt Honor, has released the acclaimed Trioand performs regularly around the city. Sun plays in a number of co-led ensembles, including Earprint and Mute. His creative work to date has attracted attention from leading critical publications, including The New York Times, The Village Voice, DownBeat, The New York City Jazz Record, Audiophile Audition, PopMatters, and Stereogum, among others. Sun is in demand as a sideperson on the New York jazz and improvised music scenes, and he has performed with a variety of small ensembles and larger ensembles, most notably the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble and Brian Krock’s Big Heart Machine. He has also performed extensively across China and serves as Artistic Director of the Blue Note China Jazz Orchestra, which performs bimonthly at Blue Note Beijing.

www.thekevinsun.com

New Music Releases: Eric Alexander; Cherrill Rae; Michael Dease

Eric Alexander - Leap Of Faith

The great Eric Alexander in a trio mode – soaring out with a lot more space and soul than some of his albums with a pianist – and that's saying a lot, given the wonderfully soulful sound of that work too! The style is a mode that Alexander has explored a bit over the years, but which really comes out with great force here – and opens up a sharper, more biting tone than you might be used to hearing from the saxophonist over his 25+ years of recording! It's almost as if Eric's awoken with a whole new sense of spirit – and we mean that quite literally, as the album has Alexander arising as a very powerful saxophonist in a spiritual tradition – with a sound that's still very individual, but which has links to a legacy that includes Pharoah Sanders and Charles Lloyd – something we never would have said about Eric just a few years ago. The other trio members are key to the sound, too – Doug Weiss on bass and Jonathan Blake on drums – and titles include "Corazon Perdido", "Luquitas", "Mars", "Magyar", "Big Richard", "Second Impression", and "Frenzy".  ~ Dusty Groove

Cherrill Rae – For Once In My Life

Cherrill Rae puts her indelible stamp on the Stevie Wonder classic "For Once In My Life," featuring stellar backing from the legendary Ingram Family band and production from the Philly Soul maestro, Butch Ingram. One of the most talented vocalists in the Society Hill stable of artists, Cherrill Rae is supremely versatile in R&B, Gospel, Jazz and Pop. Born in England and raised in the Canadian province of Ontario, Rae grew up on a steady diet of Motown and old school R&B, which left a lasting impression that she strongly identified with, and quickly realized that singing was something she had a natural affinity for.

Cherrill was a member of The Rae’s who were signed by A&M records in 1980 and had a hit single with a remake of the old Doris Day song “Que Sera Sera”. It was arranged with a percussive Latin beat and killer vocals. It climbed to number one on the Canadian top 40 and stayed there for ten consecutive weeks.Their next album "Dancing up a Storm" became a top 40 success in the United States as well as Canada and Europe. The number-one single off that album "A Little Lovin’” written by Freddie Peren and Dino Fekarris went top ten in Cash Box, Record World and Rolling Stone Magazine.

Michael Dease - Never More Here

Michael Dease is as great a writer as he is a trombonist – which is to say a heck of a lot – but this time around, he opens the door to a wider range of jazz history – by offering up his own arrangements of tunes by Jimmy Heath, Jackie McClean, JJ Johnson, Eric Alexander, and others who've gone down the path before him! Dease always has a fantastic ear for color and rhythm – and that really comes through here, as he works with a fantastic lineup that features Steve Wilson on reeds, Renee Rosnes on piano, Gerald Cannon on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums – all players that have an equal mastery of color, which really comes through as the album moves on! The Dease approach to phrasing is fantastic – maybe in a space between JJ Johnson and Curtis Fuller during their classic years – and as you might imagine, Rosnes and Wilson are a delight, too. Titles include "Shortcake", "Frenzy", "Lament", "Milestones", "A Harmonic Future", "I Wish I Knew", and "For Hofsa". ~ Dusty Groove

 

MAE.SUN Returns with Vol. 2: Into the Flow

When the acclaimed saxophonist, flutist and composer Hailey Niswanger talks about forming her mindful and fiery electric band, MAE.SUN, whose new album is Vol. 2: Into the Flow, she returns often to ideas of transformation, gratitude and unity. “I felt like I finally stepped into a new version of myself that was 100-percent authentic and free,” she says. “MAE.SUN really feels like I’m fulfilling my potential and my purpose.”

Reflecting her middle name, Mae, and Sun, the “second heart that connects all life,” the group’s concept extended from her studies of Zen Master Thích Nhât Hanh, a revered spiritual leader and peace activist. MAE.SUN’s 2017 debut, Vol. 1: Inter-be, was an inspired exploration of her newfound consciousness—a prayer for peace and a wish that all of humanity could discover its oneness. As DownBeat commented in its rave review, “[L]istening all the way through [serves] as a compelling guide for meditation.”   

           

Vol. 2: Into the Flow is the result of Niswanger’s consciousness being tested by the unavoidable trials of life. In the midst of profound personal, spiritual and even geographical life changes—earlier this year, she relocated to L.A. after years on the Brooklyn scene—she began a deep inward search. “I finally started being able to see myself for me,” she says. As a person and an artist, she worked toward a place where she could “release into this idea that your life is set for you—that we chose our lives before we got here,” she explains. “You have your own flow that you need to give in to.”

Submitting to that natural, inevitable flow, she was reminded “to not give in to the pressures of society, by getting caught up in fears, anxieties and stigmas that can hold us back.” That notion of flow all but defines music as well—a positive force that moves into its creators and cycles back out into the atmosphere.

As with Inter-be, Niswanger designed Into the Flow to be experienced best in one uninterrupted listen, and she’s aided in this mission by a genre-bending band she feels honored to helm. The lineup includes Niswanger on soprano saxophone and flute, vibraphonist Nikara Warren, guitarist Andrew Renfroe, keyboardist Axel Laugart, bassist Aaron Liao and drummer David Frazier Jr, with Jake Sherman on additional synths. Sonically, Into the Flow is MAE.SUN’s boldest project yet, and fans of fusion’s ’60s and ’70s heyday will appreciate the often-wild, evocative timbres she achieves through electronics. Overseeing production, mixing and mastering, Drew Ofthe Drew has designed an ensemble sound that is at once psychedelic and focused, expansive and crisp.

In addition to her contributions as a player, composer and leader, Niswanger further explores her passion and skill as a vocalist, singing background and, on the track “Cycle,” lead. “Singing for people has been exhilarating—and scary,” she says. “But I’ve wanted that, because music started getting really comfortable for me. I’m used to getting up on a stage with a saxophone; using your vocal cords brings in a new challenge.”

Into the Flow also features two special guest vocalists whom Niswanger considers heroes and friends. Amber Navran, of the Los Angeles-based soul trio Moonchild, appears on “Bond,” an affirmative blend of sultry modern R&B and dynamic jazz interplay. Australian-born, Brooklyn-based Kate K-S brings her sweet, sandy voice to the grooves of “Ascension.” Elsewhere, she and the band elevate her writing, which is fascinating yet accessible and another invaluable part of her mission to unify. “What can the majority of humanity connect to?” she asked herself during the composition process.

“You go back and listen to sounds that have been around for centuries, like African music,” she answers. “It’s a groove, a feeling that everyone around, whether they’re musically inclined or not, can connect with.” MAE.SUN’s sound, from the cosmic opener, “Awaken,” to the fierce drum-and-bass of the closer, “Free,” melds blazing improvisation with an all-embracing stylistic palette.

About Hailey Niswanger

Still just 29, Hailey Niswanger has nonetheless already experienced a rich and full life in music, making her arrival at Into the Flow all the more profound. She was born in Houston, raised in Portland, Oregon, and later moved east to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship. In 2010, she was chosen for the inaugural class of Berklee’s Global Jazz Institute under the artistic direction of pianist Danilo Pérez. She’s collaborated onstage with Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Michael Wolff and Mike Clark, Ralph Peterson Jr., the Soul Rebels Brass Band, the Either/Orchestra and other luminaries, and performed at some of the jazz world’s most esteemed venues and events, including the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York, Smalls Jazz Club, the Portland Jazz Festival and the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival. In the pop realm, she performed with Demi Lovato on Saturday Night Live and Sleigh Bells on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and the Late Show with David Letterman. Currently she tours with electronic musician Louis Futon, and recently performed at Red Rocks Amphitheater.

Her debut as a bandleader, 2009’s Confeddie, experienced phenomenal success for a jazz album—especially a self-produced and self-released project. In the Wall Street Journal, legendary jazz critic Nat Hentoff called it “a work with the joyous feeling of the first day of spring”; it went on to become the No. 2 most-downloaded jazz album at Amazon.com, and debuted the following week at No. 13 on the Billboard Jazz Albums Chart. Prior to forming MAE.SUN, Niswanger released two other buzzed-about discs, 2012’s The Keeper and 2015’s PDX Soul, which earned her an interview on NPR.

A handful of years later, and following those deep personal and spiritual breakthroughs, Niswanger’s outlook brims with gratitude. “I’m just really honored to play music,” she says. “Hopefully I can reach people in a way that will connect us more and bring relief to those who need it.”

Dom La Nena Releases New Video and Song “Oiseau Sauvage”

The multi-talented singer, songwriter, producer, and cellist, Dom La Nena releases her highly anticipated song “Oiseau Sauvage” , with tastemaker Six Degrees Records. The stunning song comes in advance of her third album Tempo due out early next year.

The new single effortlessly brings the Brazilian born, Paris based artist’s impressive vocals and songwriting sensibilities center stage in the dreamy song. Dom La Nena reflects, “ ‘Oiseau Sauvage’ is the first song that I wrote that incorporates the three languages that I have consistently used throughout my life: Portuguese, Spanish and French. Sometimes this is exactly what happens inside my head; a sentence from each language, mixed up and interchanged, as if the three languages have become one in my head.

I wrote this song during my pregnancy. It is a reflection on the incredible feelings of having someone growing inside yourself with whom you share everything very deeply (happiness, sadness, joys, fears). You learn more about this being with time but from whom you do not know a lot about at the beginning.”

The new song is accompanied by an equally elegant video directed by Jeremiah (R.E.M., The Do, Camille) and in collaboration with French magician Etienne Saglio – a master of the French new magic movement — « Nouvelle Magie » — which reinvents the exploration of a contemporary aesthetic with a romantic & mystifying imagination.

The new single was produced and performed by Dom La Nena and mixed by the talented Noah Georgeson (Devendra Banhart, Rodrigo Amarante, The Strokes). Watch the new video for “Oiseau Sauvage” here: https://youtu.be/a-VJsiacGZc

Check out the new single here: https://domlanena.lnk.to/oiseausauvage

BIG BAND HOLIDAYS II BY THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS

Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records celebrates the most wonderful time of the year with the release of Big Band Holidays II, a sequel to a beloved and festive album released in 2015 and performed live by the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

Big Band Holidays II includes an electric, never-before-released solo piano performance of "O Tannenbaum"  by Aretha Franklin.  The Queen of Soul sang the holiday classic in English and German, while accompanying herself on piano, at a surprise performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2015 Big Band Holidays concert.  "O Tannenbaum," exclusively on Big Band Holidays II, is one of only a handful of tracks to be released since Franklin’s passing on August 16, 2018.

Additional guests on Big Band Holidays II include some of today’s commanding new voices in jazz: Catherine Russell, Veronica Swift, Denzal Sinclaire, and Audrey Shakir. This newest collection of holiday classics is now available for pre-order and will be available on all digital platforms on October 25, 2019, in stores as a CD on November 8, 2019, and available on 2xLP audiophile vinyl later in the holiday season.

The Big Band Holidays concerts have been a New York City holiday tradition among jazz lovers and families for more than a decade. Every December, the critically acclaimed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and an all-star roster of guest vocalists explore the canon of holiday standards and perform both new and traditional arrangements of Yuletide favorites. Blue Engine Records has assembled highlights from these historical performances to make them available on record for the first time.

Big Band Holidays II tracks include holiday favorites “Silver Bells,” “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and “Silent Night” and feature the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s signature sense of swing, New Orleans-flavored nuances, and deeply soulful and church-rooted grooves.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra bassist Carlos Henriquez says, “The orchestra members work hard to arrange classic holiday songs that we then collaborate on with great singers. The holiday season is about family and soulful music—it doesn’t get any better!”

To celebrate this special Blue Engine Records release, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and guest vocalists Denzal Sinclaire and Alexis Morrast will embark on a 12-city Big Band Holidays U.S. Tour. Kicking off the holiday season with messages of peace and good cheer, the Big Band Holidays tour commences on November 30 in Toronto, Canada and ends with four performances December 18-22, including a special matinee at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, located at Broadway at 60th Street in New York, New York.

TRACK LISTING

1. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Written by Edward Pola & George Wyle

Arranged by Wynton Marsalis

Soloists: Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), Victor Goines (clarinet), Chris Crenshaw (trombone), Dan Nimmer (piano), Ted Nash (flute)

2. Cool Yule (ft. Catherine Russell)

Written by Steve Allen

Arranged by Sherman Irby

Soloists: Walter Blanding (tenor saxophone), Sherman Irby (alto saxophone)

3. We Three Kings (ft. Denzal Sinclaire)

Written by John Henry Hopkins, Jr.

Arranged by Carlos Henriquez

Soloists: Dan Nimmer (piano), Paul Nedzela (baritone saxophone)

4. O Tannenbaum (ft. Aretha Franklin)

Written by Ernst Anschütz

5. Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow

Arranged by Ted Nash

Soloist: Marcus Printup (trumpet)

6. (Everybody’s Waitin’ for) The Man with the Bag (ft. Veronica Swift)

Written by Harold Stanley, Irving Taylor & Dudley Brooks

Arranged by Walter Blanding

Soloists: Veronica Swift (vocals), Vincent Gardner (trombone)

7. What Will Santa Claus Say? (When He Finds Everybody Swingin’) (ft. Catherine Russell)

Written by Louis Prima

Arranged by Chris Crenshaw

Soloists: Paul Nedzela (baritone saxophone), Ali Jackson (drums)

8. Brazilian Sleigh Bells

Written by Percy Faith

Arranged by Carlos Henriquez

Soloists: Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), Bruce Harris (trumpet), Sherman Irby (alto saxophone)

9. Silver Bells (ft. Catherine Russell)

Written by Ray Evans & Jay Livingston

Arranged by Ali Jackson

Soloists: Vincent Gardner (trombone), Ted Nash (flute), Dan Nimmer (piano)

10. Snowfall

Written by Claude Thornhill

Arranged by Sherman Irby

Soloist: Wynton Marsalis (trumpet)

11. Silent Night (ft. Denzal Sinclaire)

Written by Franz Gruber & Joseph Mohr

Arranged by Victor Goines

Soloists: James Chirillo (guitar), Kenny Rampton (trumpet)

PERSONNEL:

THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS

REEDS

Sherman Irby –  alto and soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute; music director (2015-2016)

Ted Nash – alto and soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute

Victor Goines – music director (2018); tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet

Walter Blanding (2015–2017) – tenor saxophone, clarinet, shaker

Paul Nedzela – baritone and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet

*Camille Thurman (2018) – tenor and soprano saxophones

TRUMPETS

Marcus Printup

Kenny Rampton

Wynton Marsalis (music director, 2017/18)

*Ryan Kisor (2015, 2017-2018)

*Greg Gisbert (2016)

*Bruce Harris (2016)

*Tatum Greenblatt (2017)

TROMBONES

Vincent Gardner

Chris Crenshaw

Elliot Mason (2015-2016, 2018)

*Sam Chess (2017)

*Eric Miller (2018)

RHYTHM SECTION

Dan Nimmer – piano

Carlos Henriquez – bass

Ali Jackson (2015-2016) – drums

*Marion Felder (2017) – drums

*Charles Goold (2018) – drums

FEATURED GUESTS

Aretha Franklin – vocals and piano

Audrey Shakir – vocals

Denzal Sinclaire vocals

Catherine Russell – vocals

Veronica Swift – vocals

James Chirillo – guitar

* indicates substitute orchestra member

New Music Releases: Marcus Anderson, Sonny Rollins, Ben Markley Quartet Featuring Joel Frahm

Marcus Anderson - My Inspiration, Vol. 2

Saxophonist maestro Marcus Anderson (Prince, CeeLo Green, Judith Hill) has evolved into a prominent solo artist with a #1 hit on Billboard's Smooth Jazz chart, among other accolades (His Limited Edition studio album debuted on Amazon as the #1 Best Seller in Smooth Jazz & Jazz Fusion, and #12 in R&B/Soul), playing bills with Ledisi, Lalah Hathaway, Brian Culbertson, Esperanza Spaulding, Peter White, Boney James, Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright, George Duke, Wynton Marsalis, Jeff Lorber, Bob Baldwin and The Sax Pack, to name a few. Jazz, soul, pop and urban adult contemporary all inform this powerhouse Gospel record, the second in Marcus' discography. My Inspiration, Vol. 2 is the gospel according to Marcus Anderson. Surrounded by a community of inspired talent (Jonathan Butler, Aarik Duncan, Josh Cissell, Tamala Hairston, Marcus Cole and Marcel Anderson), Marcus lays the groundwork, creating great grooves and upbeat foundations that make each song work uniquely with the featured performer.

Sonny Rollins – Bossa Nova

Originally issued as What's New? (RCA Victor LSP-2572), with the subtitle Sonny Rollins brings to jazz a new rhythm from South America, on the album presented here the saxophonist explored Latin rhythms during the heights of the Bossa Nova craze. This was Rollins' second album after his three-year long self-imposed musical exile (following The Bridge), and again featured him with Jim Hall on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Ben Riley on drums, plus added percussionists, among them the great Cándido Camero. A complete 1958 date featuring Rollins in a quartet format along with three members of the Modern Jazz Quartet has been added as a bonus. ****(*)AMG Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins returned from a self-imposed two-year sabbatical in 1962 with a fury, recording prolifically and exploring various directions from outside to inside. Rollins mixes here standards and originals, providing his take on what was then an exploding trend, the bossa nova. Rollins' characteristically huge tone, relentless harmonic and rhythmic inventiveness, and fierce solos were consistently impressive. (Ron Wynn)

Ben Markley Quartet Featuring Joel Frahm – Slow Jam

For Ben Markley's fourth recording, the fleet pianist/composer teams with New York tenor saxophone great Joel Frahm for a dynamic set of modern jazz originals. Though written specifically with the band of Frahm, drummer Jim White, and bassist Marty Kenny in mind, Markley continually finds inspiration from significant influences in his musical life, most notably Cedar Walton, Chick Corea and Bill Evans. With engaging and elevating support from Kenney and White, Markley and Frahm pop on the boogaloo 'Mon Back,' strike a Jazz Messengers-esque pose on the grooving 'The Return of Catboy,' and strut on the half-time funk of the title tune.

New Music Releases: Booker T Jones, Tom Grant / Phil Baker, Club des Belugas

Booker T Jones – Note By Note

In an emotional musical journey, Booker T explores new takes on the songs that make up the fabric of his musical identity. Largely mirroring the chapter titles from his forthcoming memoir Time is Tight, the album titled Note by Note serves as a musical companion. STAX staples like Cause I Love You and These Arms of Mine are woven into defining musical moments from Booker's journey after STAX, when he produced and recorded with artists as diverse as Willie Nelson and Carlos Santana. Booker T & the M.G.'s fans will enjoy a new ending to the song Time is Tight, a Romanesque coda that has been played live yet never recorded. The album culminates with new original music, highlighting the soaring guitar and vocals of Booker's son and collaborator Teddy Jones. Booker T is a 4 time GRAMMY Award winner (including the Lifetime Achievement Award), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, and arguably the most famous Hammond B3 player in history.

Tom Grant / Phil Baker - Blue Sapphire

''Blue Sapphire'' is the musical collaboration between Pianist Tom Grant and Bassist Phil Baker. The album showcases the stunning excellence of these two celebrated artists. ''Blue Sapphire'' is a collection of songs written by Grant and Baker. The 15 original tracks trace an alluring path from smooth jazz to bossa nova, to R&B funk, with ambient passages along the way. Drawing upon their deep history in the industry, Grant and Baker assembled an all-star lineup of the best musicians in the Northwest including Nu-Shooz' lead singer Valerie Day, R&B/pop singer Jarrod Lawson, and Jazz Grammy finalist Randy Porter to record on the album. ''Tom's sound has an elegance and clarity that is the hallmark of his playing.'' ~ Jeff Lorber, Grammy winning Jazz Artist.

Club des Belugas – Strange Things Beyond The Sunny Side

Club des Belugas is coming of age! This is their 18th year and their 11th Studio Album called "Strange Things Beyond The Sunny Side" Almost 2 years in the making, this much anticipated release does not disappoint. Club des Belugas has used firm favorite vocals from Maya Fadeeva, Anna-Luca, Antoine Villoutreix, Ashley Slater, and Iain Mackenzie. They combine their talents to make an amazing and sophisticated modern classic Nujazz masterpiece. Perfect for the bars and cool clubs of the world or for just chilling at home. For sure you will hear this album on your favorite radio stations this coming autumn, if not get requesting, it s a must listen to. Club des Belugas is the leading Nujazz band in Europe, setting standards that the competition envy.

New Music Releases: Van Morrison, Peter Lemer Quintet, Devin Morrison

Van Morrison – Three Chords And The Truth

Van Morrison returns with his sixth album in just four years, Three Chords And The Truth. Fourteen new original compositions effortlessly encapsulate Van Morrison's sound and talents as one of our generation's most celebrated songwriters. Produced & written by Van Morrison (except If We Wait for Mountains, co-written with Don Black). Features include legendary guitarist Jay Berliner and a duet with The Righteous Brothers' Bill Medley. CD/vinyl available 10/25 via Exile/Caroline International.

Peter Lemer Quintet- Son Of Local Color: Live At Pizza Express Soho 

It's been many years since we last heard from pianist Peter Lemer – the British musician who gave the world a wonderful album on ESP Records in the late 60s, and who finally returns to the fold to share his music again! For the album, which is a 50 year follow-up to the original Local Colour date, Lemer reunites some of his original musicians with a slightly shifted cast – all working with a quality that resonates surprisingly well with the original material, and which may well take some of his group mates back to territory they haven't explored in years! Lemer plays piano – with John Surman on baritone and soprano, Alan Skidmore on tenor, Tony Reeves on bass and Jon Hiseman on drums – on titles that include "Impressions", "Big Dick", "URH", "Cuidad Enahenado", and "Flowville" – plus a version of the Carla Bley classic "Ictus". ~ Dusty Groove

Devin Morrison - Bussin'

A great debut from soul singer Devin Morrison – an artist who brings a strong nod here to mainstream soul of a few decades back – while also opening the door for some great collaborative talents from the underground! Devin wrote and produced the whole set – with an ear that balances hip hop inspiration in the rhythms with warmer soul modes in the lyrics – a bit like that 90s moment when quiet storm found a way to boom on the streets – and given Morrison's skill in the studio, we'll bet we'll be hearing plenty from him in years to come – maybe even at a much higher point in the mainstream soul spectrum. Guests include Joyce Wrice, Daz Dillinger, Lakksmable, Dah-Vi, and KING – and titles include "Be Aiight", "The Call", "It's Time", "With You", "Guaranteed", "The Struggle Iz Real", "Fairytale", "Love Yourself", and the title track "Bussin" – which, incidentally, is Florida slang for "tasty" – and not a reference to the big urban problem of the 70s. ~ Dusty Groove

New Music Releases: Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste, Michael Kiwanuka

Wynton Marsalis & Others - Motherless Brooklyn: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

A really beautiful soundtrack from Wynton Marsalis – but one that has an unusual genesis too! The core theme of the film was composed by Thom Yorke of Radiohead – who sings on one very short, spare take on the melody – which is then expanded by Wynton's trumpet into a number of other variations, and some of Marsalis' own songs too – with help from Isaiah Thompson on piano, Jerry Weldon on tenor, Ted Nash on alto, and both Joe Farnsworth and Willie Jones III on drums. Titles include "Blues Walk", "Motherless Brooklyn Theme", "On A Misty Night", "Delilah", "Jump Monk", "Daily Battles", and "Woman In Blue" – and the CD also features two vintage cuts – "Round Midnight" by Babs Gonzales, and "Relaxing With Lee" by Charlie Parker.  ~ Dusty Groove

Jon Batiste - Chronology Of A Dream: Live At The Village Vanguard

Jon Batiste is fantastic here – way more so than we normally give him credit for, and maybe even sharper in a live setting than in the studio! The group works with a mix of jazz, funk, and soul – but very different than Jon's band on TV, as there's deeper, richer elements going on – both in the general colors of the instruments, and in the way that the solos soar out and really give the songs some emotion. The lineup features tenor, alto, trumpet, and lots of nice bottom currents on the rhythms – sometimes funky, sometimes more lyrical – all topped with great piano lines from Batiste, who also sings a bit too. Much of the phrasing and flavor is more modern than some of his other albums – and titles include "Blacck", "Prince", "Pwwr", "Birthe", "Kenner", "Story", "Ordr", and "Higher". ~ Dusty Groove

Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka

Michael Kiwanuka works in a genre that's all his own – definitely soulful, but wrapped around so many other influences too – all with this proud, positive vibe that's gotten the singer a lot more ears than we might have expected just a few short years ago! The record's got plenty of appeal to any fan of soul music, but Kiwanuka also has a strong potential to reach out and cross over to other audiences too – and the Danger Mouse production on the album only serves to intensify all the best qualities of the music even further – on titles that include "Piano Joint", "Rolling", "I've Been Dazed", "You Ain't The Problem", "Final Days", "Living In Denial", "Hero", and "Solid Ground". ~ Dusty Groove

A timely album by Rainforest Band with a timeless message

Marking the 30th anniversary of the visionary album that Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia and keyboardist Merl Saunders recorded to call attention to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest was planned long before “the lungs of the planet” caught fire this past summer. Saunders’ son, bassist Tony Saunders, who toured for a year with his father and Garcia to perform music from “Blues From The Rainforest – A Musical Suite,” continues the vital mission by helming Rainforest Band (https://rainforestband.net), which released “Peace To The Planet” on October 25. Continuing partnerships that began with the original album, a portion of the proceeds from “Peace To The Planet” album sales will go to The Jerry Garcia Foundation and Rainforest Action Network.  

  

While Garcia and Merl Saunders branded “Blues From The Rainforest – A Musical Suite” as “environmental earth music,” “Peace To The Planet,” featuring Tony Saunders, guitarist Vernon “Ice” Black and keyboardist Sylvester Burks, is rooted in contemporary jazz, R&B and gospel music. Joining the trio on the album to spread the message of preservation in the face of the global climate crisis are Billboard chart-topping saxophonist Jeff Ryan, noted keyboardist Gail Jhonson, drummer Austin White and percussionist Maquinto Brasil. Black produced the collection comprised of a dozen songs written by the three band members who are based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The celebrate the record release and to raise funds for the two nonprofit partners, Rainforest Band will perform at Terrapin Crossroads Grate Room in San Rafael on November 1 with special guests Grammy winner Narada Michael Walden, percussionist Juan Escoveda and saxophonist Angelo Luster along with Johnson and Brasil. Garcia’s wife and daughter, Manasha and Keelin Garcia, who manage The Jerry Garcia Foundation and have collaborated with Tony Saunders on multiple projects over the years, will be present to lend their support.

Lisa Addeo Invites Music Lovers to 'Listen to This,' One of the Biggest Smooth Jazz Hits in America, According to Billboard

Fast-emerging pianist/composer and vocalist Lisa Addeo invites music lovers to Listen to This, with guest performances by Adam Hawley, Nils, Jeff Ryan, Johnny Britt and Steve Cole. The new collection of Lisa's originals brings an infusion of bright, infectious melodies, dynamic improvisation and relentless grooves. The title track is now being heard on almost 100 stations, including SiriusXM Watercolors and The Smooth Jazz channel on Music Choice.

Don Was, President of Blue Note Records, says, "Lisa did a great job on her new album. It fits in really well with the most successful albums in the smooth jazz field. My compliments."

Hey smooth jazz fans, listen up. Better yet, Listen to This. The title of Lisa Addeo's new album says it all. A soulful invitation to a fresh new vibe, the highly anticipated Listen To This is now available from all major digital retailers, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play, LisaAddeo.com and more.

The 15-track collection of 10 instrumental and 5 vocal performances provides a powerful showcase of Lisa's range of talents as a composer and musician.

"Listen to This balances the canon of work I've already done," Lisa says, "I've always loved writing melodies and combining them with infectious beats. It's exciting to me, plus collaborating with these amazing musicians is a dream come true. This album is definitely a current snapshot of who I am as an artist, performer and lover of rhythmic grooves."

"If the songs got me dancin', I knew they were 'keepers,'" says Lisa. Other songs conjure up a feeling of romance or allude to sensual longings. One of these, 'She Closed Her Eyes in Paris', is about two lovers who are so lost in each other, they ignore the glorious sights around them."

"I am fulfilled when my fans are inspired by my music. I am hoping, as people hear Listen To This, they feel my passion for life and sense my desire to connect with them."

Listen To This is available now everywhere.