New Music Releases: Chien Chien Lu, Afro Soul Prophecy, Invisible Session

Chien Chien Lu - Path

Imagine a record that starts with a fantastic reading of a Roy Ayers' tune, then just gets better as things go on – and that's very much what you'll get here, in this sweet set from vibist Chien Chien Lu! The record's got Chien Chien ringing out on these bold, well-placed notes – recording in Brooklyn, and hitting a sound that's up there with the best of the contemporary NY scene, but with some nice echoes of the past in the way she uses the vibes – full, rich, and very soulful. The rest of the group features work from Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, and Shdrick Mitchell on piano and organ – and in addition to a killer remake of "We Live In Brooklyn", the set features tunes that include "The Imaginary Enemy", "Blossom In A Stormy Night", "Blue In Green", "Invitation", "Tears & Love", and "Mo Better Blues".  ~ Dusty Groove

Afro Soul Prophecy - Heat In The City

A bright new groove on the Schema Records label – but one that features work from some of the company's real heavyweights in recent years – as the album was conceived and produced by Lucio Cantone (aka Invisible Session), and features tunes written by the funky Alex Puddu – all in a style that's heavy on the 70s funk influences that grace the music of both artists! The lineup's nice and jazzy, too – and features lots of tenor work from Timo Lassy, next to vibes, trumpet, guitar, and warm lines on both Hammond organ and Wurlitzer piano – all with a feel that's part funk, part soundtrack – yet served up in the best Schema way, which means that things go far past just being a retro rehash of the past! Titles include "Fire In Acapulco", "Heat In The City", "Everybody's Going Uptown", "Red Light District", and "The Crowd Pleaser". CD features the bonus tracks "Summer Of 75" and "The Game Of Love".  ~ Dusty Groove

Invisible Session - Echoes Of Africa

There's plenty of Afro Funk influence in this album from Invisible Session – a long-running act who've given us a number of excellent records on the Schema label – but there's also plenty of the group's own spirit too, thanks in part to trombone and keyboards from the mighty Gianluca Petrella, who keeps plenty of the core jazzy elements intact! Leader Luciano Cantone wrote and produced the album – and brings in his own keyboards and vibes next to the rhythm programs that direct the proceedings – which also feature acoustic drums and percussion, more horn work, and vocals on two tracks – although most of the record is instrumental. In a way, the group's going for a hybrid of styles that's similar to the Latin-based albums that Gerardo Frisina has done on the Schema label – a similarly strong mix of inspirations and new expressions, on titles that include "People All Around The World Can Make It", "Hearing The Call", "Pull The Handbrake", "Journey To The East", "Mother Forgive Us", and "Ideas Can Make The World". ~ Dusty Groove

Jane Ira Bloom & Mark Helias: Some Kind of Tomorrow

Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and bassist Mark Helias come together to create duets discovered in the moment in a way that is rarely heard today with Some Kind of Tomorrow. The long time bandmates, separated by space and time find a way to play in real time with one another and the results are magical. Two master improvisers and composers bring listeners up-close and personal to the first spark of their imaginations at work, recording eleven duet improvisations over the spring, summer, and fall of 2020. The music is raw, authentic, intimate, alive, and unapologetic in its passion. Their sound is deep wood and polished brass recorded with a depth that is hard to describe. They played the music, recorded it, mastered it firsthand and are now making it available to listeners for the first time as a digital download on Bandcamp. Don’t miss these fearless jazz explorers as they face the future. 

Statements from Jane Ira Boom & Mark Helias:

"Here are the improvised duets that bassist Mark Helias and I created in the spring, summer, and fall of 2020 on the internet. The thought of a world without a live, spontaneous musical connection was too hard to imagine and so we came to these sessions over the internet with an emotional thirst that’s hard to describe. The music is discovered in the moment in a way that I’ve never recorded before. The sound is filled with everything that we felt and couldn’t say in words. There is a vibration between us that’s uncanny given the circumstances and a deep need to play what was real to us just then. It’s as real as it gets for two musicians who needed to create music together to try to find some way to mend the world."- Jane Ira Bloom

"In unprecedented times artists resort to unprecedented strategies to fulfill the need to create and relate. Being locked down has reframed my appreciation of the act of musical interaction and reaffirmed the decision that I made decades ago to explore music as a life’s work. The first time that Jane and I improvised together through Wi-Fi sometime in April or May 2020 was a very high experience on so many levels. We were sorting out the possibilities of making music remotely and assessing the technology and our relation to it. Once we made peace with the situation and the medium, listening, feeling, hearing and responding was the same as it ever was. Without a live audience we decided to complete the circle by documenting our efforts through recordings that we are now sharing with the public. This process has been enlivening in ways that I had not anticipated."- Mark Helias

Emmet Cohen | "Future Stride"

The sound of stride piano vividly evokes scenes from the past: the roaring nightclubs of 1920s Harlem, the raucous birth pangs of jazz’s nascent years, the gymnastic burlesques of risk-taking silent movie madcaps. But in the music of pianist/composer Emmet Cohen, the past is always present, if not venturing with sly turns into an open-eared future as we enter into a new iteration of the roaring 20s.

On his latest album, Cohen revisits one of the music’s earliest forms without a trace of quaintness or throwback pastiche by meticulously covering the genre’s lexicon spanning the past century and melding its context with “modern” music. With Future Stride, available now via Mack Avenue Records, he instead finds the immediacy in a stylistic approach that can speak volumes to modern listeners open to recognizing its thrilling vitality.

The new album comes following Cohen's win at the 2019 American Pianists Awards. He received a cash prize and two years of career advancement and support valued at over $100,000, making this one of the most coveted prizes in the music world and the largest for American jazz pianists. Cohen's recording contract with Mack Avenue Music Group was a part of the prize from the American Pianists Association as well. Cohen joins illustrious past winners including Sullivan Fortner, Aaron Diehl, Dan Tepfer, Aaron Parks and Adam Birnbaum, among esteemed others.

Though he’s made a point of connecting with masters from the past throughout his still-young career, Cohen pointedly invites a group of his peers to realize this project, including his longtime rhythm section partners, bassist Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole, along with two of modern jazz’s most progressive voices, trumpeter Marquis Hill and saxophonist Melissa Aldana.

“I find that all great art can be considered modern,” Cohen explains. “Whenever you listen to Stravinsky or watch Stanley Kubrick, when you read Shakespeare or look at Picasso, it remains the most modern, genius art that you can find. It allows people in every time period to feel and experience the same emotions relevant to the period that they live in. For me, stride piano belongs in that category; the music of Art Tatum and Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines and Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith has implications that can affect people today in a very deep manner.”

Where Future Stride began with a piece revived from nearly a century ago, it ends with a tune that explicitly points to the future, with a supple R&B influence that colors much of Cohen’s original music but has become one bold path for modern jazz to explore. The fact that a listener would be hard-pressed to point to one or the other of those poles as more “old-fashioned” or more “forward-looking” makes Cohen’s point more eloquently than words ever could: if emotion is conveyed from musician to listener, that emotion lives in the eternal now and the sound is always past, present and future.

Dopolarians New Album 'The Bond' (ft. William Parker, Brian Blade, Marc Franklin + more / Jazz)

Once upon a time, three musicians, who came of age together during the last century's thriving free jazz scene in Memphis, joined forces in far off Little Rock. And they were gifted, and it was good. Alto saxophonist Chad Fowler and pianist Christopher Parker were experimenters going back to the 1990s, hovering in the orbit of the famed University of Memphis jazz department, two Arkansas jammers sharing a house in the Bluff City. They did one-off sessions with the likes of Frank Lowe or George Cartwright, or in combos with local luminaries. Ultimately Fowler introduced Parker to a Memphis singer named Kelley Hurt. The years rolled on. 

Cut ahead a quarter century, and the three were living in Arkansas again, with Parker and Hurt now married, and all of them still committed to finding something fresh in jazz. When the couple was commissioned to write music in honor of the Little Rock Nine, the students who marched into Central High School in defiance of local segregationists in 1957, they recruited Fowler and another comrade from their Memphis years, trumpeter Marc Franklin, now an arranger and side man extraordinaire for the likes of Grammy-nominee Don Bryant. Parker and Hurt's creation would become the No Tears Suite, premiered in 2017 with much acclaim on the grounds of Central High itself; and it was for that project that the beat stepped in. And the beat came in the form of Brian Blade. 

Adding the magic of rhythm to the mix, the group coalesced into something great, something resembling Dopolarians. Blade left his native Shreveport at 18 to learn from the many jazz masters of New Orleans, then applied that experience to found the Fellowship Band. Along the way, he drummed for even more legends, from Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock to Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. Beyond his drumming, he distinguished himself as a composer and songwriter in his own right. 

While Blade's participation in No Tears Suite galvanized the group, and led to a stellar album of the same name, they weren't yet the Dopolarians. That group identity came about when other players were added to the combo, as Blade went on to his many other commitments.  

The experience of bringing Parker and Hurt's composition to life left the core trio hungry for more creation. Working with Blade led them to set their sights high, and by the spring of 2018 they'd recruited two stellar players, well versed in the intricacies of free jazz. Bassist William Parker, who first came to prominence in his native New York with Cecil Taylor, was a perfect addition to set their course for free horizons, having developed a deeply philosophical approach to music over the course of two books, even as he pursued his playing beyond conventional jazz bass, developing a refined bowing technique and impressive skills on the West African kora.  And with drummer Alvin Fielder, Jr., the newly formed group found a kind of shaman, a mentor to help set the tone for all that would follow. Having left his native Meridian, Mississippi to study phamacology, he nurtured his drumming with a passion, finally ending up in Chicago, where he played with Sun Ra, ca. 1960. From there, he became a charter member of the paradigm-shifting Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). This pillar of experimental jazz thus brought a wealth of experience to the group from Little Rock, and, as they prepared for their first recording session in New Orleans, adding the fabled saxophonist Kidd Jordan to the mix, they became Dopolarians. 

Their debut album, aptly titled Garden Party, was redolent of all the intimacy, beauty and wildness of a soiree in a Crescent City courtyard. And yet, to the players' great sorrow, it served as Fielder's swan song. He passed away in January, 2019, but his fellow Dopolarians, inspired by his memory, lived on.

Which brings us to The Bond, the group's latest offering to the gods of free expression and lyrical beauty, once again under the Mahakala Music imprint. With Fielder, their most inspiring force, having moved on, it was only fitting that they return to the beat that unlocked their potential in the first place: Brian Blade. And in this free context, Blade reveals his creative depths as never before, applying his acuity in the fleeting moments of creation, composer indeed. 

Also returning to the Dopolarians' fold is trumpeter Marc Franklin, filling Jordan's slot with brassier tones. In November of 2020, on the very day that the world breathed a collective sigh of relief over the defeat of a racist presidential incumbent, the group convened once again in Marigny Recording Studio, the very site of their initial sessions with Fielder. And what transpired was truly phenomenal, an achievement of musical telepathy and empathy equal to any in the free jazz tradition. In three extended pieces, “The Bond,” “The Emergence,” and “The Release,” the collective hive-mind of Brian Blade, Chad Fowler, Marc Franklin, Kelley Hurt, Christopher Parker, and William Parker conjures up a dream, an ineffable narrative, springing from the unconscious, and flying free in directions both gripping and glorious. 

David Walters Announces New Album 'Nocturne' ft. Ballaké Sissoko, Vincent Segal, Roger Raspail

“Never forget our past, our history” so goes the refrain at the end of “Mama” one of the songs from David Walters’s bold and affecting release from earlier this year on the Parisian label, Heavenly Sweetness, “Soleil Kreyol.”

On “Soleil Kreyol” David Walters achieved the apparent impossible - evoking such disparate worlds as New York’s ‘70s club culture and his own familial Afro-Caribbean roots, singing much of the album in Martinican Creole, against a shimmering, percussive soundtrack.

“Mama” returns on his latest, "Nocturne" in a stripped down version alongside a trio of master musicians: the renowned Malian kora musician Ballaké Sissoko, whose previous credits include Taj Mahal and  Toumani Diabaté; Sissoko's previous musical collaborator, French cellist/bassist Vincent Segal who also appeared on Walters's “Soleil Kreyol” and veteran percussionist, Roger Raspail, originally from Guadeloupe, who through his four decades has performed genres as diverse Congolese funk, Gnawa music from the Sahel and jazz.* 

What’s striking about Walters’s "Nocturne"  is that despite the players' diversity and the album's array of musical influences - album standout “Freedom” fluidly moves between Walters’s delicate falsetto to a rapped verse in a setting buffered by a pensive cello, interlocking percussion and kora - it remains fully cohesive throughout.

Opener “Papa Kossa" is an album highlight. Immediately ushering us into the album’s distinctive mood, which is in part innovative folk - think Mano Negra, albeit with a Martinican Creole base, rather than Spanish - and something uniquely its own: whispered melodies, in French, English and Martinican Creole, set against a bed of encircling rhythms and harmonies.

The Marseille-based composer/guitarist/vocalist David Walters has long created music that transcends fixed borders. Whether as a DJ/producer remixing the Buenos Aires/ Paris Gotan Project; as a founding member of Zimpala - an electro hip-hop collective - or during his travels to Africa, where he studied alongside Ali Farka Touré, Walters’s approach has always been refreshingly eclectic, albeit stamped with the imprint of his West Indies origins. Walters is Paris born, his mother is from Martinique, his father comes from Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Dating back to his first releases  - some of which appeared on Gotan Project's ¡Ya Basta! record label - David Walters has affirmed and reinvented his Afro-Caribbean musical ancestry, transforming this rich heritage into the foundations of his distinctive musical voice - reinterpreting, for example to “Mesi Bon Dyé” by the seminal Haitian composer Frantz Casseus for the label in the early 2000s.* While more than a decade later, Walters visited New Orleans for the "Nola is Calling" project that united musicians from the US, Benin and France.

In a cultural moment where the era's best music is characterized by multicultural, polyglot origins and focus on Black identity and culture, “Nocturne” provides a welcome French - or Martinican Creole - perspective. Because of the music's innovative, fully immersive nature  “Nocturne” will appeal to a wide range of listeners curious to engage with music that while deeply personal resonates widely. 

“Nocturne” is a profoundly moving and intimate listen: a new kind of folk music, with a French/Afro-Caribbean accent, that is modern and ancient at the same time. 

Vocalist Roseanna Vitro's Reissue of 1984 debut w/Kenny Barron Trio, "LISTEN HERE"

Vocalist ROSEANNA VITRO  – performer, recording artist, educator and journalist – reissues LISTEN HERE, the debut album that launched her career. Featuring veteran pianist Kenny Barron, the project ushered into the spotlight a formidable new artist with chops and sensitivity in equal measure – a galvanizing spirit who, having already proven she could move live audiences, now certified her power on vinyl. Though this is a first recording, Vitro shows herself a mature jazz singer. 

Vitro decided to re-release LISTEN HERE because the time was right. She and her husband Paul Wickliffe, an accomplished sound engineer with a storied career, recently became grandparents. Their perspective has changed. “It was time to take stock of my life and look back at my career,” she says.  “Some of my earlier records were never transferred to a digital format, so they are no longer available. And many reviewers and DJ’s who have known me over the years have moved on. I think these early recordings stand the test of time, and I want to introduce them to a new generation.” 

Esteemed jazz journalist Neil Tesser said in USA Today, “Roseanna can sing rings around half the vocalists you can name. Her warm, confident clarity of tone is immediately noticeable, but most startling is her boldness of phrasing.”  He might have added, “her unerring talent for finding the truth - through song, through the communal experience of sharing it.” The evidence can be heard easily. 

 

New Music Releases: Melody Gardot, Dario Margeli, Kaleidoscope

Melody Gardot - Sunset In The Blue

‘Sunset in the Blue’ is an exquisite collection of originals and covers, all centered around love and collaboration. It is an orchestral celebration of Melody Gardot’s jazz roots. She is reunited with the multi-Grammy award winning production team of her platinum-selling album ‘My One and Only Thrill’: Producer Larry Klein(Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock), arranger and composer Vince Mendoza (Björk, Robbie Williams, Elvis Costello) and the legendary engineer Al Schmitt (Frank Sinatra, Joao Gilberto, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney). An underlying theme of determination to create and evolve her craft has always been present in Melody Gardot’s work but never more so than during the production of ‘Sunset in the Blue’, despite all obstacles she has assembled a stunning new body of collaborations in this most challenging of times. 

Dario Margeli - Pure Spirit

The recording has real drums played by Big Ev. The jazz guitar players that have played on this recording include Hugh Williams from Florida and Philip Ockelford from Great Britain. It has a real bass guitar that gives the recording warmth and motion. The song has self-help and motivational lyrics that remind the listener that beyond form and thoughts they are pure spirit. That spirit is the watcher of the emotions, thoughts and pain. The lyrics says: "my pain is separate from me / I watch the pain lose power over me". Musical influences include many of the current contemporary electric jazz guitarists, such as Chris Standring, Chuck Loeb and Nick Colionne. Dario Margeli is based in Southern Europe. He is a US Citizen and spent many years living in California. After taking music theory lessons as a teenager, he started writing his own melodies. Since the release of his first recording in 2011, Dario has combined his day job with his musical productions which include the Smooth Jazz songs "I'm Not My Brain" and 2019's "Suffering is Optional", which received significant airplay and streams.

Kaleidoscope – New Spirits Known & Unknown

A glittering constellation of groundbreaking jazz from the contemporary UK scene – a world of jazz that's changed dramatically over the past decade or so, with huge new advances in sound and styles in a range of different directions! The changes going on are a bit like some of those that have taken place in our city too – musicians who embrace jazz ideals at the core, but who are also open to so many musical modes that have developed in recent decades – so that the core performance is often blended with production elements, editing, and other touches – all in a way that has the music strongly reborn for a whole new generation! If you're worried about tricks or gimmicks that might get in the way of the music, don't be – because the depth of soul and sense of spirit on these tracks is wonderful – as you might know if you've been digging releases from some of these artists in our racks of late. And as usual, Soul Jazz have done a superb job – both with song selection and overall presentation – making the whole thing a complete delight! Titles include "Candace Of Meroe" by Theon Cross, "Pokus One" by Pokus, "Walrus" by Emma-Jean Thackray, "90 Degrees" by Yazmin Lacey, "Communication Control" by Hector Plimmer, "Long Way Home (live at the Crypt)" by Ill Considered, "Ancient World" by Nat Birchall, "Moonlight Woman" by Ruby Rushton, "Thunder Perfect" by Cromagnon Band, "Tanner's Tango" by Joe Armon Jones & Maxwell Owin, "Odyssey" by Levitation Orchestra, "Mosaic" by The Expansions, "When The World Was One" by Matthew Halsall, "Dimmsdale" by Ebi Soda, "Red Planet" by Chip Wickham, "Kito's Theme" by Ishmael Ensemble, "Yellow Ochre (part 1)" by Vels Trio, and "Mirrors" by Seed Ensemble.  ~ Dusty Groove

Elina Duni, Rob Luft, Fred Thomas, Matthieu Michel : Lost Ships

Lost Ships is the first collaborative album from Elina Duni and Rob Luft. Their programme of songs of love and exile has been gathering momentum since 2017, when the Albanian-Swiss singer and the British guitarist began their collaboration at a series of workshops in Lausanne. And what started as a kind of enhanced version of Duni's solo Partir project, with Luft expanding the atmospheric sound-world of the songs with electronics and effects, has developed into a partnership where musical parameters are established by both artists, with guitar often effectively a second voice. Along the way the duo has been augmented by distinguished guests. On Lost Ships British multi-instrumentalist Fred Thomas – heard here on piano and percussion - and Swiss flugelhornist Matthieu Michel make significant contributions to the overarching concept. 

"This is an album about contemporary issues facing us all," Duni and Luft explain in an introductory liner note.  Alluded to in song texts and in choice of sources, the migration crisis - a theme explored on Partir - is again a central issue. Lost Ships is "also an album about places we've been and loved," including "places that no longer exist or continue to exist only as a fragment of our imagination."

Material is drawn from many idioms and locations: "There are songs that touch upon past influences, with the sound of Albania and Mediterranean folklore ever-present.  We wanted to explore other musical roots, too: timeless jazz ballads, French chanson, American folk song…"  The broad range of music addressed runs from traditional pieces to original compositions, via songs made famous by Frank Sinatra and Charles Aznavour. "Alongside the gravity that is found in many of the pieces, there is a lightness that pervades throughout, and we believe that this light can and will outshine these troubled times…"  Duni sings in four languages this time – Albanian, English, French, Italian -  a modest total by her own standards (she sang in nine languages on Partir),  and seems to make all of them her own. "Duni's voice is remarkable," the UK's Jazz Journal has observed, "for while it is crystal clear in its multilingual enunciation it is also intimate and expressive in tone."

Born in Tirana, Albania, in 1981, Elina Duni made her first steps on the stage as a singer aged five, singing for National Radio and Television. In 1992, she settled in Geneva, where she started studying classical piano and subsequently discovered jazz. Jazz studies at the Hochschule der Künste in Bern led to the formation of her quartet with Colin Vallon, Patrice Moret and Norbert Pfammatter, a group that lasted for more than 10 years.  The band's interweaving of Balkan folk songs and improvising on albums including the ECM releases Matanë Malit (Beyond the Mountain) and Dallëndyshe (The Swallow), was widely praised for its subtly and adroitness.

The range and reach of Duni's music, in terms of idioms broached, was enlarged with Partir, and continues to grow. Rob Luft, also drawing upon a wide range of influences, addresses its challenges creatively. Luft, who makes his ECM debut here, was born in South London in 1993. He began playing with Britain's National Youth Jazz Orchestra at 15, before going on to study at the  Royal Academy of Music. On graduating in 2016 he received the academy's Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize; the judges, including Evan Parker and Nick Smart, drew attention to Luft's capacities as improviser, arranger and writer. Subsequently, he has recorded as a leader for the Edition label and worked with musicians including Django Bates, Martin Speake, Kit Downes, Iain Ballamy, Tommy Smith, and many others. Luft is the co-author, with Duni, of several pieces on Lost Ships, including the title track, as well as "Numb", "Brighton", "Flying Kites", "Lux" and "Empty Streets."

Fred Thomas, born 1985 in London, is also making his ECM debut here. Increasingly in-demand as an arranger and producer as well as a player of many instruments, Thomas's broad experience runs from classical music to jazz, transcultural projects and music for theatre. As well as leading his own diverse projects, he has collaborated with Brian Eno, Martin Speake/Ethan Iverson, Jordi Savall, Jarvis Cocker, Kadialy Kouyate and many more and worked as musical director with the National Theatre and Shakespeare's Globe. 

Matthieu Michel, born 1963 in Freiburg im Üechtland, Switzerland, first recorded for ECM in 2013, as a member of Susanne Abbuehl's ensemble on The Gift.  He is currently a member of Michel Benita's quartet and can be heard on the group's new album, Looking At Sounds. Matthieu Michel's considerable discography includes recordings with the Vienna Art Orchestra, Richard Galliano, Christian and Wolfgang Muthspiel and many others.

Lost Ships was recorded at Studios la Buissonne in the South of France in February 2020.

CD booklet includes all song texts and an introductory note by Elina Duni and Rob Luft.

The Comet Is Coming Releases Exclusive Singles "Imminent" and "Super Zodiac - Noss DJ Remix"

"The London-based trio The Comet Is Coming-made up of the saxophonist King Shabaka, the percussionist Betamax, and the keyboardist Danalogue-thrusts empyrean jazz into an apocalyptic future, where raucous psych rock and danceable electro-grooves ride lush tenor lines to outer space."  -THE NEW YORKER

The Comet is Coming follows up the band's globally successful 2019 projects Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery and The Afterlife with two new pulsating singles and a music video. "Imminent," featuring Joshua Idehen was previously released only in physical format as an exclusive RSD Black Friday 12" vinyl, with a DJ Noss remix of the standout track "Super Zodiac" on Side B. Last week, Impulse! Records digitally released the pair of roaring singles and can be streamed here. Released today is the fast-paced, gritty lyric video for "Imminent" directed by the trio's frequent collaborator Jordan Copeland (Tentacle Films Production). 

Copeland set out to produce and direct the "Imminent" video as a cosmic collage of performances with Joshua Idehen's profound lyrics layered in. Unable to travel due to Covid restrictions, Jordan Copeland was remarkably able to remotely direct Joshua Idehen's incendiary performance in Sweden from his studio in East London. The result is a vibrant, gritty, lyric video that perfectly matches the blistering intensity of the track. 

"Joshua ignites a firestorm of rage and contemplation, hope and despair, clearing a space for truth to reveal itself in the midst of the party," raves the trio. In 2016, The Comet is Coming had asked Joshua Idehen to join the group in a commission project for an East London festival, and performed the beat to him. Reminiscing, Joshua Idehen claims he "didn't really think about it, I just started rhyming along, and when the second part came in, I was so worked up I started performing my poem "Black Says." He had written the chorus ages ago (and released it in 2014 with LV on Islands) after witnessing an incident surrounded by police lines. Regarding the victim, he recalls "a lady saying "his time is imminent," and my dumb brain didn't let me forget it."  

Pino Palladino, Blake Mills: 'Just Wrong' from Notes With Attachments

Notes With Attachments, the new album from renowned bassist Pino Palladino and celebrated multi-instrumentalist and producer Blake Mills, is set for release March 12 via New Deal / Impulse!. Initially conceived as a solo record for Palladino, Notes With Attachments quickly evolved into a fully collaborative work centered around the two artists' love for experimentation.

"With a song like this, built in layers, at various points along the road you look around and go: what is this? Where is the composition? Sometimes you end up drawing the blueprints of the house after it's fully been built," says Mills about "Just Wrong." That process touches every song on the record, which typically began with Palladino's own melodic and rhythmic language and developed outward with references shared by the two musicians from West African and Cuban music, funk, jazz, and English folk. 

"It all evolved from me playing Blake a few ideas, getting a reaction from [him] and seeing if he'd be interested in working on [them]," Palladino explains. "As the project evolved in the first few weeks and months-even though the music was mostly coming from my original ideas, some of which I'd had for quite a while-[because of] Blake's response to the ideas, it dawned on both of us that it would be a collaborative record."

Recorded in stages over two and a half years, Notes With Attachments brings together a preeminent group of musicians from the worlds of jazz, R&B, pop, and beyond: the drummer Chris Dave (D'Angelo, Anderson .Paak); the innovative saxophonists Sam Gendel, Marcus Strickland, and Jacques Schwartz-Bart; the keyboardist Larry Goldings (James Taylor, John Scofield); and others. It is both a producers' album and a players' album, exploring bits of musical vocabulary common to the two musicians, then defamiliarizing them.

Two-time Grammy Awards Producer of the Year nominee Blake Mills has released four solo albums and produced and recorded with artists such as Alabama Shakes, Fiona Apple, Bob Dylan, John Legend, Perfume Genius, Jim James, Moses Sumney, Laura Marling, Phoebe Bridgers, Cass McCombs, The Killers, Sara Bareilles, Weyes Blood and Randy Newman. His most recent album Mutable Set, released last year, was praised by Pitchfork as "a hushed collection that floats through the subconscious like a tender dream" and earned their Best New Music title.

Pino Palladino is a Grammy Award winning songwriter, producer and bassist who helped create the rhythm-section sound of D'Angelo's Voodoo and Black Messiah, and over a four-decade career has worked with artists including Keith Richards, Erykah Badu, Eric Clapton, Nine Inch Nails, Questlove, John Mayer, Paul Simon, Jeff Beck, Herbie Hancock and Adele. 

Dino Saluzzi: Albores

Recorded in Buenos Aires last year, Albores [Dawn] is among Dino Saluzzi's most intimate albums, featuring the great Argentine bandoneonist alone with the instrument that has been his constant companion since childhood.

ECM has documented Saluzzi's work in many different creative contexts over the years, but it was as a solo performer that he made his first major statement for the label, with Kultrum (recorded 1982) and then Andina (1988). His bandoneon soliloquies hold a special fascination. To hear Dino playing solo is to hear him thinking aloud, in music that traces aspects of a long life and reflects upon friendships and on spiritual matters, drawing inspiration from the arts and from everyday reality. Like one of his permanent references, Jorge Luis Borges, Saluzzi combines memories, meditations, and imaginative flights in the creation of his own world. "Albores is the outcome of more than six decades of understanding music as the product of reason and discernment," writes Luján Baudino in the liner notes, "the act of capturing feelings in the depth of the soul."

Often characterised as a "storytelling" musician, Saluzzi's tales are multi-layered and allusive.

The album opens with "Adiós Maestro Kancheli", a tribute to the Georgian composer Giya Kancheli, who died in 2019. Saluzzi played some of Kancheli's melodies on the album Themes from the Songbook, recorded in 2010. In his prayerful homage on Albores, Saluzzi alludes to Andean music, a long way from the Caucasus Mountains, perhaps recognising a common bond with another composer whose natural habitat was not the conservatory. 

For his part, Saluzzi often refers, in his music, to the small villages of his childhood and to the working-class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires in its golden age. He's a poet of both the streets and the countryside. "Intimo" paints a picture of "spring reflected in the lights of a yesteryear Buenos Aires." In "Don Caye - Variaciones sobre obra de Cayetano Saluzzi" he recalls the sounds of his father's music, the sounds that launched Dino on his long journey. As Dino has said: "We didn't get any information through the radio or through albums, and there wasn't any knowledge of academic music or symphonic music or formal concerts when I was very young. But still my father was able to transmit a musical education to me."

In "La Cruz del Sur" Saluzzi draws upon what Lújan Baudino calls "the ancestral sound": "The tune expresses the sorrow characteristic from the history of Latin America. It permeates Saluzzi's sound so that he remains mindful of his origins."

Dino Saluzzi was born in 1935 in the Northwest Argentine province of Salta. After first learning music in the context of the family, he went on to study in Buenos Aires, then returned to the Salta region, consciously embracing its sounds in the new music he was writing then. From the outset, however, he steered clear of rigid stylistic demarcation, and collaborated with musicians across the genres – these including Gato Barbieri, who sought Dino's help for the rediscovery of his own cultural roots on Chapter One: Latin America. 

Since the early 1980s Dino has appeared in many contexts on ECM, from solo and duo to ensembles and orchestral music. Several recordings feature his family band: these include Mojotoro (1991), Juan Condori (2005) and El Valle de la Infancia (2013). Dino's son, guitarist José Maria, also joins his father in trios completed by Marc Johnson (Cite de la musique, 1997) and Palle Danielsson (Responsorium, 2001). Other meetings with jazz musicians are Once Upon A Time Far Away in the South, with Charlie Haden, Palle Mikkelborg and Pierre Favre (1985), Volver with Enrico Rava (1986), and a duo recording with Jon Christensen (Senderos, 2002). Dino's pieces for string quartet and bandoneon were recorded with the Rosamunde Quartet (Kultrum, 1998), and there were further collaborations with cellist Anja Lechner, as on Ojos Negros (2006). Dino, Anja Lechner and Dino's saxophonist brother Felix Saluzzi were the soloists with the Metropole Orchestra on El Encuentro, where Dino's music was conducted by Jules Buckley (2009). Subsequently, Dino and Felix Saluzzi and Anja Lechner formed a new trio, documented on Navidad de Los Andes (2010). Dino's compositions for solo piano were recorded by Horacio Lavendera on Imágenes (2013). 

The highly evocative quality of Dino Saluzzi's music has been noted by directors and his work been integrated into important films including Jean-Luc Godard's Nouvelle Vague and Histoire(s) du Cinéma, Pedro Almodóvar's All About My Mother, and most recently Fernando Meirelles' The Two Popes. 

Albores was recorded at Saluzzi Music Studios between February and October 2019; the album was produced by Manfred Eicher.

CD booklet includes liner notes by Luján Baudino in Spanish and English, and photographs by Juan Hitters, Lisa Franz and Gérard de Haro.

Saxophonist Andrew Van Tassel Announces the Release of Shape-Shifter

Saxophonist, composer, and educator Andrew Van Tassel draws inspiration from a broad palette of genres: bebop/hard bop, fusion, indie rock, classical music, and more. His upcoming release on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records (BJUR 072), Shape-Shifter (his sophomore release), reflects this multifaceted approach that ultimately produces music distinctly his own, while unveiling compelling explorations with electronics in a contemporary jazz ensemble context. The pursuit of diverse interests is the cornerstone of Van Tassel’s approach to life and music, and he elaborates on this open-minded existence: “The natural world we live in constantly evolves, growing from and fading into different shapes throughout the seasons. Flowers bloom, then whither and find their way back to soil; winds blow their remnants to unknown places, where they might find a landing place to ultimately enrich soil and offer the chance for growth in a new form. Thank goodness our world doesn’t remain stagnant. It evolves. It shifts shape. Here’s to hoping we can learn to open our hearts and minds to better understand how to open ourselves up for change. Thanks for listening. We hope it takes you somewhere.” 

The band Van Tassel assembled for Shape-Shifter features budding stars on the NYC jazz scene whom have collaborated with some of the most decorated stars on the scene, including Michael Mayo – voice, Lucas Hahn – piano, Wurlitzer, Alex Goodman – guitar, Rick Rosato – bass, Kush Abadey – drums and Alex Van Gils – live electronics and processing. His previous album, It’s Where You Are (Tone Rogue Records), received international praise from jazz critics and was recognized as a top 10 release by multiple publications. An original composition from the record garnered attention as a recipient of the 2017 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. 

Andrew has performed as a leader at several of New York’s most esteemed venues, including The Jazz Gallery, ShapeShifter Lab, the Cornelia Street Café, the Bar Next Door, Rockwood Music Hall, and more. As a sideman he has performed with an array of bands across genres, including the Grammy-nominated Terraza Big Band. 

He studied at some of the most prestigious music schools in the world, including the Manhattan School of Music and New England Conservatory. While earning his Master’s Degree on scholarship at NEC, he honed his skills under the tutelage of jazz luminaries Jerry Bergonzi, Donny McCaslin, John McNeil, and MacArthur Fellows Jason Moran and Miguel Zenon. Andrew now gives back to the musical community, donating his time as Associate Artistic Director of Musical Mentors Collaborative, Inc. He has also served as a guest artist and clinician at distinguished schools across the country. 

As a performer and composer, he has received accolades by the likes of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), the Loyola Jazz Festival, the University of North Carolina, and more. 

Andrew leads a double life as a musician and a member of the Investor Relations team at the D. E. Shaw group, a global investment management and technology development firm. Experience in finance has allowed Andrew to view music through a new lens. His daily work has led to a deeper understanding of the impact of a single phrase or detail in the context of a whole work. As a result, Andrew has a renewed sense of how phrasing and details impact the stories that come across in his compositions and playing. His work in finance has also made him a better listener; he is now more cognizant of others' needs and how to better understand them. This has translated to the bandstand, enabling Andrew to home in on the needs of his bandmates during moments of spontaneous collaboration, leading to more interplay in his music. 

 

JON BATISTE ANNOUNCES POWERFUL AND GENRE-DEFYING NEW ALBUM WE ARE SET FOR RELEASE MARCH 19

Multi Grammy & Emmy nominated recording artist, TV star and activist Jon Batiste announces a new single "I Need You" from his forthcoming 'black pop' album WE ARE. The album is set for worldwide release on March 19 (Verve Records). The new single is available now, along with a new music video directed by Alan Ferguson (Camilla Cabello, Jay-Z) and choreographed by the Emmy nominated Jemel McWillams (John Legend, Janelle Monáe). The video stars Batiste as the lead man and lead dancer, fronting a high-octane ensemble of dancers

On "I Need You" Batiste showcases his vocal range, accompanied by his once-in-a-generation musicianship. Produced and written in collaboration with songwriter Autumn Rowe and producer Kizzo, the song is communal and deceptively sophisticated. It fuses the sound of early 20th century black social music, with modern pop production and a hint of hip-hop storytelling. He expertly alternates between belting high notes in full voice, to singing harmony with himself on the choruses, to delivering the verses in a 'farm rap' style. Batiste then dives into two killer instrumental breaks on both piano and saxophone - all in less than 3 minutes.

"This song is a vibe cleanse. After 2020, this is like a warm hug," says Batiste. "Let's bring the vibes back!"

The video stars Jon as both a charming leading man and a bandleader with a sly nod to Little Richard and James Brown. It pays homage to Harlem era swing dances of the 1920s, 30s and 40s, with hints of New Wave film. Featuring swing and Lindy Hop choreography from Emmy-nominated choreographer Jemel McWilliams and directed by Alan Ferguson, the video brims with healing energy and unbridled joy. The video made its broadcast premiere today on MTV Live, BET Soul, and mtvU.

"I Need You" is the second single from Jon's highly anticipated album WE ARE. The first was the titular track, released as an accompanying anthem to Batiste's nationally recognized musical protests in New York City last summer.

WE ARE represents a completely new sonic chapter for Jon Batiste. Inviting some of the most esteemed creative minds to assist in birthing the album, he reached the finish line smack in the middle of the first wave of the worldwide pandemic and volatile social unrest. The result is a body of work characterized by the consciousness of Marvin Gaye, the grounded optimism of Stevie Wonder, the iconoclasm of Thelonious Monk and the swagger of Mannie Fresh.

Alongside songwriter Autumn Rowe and producer Kizzo, Batiste wrote and planned much of the project in about a week from his dressing room at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he's the musical director and bandleader. WE ARE was recorded in New York, Los Angeles and in his native New Orleans, melding inspiration from his new home and new collaborators with that of the Batiste musical dynasty. The album was also recorded in between sessions for Disney/Pixar's 2020 hit film Soul­, which saw Batiste's music — and hands — incorporated into the animation about a teacher who dreams of being a jazz pianist.

Batiste presents a captivating musical experience to the world rooted in catharsis, joy, freedom, contemplation and sensuality. It's a love letter to his southern roots and the heritage of Black Music with guest appearances by Mavis Staples, Quincy Jones, Zadie Smith, PJ Morton, Trombone Shorty, St Augustine Marching 100, his father Michael Batiste, grandfather David Gauthier and many more. It is a meditation steeped in the sounds of the times with collaborators including POMO (Anderson.Paak), Ricky Reed (Lizzo), Jahaan Sweet (Drake, Eminem) and others. 

"I'm publicly known for some things already," says Batiste. "But there's so much more to know about me. It's always been there. Now is the time to show the world my full artistry."

Batiste continues, "WE ARE is a message of love for humanity, of humble reverence for our past, and of a hopeful future, in which we are the ones who can save us. The art reveals its motive to you. You just have to wait for the Spirit to tell you what it wants."

One of the best-known musicians of his generation, virtuoso pianist, singer, bandleader, educator and television personality Jon Batiste has spent his career bringing that music back to where it started — that is, with the people. From his days at Juilliard, where he established his Stay Human band by playing around New York City's subways and in street performances he called "love riots," to his work since 2015 as the bandleader and musical director of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the Kenner, Louisiana native has consistently channeled his superb technical skill and deep knowledge of jazz tradition towards a specific, intentional purpose: making people's lives better and brighter, one harmonaboard (that's harmonica and keyboard, combined) solo at a time.

Born into Louisiana's legendarily musical Batiste family, Jon has performed and recorded widely since his teens; his 2013 album, Social Music, spent weeks atop the Billboard and iTunes jazz charts. Batiste tapped T Bone Burnett to produce his Verve debut, Hollywood Africans, which received wide acclaim when it was released in 2018 — the Wall Street Journal called it "an elegant meditation." His version of "St. James Infirmary Blues" also earned him his first Grammy nomination in 2019, in the Best American Roots Performance category.

His flexibility as an artist, his fluency in jazz as well as popular music of all stripes, has allowed him to collaborate with legends from Wynton Marsalis, a mentor since his Juilliard days, to Prince — as well as many of the widely-varied artists who appear on the Late Show. Batiste's marquee performances have ranged from the Grammy's, to the Kennedy Center Honors, to the US Open and the NBA All-Star Game — in 2015, Batiste and the Stay Human Band became the first group to play the main stage at both the Newport Jazz and Folk festivals.

Batiste played himself on the HBO series Treme and appeared in director Spike Lee's Red Hook Summer — most recently, his music was featured in the 2020 Disney/Pixar film Soul. He's been awarded the American Jazz Museum Lifetime Achievement Award, the Harry Chapin ASCAP Humanitarian Award and appeared on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list; Batiste also currently serves as the Music Director of The Atlantic and the Co-Artistic Director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.

Jon Batiste is devoted to the education and mentorship of young musicians. He has led his own Social Music Residency and Mentoring Program sponsored by Chase, as well as master classes throughout the world. He has also led several cultural exchanges, beginning in 2006, while still a teen, with the Netherlands Trust, which brought students from the USA and Holland to perform with him at the Royal Concertgebouw and Carnegie Hall.

Batiste balances a demanding performance schedule with public speaking engagements, masterclasses, brand partnerships, community activism and acting roles. His composing and songwriting will be featured in his large-scale, genre-melding symphonic work "American Symphony," set to premiere at Carnegie Hall in 2021 and he has been developing a Broadway musical about the life of famed painter Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Jamie Cullum To Host Fourth Edition Of The Prestigious LetterOne 'RISING STARS' Jazz Award Ceremony; Winners To Be Announced Live February 6th

The fourth annual edition of the highly-acclaimed LetterOne 'RISING STARS' Jazz Award will announce its winners February 6th, 2021, via a global live stream broadcast on NPR's WBGO at 9 p.m. (ET).  Hosted by Jamie Cullum and featuring appearances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terri Lyne Carrington, Christian McBride and others as well as the winners,  the prestigious award offers one European winner and one U.S. winner the unprecedented opportunity to appear at popular Jazz festivals throughout the Europe and the U.S respectively, with all expenses covered and an accompanying dedicated promotion/marketing team.

Over 375 up-and-coming artists from Europe and over 350 from the U.S. completed submissions for this year's award which is open to all age groups, and approximately one-third of this year's applicants were women.  This year's substantial number of contestants eclipsed the amount of entries from 2019 by more than a third.

This year's stellar international Jury consists of Jazz superstar, educator and three-time Grammy Award Winner Terri Lyne Carrington (Jury head); producer Brian Bacchus (Gregory Porter, Randy Weston), media personality, journalist and festival director Alex Dutilh; international businessman, philanthropist and founder of the International Jazz Festival in Lvov, Mikhail Fridman; journalist, author and NPR contributor Michelle Mercer and UK Guardian Senior Arts Editor Imogen Tilden. 

What sets the LetterOne 'RISING STARS' Jazz Award apart is the exposure and support provided to the winners - for the U.S. winner there are confirmed appearances at 10 major festivals such as Montreal, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., while the European winner receives concerts at seven festivals including Nice, Vitoria, Umbria and Jazz Open in Stuttgart - often supporting artists such as Marcus Miller or Bobby McFerrin.  The LetterOne 'RISING STARS' Jazz Award tour, agent and marketing support equates to a monetary value in excess of E75,000 or $85,000, making the prize one of the most valuable Jazz awards in the world.  

Producing the Award is the award-winning Air Artist Agency, whose director Burkhard Hopper has a long-standing experience in introducing new artists. For 9 years Burkhard Hopper ran the Rising Stars concert series in Europe which – among others – introduced artists such as Diana Krall, Brad Mehldau, Benny Green, Jane Monheit, David Sanchez and Esbjörn Svensson to European audiences.

The "LetterOne 'RISING STARS' Jazz Award" is a significant event in the international jazz calendar that benefits from the sponsorship and backing of Mikhail Fridman, an international businessman, philanthropist and most importantly a huge jazz fan. Besides being a frequent visitor of Jazz festivals around the world, Fridman is also the founder of the Leopolis Jazz Festival in Lvov (UA).

www.l1risingstarsjazzaward.com

New channels honouring Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, and Motown launch on SiriusXM

SiriusXM announced new limited-engagement channels and specialty programming as a part of SiriusXM Celebrates Black History Month, beginning February 1 through March 1.

Limited-engagement channels, saluting powerful, pioneering Black artists, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, and recognizing the sounds and artists from legendary record label, Motown, will be available throughout the month of February on the SiriusXM app, internet connected devices and smart speakers in your home. Each of these channels will also be available on a respective satellite channel for a limited time, see details below.

SiriusXM has collaborated with these historic artists and their teams to create unique, hand-crafted radio channels that listeners and fans will find exclusively on SiriusXM.

The Aretha Franklin Channel will pay homage to the 'Queen of Soul' by featuring Aretha's iconic catalog, from her early recordings to biggest hits, which have withstood the test of time. Listeners can also expect to hear music from artists that have been influenced by Aretha. The Aretha Franklin Channel will be available on the SiriusXM app in the Hip-Hop/R&B category. Channel 49 (Soul Town) will become The Aretha Franklin Channel from February 15 at 12:00 pm ET through February 21. 

The Jimi Hendrix Experience Channel will immerse listeners into the world of the legendary rock guitarist and singer, who redefined music with his compositions on the electric guitar, with studio and live performances, demos and original programming. The deep influence of Hendrix will be represented on "My Hendrix Experience," a show curated by guest DJs, who will share their love of Hendrix and his music. Additionally, the channel will feature music from artists that influenced Hendrix, as well as those that were influenced by him and that have covered his music. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Channel will be available on the SiriusXM app in the Rock category. Channel 27 (Deep Tracks) will become The Jimi Hendrix Experience Channel from February 8 at 12:00 pm ET through February 14.

Miles Davis Radio will honour one of the most significant and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz music by showcasing music from over 100 of Davis' albums and featuring alumni band members as hosts. These band members include Marcus Miller, Lenny White, John Beasley, Joey DeFrancesco, Vince Wilburn Jr., and others. Miles Davis Radio will be available on the SiriusXM app in the Jazz/Standards category. Channel 67 (Real Jazz) will become Miles Davis Radio from February 22 at 12:00 pm ET through February 28.

The Motown Channel will celebrate the iconic record label envisioned by Berry Gordy, that generated history-making artists, who changed music forever. The channel will feature music from Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Jackson 5 and more. A special virtual event, celebrating the 60th Anniversary of The Supremes, with founding member of The Supremes, Mary Wilson, will also be broadcast on the channel. The Motown Channel will be available on the SiriusXM app in the Hip-Hop/R&B category. Channel 49 (Soul Town) will become The Motown Channel from February 1 at 12:00 pm ET through February 7.

SiriusXM Celebrates Black History Month will extend across an array of music channels throughout the month of February, with specialty programming dedicated to iconic Black artists who have impacted the history of music. See the featured broadcast schedule below. For information on SiriusXM Celebrates Black History Month specialty programming and full broadcast schedule, please visit:siriusxm.ca/blackhistorymonth

Bob Marley's Tuff Gong Radio (ch. 19) will celebrate Bob Marley's birthday on February 6 with a special "All Bob, All Day," format playing only music from the Bob Marley repertoire in between a series of special programs that begin with a new children's show hosted by Ziggy Marley inspired by Ziggy's Grammy-winning Family Time album and the recently-released follow up More Family Time. Additional programming will feature an exclusive "Survivor 76" party mix from DJ GQ, as well as highlights of the annual "Reggae Jam Session" concert, which traditionally closes the annual birthday celebrations at the Marley Museum in Kingston. The highlights line-up includes the late great legends Toots Hibbert and Betty Wright and new performances from Kabaka Pyramid, Papa Michigan, Richie Spice, Tifa, Tanya Stephens, Skip Marley, Jo Mersa Marley, and Agent Sasco. Country star Kenny Chesney will kick off the birthday weekend programming as a guest DJ, playing some of his favourite Bob Marley recordings and sharing how reggae music impacted his life and career, on Friday, February 5 at 7 p.m. ET. Special programming will continue to air on the channel beyond Marley's birthday in honour of Black History Month.

B.B. King's Bluesville Powered by The Blues Foundation (ch. 74) will pay tribute to the founding artists of blues music and the prominent artists who continue to move blues music forward. Hourly vignettes, presented in partnership with The Blues Foundation, will salute legendary Black artists of the blues including, Muddy Waters, Big Mama Thronton, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Robert Johnson, Koko Taylor, BB King and more. The channel will also feature exclusive live performances at SiriusXM's studios from Buddy Guy, Shemekia Copeland, Keb' Mo', Gaye Adegbalola, Gary Clark Jr., Irma Thomas, Joe Lewis Walker and more. 

Heart & Soul (ch. 48) will host Common for "There's a Beautiful Revolution Happening" Town Hall event, to celebrate his latest album, There's a Beautiful Revolution Happening Pt. 1., which is meant to uplift, heal and inspire those that are dealing with racial injustices. The one-hour event will broadcast on February 20 at 4 p.m. ET.  

Hip Hop Nation (ch. 44) will spotlight today's most paramount and ground-breaking Black artists impacting music now. All month long, the channel will give credit where credit is due to artists such as Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj and more, with specially-produced segments.

Kirk Franklin's Praise (ch. 64) will see Franklin in conversation with legendary gospel artists Jonathan McReynolds, Kierra Sheard and more led by both Franklin and our own Isaac Carree, as they discuss the meaning of Black History Month. "Honouring the Legends of Gospel Music on Kirk Franklin's Praise" will air Saturday, February 20 at 9 a.m. ET.

SiriusXM Celebrates Black History Month programming is available to listeners nationwide on SiriusXM radios, the SiriusXM app, and at home on a wide variety of connected devices including smart TVs, devices with Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more. Go to www.siriusxm.ca/ways-to-listen/ to learn more.

NEW Omar Sosa CD Release - An East African Journey

An exquisite set of recordings featuring Omar Sosa collaborations with East African artists — mixing traditional sounds with jazz in a subtle, contemporary production.

"Binding folkloric music to the very essence of World Jazz, Sosa conducts this East Africa pilgrimage with the ease of a master whose pursuit of creative endeavors has always been guided by ingenious expressions of musical curiosity. Pensive, festive and joyful, 'An East African Journey' is a chance to swim in a sound that elegantly connects so many important musical traditions with those now flourishing in the present." —Michael Ambrosino, Currents & Dialectics

"The latest chapter in Sosa's long-standing fascination with blending the folkloric and the modern, the acoustic and the electronic, An East African Journey is a cross-cultural gem of a project that discovers enlivening connections — open doors — between musical traditions." —Mel Minter, Musically Speaking

During months of quarantine this year, Omar put together a new project on the terrace of his apartment in Barcelona called KO-BCN Quartet, featuring tuba (Amaiur Gonzales), trombone (Miguel Moises), and DJ (Yohitsounds). It's a fun and altogether new direction for Omar, and we're pleased a music video of the band's song 'Moments of Joy' debuted October 16, 2020 on the Late Summer Jazz series of ARTE.TV, the wonderful European culture channel.

New Release: Brownout | Jungle Fire - Renegades Of Jazz Remixes

Matasuna Records kicks off 2021 with another 7inch. This record features two remixes by German DJ and producer David Hanke aka Renegades Of Jazz, for Afro-latin Funk bands Brownout and Jungle Fire.

Brownout's remix was first released in 2013 via Paris DJs on a very limited run of 45s and quickly became very sought after. By painstakingly cutting every instrument's individual notes, increasing the tempo and adding in a punchy breakbeat at the end, David turned Flaximus into an up-tempo dancefloor hit.

Jungle Fire's song Comencemos that appears on the B side is a cover version of Fela Ransome-Kuti's song Let's Start.David added some more Afrofunk elements to the Jungle Fire version and builds a bridge to the original Fela version with the additional elements. The Jungle Fire remix is previously unreleased and will be available on vinyl for the first time.

David Hanke has been linked to Matasuna Records since our early days, when he released his Dem Juju Poets debut album on Matasuna in 2017. Most recently he delivered a dancefloor-friendly edit of Mawuli Decker's 'Mololi-Lomko' at the end of 2020, again released on Matasuna. David is constantly producing and surprises regularly with new musical projects, restlessly trying to develop and refine his sound. With his new label, Bathurst, he created a home for all his electronic music projects. Bathurst follows the notion of not focusing on any formats or genres, but caring more about the electronic music Hanke adores.

Nine-piece band Brownout from Austin/Texas, was formed in 2005 by members of the Grammy Award-winning Latin orchestra Grupo Fantasma and have since become a musical force of their own. In addition to three Austin Music Awards, the band has performed at countless events and festivals and has regularly toured the U.S. also as highly sought-after backing band for artists like Prince, GZA and many more. Their albums and singles have been released on labels like Freestyle Records, Ubiquity or Fat Beats.

Jungle Fire is an Afrolatin Funk band from Los Angeles known for their authentic and highly explosive sound. They quickly gained attention of the local Los Angeles scene and beyond, which led to their first release on the Funk and Soul label Colemine. Other releases have been released on Nacional Records, Paris DJs and Razor N Tape. Their second album "Jambú" debuted at #4 on the Billboard Latin charts in February 2017 which led to numerous features in several movies, commercials and TV shows. They create a unique Afro-Tropical sound by combining West African rhythms with heavy funk elements.

The 7inch single will be released February 5th 2021 exclusively on vinyl.

New Music Releases: Franco Ambrosetti, Marcos Resende & Index, Lisa Hilton

Franco Ambrosetti - Lost Within You

At 79, Franco Ambrosetti is easily the most elegant man in the room. Poised, refined, charming, conversant in five languages - one being the language of jazz - he is the very embodiment of 'suave.' A man of means who carries himself with an abundance of confidence and grace rather than swagger, he also happens to possess a remarkable gift for conveying heartfelt emotion through his horn. And like one of his role models, Miles Davis, the iconic Swiss trumpeter-composer and bandleader is indeed a beautiful singer of songs, as he so capably demonstrates on Lost Within You, his third recording for Unit Records and 25th overall as a leader.

Marcos Resende & Index (The Lost Debut Album)

Recorded in 1976 at Sonoviso Studios in Rio, the Brazilian keyboard and synth maestro Marcos Resende and his new group Index, made up of Rubão Sabino, Claudio Caribé and Oberdan Magalhães recorded their debut album for Creed Taylor's famed CTI Records. But the deal with the label fell through, and the album was shelved by Resende who had other priorities working with the likes of Gilberto Gil, Edu Lobo, Gal Costa and Carlos Dafé, as well as making music for TV and film.Thankfully Marcos kept the tapes safe and presented them to Far Out's Joe Davis at his home in Lisbon in 2018, but only after 25 years of Joe pleading to hear them. Since then Marcos worked closely with Far Out towards restoring these recordings over the last two years, but tragically passed away after a battle with stomach cancer on 12th November 2020 at the age of 73, only a matter of weeks before the album was due to be unveiled to the world. With the blessing of the Resende family who wish to honour his memory by ensuring these historic recordings see the light of day, Marcos Resende & Index is out today, 44 years since it was originally recorded, on vinyl, CD and digital formats. 

Lisa Hilton - More Than Another Day

"Impressions of color and depth.” JazzWeekly. For her latest jazz release, pianist, composer and producer Lisa Hilton teams up with long-standing band mates Luques Curtis/bass, and Rudy Royston/drums, on More Than Another Day. Hilton delivers creatively on nine new originals and a Cole Porter cover, recorded with stellar additional from her trio mates. Hilton and company are upbeat and engaging - this is music for today, for this year, and of course, for More Than Another Day.

ST. GERMAIN: TOURIST 20th ANNIVERSARY TRAVEL VERSION

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of his TOURIST album, Ludovic Navarre aka St Germain has invited UK, South Africa, USA, Reunion Island and France producers, DJs and remixers with various musical inspirations, from Deep House to Afro House and Chicago House ... He declares : " I would like to thank all the people I asked to travel through their favorite "Tourist' album track. Some of them worked on my last Africa-inspired album in 2015, like my dear friend AtJazz, who helped me a lot on this new project, and also Terry Laird Dj Deep and Traumer. I don't have to introduce highly respected newcomers such as Nightmares on Wax , JoVonn, Ron Trent, Black Motion, Osunlade and Jullian Gomes. I truly enjoy their passion for music, their personality and musical integrity. I know they've got soul ! "

TRACKLIST 

01. Rose Rouge (Atjazz Galaxy Aart Remix)

02. Sure Thing (Osunlade Yoruba Soul Mix)

03. Rose Rouge (Terry Laird Nu Maloya Fusion Mix)

04. Rose Rouge (Ron Trent Jazzfunksuite for Musicandpower Remix)

05. So Flute (Ludovic Naverre Amapiano Version 2020)

06. Sure Thing (Black Motion Anniversary Mix)

07. Rose Rouge (Jovonn Oldskool ’90s Remix)

08. Sure Thing (Jullian Gomes Remix)

09. Rose Rouge (Nightmares on Wax Rerub)

10. What You Think About (Traumer Re-jammed Remix)

11. Sure Thing (DJ Deep Remix) 

This journey began on September 4th, 2020 in England with the Deep House version of ROSE ROUGE by English producer Martin Iveson aka ATJAZZ. Then on October 16, Destination South Africa with Dj Murdah and Thabo Smol who form the Afro House duo BLACK MOTION with their version of the flagship song SURE THING.

 

New Music Releases: Charles Lloyd & The Marvels, Joe Chambers, Pharoah Sanders

Charles Lloyd & The Marvels - Tone Poem

Charles Lloyd & The Marvels have released “Ramblin’,” a rollicking version of Ornette Coleman’s tune from the forthcoming album Tone Poem out March 12. Lloyd debuted his collective The Marvels—featuring Bill Frisell on guitar, Greg Leisz on pedal steel guitar, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Eric Harland on drums—on I Long To See You (2016) followed by Vanished Gardens (2018) with Lucinda Williams. The vinyl edition of Tone Poem will be the first new release to be featured as part of the Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Series supervised by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray, pressed at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe Stoughton gatefold tip-on jacket. It available now for pre-order now on vinyl, CD or digital download.

Joe Chambers - Samba De Maracatu

Joe Chambers will release Samba de Maracatu on Feb. 26, a notable Blue Note return for a significant figure in the label’s history. The Brazilian flavored title track “Samba de Maracatu” features him on drums, vibraphone, and percussion with Brad Merritt on keys and Steve Haines on bass. In the 1960s, Chambers played on many progressive classics like Wayne Shorter Adam’s Apple, Bobby Hutcherson Components, Freddie Hubbard’s Breaking Point, and Joe Henderson’s Mode for Joe. His own 1998 Blue Note debut Mirrors featured Eddie Henderson, Vincent Herring, Mulgrew Miller, and Ira Coleman.

Pharoah Sanders - Jewels Of Thought

A wonderful reunion of Pharoah Sanders and vocalist Leon Thomas – and a set that captures a lot of the same energy as the pair's previous record – Karma! Thomas' vocals are in wonderful form for the set – stretching out soulfully on the extended classic "Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah" – a title that has much of the same grace and power as "The Creator Has A Master Plan. The rest of the players on the date include Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Richard Davis and Cecil McBee on basses, and Idris Muhammad and Roy Haynes on drums – and unusually enough, each of the double bassists and drummers gets their own channel of sound to work with! The other long track on the album is the extended "Sun In Aquarius" – which is a bit more outside, but still pretty great! ~ Dusty Groove

The Fabulous Red Diesel Record Modern Soul Jazz Classic, The Queensbury House Sessions, in One Take!

The Fabulous Red Diesel are a collective quite unlike any other and their new album, The Queensbury House Sessions, looks to introduce them into the hearts and minds of music fans everywhere. A husband and wife on vocals and drums; a transgender trumpeter and double-bassist; and a synth player and guitarist named Rabbi Jaffa Delicious – on paper unconventional but their sound will hypnotise you, a beguiling mix of smoky jazz and achingly swooning soul, their latest single is Butterfly Mind, a track which says that no matter how your mind flits from one idea to the next, true love remains constant.

The Fabulous Red Diesel are Ms Kitty (Kat Lee-Ryan) on vocals, keys and flute; Duke Boom (husband, Will Lee-Ryan) on drums; Miss Bea-Have (Beatrice Gullick) on double bass, tuba and trumpet and Rabbi Jaffa Delicious (Simon Dobell) on guitar and trumpet. Based in Hastings, they have built up a loyal fanbase, not only through their live shows which have seen them supporting and playing alongside the likes of The James Taylor Quartet, Skunk Anansie and Jeff Buckley but also their unique sound, fusing classic 60s soul with jazz arrangements and a rhythm section which can skip from hip-hop beats to Latin to funk. The Queensbury House Sessions is their new album, sixteen extraordinary tracks, each recorded in just one take at a disused office block (called, yes, Queensbury House) to truly capture their live sound.

Writing songs like spells, Butterfly Mind is best summed up by the writer, Kat:

“It's about the way my brain works and the way music flits from one person to another, changing their perception (hopefully for the better) by tiny inspirational touches. And then it's also a love song - I am married to the drummer and I'm saying no matter how many twists and turns and expansions my mind has, I am always grounded in him - you know I've got a butterfly mind but I settle on you ‘’

Although defiantly upbeat and circus-like in their approach to entertaining audiences, Kat’s own life has been touched by tragedy, her sister taking her own life in 2006. As part of the grieving process, she wrote and developed a stage show called Sparkly Bird which has gone on to sell-out theatres as well as educate audiences about mental health at Universities and for the NHS. With songs written by Ms Kitty and the music, of course, performed by The Fabulous Red Diesel (and with aerial performances, a narrator and dance), it’s yet another side of a collective who mix their ideas and personalities with real passion, flair and invention.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcwSFdbx-xw&ab_channel=TheFabulousRedDiesel