R&B-jazz guitarist Adam Hawley prepares his “Escape”

The four years since dropping his debut album has been a bit of a rocket ride for award-winning R&B-jazz guitarist Adam Hawley. Six of his seven singles have gone to No. 1 nationally and he deftly avoided the sophomore slump when his second outing further established the artist as a centerstage solo artist. The stage is now being set for the February 28th arrival of “Escape,” his third album and first for his new record label, MBF Entertainment. Hawley produced and wrote eight of the record’s ten tunes featuring collaborations with a constellation of smooth/contemporary jazz luminaries including Rick Braun, Najee, Michael Lington, Jeff Ryan, Marcus Anderson and Greg Manning. 

Hawley’s albums adopt themes and as he composed the title cut for “Escape,” he felt transported. That feeling inspired the rest of the music he wrote for the collection.   

“When I wrote ‘Escape,’ it really took me away to another, special place. The groove, the vibe…it just transported me to a place of chill and Zen. That became the theme that runs through the entire record,” said Hawley, a Portland, Oregon native who has resided in the Los Angeles area ever since earning a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California.  

Anchoring the beats and grooves throughout “Escape,” drummer Eric Valentine and bassists Nathaniel Kearney Jr. and Ian Martin are longtime and frequent Hawley co-conspirators. Percussionist Ramon Yslas adds nuance and Carnell Harrell supplements with vibrant harmonies via his keyboards, organ and synth.

Attacking his electric guitar with fervent tones amidst a shimmering jazz-pop backdrop reminiscent of  guitar legends Wes Montgomery and George Benson, Hawley showcases deft fretwork on album opener “Tokyo Groove.” The cut benefits from David Mann’s crisp and punchy horn arrangements performed by the horn section the saxophonist formed with trumpeter Trevor Neumann. “Escape” includes contributions from a number of noteworthy horn players and next up is Lington who cranks up the soul power on “99 and Counting.” “Saturday Morning” is a midtempo chill with sax accoutrements courtesy of Keith McKelley. Being serviced for playlist adds on February 10 as the first single, “To The Top” features the firepower of breakout saxophonist Ryan. The guitarist teams with vocalist Kat Hawley (aka Adam’s wife) for an intimate, Latin-tinged take on the sultry pop hit “Senorita.” Hawley makes a break in the company of veteran trumpeter Braun on the album’s title track. “Sunday Swing” bounces to a funky, go-go-influenced beat that finds Hawley’s electric jazz guitar in a loquacious mood. “Can’t Stop” opens with the chorus, a potent hook that connects with muscle added by sax player Anderson. Seminal urban-jazz icon Najee blesses “Thinking of You” with dreamy flute that meshes sublimely with Hawley’s amorous guitar riffs and runs on the song co-written and co-produced by keyboardist Manning. Closing with a cover, Hawley’s expressive steel-stringed acoustic guitar serenade on “Rain” casts a transcendent spell.       

Hawley’s debut album, “Just the Beginning,” sent three singles to the top of the Billboard chart and earned the guitarist Debut Artist of the Year honors from JazzTrax and Smooth Jazz News. Two years ago, “Double Vision” confirmed Hawley as a consistent hitmaker when he notched his fourth Billboard No. 1 single and collected No. 1 singles on the Mediabase and Smooth Jazz Network charts. Hawley will tour throughout the year in support of “Escape” as his place on concert marquees continues to grow. He’s performed at more than a dozen of the most popular jazz festivals and cruises around the globe as well as at Stateside clubs and theaters. Not long ago, Hawley accompanied and toured extensively with Jennifer Lopez, Dave Koz, Kirk Whalum, Brian Culbertson, Gerald Albright, Natalie Cole and “American Idol.” He passes his knowledge along to students at Musician’s Institute, Chaffey College and Saddleback College.

  

“Escape” includes the following songs:

“Tokyo Groove”

“99 and Counting” featuring Michael Lington

“Saturday Morning”

“To The Top” featuring Jeff Ryan

“Senorita” featuring Kat Hawley

“Escape” featuring Rick Braun

“Sunday Swing”

“Can’t Stop” featuring Marcus Anderson

“Thinking of You” featuring Najee

“Rain”

Hawley’s Escape Tour plays the following concert dates (additional shows will be added):

• February 1 / Spaghettini, Seal Beach, CA
• February 14 / Blu Jazz+, Akron, OH
• February 15 / Lin Rountree Valentine's Gala, Detroit, MI
• February 27 / Suite Food, Atlanta, GA
• February 28 / Tin Pan, Richmond, VA
• March 1 / Jerry Green and Friends, Louisville, KY
• March 27 / Earl Klugh’s Weekend of Jazz, Colorado Springs, CO
• March 28 / Uptown Music Fest, Tampa, FL
• May 9 / Smooth Chicago, Chicago, IL
• May 23 / Jazz-Funk Connection, Colorado Springs, CO
• May 24 / Mayor Jazz Fest, Las Cruces, NM
• May 29-June 5 / Dave Koz Cruise Voyage 1, Amsterdam and the British Isles
• June 5-June 12 / Dave Koz Cruise Voyage 2, Amsterdam and the British Isles
• August 24 / Norfolk Jazz Fest, Norfolk, VA
• September 13 / Oxnard Jazz Fest, Oxnard, CA
• October 10-11 / Barbados Jazz Excursion, Barbados
• November 6 / Florida Smooth Jazz Weekend, Daytona Beach, FL

A sweet and jazzy Valentine with love from Sophie Fatu

“Love is…” is no standard collection of standards. The six-song debut EP arrives Valentine’s Day from the seven-year-old jazz singer millions of television viewers fell in love with when Sophie Fatu became the youngest ever contestant on “America’s Got Talent” and sang on “Ellen” and the Steve Harvey-hosted “Little Big Shots.” Recorded at Capitol Studios where one of Fatu’s idols, Frank Sinatra, recorded and accompanied by a big band orchestra that includes musicians who backed Sinatra, “Love is…” showcases the pint-sized powerhouse belting out tunes from the Great American Songbook with the talent and pizazz of a seasoned veteran.   

  

Fatu is the daughter of two accomplished, classically trained musicians, pianist Victoria Fatu and violinist Cristian Fatu, thus was exposed to music at an early age. She developed an affinity for jazz, particularly the classics made famous by The Rat Pack, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Frankie Lymon and modern-day crooner Michael Bublé. She picked up on and emulated their vocal delivery as she learned (memorized) their songs swiftly, becoming enamored with the music and legends who have stood the test of time. 

“When I walked into Capitol Studios and saw all the pictures on the wall, I could not believe it. All the biggest stars - all my favorite artists - recorded there. I stood on the same spot where Sinatra recorded. And Dean Martin! And they recorded the same songs. That was crazy! I had the most amazing musicians working with me. They worked with Sinatra, Elvis, Ella and all the people I listened to when I fell in love with music,” said Fatu, who makes her feature film debut later this year when she costars in a major action thriller.  

Issued on the Extraordinary Records imprint, “Love is…” is a serious jazz record. Anchored by a noteworthy trio consisting of drummer Jeff Hamilton (Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, Count Basie Orchestra), double bassist Chuck Berghofer (Sinatra, Fitzgerald, Ray Charles) and pianist Tom Ranier (Barbra Streisand, Natalie Cole, Christina Aguilera), Greg Curtis and Victoria Fatu produced the tracks that were lavishly illustrated by a 13-piece horn section and a 14-piece string section (that included Cristian Fatu). In such prestigious company, Sophie Fatu shines with panache, exhibiting virtually perfect pitch and consummate control. The national television appearances and performance videos that have garnered over 150 million views reveal a genuinely gifted vocalist who has remarkable timing, phrasing, meter and rhythm that far belie her years. Fatu also has an innate ability for infusing her magnetic charisma, exuberance, verve and boundless joy into every song that she sings. 

“I’m so lucky to be singing jazz music. It’s so different from everything else. I can feel happy, excited, sad and angry - all at the same time when I sing it,” said the Los Angeles-based Fatu, an old soul with a passion and a purpose for Sinatra’s music.  

“Frank Sinatra was my favorite singer since I was four-years-old. The more songs I heard, the more I loved him and wanted to sing his songs. I want to make sure no one ever forgets him and his music.”

  

To celebrate the album release, Fatu will serve as guest host of “Playing Favorites” on SiriusXM’s Siriusly Sinatra on Valentine’s Day. Her playlist will include cuts from Sinatra, Fitzgerald, Bublé, Tony Bennett and three tunes from “Love is…”

“I can’t believe I now have my own CD with some of my favorite songs from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Michael Bublé and Frankie Lymon. I am very proud I made this record and I hope the whole world will love it. I’m very happy and lucky to be able to sing and perform for everyone and see people smile and get happy when they hear me. I want to do this for my whole life.” 

“Love is…” contains the following songs:

“Ain’t That A Kick in the Head”

“Goody Goody”

“(Love is) The Tender Trap”

“All The Way”

“Feeling Good”

“High Hopes”

Theo Croker Premieres New Video and EP from GRAMMY® Award-Nominated Album Star People Nation

Life in the continuum is a communal thing. We all have a duty to honor those that preceded us, to acknowledge and add something new — something of value — to the history that anticipates our arrival in the now and do our part to extend the past into the future.

Instrumentalist and composer Theo Croker, whose latest album Star People Nation recently earned a nomination for "Best Contemporary Instrumental Album" at the 62nd GRAMMY® Awards, carries this deep understanding with him in both his life and music. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear it in the notes and tones, moving with the melodies and floating in the breaks. This transcendent, ever-evolving sense of self and community has manifest itself in an incredible constellation of artists who collectively embody the album’s guiding philosophies around oneness, ancestral reverence, and creative autonomy.

With “Understand Yourself,” the album’s closing track, Croker joins forces with Chronixx, a Jamaican singer whose wide-ranging approach to music and innovative sound (what he calls “black experimental music”) made him the perfect choice for the record. The song notably samples Jamaican-born political leader Marcus Garvey’s “Know Yourself” speech. Garvey’s iconic words become the raw material for Croker and Chronixx’s sonic explorations, remixing Garvey’s message of nation-building and taking it into uncharted musical territory. Croker and Chronixx were able to nurture and marry their unique collaborative voice and vision through a process of mutual exchange where ideas were shared for months before the two actually recorded the trumpet and vocals together in Los Angeles. This meaningful back-and-forth between artists speaks to the larger world building ethos that Croker intentionally cultivated throughout Star People Nation. For Croker, the album is not merely the result of his own personal artistry but represents a collective effort on the part of a “nation” of creative people from all across the globe whose contributions allowed the project to transcend even his original vision.

A host of creative luminaries, with various specialties and backgrounds, helped to transform “Understand Yourself” into a powerfully audacious film. The composer designated alternative musician Gita as his Artistic Director, also the artistic force behind the development and curation of the entirety of Star People Nation’s spirit and visual identity. Gita collaborated with Noirwave Pioneer and multi-disciplinary artist Rharha Nembhard, who was brought on board as an associate and creative producer. Both Gita and Rharha played a vital role as creative architects for this project, by birthing the visual aesthetics and initiating Kordae Jatafa Henry to be the film’s Director. In addition, Samantha Blake Goodman transmuted feelings into choreography; dancers Qwenga and Sasha Rivero married their individual styles with Goodman’s movements to give life to the film’s narrative; stylist El Lewis tapped designer Theophilio and jewelry designers Dynasty & Soull Ogun of L’enchantuer for the film’s wardrobe direction. Tanya Melendez acted as both the hair & MUA. Every single collaborator brought their skills and resources to the project and created an image of a future world where the healing power of nature is properly acknowledged and uplifted. In this world — a world liberated from modern technology, the natural environment is the catalyst for inner clarity, transcendental experiences, and higher states of consciousness

In an era where jazz music videos are a rare occurrence, “Understand Yourself” makes its own rules. And, in this way, it beautifully encapsulates Theo Croker's unique trajectory as an artist and creator. With Star People Nation, which he self-published, arranged, and financed, Croker is able to transcend personal limitations. The journey from Shanghai to Los Angeles to Kingston led to personal and musical breakthroughs that gave birth to new pathways of expression and greater self-understanding.

The three-track “Understand Yourself” EP also contains distinctly different takes of the song from the original album version and in addition to Chronixx, also features pianist Sullivan Fortner.

Theo Croker

Understand Yourself



Tracklist:

1. "Understand Yourself" (Acoustic Version) feat. Chronixx & Sullivan Fortner

2. "Understand Yourself" (Instrumental Duo Version) feat. Sullivan Fortner

3. "Understand Yourself" (Original Beat Demo)

New Music Releases: Gregory Porter; Charles Lloyd; Puss N Boots

Gregory Porter – All Rise

2-time GRAMMY-winning vocalist Gregory Porter is back with his 6^th studio album All Rise. For those of you who did not know this, Porter as a best-selling contemporary Jazz/Soul artist with over 3 million album sales.  This album marks a return to his beloved songwriting - heart-on-sleeve lyrics imbued with everyday philosophy, set to a stirring mix of jazz, soul, blues and gospel. All Rise represents his artistic revolution to something even more emphatic and intimate. It brims with songs about irrepressible love, plus a little protest, because the road to healing is bumpy. The album’s uplifting lead single “Revival” is out now. Following 2017's loving tribute album Nat King Cole & Me, ALL RISE marks a return to Porter's beloved original songwriting featuring heart-on-sleeve lyrics imbued with everyday philosophy and real-life detail, set to a stirring mix of jazz, soul, blues, gospel, and pop. All Rise is set for release on April 17.

Charles Lloyd 8 – Kindred Spirits (Live From The Lobero)

Saxophone legend Charles Lloyd celebrated his 80th birthday in 2018 at the Lobero Theatre with guitarist Julian Lage, pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Eric Harland, plus organist Booker T. Jones and bassist Don Was joining midway. 8: Kindred Spirits (Live from The Lobero) documents that extraordinary concert and comes in a limited-edition deluxe boxset with 3-LPs, 2-CDs, a DVD of the full performance, a 96-page hardcover book, and 2 photo prints that commemorate the first 8 decades of Lloyd’s remarkable journey. 8 will also be released in standard LP/DVD, CD/DVD, and digital versions that feature the concert’s first set. Watch video of “Requiem.”

Puss N Boots - Sister

Puss N Boots—the trio featuring Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, and Catherine Popper—have announced a Feb. 14 release date for their 2nd album, Sister, a fetching collection of originals and covers of Tom Petty, Dolly Parton & more that is available to pre-order now on vinyl, CD, or download. The 1st single “It’s Not Easy” with a lead vocal by Jones is out now. The band will play 2 NYC album release shows—Feb. 14 at Rough Trade in Brooklyn and Feb. 15 at Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan—and appear at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival April 25.

James Hunter Six – Nick Of Time

Back in the spotlight with a sublime new rhythm and blues record, James Hunter follows up six critically acclaimed albums with his latest recording, Nick of Time, set for release on Brooklyn’s renowned soul label Daptone Records.

Nick of Time is a shining testament of how a master songsmith continually draws fresh water from a bottomless well. Recorded and produced by Bosco Mann, Nick of Time features one of today’s foremost soul singers at the top of his game performing with musicians who’ve backed some of the biggest contemporary music stars including Daptone artists Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Nick of Time will be internationally released on March 6, 2020.

For Nick of Time, Hunter and Daptone co-founder Bosco Mann hunkered down in the label’s Penrose Studios in Riverside, California for what certainly will be one of 2020’s standout soul recordings. Unmistakably another stunning James Hunter album, Nick of Time is a voyage between beautiful, mid-tempo rumba recalling early King/Federal releases, while lush arrangements summon lost tracks from early ’60s Burt Bacharach sessions. Nick of Time is steeped in an era when soul records were driven by earth-shattering vocal performances. James Hunter hands down ushers classic soul music into the 21st Century with a sense of timelessness that’s rare these days.

James Hunter is an everlasting writer of compelling narratives sung with true grit while backed by an ace band of New York City’s finest musicians. Nick of Time finds Hunter in the company of Victor Axelrod (piano), Adam Scone (organ), Rudy Petschauer (drums), Myles Weeks (bass), Michael Buckley (baritone saxophone), and Freddy DeBoe (tenor saxophone). On the road for an extensive U.S., U.K., and European tour in support of Nick of Time, Matt Slocum (keyboards) takes the reins on keys for a hearty James Hunter Six ensemble ready to electrify soul music fans as they hit venerable stages in a city near you in spring 2020.

New Music Releases: Roy Ayers Unreleased; Joe McPhee, Dave Rempis, Tomeka Reid, Brandon Lopez, & Paal Nilssen-Love

Roy Ayers - Virgin Ubiquity – Unreleased Recordings 1976 to 1981

It's like a dream come true – 13 previously unissued recordings by Roy Ayers, all from the height of his glory years on Polydor! Roy's work from this time is some of our favorite ever – a burning blend of jazz, soul, and funk – handled with impeccable charm, and a level of soul that few other artists of the time ever matched. Roy's genius was strongly documented at the time by a series of excellent Polydor albums – but there was also a heck of a lot of great material that never saw the light of day, and which is every bit as great as the classics that we've come to know and love over the years. Hearing this set is incredible – like upping our already-massive appreciation of Roy's talents, and like finding a lost corner of soul music history that nobody's ever heard before. The tunes are all amazing – a great blend of jazzy soul, mellow soul, and dancefloor groovers – and the package is only the tip of the iceberg, from what we've been told! The full album does a great job to not cross over too much with the 12" singles previously issued in this "Virgin" series – and titles include "What's The T", "I Really Love You", "Sugar", "Mystery Of Love", "Green & Gold", "Brand New Feeling", "I Did It In Seattle", "I Just Wanna Give It Up", "Together Forever", "Boogie Down", "I Am Your Mind", and a great alternate version of "Mystic Voyage"! ~ Dusty Groove

Roy Ayers - Virgin Ubiquity II – Unreleased Recordings 1976 to 1981

The genius of Roy Ayers knows no end – and as this set of unreleased work from the 70s proves, Roy was always working at top form back in the day – even above and beyond his classic albums from the time! The grooves here are tremendous – funky, soulful, jazzy, and every bit as wonderful as the work that Roy did for his classic albums on Polydor – and in a way, the whole set's even tighter and heavier than any of Roy's full LPs, because it's a distillation of his sound from the time, hand-picked from the vaults with an ear towards the kind of timeless grooves that have been a huge influence on many worlds of music for years! You've never heard any of these tunes before, but we can promise you'll love them every bit as much as Roy's tracks on albums like Coffy, Vibrations, Mystic Voyage, and other classics – and the quality of the set only further pushes our jaw-dropping respect for the man! Titles include "Holiday", "Kwajilori", "I Am Your Mind (part 2)", "Touch Of Class", "Third Time", "Come To Me", "Wide Open", "Funk In The Hole", "Liquid Love", "Tarzan", "Sunshine (demo)", and "I Like The Way You Do It To Me". ~ Dusty Groove

Joe McPhee, Dave Rempis, Tomeka Reid, Brandon Lopez, & Paal Nilssen-Love - Of Things Beyond Thule Vol 1 (180 gram vinyl)

The title's a reference to place once referenced by Edgar Allan Poe – but the music is very firmly grounded in reality, and comes from an improvised performance in Chicago by this very all-star ensemble! The album features one long track – "Quaanaq" – served up with really creative interplay between a quintet that features Joe McPhee on tenor and pocket trumpet, Dave Rempis on alto and baritone, Tomeka Reid on cello, Brandon Lopez on bass, and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums – all coming together in the best tradition of Windy City free jazz players working with key out of town talent! The blend of bass and cello at the heart of the music is really wonderful, and Paal makes sure to only step forward boldly when McPhee and Rempis are ready to let loose themselves – and the trio really balance the power of their expressions to make sure that Reid and Lopez get a chance to shape some more sensitive moments. ~ Dusty Groove

Hiromi Kanda, Japanese Vocalist Who Keeps Alive the Great American Songbook, to Release “Seven Elegant Ballads”

Singer’s third album, featuring classic compositions and original material, is out Feb. 1, 2020, on the MusicGate label.

It’s called “The Great American Songbook”—that vast body of 20th century popular standards composed by such giants as Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and many others—but its lure has always extended far beyond the shores of the United States of America. Singers and musicians in every corner of the world have long been drawn to these timeless classics, among them Japan’s Hiromi Kanda.

On her newest album, Seven Elegant Ballads—her followup to the well-received Hiromi in Love and Days of Yesterday—the vocalist recrafts five of the most beloved songs in American history in her own lushly orchestrated, dramatic style, and augments them with two original compositions that fit snugly alongside the perennials.

Seven Elegant Ballads will be released via MusicGate on Feb. 1, 2020.

Why Seven Elegant Ballads? “These songs take you into a romantic world,” says Hiromi, who recorded the album at Hollywood’s famed Capitol Studios, with her longtime producer Yusuke Hoguchi and the multi-Grammy-winning engineer Al Schmitt (Diana Krall, Ray Charles, Paul McCartney). The album features an orchestra composed of more than 50 musicians, plus three guest appearances by the late keyboard legend Joe Sample.

Hiromi deliberately chose to include seven tracks on the recording, as the number has great significance to her. “Seven is a mysterious number,” she says. “There are seven seas, the Seven Sisters, seven colors of the rainbow, the Seven Voyages of Sinbad and more. I put my spiritual emotions into my album.”

Seven Elegant Ballads opens with “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,” written in 1939. Hiromi makes it her own in this expansive rendition, which, she says, was inspired by Marc Chagall’s painting “Lovers in the Red Sky.” Says Hiromi, “I love the brilliant world he creates in that painting, and the lyrics of ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’ remind me of it. Plus, it’s just fun to sing.”

“Moonlight in Vermont,” written in 1944, is “a very romantic love ballad that evokes the winter,” says Hiromi. “I love the image of the lines ‘Icy finger waves, ski trails on a mountainside, snow light in Vermont.’”

“Around the World” is the theme from the 1956 film Around the World in 80 Days. Once again, Kanda puts her own stamp on it, exploring the cinematic qualities of the tune with great flourish. “I sing this song as if I’m a traveler on a beautiful hot-air balloon,” she says.

The first of the album’s two originals, “Days of Yesterday,” is next in the sequence. Both it and “Twilight Tears,” which closes out the recording, were composed by Hiromi and Hoguchi, a famous Japanese composer, arranger, studio musician and lyricist, who is also Hiromi’s husband. Both songs appeared earlier on Hiromi’s Days of Yesterday album, and she felt the two sentimental love ballads deserved another go on the new project, in order to spotlight Hoguchi’s talents. “He is a marvelous composer and arranger, who knows and respects the Great American Songbook,” she says. “The original songs create a nice balance in the album. I believe it is important to keep this style fresh by creating new songs in that vein.”

Two other classics fill out the track list. “Smile,” with music by the great Charlie Chaplin, is “a very lovely song and it gives me courage,” Hiromi says. “Joe Sample’s piano playing on this track is just wonderful.”

Finally, there’s “Don’t Blame Me,” from 1933. “This is the first time I’ve sung the song,” she says. “I feel like it’s coming out of an old radio when I hear it.”

Hiromi says that the time spent in Hollywood recording Seven Elegant Ballads with such an illustrious cast of contributors was “thrilling, and I’m very proud of it. We had a dream that someday we would create wonderful music in the U.S. That dream has now come true several times over the years. I hope listeners enjoy entering my romantic music world in Seven Elegant Ballads.”

New Music Releases: James Brown; Ego Ella May; Mass Production

James Brown - James Brown Live At Home With His Bad Self – The After Show (2019 Black Friday Release)

A great addendum to the famous Augusta, GA live set that was first issued as Sex Machine, then as Live At Home With His Bad Self – extra material from those recordings, brought together here in a special album of their own! The set features some great bits from in and around the sessions – including two takes on the James Brown funky remake of "Spinning Wheel", and Marva Whitney singing the Stax classic "Respect"! But the longer tracks are even better – and the set features the complete take of "Baby Here I Come" – well over ten minutes long – plus the long "A Talk With James Brown/You Got To Have A Job" – a long duet between Marva Whitney and James, which was originally trimmed down for Marva's Live & Lowdown At The Apollo album. There's also a short rehearsal snippet, and two short takes of "Fat Wood". ~ Dusty Groove

Ego Ella May - So Far

A British singer with a wonderfully fluid feel – a voice that slides right into a tune, wraps around the keyboards and other instrumentation, and picks up this special sort of glow along the way! The album's very heavy on Fender Rhodes, which are almost a second sort of voice on the record alongside Ego Ella's lead – this great grounding in organic modes that allows some of the spacier touches of the production to take off in a nice way, yet all without knocking the warmly soulful spirit of the music off course. On some numbers, May has this crispy charm that especially wins us over – and titles include "Come On", "Underwater", "Tea & Sympathy", "How Far", "Head", "Rush Hour Crush", and "Being Loved". CD features two bonus tracks – "Waiting" and "Pay My Bills". ~ Dusty Groove

Mass Production - Welcome To Our World Of Merry Music – The Definitive Collection (3CD set)

A fantastic collection of grooves from Mass Production – one of the best of the large funk ensembles to hit the mainstream at the end of the 70s – even though they didn't always get the success they deserved! That doesn't stop these guys from giving their all, though – super-sharp, super-tight instrumentation that comes down on the groove right from the get-go – and which moves with a fast funk energy that's a nice contrast to some of the stiffer, clunkier modes that were floating around at the time! These guys inherit the best impulses of Earth Wind & Fire and Kool & The Gang – and find a way to make their large lineup sound nice and lean, never too overcooked – with shifting vocals that really help keep things interesting throughout. The 3CD package features 45 tracks from their seven year stretch recording for Atlantic/Cotillion Records – and titles include "Sky High", "Groove Me", "Our Thought", "Bopp", "Turn Up The Music", "Diamond Chips", "Inner City", "Sun Dancer", "Victory 83", "Magic", "I Like To Dance", "Welcome To Our World", "Slow Bump", "Time Bomb", "Keep My Heart Together", "Cosmic Lust", "I Believe In Music", "Fun In The Sun", "Just Wanna Make A Dream Come True", "Firecracker", and "Eknuf (inst)". ~ Dusty Groove

New Music Releases: Gerardo Frisina & Toco, Diego Frabetti, Fabrizio Bosso & Spiritual Trio

Gerardo Frisina & Toco - Gerardo Frisina Meets Toco EP

Two great Schema Records talents come together here in one sweet EP – the bossa-inspired vocals and acoustic guitar of Toco, mixed with the Latin-styled rhythms of Gerardo Frisina! The set begins with the long, lively "Tia Na Hora" – starting first with vocals from Toco, then really stretching out in the kind of long, percussive, clubby vibe that Frisina does so well – especially when extended out into an instrumental mix that has a cool mellow moment in the middle! "Craque" follows on the flipside – again in a different instrumental version than the main one – and both cuts feature piano from Vitor Araujo, and some mighty nice flute from Gilberto Acursio! ~ Dusty Groove

Diego Frabetti - Interno 41

We'll be honest in saying that we'd never heard the music of trumpeter Diego Frabetti before this album, and only picked it up because it features Fender Rhodes from Danny Grissett – but after the first few notes, we were in love right away – and really love the sound of both Frabetti and his group on the session! Grissett is a key part of the set, and also plays some great acoustic piano as well – and the combo also features Barend Middelhof on tenor, Davide Brillante on guitar, Stefano Senni on bass, and Nicola Angelucci on drums – again, all players who are new to us, and who work together beautifully here with a strong sense of cohesion that really comes through in the colors of the sound! Frabetti's got a voice that's right on the money, and never overdone – and the balance of trumpet, tenor, guitar, and keyboards is wonderful throughout – on titles that include "Maestro Up Tempo", "Melamia", "Stessi Occhi", "Ciclico", "Piogge", and "Interno 41". ~ Dusty Groove

Fabrizio Bosso & Spiritual Trio - Someday

A very groovy record from Italian trumpet legend Fabrizo Bosso – one that features a group referred to as his Spiritual Trio, but a combo that's maybe got more of a soul jazz vibe overall – as the lineup features Alberto Marsico on organ and Alessandro Mnetto on drums! The spare format is great – open in ways that always seem to bring out the best phrasing in Bosso's horn, but with just the right moments of groove that have the trumpet and organ dancing together nicely – almost a newly-conceived variation on the the older 60s pairing of tenor and Hammond! Mario Biondi provides guest vocals on a remake of the Donny Hathaway tune "Someday We'll All Be Free" – and other instrumental tunes include "Sermonette", "Cold Duck Time", "Bernie's Toon", "I Shall Wear A Crown", "Forward", "A Lullaby", and "Say It Loud". ~ Dusty Groove

New Music Releases: Bobby Sparks II; Eunhye Jeong; Dave Soldier

Bobby Sparks II - Schizophrenia – The Yang Project

A super cosmic mix of jazz, funk, and soul – served up by keyboardist Bobby Sparks, who plays host to a huge array of guest musicians and singers! In a way, there's a vibe here that almost recreates the spirit of George Clinton's P-Funk – especially the way that Sparks can be such a strong leader, but a generous one too – really giving space to everyone who steps into the mix as the double-length album rolls on – with nice mood changes from track to track, and a very powerful vision that really ties the whole thing together! Up-and-coming talents rub shoulders here with heavyweights like Roy Hargrove, Marcus Miller, Lucky Peterson, and Frank McComb – and titles include "The Comanches Are Coming", "So Fine", "I Miss U", "All Mine", "Let's Take A Journey", "Lio Is Weird As Hell", "Stono River", "Schizophrenia", and "We Play What We Want". ~ Dusty Groove

Eunhye Jeong - The Colliding Beings

Boston-based pianist, composer and improviser Eunhye Jeong has performed with some prominent avant-garde musicians such as Wadada Leo Smith, who is also her mentor (Firehouse 12, CT), Okkyung Lee (Spectrum, NY), etc. She performed in venues such as Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, UN Headquarter, numerous universities such as Harvard, Boston College, etc. She is an alumna of Berklee College of Music and Banff International Jazz and Creative Workshop directed by Vijay Iyer. This new exciting live recording is Eunhye Jeong’s fourth record as a leader or co-leader, of her latest concert Chi-Da, the free improvisation project that encourages colliding worlds of different performers and aims to achieve the harmony through the independency of each musician involved in the act. Following her previous Chi-Da album of her solo piano works, the music displays formidable pianistic approach nuancing Cecil Taylor, his percussive approach in particular. But it also goes beyond the abstractness that free improvisation often brings about by storytelling with social commentary on historical events. This album features internationally acclaimed Pansori master Il-dong Bae, who is known not only as a true “traditionalist” who inherited national intangible asset no. 5, strictly following go-je, the ancient style, but also the one who is most open to experimental collaborations with highly regarded contemporaneous musicians around the globe. His collaborators include bassist Mark Dresser, drummer Simon Barker among others.

Dave Soldier - Zajal

Zajal, renowned Downtown composer and instrumentalist Dave Soldier explores the beginning of popular song and locates it 1000 years ago at the intersection of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian cultures in southern Spain. Zajal, along with muwashaha, were the lyrics of medieval Andalusia. While many are still sung today (notably in Lebanon), their offspring are everywhere. On a trip to Spain in 2004, Soldier read about the Andalusian caliphate, when the Muslim, Christian and Jewish com- munities not only coexisted, but co-created much of the world we inhabit today. Together, they produced the novel, cowboy culture, the guitar, the dance suite, the Kabbalah, Maimonides and ibn Arabi and the discovery of the New World. And modern song: the zajal and muwashaha introduced the verse and chorus that are the backbone of popular music. Imitation of Andalusia's singing oud players begat the troubadours and the figure of the wandering poet and singer in its myriad incarnations, from Villon to Joni Mitchell.

Guitarist Lawson Rollins marks 20th anniversary by dropping “True North”

Jazziz names the album one of “10 Albums You Need to Know” as the first single, “Bluewave Bossanova,” is added out of the box to the SiriusXM Watercolors playlist.

Undeniably different, invitingly familiar and as masterful as ever, guitarist Lawson Rollins heads “True North” on his tenth album, a collection that commemorates the Billboard chart-topper’s 20th anniversary as a recording artist. Jazziz magazine named the Infinita Records release that dropped last Friday one of the “10 Albums You Need to Know.” With the influential SiriusXM’s Watercolors leading the charge, radio programmers are welcoming the new release by adding the first single, “Bluewave Bossanova,” to playlists out of the box, favoring a radio edit featuring Mary Fettig’s soprano sax caress. 

“True North” is the first album that Rollins composed, produced and recorded all the guitar parts on his own. He relies upon his mesmerizing classical fingerstyle guitar play to forge a unique path incorporating contemporary jazz, world music, Latin and New Age, making records that convey exotic travel, exhilarating adventure and quixotic escape. “True North” continues the quest yet it’s easy to observe a variety of new dimensions spawned from a recent spate of assorted music and film projects.  

Named by Guitar Player magazine as one of the “50 Transcedent Acoustic Guitarists” of all-time, the San Francisco-based Rollins curated a collection of his best (“Airwaves: The Greatest Hits”), experimented on “Dark Matter: Music for Film”; scored his first film, “Stay Out Stay Alive,” a multiple award winner and consistent film festival favorite that opened last November (Rollins also served as the movie’s executive producer); and collaborated on a single (“And If You Will Come With Me”) with Israeli superstar singer Idan Raichel. Rollins couldn’t help but be impacted artistically from this diversely prolific period when it came to crafting “True North.” The works expanded his sonic palette with Rollins adding electric and slide guitars, steel string guitar and interesting synthesizer textures alongside his signature classical Spanish nylon string acoustic guitar rhythms and rich melodic expressions. 

   

Renowned for dispensing dazzling acoustic guitar arpeggios, scales and harmonies at astonishing speed (showcased in YouTube videos that have received over 10 million views), “True North” exhibits sharper focus, self-control and command as he “stays on course” instead of wandering off on prolonged improvisational excursions. The tone of the lead guitar emotes new warmth and purity. Even the album art, consisting of sundrenched images taken on the Outer Banks (North Carolina) where Rollins spends a lot of time each year, is filled with light and soft pastels unlike earlier images. 

Rollins’ “True North” traveling mates are drummer and percussionist Dave Bryant, bassist Dan Feiszli, violinist Mads Tolling and Stephen Duros who plays additional keyboards and electric guitar on the album’s “With the Wind,” an eclectic and extravagant track unlike any ever recorded by the artist.

New Music Releases: Robert Glasper; Kuzu; DJ Muro

Robert Glasper - F**k Yo Feelings

Easily the most powerful album cover and title to date from the mighty Robert Glasper – an artist who's evolved so much in recent years, he's shifted from the world of conventional jazz to the role of an elder statesman in funk, soul, and hip hop as well! This album's got all of those sides of Glasper firmly in place, thanks to a wide array of guests – but there's also that warm, core groove that we've always loved from Robert's keyboard work – that magical flow that set him apart from the pack, and which continues to shape the sound of a generation. With the guest singers and artists, the record rivals the vibe of Glasper's Black Radio projects – and is even billed as a Black Radio Production on the front – with a lineup that includes Yasiin Bey, Herbie Hancock, Bilal, Denzel Curry, Andra Day, Song Bird, Queen Sheba, Affion Crockett, Buddy, Mick Jenkins, James Poyser, Bridget Kelly, and others – on titles that include "I Want You", "Aah Whot", "All I Do", "Liquid Swords", "In Case You Forgot", "F*ck Yo Feelings", "Let Me In", "Gone", "This Changes Everything", and "Endangered Black Woman". ~ Dusty Groove

Kuzu (Dave Rempis/Taqshi Dorji/Tyler Damon) - Purple Dark Opal

A tremendous single improvisation by this very hip trio – Taqshi Dorji on guitar, Tyler Damon on drums, and Dave Rempis on alto, tenor, and baritone sax! The drums have this very resonant quality at times – almost acting with elements that make up for the lack of a bass at times – while the guitar moves through more abstract sonic textures that are maybe some of the sharpest elements in the set – as Rempis blows with a beautifully soulful vibe, and really helps balance the sound, and ground the whole thing with his amazing, never-ending sense of imagination! The set features the 55-minute piece "To The Quick" – recorded live at Sugar Maple in Milwaukee. ~ Dusty Groove

Muro King Of Diggin – Diggin' Brunswick

DJ Muro mixes it up with the catalog of legendary soul label Brunswick Records – really digging deep into output of the mighty imprint – to come up with a wicked pastiche of funky tunes that includes bits of 40 tracks in all! The mix is more complicated than some of Muro's other outings – and while he still leaves in the best core of each tune, he also weaves them together in a wonderful way that draws definite strands together in Brunswick production, instrumentation, and songwriting – a wonderful tribute to the Chicago soul genius that flourished on the label at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s. The package features way too many snippets to mention here – but includes work from Ginji James, The Lost Generation, Tyron Davis, Bohannon, Lost Generation, Gregory James Edition, Fred Hughes, The Chi-Lites, Erma Franklin, The Eliminators, Exit 9, Gene Chandler, The Directions, Barbara Acklin, Young Holt Unlimited, and many more! ~ Dusty Groove

Chrisitian McBride - The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons

Highlights Civil Rights Icons Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Muhammad Ali, as well as Barack Obama, Through the Voices of Sonia Sanchez, Wendell Pierce, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Dion Graham

In the 1960s, when the Civil Rights Movement achieved its greatest moments, gifted bassist and composer Christian McBride was not yet born. As a child in the 1970s, he learned the history of the movement in school, but due to a quirk of fate – his grandmother’s fortunate propensity for saving old things – he found another source of information that spoke to him on a more emotionally accessible level than history books.

“When I was a kid, I used to spend hours looking at old copies of Ebony and Jet magazines that my grandmother saved,” he says. “To read contemporaneous writings by black writers about events and people who were my history – our history – that was absolutely fascinating to me. It was the greatest gift my grandmother could have given to me.”

That gift played a major role in the creation of The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons, McBride’s stunning masterpiece about “the struggle,” which is now a 20 year-long, continuously evolving project. The work combines elements of jazz, gospel, big band, swing, symphony, theater and dramatic spoken word, in a clear-eyed yet optimistic look at where our society has come from and where it is hopefully headed.

Born in Philadelphia, McBride was a gifted musical prodigy who soaked up influences from every direction. At the tender age of 17, he was recruited by saxophonist Bobby Watson to join his group, Horizon. During the 1990s, he proceeded to work with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Pat Metheny, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard and Chick Corea as well as major pop and rock stars like Sting, Paul McCartney, James Brown and Celine Dion. His abilities were also coveted by the classical music world, including opera legends Kathleen Battle and Renee Fleming.

In 1998, a musical commission from the Portland (Maine) Arts Society set in motion what would eventually become a major part of his life’s work. The only stipulation for the commission was that it had to include a choir. “At that time, I called it a musical portrait of the Civil Rights Movement,” Christian says. “I thought about those times and decided that rather than try to write a history of the movement, I wanted to evoke its spirit and feeling.”

Written for just a quartet and gospel choir, that original version of The Movement Revisited gave only a hint of what the piece would eventually become. In 2008, the L.A. Philharmonic asked if he would like to remake it as a far bigger version for their upcoming season.

The Movement Revisited grew into a sweeping four-part suite for big jazz band, small jazz group, gospel choir and four narrators who convey the pain and pathos, euphoria, joy and ultimately hope of the struggle through the words and writings of four iconic figures, not only of the movement, but America: the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali.

“The movement was obviously much bigger than the four historic figures I included,” Christian notes. “But these four icons are people that touched me deeply, therefore I decided to put the tagline “A Musical Portrait of Four Icons” as opposed to calling it a portrait of the Civil Rights Movement.”

In 2008, the new version of The Movement Revisited premiered to universal acclaim in a celebrated performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. A few months later, Barack Obama was elected President and McBride was asked by the Detroit Jazz Festival to perform The Movement Revisited again, this time at Detroit’s famed Ebenezer Baptist Church. The Detroit Jazz Festival asked him to expand the suite to include President Obama, which led to the creation of a fifth and final section of the suite, “Apotheosis, November 4th, 2008,” in which the icons quote Obama’s victory speech.

When time came to record The Movement Revisited for the album release, McBride began the all-important casting of four narrators who needed to possess the empathy, humor and gravitas to bring the words of these civil rights legends to life, especially for a new, younger audience.

For the voice of Rosa Parks, he made what some may have thought an unexpected voice by casting a non-actor – Sonia Sanchez, the great poet, author and artist. “She’s so majestic,” says McBride. “Sonia is one of our greatest voices. She was part of the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s and early 70s.” To portray Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he turned to the great character actor Wendell Pierce (The Wire, Treme), who possessed the stirring presence and ringing tones necessary for the role. Two other great actors, Vondie Curtis-Hall (Chicago Hope, Daredevil) and Dion Graham (Malcolm X, The Wire) were recruited by McBride to play Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, respectively. Both do a remarkable job of channeling the passion, fury and in Ali’s case, his razor-sharp humor.

It might seem the divided times in which we find ourselves right now are crying out for the album release of a work such as The Movement Revisited, and for Christian McBride the evolution of the piece has come to fruition at just the right moment.

“If you look at history, there were a number of artists who dedicated their music to what was going on in terms of the struggle,” McBride says. “In many ways, there are some new battles we’re fighting, but I feel that these new battles fall under the umbrella of equality, fairness and human rights – and that’s an old battle.”

Pianist Satoko Fujii and Bassist Joe Fonda Release Their Latest Album "Four"

No one could have predicted that when pianist-composer Satoko Fujii and bassist-composer Joe Fonda first performed together in 2015, the duo would develop into the major collaboration it has become. And yet, four years down the road, they have toured extensively and released three CDs, all of which received rapturous critical praise. Now they present their fourth album, Four (Long Song Records, November 8, 2019), recorded in Japan with special guest trumpeter Natsuki Tamura. The inspiration that Fujii and Fonda draw from each other and the creative freedom they feel when they work together has kept their duo growing and deepening. This new release holds plenty of surprises. 

“Satoko and I have created a strong body of work in a very short time of performing together as a duo and as a trio with Natsuki Tamura,” Fonda says of his work with the Japanese pianist. “The thing I love so much about playing with Satoko, and the lesson she imparts to me on every concert is, to play music without the ego being part of the process. Satoko plays from the love of music. She is selfless and leaves her ego at home when she comes to play. What a priceless lesson I receive each and every time we perform.”

For her part, Fujii also finds the duo’s music liberating. “While we often don’t notice, we really are tied up and hindered by many things. It is not easy to be truly free and not be affected by these things,” she says. “Joe is a musician who can release himself from these influences. When I play with him, I feel I also can be released from these invisible ropes and begin to find that freedom.” 

The freedom and selflessness that Fonda and Fujii cite are evident from the opening moments of the album. They remain strong individuals, but they each subsume themselves to the music they are making in the moment. They are both generous musical partners, and on “Painted by Moonlight,” each uses space judiciously to leave room for the other to contribute. “Diamonds in the Rough” features some high-level melodic counterpoint between them, with one voice coexisting equally with the other. In contrast, “Cannot Do More Than That” finds them engaged in a call and response dialogue, taking turns advancing the piece, developing the last thing played, and handing it back. While the music becomes abstract and quite complex on “The Wind as it Bends,” they make eloquent music with the simplest of materials on the contemplative “Gift from Billy,” on which Fonda plays wood flute. 

When Tamura joins on the final two pieces, the trio displays with the same balance of voices and sonic resourcefulness as the duo. The wide-ranging “Stars in Complete Darkness” evolves from its lyrical opening to pure sound explorations and back over the course of more than 20 minutes. The beautifully sustained group improvisation is highlighted by some of Fujii’s most probing playing. She consistently moves in unexpected directions as one note or a single chord deflects her line along a new trajectory. Elsewhere during the performance, Tamura’s wide sonic palette and Fujii’s delicate and colorful playing inside the piano, coupled with Fonda’s rich arco drones yields gorgeous sonic tone poems. The concluding “We Meet as Three” is an elaborate conversation among three of the most inventive musicians at work in improvised music today. 

Joe Fonda “is a serious seeker of new musical horizons,” according to the Boston Phoenix. From 1984 to 1999, he was the bassist with composer-improviser and NEA Jazz Master Anthony Braxton. Fonda also has been an integral member of several cooperative bands, including the Fonda-Stevens Group with Michael Jefry Stevens, Herb Robertson, and Harvey Sorgen; Conference Call, with Gebhard Ullmann, Stevens, and George Schuller; the Fab Trio with Barry Altschul and Billy Bang; and the Nu Band with Mark Whitecage, Roy Campbell, and Lou Grassi. He is currently a member of The 3dom Factor, Alschul’s trio with saxophonist Jon Irabagon, and guitarist Michael Musillami’s trio, among others. He has led some truly unique ensembles of his own including From the Source, which features four instrumentalists, a tap dancer, and a body healer/vocalist; and Bottoms Out, a sextet with Gerry Hemingway, Joe Daley, Michael Rabinowitz, Claire Daly, and Gebhard Ullmann. He has released twelve recordings under his own name. 

Critics and fans alike hail pianist and composer Satoko Fujii as one of the most original voices in jazz today. She’s “a virtuoso piano improviser, an original composer and a bandleader who gets the best collaborators to deliver," says John Fordham in The Guardian. In concert and on more than 80 albums as a leader or co-leader, she synthesizes jazz, contemporary classical, avant-rock, and folk music into an innovative style instantly recognizable as hers alone. A prolific band leader and recording artist, she celebrated her 60th birthday in 2018 by releasing one album a month from bands old and new, from solo to large ensemble. Franz A. Matzner in All About Jazz likened the twelve albums to “an ecosystem of independently thriving organisms linked by the shared soil of Fujii's artistic heritage and shaped by the forces of her creativity.” 

Over the years, Fujii has led some of the most consistently creative ensembles in modern improvised music, including her trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Jim Black and an electrifying avant-rock quartet featuring drummer Tatsuya Yoshida of The Ruins. Her ongoing duet project with husband Natsuki Tamura released their sixth recording, Kisaragi, in 2017. “The duo's commitment to producing new sounds based on fresh ideas is second only to their musicianship,” says Karl Ackermann in All About Jazz. Aspiration, a CD by an ad hoc quartet featuring Wadada Leo Smith, Tamura, and Ikue Mori, was released in 2017 to wide acclaim. “Four musicians who regularly aspire for greater heights with each venture reach the summit together on Aspiration,” writes S. Victor Aaron in Something Else. As the leader of no less than five orchestras in the U.S., Germany, and Japan (two of which, Berlin and Tokyo, released new CDs in 2018), Fujii has also established herself as one of the world’s leading composers for large jazz ensembles, leading Cadence magazine to call her, “the Ellington of free jazz.”

http://www.joefonda.com/

www.satokofujii.com/

New Music Releases: Chris Standring; Muriel Grossmann; Afrodyssey Orchestra

Chris Standring – Real Life

One of contemporary urban jazz’s most prolific hitmakers since the late 90s with 13 Billboard Top 10 singles and 6 #1s, Chris Standring takes the opportunity on his 13th solo album to acknowledge the sometimes-harsh twists and turns of Real Life. Yet rather than give into circumstances beyond his control, the British born, L.A. based guitarist offers a truly uplifting way forward on this joyful soul-jazz infused retro-flavoured set. Includes: Is There A Doctor In The House?; Out Of The Blue; Whatever She Wants; In Other Words; Shake You Up; What Goes Around; Living The Poetry; Another Train; Tell Me A Bedtime Story; This Mess Is A Place; and Prelude From Bach Cello Suite 1.

Muriel Grossmann - Reverence

Tremendous sounds from Muriel Grossmann – a saxophonist who's fast becoming one of our favorite on the planet! As with Muriel's previous records, there's a strongly spiritual vibe going on here – but there's also a difference, too – as the group's expanded to a quintet, with the addition of the organ of Llorenc Barcelo next to the familiar trio of Radomir Milokovic on guitar, Gina Schwarz on bass, and Uros Stamenkovic on drums! The rhythms of the combo are every bit as wonderful as Muriel's soaring, searching solos – very modal, but also with deeper rootsy currents too – often mixed with sounds from the organ that are unlike anything you'd hear in a more conventional Hammond setting, which further creates this exotic, otherworldly vibe to the whole record. Grossmann blows soprano, alto, and tenor – and all titles are originals, and include "Chase", "Tribu", "Okan Ti Aye", "Morning", "Afrika Mahala", and "Water Bowl". ~ Dusty Groove

Afrodyssey Orchestra - Under The Sun

Great diaspora sounds from Afrodyssey Orchestra – a group who bring so much more to their music than most of their contemporaries – in ways that both tap into their native cultural history in Greece, and really open up some of the deeper jazz currents of their songs! Instrumentation includes the percussion elements you might expect – but we're even more captivated by the work on keyboards and tenor – which really sparkle throughout, and which make the record often feel like some futurist fusion reimagining of Afro Funk inspirations – with a nice lean sound that's more small combo than "orchestra"! Titles include "One For Ry", "Under The Sun", "Sisters & Brothers", "Three Tigers & Three Baby Tigers", "Soil Festivities", and "Mama Africa". ~ Dusty Groove