Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Adrian Younge | "Remixes JID010"

As the final chapter in the initial run of Jazz Is Dead releases, Remixes JID010 continues the creative catharsis of an exhilarating new chapter in jazz music. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad tapped nine iconic creators to reimagine their personal favorites from Jazz Is Dead’s catalogue to-date, who created striking new versions of songs by Marcos Valle, Roy Ayers, Gary Bartz, Azymuth, João Donato, Doug Carn, Brian Jackson and The Midnight Hour. Holding the line taut like a bass string, Younge & Muhammad only invited those special musical alchemists who have previously participated in Jazz Is Dead happenings, or those who are slated to share that stage soon: Cut Chemist, DJ Spinna, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Akili, Shigeto, Pink Siifu, Dibiase, Natureboy Flako, and Kaidi Tatham. It’s a family affair. 

The album blasts off with Kaidi Tatham’s reinvention of Marcos Valle’s wistful beachside stroll, transforming “Gotta Love Again” into a strutting, pulsating excursion equally at home in the club and headphones. Building off of Valle’s mellifluous vocalizations, Tatham harnesses the composition’s polyrhythms to build a soulful, jazz-house track that floats over ethereal synths and stutter-steps to a propulsive beat entirely unimaginable, yet true to the spirit of the optimistic and effortless original.

On his remix of Gary Bartz’s “Soulsea” Cut Chemist taps into the big-beat atmospherics of his old running partner, DJ Shadow, to craft a moody, echo-laden, percussive down-tempo saxophone meditation. Creating drama over bombastic beats, Cut Chemist layers Bartz’s searching sax refrains over sparse keyboard bars.  

Brian Jackson’s mellow masterpiece dedicated to the recently departed jazz vocalist, “Nancy Wilson”, receives an epic overhaul by producer Shigeto with help from harpist Ahya Simone and DJ Dez Andres. More than tripling the original’s duration while adding layers of new sounds, Shigeto’s remix weaves in and out of movements that alternately showcase Jackson’s soulful flute work, Simone’s sparkling harp and Andres’ bubbling percussion. Imagine if Dorthy Ashby and Hermeto Pascoal dropped in on Miles’ In A Silent Way sessions. 

It might have been a foregone conclusion that Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad would give their Jazz Is Dead series the remix treatment, but that doesn’t mean this is your average remix album. Just like Younge and Muhammad fused their aesthetic with the musical masters they invited to collaborate with for Jazz Is Dead, the DJs, producers and musicians tasked with remixing songs from the catalogue tapped into the same jazz ethos, resulting in imaginative and sometimes radically reimagined versions of the originals.

Angel Roman & Mambo Blue | "Festive Interplay"

This new release, Festive Interplay, by Austin-based bassist/composer/arranger Angel Roman is already getting lots of attention for Roman’s inventive compositions, as he blends different Afro Latin rhythms, along with elements of Jazz, Brazilian, Pop, Fusion, Neo-Soul and Funk. 

Composer, arranger, and bass player Angel Roman is an innovative Latin jazz artist who prefers not to tread the well-worn path of past masters of the genre as he blends different Afro Latin rhythms, along with Jazz, Brazilian, Pop, Fusion, Neo-Soul and Funk. On Festive Interplay, Roman fully embraces his talents as an imaginative composer while presenting a program of Latin jazz that is at once very recognizable, but at the same time, quite different and unexpected. Festive Interplay is the fourth album by Roman and his band Mambo Blue. The personnel of Mambo Blue have changed from album to album, reflecting the peripatetic nature of Roman’s life. 

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Roman currently resides in Austin, and the current iteration of the band consists of top talent from the Austin area. Roman performs in a variety of live venues and is involved with various studio projects. His primary focus is his band, Mambo Blue, which gives him a vehicle to experiment and cultivate his compositional skills. It was important for Roman to create a project where each composition is distinctive and unlike any other tune on the album. Festive Interplay is an idiosyncratic album that has the warmth and charm that emanates from the composer himself.

Nina Simone | "Nina Simone And Her Friends"

Originally released by Bethlehem Records in 1959, Nina Simone and Her Friends was a compilation album comprising the few remaining unreleased tracks from the 1957 Little Girl Blue recording session plus songs recorded by two other former Bethlehem artists, the powerhouse jazz vocalist Carmen McRae and the elegant song stylist Chris Connor. 

An RSD-Essentials exclusive “emerald-green” limited-edition 180-gram LP will be available, along with CD and digital/streaming versions (high-definition and standard) on December 3, 2021. The reissue features a fresh stereo master done by four-time Grammy winner Michael Graves as well as a vinyl remastering by the renowned Kevin Gray. Grammy winner Cheryl Pawelski produced the set, which includes a new essay by Daphne A. Brooks, author of Liner Notes for the Revolution. 

As Brooks explains in her essay, “Bethlehem clustered their work — tracks that had previously appeared on the label’s Girlfriends compilation — together with the younger, upstart Simone’s and essentially offered up a collection of songs that span a range of genres — folk, jazz, pop song staples, and torch song laments, plus a couple of provocative original compositions by McRae and Simone. Each track is a reminder of the clear-eyed independence, verve, and confidence of three artists whose music, taken together, brims with the majesty and the assured talents of the late 1950s women artists who led with conviction and invention as musicians and song interpreters.”  

Available October 20, as a sneak-peak, “African Mailman” is an instrumental track recorded during the Little Girl Blue sessions, showcasing Nina Simone’s incredible piano playing. At the time, Simone was in her mid-20s and still aspiring to be a classical concert pianist. As Brooks describes it: “A magisterial original composition of Simone’s which, as she recounts it, ‘was made up on the spot in the studio and recorded in one take,’ finds her moving across an Afrodiasporic terrain of percussion, leading at the keyboard, rolling and tumbling, building waves of contrasting chromatic depth and spinning, ethereal flight.”

NINA SIMONE AND HER FRIENDS TRACK LIST:

Nina Simone – “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” 

Chris Conner – “Someone to Watch Over Me” 

Carmen McRae – “Old Devil Moon” 

Nina Simone – “I Loves You, Porgy” 

Chris Connor – “I Concentrate on You” 

Carmen McRae – “You Made Me Care” 

Nina Simone – “For All We Know” 

Chris Connor – “From This Moment On” 

Carmen McRae – “Too Much in Love to Care” 

Nina Simone – “African Mailman” 

Chris Connor – “All This and Heaven Too” 

Carmen McRae – “Last Time for Love” 

Jorge Rossy, Robert Landfermann, Jeff Ballard | "Puerta"

Jorge Rossy makes his leader debut for ECM on vibraphone and marimba, carving out a diversified musical programme in interplay with Robert Landfermann on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums. The Spanish musician’s switch to mallets follows his contribution on drums to guitarist Jakob Bro’s trio with Arve Henriksen on Uma Elmo. Puerta sees Jorge leading his trio through a set of original compositions. 

The album’s inception can be traced back to Jorge’s growing interest in the vibraphone, going back over a decade. “With this trio the objective was to leave a lot of space for the instruments to breathe and unfold by playing fewer, essential notes. It is also something I finally felt ready to do, after having played it safe in the comfort of harmonically dense line ups in the past,” explains Jorge. Thus, Puerta proves a collaboration based on an equal footing – each instrument sharing the spotlight to the same degree. 

Like his approach as a drummer – formerly the musician’s primary role in any given lineup and most notably so with the first incarnation of the Brad Mehldau Trio – Jorge’s vibraphone elaborations unfold in elegant waves, made up of minimal phrases and poignant vocabulary. His rhythm section responds accordingly. The vibraphonist leaves little up to chance, but instead chooses his lines carefully and with absolute command over his melodic vehicles. “I tend to be a minimalist on vibraphone and marimba, to play few notes and make more use of the space that separates the individual sounds from each other. I was a trumpet player for ten years when I was still quite young. The lessons in melody I learned from that time also translate very well to the vibraphone or to the marimba.” 

Accordingly, Puerta finds Jorge sculpting clear melodies around jaunty vamps at gentle speed, alternatingly interrupted or accompanied by inspired sidemen who inject the music with their own signatures. “Jeff and Robert capture the essence of my tunes so well, and at the same time I think they feel very comfortable to be themselves” notes Jorge, “for this trio I knew I needed more than just a rhythm section. I needed three soloists in order for it to be a completely balanced affair.” 

Three-time swinging “Post-Catholic Waltz,” “Ventana” and “Maybe Tuesday” – based on George Gershwin’s “The Man I love” – offer a rare glimpse at the trio’s more traditional layout, treating the listener to deft walking bass workouts and nimble solos to a fleeting pulse. Elsewhere, Jorge and his cohorts engage in inventive exchanges that – while maintaining the underlying melodic themes as the main priority – expand on rhythmic and textural impulsions. On “S.T.,” “Scilla e Cariddi” and “Tainos,” Jorge opts for the marimba and lets the instrument’s earthy, wooden textures unwind in frames of varying arco and pizzicato bass accompaniment and Jeff Ballard’s percussive cymbal mist. “Cargols” – the sole track in this set that wasn’t written by Jorge but by Chris Cheek – provides a mid-tempo groove for Jorge and Robert’s solos. With “Adagio,” the programme is rounded off by a rubato ballad – an exercise in quiet improvisation that finds appropriate contrast in the blunt tango “Adiós”. 

Jorge came up with the title track to Puerta at a crossroads in his life: “It was like a premonition – intuitive; I wrote ‘Puerta’ in a hotel in London right before the third to last gig that I played with Brad [Mehldau]. At this point, we hadn’t talked about me leaving the band yet, but I had started to feel like it was time to move on. ‘Puerta’ is Spanish for ‘door’. I think I was subconsciously already thinking about opening up a new one in order to enter a new phase, a new chapter.” 

The album, Puerta, too works like a door, opening to an exciting perspective on one of today’s most gifted and versatile musicians. 

Jeff Ballard’s prior recordings on ECM include his work with the Fly trio, alongside Mark Turner and Larry Grenadier, on albums Sky & Country and Year of the Snake. Puerta represents Robert Landfermann first record with the label.

 

Alison Miller & Jane Ira Miller | "Tues Days"

In March and April of 2021 soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and drummer Allison Miller came together on five Tuesdays in March and April of 2021 to record some improvised sax and drum duets to see what might happen. They didn’t set out to make an album - they just wanted to play because they needed to improvise any way that they could. They played with complete abandon, performing remotely from their home studios in New York City in the reality of the world of 2021. Tues Days is the result of those recordings that now appear on Bloom’s Outline label and are available through Miller’s Bandcamp site, mixed and mastered by bassist Mark Helias with breathtaking fidelity. It’s a musical duet saturated in a kaleidoscope of color. The music is spontaneous composition at its best by two masterful improvisers – energetic, tactile, and alive. Miller’s multi-colored array of percussion augments her drumset in exquisite counterpoint to Bloom’s signature tone on the soprano sax. The music is both rhythmic and deeply lyrical - drum and sax dancing around one another until their song is sung. The compositions are Bloom and Miller making-it-up live and in the moment, taking you on a wild ride through their musical universe. From the adventurous journey of “The Wild Frontier” to the unpredictable “A & J’s Test Kitchen,” get ready for Tues Days - a story for your ears that will have your head spinning in wonder.

New Music Releases: Theo Crocker, Norah Jones, Burnt Sugar Arkestra

Theo Croker - Blk2Life: A Future Past

Wonderfully righteous work from trumpeter Theo Croker – and a set that's really got the sort of majesty you might expect from the cover! Theo's never been a straight jazz artist on other records – but here, he really ups his game on the cosmic soul front – mixing in guest vocals and instrumental elements with some soul-drenched arrangements that often have a nicely crisp crackle on the rhythms! Croker's trumpet is only part of the album's strength here – as the set also features work from Gary Bartz on alto, plus vocals from Kassa Overall, Iman Omari, Wyclef Jean, and others – on titles that include "Every Part Of Me", "Soul Call Vibrate", "No More Maybe", "Happy Feet", "Where Will You Go", "Anthem", and "Imperishable Star".  ~ Dusty Groove

Norah Jones - I Dream Of Christmas

The first-ever Christmas album from Norah Jones – done in close collaboration with funk maestro Leon Michels, who also co-wrote some of the songs on the album! The album's still got the jazz-tinged approach of Norah's familiar music – but there's a different spirit, too – maybe a bit more up-close and soulful at times, especially on the original material. Backing is by a small combo that features Brian Blade on drums – and titles include "It's Only Christmas Once A Year", "Christmas Calling", "Christmas Don't Be Late", "Christmastime", "You're Not Alone", "A Holiday With You", and "Christmas Glow".  ~ Dusty Groove

Burnt Sugar Arkestra - Angels Over Oakanda

Wonderfully righteous work from Burnt Sugar Arkestra – a group who've been giving us great records for years, but who are maybe even more important to the scene than ever before! The core of the record is the long title track – a very jazzy tune that builds up over loops set down by composer Greg Tate, with a flowing, snakey vibe that allows for plenty of long trumpet, tenor, flute, and alto solos over the guitars and Fender Rhodes that work the rhythms – maybe almost in electric Miles territory, but more laidback. That tune is then reworked on a number of variations that are very different – mostly instrumental, as the main track – but finishing up with a bit of vocals near the end of the record – a great contribution from singer Lisala Beatty! Titles include "Angels Over Oakanda", "Repatriation Of The Midnight Moores", "Oakanda Overdrive", and "Lisala Oer Inna Oakanda". ~ Dusty Groove

Lady Blackbird | "Black Acid Soul"

Lady Blackbird didn’t mean to soundtrack a revolution. But last spring, that’s exactly what she did. On May 27th, 2020 Los Angeles-based singer Marley Munroe released her debut single. Now, “the Grace Jones of Jazz,” as dubbed by BBC’s Gilles Peterson, presents her debut album, Black Acid Soul.  

Minimal yet rich, classic yet timely, the album connects backwards to Miles Davis (his pianist, Deron Johnson, plays Steinway Baby Grand, Mellotron and Casio Synth throughout) and forwards to Pete Tong (he made the Bruise mix of ‘Collage’ his Number Two Essential Selection tune of 2020) and, yes, Victoria Beckham – Matthew Herbert’s remix of second single ‘Beware The Stranger’ soundtracked the designer’s Spring/Summer 2020 Fashion show.  

Its 11 tracks have a sound, feeling and attitude that speak of Lady Blackbird's deep experiences in music, stretching all the way back to infancy. “I don’t ever remember not singing,” she says, recalling performances in church and at fairs from the age of five. “It’s what I knew how to do, and I don’t want to do anything else.”  

By her early teens, Lady Blackbird was traveling to and from Nashville. She was signed to a Christian label but the only music that resulted was some work with rock/rap group DC Talk. After they split, she worked with former member TobyMac, appearing on his first four solo albums. “But I realized that that whole Christian world, which my parents tried to place me in, was so goddamn far from who I was. I did not want to do Christian music, I didn’t believe anything of what they did, and I quit the tour.”  

A wise young soul already at the age of 16, she then found herself “in limbo, because I was in this contract ‘til I was 18.” Once legally an adult and free, she based herself out of New York while flying to and from sessions in LA. She was working with Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello, Tricky Stewart and The Heavyweights. A production deal led to a record deal with LA Reid’s Epic. But creative differences led to her parting ways with the label. So, the deal ended “and it was back to the drawing board and working with different people.” 

One of those was artist- turned-writer-and-producer Chris Seefried, who’d been GRAMMY® Award-nominated for his work on the debut album by Andra Day (seen as Billie Holiday in biopic The United States Vs. Billie Holiday). On meeting Lady Blackbird, he recalls thinking: “Wow, I’m working with the best new vocalists there are – Andra and Lady Blackbird are two of the greatest singers on the planet.”  

From Lady Blackbird's point-of-view, “I fucking loved his shit!” she hoots, relieved to have finally found a musical partner who got her. “Chris listened to me, asking, was I feeling this vibe, or that vibe? He was able to dig inside what I was feeling. Next thing you know, he had some amazing sounds worked out. We really just connected.” They took their time, working in Seefried's LA studio, feeling out the bespoke musical path that would work with the fiercely individual performer. Finally, in hitting on the idea of stripping everything back, “we cracked the code.”

“I’d written a song, ‘Nobody’s Sweetheart,’ a jazz ballad kind of thing, and asked her to do a vocal,” explains Seefried. “I laid the tune on her – and it’s quite a complicated piece of music – then I played it again. And she goes: ‘OK, I got it.’ And in two takes she nailed it, live. It’s a real natural genius kind of thing to have that kind of musicality intuitively. 

A sad, elegantly simple tune, “Nobody’s Sweetheart” was, too, a pathfinder song, and was also the first one they recorded with a beautiful trumpet solo from the great New Orleans virtuoso, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. After going all out, they were going all in, deeply in, getting out of the way and letting shine the voice of Lady Blackbird.  

For the singer, a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, that approach, however, didn’t – couldn’t – diminish her onstage persona. “I loved my over-the-top costumes and all this elaborate shit on stage. Chris convinced me we could be jazz and still keep that attitude.” Suffice it to say that, when Seefried played “Nobody’s Sweetheart” to Ross Allen – the British label exec, DJ and crate-digger who’s signed Lady Blackbird to his new imprint Foundation Music – he was astounded. “I also showed him this picture of her, this radical woman on stage, and it was from the back, wearing this incredible dress and Pattie LaBelle headgear. Ross was like: ‘She sings like that and looks like that? Fucking hell!’” 

You can hear that personality in “Collage.” An instant earworm which she inhabits in multiple colours, it’s Lady Blackbird’s take on the James Gang original, a soulful psych-rock deep cut from 1969.  

There’s more inspired reinvention on the aching “It’ll Never Happen Again,” written by Tim Hardin and which first appeared on the folk singer’s seminal 1966 debut. Forthright as ever, Lady admits, “that was one of the ones I didn’t like at first. It wasn’t boring, I just didn’t know how to give it some power or personality at first. But then I tried it, it was a beautiful session, and it’s ended up one of my favorites on the album. It just sounds magical.”  

That spirit of adventure and invention is there, too, on “Beware The Stranger.” It’s a take on “Wanted Dead or Alive,” a rare groove classic recorded by funk/gospel collective Voices of East Harlem in 1973 and co-produced by Curtis Mayfield.  

Rounding out the album are two killer cuts written by Lady Blackbird and Seefried, “Fix It” and “Five Feet Tall.” The former is an elegant piano ballad that was inspired by the Bill Evans classic instrumental "Peace Piece". The Evans Estate granted Lady Blackbird and Seefried co authorship on a song that sounds like a Great American Songbook standard sung by a woman on the side of the angels. Her ability to nail the song in the studio in minimal takes was clearly something to behold.  

As for “Black Acid Soul,” closing the album, it speaks of both the “Jackson Pollock jams” Seefried describes in the studio and the mantric soul evocative of Hot Buttered Soul-era Isaac Hayes. Explaining how the song became the title and then, again, the vibe, Lady Blackbird says: “We used to hashtag #blackacidsoul, as our sub-genre of music. It just encompassed everything we were doing. It cemented all those ideas and genres in this made-up shit! 

"And because ‘Blackbird’ is a great start to the album, because it gets dark and violent and goes somewhere spiritual, we wanted to tail the album with another expression of acid soul. So that became the title track at the end.” 

Grammy Award Winning Singer Howard Hewett’s Hometown, Akron, Ohio Names a Street in his Honor

Grammy Award winning R&B/Pop Singer, Songwriter Howard Hewett’s Hometown of Akron, Ohio honored the favored son by re-naming Cadillac Boulevard Howard Hewett, Jr. Way at an official ceremony Saturday, October 2, 2021 at Buchtel High School during Hewett’s alma mater’s football game half-time celebration.

Hewett grew up in a house on Cadillac Boulevard and lived there for 20 years. Humbled by the gesture, he says, “It’s a serious honor…a sense of accomplishment. That’s your street. Your ultimate foundation. I remember Cadillac Blvd. We moved in there when I was three years old and I stayed until I left when I was 19, 20 years old.”

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, who will conduct the presentation said, “The talent, spirit and innovation that comes from Akron and its people never ceases to amaze me. I’m honored to celebrate Howard Hewett in this way, and thank him for his artistic accomplishments, adding to the legacy of this great city.”

The golden voiced tenor added, “Growing up in Akron gave us an opportunity to dive into the whole music thing. There wasn’t any gang situations going on at the time. There wasn't any drive-by shootings, no people going crazy…and all that kind of stuff. It was just wholesome music. And there was a lot of local music acts that were a part of that scene. I am blessed to have been a part of that experience that set the foundation of my music career.”

Council President Margo Sommerville said, “During these challenging times, it is an honor to celebrate one of Akron’s own. Music is a universal language that brings people together, and we need that togetherness now more than ever.” 

Hewett was born and raised in Akron, Ohio.  He started on his road to stardom as a child singing gospel with his older sisters in the Hewett Singers. As a teenager, he moved seamlessly from Gospel to R&B, continuing to perfect his craft as a member of the LYFE Band. Hewett rose to international fame as the lead vocalist of the Grammy winning R&B/soul vocal group Shalamar. After leaving the group, he embarked upon a successful solo career and is known for classic solo hits like “Say Amen,” “Stay,” and “I’m For Real”. 

Having gotten his mainstream break as the lead singer of  the legendary R&B group  Shalamar (which originally included Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley), the incomparable tenor is an unforgettable mainstay in the music world today. The balladeer who brought us solo hits like “I’m For Real” and showed his phenomenal vocal acrobatics on the classic “For The Lover In You,” and classic inspirational genre bending mega-hit “Say Amen” from his 1986 Platinum selling album I Commit To Love.  Hewett has reached over 5 million views on YouTube, appealing across generations and musical genres from R&B and pop, to Inspirational and Gospel. 

Pieces Of A Dream | "Fired Up"

After a year and a half of social distancing, virtual concerts and live streams, Contemporary Jazz pioneers Pieces Of A Dream is back with Fired Up! With their 25th new recording, their fast-approaching 45th Anniversary and a string of tour dates, the super-band’s mission is stronger than ever. “We are committed, determined and fully prepared to get back in the groove again,” declares drummer Curtis Harmon. “This means doing all I can to ensure my God-given gifts and talents are used for something meaningful, not just for myself but for others as well.” Pianist James Lloyd adds, “On our first in person gig recently, it was nothing short of magical. We didn’t want to leave the stage. It was awesome being able to see our fan’s faces again, even if through masks.” The story of Pieces Of A Dream, who has opened for such luminaries as Miles Davis, Count Basie and James Brown, is a tale of destiny and brotherhood. Picture three starry-eyed fanatical teen musicians who manage to get discovered by Mister Magic (Grover Washington, Jr.), become teen sensations and go on to join the pantheon of musical wonders from the “City Of Brotherly Love” that includes, Gamble and Huff, Patti Labelle, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, and The Roots. They have toured the world, sold over one million albums, and scored both Smooth Jazz and R&B radio hits along the way. Pieces Of A Dream has long been revered for their signature fusion of Jazz, R&B, Funk, Pop and Blues. James Lloyd promises the new CD Fired Up!, will feel like coming home. “This new album runs the gamut of what our fans have come to expect: up-tempo, down-tempo, Funk, ballads, Latin-infused and party jams - it’s all Pieces!” he exclaims. 

James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon share a zeal for music and connecting with their fans that is palpable. This coupled with their magnetic chemistry have attributed to their enduring success. James shares, “My partner Curt is the pocket and the drive onstage. When collaborating and writing music, he brings a different energy and direction, which is refreshing,” Curtis comments, “James has a unique sense of humor that makes working with him a lot of fun. He is also a perfectionist when it comes to our music so he never settles for doing less than his best.” Pieces Of A Dream’s anticipated new recording, Fired Up!, delivers their trademark sound. The album showcases ten tracks featuring soulful grooves, energized solos and organic compositions. “After a collectively challenging year and a half, we hope Fired Up! brings new excitement and energy to our fans love of music,” says drummer Curtis Harmon. “We want this album to be a reminder of the good things life has to offer both musically and personally.” Pianist James Lloyd reflects, “We wouldn’t be here without our fans. Our mission has always been to stay true to them and to dance a delicate balance between being progressive and holding onto our roots, while pushing the envelope and stretching our boundaries.” 

Recording an album during Covid presented some obstacles but James and Curtis met the challenge. “This album was a bit more challenging, but because we were already accustomed to not having to be in the same room to record, it wasn’t too bad,” says James. Fired Up! opens with the exhilarating and jet-fueled “In Too Deep,” featuring saxophonist Tony Watson Jr. and trumpeter Parker Lewis. Curtis describes the song as “Pieces Of A Dream meets Tower Of Power!” He adds, “It gives you a Pieces groove with a popping Tower Of Power type horn section.” The old-school flow of "Ear Candy" serves just the right amount of sweetness to satisfy your ears with Lloyd's piano glissandos and bluesy phrasing along with Harmon’s rock-steady back beat. The tranquil lilting melodicism of “Smoothing Out” follows, featuring flutist Alexander Zonjic and “Livin’ The Life,” offers the perfect party anthem to uplift any occasion and is a special tribute to Pieces’ beloved Philadelphia. Harmon says, “I think that this track represents a Philly type of groove. This is one of those head-bobbing songs that grabs you when the bass line starts and keeps you grooving all the way through. Young saxophonist B.K. Jackson gives a great performance on this one.”

One of the most time-honored and treasured traditions in jazz is the mentorship that the elder statesmen and women provide to the younger generation of players. Luminaries like Art Blakey and Betty Carter utilized their bands as ‘Universities.” Pieces Of A Dream feels an obligation to carry on this tradition. When Lloyd and Harmon were teens, the iconic saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., took the duo under his wing and signed them to their first deal in 1981. Now the duo have come full circle and are mentoring the young multi-instrumental whiz kid Justin Lee Schultz. Lloyd shares, “We learned so much from Grover and we try to share those lessons wherever we can and as much as we can. Now, through Justin, we’re paying it forward.” Lloyd wrote and along with Harmon appears on Justin’s first single from his recording debut, Gruv Kid. The circle of life continues and Lloyd adds, “I feel things like this are what keeps Grover’s and Pieces’ legacy going.” Justin Lee Schultz is featured on the track “Just Do It!” and Harmon affirms, “There is a certain satisfaction that comes from connecting with young people. It revitalizes you and gives you even greater purpose. Although Justin is only 14 years old, his maturity is definitely on display as his solo kicks this song up a notch. We hope to keep people in the groove with this one!”

The album’s title track and first single “Fired Up,” is a rallying cry for people to focus on the present and to make the most of it. James Lloyd shares, “It’s a wake up call. This song is meant to be a sign that things are on their way to where we want it to be. There’s still a ways to go, but it can be done and we can get there! Let’s get fired up!” Pieces offer an antidote for your blues with “Feelin’ Good.” “This song will help you forget your worries and take you to a place of serenity,” explains Harmon adding, “Chris Harris’s acoustic and Latin flavored performance on the guitar along with Tony Watson Jr.’s sultry saxophone, almost transport you to a paradise island. It’s the calm after the storm!” Most people would think that Smooth Jazz and Trap music have nothing in common but think again! Lloyd says, “’It’s A Vibe’ is his attempt to find the synergy between Smooth Jazz and Trap Music. “I wanted to find that space where they coexist and bring their worlds to each other.” Now, how is that for exploration? Harmon says of the R&B inflected swinger “Gettin’’ Through It,” “This groove displays a smooth jazz feel with an R&B swagger. It’s one of those songs that we hope musicians as well as the general public will appreciate because of its unusual chord progressions. Plus, Chris Harris really brings the heat with his guitar solo.” Fired Up! concludes with the ethereal and arresting “Going Home,” a farewell tribute to Lloyd’s recently deceased Father-In-Law. He shares, that the song is ultimately a composition of “hope and healing.”  

James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon have been the nucleus of Pieces Of A Dream since its inception and played together as kids and members of the Ada Lewis Middle School jazz ensemble along with former member, bassist Cedric Napoleon. Danny Harmon, Curtis’ father and a jazz musician himself, became their manager and had the guys listening to the Modern Jazz Quartet, Ahmad Jamal and Oscar Peterson, as they developed their unique sound, blending their jazz roots with R&B, soul and funk. Taking their name from the Stanley Turrentine song “Pieces Of Dreams,” Pieces released three albums in quick succession, establishing their place in the world of Smooth Jazz: Pieces Of A Dream (1981), We Are One (1982) and Imagine This (1983). Those albums include some of their biggest early hits, including “Warm Weather,” “Mount Airy Groove” and “Fo Fi Fo.” Pieces Of A Dream recorded their Shanachie debut, In The Moment, in 2013, followed by 2015’s All In, 2017’s Just Funkin’ Around and On Another Note in 2019.  

With the release of Fired Up!, Pieces Of A Dream is proving that they are still relevant, still swinging, still pushing and still searching to hold a sacred place in the hearts of their fans. Curtis Harmon states, “Although the pandemic altered the way we were able to deliver our music to people, we will always create music and find a way to make it available to those who want to hear it.” James Lloyd adds, “With what the world has experienced lately, I do feel that the importance of music and its powers have gained more recognition. However, I don’t feel that our role as artists has changed. Our goal is still to touch, heal, energize, and help people release.”

Dan Weiss / Miles Okazaki | "Music For Drums And Guitar"

Guitarist Miles Okazaki and drummer Dan Weiss have been playing in a duo setting for more than two decades, having met in 1997 at The Manhattan School of Music, and almost immediately embarking on a musical partnership. Although these musicians have appeared on numerous projects with various groups, this recording offers the listener, for the very first time, a beautifully recorded document of an individualized language that they have developed over the course of twenty-five years. The opportunity to record their musical alliance and partnership, which is a marvel to behold, came about as a result of a commission from John Zorn. 

The double CD/LP that comprises Music For Drums And Guitar (available October 29 on Cygnus Recordings, a new label formed by Okazaki and Weiss specifically to release the kinds of projects that don't fit into the schedule or vision of their other labels), features two suites of compositions, The Memory Palace by Miles Okazaki, and Middlegame by Dan Weiss, both written in 2019 for the “Stone Commissioning Series,” a project created by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Okazaki’s The Memory Palace debuted on February 26th, 2019 at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY. Weiss’ Middlegame was to see its debut a month later at the same venue, but was postponed due to the onset of the global pandemic. 

Within the duo format, and especially with musicians of a high caliber, who regularly and naturally seize the multitude of opportunities to spontaneously explore any point on the musical compass, there is a kind of high risk/high reward situation. This is where your ears, your abilities on your instrument, and most importantly your solidarity and trust in your fellow musician, really come into play. You can only create music like this with people that you have a long history with. Okazaki elaborates, “The ‘Memory Palace’ is a mnemonic device from the ancient Greeks and Romans, where one visualizes information in imaginary spatial locations (the ‘palace’) in order to recall it at a later time. This piece of music might give the listener some feeling in this vein, strolling from room to room in a familiar place but encountering strange objects sitting on the couch or cooking on the stove. When we play music from memory (as on this record), we can stretch out in space, concentrating on sound, energy, and emotion. Dan has a great memory, much sharper than mine. Phone numbers, dates, meals, poker hands, chess openings, and of course music – I call him the steel trap. One thing about the duo is that there’s nowhere to hide, but there’s also complete freedom explore any direction. In this setting I’ve learned more about music from Dan than from any other person, and I wouldn’t be half the musician that I am without our history. So in this sense, this recording is a very special one for me, and a long time coming.” 

Weiss’ Middlegame came to the drummer/composer as a reference to their ages, their love of chess, and most of all the utilization of a lot of strategy in learning and playing these songs. Weiss explains, “each part of ‘Middlegame’ requires a different strategy. For example, during ‘Part II’ I am thinking about playing positionally rather than using a lot of tactics. Like in a chess game, if the position is solid, improvisations can come to life.” 

Music For Drums And Guitar is the new chapter in the deep friendship of two forward-thinking, adventurous, inimitable artists. They have inspired each other, spurred each other on, compositionally, and in the moment, and surprised one another (an important ingredient in this music). “Miles has been a huge inspiration as a musician and as a personal friend. It’s a rare gift to have the camaraderie we have, and I look forward to many more years of friendship and musical collaboration. I also look forward to exploiting his d6 pawn when he plays the Sicilian,” says Weiss.

Miles Okazaki (www.MilesOkazaki.com) is a NYC-based guitarist originally from Port Townsend, a small seaside town in Washington State. Nate Chinen on WBGO-Take Five describes Okazaki as having, “a methodical mind but also a sharply honed impulsive streak: he has just the right temperament to unlock the secrets in this music, and translate them to a fretboard lexicon.” His sideman experience over the last two decades covers a broad spectrum, from standards to experimental music (Kenny Barron, John Zorn, Stanley Turrentine, Dan Weiss, Matt Mitchell, Jonathan Finlayson, Jane Monheit, Amir ElSaffar, Darcy James Argue, and many others). He was seen prominently with Steve Coleman and Five Elements from 2009–2017. As a leader, Okazaki has released six albums of original compositions over the last 12 years, and is currently an artist on the Pi Recordings label. He has also released a six-album recording of the complete compositions of Thelonious Monk for solo guitar, published a book (Fundamentals of Guitar) with Mel Bay, taught guitar and rhythmic theory at the University of Michigan for five years, and holds degrees from Harvard University, Manhattan School of Music, and the Juilliard School. 

Two-time Shifting Foundation Grantee Dan Weiss (www.DanWeiss.net) has been hailed as one of the top five jazz drummers by The New York Times and his large ensemble recording Fourteen made their top ten list of the best records of 2014. Weiss's intense study of jazz, classical Indian, contemporary classical, West African, and metal sets a musical platform that creates a sound that transcends conventional style or genre. Weiss has been studying tabla under Samir Chatterjee for twenty five years. He’s performed classical Indian music with the legendary Ashish Khan and Ramesh Misra, and recorded the tabla solo CD, 3dcd (2007). Weiss also recorded two unprecedented projects, Teental Drumset Solo (2005) and Jhaptal Drumset Solo (2011) where he performs classical Indian repertoire on drum set.

With his trio, which includes Jacob Sacks and Thomas Morgan, he’s released three recordings (Now Yes When, Timshel, and Utica Box). Weiss also leads a unique sixteen piece large ensemble that features some of NYC’s most gifted musicians including Miguel Zenon and Jen Shyu. The two albums Fourteen (2014) and Sixteen: Drummers Suite (2016) released on the Pi record label, have appeared on numerous critic’s polls. His project, Starebaby, has been featured in The New York Times, toured the US and Europe, and played the prestigious North Sea Jazz Festival. 

As a sideman, Weiss has played/toured with Lee Konitz, Chris Potter, Noah Preminger, Kenny Werner, Rudresh Mahanthappa, David Binney, John Zorn, and many others. In addition to his musical projects, Weiss is a highly sought-after teacher, currently working on an instructional course and book. 

Shawnn Montiero | "You Are There"

It’s been some time since we’ve heard from Shawnn Monteiro, jazz chanteuse extraordinaire. While the pandemic derailed most performance, Monteiro, who also spends a good deal of her time teaching jazz vocals in a university setting, managed to pull a recording together, and we’re all happy that she did. 

You Are There, her sixth release overall and third for Whaling City Sound, is the gorgeous sound of a veteran vocalist whose artistry is crafted in the mold of Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McCrae, and Nancy Wilson. For the ride, she enjoys the company and support of two distinguished trios. The first half of the recording are with her regular working trio, which includes Michael Renzi on piano, Dave Zinno on bass and Steve Langone on drums. The second half is an earlier session at Brooklyn’s revered Systems Two studio, and features Kenny Barron on piano, Nat Reeves on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. Trombonist Steve Davis and trumpeters John Allmark and Joshua Bruneau also make important contributions. 

Monteiro handles her material the way a painter decorates a canvas with color. Her uber-talent lies in her ability to crush a ballad, whether it’s a sexy beast like “Alone at Last,” or a bluesy vocal like “You’ll See.” Her voice finds the loveliness between the notes, the subtleties of a lyric, the sincerity and passion of a song or a couplet or a simple line that comes straight from the soul, with a warm embrace.  

Overall, the repertoire is split between standards-done in Shawnn’s uniquely tasteful and swinging way- and numbers that are less well known. In both instances, Shawnn makes her interpretations look easy, effortless. This, as most singers know, is quite difficult, but is what serves to separate Shawnn’s work from so many other jazz vocalists. She sets an example, a prototype, for how to deliver a song credibly, whether it’s old chestnuts or a lesser-known gem. Some who have heard this jewel of a recording have noted this is Shawnn’s best work to date. We heartily agree. But we urge you to listen for yourself. 

China Moses | "China Moses & The Vibe Tribe"

She’s got an old-soul aura to go with a vibrant artistic edge. Singer-songwriter China Moses is blessed with the jazz appeal of a classic torch singer, the power of an R&B diva and the swagger of a hip-hop hero. The scion of legendary jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater is an international talent poised for a major breakthrough in her native USA. As Moses works on her seventh album that is slated for release next year, she has a four-song digital EP ready to reintroduce her genre-blending artistry to the American audience. “China Moses & The Vibe Tribe” drops October 8 on the historic MPS Records label (via Edel Germany/Bob Frank Entertainment in North America) and is preceded by a pair of singles and videos.       

Moses dropped her first album, “Nightintales,” for the MPS imprint in 2017, which she and The Vibe Tribe - saxophonist Luigi Grasso, keyboardist & pianist Joe Armon Jones, pianist & organist Ashley Henry, bassist Neil Charles and drummer Marijus Aleksa - supported with extensive touring. Capturing the kinetic and highly combustible energy of their concerts, the first two cuts on the EP, “Nicotine” and “Put It On The Line,” were recorded live in London after wrapping four years of touring throughout Europe and Asia. The live versions of both tunes were recently issued as singles and appear in their original form on “Nightintales.” 

“There is an inexplicable musical alchemy that is born during live performances. And after touring ‘Nightintales’ throughout the world, I wanted to capture the essence of the sound created on stage. These songs are extensions of my sound. This is us in our truest format, feeding off of each other’s energy. Just ‘us,’ musically in the raw creating a vibe…a Vibe Tribe. If someone asks me what my concerts sound like, I play them the new EP,” said the Los Angeles-born, Paris-based Moses.

Ruminating on her difficult relationship with cigarette smoking, Moses wrote “Nicotine” comparing her addiction to a “no-good lover.” A smoky, black-and-white video was lensed for the bluesy ballad meets bebop jazz tune (https://youtu.be/t4yiZR2kSqI). Moses walks the streets of London pondering passion and taking chances on “Put It On The Line,” another black-and-white clip that includes performance footage (https://youtu.be/CTJh7FiVA_U). 

The third track is a smoldering, juke joint reimagination of Janis Joplin’s “Move Over,” and the EP is completed by a clubby remix by Ben Marc of “Breaking Point,” another number culled from “Nightintales.” 

Writing ten new songs with British keyboardist-singer-songwriter Oli Rockberger, Moses is in the studio producing her next full-length studio album with Troy Miller. The set will include horn arrangements by GRAMMY nominated trumpeter Theo Croker.

Moses debuted as a solo artist while still a teenager in 1997 with the “China” album. In addition to her music career, the daughter of theater and film director Gilbert Moses has acted and enjoyed a long tenure as an MTV France on-air personality. She hosts two radio shows, Late Night China Moses on Jazz FM in the United Kingdom and Made in China on TSF Jazz in France. For more information, please visit http://chinamoses.com.

YORK | "The SoulJazz Experience Vol.1"

Throughout his career lasting several decades, German multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer YORK has been an in-demand sideman on saxophone and flute, live and in the studio for established heavyweights such as Randy Crawford, Phil Collins, Mousse T., Jazzkantine or Bahama Soul Club.

But time does not stand still, especially for creative minds! After all those years on the sidelines, new impulses made their way to the light, and a few sweaty as well as emotionally fulfilling months later, YORK is now launching his own longplayer: The Soul Jazz Experience Vol. 1.

On it, mastermind YORK enjoys his new creative freedom, as he functions equally as composer, arranger, producer – as well as performing musician, of course! YORK’s music is cool, danceable jazz with a touch of vintage soul and funk. He celebrates the swinging 60’s in a groovy way and transports the sounds of the vintage instruments he uses into the here and now. The album also features a number of top-class guest musicians, making The Soul Jazz Experience Vol. 1. a truly feel-good experience.

“I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” is a track that needs no introduction – or does it? It’s a jazzy-groovy version with latin inflections of the famed Rolling Stones tune. “The Days in Brazil” also breathes South American flair, and was inspired by memories of touring with Bahama Soul Club in Brazil. It is one of two tracks featuring renowned Portuguese jazz singer Guida de Palma, who also guests on the chilled out “E Nobi Do”, the perfect accompaniment to enjoying a delicious cocktail at the beach bar at sunset. In “Can You Feel The Heat” things go in a much jazzier direction, paying homage to the great pioneers of jazz – first and foremost Miles Davis, of course! And as a saxophonist, YORK also had to set a monument to his idols Charlie Parker and Paul Desmond – so the aptly-titled “CP & PD” pays homage to them.

On “Flamingo Girl” we find YORK‘s longtime co-musician Pat Appleton shining in her unique way, and again on she appears again on “Too Much Tension”, which is nowhere near as stressful as the title suggests, but rather comes across as loosely grooving before things get a little quieter on “Walz With Me”. Main single “With A Bit Kurkuma” features London-based guest Yane Singh and offers a wonderful cross-section of all the parameters that compose The Soul Jazz Experience Vol. 1. While “BSC Tribute” on the other hand is dedicated to Bahama Soul Club – with whom YORK played extensively. Things get avant-garde on “YSL & BB” – enriched with samples from Yves Saint Laurent and Brigitte Bardot, while “Move & Groove” is a cool finisher with its 60s movie atmospheres.

No doubt, one will probably hear a lot more from YORK, who has so much more to offer than the good team player skills of a sideman behind well-known faces of the scene!

Super db | "Ecoute Ca"

Super db is a 4-piece band from London whose sound is a distinctive mix of pop, disco, funk, rock and jazz. The band’s name plays on the positive, upbeat nature of their music, as well as encompassing the initials of each band member.

The lineup is composed of twin brothers J-M Sutcliffe (guitars & vocals) and J-P Sutcliffe (drums, vocals, keys & percussion), joined by Lorenzo Bassignani (bass) and Matt Dibble (keys, vocals, sax & clarinet). All 4 members are recognized  as some of the UK’s top musicians, most of them multi-instrumentalists offering more than just one musical contribution to their band recordings, including rotating lead vocalists.

J-M, J-P and Lorenzo all met while studying Jazz at Trinity College of Music in London. Matt also studied in London at Guildhall School of Music around the same time, but the four were introduced through a mutual friend and began working together for the first time on Matt’s solo album Around the Corner in 2013. Their recording and performance synergy was the catalyst for them to officially form Super db in 2014.

All four band members are proficient composers, not only writing songs for Super db, but individually for other projects too. J-P has released two solo albums and is also one half of the dance music duo Warcliffe. J-P and J-M have also released two albums as The Sutcliffe Brothers, exploring their passion for 80s rock and progressive rock. Bass player Lorenzo has played on numerous jazz and pop records, and has recently completed a MA in composition at Trinity College of Music. He is now working as a commercial music composer, providing music for TV shows on national Italian TV station Rai 3. Matt has released numerous solo albums, both in band format and as a solo pianist, as well as working and recording with Italian guitarist Fabio Zambelli.

Super db started to gather an underground following after the release of their debut album Death by Disco. Listeners were captured by the classic songs and sounds harking back to the late 70s and early 80s, reminiscent of the likes of Earth Wind & Fire, Prince, Daft Punk and others. Their song “The Best In Me” was selected to be featured on a Warner Music compilation album titled California Groove IV which was released in June 2018. Radio plays including from across the USA followed close behind.

This momentum and increased support for the band urged them to work on completing new music to present to the world officially for the first time, with the support of a promotional and marketing team. Single “Kool Funk” reached #2 on the UK soul chart in June and July 2020. It also achieved international radio play on numerous stations including BBC, Solar, Delite and Mi-Soul. Single “Open Line To Me” released in October 2020 was equally well-received, going on to be voted ‘People’s Choice Champion’ on BBC Radio Essex and other BBC local radio stations for a record four weeks on John Leech’s show.

The band released taster EP Listen To This in 2017, and have recently finished recording and mixing their second album Ecoute Ca with much anticipation from fans and media alike.

In May 2021, Super db sadly announced the untimely & sudden death of their much-loved founding member, Matt Dibble. In Matt’s honour, the remaining band members continue to be dedicated to sharing & promoting the music they made together and vitally shall maintain the positive vibes and lust for life that Matt always brought to the project and life in general. Ecoute Ca represents everything that 4 piece loved to create as a unit and its release is now as significant as ever.

PM Warson | "True Story"

PM Warson grew up in an English town in the staple suburban musical landscape of heavy rock, the ghost of New Wave, and the fading star of the indie boom of the Noughties. He found his own fit in the form of Rhythm & Blues from half a century before, saving up two summers straight for a Rickenbacker guitar, getting the taste for playing live with an archetypal teenage power trio.  After moving to London to study, he started to delve deeper into his musical vocabulary – Delta Blues, Americana, early jazz and rock’n’roll. Meanwhile, via the capital’s blues clubs and soul nights, he discovered a new setting for the music that had enticed him the first place.

A chance audition thrust him into full-time work as a touring musician, serving an apprenticeship, blissfully unqualified, alongside conservatoire-trained jazz musicians and session pros. Becoming more and more interested in production, ever-drawn to the Golden Era of record-making, Warson befriended the proprietors of Soup Studio, an all-analogue recording facility based in East London. He started moonlighting on production projects and learning the inner workings of a studio environment.

Without any wider ambition, Warson started cutting sides with a band of friends and acquaintances found along the way, evoking the R’n’B records of the ‘50s and ‘60s in approach rather than emulation. His first effort, the ramshackle “You Gotta Tell Me” became a de facto single, and after being urged to press a few copies to vinyl by a friend, it began to cause a few ripples on the local DJ scene. Meanwhile, a wild, off-the-cuff cover of “Hit The Road Jack” caught the attention of a London music agency, giving his line-up an outlet for playing live. This included house-band sets at London establishments such as the Blues Kitchen, Old Street Records and notably at the opening of the Mary Quant fashion exhibition at the V&A Museum.

His follow up “(Don’t) Hold Me Down”, served as his breakout. The blend of Brit-edged Garage R’n’B and Latin Soul, with a Girl-Group chorus that had developed as a key extension of his live sound, proved a winning formula for record collectors. The independent pressing sold out within a couple of days, and it began to spin at clubs from Toronto to Barcelona, its value briefly skyrocketing on collector site Discogs. The song was later picked up by Fred Perry to underscore their ‘Soul Boy’ short, further establishing PM Warson‘s presence on the UK soul scene.

Having teamed up with esteemed German label Légère Recordings in 2020, he released the organ-led “Every Day (Every Night)” on 45, backed by Ashford-Simpson-Armstead‘s classic “I Don’t Need No Doctor”, earning a write-up in Clash Magazine. The collaboration continues into 2021, with his debut LP “True Story”, out on April 23rd - a distillation of what’s come before and perhaps a hint of what’s to come. Already lauded by UK soul DJ laureate Craig Charles on his BBC Radio show, among his tips to be ‘Big for 2021’, it takes in the musical sensibilities absorbed over the course of time. Against a backdrop of club-honed rhythm tunes, there’s blues, jazz and swing, with lashings of girl-group pop and soul. There’s even a Dylan song in there, set against a New Orleans-styled lilt and call-and-response vocals à la The Raelettes. Entirely self-produced, but perhaps defined by collaboration, the record features stellar playing throughout from an extended combo. It was cut just in time, the final live tracking session last February, just before the global lockdowns started. It was finished in a very different world, with its considerable challenges, a few months later. It’s a testament to perseverance and clarity of vision, and perhaps the notion that truth, sometimes, is in the finding. 

The Bamboos | "Hard Up"

The album continues their long history of collaborations, with LA-based vocalist Joey Dosik looking towards the light on “It’s All Gonna Be O.K.” and Louisiana-born Durand Jones (of current deep soul faves Durand Jones & The Indications) anticipating when he can just go out and dance with his partner on “If Not Now (Then When)”. But even with guests of that calibre, Kylie Auldist is never outshone on a Bamboos album. Displaying an incredible range and richness with no need for showy vocal gymnastics, she can move from tenderness on torch song “I Just Heard You Leaving”, to carefree sweetness on “The Thing About You” to out-and-out power on “Tomorrow”. Recalling their Deep Funk origins the instrumentalists in the band (which include some of Melbourne’s finest jazz players) get to stretch out on New Orleans-flavoured instrumental “Upwey Funk”.

Overseas reactions to the album are some the strongest the band has received to date, with four star reviews in UK soul bibles Blues & Soul and Echoes, key music magazines in Italy and France – plus they are fast ascending the Triple A radio charts in the US with “If Not Now (Then When)” and “Hard Up”. The latter song also recently appeared in the new US TV series “Kenan”, starring Saturday Night Live’s Kenan Thompson alongside Don Johnson. The band’s popularity in the US, UK and Europe has remained strong since the mid 2000’s when they were the first Australian soul band to get signed to a key overseas label and to tour.

Most of the album was recorded communally over a week at a sprawling country house just outside the (coincidentally named) town of Lancefield, north of Melbourne. The approach of making an album outside the recording studio, steeped in such legendary tales as The Rolling Stones at Villa Nellcôte or Radiohead’s ‘O.K Computer’ St Catherine’s Court sessions has made it the groups most collaborative yet, solidifying even more their seemingly telepathic musical interplay.

“We had always talked about getting out of town and locking ourselves up in an old house somewhere to make a record” explains Ferguson. “And it just seemed to be the right time to do it. Something different happens musically when everyone is together in the same place and in no hurry to go anywhere else…there’s a real focus. We were recording takes at 3am in the morning, experimenting with whole different approaches to songs, the horn section took over an empty barn to come up with their parts…all of the things you can imagine”.

The band have already managed to hit local stages twice in 2021, first with the full Melbourne Symphony Orchestra re-imagining their catalogue in the show ‘Symphonic Soul’ at the iconic Hamer Hall in March (which will be streamed soon their new MSO.Live platform) and then to a sold out Corner Hotel in April, which was viewed by fans all over the world on their first ever livestream (which is still available to watch for a few more weeks).

The Bamboos influence and impact on what would become the now world-famous Melbourne Soul scene is undeniable, blazing a path and inspiring so many locals to play, record and explore new ideas in Soul, Funk, Jazz and Beats. They sowed the seeds for Melbourne acts now getting worldwide attention such as Hiatus Kaiyote, 30/70 Collective & Allysha Joy, Kaiit, Emma Donovan & The Putbacks, Surprise Chef and even Chet Faker (who was included on the Soul Of Melbourne compilation Ferguson co-compiled in 2012).

As with all previous Bamboos albums, Hard Up was produced by band founder, lead guitarist and songwriter Lance Ferguson, alongside recording engineer/producer John Castle (Jack River, Vance Joy, Gretta Ray, Angie McMahon). Even after more than twenty years performing together The Bamboos once again manage to reinvigorate a classic sound, seamlessly incorporating contemporary influences to create something altogether brand new. Never a band to be hung up on any perceived ideas of authenticity of Soul music, they have managed to appeal to both purist fans of the genre as much as casual music fans by focusing on what’s important: songwriting, groove and powerful vocals.

Sly & Robbie remix Soul Sugar's cover of "I Want You" by Marvin Gaye

To celebrate the forthcoming release of their new album, Excursions in Soul, Reggae, Funk & Dub, Guillaume Metenier’s Soul Sugar collective has digitally reissued Sly and Robbie’s superb mixes of ‘I Want You’, a sensual reggae-soul cover of the Marvin Gaye classic that first appeared on vinyl back in 2018.

A timeless cover blessed with effortlessly soulful vocals courtesy of Jamaican native Leonardo Carmichael, ‘I Want You’ is a superb example of the collaborative methods of the Soul Sugar collective. The instruments and vocals were recorded in studios on different sides of the Atlantic (Robbie Shakespeare’s bass in Miami, Sly Dunbar’s drums and Carmichael’s vocals in Kingston, and Metenier’s organ and Thomas Naim’s guitar in Paris), with mixes being bounced from the Caribbean to Europe before being finished off at frequent collaborator Jahno’s studio in Clermont-Ferrand.

The results are quite simply exemplary. Sly and Robbie’s vocal mix is reminiscent of the legendary duo’s work during their golden period at Channel One studio in Kingston, Jamaica or the Compass Point studio in Nassau, the Bahamas, with Carmichael’s warming, Gaye-like lead vocal rising above Naim’s clipped guitar licks and Metenier’s tasteful keyboard lines. The accompanying Dub is naturally...  more

Gizelle Smith | "Revealing"

Born and raised in Manchester, with a multicultural upbringing steeped in soulful music, Gizelle was destined to follow in the footsteps of her father, Joe Smith, the former guitarist, musical director and songwriter for Motown stalwarts The Four Tops. She took up singing at a young age, and in 2009, cut her first album of gritty deep funk tunes with The Mighty Mocambos in Hamburg, Germany, followed by extensive touring throughout Europe. Her follow-up, Ruthless Day, was released nearly a decade later, also rooted in the sounds of soul ingrained in her musical DNA.

For her latest effort, Gizelle could have played it safe and recorded just another soul album. But in a tragic twist, the course of her future was altered forever by her father’s death in 2019, which prompted a total creative reset. “I was pretty much emotionless towards music in general and I had lost all sense of direction with my own artistry”, Gizelle says of her darkest hour. “My whole identity as a song-writer and musician vanished into the ether with my dad, like a cord had been severed”. Unable to focus on the material she had already been working on, she decided to start from scratch, “because regardless of what was happening in my life, an album needed to be written”. Hunkering down in New York City with her producer Steffen Wagner and her fiancé, bassist Joseph Sam, she embarked on a 10-day writing spree.

The nine tunes emerging from this session represent a unique combination of R&B and funk, but the singer doesn’t shy away from experimenting with pop and rock stylings. With her impressive yet restrainedly candid voice, laced with a combination of coolness and sensitivity that’s near impossible to mimic, Gizelle communicates authenticity, a completely fraught concept and one absolutely central to her art. In many ways, Revealing is a testament to her musical growth, personal freedom and maturity.

It also draws attention to her writing talents. When songwriters talk about life-altering experiences, they often do so in exaggerated tones. But Gizelle’s songs don’t come off overstated, they are grounded and relatable. Take opener “Agony Road” an almost therapeutic exercise in dealing with the seven stages of grief. Or try “Better Remember (They’re Controlling You)”, which addresses social conditioning. “Three Tiny Seeds” is a testament to self love and spiritual growth, and “The Girl Who Cried Slow” serves as an inspirational hymn for personal fulfillment. “Over the years, I feel like my lyrics especially have become more meaningful and they are particularly important on this album”, Gizelle says of her writing.

Viewed in the context of her evolving sound, Revealing is more of a logical continuation of Gizelle’s music, not a radical departure from her background in soul and funk. For connoisseurs of Aretha Franklin or Lyn Collins, there’s still plenty to love here, as long as you’re allowing Gizelle to take you with her on her new path. “I have such a plethora of beautiful influences, I just want to channel and express myself in any musical way I want, across musical landscapes that I choose”, she explains.

With Revealing, Gizelle Smith reveals herself. This is what freedom sounds like.

New album 'Love & Truth' by Alan Evans' alter ego Crushed Velvet & The Velveteers

Alan Evans, multi instrumentalist and co-founder of acclaimed US band Soulive releases powerful soul album Love & Truth as his alter ego Crushed Velvet and the Velveteers. Love & Truth evokes the classic 60s and 70s soul & funk of Chicago, Detroit, Memphis and NYC, blending the retro sound with a modern sensibility, strong songwriting and powerhouse vocals. The songs feature an all star line-up of acclaimed guest vocalists including Kim Dawson (Pimps of Joytime / Matador Soul Sounds), Saundra Williams (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings / Saun & Starr), Lyle Divinsky (The Motet), Yanick (After Funk) and Brother GoodLove (Aztec Sun). Evans handles guitar, bass and drums with guests such as Darby Wolf & Neal Evans on keys and the horn section from the BT ALC Big Band.

The album opens with “Really Can’t Get Over You”, a feel-good slice of sunny uptempo soul, with catchy hooks and a singalong chorus, featuring the liquid soul voice of Yanik. While the powerful voice of Kim Dawson features on three songs: the gorgeous “You Are My Home” that oozes emotion, hard-driving “Keep On Fighting” and “Good Thang“, a 3 minute head bopping ‘funk classic’, previously released as a single on 7 inch vinyl & digital.

“Say Their Names Be The Change” featuring Lyle Divinsky of The Motet on vocals and “We Are Not Ok feat. Brother GoodLove” are hard hitting, gritty soul funk tracks with exquisite in the pocket grooves and passionate vocals. While “As Far As We Know” is a huge soul song, dripping with emotion and power that features vocal powerhouse Brother GoodLove. As does “Every Second of the Day”, a lush soul ballad featuring the fabulous vocal talent that is Saundra Williams backing vocalist for Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and later half of soul duo Saun & Starr on Daptone Records.

Love & Truth is an album of outstanding musicianship, powerhouse vocal performances but most of all classic songwriting that oozes authentic soul.

Ray Charles | "True Genius"

An amazing tribute to the music of Ray Charles – served up here in a special package of tracks from his own Tangerine and Crossover record labels – a fair bit of which haven't been on the market for many many years, and which are presented here with an unreleased live set from the 70s! The package is book-style – with a hardcover jacket, and notes and photos of Ray and his associates – but the real treasure is the music, as there's plenty of tracks here that we're normally only able to track down on vinyl, either on the old albums from the 60s and 70s, or on some of the obscure 45s that were issued on Tangerine too! And although Ray experimented with other artists on the label, the main focus here is on Ray's vocals and talents as a bandleader – although CD5 does feature some duets from later years too. The 6CD set features 99 tracks in all – including 9 tracks from a never-issued live date in Stockholm in 1972 – plus other titles that include "Our Suite", "Ring Of Fire (live)", "We Can Make It", "Laughin & Clownin, "Booty Butt", "Feel So Bad", "Something", "Every Saturday Night", "There'll Be No Peace Without All Men As One", "I've Got A Woman (live)", "Crying Time", "Cincinnati Kid", "Together Again", "If It Wasn't For Bad Luck", "No One", "Hide Nor Hair", "Please Say You're Fooling", "I Don't Need No Doctor", "Living For The City", "3/4 Of The Time", and lots lots more! ~ Dusty Groove

Eberhard Weber | "Once Upon a Time"

Once Upon A Time – Live in Avignon presents Eberhard Weber on a rare evening in southern France in the midst of an adventurous series of solo bass concerts in 1994. This particular concert took place as part of the Festival International De Contrebasse, organized by Barre Philips. Reviewing one of Eberhard’s solo events that year, the Financial Times called him “an exceptional bass player [who] can shine in all styles” and went on to claim, “it is hard to imagine that anyone else could play what Weber plays.” 

Throughout the years, the bassist indeed has proven time and time again of a particularly unique musical vision that can not only be traced back to his singular use of effects and his signature five-string bass hybrid, but also draws on his personal background. In a conversation with Bass Player Magazine in 1994, Eberhard explains, “When I was young, I envied all the American jazz players and wanted to play like them, without thinking too much about my roots – but they kept seeping into my music. Over the decades, I came to realize that I am a European. My family is European and I grew up listening to European classical music. I’m classically trained; that’s my background. So I’m not a jazz bassist – I play European improvised music!” This special act of embracing his own personal voice is among the things that separate the bassist from others. 

Much of the music performed on Once Upon A Time draws from Orchestra (1988) and Pendulum (1993), the two albums that preceded Eberhard’s 1994 tour. Both recordings dealt with the variety of sounds he could possibly create, only using the bass. While on the first of the two, Eberhard focused on music he would be able to recreate live, Pendulum saw the bassist using overdubs more frequently, explaining in the press release at the time: “More than ever I am interested in the end product, and for quite some time now I have been free from the need to prove that one person can do it all.” 

And yet, with Once Upon A Time Eberhard Weber does exactly that: by combining the harmonic breadth of Pendulum with the textural quality of Orchestra in a live situation, the bass player delivers a compelling demonstration of the musical possibilities with one single bass performed live. Small electronic manipulations support him in the process. At the time the Financial Times observed, “the five string contraption has no body but is played through an electronic ‘delay’, controlled by foot pedals. This gives Weber the ability to play a five-second sample, which repeats ad infinitum and onto which phrase after phrase can be pasted. In short, Weber improvises to his own accompaniment, setting down slavish rhythm, chords and harmonies, creating a live dialogue with himself.” 

Several pieces on the album benefit from loop-based accompaniment provided by the delay – “Trio for Bassoon and Bass” and “My Favorite Things” included. Both the multiple-subject-spanning Eberhard-original and the standard are interspersed with layered strumming patterns, chordal structures and steadily intensifying improvisations. Both pieces are new to the bassist’s recording catalogue. As the standard unfolds, its harmony altered by the consistent loop, Eberhard’s command over the music and his instrument becomes evident. On “Delirium” too, Eberhard uses a loop foundation for extensive explorations up and down the neck – a healthy share of overtone investigation included. Other performances are less reliant on effects and leave room for freer approaches to time and harmonic development. “Pendulum” reveals triad-based patterns, setting a reflective mood that “Silent for a While” and “Air” pick up, develop and transform with discerning linear movements across the strings. In contrast, “Ready Out There” concentrates around the bassist’s more physical instrumental prowess. 

Once Upon A Time Live in Avignon is filled with jewels from one of Eberhard Weber’s most prolific periods and captures one of the bass player’s especially successful solo concerts. The album was recorded by Gérard de Haro at the Théatre des Halles in Avignon, France on 9 August 1994 and mixed at Studios La Buissonne in May 2021. 

Pasquale Grasso | "Pasquale Plays Duke"

Guitarist PASQUALE GRASSO released Pasquale Plays Duke, which is available now on Sony Music Masterworks. Pasquale Plays Duke is the second of three albums being released in 2021-2022 and follows the April launch of Solo Ballads; making its debut alongside today’s album release is a new video for “Solitude,” featuring Samara Joy.

On this album Grasso introduces his working trio of bassist Ari Roland and drummer Keith Balla, and is joined by special guest vocalists Samara Joy and Sheila Jordan. The new release finds Grasso reimagining five Duke Ellington classics on solo guitar, alongside several collaborative tracks, performing some of Ellington’s most-cherished masterpieces including “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “Sophisticated Lady,” “Prelude to a Kiss,” “In a Sentimental Mood” and “Cotton Tail,” with Joy and Jordan making appearances on “Solitude” and “Mood Indigo,” respectively.

Long before earning the endorsement of everyone from New Yorker magazine to living luminary guitarist Pat Metheny and recording a series of solo EPs and albums for Sony Music Masterworks, Grasso grew up in the quaint and quiet Italian town of Ariano Irpino. At six-years-old, Pasquale developed a bond with his guitar that ignited an unbelievable journey from the Italian countryside to international renown. 

After attending the Conservatory of Bologna, the U.S. Embassy enlisted Grasso as its Jazz Ambassador. He embedded himself in New York City’s jazz community through a standing gig with late saxophonist Charles Davis. Among many standout performances, he won the 2015 Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition and shared the stage with Pat Martino’s organ trio. In 2018, he appeared at the NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., delivering a show-stopping homage to honor Pat Metheny who christened him “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life.” 

Signing to Sony Music Masterworks, Grasso kicked off his solo EP/album series in 2019 with Solo Standards, Vol. 1, Solo Ballads, Vol. 1, Solo Monk, and Solo Holiday. His momentum continued in 2020 with yet another string of solo releases Solo Bird, Solo Masterpieces, Solo Standards, and Solo Bud Powell, earning the praise of New Yorker magazine, “Pasquale Grasso can play guitar like ringing a bell.”

Grasso shows off his technique early on in the album, with the introduction of “It Don’t Mean a Thing” – watch the music video here. The silky, vintage guitar tone makes it sound like a Johnny Smith or Tal Farlow LP from the 1950s. “I've always loved the guitar sound from the '40s and '50s and I love the sound of classical guitar,” says Grasso.

The featured vocals of Samara Joy and Sheila Jordan add even more texture to the already vintage sound. Joy is only 21 and graduated this May from SUNY Purchase, thirty five miles north of her native Bronx. Immediately, the natural strength and richness of her voice grabs the listeners’ attention. Her feature on the track “Solitude” is another reassurance to these claims. A powerful yet soft sound blends with Grasso's beautiful scales, producing a sound reminiscent of a live performance from the great Ella Fitzgerald. 

Sheila Jordan is featured on “Mood Indigo.” Her decades-long experience in the jazz scene shines in her vocals throughout the track. Since the release of her 1962 Blue Note debut Portrait of Sheila, Jordan has become known as one of the most creative living jazz singers. She is one of the few vocalists who can improvise lyrics, which often rhyme, is a superb scat singer, and is also an emotional interpreter of ballads. During the track, the runs of Grasso’s guitar are matched by the impressive scatting of Jordan throughout the feature. It creates a back and forth battle before falling back into a final verse of soft vocals about feeling blue, hence the title “Mood Indigo.”

The classic jazz sound of Art Tatum, an inspiration of Grasso’s, stays present throughout the album. His influence is apparent in the transitional runs that play a major part in much of Grasso’s improvisations, and whole-tone scales are able to take us from one chord to the next throughout the album. Tracks such as “Prelude to a Kiss,” “Cotton Tail,” “In a Sentimental Mood” and “Day Dream,” carry the listener up and down a flurry of intense and elegant scales.

“Reflections in D”, the final track, slows the tempo so as to relax and wind down the album. The silky sound is still present, the tone being presented much to the name of the track, a reflection on everything heard in the prior twelve songs of Pasquale Plays Duke. All the same aspects are maintained, yet, this particular piece allows more space and time to experience Pasquale Grasso’s artistry.