Chuck Owen and The Jazz Surge | "Within Us"

Composer and bandleader Chuck Owen celebrates the 25th anniversary of his Grammy-nominated big band The Jazz Surge on stunning new album Within Us, due out September 17, 2021 via Summit Records, reconvenes Owen’s vibrant 19-piece big band along with special guest vibraphonist Warren Wolf to commemorate the band’s silver anniversary and the resolute spirit that steered it through the past year.

With the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking big band, The Jazz Surge, swiftly approaching, Florida-based composer and bandleader Chuck Owen saw an obvious theme for the ensemble’s upcoming seventh album. It’s an impressive landmark for any large ensemble, of course, but especially worth commemorating for one that’s been hailed as “riotous and joyous” (JazzTimes) and “rapturous” (DownBeat), earned seven Grammy nominations, and led its founder to such high-profile opportunities as composing and arranging for the WDR Big Band.

 As a global pandemic interfered and delay after delay pushed back the planned recording session, however, a new theme began to emerge. Once this tight-knit group of musicians emerged from quarantine and reunited in the studio in May, there were far more important ideas to express than the mere passage of time. The remarkable new album that emerged, Within Us, is a testament to the vibrant collective identity forged by the band over the past quarter-century.

“For almost everybody in the band, it was the first time they’d recorded with actual people in the same room since the beginning of the pandemic,” Owen recalls. “Just being together became such a joyous occasion. There was an amazing sense of community. Within Us really seemed to represent this sense of what we’d all been through and the inner strength, especially collectively, that drove us through it. We all felt that was worth celebrating once we were on the other side of it.”

Due out September 17, 2021 via Summit Records, Within Us features a stellar 19-piece ensemble, including several members who have been with the Surge since its self-titled 1996 debut, with vibraphone great Warren Wolf joins the band as special guest.

Within Us takes its title from an uncharacteristically hopeful quote by the typically darker-toned author and existentialist Albert Camus, from his essay “Return to Tipasa.”

“In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that . . .In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.”

Owen paraphrased the quote, changing the “within me” to the more communal “us,” characteristic of his collaborative nature. The Jazz Surge itself was not originally planned to be a vehicle for his own work, but an extension of his teaching at the University South Florida, an institution from which he’ll retire this summer after 40 years. He’d written an article stressing the importance of jazz repertory in music education, so decided to put his words into action with the founding of the South Eastern Repertory Jazz Ensemble – or, SERJE. After an initial rehearsal using some of his own charts he realized how much fun it was to hear his music played by such a gifted band, and the SERJE ceased being an acronym and became the soundalike Surge.

Owen’s joy in hearing his compositions brought to life by the band remains evident 25 years later. Opener “Chelsea Shuffle” brims with that excitement, even given its somewhat tragic origins. Legendary pianist Chick Corea was originally slated to be the album’s special guest, so Owen arranged this Corea composition to feature him. The pianist’s untimely death leaves the tune as a fittingly exuberant send-off.

It was Corea’s longtime partnership with Gary Burton that turned Owen’s thoughts to the vibraphone, leading to Wolf being recruited as the date’s special guest. His agile playing graces both “Chelsea Shuffle” and Owen’s lush “The Better Claim,” revisiting a piece from the Surge’s 2013 suite River Runs. “Milestones,” of course, is a holdover from the album’s original title. Owen’s arrangement of the Miles Davis classic fuses it with “Surge,” the first composition he ever wrote expressly for the ensemble, bridging the band’s past and present in the span of one tune.

Other pieces look nostalgically back while gazing resolutely forward with a tentative optimism, befitting both the album’s status as an anniversary celebration as well as its tribute to the band’s strong resolution. “Trail of the Ancients” and “Apalachicola” both ruminate on Owen’s love of and concern for the environment, while “American Noir” is a cynically hopeful recap of recent political turmoil inspired by Chinatown soundtrack composer Jerry Goldsmith. “Sparks Fly” and the title track (subtitled “An Invincible Summer”) are both more direct tributes to Owen’s dedicated bandmates. 

“I'm incredibly grateful to be commemorating 25 years with this band,” Owen concludes. “It really changed the trajectory of my career and gave me a newfound focus for my writing. I now had specific people that I was writing for, and through them I discovered so many things. Ultimately it’s allowed me to take more artistic risks based on the fact that I have wonderful musicians that are willing to go on the ride with me.” 

Central Florida-based Chuck Owen has been a revered composer and bandleader as well as a committed, passionate and nationally respected jazz educator for over 40 years. Thoughtful, creative, evocative, and intensely personal, his compositions and arrangements are steeped in the jazz tradition but draw liberally and often playfully from a diverse array of additional influences that include contemporary classical, American folk/roots music, Latin, funk, hip-hop and even country music. Since founding it in 1995, Owen’s primary creative outlet has been the 19-piece Jazz Surge, and he has served as conductor, primary composer/arranger, and producer of all of its highly feted releases, which have garnered seven GRAMMY nominations. His compositional talents have also been recognized by a Guggenheim Fellowship. During its history the Surge has hosted such special guests as Chick Corea, Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, Bob Brookmeyer, John Clayton, Dave Douglas and Gerald Wilson, among many others.

Masabumi Kikuchi | "Hanamichi"

The final studio recording from the late Japanese pianist Masabumi Kikuchi, Hanamichi is the culmination of a lifetime of musical exploration and discovery.

Six revelatory tracks by the late Japanese pianist Masabumi Kikuchi are featured on Hanamichi, the debut release by Red Hook Records, due out April 16, 2021, in digital, LP, and CD formats. Recorded over a two-day New York session on a magnificent Steinway, the music marks a divergence from the mostly free improvising Poo (Kikuchi’s nickname), who died at age 75 in 2015, practiced during his final years. Kikuchi’s radiant playing sparkles with melodic exploration and expression in renditions of lesser-known tunes and popular standards.

As Kevin Whitehead writes in these excerpts from the album’s liner notes:

“I don’t have any technique,” Kikuchi protested to the New York Times’ Ben Ratliff, a year and a half before recording Hanamichi. More accurate to say he’d developed his own. He played with fingers curved, hands moving crablike or poised banana-bunched. Sometimes his palms drooped below the keyboard, and sometimes he played with hands crossed or overlapping. You can hear the resultant sonic knots on “Improvisation” and the first “My Favorite Things”: churnings from which instant melodies suddenly arise.

For Hanamichi, producer Sun Chung nudged him toward playing tunes, in addition to his free improvisations. That proved to be a good idea. Poo didn’t bring music or a setlist, calling selections in the moment. One is a personal standard, a staple of  his sets since 1970, the ballad for his daughter “Little Abi.”

You can measure how radically Kikuchi transforms Mabel Wayne’s brisk Spanish waltz “Ramona” by the seven-second gap between the first and second notes of the melody once he finally gets around to it. Languid tempo lets him build, and the final melody statement in a new key is freighted with accumulated feeling. That tempo lets us hear Kikuchi’s command of pedaling and of overtones at the margins: the high thin sheen of ringing harmonics that persists through changing chords.

While some pianists who ride sustain pedal overplay, Kikuchi pares back, choosing notes with extra care for clarity. Humming piano harp is a shifting backdrop to present action, not a heavy curtain descending on it. Kikuchi’s “Summertime” announces the melody with playfully ambiguous barroom tremolos and distorts the graceful timing of Gershwin’s internal cadences. All those dynamics he minds are on display: piano rings in many ways, across the registers — another zone of dynamic variation. In the performance’s back half, an overflight of chattering birds/dissolving high chords unhatches Poo’s eerie buzzard voice. Other pianists sing along with their right hands; Kikuchi’s keening would beam in from beyond, an independent voice. On Hanamichi, his utterances are few and surprisingly on point, intensifying musical effect.

Two radically different “My Favorite Things” confirm Hanamichi’s improvisatory spontaneity: two days, two perspectives. Taking his time on the longer take, Kikuchi finds implications in the melody and harmony that skirling modal versions gloss over. As on “Abi” he strikes hammered-anvil chords, dynamic alloys of timbre, harmony and attack. They signify, and remind us, that Masabumi Kikuchi’s piano music is not about rippling over the keys but making the instrument sound.

Masabumi “Poo” Kikuchi (October 19, 1939 – July 6, 2015) was a Japanese jazz pianist and composer. Born in Tokyo, he studied music at the Tokyo Art College High School. He worked with a diverse range of musicians, including Lionel Hampton, McCoy Tyner, Mal Waldron, Elvin Jones, Miles Davis, and Gary Peacock. His vast discography covered a wide range of styles, ranging from straight-up post-bop and vanguard classical to fusion, synthesizer, and digital dub. After winning a DownBeat magazine contest for overseas musicians, he won a full scholarship for Berklee College of Music, playing piano for Sonny Rollins’ Japanese tour before departing for the United States. He gained renown as a leader, sideman, and featured guest, recording albums and touring with jazz music’s top players. Over the decades he experimented with electric music, synthesizer, improvisation, and new forms. In 1990 he released the Bill Laswell-produced Dreamachine and began his significant, longtime collaboration with drummer Paul Motian. He continued to play and release new music until his death in 2015.

Noah Preminger & Kim Cass | "THUNDA"

THUNDA is the new digital release from longtime friends and colleagues saxophonist Noah Preminger and bassist Kim Cass, out via Dry Bridge Records.  

The album showcases the electrifying energy of the music on ten original tracks. While Preminger and Cass met during their college days in 2004, they didn’t start playing together until Cass moved to New York City after a brief stint on the West Coast. Through their mutual focus on pushing the boundaries of instrumental virtuosity toward innovative uses of rhythm and harmony, the two forged a strong connection, working together on countless performances and collaborations, including more than half a dozen of Preminger’s albums. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic led to cancellations of their planned live tours, Preminger and Cass turned to technology as a safe outlet for creating and recording new music. THUNDA, Preminger’s sixteenth and Cass’ second release as band leaders, takes the artists’ compositions and improvisations into new territory.

“This is the first recording I’ve made remotely and entirely at home,” says Preminger. “It also marks the first recording where I play and layer multiple instruments, all entirely improvised. Kim is one of the most imaginative bassists and musical voices in jazz and this project truly got both of us to reach outside the box.”

Jim Yanda | "A Silent Way"

Guitarist Jim Yanda boldly ventures into unexplored territory with decades-long collaborators Phil Haynes and Herb Robertson on adventurous free improv outing. A Silent Way, evokes the rich textures and absorbing atmospherics of the Miles Davis classic while striking out into startling new territory.

For even the most casual of jazz fans, the title of A Silent Way, the latest album by the exploratory guitarist Jim Yanda, will inevitably evoke the name of another album by one of the music’s most iconic figures. That’s no accident. Like Miles Davis’ In a Silent Way, Yanda’s trio excursion with trumpet player Herb Robertson and drummer Phil Haynes ventures into often stark, spacious, richly textured territories.

Beyond that commonality, however, there’s very little chance that the two albums could be mistaken for one another – while each proposes a silent way, each carves its own distinctive path into the vast quietude. Yanda’s Silent Way is a constantly surprising and inventive conversation between three longtime collaborators determined to discover new possibilities with their respective instruments and the interaction between them.

“The connection is a little oblique,” admits Yanda. “But it's definitely there in the approach, the openness – the idea of letting the horn be out there playing ideas with the group responding. Something about that aesthetic allowed us to be audacious enough to call the project A Silent Way, which I think gives people a reference point to draw them into its world.”

Having some recognizable landmarks does help in navigating the mysterious, amorphous landscapes conjured by Yanda and his trio on A Silent Way. It can be equally effective, though, to simply allow oneself to get lost wandering its cavernous sonic spaces, delighting in the crunch and scrape of Haynes’ percussive arsenal, being lured along by Yanda’s wiry lines before getting startled by a sudden blast from Robertson’s trumpet. Sputtering horn bleats are shrouded in howling feedback, an insistent rattling is dissected by the skittering of fingers on strings, a nonsensical chorus of chattering voices erupts from Robertson’s synthesizer – it’s an array of sounds as seemingly limitless as it is fascinatingly abstract.

“Our sensibilities about space and texture are fostered by our common ethos,” Yanda explains. “There has to be a kind of deep listening and deep empathy there. From the first note, Herb opens an immediate portal into a subconscious space of pure creativity. Phil and I join him in that space and that fosters an incredible camaraderie.”

Despite the longevity of the relationships represented in the trio – Yanda and Haynes have been working together since their student days at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, nearly four decades ago, while both connected with Robertson through their Brooklyn rehearsal space, the Corner Store, in the 1990s – A Silent Way marks the first time that they’ve convened as a trio.

Haynes and Yanda are typically found in more composed scenarios, such as Haynes’ “jazz-grass” string band Free Country, the genre-bending organ trio The Hammond Brothers with Steve Adams, and Yanda’s decades-long trio with bassist Drew Gress. Yanda and Robertson, meanwhile, share a long-running free improvisational duo, while Haynes and Robertson released a pair of improvised recordings on CIMP back in 2000, Ritual and Brooklyn-Berlin.

A Silent Way was recorded in Yanda’s New Jersey living room, the same space where it was born. The guitarist hosted a series of free improv sessions at his home, and invited Haynes and Robertson to join him one particularly fruitful day in early 2019, with engineer Jon Rosenberg expertly capturing the fragile atmosphere. “Right after the first session, it was universally agreed by all of us that there was something special here,” Yanda recalls. “We immediately said, ‘Let's do it again.’ So we had another couple of sessions throughout the spring, and eventually came to the realization that we should document this. We met over a weekend in June, rolled tape, and ended up with a tremendous amount of material.”

In another parallel to Miles’ In a Silent Way, Haynes took on the Teo Macero role, sifting through the hours of material to assemble the most captivating moments. That he found enough thrilling music to fill two full discs is testament to the scintillating chemistry shared by these three master improvisers. Despite the lack of strictures on the trio’s interactions, a definite architecture emerges from even the most sparse and ephemeral of pieces.

“There's a tendency in free improvisation to make sound without listening deeply, because it’s so open and there are no rules,” Yanda says. “It's a much greater challenge to make what you're doing cohere with the overall context, to try to give things some form and structure.”

Yanda, Haynes and Robertson are all deeply attuned to that approach, each with his own long history of creating compelling music from the moment’s inspiration. A Silent Way is a particularly shining example of those tendencies, one that rewards the same close, focused listening and inspired discovery that the artists felt when creating it.

Scott Reeves Quintet | "The Alchemist"

The Alchemist rescues a brilliant 2005 performance by the masterful Scott Reeves Quintet, featuring Russ Spiegel, Mike Holober, Howard Britz, Andy Watson, and Reeves on alto flugelhorn, alto valve trombone and electronics

Multi-instrumentalist, bandleader and composer Scott Reeves expected to have some time on his hands upon his retirement from teaching, following an illustrious career on the faculties of the City College of New York, Juilliard and other prestigious institutions. But when the pandemic struck just a few months later, Reeves suddenly found himself with an abundance of free time as performance opportunities disappeared. In addition to a productive period of writing for his longstanding big band, the Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra (with two recent recordings on Origin), he now had the opportunity to revisit his own archives and discover some hidden gems.

That search unearthed the stunning new release The Alchemist, featuring a previously unheard live date by the Scott Reeves Quintet – a never-recorded band featuring Reeves on alto flugelhorn, alto valve trombone and electronics, alongside guitarist Russ Spiegel, pianist and keyboardist Mike Holober, bassist Howard Britz and drummer Andy Watson. Captured in May 2005 at the City College of New York.

“I don't even know if I ever meant to release it,” Reeves says of the shelved recording. “But when I listened to it last summer I thought the band sounded really inspired that night. I also thought it might have been some of the best playing I've ever done that's been recorded. So I determined to get this project out there.”

The issue that Reeves faced, and that may have discouraged him from attempting to release the concert at the time, was that the recording suffered from audio issues. The evening was well recorded by students from the college’s recording technology program, but it was intended merely to document a collection of new compositions. No baffling was used between the instruments, leading to drum leakage and other flaws.

In the intervening years, however, Reeves had begun working with Grammy Award-winning recording/mixing engineer Brian Montgomery, who has worked with such luminaries as Paul McCartney, Esperanza Spalding, Donald Fagen and the Maria Schneider Orchestra. Reeves brought the files to Montgomery, who worked his audio magic and rescued the recording, isolating each instrument and remixing it. “I have high regard for Brian’s abilities to bring out the best quality in a project,” Reeves says. “Eventually he was able to get the sound to what you would expect out of a good studio recording.”

Why go to all this trouble for a single concert recording from a decade and a half in the past? The music speaks for itself in response to that question. The Alchemist finds these five brilliant musicians in top form, exploring what was for Reeves new and adventurous territory. Best known as a trombonist, the axe he yields in big bands led by Dave Liebman and Bill Mobley as well as his own 17-piece Scott Reeves Orchestra, Reeves here focuses on some more unusual instruments from his arsenal: the alto valve trombone and the alto flugelhorn. In addition, he’d recently begun experimenting with altering the sound of his horns with electronics, a path he abandoned not long after. (The rediscovery of this recording, however, has led him to dust off some of that equipment once again.)

“I started playing trombone when I was 10,” Reeves explains. “As I got along in my career I struggled to find my own voice outside the influence of J.J. Johnson, Curtis Fuller, Slide Hampton and the like. I found the alto flugelhorn, which is a German instrument between the range of a trombone and a trumpet, and I really fell in love with that sound.”

The alto valve trombone had been used in 19th military bands but long since passed into obscurity when Reeves had one specially made for him. “The sound of these two instruments being slightly higher than the trombone as well as the use of valves opened up ways of reshaping what I was going to play,” Reeves describes. “I really started finding my own individual identity on them. In fact, Dave Liebman once had me take a solo in his big band and told me, ‘Play that alto whatever-you-call-it thing. You have more of an identity on that.’ Which is similar to what Miles Davis told him about the soprano saxophone.”

Exploring the mysterious contours of a Phrygian vamp, “New Bamboo” opens the album with Reeves’ altered horn and Spiegel’s guitar lines melding into shimmering textures. The Gil Evans-inspired “Shapeshifter,” based on a 12-tone row, is one of three pieces debuted at this concert that has since been revived with the Jazz Orchestra; the melancholy bossa nova “Without the Trace” gave the big band’s 2018 album its title, and Reeves’ funky arrangement of the classic “All Or Nothing At All” was expanded for the same recording. “The Alchemist” is a scintillating soul-jazz burner dedicated to Miles Davis, while “Remembrances” is an achingly tender ballad.

Thoroughly modern in conception and timelessly thrilling in execution, The Alchemist sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday and is every bit as exhilarating as if it was. “I think it's probably the best small group work I've ever done in my life,” Reeves concludes. “I'm very happy to finally have it out there.”

Scott Reeves is a trombonist, alto flugelhornist, composer, arranger, author, and college jazz educator. He plays trombone with the Dave Liebman big band and has also performed with the Vanguard Orchestra and Chico O’Farrill’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, as well as with artists such as Steve Wilson, Kenny Werner, James Williams, Rich Perry, Bill Mobley, John Patitucci, and others. He has written commissions for the Liebman Big Band, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, and groups in Rome and Kyoto. The Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra has released two CDs: Portraits and Places and Without a Trace, both on Origin Records. Reeves is a Professor Emeritus at The City College of New York and also taught at the Juilliard School and other regional universities. He is the author of two textbooks on jazz improvisation.

Reissued albums by seminal jazz artists Bill Evans and Joe Henderson

Germany’s first jazz label, MPS Records, reissued a couple of albums from their historic catalogue recently when pianist Bill Evans’ “Symbiosis” and saxophonist Joe Henderson’s “Mirror Mirror” dropped on vinyl and CD in the United States and Canada via Edel Germany in partnership with Bob Frank Entertainment.

Best known for recording primarily in piano, drums and bass settings, Evans was recognized as the leader of one of the most influential jazz trios and lauded for his work on Miles Davis’s iconic “Kind of Blue” album. 1974’s “Symbiosis” finds Evans in the rare company of an orchestra led by Claus Ogerman, a prolific arranger-composer who has crafted noteworthy recordings in an array of genres by legendary artists such as Frank Sinatra, Stan Getz and Antonio Carlos Jobim to modern day figures like Diana Krall. Ogerman had a flair for melding contemporary classical and jazz, utilizing New York Philharmonic and jazz musicians.

The set list on “Symbiosis,” which was reissued last month as a limited-edition orange vinyl LP, is devoid of standards and Evans’ originals. With Evans dispensing lyrical solos on acoustic and electric keyboards, the album’s audacious repertoire is diverse, spanning minimalistic passages, samba-tinged big band numbers, and grand tunes highlighted by lavish string section tracks and cinematic selections typical of the 1970s era. Throughout, Evans inventive finger work remains the captivating centerpiece.

Henderson possessed a distinctive sound and style that remained consistent throughout his remarkable career that included a star-making stint playing in Horace Silver’s Quintet and a run as a member of Herbie Hancock’s band. On 1980’s “Mirror Mirror,” which was reissued last month as a limited-edition green vinyl disc, the GRAMMY winner is accompanied by a stellar acoustic lineup recorded in Los Angeles featuring Chick Corea on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Corea and Carter each contributed two compositions to the set list while Henderson’s “Joe’s Bolero” is a piece typical of this hard bop, avant-garde recording, a cut that reflects one of the saxman’s primary influences, John Coltrane. The hornman’s virtuoso tenor emotes mellow melodies on the disc’s lone standard, “What’s New?” Although credited as a solo Henderson album, each member of the all-star quartet is given equal opportunity to shine.

Since June, MPS has been reissuing albums from their catalogue in North America by jazz royalty, including Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, The Count Basie Orchestra and George Duke. 

Guy Buttery, Mohd. Amjad Khan & Mudassir Khan | "One Morning In Gurgaon"

It was whilst South African musician Guy Buttery was on a concert tour of India, as part of a trio with the highly acclaimed Indian classical musicians Mohd. Amjad Khan and Mudassir Khan, that the seed was sown for “One Morning In Gurgaon”. Remarkably, all three musicians had never met before, let alone made any music together, and before their first concert they had only “practised” via voice recordings and exchanged texts somewhere between Hindi and English to break down the various parts of the set. Ultimately it was this unrehearsed approach combined with the inauspicious and eleventh-hour nature of their first meeting which provided the stardust for this collaboration as Guy explains, “Due to Delhi traffic, our intended dry run was shaved right down to a single 60 minutes giving us just enough time to shake hands, share a chai and tune our instruments. As a result, we went in totally blind to that first concert yet what unfolded on stage over the next hour left me in complete awe. So much so that after our performance I immediately set about asking anyone who would listen, how we could track down a local studio to capture our newly formed trio. As luck would have it, the very place where we had performed that first night had a basic recording set-up and we somehow managed to secure a single morning to record.”

Guy’s fascination and love for India’s musical wonders and myriad landscapes are deep rooted and go back to his first brush with the subcontinent when he was just twenty-one. Talking about the synchronicities of his first encounter with Amjad and Mudassir and the unexpected studio session that followed to create this album, Guy explains the importance of that first trip, “I don’t believe any of my prior or subsequent travels have impacted and shaped me as much as that trip did. I came back a vegetarian, 10 kgs lighter, with a severe case of lockjaw and a deep love for a land, its people and its intoxicating music.”

Both Mohd. Amjad Khan and Mudassir Khan are renowned masters of their respective instruments, steeped in the Indian classical traditions from a young age. Although guardians of their musical heritage, One Morning In Gurgaon highlights their willingness to push the envelope of their instruments, expertly highlighted by Amjad whose tabla playing is marked by uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational dexterity. Likewise, Mudassir has harnessed the improvisational potential of the rare and notoriously difficult sarangi (Indian box cello), an instrument whose sound most resembles that of the human voice, and an instrument which Guy confesses to, “Being overly obsessed with.” The combined experience of Guy’s acoustic guitar wizardry with these two Indian master musicians culminates in an album which is as pure and uninhibited an example of empathetic collaboration as you’ll find anywhere: a musical conversation between musicians exchanging each other’s ideas on the spur of the moment and feeling out the areas of crossover with a depth that goes far beyond pure mimicry. The album also highlights Guy’s mbira (thumb piano) playing on the beautiful ‘I Know This Place’, providing a sublime and hypnotic melody which seamlessly blends with the tabla and sarangi accompaniment.

It seems impossibly fortuitous that the celestials and traffic gods aligned to allow One Morning In Gurgaon to be. All the music you hear contained within is the result of singular takes, as time didn’t allow for more. Everything had to be spontaneous as Guy describes, “Amjad chose what songs we would play. Our rendition of “Raag Yaman” presented here was the first and only time we ever played it together. Mudassir gave me a skeleton idea of the raga in spoken word and what unfolded is what you hear here. Everything else was almost certainly telepathic. I was well aware of the intuition and openness in the room that consequential morning in Gurgaon. I feel incredibly humbled to have shared in sound with these two masters and am forever grateful to them both for their profound musicianship, their warm hearts and their spontaneous spirits.”

Richard Smith | "Soul Share"

“You never forget the first band you toured with or the first albums you made,” said contemporary jazz guitarist Richard Smith, who likened the bond between bandmembers to sports teammates.

“Music is a team sport. There’s giving and lots of tossing the ball to your teammates.”

Sports teams speak of the team building that takes place during road trips and the lessons learned that bring athletes closer together. Smith says the same applies to musicians. In his case, he spent a formative decade playing alongside hitmaking saxophonist Richard Elliot. While that musical partnership was formed over 30 years ago, the relationship created a lasting bond as evidenced by Smith’s forthcoming single, “Soul Share,” which features Elliot. The track will begin collecting playlist adds on September 20.  

Smith began touring and recording with Elliot in the late 1980s. The guitarist had just graduated the music school at the University of Southern California and began an “intense” study in the saxman’s band during a seminal time for instrumental music that incorporated contemporary jazz, R&B, funk, fusion and pop.

“The genre was still developing. We just called it instrumental soul, or fusion, or funky-jazz and our music was comparatively intense as far as tempos, beats and solos. Richard (Elliot) was the quintessential strong leader having come out of the Tower of Power training camp. He’s a massive talent and the band had ridiculously good players. Being in Richard’s band provided an incredible education post-USC experience. I always called the Elliot band my second master’s degree,” said Smith, who wrote and produced “Soul Share” with fellow guitarist and Billboard chart-topper Adam Hawley.

Although “Soul Share” has a vivacious melody, buoyant guitar-and-sax banter, and a boisterous feel, those early tours weren’t easy or glamorous.  

“We toured in a rented Lincoln Town Car and equipment vans, taking turns driving, occasionally through snow-storms and tornadoes, to play shows in bowling alleys or open for larger acts that wouldn’t let us have monitors on stage or use lights. We became jazz commandos, winning our audience one tough gig at a time,” recalled Smith.

“Soul Share” benefits from a big band arrangement by Jacob Mann and David Mann’s horn arrangement along with trumpet play by Trevor Neumann. Drummer Eric Valentine and bassist Mel Brown tap out the rhythmic structure to which Hawley chimes in on keyboards and rhythm guitar. “Soul Share” clearly relishes in the enduring chemistry between Smith’s nifty fretwork and Elliot’s impassioned sax, a track celebrating an era as well as the connection between the two protagonists.

“It’s hard to think in terms of decades, but one of the best things about getting older is looking back and ‘getting’ each other on a sort of survivor level. Richard and I shared that for ten years forged through thousands of miles and many hit songs. ‘Soul Share’ honors those lessons I learned in ‘the college of the road,’ way back at the start of a new music genre,” said Smith, who will include the single on his 13th album, “Language of the Soul,” which he hopes to drop in the first quarter next year from Chillharmonic Media.

Smith has been in a reflective mindset ever since his stage three throat cancer diagnosis last year, which inspired his first single in five years, “Let’s Roll,” that was released last March. Now cancer free, he continues as a professor in the guitar department at the Thornton School of Music at USC, which is where he first encountered his former student, Hawley. In addition to his years spent flanking Elliot, Smith has recorded or shared the stage with Peter White, Kenny G, Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair, Eric Marienthal, Brian Bromberg, Warren Hill, Everette Harp and Dan Siegel. His “SOuLIDIFIED” (2003) album spent 17 weeks in the top 10 in terms of airplay and his 2015 set, “Tangos,” spent more than five months in the top 10 of the indie and contemporary jazz charts.

New Music Releases: Xavier Omar, Jus & Georgia Anne Muldrow, Patricia Scott

Xavier Omar - If You Feel

Beautiful vocals from Xavier Omar – a singer who maybe takes us back to the classic 70s sound of the Isley Brothers with the way he cascades and flows between the record's gentle grooves – but an artist who's definitely set up here in a much more contemporary mode! Omar's a soul singer, but one with a very open ear to hip hop production – and the approach of the record often takes his vocals and layers them alongside these gentle beats and really crisp sonic touches that give the whole record a wonderful sound, but without ever denying the vocal strength that is at the core. There's a few moments where guest MCs step into the mix to further the hip hop vibe – and titles include "Want/Need", "Something Changed", "So Much More", "Surf", "Bon Iverre", "More Than Less", and "Lil Healer". ~ Dusty Groove

Jus & Georgia Anne Muldrow - Else

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, multi-instrumentalist Jus is now based in Melbourne, Australia. Moving to another country allowed him to blend multiple cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds into his music. He aims for listeners of his music to achieve noting but a ‘mature, mind-relaxing experience’. His love for music stretches for decades and plays a phenomenal role in shaping up his career as a jazz and hip-hop producer -he uses archaic equipment, live instrumentation and vinyl loops to find his own unique sound. For his latest track, the producer has joined up with the legendary Georgie Anne Muldrow (Grammy Award nominated) for a release on Melbourne’s Inner Tribe Records.

Patricia Scott - Cupid

A well-respected singer/songwriter and performer who is much beloved in the Philadelphia area, Patricia Scott has collaborated as a writer with some of the most respected names in the Philly Soul world including the legendary Bobby Eli, and Darnell Jordan of The People's Choice - and has performed to delighted audiences at various venues in and around the City of Brotherly Love. Her brand-new original song, "Cupid," is presented here with superb backing provided by the first family of Philly soul music - the legendary Ingram Brothers band. Not only a great songwriter, Patricia can also deliver the goods vocally with the best of 'em.

Legendary Drummer BERNARD “PRETTY” PURDIE Holds A Master Class presented by Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center

You won’t want to miss a Master Class with Bernard “Pretty” Purdie on Thursday, September 23, 2021 @ 6 PM PDT, hosted by the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center, 4305 Degnan Blvd. #101, Los Angeles, CA 9008.

This is a rare opportunity for drummers and music enthusiasts alike to learn directly from this iconic master drummer. Bernard Purdie will share information on his career and legacy, demonstrate diverse styles including his famous “Purdie Shuffle,” hold a question-and-answer session and talk about his drumming philosophy, ghost notes, dynamics, time, tune, and more. Whether you’re a drummer, drumming enthusiast, or simply a music fan wanting to deepen your groove, this is a priceless opportunity to learn directly from one of the greatest of all time!

This legendary, iconic artist has performed and recorded with Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Hank Crawford, Gene Ammons, Bette Midler, Hall and Oates, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Quincy Jones, BB King, James Brown, Simon and Garfunkel, Benny Golson, Albert Ayler, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Freddie Hubbard, Yusef Lateef, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Bob Marley, Donny Hathaway, Steely Dan, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, and countless more. 

Happening at Barbara Morrison Performing Art Center throughout the month of September “Keyboard Kings” will be featured.  Every Monday at 8 PM PT blues piano and keys master musicians will be featured.  Each concert opens with a set of traditional acoustice and slide guitar blues with Bernie Pearl and his trio.

Sept 6:    Louisiana LaLa Music with L.A. Zydeco accordion star Dennis Gurwell

Sept. 13: Boogie-Woogie Stomp with Pianist, writer, Entertainer supreme Rob Rio

Sept. 20: Legendary pianist, composer, producer,  recording artist Hense Powell

Sept. 27: A stroll down Blues Alley with popular local favorite Mo Beets

For all to  enjoy legendary jazz performances virtually on the Barbara Morrison Music social media platform at: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraMorrisonMusic/

Born on June 11, 1942, in Elkton, Maryland, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie is an American drummer, considered an influential and innovative funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie Shuffle.

He hit the New York music scene in the early 1960’s and landed his first hit with Mickey and Sylvia — the beginning of a stellar career. This led to his 25-year association with Aretha Franklin. Purdie started working with Aretha Franklin as musical director in 1970 and held that position for five years. His best-known track with Franklin was "Rock Steady", on which he played what he described as "a funky and low-down beat". Drummer, musician, producer, arranger and musical director, Bernard Purdie can be proud of a discography of over 3,000 recordings.

Who provided the backbeat for Steely Dan's "Aja”? And for whom have Isaac Hayes, Donny Hathaway, B.B. King, Joe Cocker, Jeff Beck and Alan Jackson reserved that stool behind the drum kit?  Bernard “Pretty” Purdie.  He has anchored sessions with the Rolling Stones, James Brown and Tom Jones with equal ease.

His grooves have been sampled, cut and pasted on dance tracks and his groove is sought after in all genres of jazz, soul and funk. He is now a reference point in the basics of modern drumming with the innovation of the Purdie Shuffle, which was the inspiration behind Jeff Porcaro’s ‘Rosanna’, a fusion of Purdie’s Shuffle and John Bonham’s 'Fool In The Rain.' His definitive style has anchored sessions on some of the greatest songs of the modern era.

More recently he was the drummer for the 2009 Broadway revival of Hair and appeared on the associated Broadway cast recording. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013. For more information visit our website at; https://www.bernardprettypurdie.com

The Fontanas | "The Luxury Of Time"

Rooted in soul and soaked in funky Latin & Brazilian influences The Fontanas have found the sweet spot between tight funk grooves and swinging Latin rhythms taking influence from the likes of The Dap Kings and Banda Black Rio, The Fontanas have built their solid live reputation through a series of knockout European tours and festival performances. 

Featuring the inimitable Kay Elizabeth on vocals and harnessed by producer Sam Fontanas, the band come together to produce a sound which packs in Brazilian percussion with a killer brass section via a crack squad of friends and musicians who play alongside the likes of Incognito, Mr Scruff and Alice Russell. 

2020 saw the EP release which included their scorching modern day version of Brazilian classic ‘Capoeira Mata Um’ that received airplay from Cerys Matthews on BBC6 Music amongst others. 

With time on their hands last year, the band set to work on completing their much anticipated 2nd album which landed on 3rd September 2021 and includes a selection of singles and guest remixes to support the release. 

Opening single ‘Love Be The Weapon’ welcomes producer Jon Moon (Amy Winehouse) into the Fontanas familia to deliver a super charged traditional funk anthem, with a Daptone studio feel and at home amongst the best heavyweight modern funk pioneers. Craig Charles was ‘loving it!’ 

The album title 'The Luxury Of Time' taps into the change of pace experienced during lockdown. Combine this with the idea that this period offered a chance for us to pause for thought and find time to create and the album was born. The album draws on a variety/range of influences from vintage soul funk to heavyweight Latin and Brazilian grooves and skilfully fuses these elements together to form a modern day dance record ideally placed for changing times.  

Bob Marley | "The Capitol Session 1973"

An incredible lost slice of music from the young Bob Marley – an unissued set of recordings done at the Capitol Studios in LA, at a time when the Wailers were just beginning to rise in global power! The session came at an unusual moment for the group – they had come to the US to tour with Sly & The Family Stone, and were fired because the audiences were not yet ready for their groove – leaving the group a bit astray in California. But an opportunity arose to record at Capitol, a performance that was also filmed – and the result is this amazing set of tracks that captures Bob and the group at a level that's even different than their massive Island Records sets to come. There's a current of funk running through a number of these tracks, and a lean groove that's wonderfully soul-drenched throughout – not just in Marley's vocals, but in the overall performance of the rest – a tight sextet that includes Peter Tosh, Joe Higgs, Aston Barrett, Carlton Barrett, and Earl Lindo. Titles include "Rastaman Chant", "Midnight Ravers", "Put It On", "Stop That Train", "Get Up Stand Up", "You Can't Blame The Youth", "Slave Driver", "Duppy Conqueror", and "Burnin & Lootin".  ~ Dusty Groove

Helen Sung | "Quartet+"

Pianist/composer and 2021 Guggenheim Fellow Helen Sung celebrates the work of influential women composers on her latest album Quartet+, crafting new arrangements of tunes by Geri Allen, Carla Bley, Mary Lou Williams, Marian McPartland and Toshiko Akiyoshi while carrying the tradition forward with her own stunning new works. Co-produced by violin master Regina Carter, the album pairs Sung’s quartet with the strings of the GRAMMY® Award-winning Harlem Quartet in an inventive meld of jazz and classical influences. 

Available September 17, 2021, on Sunnyside Records, Quartet+ was conceived and produced during the Covid-19 pandemic and made possible by a grant from the NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre with additional support from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the Queens Arts Council. It allows Sung, who also studied classical violin, to realize a long-held dream of writing for strings while maintaining the improvisatory spark of her stellar quartet, featuring saxophonist and flutist John Ellis, bassist David Wong, and drummer Kendrick Scott. 

The double quartet format is the latest evolution of Sung’s career-long search for inspiration beyond the boundaries of jazz. Her classical background emerged before on 2007’s Sungbird (After Albéniz) – the title track of which is reprised for Quartet+ – a thrilling dialogue between modern jazz and 19th century Romanticism. Her most recent album, Sung With Words, incorporated the words of poet Dana Gioia, while upcoming projects delve into the pianist’s Asian-American heritage and the intersection of jazz and neuroscience. 

While the Houston native veered away from her classical training after undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, Sung admits that the early influence has maintained a strong pull on her musical thinking. “I guess I can't escape my classical heritage,” she says with a laugh. “It's definitely part of how I hear and how I write.” 

It also gives her a connoisseur’s ear for the many ways in which jazz and classical music have converged, not always successfully. “Since I also studied violin, I'm really picky about how I want it to sound in a jazz setting,” she explains. “When I first heard Regina Carter she was playing with Kenny Barron at the Blue Note, and I remember thinking, ‘That's how I would want to play jazz violin.’ When I heard the Harlem Quartet I had that same feeling.” 

Sung crossed paths with the acclaimed quartet during a cross-genre performance with clarinetist Eddie Daniels at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2018. She immediately approached the musicians after the show to suggest a collaboration. The opportunity came with the NYC Women’s Fund grant, which also gave the project a direction Sung had not previously ventured into with her own music, following on work undertaken with Terri Lyne Carrington’s Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and Roxy Coss’ Women In Jazz Organization. 

“In the past I tried to avoid the whole ‘women in jazz’ thing because I felt music should speak for itself,” she says. “But as I've gotten older, I’ve begun to feel that’s not the most complete way to deal with it. So I’m starting to grapple with the issues, and will do my best to approach things with honesty and candor.”

It’s hardly the first time she’s explored the work of the composers represented on Quartet+, however. In 2007 she won the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Jazz Piano Competition and has since paid tribute to the history-spanning pianist at Harlem Stage and on NPR. She was a guest on Marian McPartland’s revered Piano Jazz in 2006 and has performed in tributes to Geri Allen in the wake of Allen’s untimely death in 2017. 

Allen’s “Feed the Fire” begins the album in dramatic fashion, with a striking new counter melody added to the original’s blistering rhythms. Williams’ “Mary’s Waltz” is refashioned in a way that draws from the classical tradition as well as the blues, a multi-faceted approach that the history-spanning composer would surely have appreciated. Sung heard a symphonic element to Akiyoshi’s “Long Yellow Road” which she elaborated on in her arrangement, while “Wrong Key Donkey” vividly captures the originality and eccentricity of Carla Bley’s complex whimsy. 

Sung’s homage to McPartland fuses a string quartet rewrite of “Melancholy Mood” with a group improvisation on “Kaleidoscope,” the theme from her iconic radio show. These pieces are interspersed with snippets of Dr. Billy Taylor’s “A Grand Night for Swinging.” Sung discovered the piece from a Mary Lou Williams’ recording, and decided to add it to honor Taylor’s early championing of female jazz musicians, which included founding the Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Festival. 

In addition, Sung’s original composition “Coquette” was inspired by one of German composer Clara Schumann’s “Romance” pieces, with Ellis’ playful, lilting flute flirting with the elegant strings. “Lament for Kalief Browder,” dedicated to the Bronx teenager who committed suicide following his arduous three-year imprisonment without trial at Rikers Island, was previously recorded on Sung With Words. Sung had long envisioned the piece with strings, realized here in a breathtaking rendition. “Sungbird,” meanwhile, is reimagined from the original’s Latin-inflected jazz quintet version as a passionate dance sans drums. 

While the entire album was created during the pandemic, the two-movement “Temporality,” a Jazz Coalition commission, directly addresses the strange year (and counting) we’ve all just come through. “The way I experienced time became very elastic during the pandemic,” Sung says. “Each day felt interminably long, one blurring into the next, and then suddenly an entire month had passed! ‘Time Loops’ is about that, while ‘Elegy for the City’ is my lament for the terrible human loss suffered by New York and other cities.” 

Despite the stresses of the pandemic, Sung is enjoying a particularly fruitful period, with several fascinating projects in the works aside from the release of Quartet+. She’ll apply her 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship to a multi-movement piece for big band slated for completion in 2022. With a Chamber Music America Digital Residency grant, she’s producing a series of events this year using the tragic recent attacks on the AAPI community as a catalyst for interdisciplinary events with her quartet and a poet, a DJ and an installation artist. Sung also received a New Music USA 2021 Music Creator Development Fund grant for a collaborative project with dancer and neuro-rehabilitation researcher Miriam King to create a dance program with original music for dementia/Alzheimer’s patients. Sung remarks, “If I’ve learned anything this past year and a half, it’s to not take anything for granted, be it people, relationships, opportunities…so I’m jumping in with arms wide open. I want to swallow life whole!”

Upcoming Helen Sung Performances:

September 16 | Flushing Town Hall (feat. Harlem Quartet) | New York, NY

September 18 | Lake George Arts "Jazz on the Lake" (feat. Jannina Norpoth) | Lake George, NY

October 1 | Amherst College (feat. Wistaria String Quartet) | Amherst, MA

Lauren Dukes Releases Debut Self-Titled EP

Emerging R&B Singer-songwriter Lauren Dukes is set to release her self-titled debut EP on September 2nd. For years Lauren Dukes has made a name for showcasing her talent for performing throughout the local Chicago scene. Her self-titled debut EP is a welcome calling card to an artist ready to breakthrough. Along with the announcement, Dukes unveils her new live session video for “Closure,” out now. 

“Closure” is a song with many applications, however, at its core the piece is about wanting what we may not be able to have again & having to accept whatever that answer is in the end. Dukes says, “It's something we all want. But it's rare to get it...closure.” 

On her upcoming 5-song EP, Dukes keeps a common thread of story-telling. The project encompasses a blend of blues, soul, jazz and R&B with Faith as the foundation that brings it all together. Dukes explains her writing process, “Much of what I write starts off by asking (God, the universe, then myself) "What is the message You want me to deliver? Then, I ask, "What do I want to express?"” 

The production behind the project is propelled by Lauren Dukes’ band, a talented cast of musicians including Nic Byrd (Guitar), Andy Sutton (drums & producer), Ola Timothy (Bass), Kris Lohn (Bass), Moses Hall (Keys), Latavius Mulvac (on Keys), Aiden Dehn (Sax), Shawn Maxwell (Sax), Shaun Martin of Snarky Puppy (Keys), Marques Carroll (Trumpet), Kirk Garrison (Trumpet), & Nicole Garza (background vocals). 

Earlier this year, Lauren Dukes released the EP’s lead single “Hectic Love Week.” The single and EP demonstrate Dukes’ commitment to her craft. She concludes, “Everything I do is with my whole heart. It is my passion. My ministry. I want everyone to walk away from listening feeling better than the way they came. Music has the power to do that, and I’m honored to get this opportunity to hopefully contribute.” 

Lauren Dukes  will be releasing live session music videos every Wednesday leading up to the 9/2 EP release date. Check out the first video Closure here: https://youtu.be/CLwlPA15R_k. The lead single “Hectic Love Week” is available now on all streaming platforms as well and received critical praise from the Chicago Sun Times, Medium, and The Deli.

Echoes | "Lasting"

Set for an October 15 release, Lasting is the third album by the up-and-coming group of young jazz musicians Echoes. Reedist Max Bessesen, percussionist Matt DiBiase, Drummer Chase Kuesel, and bassist Evan Levine make up the leaderless collective, whose sound blends futuristic electronica with jazz improvisation, while dabbing with electronic instruments, loops, and triggers for an additional layer of intricacy. Members show off their personal styles throughout, with each composing two of the tracks that make up the album.

The album opens with “Jam Fest,” as an opening drum groove leads to an anthemic, and occasionally wry, melody. “This is a tongue-in-cheek piece for a good time,” says Bessesen, who penned the composition. The gravelly saxophone sound carries on throughout the track, complimented by smooth melodic flourishes in the vibraphone. The track boldly introduces the listener to the electronica fusion that follows on the record. 

Immediately welcomed by a synth keyboard, “Taylor” integrates the band’s diverse interests into the formal structure of the song. The composition works around an adaptation of a beatboxing performance by Taylor McFerrin, which Kuesel adeptly translates to the drum kit. The band uses a sample from Taylor’s performance to cue different sections in real time, leading to an exciting, unpredictable listening experience. 

The sequence of “Off Switch” and “Flipbook” that follows provides a representative example of the diverse emotional landscapes the band is able to convey with their compositions. In response to his composition “Off Switch,” DiBiase says, “At first the bass solo is content, but it gradually grows into glitchy darkness and requires a reset of the intro piano motif.” After being brought to this glitchy darkness, “Flipbook” brings back a sense of joy, as DiBiase describes the piece as “syncopated and playful,” with a melody meant to “paint the story of an animated cartoon character.”  

Evan Levine titled the track “Asbury” after his hometown of Asbury Park, NJ. “This tune takes a lot of the group’s rock influences and uses layers to create a powerful groove with a sweet, relaxed melody skating over the top of it. Think about drinking a beer on the beach – it’s hot outside, but the water is cold,” says Levine. This track has an easy- going feel as it builds itself a story through the layers of piano, drums, percussion, with sax fading in and out. 

“Wasted” could be thrown into any romantic film and fit perfectly. Bessen tells the story of “Relationships, nights, sobriety... all wasted away and explored in this heartfelt, off-kilter, ballad.” These stories are told through the slow, contemplative movement of the piano and the soft complimenting instrumentals.

“Attics” and “Lasting” are the final two tracks of the band’s third offering. “Attics” returns the band to a grooving, hypnotic soundscape, as Bessesen’s solo takes flight before the song ends with lush arpeggios from DiBiase’s vibraphone. “Lasting” provides a meditative end to the record, as a soaring saxophone melody takes shape over a repeated ostinato in the keyboards. The song ends with a cycle of ethereal suspended chords, meant to “convey a sense of openness – a value that the band hopes to maintain as they move into the future together.” says Kuesel. 

Taken as a whole, Lasting finds an ensemble equally interested in joyful interplay and melancholic reflection. It is a strong and compelling effort, and an important document from an ensemble that is poised to refine its unique voice on the international stage for years to come. 

Chase Kuesel is a composer and drummer based in Brooklyn, New York. Hailed as an "ambitious" composer by All About Jazz, his debut album as a leader, "Space Between," was released on Ears & Eyes Records in July 2020. In 2021, he was announced as a recipient of ASCAP's Young Jazz Composers Award for his song "The World Is Now Your Own," composed in honor of the birth of pianist Glenn Zaleski and violinist Tomoko Omura's child. In July 2020, he was awarded a "Pathways to Jazz Grant" by the Boulder County Arts Association to record a new album, which will be released in Spring 2022. In addition to his own music, Chase is actively involved in many projects as a sideman. He has shared the stage with Emma Frank, Morgan Guerin, and Allegra Krieger, and performs regularly with the Alex Hamburger Quartet and the collective ensemble Echoes. Cross-disciplinary explorations have inspired Chase’s latest work. In summer 2020, he published both an animated music video, in collaboration with artist Ian Kelly, and an essay in Music & Literature that explores the relationship between music production and digital culture. He appears on drums and composed the second track, “Taylor,” as well as the closing track to the album, “Lasting.”

A southern California based multimedia artist, Matt DiBiase (aka Plexusplay) began his passion for music in Boston studying classical mallet percussion on marimba from the age of 5. Matt has performed his original music on multiple tours in the U.S. as well as internationally in Europe and the Middle East. Select performances of his own original music include headlining the Idyllwild Jazz in the Pines Festival, opening for KNOWER, Tri-C Jazz Festival (Cleveland), Carson City Jazz Festival, Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Tsai Center, Boston’s Symphony Hall, and San Diego's Symphony Hall. Matt has shared the stage with artists such as Genevieve Artadi, Kamau Kenyatta, Gilbert Castellanos, and Joshua White. He appears as the percussionist throughout the album and composed the third and fourth tracks of the album, “Off Switch” and “Flipbook.”

Evan Levine is an electric and double bassist located in Chicago, IL. He is a Filipino American that completed his master’s degree at the University of Michigan and his undergraduate degree at Oberlin Conservatory. Originally from New Jersey, Evan started his professional career at the age of 16. He has performed at jazz clubs such as: Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Cliff Bells, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center and has played at the Detroit Jazz Festival in 2014 and 2015. Evan has had the opportunity to perform with Benny Golson, Carl Allen, Nicholas Payton, Dave Liebman, Jamey Haddad and many others. He has released two albums as a leader – Unsolvable Problems and Mestizo (Shifting Paradigm Records, 2018). He appears on bass and composed the tracks “Asbury'' and “Attics.”

Max Bessesen is a performer, composer, and educator based in New York City. His skills as a saxophonist and woodwind doubler have taken him across five continents and earned him awards from organizations including Downbeat Magazine and the Frank Huntington Beebe Fund. Max has performed and recorded with artists as diverse as Dayna Stephens, Simone Shaheen, and Isaac Slade (of The Fray). His debut album as a leader, Trouble, was released on Ropeadope Records in 2020. He appears as the reedist and composed both the opening track, “JamFest,” and “Wasted,” found in the second half of the album.

Alea | "Alborotá"

Alea, the Colombian born/Bronx based singer songwriter has released her new album Alborotá. Alea’s vision spans ten diverse tracks that breaks the traditional Latin music mold. The album uniquely blends Latin folklore inspired by cumbia, porro, currulao and huapango with pop, afro and savory Latin grooves filtered through her personal lens of strength, feminism, and perseverance. She explains, “I decided that I couldn’t let other people and the environment dictate my freedom, who I chose to love and how I decided to speak about my truths. My music became a reflection of that. To be bold, fierce and unapologetic.” Alea has been releasing singles and music videos from the album for the past two years with “Échale Sal” being hailed as one of NPR Alt.Latino’s favorite songs of 2020. Now she is ready to release her full album rooted in female and Latinx empowerment.  

The album title Alborotá is deeply personal to Alea. Alborotado(a) translates directly to rowdy, riotous, loud, disorderly; and in most of Latin America it means being too much, too different, too sexual. Alea elaborates, “I was called an alborotada growing up by my family and friends because I was extremely driven by creativity and imagination. I fought hard to keep true to this nature, but this judgment took a toll on me as a I got older, and I started to believe that I was the problem. My body was the problem, my womanhood was the problem.” She adds, “I decided it was time to redefine this word, to give it a new meaning in my life and use it as a flag that represented being free, different, independent, out spoken, equal, feminist. I named the album Alborotá because it defines who I am now and what I wish to share with others, this inner fire of strength and overcoming difficulties that liberates you and celebrates you in every way.” 

Alea produced the entire album with Sinuhé Padilla Isunza at Jarana Records. Taking from his background of Mexican, Brazilian and Flamenco music, Sinuhé set the tone of the album with an organic and authentic vibe created with only acoustic instrumentation; a rarity in these digital times. The album shines with the help of Alea’s friends and collaborators including Latin GRAMMY winning artists Felipe Fournier (vibraphone on Échale Sal), Luisa Bastidas (violin on Alborotá) and Jackie Coleman (trumpet on No Me Apaga Nadie) of Flor de Toloache, and Latin GRAMMY nominee Sonia De Los Santos (vocals on Tú, Solo Tú). Alea adds, “Among them we also featured world class artists like Renee Goust, Elena Moon Park, Jaime Ospina, Miche Molina, George Sáenz, Juan Ruiz and Kika Parra. Our rhythm, our lock and groove was set by the incredible Franco Pinna on drums. We also had the help and ears of friends like Kamilo Kratc, Nacho Molina and Luis F. Herrera, who listened to mixes and gave us feedback. All arrangements were written by Sinuhé Padilla-Isunza and myself. The entire album was mastered by GRAMMY winner, Luis F. Herrera.” 

The results of recording over the past years have yielded an album that Alea is really proud of, and rightfully so. Alea has been sharing singles and music videos in real time, which showcases the diversity and vision of each track. The album kicks off with “Échale Sal,” which Alea describes “…talks about what each of us contributes to our communities, what we bring that makes us unique and that becomes the engine of a conglomerate like New York, Medellín or Bogotá. It is the struggle and the hope that unites us and makes us essential….This song reminds me of everything we’ve done to survive and find dignity in a place where we are called immigrants.” The music video (https://youtu.be/MWEXb1rSRVE) brings it to life thanks to the direction of Elyssa Budd. The title track “Alborotá” is a fine feminist declaration that celebrates each being that identifies as a womxn. Alea passionately adds, “Alborotá describes my story, as well as that of thousands of womxn that have had to conform themselves to roles and expectations imposed on them by society. However, liberation occurs for these womxn when they finally break the silence on issues like identity, sexual abuse, and inequality. Being an Alborotá is an act of courage that transcends gender; it is being true to who you are and fighting for your dreams and beliefs in spite of what people have to say.” The music video (https://youtu.be/QuDSYXcED94) visually celebrates womxn with the help of Tobías Arboleda and Elyssa Budd once again. “Aire Gaujiro” is a homage to Alea’s home; La Guajira, a forgotten state in the north coast of Colombia, bordering with Venezuela. People here love and breathe Vallenato, it’s almost what Country music is to Nashville. Alea states, “Women don’t usually sing or perform vallenato as it is considered masculine, but I wanted to challenge that norm and represent in a genre that I considered wasn’t for me for so long.” Another great music video (https://youtu.be/QSq93PF9u38) accompanies the song with help from Tobías Arboleda

and Valeria Aviña. The next video dropping from the album is for “No Me Apaga Nadie.” Alea mentions “The title refers to the fire within, the fire that you are. Not permitting anyone dim you down. It’s a call to be rebellious and free in a society where you have to claw your way in to be part of the conversation.” These are just a few highlights from an album by an artist who is poised to have a breakout year. 

Alea concludes, “I wanted to write an album that spoke about my roots as a Colombian afro-indigenous woman. So this was also an exploration of identity, one that I wasn’t close with until I moved far away and somehow labels became a permanent part of who I was. I had to honor these roots because it felt like a calling. Many dreams of spiritual encounters and re-signifying the pain of being a Latin American woman taught to be silent. With this album we explored realms of music from cumbia to currulao, from a huapango to a vallenato, from folkloric rap to ranchera music; we were bold and authentic. I’m really proud of this work. It was not an easy road, but we did it!” 

Chris Standring | "Wonderful World"

Jazz guitarist Chris Standring has announced the long-awaited release of his 13th album ’Wonderful World’. The record not only marks his first collection of jazz standards, but also his first ever large-ensemble record, featuring a full orchestra. ‘Wonderful World’ will be released on September 3rd 2021 via Ultimate Vibe / Lateralize Records.

In an illustrious career that stretches back over the last 25 years, Chris Standring has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most virtuosic guitarists, yet whatever musical waters he has dived into, he has never quite managed to shake off the perception that he is a ‘mainstream’ jazz artist. Although he has always focused solely on the music rather than the pigeonholes people have put him in, in many ways, this is the record he was destined to make from the very moment he first picked up a guitar.

Growing up in Buckinghamshire, he was introduced to orchestral music by his mother, who adored Beethoven and Schubert. Whilst he has enjoyed huge commercial success in the contemporary jazz world, he had always dreamed of releasing an album of orchestral standards.

“I’ve had an affinity for strings for as long as I can remember,” Standring explains. “The idea of doing an album of Great American Songbook standards with a trio and orchestra came to me a few years ago, but the ambition and the huge expense kept the project on the back burner. When Covid hit, I had no gigs in the diary, so with time on my hands, I started to seriously study the art of writing for strings.”

After cutting a demo at his studio in Los Angeles, Standring approached Geoff Gascoyne to write the string arrangements, leaving him free to focus on playing the guitar. His fantasy finally came to fruition when he enlisted some of the world’s finest jazz musicians and recorded the orchestra live in Studio Two at Abbey Road in London.

“I wanted to give the orchestra lots of space to shine but still play a very supportive role to the melody, and I wanted all the harmony to come from the strings. In that sense, it was vital that the rhythm section instrumentation was sparse - which meant no piano - and the trio format gave me much more space to play guitar.

“I then called up the finest musicians I knew – Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine, Harvey Mason, Darek Oleszkiewicz, David Karasony and Chuck Berghofer alongside Kathrin Shorr, who sang the stunning sultry vocals on What A Wonderful World. In March 2021, we recorded the orchestra in Studio Two at Abbey Road in London – the final piece of this jigsaw. When everything came together, it sounded spellbinding and utterly timeless. From beginning to end, it really has been a dream come true.”

‘Wonderful World’, his 13th studio album, finds Standring at the very peak of his powers. With the help of some of the world’s best jazz musicians and a set of sublime arrangements by Geoff Gascoyne, he manages to breathe fresh life into these magical, ageless songs, somehow making them sound both old and new at the same time. Although you can hear echoes of George Benson, Grant Green and Pat Martino in his deceptively simple style, Chris Standring’s mellifluous sound is unmistakable.

Larry Carlton & Paul Brown | "Soul Searchin'"

What do you get when two of the greatest creative musicians of our time join forces for a friendly fire no holds barred guitar showdown? You get Soul Searchin’, an electrifying meeting of the minds that surpasses expectations and showcases unbridled joy and virtuosity. Grammy-winning guitar extraordinaires Larry Carlton, who has played on over 100 Gold and Platinum albums and Paul Brown, who has scored 60 #1 radio hits, join forces for a set of ten thrilling originals on their first co-led album together. Carlton, who was a member of the pioneering super-groups The Crusaders and Fourplay and who is a successful TV and Film scorer (including TV show themes “Hill Street Blues,” “Who’s The Boss” and film “Against All Odds”), first collaborated with Brown in the 90s when Brown produced tracks for his Finger Prints album. “Paul’s engineering and production speak for themselves but his guitar playing and creativity in writing is also very appealing to me,” says Carlton, a 19 time Grammy nominated and four-time Grammy winning artist. Brown’s extensive credits include work as an engineer having engineered for R&B divas Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, among others. Brown confesses, “Larry and I had been toying with the idea of doing a CD together for a few years. I always thought our styles and sounds would be beautiful together. From a production, writing, arranging and playing point of view, this is as good as it gets for me.” Collectively between Carlton and Brown, the dynamic duo has collaborated with everyone from Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan and Quincy Jones to George Benson, Patti Austin and Norman Brown, to name a few. The goal for Soul Searchin’ was simple. Paul Brown explains, “We hope it will be musical bliss and that you will allow it to take you on a ride and your mind and ears will be happy, happy, happy!”

“This is a marriage made in heaven,” states Danny Weiss, VP of Jazz A&R at Shanachie Entertainment. “Larry Carlton has rightfully achieved legendary status as one of the world's greatest guitarists, and Paul Brown, a great guitarist in his own right, is probably the finest contemporary jazz producer on the scene today.  The fact that they both share the same soulful, bluesy style makes listening to this album a truly tasty experience,”

The synergy between Larry Carlton and Paul Brown on Soul Searchin’ is impalpable. Their telepathic interplay, and joyful exchange create numerous moments to willingly get lost inside the music. Larry Carlton reveals their ingredient. “We have different musical backgrounds but, the common thread for Paul and I is that we both like melodic music with a great groove.”

Joining Larry Carlton and Paul Brown on Soul Searchin’ are bassist and guitarist, Shane Theriot (who co-wrote many of the compositions), drummer Gorden Campbell, keyboardists León Besquera and Gregg Karukas, bassist Travis Carlton (Larry’s son), drummers Roberto Vally, Doug Belote and Gordon Campbell, trumpeter Ron King, saxophonist Greg Vail and percussionist Lenny Castro (Tower Of Power). Soul Searchin’ was recorded this past year and afforded Carlton and Brown the opportunity to give the music their undivided attention. Carlton shares, “The advantage of recording the album during the pandemic was that we both had more available time. Paul worked at his studio in Los Angeles and would send me tracks while I created at my studio in my home outside of Nashville.” Brown adds, “Honestly it probably would not have been possible in normal circumstances because both of us would have been too busy to get it done.”

Soul Searchin’ opens with the mystical, cool and breezy “Miles And Miles To Go.” Taking divergent paths Carlton and Brown meet in the center lane crusin’ and soulfully trading choruses to beautiful effect. Paul Brown shares “More than any of the other songs on the album this tune shows off the difference in our sounds and styles and lets the both of us sing on the melodies with our guitars.” The dynamic duo roll up their sleeves and lay down a gritty but yet sweet and fun little groove on “Stomp.” It might hard to resist stomping your heels on this exhilarating and insatiable bluesy number. Carlton plays a Larry Carlton model SIRE H7 through his Bluedotone amp on all of the tracks while Paul Brown uses his arch top on most of the tracks. Brown’s heavy strings create a punchy sound while Carlton’s strings create a slinkier feel allowing him to bend his notes more easily.

Affectionately dubbed ‘Brother Paul Brown,’ Paul lays down a mean Hammond B3 on this track, which is also graced by the horns of trumpeter Ron King and saxophonist Greg Vail. “Gone Fishin’ is a good-get-together, feel-good anthem that is sure to rock any house. The snappy and pulsating swing of “Hip Pocket” is another winner and the funky “Aftershock” hits with a seismic force as Carlton and Brown pull out all the stops. Soul Seachin’ also features “Blue Skies,” which forecasts bright days and smooth sailing while the show-stopping “Keep Truckin’” is a special tribute as Paul Brown explains. “It is my homage to the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers and it really captures that southern rock vibe.” Carlton and Brown have a meeting of the minds on “Say What’s On Your Mind,” as the duo stretches out and struts their stuff illustrating why they are both at the top of their game. The track also features Larry’s son and bassist Travis Carlton and Shane Theriot on keys. “Shelter” offers refuge from life’s rainstorm with an intimate down home performance from the duo featuring vocals from Brother Paul Brown. The ethereal album title track is a gorgeous and pensive ballad, which Brown confides is inspired in part by Prince’s “Purple Rain.”

The iconic and revered Grammy-winning guitarist Larry Carlton picked up his first guitar at the age of six but it was in high school upon hearing Gerald Wilson’s album Moment of Truth with guitarist Joe Pass, that he got his first introduction to jazz. It was not long before Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery, B.B. King and John Coltrane changed his world. Celebrated for his lithe technique, sweet-toned, blues-inflected sound, and distinctive use of volume pedals, Carlton first came to prominence as a member of crossover jazz and R&B ensemble The Crusaders. In the 70s he remained busy with a who’s who list of collaborations from Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell and Michael Jackson to Quincy Jones, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt. Carlton made his debut as a leader in 1978 when he was signed to Warner Brothers and began a long stretch of releasing his own albums. A native of Torrence, California, he has been equally successful as a film and television scorer. By the 80s Carlton had amassed over 3000 studio sessions. In 1988, Carlton was the victim of a random gun violence crime that shattered his vocal cords and left him with severe nerve trauma. Through intensive therapy, a positive mind and sheer will, a courageous Carlton made a remarkable recovery proving to be as remarkable off the stage as he is on it. He founded the organization Helping Innocent People (HIP), a nonprofit group to aid victims of random gun violence. Carlton, has recorded 34 albums as a leader including his last album Lights On with the WDR Big Band. 

“Music is my spirituality and has been my entire life. Everyday I’m either writing, playing recording or performing and I’m still loving it,” confesses two-time Grammy winning guitarist, producer and vocalist Paul Brown. Born in Los Angeles to musician parents who sang with Mel Tormé, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, among others, Brown started playing drums at age five and picked up his first guitar two years later. His influences are as far reaching as Wes Montgomery, Peter Gabriel and Johnny “Guitar” Watson. Brown has been a foundational artist in Contemporary Jazz from since the late 80s. As accomplished as Brown is center stage as a guitarist he is equally revered for his Midas touch as a producer. The renaissance man has been first call for everybody from George Benson, Al Jarreau and Luther Vandross to Boney James, Kirk Whalum and Peter White among countless others. As a leader he has recorded ten albums and Soul Searchin’ make this his eleventh and his second recording for Shanachie. His first for the label was Love You Found Me in 2010.