CHELSEY GREEN and THE GREEN PROJECT ReEnvisioned

Growing up in Houston, Chelsey Green has fond memories of coming home from classical violin lessons and hearing and experimenting with influential jazz, funk and R&B vibes her parents were throwing down on the family stereo – Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Earth Wind and Fire, et al. With her brilliant array of talents, the classical scholarships and opportunities that came her way, the multi-talented singer/songwriter, violinist and violist could have found a career playing in orchestras.

Yet, God’s gift of music led her into bolder, more eclectic directions; resulting in a wondrous diversity that now - years later - inspires her and her longtime ensemble, Chelsey Green and The Green Project. Their fresh new EP, ReEnvisioned, is a dynamic and empowering collection that in only four tracks showcases their passions for contemporary and traditional jazz, R&B and funk with a touch of classical violin. The EP lays a foundation for an upcoming full-length album (the band’s first LP since the Billboard charting The Green Room in 2014) that will include elements of her gospel roots as well.

“ReEnvisioned represents my continued effort to break the niche mentality and not restrict myself to one, single genre,” says Chelsey, whose discography also includes their 2012 EP,Still Green, and their popular 2018 single, Summertime. “My music is influenced by many styles, and over the years, we’ve really cultivated a vibe in the live setting that incorporates all of those elements seamlessly. The same way music has been fed to me throughout my life, that’s how I want to share my voice and personal artistry. A lot of our songwriting comes together when we are rehearsing for performances; that’s where we do a lot of creative diving and arranging. After we recorded these first four tracks, I started thinking about a title that would capture the essence of this new direction.” 

“Classical music has been good to me. I love what it has taught me about harmony,” she adds. “At the same time, I am a Black woman that grew up immersed in and studying gospel, blues, jazz and other Black music genres. This is the music of my culture, borne out of the dichotomy of despair and joy. Jazz; music evolved out of work song, connecting us to our ancestors for whom improvisation was a way to survive.”

For jazz and soul fans who haven’t experienced Chelsey Green and The Green Project’s explosive live performances across the U.S. and internationally, the EP is the perfect primer to connect with the unique melodic, harmonic and grooving chemistry between Chelsey, Ignatius Perry Jr. (piano/keyboards), Kevin Powe, Jr. (bass) and Brian “Spyda” Wheatley (drums). All contribute their writing and arranging skills to ReEnvisioned; three originals (“Soundcheck,” “It’s Not What It Seems,” “Time”) and the spirited, jazzy, funky and swinging re-imagining of “Fly Me to the Moon” featuring trumpet great Sean Jones, a friend and educational colleague of Chelsey’s.

Whether singing or choosing to use her stringed instruments as lead voice, Chelsey is a masterful storyteller and calls the tunes on ReEnvisioned "the soundtrack of her current life." Literally written during a soundcheck before a show in Idaho, the soulful and eminently driving opening track “Soundcheck” finds Chelsey creating magic out of the experience of checking levels, exploring resonances and manipulating timbres to make the performance electrifying. She adds, "the opening tune represents the repetition it sometimes takes in life to get things right." The moody, thoughtful instrumental ballad “It’s Not What It Seems” stops at one point from its infectious soul-jazz vibe for a random classically-influenced breakdown. In addition to serving as a commentary about false perceptions, the song reflects an inner conversation Chelsey is having with herself to re-align her own life focus.

Spinning “Fly Me to the Moon” so far beyond its traditional orbit that we can almost imagine Sinatra snapping his fingers and soaring along, Chelsey’s inviting and passionate vocals share the reality that she’s not asking for the entire galaxy, just a little love and affection. The final track “Time,” features her viola-based string arrangement around her beautiful yet heartbreaking vocals. On one level, it’s a mournful tune about the impact of lies in a relationship. In a larger sense, it’s about the importance of living one’s life authentically; even if we sometimes feel we must lie to ourselves to keep up appearances. 

A native of Houston, Texas, Dr. Chelsey Green was born into a family of jazz and funk musicians and started her performance career as a violinist at age 5. Her father, Craig Green, was an influential teacher at a performing arts middle school who taught many, now notable jazz musicians. Chelsey received a scholarship for classical viola studies at The University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude, and later earned her Master’s from The Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Maryland College Park. 

In August 2017, Chelsey was appointed Associate Professor in the String Department at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where she teaches privately, various ensemble classes and also conducts a lab for viola students, teaches introductory and intermediate string improvisation and two ensembles. Dedicated to educational outreach efforts for young people, she and her bandmates provide a wide range of educational music workshops to city and county schools, after school programs, educational groups and more. Chelsey Green and The Green Project work with students from all backgrounds, exposing them to the possibilities of what music can be.

New Music Releases: Ron Miles, The Nels Cline Singers, GTF

Ron Miles - Rainbow Sign

Cornetist Ron Miles has released his Blue Note debut Rainbow Sign, a luminous set of original Miles compositions performed by a remarkable quintet featuring pianist Jason Moran, guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Thomas Morgan, and drummer Brian Blade—out now on vinyl, CD, and digital formats. In a rave 4½-star review DownBeat called it “a deeply touching album… Rainbow Sign ups the ante through the writing’s richness—by far Miles’ most impressive work as a bandleader… there’s plenty of gold at the end of this rainbow.” Watch Miles discuss the story behind the album on “First Look” with Don Was.

The Nels Cline Singers - Share The Wealth

Nels Cline has released his 3rd Blue Note album Share The Wealth, a dynamic double album that Pitchfork called “an ambitious, astonishing work.” The album presents 10 swirling, evocative soundscapes featuring the guitar renegade with an expanded edition of The Nels Cline Singers with saxophonist and punk-jazz iconoclast Skerik, keyboard marvel Brian Marsella, bass powerhouse Trevor Dunn, longtime collaborator and drummer Scott Amendola, and Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista. Watch Nels discuss the story behind the album on “First Look” with Blue Note President Don Was.

GTF - Watch Your Step

While gearing up for their post-COVID 2021 album release, Watch Your Step, the dynamic R&B/jazz ensemble GTF deliver another captivating single in advance of their full project. Following on the heels of their chart-dominating vocal “Some Things Happen,” the new tune is an instrumental offering, “3AM.” Truly the embodiment of this seductive time of day… the crossover between late night and never, never land; sensual, earthy, beguiling. Featuring a Northern and Southern California collective of players, “3AM” is graced with the alluring guitar playing of the song’s composer, Richard Livoni, and the haunting sax work of John Rekevics, both complementing GTF’s signature low end landscape provided by drummer Ron Otis and band co-founder/bassist George Franklin. ~ smoothjazz.com

BILL EVANS LIVE AT RONNIE SCOTT’S

Resonance Records has released Bill Evans Live at Ronnie Scott’s, the label’s third collection featuring hitherto unheard recordings by the great pianist’s short-lived 1968 trio with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette.

Resonance – a division of the Rising Jazz Stars Foundation, a non-profit corporation created to discover the next jazz stars – has previously issued two widely acclaimed, never-before-heard albums by Evans’ ’68 unit. That combo recorded the pianist’s second Grammy Award-winning Verve album, Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival; recorded on June 15, 1968, it was the only contemporaneous album released from the lineup during its brief existence.

Unearthed by Resonance co-president Zev Feldman (a/k/a “the Jazz Detective”), Some Other Time: The Lost Session From the Black Forest (2016) was a two-LP/two-CD studio date, cut five days after the Evans-Gomez-DeJohnette trio’s Montreux appearance, which had sat unheard in the German vaults for 50 years. A second historic discovery, Another Time (2018), was recorded two days later by the Netherlands Radio Union in Hilversum.

These collections garnered praise in DownBeat and JazzTimes in the U.S., Jazzwise in the U.K., and the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll; Some Other Time topped Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart.

Drawn from Jack DeJohnette’s personal archives, Live at Ronnie Scott’s comprises 20 scintillating tracks captured during the Evans trio’s month-long ’68 residency at the eponymous saxophonist-impresario’s Soho club. (It is Resonance’s second live Evans album to emanate from that venue: 2019’s Evans in England derived from a 1969 stand at Scott’s, featuring Gomez and drummer Marty Morell.)

Recordings by the Evans-Gomez-DeJohnette lineup are as prized as they are rare. DeJohnette was an especially simpatico accompanist for Evans, for he had been a pianist before taking up the drums. Despite their chemistry, the trio played together for a mere six months. During their stay at Scott’s, Miles Davis stopped in to check out the band, and the trumpeter swiftly recruited DeJohnette for his new group. By the end of 1968, Morell was hired by Evans as his replacement, and he drummed behind the pianist through 1974.

Distinguished British critic, author, broadcaster, and pianist Brian Priestley, who witnessed Evans’ ’68 trio in action, puts the London stand and Evans’ then-current repertoire in context in newly commissioned notes for the release. He writes that the performances’ “compelling, indeed at times overwhelming, musical quality is such as to impress this listener all over again.”

Live at Ronnie Scott’s also features a joint interview, conducted by Feldman, with DeJohnette and Grammy-winning pianist (and, in his early career, drummer) Chick Corea, who played with DeJohnette in Miles Davis’ storied late-‘60s lineups.

Recalling his short but memorable stint with Evans, DeJohnette says, “The music was at a really high creative height, and I’m glad I documented that, and the tape was good enough for Resonance to run with it…You really get a chance to hear Bill stretch.” 

“Bill was a big hero for me and for all of our generation,” Corea says of Evans. “Bill was just like the generation just before us, and we all looked up to him with his recordings with [bassist] Scotty [La Faro] and [drummer] Paul [Motian].”  

Perhaps the most unexpected element of the package is an extensive interview with the great comic actor and jazz buff Chevy Chase. He encountered Evans’ music as an underage jazz club-goer and began a friendship with the pianist as a student at Bard College, where he played in a band with classmate Donald Fagen of Steely Dan. 

He tells Feldman that Evans’ music was “the most lyrical jazz you could ever hear, in terms of jazz that wasn’t sung. It was just beautiful. And yet, very complex. Everybody I know tried to be Bill, but all you have to do is put a little video of Bill on or a record and say, ‘Try that.’ He really had a touch on the piano that he couldn’t match.” 

Gracing the cover of both the LP and CD iterations of Live at Ronnie Scott’s is artwork drawn from a never-before-published, one-of-a-kind lithograph by the late, legendary artist/illustrator David Stone Martin, whose distinctive interpretations of jazzmen in action were featured on dozens of classic jazz LPs, notably including many for Norman Granz’s labels of the ‘40s and ‘50s. 

Feldman writes, “I had one big decision to make: do we go all the way and recreate a jacket in the same manner of DSM’s classic covers of the 1940s and 1950s, even though our album isn’t from that era?  Or do we go a different, more modern route and simply incorporate DSM’s artwork into a more contemporary style image?  I thought long and hard about this.  Ultimately, I came to see it as an opportunity to recreate that special era, a nod to those classic 1940s and ‘50s Verve/Clef/Norgran album covers.” 

Bill Evans Live at Ronnie Scott’s will be the fifth Resonance title to feature unreleased music by the pianist: 2014’s Live at Art D’Lugoff’s Top of the Gate was the label’s first Evans collection. Smile With Your Heart: The Best of Bill Evans on Resonance, a mid-priced compilation, was issued in 2020. 

Pianist Jordan Seigel Releases Vinyl Reissue of "Beyond Images"

Jordan Seigel presents the vinyl reissue of Beyond Images. The debut work melds together his musical worlds together in a vibrant and eclectic collection of original pieces inspired by cinema’s greatest composers. Originally released in July 2020 and picked as one of DownBeat Magazine's 2020 Editor's Picks, Beyond Images combines the inventiveness and interplay of jazz with the transportive emotional power of the best film scores, crafting an evocative soundtrack for imaginary scenes possessing the spine-tingling suspense of a Hitchcock thriller or the heartbreaking sweep of a doomed romance.

Beyond Images features bassist Alex Boneham (Billy Childs, Sara Gazarek) and drummer Christian Euman (Jacob Collier, Kurt Elling) who use their shared experience at the Monk Institute to piece together the vigorous rhythm section. Saxophonist/flutist Natsuki Sugiyama, a frequent collaborator on Seigel’s film scores, completes the core quartet. But the diversity of the compositions flourish through Seigel’s orchestral imagination, which employs a woodwind quintet and a string quartet, vibraphone, guitar, mandolin and percussion in varying, kaleidoscopic combinations.

Regarding the reissue on vinyl, Seigel notes, “After encouragement from many friends and colleagues, I decided to get “Beyond Images” pressed on vinyl. The vinyl world is relatively new to me and I ended up falling in love with it! Throughout the process, I learned so much and gained a greater appreciation of some of my favorite classic albums. One of the first LPs I played when I got my vinyl player was Cannonball Adderley’s “Somethin’ Else.” I had listened to this album dozens of time before, but it was amazing to me how rich the sonic experience felt and how I noticed subtleties in the performance I had never picked up on before. After all that goes into making an album (composing, planning, rehearsing, recording, mixing, etc), it feels so fulfilling to be able to tangibly hold and play the “Beyond Images” LP. I hope it provides a similarly gratifying experience for the listeners!”

Each of the ten compositions on Beyond Images is dedicated to and inspired by one of Seigel’s favorite film composers, a list that includes some of the medium’s most iconic names, including John Williams, Bernard Herrmann, and Thomas Newman. The pieces hint at the pianist’s inspirations in inventive and clever ways, maintaining his own unique voice while paying tribute to the great composers who have influenced him in distinctive ways. The results maintain the emotional impact and evocative colors of his movie work, conjuring rather than accompanying vivid cinematic moments. “I spend most of my time as a film composer and orchestrator, so I wanted to bring that aspect of what I do – making music for visual media – to a different audience,” explains Seigel.

Los Angeles-based composer, pianist and orchestrator Jordan Seigel possesses an expressive, original voice in a stunning variety of media. Whether scoring projects for film and television or performing and improvising on stages around the world, Seigel approaches every pursuit with the same mission in mind: to create music that truly moves people.

With his multi-faceted debut album, Beyond Images, Seigel weaves together his foremost passions with a scintillating and eclectic collection of original songs inspired by cinema’s greatest composers. His original music, in whichever medium, draws inspiration from an expansive palette of other influences as well: Stevie Wonder, Radiohead, The Beatles, Maurice Ravel, Stravinsky, and many others.

A Los Angeles native, Seigel studied at Berklee College of Music, where he garnered accolades including the Alex Ulanowski Award in Composition, the Michael Rendish Award in Film Scoring, and two Jazz Performance Awards. Seigel maintains an active role on the L.A. scene, playing with such acclaimed artists as Peter Erskine, Jeff Hamilton, Graham Dechter and the Bill Holman Big Band, and performing on such prestigious stages as Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Playboy Jazz Festival and the Beantown Jazz Festival.

In the world of visual media he’s accumulated a host of impressive credits as a composer and orchestrator for film and television, including work on such high-profile projects as Ant-Man and the Wasp, The LEGO Movie 2, and Empire. He’s performed on the scores for The Morning Show, Deadwood: The Movie, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels and is also the featured pianist for the Apple TV+ animated series Snoopy In Space, following in the footsteps of legendary pianist Vince Guaraldi.

His original music for films and television includes the underscore for the musical comedy Lucky Stiff and contributing additional music to The Twilight Zone, TURN: Washington’s Spies, and The Giver, among many others. He has also crafted arrangements for the National Symphony Orchestra’s concerts at the Kennedy Center with superstars like Common and Babyface. Seigel recently completed scoring his first studio feature film, Focus Features’ Half Brothers, which which was released to theaters in December 2020.

Ryan Dugré - Three Rivers

Written in January of 2019 during a song-a-day exercise, the instrumental pieces on Three Rivers produce a captivating calmness with shadowy undertones, melodically tending towards introspection. Guitar is at the forefront supported by piano and synth, strings, and sparse percussion. Elements of film music, pastoral jazz, and Americana create a meditative mood which is enhanced by the underlying pulse of each song. This is music that rewards patient, active listening.

As part of the songwriting exercise that produced Three Rivers, Dugré churned out a new piece of music each day. The purpose was to build a routine of writing and creativity. The only rule was to submit something daily — an improvisation, loose sketch, or fully orchestrated piece. Everything counts.

The benefit of this deliberately fast pace is that it leaves little time for second-guessing. By forcing you to commit to an idea quickly, this method eliminates overthinking and presents a more honest depiction of the original thought. This is also the challenge — at the end of the day, you must live with your output, and allow yourself to be vulnerable as your colleagues listen to your work.

Using a barely functioning laptop and one microphone, Dugré embraced the limitations of this process. “My usual approach to writing is to methodically work out a solo guitar arrangement; melody, harmony, and bass all intertwined and performed simultaneously,” he says. “It takes a week or so to get it right.” This time, he started with a rhythm part on guitar or piano, and then added melody after. For many of the pieces he imagined someone singing the melody, and tried to get close to creating that with slide guitar, piano, or synth.

Dugré came away with a batch of new song ideas and spent the following months finishing the arrangements at his home studio. These songs were then re-recorded in October 2019 in Brooklyn at Trout Recording with engineer Adam Sachs. Three Rivers features string arrangements from Ian Mcllelan Davis (Relatives), and contributions from Brett Lanier (The Barr Brothers), Sean Mullins (Wilder Maker), Adam Dotson (Slavic Soul Party), and Will Graefe (Okkervil River, Star Rover), who co-wrote Shining. The album was mixed by Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Sam Amidon).

Ryan Dugré is a New York based multi-instrumentalist and composer from Holyoke, MA. Since graduating from New England Conservatory in 2007 he has been an active freelancer, having performed and/or recorded with Rubblebucket, Joan Wasser, Eleanor Friedberger, Cass Mccombs, Landlady, Jesse Harris, Ran Blake, and many others. Ryan has performed internationally at festivals including Le Festival d’été de Québec, Bonnaroo, Haldern Pop Fest, as well as NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series and BBC 6 Radio with Marc Riley. He has been a featured guest artist at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Eliot Fisk's Boston GuitarFest at New England Conservatory of Music. Three Rivers, out on 11A records, marks his third solo release. His second record The Humors, mixed by Sam Owens (Sam Evian), was named best album of the month in March 2019 by Paste Magazine.

John Morales Presents Teena Marie – Love Songs & Funky Beats – Remixed With Loving Devotion

Producer extraordinaire John Morales returns to BBE Music, celebrating the life and work of R&B / soul legend Teena Marie with a double album full of brand new remixes, lovingly crafted from the original studio tapes, entitled ‘Love Songs & Funky Beats’.

“Teena is somewhat underrated, and people don’t really know much about her.” Says Morales. “I set out to immerse people in her music and represent what she really did. That meant for me a dive into more than her R&B hits, to dig into her ballads and dance cuts. People know she was talented. I don’t really think they really knew the depth of her abilities, her complete confidence to take it upon herself to do everything – singing, producing, arranging, songwriting. Teena Marie was the total package.”

John Morales had the pleasure of mixing many of Teena Marie’s original records over the years, so it felt natural to dig into the archives and select his favourite cuts to rework, extend and subtly update in his own distinctive style. While by no means a definitive collection of Lady Tee’s expansive musical catalogue, ‘Love Songs & Funky Beats’ represents a fitting tribute to a multifaceted and important voice in popular music, by one of the most storied mix engineers and remixers of our age.

Jumping into the music industry deep end in 1979 with a three-year mentorship from Berry Gordy & Rick James at Motown, Teena Marie then spent seven fertile years with Epic, which yielded her greatest commercial successes (including the classic album ‘Starchild’). After founding an independent label ‘Sarai’, Marie took a ten-year hiatus which ended in 2004 in a deal with hip hop label Cash Money Records; a less unlikely partnership than some might assume, given that Teena was one of the first ‘mainstream’ artists to perform a rap verse, on 1981’s ‘Square Biz’.

Teena Marie Brockert forged a unique path through the industry, an artist in-charge of her own destiny, influencing (and heavily sampled by) both the hip hop and R&B sounds of the 90’s and early 2000’s. Her 1982 lawsuit against Motown records resulted in “The Brockert Initiative”, which has benefitted literally thousands of other artists by making it illegal for record companies to ‘shelve’ artists by keeping them under contract without releasing their material. She continued to tour regularly and deliver commercially successful, expertly sculpted music, right up until her untimely passing in 2010. ~ firstexperiencerecords.com

New Music Releases: Al Castellana, Femi Kuti / Made Kuti, Calvin Keys

Al Castellana - The Right Place To Be

The new album of the Italian soul singer! The first single is already in the top ten on the UK chart and this special vinyl edition, only 300 hand numbered copies, will contain a 7” bonus with two remixes by Katzuma (Sangue Misto, Okè) and Deva (Aldebaran Records). Alessandro “Al” Castellana is an Italian singer-songwriter and record producer. Over the years he has been able to collaborate with very important productions in the history of Italian black music and hip hop, starting with his presence in 107 elements of Neffa in 1998 and the soundtrack of Torino Boys the previous year. Inspired by the music of Graham Central Station, Sly and Tower of Power, he made a significant contribution to the growth of Italian hip hop which he enriched with his Funk and Soul veins, expanding his success in the UK, Australia and Japan. It contains 12 tracks of pure Soul Music poised between Seventies atmospheres and arrangements that formed it and contemporary Soul / RNB. The Right Place To Be is an album that already from the title gives indications on the meaning that the artist has given to this latest work, the best place to be is the place where there is music… where you are surrounded by the warmth of affections, from everything you love and from those who love you.

Femi Kuti / Made Kuti - Legacy + (Stop The Hate/Foreward)

Two generations of the Fela Kuti legend work here back to back – in a double length set that features one full album from Fela's son, and another by his grandson! Femi is up first on a set titled Stop The Hate – full-on Afro Funk with plenty of message in the music – the older Kuti in the lead on vocals, trumpet, alto, and organ – getting superb backup from a full horn section over lots of heavy rhythms! At times, Femi almost seems as instrumentally great as Fela – and his vocals are often a bit more pointed, with a stronger global attempt to get the message out – on titles that include "As We Struggle Everyday", "Stop The Hate", "Land Grab", "Privatization", "Show Of Shame", "Young Boy Young Girl", and "You Can't Fight Corruption With Corruption". Made Kuti follows up in a similar spirit, but in a slightly different way – as the singer also handles all the other instrumentation on his set – almost coming across like a large Afro Funk ensemble by himself, thanks to the magic of the studio! Made plays drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, and tenor, alto, and baritone saxes – but you'd hardly think the album's a one man show, as the sound is full and rich – every bit the blend of heavy rhythms and politics as Femi's record. Titles include "Hymn", "Young Lady", "Different Streets", "Blood", "Your Enemy", "Free Your Mind", and "We Are Strong". ~ Dusty Groove

Calvin Keys - Shawn-Neeq

A stone classic on the Black Jazz label – and one of the most unique guitar albums ever! We're not sure what the title meant originally – but over the past few decades, it's come to stand for some heavy heavy guitar work from the legendary Calvin Keys – a record that's really stood the test of the time, continually rediscovered by new generations of diggers! Keys has a very unique touch here – a mix of open chords and tighter lines – beautifully wrapping up a history of soul jazz guitar that stretches back to the early 60s – then propelling things forward with loads of righteous 70s spiritual jazz energy. The set also features loads of sweet keyboards – played by Larry Nash, and mixed with flute and "hose-a-phone" from Owen Marshall – set to grooves from Lawrence Evans on bass and Bob Braye on drums. A stone classic from the Black Jazz label – and titles include "Gee Gee", "BK.", "BE", and "Shawn-Neeq".  ~ Dusty Groove

Nicola Conte & Gianluca Petrella : People Need People

Sixteen years after the release of “New Standards” (2001, SCEP336), Italian musicians and jazz revivalists Nicola Conte & Gianluca Petrella are back on Schema Records with a new album, ‘People Need People’. Since the beginning of their collaboration, Conte and Petrella’s goal was to maintain an open concept of sound influenced by a wide-ranging taste in music and their ability to realize collaborative projects with a mindful array of artists.

For the most part recorded in Puglia, Italy, ‘People Need People’ is the result of a constantly evolving research and artistic exchange, that has been able to cross borders during its development.

Sonically conceived as a collective creative experience drawing on Conte & Petrella’s early influences from soul, spiritual Afro-jazz, and research on modern electronic sounds, disco and hip-hop, the album’s 11 tracks feature a cosmopolitan ensemble of musicians including MC/poet Raashan Ahmad (USA), pianist & composer Nduduzo Makhathini (South Africa), multi-instrumentalist & composer Magnus Lindgren (Sweden), singer & educator Débo Ray (USA), singer, vocalist & songwriter Bridgette Amofah (Ghana/ England), percussionist Abdissa Assefa (Ethiopia/Finland), drummer & composer Teppo Mäkynen (Finland), vibraphonist Pasquale Mirra (Italy), percussionist & drummer Simone Padovani (Italy), and Italian rising stars such as singer & producer Davide Shorty, pianist & singer Carolina Bubbico, drummer & producer Tommaso Cappellato, pianist Seby Burgio, trumpeter Mirco Rubegni, and saxophonist Pasquale Calò.

New Music Releases: Izy, Caravela, Claire Chase

Izy - Irene 

Further Than You is the first single lifted from ‘Irene’ , the debut album by Melbourne raw neo-soul three piece Izy (pronounced eye-zee). Launching immediately into rich vocal harmonies reminiscent of D’angelo and a bassline that bounces in all the right places, the single is rhythmic with just the right amount of looseness. It makes you wonder - how do they do that? It’s just three young musicians killing it in a room. Guitarist and singer Ryo Montgomery sets the picture firmly in time with ‘Saturdays, are my sad days.’ calling back to a familiar routine for most of us post a breakup; too much drinking and partying to let off steam, teamed with a barrage of unhealthy and unproductive thoughts. This regular Saturday ceremony of loneliness and debauch forms the basis of No Further Than You, except this time make it bang!

Caravela - Mar Pretu

Caravela’s debut full length LP ‘ Orla’ is an intoxicating mix of Afro-Brazillian rhythms and contemporary London jazz drenched in modern psychedelic and progressive textures.The band’s deep and infectious grooves form the basis from which they can showcase their beautiful and mature songwriting craft. Lyrics touching on social and environmental issues in both Brazil and Cape Verde, as well as reflections on modern life, weave between the songs in Loubet’s native Portuguese. Initially inspired by a recent period of living in Bahia, Brazil, interacting and working with local musicians there, Caravela took that experience and melded it alongside their wide range of influences to deliver a stunning set of contemporary songs.Second single ‘Mar Pretu’ is a stunning experimental song highlighting the suffering in fishing villages caused by oil pollution at sea that affects both Brazil and Cape Verde, two countries that share an ocean as well as a deep connection, both spiritually and musically.‘Orla’ will be released February 2021 on None More Records

Claire Chase - Density 2036 (4CD set)

Mindblowing work on solo flute – done by a performer who's always captivated us in a live setting, but who really seems to knock things out of the park on this massively extended set! The title of the package is from a work by Edgard Varese for solo flute, first composed in 1936 – and an amazing showcase for the sense of subtle tones and textures that Varese brought to his music in the early part of the 20th Century. Chase takes off from that piece, and offers up compositions by sixteen composers, each of them a masterpiece – handled by Claire with a very organic approach to the sound, as things build up beautifully, in a very resonant way – on a variety of flutes that are occasionally augmented by a small bit of electronics. The spirit of the package is unique – and by the end of the whole thing, we actually find ourselves wishing that there were more than 4CDs – as Chase leaves us rapt throughout, moving through works composed by George Lewis, Pauline Oliveros, Jason Eckardt, Felipe Lara, Vijay Iyer, Tysawn Sorey, Marcos Balter, and others – plus a rendition of the original Varese work that inspired the whole project. ~ Dusty Groove

DAVE KOZ AND BRIAN MCKNIGHT “A ROMANTIC NIGHT IN,” A VALENTINE’S EVE LIVESTREAM CONCERT WITH SPECIAL GUEST SHELÉA

GRAMMY®-nominated saxophonist Dave Koz and R&B superstar vocalist Brian McKnight announce “A Romantic Night In,” a one-night-only livestream concert that will take place on Valentine’s Day Eve – Saturday, February 13 – beginning at 5 PM PST/8 PM EST via Looped. They will be joined by special guest Sheléa.

Dave Koz says, “Brian, Sheléa and I are so excited to provide the romantic soundtrack to your Valentine’s weekend celebration at home. Pour a glass of wine, dip some strawberries in chocolate...and leave it to us to provide the musical magic!”

Tickets for “A Romantic Night In” are on sale now at www.davekoz.com. Included in the ticket price will be an exclusive digital copy of the “A Romantic Night In” EP, a collection of Koz’s most romantic songs. VIP experiences, including exclusive one-on-one meet & greets, are also available. Concert venues that Koz has visited over the years are participating in bringing awareness to the show. 

The virtual event comes on the heels of Koz’s hugely successful 2020 livestream concerts. The first event celebrated the release of his latest album, A New Day, while the second, Dave Koz & Friends The Greatest Hits of Christmas 2020, featured Koz and an all-star line-up of guests performing holiday favorites.

Check out Koz’s performance of “A New Day” during the holiday livestream HERE Released exactly 30 years and one day after his self-titled debut album, A New Day is Koz’s 20th album overall and first full set of original material in 10 years (since Hello Tomorrow in 2010). The album, which was  conceived and recorded entirely under the umbrella of COVID-19, reached the No. 1 position on numerous jazz charts, including iTunes and Amazon.

Brian McKnight is featured on vocals on the album’s leadoff track, “Summertime in NYC.” View the official video for “Summertime in NYC” HERE. McKnight has released 15 albums to date, selling more than 25 million albums combined worldwide and earning 16 GRAMMY nominations. In addition to being a singer, songwriter and producer, he is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments. His many hit songs include “Love Is,” “One Last Cry,” “You Should Be Mine (Don’t Waste Your Time),” “Find Myself in You” and “Used to Be My Girl.”

Singer, songwriter, musician, producer and actress Sheléa blends traditional pop, jazz, R&B and soul, bringing a contemporary edge to classics, and a classic touch to contemporary pop standards. With years of making a name for herself as a vocal powerhouse, having performed twice at the White House; Library of Congress; Carnegie Hall; the Kennedy Center; and more, 2020 marked her acting debut as Dorinda Clark in “The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel,” a Lifetime biopic that drew 2.7 million viewers.

 

New Music Releases: Biscondini Organ Trio, Compost Nu Jazz Selection Vol. 3 Silent Season : Jazzy Walk, Madeline Castrey

Biscondini Organ Trio - Lockdown

Ten grooving and “radio friendly” jazz, RnB, soul and rock tracks from Los Angeles supergroup Biscodini Organ Trio. The Hammond B3-guitar-drums format is among the most durable combo configurations in the music. But its elasticity was perhaps never tested as greatly as on the Biscodini Organ Trio’s remarkable new release Lockdown, which was recorded and co-produced remotely during the nationwide pandemic quarantine of 2020 by three gifted, versatile Los Angeles-based musicians. –Chris Morris // I’m not one to ever toot my own horn, but I’ll toot it for this band. This band is killing, and it stands up to anything that’s out there in this genre. –Anonymous Biscodini Band Member

Compost Nu Jazz Selection Vol. 3 Silent Season : Jazzy Walk (compiled and mixed by Art​-​D​-​Fact and Rupert and Mennert)

After releasing the well-received Compost Nu Jazz Selection Volume 1 (released November 2017) and Volume 2 (released July 2019), Art-D-Fact and Rupert & Mennert again join forces. The third Compost Nu Jazz Selection probably is the most diverse one so far. The track selection process was a pleasant ride through a lot of groundbreaking releases between 1999 and 2004. Selection #3 also contains some memorable tracks which were only released on vinyl by Compost Records, for example the wonderful Grand Unified VIP Mix of Joseph Malik's 'I Don't Want' and Steppah Huntah's energetic broken-beats creation 'Walk This Step'. The continuous mix of Compost Nu Jazz Selection Vol. 3 kicks of with the powerful multi-tempo remix by Quantic (Tru Thoughts label) for Kyoto Jazz Massive's 'The Brightness Of These Days'. With 'Corso' and 'Catalpa' Beanfield features with some true percussion-rich listening pearls. Both tracks were part of the classic 'Human Patterns' longplayer, released back in 1999.

Madeline Castrey - Love Myself Again

The idea for 'Love Myself Again' came whilst walking through the busy streets of London. In that moment I wished for everyone to feel unique and empowered; and that's what I hope this song achieves. It's about wanting to be appreciated at face value without having to change. After the year we've all been through, we all deserve this kind of empowerment, and I hope that this song inspires confidence and self- respect so that we can "love ourselves again!" ~ Madeline Castrey // Singer-songwriter Madeline Castrey is aiming to bring a new groove to modern jazz and soft pop. She started out as a classical musician and has a strong background in operatic and West End productions appearing in several shows across London and in various television productions. After deciding on a shift in style, she started to compose and perform my own music and have released 4 singles to date. Her new single ‘Love Myself Again’ (produced by The Animal Farm Music in London) combines velvety vocals with a jazzy groove and relatable lyrics in the hope of chasing away the winter blues to feel empowered.

Ben Rosenblum's Nebula Project: Kites and Strings

Ben Rosenblum doesn't just invite a diverse array of influences into his music. While his projects reflect his potent and deeply rooted point of view, the pianist, accordionist, composer and arranger positively thrives on a thrum of contrasting approaches. With Kites and Strings, his third album as a leader and the debut of the Ben Rosenblum Nebula Project, he's convened an exceptionally vivid cast of collaborators and provided them with a program of arrestingly beautiful pieces. Slated for release on October 16, 2020 via One Trick Dog, the album is the work of an artist who's found that his voice contains multitudes. Regularly employed by some of jazz's most revered masters, Rosenblum has already established a national profile as bandleader by logging thousands of miles on the road, playing some 100 gigs annually with his trio at clubs, theaters, schools and community centers, and relishing the opportunity to bring jazz into communities where fellow musicians rarely play.

Kites and Strings features some of the most exciting young players on the New York scene including trumpeter Wayne Tucker, guitarist Rafael Rosa, Jasper Dutz on tenor sax and bass clarinet, bassist Marty Jaffe, and drummer Ben Zweig, with vibraphonist Jake Chapman, trombonist Sam Chess and pianist Jeremy Corren expanding the sextet on several tracks. "These are all great jazz musicians who are steeped in the music's history, and they all have very different approaches to the music," he says. "My bandleader heroes often worked like that. Think of Astor Piazzolla's Tango: Zero Hour when he put together a traditional tango violinist, a rock-influenced electric guitarist, and a jazz pianist. I love seeing the way people's different styles play off of each other and combine into something beautiful and unique."

Encompassing rock and klezmer, Latin American rhythms and Bulgarian harmonies, Kites and Strings marks a major leap for Rosenblum as a composer/arranger. He gained widespread notice with his 2017 debut Instead (One Trick Dog), a confident trio session featuring drum legend Billy Hart and bass master Curtis Lundy that earned four stars from DownBeat Magazine. After holding his own with two revered improvisers he followed up in 2018 with River City (One Trick Dog), a trio with his rapidly rising contemporaries bassist Kanoa Mendenhall and drummer Ben Zweig. Kites and Strings introduces Rosenblum as a composer/arranger with a capacious palette of textures and voicings and firm command of form. The project also establishes him as the newest member of a small, extraordinary keyboard cadre made up of players equally expressive on piano and accordion, a talent-laden club that includes Gary Versace, Sam Reider, Rob Reich, and Rio de Janeiro-born Vitor Gonçalves, who's a particular source of inspiration for Rosenblum.

Lafayette Gilchrist – NOW

Pianist, composer and bandleader extraordinaire Lafayette Gilchrist returns to the trio format on his engrossing, self-released double disc, NOW, the follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed solo piano album, Dark Matter, which many critics cited as one of 2019’s best jazz releases. 

On NOW, Gilchrist’s first trio recording since his 2007 release 3, the pianist leads his formidable group Specials Revealed, featuring bassist Herman Burney and drummer Eric Kennedy. The three musicians have developed a deep rapport from years of playing together in other people’s bands. When the trio convened to record in November 2019, Gilchrist was bursting with creative energy. 

The album begins with Gilchrist’s signature tune, “Assume the Position,” a protest song about police violence that was featured on HBO’s crime drama The Wire. Atop a combustive, deep-pocket groove, Gilchrist unleashes his signature two-handed improvisations, often marked by granite-hard rhythmic attacks, rumbling blues-laden melodies, a striking harmonic sense and off-kilter improvisations.  

NOW includes other socially and politically conscious compositions as well, such as the dramatic “Bmore Careful,” which examines crime and police brutality in Baltimore, where Gilchrist has lived since 1987. The piece features rumbling tremolos, a stuttering groove and a cinematic melody that fluctuates between menacing and wistful.   

Gilchrist notes that the 2015 death of Freddie Gray while in police custody garnered worldwide coverage. “What I would like people to understand is that when you come to Baltimore, you need to show some respect for the struggle within the town and how strong the people are on the ground here.”

 Elsewhere on NOW, Gilchrist addresses other socio-political concerns. On the dreamy, oddly hopeful “Old Shoes Come to Life,” which Gilchrist conceived after watching an episode of attorney Antonio Moore’s YouTube show Tonetalks, he explores the economic wealth gap between races in the United. States. The skulking “On Your Belly Like a Snake” was inspired by a scene from Haile Gerima’s 1993 movie Sankofa, which depicts a conversation between Shango, a rebellious field slave who’s just been beaten, and Shola, a compliant house slave. Shola advises Shango to be more agreeable with the slave owners to avoid violence. “Shango fires back ‘You’re never going to get your freedom until you learn how to crawl on your belly like a snake.’  So, the song’s in the spirit of the Maroons of the American diaspora, i.e. Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, Florida, South Carolina and New Orleans,” Gilchrist recalls.

NOW also contains several lovely tunes centered on affairs of the heart. One of those is the stunning “Newly Arrived,” with its entrancing melody and suspenseful romanticism. Gilchrist’s inspiration for the song was Sade’s 1988 classic tune “Love Is Stronger Than Pride.” On the haunting ballad “The Wonder of Being Here,” which touches on the love that remains after a short-term romance, Gilchrist unravels a melody that sounds as if it was lifted from Abbey Lincoln’s songbook. Other amorous tunes include the ballad “Say a Prayer for Our Love” and the torrential “Tomorrow Is Waiting Now (Sharon’s Song).” Gilchrist penned the latter for a friend to encourage her to never give up hope, even during the darkest hours. 

Throughout NOW, Gilchrist’s striking two-handed pianism radiates as he anchors his rugged yet sensual improvisations with stride, ragtime and jump blues in the tradition of Earl “Fatha” Hines, Willie “The Lion” Smith, Eubie Blake and Memphis Slim. “I was always attracted to the old music,” Gilchrist says. “It’s like the regional sounds that those guys got out of the piano — the East Coast, the West Coast, the Deep South and the different approaches.” 

Gilchrist also cites other influences, including Billy Preston, Aretha Franklin, Randy Weston, Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner and Bud Powell. Make no mistake though, Gilchrist is a modernist who deftly juxtaposes multiple jazz idioms with the rhythmic bounce, syncopation and grooves associated with go-go music, funk and hip-hop.  

Born in August 1967 in Washington, D.C., Gilchrist’s life as a pianist began at 17 while he was studying economics at University of Maryland, Baltimore. On his way to an English class during his freshman year, he wandered into a recital hall and began pecking out melodies and riffs on a Steinway piano. 

Gilchrist subsequently spent many hours teaching himself piano and auditing music theory classes. By the time he graduated, he had started his career as a pianist and composer. He formed his first ensemble, New Volcanoes, in 1993 and released his debut album, The Art is Life, that same year. He’s since released 13 other albums as a leader. In addition to The Wire, his music has been featured on HBO’s Treme and The Deuce. “Gilchrist's writing weaves together old-school funk rhythms with hip-hop cadences and raw street beats,” says Troy Collins in All About Jazz. “His melodic sensibility embraces the esoteric angularity of Andrew Hill and Sun Ra as much as the emotional directness of the blues.”  

In addition to his work as a leader, Gilchrist has also performed as a sideman with a host of jazz luminaries including saxophonist David Murray, singer Cassandra Wilson, trombonist Craig Harris, bassist William Parker and drummer Andrew Cyrille. 

New Music Releases: Alan Goldsher, Shawn Raiford, Hamburg Spinners

Alan Goldsher - Spiral Dance

On October 21, 2020 the New York Times revealed that pianist Keith Jarrett had suffered two strokes. He likely won't play in public again. A lifelong Jarrett fan, bassist, keyboardist, producer, and Gold Note Records founder / CEO Alan Goldsher was compelled to honor to the jazz legend with a cover of Jarrett's gem, "Spiral Dance." The tune's arrangement is a standard one -- melody / solo / melody -- but the beat takes a sharp left from Jarrett's original 1974 recording. Goldsher explained, "I layered multiple drum loops, then mixed them so they sound jacked-up and weird,". Over and under this jacked-up, weird groove -- and right beside some James Brown samples -- Goldsher pounded the hell out of his keyboard, creating a jazz / electronica soundscape that evokes Jarrett-ness, but most definitely doesn't duplicate it. "Keith recorded several albums with his oftentimes radical reworkings of jazz standards," Alan said. "That being the case, regardless of how he feels about the track, I know he'll appreciate the fact I tried something different." "The only other thing I can say about this tune," Goldsher continued, "is that I hope my fellow Keith fans enjoy it."

Shawn Raiford - Man With A Horn

With one listen, you’ll step deeply into the alluring saxophone world of Shawn Raiford… he is the Man With A Horn, playing it smoothly, brightly and with great conviction! This slickly produced and intensely melodic debut album fires up rich bass lines and hip-hop grooves, creating a proprietary blend of Smooth Jazz, pop, funk, soul and gospel for the Sacramento alto saxman. Raiford’s roots took form in a house of worship, where he played sax for the first time at his late grandmother’s 75-year church anniversary. While showcasing his highly spirited style and emotional range, this collection reflects many styles of musical inspirations, from the exhilarating Raiford-penned originals that the world will surely take notice of, to a select and fun handful of covers from Bruno Mars, DeBarge and Rihanna. Man WIth A Horn from a man who has arrived. ~ smoothjazz.com

Hamburg Spinners - Skorpion Im Stiefel

A tight little quartet from the Hamburg scene – a combo who really get back to basics with a strong focus on organ lines and guitar! The groove is maybe a more complicated take on the territory of Booker T & The MGs – longer tunes, with more variation in the rhythms – but still served up with the kind of simplicity and focus that made that group so great! The organ tones and notes are perfectly chosen throughout – and the drums get nice and funky, with a few great break moments too. Titles include "Haschrebellen", "Der Optimist", "Pharisaer", "Der Kiezpanther", "Maries Mexickaner", and "Bambule In Der Thadenstrasse". ~ Dusty Groove

Analog Players Society : Soundtrack To A Nonexistent Film

Analog Players Society is proud to announce “Chase,” the first single and music video from Soundtrack for a Nonexistent Film. This record is an instrumental, cinematic, set sampled from the original recording session that birthed TILTED. Since its August release, TILTED was included in Bandcamp’s “best jazz releases” and garnered strong support from Jazziz, Medium, Postgenre.org, NY Music Daily, and The Vinyl District. 

Out now, Soundtrack for a Nonexistent Film is a nod to the classic, sample-heavy production of Hip-Hop’s Golden Age.

Producers Amon Drum and Ben Rubin (aka Benny Cha Cha) went back to the lab to slice and dice the original jazz session, which featured jazz luminaries tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin (David Bowie’s last bandleader on Blackstar), pianist Orrin Evans (the Bad Plus), and bassist Dezron Douglas (Ravi Coltrane) and drummer Eric McPherson (Fred Hersch Trio). The resulting songs reflect the producers’ own takes on this moment. Amon expresses, “Soundtrack” is an emotional, sample-based expression of right fucking now.”

“Chase,” is accompanied by a stunning music video directed, shot, and edited by Jude Goergen and produced by Mona Kayhan and Amon Drum. The concept revolves around New York City and the resilience and drive of its people, even when running from the many things one can fear.  Amon explains, “…That’s NYC. We can keep running forever. It might be ridiculous, scary, and we might get tired, but don’t even try to outrun us.”

The Analog Players Society is a collective effort founded by producer and engineer, Amon, out of his first studio, “The Hook,” in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The APS collective features a rotating ensemble cast of some of the top players in New York City. Amon has been "cherry picking" these great musicians and producers for a few years now in this rich garden. APS' various projects, which are eclectic by nature, carry serious strains of the Jazz, Dub, Funk, Afrobeat, and Soul variety within it. APS’ 2012 debut album, Hurricane Season In Brooklyn impressively debuted in the top 15 of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart with press accolades pouring in from NPR’s Fresh Air, Wired, and All About Jazz to name a few.

Fast forward to April 2019 when APS was reborn at The Bridge Studio, the new large-format recording studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn designed and owned by Amon and now a major player on the NYC studio scene. 

Amon expresses, “When Ben and I were in the studio, he made a crazy call and said, let’s not do this to a click. Initially, I thought he was crazy. We are trying to sample our own session, to make instrumental Hip Hop, and you don’t want to record to a click?? He said, ‘nah.’ So I said, OK! That’s what makes us great partners. That was the right call, it let the players be free.”

Ben adds, “The fact that so much music came out of this one three-hour session really blows my mind.”

Edward Simon's double-CD retrospective – 25 Years

Featuring tracks drawn from 13 albums spanning more than two decades, 25 Years features a brilliant cadre of Simon’s closest collaborators including tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, altoist David Binney, bassists Scott Colley, John Patitucci and Ben Street and drummers Brian Blade and Adam Cruz

As birthdays go, 50 is a big one. Even people generally unfazed by the passage of time pause for a moment to get their bearings at middle age’s undeniable onset. For Edward Simon, reaching the half-century milestone provided a welcome occasion to take stock of a deeply consequent career that has quietly expanded the frontiers where jazz seamlessly converges with Latin American rhythms and European classical forms and devices. Acclaimed as a pianist, composer, arranger, educator and bandleader, the Venezuelan-born, San Francisco Bay Area-based Simon has been at the forefront of the movement that has greatly expanded jazz’s already extensive ties to Latin American music. His new album 25 Years, available on Ridgeway Records, is less a career retrospective than a personally curated tour through some of his highlights as a recording artist.

Brimming with arrestingly beautiful music drawn from 13 albums spanning 1995-2018, it’s a wide-spectrum look at a well-known artist whose music should be circulating much more widely. The album reflects Simon’s recently forged role as associate artistic director of the Bay Area nonprofit Ridgeway Arts, an arts organization, label and presenter founded and run by Jeff Denson, the bassist, composer and California Jazz Conservatory’s dean of instruction.

Rather than inducing angst in Simon, reaching 50 last year inspired him to step back and examine the creative path he’s been following. “I felt like it was time to do some reflecting on my work,” Simon says. “And I realized that a lot of great music went largely unnoticed. It was released on indie labels with no publicity, or small European labels with no presence in the U.S. I wanted to get these recordings back on the radar and into listeners’ ears. I wanted to re-present it in a celebratory spirit.”

Simon didn’t set out to compile a comprehensive portrait of his career. There are no examples of his formative sideman work with Bobby Watson, Terrence Blanchard or Greg Osby, and some of the music he recorded as a leader couldn’t be included. But 25 Years vividly captures a restlessly creative artist wrestling with his influences, honing his voice, and finding an utterly personal synthesis of Pan-American styles. Simon selected all the tracks and decided on the sequencing without paying too much attention to chronology, though the first disc focuses more on what award-winning jazz journalist Ted Panken describes in his incisive liner notes as Simon’s “early-career masterworks of jazz polylingualism.”

He hears his younger self and his freewheeling bandmates as eager to plunge into uncharted territory, unburdened by self-imposed expectations. “There’s a sense of a certain kind of freedom, and at the same time there’s a rawness in those early recordings,” says Simon, a founding faculty member in the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Roots, Jazz and American Music program. “We were really exploring ideas of bringing together the traditions that I love. I grew up playing Latin American music, the genres under that large umbrella. They’re traditions I continue to explore and love, particularly the rhythms but also the song forms that come with them. Those early albums capture that exploration, which is wrapped up with the classical music element that I really love and went to school for, the desire and aspiration for structural clarity in composition and arrangement and the playing itself.”

The music ranges far and wide. He introduces the collection with “Ericka,” a winsome piece from his widely influential 1998 album La Bikina. His pianism is luminous, his touch strong and refined. His lines and the feel of the piece call to mind Keith Jarrett, a beacon for jazz players deeply engaged with classical music. By opening with a piece written by his older brother, percussionist Marlon Simon, he seems to be making a clear statement that 25 Years isn’t only about him. With tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, altoist David Binney, bassist Ben Street and drummer Adam Cruz, he’s joined by a cadre of era-defining improvisers who are still some of his closest collaborators. “Pere,” an elaborate melody from 2001’s Afinidad that writhes over a 5/4 groove, features a quartet with Binney, bassist Scott Colley and the extraordinary drum tandem of Brian Blade and Cruz on percussion and steel drum. The extended exploration of “Pathless Path” from 2013’s Trio Live In New York at Jazz Standard captures his celebrated combo with Blade and bass maestro John Patitucci giving a master class in creating form out of freedom while relentlessly building tension over more than a dozen simmering minutes. It’s music that could only flow from players bonded at the deepest level. “It’s an extended family that has played such an essential role in this music,” Simon says.

If the first disc showcases the matrix of relationships that feed and define Simon’s music, the second concentrates more on his work as an arranger and orchestrator. With the support of three grants from Chamber Music America’s Doris Duke Charitable Foundation program for jazz composers he’s increasingly investigated expanded instrumentation, like on “Uninvited Thoughts” from his critically hailed 2018 album Sorrows and Triumphs. Featuring the Afinidad quartet (Binney, Blade and Colley) plus percussionist Luis Quintero and the Imani Winds, it’s an elegantly constructed piece marked by a spritely melody and acutely balanced interplay between the two finely melded ensembles.

No group has provided more opportunities for experimentation in orchestral writing than the SFJAZZ Collective, which commissions original works for every member each season. His long tenure in the all-star band (formerly an octet and now a septet) is represented by “Venezuela Unidad” from Live at SFJAZZ Center 2017: Original Compositions & the Music of Ornette Coleman, Stevie Wonder and Thelonious Monk. An impassioned cri de coeur over the ongoing humanitarian disaster that has beset Venezuela for more than a decade, it’s a verdant tapestry of shifting meters and tempos. Commissions have played an invaluable role in his growth as a composer, “allowing me to explore the realm of what might be called symphonic jazz,” he says. “The possibilities that it offers in terms of timbre and combinations of various instruments you wouldn’t normally have available is so rich. In the SFJAZZ Collective we had for a long time the four main horn sections of a big band and a vibraphone. That offers a great opportunity as a composer.”

At this point Simon has spent far more of his life in the United States than his homeland, but Venezuela still provides the life-sustaining marrow of his music. Born July 27, 1969 in the oil port of Punta Cardón, he grew up in a household filled with music. His father hailed from Curaçao in the Dutch West Indies, and he instilled a love of music in his sons, percussionist Marlon Simon, trumpeter Michael Simon and Edward. The brothers performed music for dancing at local fiestas and events, tapping into an array of rhythms from Venezuela and beyond (they last reunited for a performance together in 2010 as Simon, Simon & Simon). “My older brother played timbales at the time, and we had our band playing parties and anniversaries,” Edward says. “In a way that strong connection with the dance floor and dancers left a great imprint on me. To this day, a groove is an important element in my music.”

Simon was serious enough about the piano that at the age of 15 he left Venezuela and moved by himself to Pennsylvania to enroll at the Philadelphia Performing Arts School, a now-defunct private academy. He continued his classical studies, but he also discovered jazz, and eventually connected with Philly masters like bassist Charles Fambrough and guitarist Kevin Eubanks, who encouraged him to move to New York. Landing in Manhattan in 1988 at the age of 19 he quickly established himself as an essential new voice. A five-year stint with the great altoist Bobby Watson followed a nine-year run with trumpeter Terence Blanchard (who had both thrived in the hard-bop academy of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers) firmly established Simon as one of his generation’s leading accompanists. All the while he was looking to combine his growing authority as a straight ahead jazz player with his love of Latin American idioms, ambitions that put him at the center of a brilliant wave of fellow South American artists who had also recently arrived in New York. That creative journey unfolds in exquisite detail on 25 Years, an anthology that documents the arc of a culture-bridging artist who’s still ascending.

Featured on 25 Years:

Edward Simon - composer/bandleader/piano; Mark Turner - tenor saxophone; David Binney and Miguel Zenón - alto sax; David Sánchez - tenor sax and percussion; Mark Dover - clarinet; John Ellis - bass clarinet; Marco Granados, Valery Coleman - flute; Monica Ellis - bassoon; Jeff Scott - French horn; Toyin Spellman-Diaz - oboe; Adam Rogers - guitar; Ben Street, Larry Grenadier, Scott Colley, John Patitucci, Avishai Cohen, Roberto Koch, Matt Penman, Joe Martin - bass; Brian Blade, Adam Cruz, Eric Harland, Obed Calvaire - drums; Pernell Saturnino, Luis Quintero, Rogerio Boccato - percussion; Luciana Souza, Genevieve Artadi, Gretchen Parlato, Lucía Pulido - vocals; Shane Endsley and Sean Jones - trumpet; Robin Eubanks, Jesse Newman, Alan Ferber – trombone; Jorge Glem - cuatro; Edmar Castaneda - harp; Leonardo Granados - maracas; Warren Wolf - vibraphone.

Seth MacFarlane releases his 6th studio album, Great Songs From Stage & Screen

Grammy-nominated vocalist, Seth MacFarlane, releases his 6th studio album, Great Songs From Stage & Screen (Republic/Verve). The collection of tender ballads and uptempo tunes is full of lush and rich orchestrations courtesy of acclaimed composer, Bruce Broughton. 

Recorded at the legendary Abbey Road studios, MacFarlane recruited a stellar group of musicians that included Chuck Berghofer (Bass), Peter Erskine (Drums), Larry Koonse (Guitar), Dan Higgins (Alto Sax) and Tom Ranier (piano). Together with members of the John Wilson Orchestra, longtime friend and collaborator, composer/producer Joel McNeely and engineer extraordinaire, Rich Breen, MacFarlane deftly weaved songs of theatrical and filmic origins into a collection that harkens back to Hollywood’s Golden Age. 

MacFarlane adds “The album is masterfully arranged by composer Bruce Broughton, whose signature vibrance and sophisticated orchestral texturing is a perfect match for this collection of show-centric swing arrangements and ballads.” The set covers compositions by revered musical writing legends that include Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Loewe and Lerner, and Henry Mancini. 

SCARLET PINES travels between the borderlines of jazz, psychedelic rock, soul and instrumental hip-hop

Scarlet Pines is the creation of Canada-born, London-based composer and multi-instrumentalist, Pete Range. Debut EP ‘A Life in Flow’is the culmination of a year-long writing effort by Range in his home studio in Deptford. In his songwriting he seeks to channel the expressive vigour of improvised jazz, but with a well-defined direction and emphasis on strong hooks, resulting in a sound that balances spontaneity and meticulousness.

The Scarlet Pines sound is a tapestry and each piece comes from a stage within his own musical journey. Modern jazz lays the harmonic framework, injecting energy and poetry with its improvised solos, but Range cast his net much wider in terms of influences. Whether it’s guitar riffs drawn from psychedelic rock, the up-front and heavy-hitting drums of hip-hop, atmospheric build-ups reminiscent of a noughties DnB roller, or horn-laden hooks and funky bass lines inspired by the soul of Stax or Motown, each element is added to the pot, simmered, and distilled into a product that is undeniably original and yet nostalgically familiar.

Joining Range on Tenor Sax is Idris Rahman who has garnered considerable attention for his work in the groups Wildflower and Ill Considered. Wildflower's first album was nominated in last years' Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards for Jazz Album of the Year. On guitar is Joe Perkins who has a residency upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s. He has supported artists such as Terence Blanchard and plays regularly as part of breakout act Robohands’ live band. Flo Moore is on bass, a recent graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London. She has performed with artists such as Bobby Watson and Jason Rebello and played at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall. On drums is Joel Barford, known for his performances with artists such as Ant Law and John Etheridge. He has played venues and festivals such as Ronnie Scott's, North Sea Jazz Festival and the London Jazz Festival.

Sonar Kollektiv : Key Elements - Remixed

Berlin based DJ and producer Marian Tone came up with the name «Key Elements» long before forming the trio that now puts forward a promising album on Sonar Kollektiv. After the release of two EPs («EP One» and «Beats vs. Bad Karma» both on Dooinit Music) the expertly and sought-after DJ with a background in Hiphop, Soul and Jazz consequently ventured to record his debut album. Marian’s idea was to produce music that sounds organically abandoning the use of samples completely but only focusing on own compositions. But things didn’t turn out as planned at all.

Some years ago Marians’ brother Markus, introduced him to the drummer Waldi who already in the 90’s cut a dash locally with his two-man-drummer-live project «Analogue Freestyle». That’s how Marius and Waldi arranged for an initial mutual session. During which Waldi laid drums over the beats that were destined for Marian’s upcoming album «Key Elements». Both were mutually impressed by the outcome to the extend that they decided to record some tracks and to form a band. Suddenly the solo project «Key Elements» had turned into a group. In early 2019 the group was completed by including the befriended keyboard player Jim Dunloop. The highly gifted piano virtuoso is working as a producer for quite some time now and for instance has released his debut album «Opus 76BPM» on BBE. On «Key Elements» you can hear him on bass though. He contributed some of his own compositions as well. In the following months the eight songs in total were recorded in different studios in Berlin (f.e. the Butterama Music Recording Studio or the SB Drums-Studio run by Sascha Bachmann). They already had the chance to set the house on fire with their up-to-now unreleased material at several locations, f.e. at the Badehaus next to J. Lamotta & Blue Lab Beats, at Klunkerkranich in Neukölln, at the XJAZZ Festival, at the Fete De La Hip Hop and at the Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM Party in the Kreuzberg Club Gretchen as a part of the Steve Reid Foundation.

«Key Elements» have created exactly what Sonar Kollektiv was waiting for: No-holds-barred modern sounding Jazz far away from Broken Beat nostalgia or Beatmaking nerdism. Of course you can hear Marian Tone’s love for hiphop in all of the eight tracks, but similar to the young and dynamic UK jazz secene this love is transported into a new free form. Laid-back and positive melodies invite to listen carefully to the music which surprises again and again: Different time signatures, infuriating arrangements and tempo changes give the album some sense of complexity without being complicated. Even though Marian Tone is the key element of «Key Elements» you notice quickly that here three musicians interchange on equal terms and have the time of their life!

THE FINAL SOLO RECORDING FROM LEGENDARY JAZZ PIANIST DAVE BRUBECK

Verve Records releases Lullabies, a collection of original compositions and familiar songs from the iconic American jazz musician, Dave Brubeck. The last recorded solo album from the peerless musician, this previously unreleased set showcases his well-known improvisational style on memorable children’s songs, treasured standards and originals. 

Dave recorded this serene collection of music as a gift to his grandchildren and as his last studio recording.  His ingenuity and integrity, all hallmarks of great Brubeck recordings, are abundantly apparent on the album.  The set contains covers and originals that will appeal to existing jazz and Dave Brubeck fans, as it exhibits his innovative style over delicate, inviting compositions that will also be enjoyed by the entire family. 

Fans of Brubeck and of his other recordings will be delighted to discover five original tracks (“Going to Sleep,” “Lullaby For Iola” “Koto Song,” “Softly, William, Softly,” and “Briar Bush”) to experience, through Lullabies, as well as a new dimension of his unrivaled talent.  Created for the whole family to experience, fans will greatly enjoy the album with their children and grandchildren. Beginning with the recently released songs and accompanying lovingly animated videos to “Brahms Lullaby” and ‘Over The Rainbow”, Lullabies is destined to be a family favorite for generations to come.

Born on December 6, 1920, Dave Brubeck’s centennial is rapidly approaching and Lullabies is a central recording that celebrates his multi-faceted creativity. Designated a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress, Brubeck was one of the most active and popular musicians in both the jazz and classical worlds. His large and varied repertoire of recordings continue to be popular among existing fans and each new generation.  His worldwide audience on Spotify and other Internet downloading and streaming services is consistently in the millions. Brubeck won many notable awards including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 and “Take Five” is one of the most identifiable jazz songs of all time, with over 112M+ streams on Spotify.