New Music From Irreversible Entanglements, Dr Rubberfunk, Gerald Cleaver

Irreversible Entanglements - Who Sent You

Damn incredible work from Irreversible Entanglements – a Philly group, but one who definitely belong in the special, small universe of the International Anthem label from Chicago! This set is even more fierce, more focused than their great debut – burning with righteous energy from a great small combo who play with fire and spirit throughout – and topped with knowledge and wisdom from Camae Ayewa, whose spoken words really hold the whole thing together! The record echoes spoken word/jazz experiments from the most righteous corners of the 70s spiritual avant underground – but has a very different energy that not only belies the younger status of the group, but also the importance of their very contemporary message. Other members include Keir Nueringer on tenor, Aquiles Navarro on trumpet, Luke Stewart on bass, and Tcheser Holmes on drums – and all members also play percussion – on titles that include "Bread Out Of Stone", "The Code Noir/Amina", "Who Sent You – Ritual", "No Mas", and "Blues Ideology". ~ Dusty Groove

Dr Rubberfunk - My Life At 45

Dr Rubberfunk's an artist who just seems to get funkier and funkier as the years go on – and this collection of recent singles and recordings is much heavier on the deep funk side of the spectrum than we might have expected! There's still some of the programming and samples of his early work, but there's also a lot more live elements too – mixed up with occasional vocal contributions from guests who include John Turrell, Izo FitzRoy, Stephanie Whitelock, and Ben Castle – who balance the album out alongside a set of instrumental numbers too. Titles include "How Beautiful", "Boom", "Matter Of Time", "Laid Bare", "Longshore Drift", "A Little Blahzay", "Slim's Mood", "With Love", and "Steppin In". ~ Dusty Groove

Gerald Cleaver - Signs 

An all-electronic set from Gerald Cleaver, but one that's got the same sort of rhythmic pulse as his better-known work on the drums – a record that, in fact, almost feels as if Cleaver is triggering various electronic elements with live work on the drums – or, more likely, using live electronics to recreate some of his energy on the acoustic instrument! The tunes have a very dark vibe – sheets of noise and sound pounding out together in waves of sonic intensity. Titles include "Tomasz", "Blown", "Amidst Curses", "Jackie's Smiles", and the three-part "Signs". ~ Dusty Groove

New Music Releases: Shedrack Anderson, Hailu Mergia, Mako Sica / Hamid Drake

 Shedrack Anderson - Hamilton Park

A multi-faceted performer who has been a successful actor, dancer and choreographer, Julliard trained singer, songwriter and musical visionary Shedrack Anderson’s new album HAMILTON PARK is an extraordinary, stylistically eclectic work of social consciousness. Keeping the vibes jazzy and old school soulful with edgy touches of hip-hop, gospel vocal power and deep trap beats, he uses his dynamic blend of dreamy neo-soul flavored ballads and dynamic anthem-like choruses to communicate deeper universal truths. These are grounded in the symbolism of the title location, his grandparents’ old neighborhood in Dallas, one of the first African American housing developments in the South. As he creates his fresh soul-infused sound, Anderson continuously reminds us that the answer to despair and hopelessness is healing, compassion and sound mental health. ~ smoothjazz.com

Hailu Mergia - Yene Mircha

A great new recording from Hailu Mergia – the Ethiopian keyboardist who's given us some great records over the years! This set has Hailu working on both of his strengths – using keyboards in the lead on some tracks, accordion on others – plus a bit of melodica, and just a slight amount of vocalizations – all at a level that's a really wonderful update of older Ethio-jazz styles, but with a vibe that's much more laidback and relaxed! Some of the younger artists in this scene are maybe a bit more tied to the styles of the golden years – but Hailu instead just uses bass and drums for support, and expands with a warmly jazzy current that still echoes plenty of the best elements of his older albums. Titles include "Semen Ena Debub", "Yene Mircha", "Bayine Lay Yihedal", "Shemedefer", "Yene Abeba", and "Abichu Nega Nega". ~ Dusty Groove

Mako Sica / Hamid Drake - Balancing Tear 

The genius drummer Hamid Drake joins the Mako Sica trio – a group of electric and acoustic improvisers that features a wide variety of instruments used in a mode that's somewhere between free jazz and some of the best experimental modes of the New York downtown scene in the 80s! The trio features Przemyslaw Kryz Drazek on trumpet, pocket trumpet, and electric guitar; Chaetan Newell on piano, cello, electric piano, and lots of percussion; and Brent Fuscaldo on voice, bass, classical guitar, and harmonica – three instrumentalists working with a very wide range of sound, which is then maybe grounded a bit more by Drake's excellent work on drums and a bit of percussion! The work is definitely in an improvised mode, but also has firmer structures at times – especially when Fuscaldo vocalizes in a non-lyrical mode, which always seems to invoke a bit more rhythm. All tracks are long, and titles include "Trapeze", "The Unknown", "Enchanted City", and "Trapeze/Maku (live)". ~ Dusty Groove

New Music Releases: CTK, Stephen Rothhaar, Little Dragon

CTK - The 2ND Coming

Given his stage name CTK by his mentor, legendary former Earth, Wind & Fire guitarist Al McKay, trumpeter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Clarence T. Kyle perpetuates that group’s style of old school groovin’ soul/funk and builds on the era’s classic horn-fired vibe on his latest album THE 2ND COMING. A musical gumbo for the soul, with Smooth Jazz, R&B, and hip hop, CTK pulls off the remarkable feat of creating instrumental music that tells his personal story. He invites listeners into his multi-faceted life with memorable tunes dedicated to his father-in-law, his recently departed mother, trips to Japan and fond memories of his early childhood in Rhode Island and attending the Newport Jazz Festival. ~ smoothjazz.com

Stephen Rothhaar - Moments


Since graduating from Ithaca College of Music in 2018 with a degree in voice (Opera believe it or not), ultra-hip pop, R&B and jazz influenced, Pittsburgh based singer/songwriter Stephen Rothhaar has been unstoppable. He follows his indie-acoustic EP HUMANS with the engaging, pure pop, ultra-danceable debut full length album MOMENTS. Helping take Rothhaar’s spirited soul sensibilities and instincts for creating infectious light pop gems to the next level is producer Nate Harasim, who fashions a slick, multi-faceted sonic landscape full of lightly funk contemporary beats, bright jazzy guitar jangle and a sensual seductive flow. In addition to showcasing Rothhaar’s multi-faceted artistry, the album includes impressive guest spots by globally acclaimed bassist Nathan East, chart-topping contemporary jazz guitarist Nils, vocalist Monica Notaro and the popular Detroit-based rapper K-Squeez. ~ smoothjazz.com

Little Dragon - New Me, Same Us

Little Dragon's always got a great way with a tune – a way of folding together elements that are both sweet and crispy, but without ever sounding too sanded-down or sleepy – as so many others who hit this territory! Instead, there's a nice crackle to most tunes – tracks that might almost want to be pop songs, but which have more of an underground soul current – little electronic bits bubbling around next to subdued soul vocals, finding all the right spots to mesh together in the best possible way! Titles include "Another Lover", "Every Rain", "New Fiction", "Sadness", "Stay Right Here", "Where You Belong", "Water", and "Are You Feeling Sad". ~ Dusty Groove

Sonar Kollektiv | Key Elements

Sonar Kollektiv has been waiting for it anxiously: Key Elements‘ debut album leads Jazz music into the new decade down-the-line. The music Key Elements create is fresh, merciless and ruthless and has always the finger on the pulse of the time. The album‘s eight tracks are all far away from Broken Beat nostalgia or Beat-making nerdism, they breathe inspiration from the young, thriving British jazz scene. Key Element‘s initiator, DJ and producer Marian Tone, built up a reputation in the Berlin hip hop, soul and jazz scene over the years (also as a co-founder of Beatkollektiv). With all of his compositions you always feel this heritage and his love and passion for hiphop. But the other two allys within «Key Elements», drummer Waldi and the keyboard or bass player Jim Dunloop made their contribution with compositions and ideas as well. An album which was initially designed to be a mere solo project became an effort of a trio over the years being inherently consistent.

Already the opening track «Mike Needs Sugar» shows the direction this album will take us: To the land of the good groove. It‘s here where the three thoroughbred musicians feel on top of the world obviously and deliver one luscious track after the other. From the cheerful «Morning Boom» to the kinda furtively laid back «Impossible» and the final «Funky Dave», which could be on an Italian soundtrack from the 70‘s every single tone and note from «Key Elements» is great fun. Especially because even when you listen to it a second, third or fourth time you will discover new nuances and niceties again and again. As is right and proper for really good jazz album. Dig it!

New Music Releases - Otmaro Ruiz and Bruno Mangueira, Kool & The Gang, Farnell Newton

Otmaro Ruiz and Bruno Mangueira -   Essência

“Essência is a joyful romp through the musical landscape of the Americas guided by master pianist Otmaro Ruiz and exciting new guitar virtuoso, Bruno Mangueira. Their musical partnership is informed by their Venezuelan and Brazilian heritages fused with their deep love and understanding of American jazz and the European classical tradition. Otmaro and Bruno flawlessly navigate this landscape with a program of eight original compositions and two standards. Each song feels like a suite, taking us through a wide range of dynamics and emotional territory. Impressively, their original compositions sound like they could be standards. They evoke the timeless feeling of classic songs by Tom Jobim, Hermeto Pascoal, and other Brazilian masters while maintaining the vibrancy of the present. There are hints of Bach, Chopin, and lush harmonic passages that will send music theory students racing for their notepads."~ Russell Ferrante (YellowJackets), August 2019

Kool & The Gang - In The Heart (with bonus tracks)

A sweet set that's part of a big early 80s run from Kool & The Gang – a time that saw the funk legends really hitting the mainstream, and winning over a huge new audience in the process! Given that the Gang virtually invented ensemble funk at the start of the 70s, they're perfectly poised here to move into modes that so many of their younger competition were trying – but never did so well – that blend of 80s elements and more sharply-fused funk instrumentation, all honed down into a tightly snapping groove. The real surprise, though, is the group's growing ability for ballads – which put records like this into hands of folks who never would have dug their funk a few years before. And while we might have had a few problems with that shift at the time, the passage of years has got the whole thing sounding pretty darn great to our ears – especially in comparison to so much weaker work from the time. Titles include "In The Heart", "Joanna", "Tonight", "Straight Ahead", "September Love", "You Can Do It", and "Home Is Where The Heart Is". CD features lots of bonus tracks – including "Tonight (12" dance mix)", "In The Heart (single rmx)", "Straight Ahead (12" long)", "Ladies Night (promo 12" '83 rmx)", "Joanna (single)", and "Tonight (AOR mix)". ~ Dusty Groove

Farnell Newton - Rippin & Runnin

A tremendous trumpeter, set up here in his best format to date – a really heavy duty quartet that features tenor from Brandon Wright, drums from Rudy Royston, and Hammond from Brian Charette – who blows us away even more than usual with his skills on both the keys and the pedals at the bottom! Royston's drums are always great – and here, he's got this snapping, crackling energy that seems to light a fuse right from the very first note – which Charette fans into full flames of sound, topped by these bold lines and soaring solos from Newton and Wright – two horns that have a really rich power together, before breaking off into really wonderful solos. The whole thing's great – a cut above for even the always-great Posi-Tone label – and titles include "Holding Still", "The Roots", "Another Day Another Jones", "Gas Station Hot Dog", and "The Five AM Strut". ~ Dusty Groove

CORY SMYTHE | ACCELERATE EVERY VOICE

Description automatically generated pianist and composer Cory Smythe evokes cyborg choirs and coastal floods on Accelerate Every Voice, his second release for Pyroclastic Records and the follow-up to 2018 album Circulate Susanna. Bringing together five vocalists from the a cappella, new and improvised music scenes, AEV cradles Smythe’s piano in an uncanny valley of voices before submerging it in an undersea expanse. 

“It began with my appreciation for Andrew Hill’s Lift Every Voice,” says Smythe. “It was kind of a fanciful idea about whether I could pay homage to his record while taking part of its logic to the nth degree, replacing the whole band with vocalists — vocal percussion, vocal bass, etcetera.” 

Smythe began discussing the project almost immediately with vocal-percussionist and director Kari Francis, whose acclaimed work on the a cappella scene includes a stint on NBC’s “The Sing Off,” and whose knowledge extends backward from present-day collegiate a cappella into its early history with the Yale Whiffenpoofs. 

“I had been into the idea of collegiate a cappella embodying a kind of optimism,” says Smythe, “and maybe a complicated kind of optimism, a poisoned-by-whiteness American kind of optimism.” Francis pointed him to what many consider “the founding document of the whole scene, ‘The Whiffenpoof Song,’” says Smythe, “which is itself based on a poem by Rudyard Kipling — of ‘white man’s burden’ fame — called ‘Gentlemen Rankers.’ The speaker of this poem is born into wealth and privilege, and now he’s bemoaning his loss of status — or perhaps sardonically celebrating his descent from a place of safety to one of imminent danger.”  

Dotted with elements of Hill’s music, the recording also offers traces of “The Whiffenpoof Song.” On title track “Accelerate Every Voice,” dissonant fragments coalesce into the borrowed Whiffenpoof refrain, “Pass and be forgotten with the rest,” before the featured improvisers Michael Mayo and Kyoko Kitamura deliver searing solos. 

Smythe rounds out the soloing, performing on a hardware setup conceived during a project with colleague Craig Taborn that features a small keyboard set atop his piano to play a piano sample tuned a quarter tone sharp. “This allows me to play the pitches in between the pitches,” says Smythe, who treats the setup both as a compositional tool and as an extension of his instrument, allowing him to improvise within the album’s glossy, spectral harmonies. 

Microtonal harmonies figure prominently in the vocal writing as well. One such sonority opens “Northern Cities Vowel Shift,” whose precisely tuned intervals and evolving layers of vowel sounds create the impression of a moving, molten mass above Francis’ beats and Steven Hrycelak’s bass line. On “Kinetic Whirlwind Sculpture I,” a stretto vocal progression of improvised vowel sounds melds with the piano Smythe has transformed via talk box to emulate the singers’ vocal formants. Momentum gathers moving into “Vehemently,” where lead singer Raquel Acevedo Klein floats above a texture of Kipling quotations, a cappella vocables and a refrain borrowed from the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement.   

Hill’s seminal recording offered Smythe more than sonic inspiration. Named for James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” the poem-turned-song that became the Black national anthem, Hill’s Lift Every Voice reflects an of-its-time social and political resonance — “a music,” says Smythe, “of transcendent optimism in the face of overwhelming harm.” 

Another caustic harm upends the record on closer “Piano and Ocean Waves for Deep Relaxation” — part ironic venture into new age and part imaginary realization of Annea Lockwood’s “Southern Exposure,” which calls for a piano to disappear into advancing tides. As the world watches in horror the accelerating rise of global sea levels (whose anthropogenic source artist Julian Charrière depicts in images that adorn the record’s cover and interior), Smythe notes: “It seems like Annea’s could be the piano music of the very near future.”  

Pianist Cory Smythe has worked closely with pioneering artists in new, improvisatory and classical music, including saxophonist-composer Ingrid Laubrock, violinist Hilary Hahn and multidisciplinary composers from Anthony Braxton to Zosha Di Castri. His own music “dissolves the lines between composition and improvisation with rigor” (Chicago Reader), and his first record, Pluripotent, garnered praise from Jason Moran: “Hands down one of the best solo recordings I’ve ever heard.” Smythe has been featured at the Newport Jazz, Wien Modern, Trondheim Chamber Music, Nordic Music Days, Approximation, Concorso Busoni and Darmstadt festivals, as well as at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart festival, where he recently received an invitation to premiere new work created in collaboration with Peter Evans and Craig Taborn. He has received commissions from Milwaukee’s Present Music, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, the International Contemporary Ensemble — of which he is a longtime member — and The Shifting Foundation, which supported both Accelerate Every Voice as well as his 2018 release Circulate Susanna. Smythe received a Grammy award for his work with Hahn and plays regularly in the critically acclaimed Tyshawn Sorey Trio. 

Pianist-composer Kris Davis founded Pyroclastic Records in 2016 to serve the release of her acclaimed recordings Duopoly and Octopus with the goal of growing the label into a thriving platform that would serve like-minded, cutting-edge artists. In 2019, Davis launched a nonprofit to support those artists whose expression flourishes beyond the commercial sphere. By supporting their creative efforts and ensuring distribution of their work, Pyroclastic empowers emerging and established artists — including Cory Smythe, Ben Goldberg, Chris Lightcap, Angelica Sanchez and Marilyn Crispell, Sara Schoenbeck, Eric Revis and Craig Taborn — to continue challenging conventional genre-labeling within their fields. Pyroclastic also seeks to galvanize and grow a creative community, offering young artists new opportunities, supporting diversity and expanding the audience for noncommercial art. 

New Music Releases: Nils, Os Mutantes, Art Hirahara

Niles  - Caught In The Groove 

The cool, crafty title of Nils new album Caught In The Groove says it all about his studio and onstage state of mind. A decade and a half after riding his first #1 hit "Pacific Coast Highway” into contemporary jazz history as Billboard's Song of the Decade 2001-2010, the relentlessly prolific composer, guitarist and producer continues to create instantly infectious, sonically adventurous tracks for himself and numerous artists eager to vibe with the energy of his Midas touch. Now it's time to gear up for the impact of Caught In The Groove's funky, high octane lead single and the album’s title track.

Os Mutantes - ZZYZX


Surprising new work from this legendary Brazilian group – a combo who had a huge influence in the Tropicalia generation, then went on to grow and expand over the years, and open up countless new ears in the process! This set is a bit different than some of their other revival work – actually recorded in the US, and sung in English – with Sergio Dias as the lead creative force and music director for the group – a quintet that appears to include some younger members too! The songs are as sharp as before, but in a different way – maybe because we can understand the lyrics – and although it seems like Sergio's handling most of the lead vocals, there appear to be contributions from other group members too. Titles include "Gay Matters", "Mutant's Lonely Night", "Beyond", "Window Mirros", "Void", "ZZYZX", "We Love You", and "Candy".  ~ Dusty Groove

Art Hirahara - Balance Point

A really lovely album from pianist Art Hirahara, and a set that maybe draws its title from the careful balance on the record between Art's lyrical approach to the piano, and the overall energy of the group when they really move together! Hirahara continues to develop fantastically as a pianist with each new record – with a touch that's very personal, but always soulfully swinging – and here, the quartet emphasizes those latter modes when they really pick up – thanks to bass from Joe Martin and drums from Rudy Royston – on a record that also features some well-placed tenor contributions from Melissa Aldana, whose sound adds in just the right amount of color. Titles include "Like Water", "Ascent", "Lament For The Fallen", "Mother's Song", "Blessed Son Mr Weston", and "Fulcrum". ~ Dusty Groove

Dave Askren & Jeff Benedict | PARAPHERNALIA: Music of Wayne Shorter

Some people are obsessed with Wayne Shorter’s music. Many of his compositions, which are known for their complex harmonies and memorable melodies, have become jazz standards. When two musicians of the caliber of guitarist DAVE ASKREN and sax player JEFF BENEDICT team up to record an album of Wayne Shorter music, the result is eminently gratifying. On PARAPHERNALIA, Askren and Benedict present a program of Shorter’s music from his work mostly from the 1960s, culled from his solo albums and his recordings with Miles Davis and Weather Report. According to Askren, “We didn’t want to just do covers of Wayne’s tunes. We didn’t try to sound like him, because you can’t do better than the original music. You can just do your own thing and make music your own way.” 

PARAPHERNALIA is Askren’s and Benedict’s third recording as co-leaders. It follows their 2009 release It’s All About the Groove and their 2017 release Come Together, of which All About Jazz has said, “They offer the listener a unique experience of groove-based compositions…that actually offers a complex carbonation of effervescent tunes, that will excite and engage the listening experience, even for the most discerning jazz aficionado.”  

Wayne Shorter has composed some of the most memorable music in the last 60 years. After 25 years of playing together and arranging for each other, Askren and Benedict are totally in sync musically. PARAPHERNALIA is not just an homage to a great composer; it is a conversation between seasoned musicians who take the music to new and exciting places.

New Music Releases: Amira, Jim Richter, J&B Kings

Amira B - Away

Her upcoming single, “Away”, is a melancholy R&B-tinged neo-soul tune that elegantly puts to words our collective need to escape from these trying times. Expressing the uncertainty that we’re all feeling, Amira B elegantly puts to must the angst of this moment in a beautiful and soulful way. With shimmering vocals, and a tasteful blend of neo-soul, R&B and funk, singer-songwriter Amira B soaks the beauty all around us into a head-turning, soul-lifting music. A New Yorker at the core with unique Russian-Egyptian roots, Amira B began studying classical piano at the ae of 4. At 7, she and her family moved to New York City from Volgograd, Russia, where she continue to study classical piano. As the years went by, and while attending Fiorello H. LaGruardia High School, Amira decided to switch gears and focus her studies on her voice. Influenced by jazz, soul, R&B, and the beat of the city that can be heart within her own music, she began performing her own original songs for larger and larger audiences, eventually appearing with The Main Squeeze at The Brooklyn Bowl.

Jim Richter - Mr. Kool 

Celebrating a multi-faceted, on and off five-decade career that’s found him playing blues, pop/rock and traditional jazz, classically trained guitarist Jim Richter made his SmoothJazz.com debut in 2019 with the impressive, Smooth Jazz charting album BREEZY DAY. This is the killer follow-up collection to his successful entry into the genre. MR. KOOL is infused with a multitude of vibes and grooves – from light funk and punchy pop/rock to dreamy ballads, driving rock jams and blues-fired romps – this collection may remind you of the high spirited, freewheeling way contemporary jazz soared in the 80s and 90s.    

J&B Kings - Congo Conga (Afro-Cuban Funk)

In the late 1930s, the Conga was a wildly popular dance featured in Hollywood “Latin” musicals – Too Many Girls (1940) with Cuban star Desi Arnaz jamming as a conga-playing Argentine student. Arnaz made a more significant impact in the Deanna Durbin feature, It Started With Eve – when Durbin and renowned actor Charles Laughton dance to the infectious rhythm in a nightclub. The J&B Kings pay respect to a music style that would soon die on a "cartoon vine" when the very nature of its boldness, political will, and urban street chic had been eclipsed by Hollywood film buffoonery. The Kings bring a contemporary edge back to the music featuring New Orleans Chris Butcher and his Heavyweights Brass Band down the middle.

Muriel Grossmann | Elevation

Born in Paris, raised in Vienna, resident in Ibiza, saxophonist and composer Muriel Grossmann embodies the borderless, pan-continental energies of contemporary European jazz. Her music emerges from the lineage of European jazz that’s absorbed the progressive music of Coltrane, Dolphy and Sanders. Today, she cites players such as Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young in the same breath as the masters of the avant-garde, and her playing marries the directness and eloquence of the older generation with the questing, spiritualised playing epitomised by Coltrane. The roster of musicians she has played with is long, and includes veteran European avant-gardists including Joachim and Rolf Kühn, Wolfgang Reisinger and Thomas Heidepriem, and she works tirelessly with contemporary groups and big bands across the continent.  

Since her first recordings in the early 2000s, Grossmann has released a dozen albums as leader, featuring sounds ranging from hard-swinging modernist jams to free improvisation, expansive spiritual work to rhythm-focussed Afrocentrism. But at the centre of her work is a thread of pure and heartfelt spiritual music in the modal tradition defined by Coltrane and close collaborators like Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane. You can’t play this music successfully if you don’t mean it – like the music of her contemporary Nat Birchall, Grossmann’s engagement with the Coltrane tradition is sincere and deep. Her music resonates within the tradition – more than just a style, it adds a new chapter to the story of modal and spiritual jazz in Europe.

This Jazzman set draws a selection from her 2016 album Natural Time (‘Your Pace’, ‘Peace For All’) and from 2017’s Momentum (‘Elevation’, ‘Chant’ and ‘Rising’). Featuring her regular quartet of Radomir Milojkovic (guitar) Uros Stamenkovic (drums) and Gina Schwarz (bass), the music on Elevation is pure sound, soul and spirit!

Jazz Saxophonist JEAN-PIERRE ZANELLA | RIO MINAS

There is a long tradition in jazz of reimagining pop songs. But in his latest release, Rio Minas, Montreal saxophonist, composer, and arranger Jean-Pierre Zanella gives the tradition a twist.

Rio Minas, released via Arté Boréal Records, Zanella celebrates the affecting, sophisticated songwriting of two giants of Brazilian pop music, Chico Buarque, from Rio de Janeiro and Milton Nascimento, from Minas Geraes, a state in Southeast Brazil.

For Zanella, this is both a musical and a personal project.

“As a jazz musician, you learn the Great American Songbook and the work of the great songwriters, people like Cole Porter and George Gershwin, and that includes Antonio Carlos Jobim, and bossa nova becomes part of the repertoire,” says Zanella. But there is much, much more to Brazilian music than bossa nova and, bit by bit, he discovered the universe of Brazilian Popular Music (MPB in the Portuguese acronym) and the work of singers and songwriters such as Djavan, Ivan Lins and Milton Nascimento.

Then, beginning in 1987, a year after meeting his future wife, Mima Souza, a carioca (a native of Rio de Janeiro), Zanella began traveling to Brazil. The initial visit grew into a deep, rich musical experience, underlined by his collaborations with artists and groups such as the great composer, producer, guitarist and vocalist Roberto Menescal, singer/songwriters Marcos Valle and Altay Veloso; pianist Marcos Arie, and the vocal ensemble Boca Livre.

“You go to Brazil, you hear the music, you get involved with the people and the culture, and you just want to learn more,” says Zanella.

A Montreal native and graduate of Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, Zanella soon made his mark both as a bandleader, recording nine albums, and also for his work with artists such as John Abercrombie, Bob Brookmeyer, Kenny Wheeler, and Aaron Parks.

In 2011, Zanella received the Oscar Peterson Award by the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal for his contributions to Canadian jazz.

Among those contributions was the work Zanella and his wife did bringing Brazilian musicians to perform in Montreal. “It was all handmade,” is how Zanella describes their efforts in the 1990s. “They would come and stay at our house, play in town and go home with a bit of pocket money and fun experiences.” They later founded the Brazilian Music Festival of Montreal (2004-2008).

Brazil loved him back. In 2004, Zanella was awarded the Ordem do Rio Branco by the Brazilian government for promoting cultural exchange between Brazil and Canada.

Rio Minas began as a one-time-only performance at Studio Victor in Montreal in 2015, an intimate show in front of a live audience.

Recalls Zanella. “It was Mima who suggested doing a concert with the music of Chico and Milton. I thought it was a great idea. I had done my first Brazilian album, Villa-Lobos & Antonio Carlos Jobim, in 2006, and I knew I wanted to continue exploring Brazilian music. And this project became my chance.”

Zanella collected a long list of songs that he pared down to a handful. “There were a lot of songs I loved, and I played around with a lot with arrangements,” he says. “But having to think in terms of playing these songs as instrumentals narrowed the choices.”

Picking songs by Milton Nascimento was easy, he says, because “there is always a jazz element in his music and you can hear it in his collaborations with Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock.” Fittingly, Rio Minas opens with “Lilia,” a song Shorter included in his album Native Dancer, which featured Nascimento.

Chico Buarque, a poet and a superb, highly literate lyricist, offered a different challenge.

“Chico is a composer I discovered later on as I learned about Brazilian music,” says Zanella. “And he's got these great repetitive melodies that are difficult to translate into instrumental versions. I feel they need the lyrics to carry them. So for this album, I picked songs like “Bye Bye Brasil” and “Sobre Todas Essas Coisas” that I felt made sense as instrumental pieces.”

That said, Zanella also asked his daughter, vocalist Sashana Souza Zanella, to pick three songs to sing on the album. She chose Nascimento's “Morro Velho,” Buarque’s “Joana Francesa” and a song by Nascimento and guitarist Toninho Horta, “Beijo Partido.”

Zanella, who wrote all but two of the arrangements in Rio Minas, also included an original composition, “Dan”.

For the recording session at Studio Piccolo in Montreal, Zanella called on long-standing collaborators Pierre François (piano), Rémi-Jean Leblanc (bass), and Paul Brochu (drums), as well as pianist André Dequech, trumpeter Ron Di Lauro and trombonist Muhammad Abdul Al-Khabyrr. He also enlisted his wife, Mima, to create the album art and design.

If Rio Minas sounds like a labor of love, a family affair, there’s a good reason for it.

 “I fell in love with the country, and I love the people,” says Zanella. “That’s my connection with Brazilian music.”

KOKI NAKANO | PRE-CHOREOGRAPHED

Japanese pianist Koki Nakano has released ‘Berceuse’, the latest single to be lifted from his new album ‘Pre-Choreographed’, due out through Nø Førmat! (also home to Oumou Sangaré and Mélissa Laveaux amongst others).The album is the follow-up to Nakano’s much-admired 2016 debut ‘Lift’, also released on Nø Førmat! and created in collaboration with cellist Vincent Segal.

Speaking about the tightly looping new single ‘Berceuse’, Koki notes; “Sleep relieves you from all your anxieties, but here there’s a hint of mystery too. Yes the tempo is slow, like a normal lullaby, but the repetitive piano notes maintain a mysterious and suspenseful mood.” ‘Berceuse’ is available to stream from here: https://idol.lnk.to/Pre-Choreographed.

The title of Nakano’s 2016 debut album, ‘Lift’, evoked a move well-known to ballet dancers: the porté, meaning ‘carried’. Requiring strength and delicacy, risk-taking and mastery of balance, the title also  conveyed the deep relationship that Koki’s music maintains with dance, a bond he’s been cultivating ever since. ‘Pre-Choreographed’ is the continuation of that opening chapter, with the album release accompanied by a stunning series of choreographed music videos across which director Benjamin Seroussi (Opening Ceremony, Benjamin Clementine) collaborates with dancers/choreographers including Amala Dianor and Damien Jalet. The latest of those - synched to Koki’s track ‘Near-Perfect Synchronisation’ - is available to stream here.

A pivotal moment for Nakano in the creation of ‘Pre-Choreographed’ was seeing Sara, a piece performed by the L-E-V dance company in front of the Nymphéas by Monet, at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, which laid the foundations of the new album. “When I compose,” explains Nakano; “I keep images of bodies in a state of movement up in my head. They’re a great help to me when it comes to structuring each of my pieces, which develop as if they were responding to those movements.” And so, Koki’s album bears a title which speaks to a re-alignment of music & dance; “It reflects the keen sense of longing I feel for a time when the two disciplines were closely bound together, functioning jointly in society. It also means it’s as if the music is in a state of ‘waiting’ for, or even ‘lacking’, choreography.”

Hailing from Fukuoka Prefecture and later trained at both Japan’s prestigious Toho Gakuen music school and the Tokyo University of the Arts, Koki came to the attention of Nø Førmat! label founder Laurent Bizot when he performed at Tokyo’s Maison de la Culture in 2014. Bizot signed him on the spot - with Koki soon upping sticks to move permanently from Japan to France - continuing the label’s fondness for adventures with progressive pianists, begun back in 2004 when Nø Førmat! issued Chilly Gonzales’ pivotal ‘Solo Piano’.

VICTOR RICE RETURNS WITH A NEW ALBUM, DRINK

In 2017, Latin GRAMMY award-winning producer, engineer, and musician Victor Rice released Smoke, his first solo album in over 15 years. The album was released on tastemaker indie label Easy Star Records and garnered critical praise and a cult-like following. Smoke was unique in how it presented Rice’s new sound combining the musical styles of Brazil and Jamaica by fusing Samba and Rocksteady, which he aptly calls “Samba-Rocksteady” or “SRS.” The momentum of that release has now spawned more brilliant music in that style. Rice states, “I can’t talk about Drink without referring to Smoke; it’s definitely part two of the trilogy of albums I’m working on.” Drink is set for release on May 15, 2020, on Easy Star Records. Listen and stream the first single “Simão” and pre-order the album here [https://orcd.co/drink].

The blending of sounds and cultures comes natural to Rice, who was raised in New York City, but has currently called São Paulo, Brazil, his home for nearly 20 years. In addition, Rice spends a lot of time in Europe and recorded most of the album in Charleroi, Belgium, at Badasonic Studio with collaborator Nico Leonard. Rice details, “The Charleroi sessions included recording ten rhythm tracks, about 3 minutes each, and were recorded to a single tape in one day. The following day was spent interpreting the melodies on each one. The band listened to these recordings in the van while on tour, and upon returning, the horn arrangements were recorded in one day as well. Not all of these songs made the cut, hence I did an auxiliary session in NYC with Ticklah as the guest engineer to round out the album.”

The first single off the album is “Simão,” which is out April 10th and is a laid back funky tune with hypnotic guitar licks courtesy of Ted Kumpel and the soothing horns featuring Buford O’Sullivan (Easy Star All-Stars, Skatalites, Toasters) on trombone, and Tony Mason on drums.  The second single coming from the album on May 1st is “Bebida,” with its infectious piano rolls, standout horns, and skanking vibe. These are just some of the songs which makes Drink a remarkable statement and finds itself the perfect companion to Victor Rice’s Smoke.

As far as the album title Drink, Rice explains, “Most of these songs were written during a difficult period in my life, and there was a lot of drinking involved, so they were made under the influence of red wine. Once the sequence of songs were finished, it felt like a story arc, from the first glass to the last; fun, manic, introspective, lamentable, and a feeling of hopefulness at the end of it all.”

Rice has been a well-respected contributor to legendary bands such as The Slackers, Easy Star All-Stars, Bixiga 70, and The Skatalites. Rice has also received top recognition for his mixing and engineering capabilities during his immersive stay in Brazil, which helped him bring home two Latin GRAMMYs(2015, 2016) and become further knowledgeable in the depths of the rich history of Brazilian music. He concludes, “What makes this release special for me is the number of Brazilians participating on the record. It has taken me a long time to assimilate down here in São Paulo, but the city and culture has breathed into my music and that’s what makes Drink stand out from my previous records.” Vic Ruggiero of the Slackers once said about playing Rice’s music, “It feeds me,” which is the perfect way to sum up Drink in three words!

"New Songs from Old Souls" from Piano Trio 'The Lost Melody'

THE LOST MELODY is a jazz piano trio that has been performing together for nearly 20 years. Their newest CD, NEW SONGS FOR OLD SOULS, is a savory collection of original tunes with the distinct flavor of  songs from the Great American Songbook.

Each band member is a bandleader and sideman in his own right, with a long list of performing and recording credits. The trio has been touring internationally, presenting concerts and giving masterclasses on improvisation and ensemble playing in places such as Ireland, Germany and Italy. Back home, they have performed at numerous jazz festivals, universities, and top New York City jazz clubs.

The trio performed and recorded for many years as the Joe Davidian Trio. As the band evolved over the years, so did the focus of their music. Rather than Davidian leading the group, the trio evolved into a true collective. “One of the best things about working with Jamie and Austin is how much we’re in sync,” says Davidian. “We all contribute equally to the music, so it made sense to change the name of the band to reflect that.”

As a trio, they have always enjoyed playing the beautiful and accessible melodies of jazz standards, with each member supporting and emphasizing the melody within that framework. For this recording though, they set out to compose their own songs influenced by the great melodic craftsmen of 20th century. In describing this concept, the trio speaks as one: “Some contemporary jazz groups focus on complex harmonies or intricate rhythms,” says Ousley. “But we wanted to get back to the idea of melody as the centerpiece of a song,” adds McMahon. And Davidian recalls, “we challenged each other to write new songs in the style of the old standards, with the melody being at the forefront. And, because our music harkens back to an earlier era, we came up with the title NEW SONGS FOR OLD SOULS for this album.”

The newly re-named The Lost Melody are known for their creative, interactive, and engaging performances. On NEW SONGS FOR OLD SOULS, they reach back to the past to create new sounds for the present.

Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Release 'Four Questions'

GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist and composer Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra release their latest recording, Four Questions (ZOHO Music), featuring special guest Dr. Cornel West on the title composition "Four Questions." Four Questions marks O'Farrill's first album in his famed recording catalog to exclusively include all originally written compositions. Weaving together empowering messages for the times, Four Questions portrays the pioneering pianist as outspoken as ever on the obligation of artists to speak truth to the great injustices occurring across the globe. 

Premiered live-in-concert at The Apollo Theater on May 21, 2016, "Four Questions" will now be available for worldwide audiences to hear on Four Questions with the electrifying Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra joined by Dr. Cornel West as a guest soloist, conductor, and percussionist. O'Farrill's commissioned piece for the Apollo Theater as part of his MacDowell residency took the shape of Dr. Cornel West's speech at Town Hall (Seattle, WA: October 9, 2014) based on his book, Black Prophetic Fire. Four questions posed by the great African American civil rights activist and author W. E. B. Du Bois in his 1903 book, The Souls of Black Folk, are expounded upon by West while O'Farrill and his 18-piece orchestra usher in a jolt of inspiring fury. 

The four essential themes from W.E.B. Du Bois' seminal publication, include: What does integrity do in the face of adversity / oppression? What does honesty do in the face of lies / deception? What does decency do in the face of insult? How does virtue meet brute force?

"‘Four Questions' is about bringing attention through Dr. West's brilliance and vision, coupled with the subversive power of the Afro Latin Big Band, to the influence of revolutionary thought that demands we take stock of where we are as a country and demand better," says Arturo O'Farrill, pianist/composer and Artistic Director of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. "We must pay tribute to the jazz greats like Coltrane, Holiday, Mingus, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, and carry on their legacy of bringing attention to the real issues of modern society through jazz music."

Adam Rudolph's Imaginary Archipelago

Imaginary Archipelago, the bold and inventive new album featuring the Karuna Trio with master percussionists Adam Rudolph and Hamid Drake and saxophonist / multi-instrumentalist Ralph M. Jones, released May 1, 2020 via Rudolph’s Meta Records label.

On their second album as a trio, the group’s improvisatory explorations take them into an undiscovered country of sonic invention. These strikingly original pieces imagine an isolated island chain where musical traditions have evolved untouched by the rest of the world
Visionary improvisers Adam Rudolph, Hamid Drake and Ralph M. Jones envision a vivid new world of sound on their second outing as the inventive Karuna Trio

Imaginary Archipelago, out May 1, 2020 via Meta Records, follows Rudolph’s masterpiece Ragmala: A Garden of Ragas, the acclaimed meeting of his Go: Organic Orchestra and Brooklyn Raga Massive

Mesmerizing new album embarks on an exploration of undiscovered lands and their musical traditions through bold improvisation and innovative post-production

The three visionary musicians that make up the Karuna Trio – master percussionists Adam Rudolph and Hamid Drake and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Ralph M. Jones – have each forged a singular voice by culling inspirations that span the globe and reach back through musical and cultural histories. On their second album as a trio, Imaginary Archipelago, the group’s improvisatory explorations take them into an undiscovered country of sonic invention. These strikingly original pieces imagine an isolated island chain where musical traditions have evolved untouched by the rest of the world.

Due out May 1, 2020 via Rudolph’s Meta Records label, Imaginary Archipelago is a breathtaking set of non-idiomatic, spontaneous compositions that brings vivid new meaning to the bridging of “ancient” and “future” musical concepts: the influence of ancient traditions, real and imagined, imbuing the utterly modern technology and techniques. Recorded at Firehouse 12 in New Haven, CT, the original improvisations reflect a profound chemistry developed through collaborations that have lasted and deepened for decades yet constantly reveal new and surprising discoveries. Rudolph’s inventive post-production then sculpts that source material into evocative soundscapes that illustrate the journey of discovery that he describes in his liner notes.

This bold, experimental approach is an undercurrent that runs throughout Rudolph’s diverse career, as well as that of his trio mates. Imaginary Archipelago arrives on the heels of the percussionist’s most ambitious and acclaimed release to date: Ragmala: A Garden of Ragas, which paired his Go: Organic Orchestra with the Indian classical musicians of Brooklyn Raga Massive. DownBeat called the album “a gorgeously complex tapestry of sounds, hues and sensations,” WBGO hailed it as “innovative [and] boundary pushing,” All Music called it “a major work,” and Jazzwise Magazine called it “a stunning journey into the unknown.”

Imaginary Archipelagos is a far more intimate affair, though no less innovatory. “With every record I make I try to do something that I’ve never done before,” says Rudolph. “I’ve always studied music from all over the world, so I had the idea of inventing some music that was previously undiscovered, which represents the idea that the creative endeavor itself is about discovering and uncovering something new.”

The close personal and musical relationship between Rudolph and Drake dates back to 1969, when the two met in a downtown Chicago drum shop at the age of 14. In the decades since they’re worked together with such greats as Don Cherry, Fred Anderson, Pharoah Sanders, Dave Liebman and Hassan Hakmoun as well as in each other’s ensembles. Both play an array of percussion instruments, allowing for a multitude of sounds each more surprising than the last. Together they share a remarkable chemistry. “Hamid and I think like one,” Rudolph says. “It’s almost uncanny at times. We’re always listening and orchestrating with each other in a way that’s incredibly free.”

Rudolph met Jones in 1974 at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival, where they performed together in groups led by Kenne Cox and Charles Moore; with Moore they went on to co-found the Eternal Wind quartet that Rudolph has called, in much the same spirit as the Karuna Trio, “an ongoing research and development music laboratory.” Rudolph compares Jones to classic melodicists like Lester Young and Ben Webster: brilliant and bold improvisers who achieved stunning ends through elegant, understated means. “Ralph is a master orchestrator, harkening back to the tradition of soloing by generating gorgeous melodies. Ralph is always thinking about singing when he plays.”

In its compellingly original sound, Karuna blurs countless boundaries: between ancient and modern, organic and electronic, live improvisation and post-production. In his role as producer, Rudolph follows in the tradition of such formative influences as Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland and The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – artists and albums that used the studio as an instrument. In his role as conductor of the Go: Organic Orchestra, Rudolph utilizes the ensemble much in the same way that he plays his battery of hand drums; on Imaginary Archipelago he expands that concept to his processing and editing of the raw materials of the initial performance.

The use of electronics is nothing new to Rudolph, who began experimenting with early Moog and Buchla synthesizers during his days as a student in the groundbreaking electronic music program at Oberlin College. He delved deeper in the late 1980s through his partnership with trumpeter Jon Hassell, which found them working with legendary producer Brian Eno. More recently he has incorporated live electronic processing into his performances.

“To me, the most avant-garde music is the music of the Ba-Benzélé people of the Ituri forest,” he says, “because their music is so far from the materialism of music and so close to nature. A Ba-Benzélé can pick up a bamboo piece, saw it off, blow over its top and make music. I approach electronics and post-production in that same spirit of organic exploration.”

Karuna Trio
With the Karuna Trio, Adam Rudolph, Hamid Drake and Ralph M. Jones bring their unique and evolved rhythmic and sonic languages to the fore, reaching to inspire audiences through spirited dialogue. Called “a pioneer in world music” by the New York Times, Rudolph leads a number of innovative ensembles including the Go: Organic Orchestra, Moving Pictures, and Hu Vibrational and has worked with such masters as Yusef Lateef, Don Cherry, Sam Rivers, Pharoah Sanders, Jon Hassell and Wadada Leo Smith. Incorporating Afro-Cuban, Indian and African percussion into his expansive jazz language, Drake has collaborated with a wide variety of legendary artists including Herbie Hancock, Don Cherry, Archie Shepp, Fred Anderson and David Murray. Jones’ career has seen him sharing the stage and the studio with such greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Wadada Leo Smith, Yusef Lateef and the MC5. The three have shared histories that stretch back five decades, including collaborations in Moving Pictures and the Eternal Wind quartet.

David Bixler | Blended Lineage

From David Bixler: Blended Lineage follows the release of my first recording in several years, In the Face of Chaos, as a part of what I have embraced as my artistic reemergence. A traumatic brain injury suffered by my youngest son necessitated a shift in my priorities for much of the last decade-a period in which we as a family devoted much of our energy to the circumstances of our son. As he stabilized, I had a realization that this was the new normal, and it was time to re-enter the realm of creative music, but with a perspective and energy gracefully changed and informed by my family’s circumstances.

Blended Lineage is a four-movement work composed for nine musicians; the product of a commission with the directive of writing music based on the concept of modern-day tribes. As I thought about the word tribe, it occurred to me that while helpful in identifying a group, the word tribe can also be divisive and one-dimensional, and therefore I went about framing this concept in the positive. An examination of my world identified four ‘tribes’ of which I am a member: the human race, a Wisconsinite, a musician, and those who attempt to pursue a path of creativity and generosity as an alternative to the dehumanizing transactional strivings that permeate much of our present culture. The music I composed serves as a reflection of each of the four groups. The first piece, Origins is written for the beauty and diversity that exists through all of humanity. Motherland is an homage to my native Wisconsin. Trenches is dedicated to the musicians in NYC who choose to lean into the music daily as well as their economic reality resulting from that choice. My Soul Swoons Softly, the final piece, takes its title from James Joyce’s, The Dead, and is a reflection on the spiritual reality that exists beyond what can be seen and touched and gives hope in this world. 

For this recording I selected eight musicians that delivered on every aspect of their musicianship that was required for the realization of this music. I am grateful for the musicians that brought more to the music then I originally conceived. Trumpeter Mike Rodriguez, pianist Jon Cowherd, bassist Luke Sellick, percussionist Fabio Rojas, and a string quartet comprised of violinists Judith Ingolfsson, Heather Martin Bixler, violist Josh Kail, and cellist Rubin Kodheli who come together to form an incredible ensemble that deftly navigates the complexities and moods of the music.

The suite beings with Origins a composition invites the listener on a long journey that begins with the string quartet sculpting the ether as the main theme is introduced by the alto over a shifting sonic landscape. The sustained theme continues over the rhythm section as a 6/8 feel is introduced. Pianist Cowherd interjects thoughts between the melodic statements which foreshadow his probing piano solo. While the piano solo continues, the strings are reintroduced and the journey to the conclusion of the piece is underway as several different ideas are introduced that compete for the listener’s attention. On Motherland the strings are given a rest while the jazz quintet presents the listener with a musical evocation of the open landscape of my youth. The piece serves as a vehicle for an alto and trumpet duet which is followed by another offering from Cowherd. The third movement, Trenches begins with a funky ostinato that is a constant throughout the entire piece even as it shifts moods and meters. It features an incredible trumpet solo over the ostinato by Mike Rodriguez that is followed by an abrupt tempo change as a dialogue between the horns and strings ensues. Alto and piano solos are followed by a drum solo from Fabio Rojas. It concludes with a return of the ostinato with punctuations from the strings. The recording counter-intuitively climaxes with the reflective My Soul Swoons Slowly. The piece and the alto solo are my attempt at conveying the beauty and grace found in the words Joyce uses so powerfully to frame ideas and represent emotions in his story.

Blended Lineage is the first of two recordings for this ensemble. Another recording, The Hughes Project, which features the Bixtet performing musical ruminations on the poetry of Langston Hughes is near completion. These new recordings along with LINER NOTES with David Bixler, a new podcast available on iTunes and Google Play, collectively represent the declaration of a repurposed take on my life as a musician.

Guitarist and oud master Gordon Grdina releases "Resist"

Resist, via Irabagast Records, unites Grdina’s long-standing trio with his East Van Strings quartet, joined by acclaimed saxophonist Jon Irabagon for a remarkable new suite blending progressive jazz and classical influences

Resistance comes in many forms. For Vancouver-based guitarist and oud player Gordon Grdina, standing up to the corruption and divisive rhetoric that dominates the political conversation today takes the form of bringing a diverse range of people together to create beauty for beauty’s sake. With Resist, due out April 10, 2020 from Irabagast Records, Grdina bridges a number of worlds with an ambitious and passionate new suite of music.

Released not long after his trio album Nomad (January 10, 2020, Skirl Records), an explosive date with pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Jim Black, Resist reveals a very different side of Grdina’s expansive musical personality. The album’s centerpiece is the 23-minute title track, a sprawling new work that blurs the lines between forward-thinking jazz and contemporary classical approaches. It features a stellar ensemble that brings together two of the composer’s most long-running ensembles in an entirely new configuration, with the addition of the versatile multi-reedist Jon Irabagon on tenor and sopranino saxophones.

The Gordon Grdina Septet fuses the bandleader’s East Van Strings, with cellist Peggy Lee, violinist Jesse Zubot and violist Eyvind Kang; with Grdina’s triomates, bassist Tommy Babin and drummer Kenton Loewen. Both of these ensembles boast more than a decade of experience together, bringing a deep understanding of Grdina’s intricate vocabulary. Joining forces for the first time, they offer an astounding palette for Grdina’s compositions, which veer from the lush and intimate to the violently abstract. Irabagon contributes the boundless with and inventiveness that he’s become known for through his own eclectic projects as well as bands such as the Dave Douglas Quintet and Mostly Other People Do the Killing. 

The music for Resist was originally composed for a special concert at the 2016 TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival. With the Brexit vote having recently stunned the world and Donald Trump rising in the polls in his native Canada’s neighbor to the south, Grdina saw the need to express his feelings over this surging global turmoil.

“It seemed like there was a huge change happening socially and politically,” Grdina says. “Xenophobia, homophobia and racism were raising their heads again, and it’s only gotten worse since then. I wondered, ‘What can I do?’ I wanted to dedicate this music to everybody that’s fighting against these ideas all the time, whether they’re doing it as a defendant or just at the dinner table. Making art is a political act; it’s important for humanity, to make our lives better and to express our resistance to these hindrances.”

The centerpiece of the album is the title track, a 23-minute suite that responds to the issues confronting artists and the public at large through a broad span of emotions, from melancholy through despair to a steely resolve. The piece opens with intricately interwoven strings, as a forlorn melody is interrupted with sudden, searing stabs. Babin eventually enters with a stealthy, rumbling undercurrent before introducing a staggered rhythmic feel in tandem with Loewen. The full ensemble breaks into an urgent lope that spawns a taut, sinuous solo from Irabagon. Babin’s low moan provides the foundation for Grdina’s oud in an evocative sequence that gives way to a barrage of agitated percussive textures. The whole reconvenes into a gorgeous, swelling finale that is equal parts mournful and cautiously optimistic.

With a life beyond a single concert in mind for his new piece, Grdina composed “Resist” with a modular vision, thinking of it as a suite of self-contained sections that could be taken on their own as vehicles for improvisation. “The Middle” isolates the minimalist abstraction of the suite’s center section, in this version becoming even more ferocious and tense in its scraping strings and knotty sopranino. “Ever Onward” revisits the oud section as the piece gains scale and momentum around Grdina’s expressive, impassioned playing.

The album is rounded out by a pair of compositions that showcase different facets of members of the ensemble. Grdina’s study of classical guitar is beautifully encapsulated in the succinct but moving solo interlude “Seeds,” while Irabagon joins the trio with Loewen and Babin for the off-kilter bop tune “Varscona.” Named for the hotel in Edmonton where it was written, “Varscona” is hard driving and tightly coiled, shining the spotlight on the muscularity of the rhythm section as well as Irabagon’s probing imagination.

“Making art is a political act,” Grdina concludes. “Writing this piece and putting it together is simply about that: it’s important in this world to stand up for what you believe in. We’re trying to create music that adds something beautiful into the world, and through that to reflect the world that we want to live in.”

Gordon Grdina is a JUNO Award winning oud player/guitarist whose career has spanned continents, decades and constant genre exploration throughout avant-garde jazz, free form improvisation, contemporary indie rock and classical Arabic music. His singular approach to the instruments has earned him recognition from the highest ranks of the jazz/improv world. Grdina has studied, composed, performed and collaborated with a wide array of field-leading artists including Colin Stetson, Gary Peacock, Paul Motion, Jerry Granelli, Mats Gustafsson, Dan Mangan, Mark Feldman, Eyvind Kang, Matt Mitchell and Jim Black.