Music Releases: Spontaneous Groovin' Combustion, Tom Sochas, Kirk Lightsey, John William, Flautist

Spontaneous Groovin' Combustion - All's Well

In early 2021, Spontaneous Groovin’ Combustion – the intensely funky ensemble led by veteran composer, producer, and saxophonist Warren A. Keller, released their self-titled debut album featuring four previously released hit singles. The first offering from their second album is the supremely uplifting, joyful jam, “All’s Well” – produced by fellow genre hitmaker Blake Aaron, which delivers exactly the hopeful message that our weary ears need to hear. While it’s a total group effort featuring Keller’s always emotional, punch-filled sax playing, and the lively drumming of Tony Moore – the spirited track is a dynamic showcase for guest bassist Brendan Rothwell, who carries the high-octane melodic flow, before engaging in some colorful conversation with Keller, leaving us with the feeling that all is indeed well! ~ www.smoothjazz.com

Tom Sochas - Prologue

Building on the success of a solo EP released in early 2021, Franco-American jazz pianist Tom Sochas, previously known for his work with London staple Phoenician Blinds, is back with his debut album 'The Sorcerer', on Khumbu Records. The album, set to be released on April 15th 2022 introduces Tom’s new trio with greek bassist Thodoris Ziarkas and british drummer Olly Sarkar. The record is very much an ode to story telling, to ancient myths and tales, something we tend to return to when in need of guidance. Though rooted in age-old folklore, ‘The Sorcerer’ presents itself as a present-day reimagining of a classic character. In a world of much uncertainty it takes no effort to envisage the various reasons why humanity must be held accountable. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that the wall between folkoric sorcery and our palpable predicament is in fact a rather transparent veil. ‘Prologue’ is the first single taken from the album. “This track to me was all about setting the scene before the story starts.” says Tom. “We enter a very bi-polar world where a seemingly peaceful melody quickly gives way to an increasingly angry and scattered motif. Though it does resolve musically in the end, it still leaves an open question as to how this tension / theme will unfold throughout the record. This is the exposition, the moment in which the Sorcerer comes to life.”

Kirk Lightsey - Coltrane Revisited @ Bird's Eye

The music of John Coltrane, but served up here with a very different voice – that of tenorist Gabor Bolla, whose captured here at an early point in his career, with a sound that's more than bold enough for the material – but also very much all his own! Kirk Lightsey leads the group, and works with a sense of majesty that seems greater than we've heard in years – and Bolla rises strongly to the challenge of these Coltrane classics, alongside bassist Milan Nikolic and drummer Bernd Reiter! Lightsey also contributes one of his own tunes – the great "Habiba", known from an earlier South African recording – a cut that, along with the playing, helps the set sound very different than a simple rehash of Coltrane modes. Other titles include "Like Sonny", "Soultrane", and "Pursuance". ~ Dusty Groove.

John William, Flautist - Tomorrow's Yesterday

Tomorrow's Yesterday, the cleverly, philosophically titled second album by veteran Atlanta-based flautist and performer John William, is an exquisite, surprise filled journey that finds the artist and his crew of well-known musicians – including its producer DJ Burn One - impactfully fusing atmospheric tranquility, spirited jazz melodies and harmonies as well as hip, edgy neo-soul and rap/hip-hop energy. Though William’s stated aim is to create a “body of work that represents peace, calm and tranquility” via his flute virtuosity, his seductive grooves are plentiful, whether he’s musing about the fall season, driving fast and slow through his hometown, seducing with a hypnotic jazz lounge flow, evoking mystery or vibrantly blending funk and laid-back vibes. It’s the perfect soundtrack to chill for real! ~ www.smoothjazz.com

Featured Music Releases: James Bowman III, Jazz Holdouts, The Sax Therapist, Jeffery Smith

James Bowman III - A Brighter Day Chapter 1

A true “overcomer” who as a jazz and gospel musician has drummed for the likes of Brian McKnight, Mervyn Warren and Eric Essix, James Bowman III uses his other great gift – his silky, soothing crooner voice – to point us to better times ahead on Brighter Day, Chapter 11, an impactful, deeply spiritual EP which by its very title promises more to come. Drawing on his passions for both genres, he wrote these three tracks as thoughtful reflections in response to the sociopolitical divisions and illness in the world. Bowman’s choice to think and sing positivity offers hope and musical healing. ~ www.smoothjazz.com

Jazz Holdouts -  April And May

Following their 2018 album Summer Nights, and an array of popular individual tracks these past few years, the all-star ensemble Jazz Holdouts literally holds nothing back on the title track from their forthcoming album, April And Many. A sultry yet bold new single, a hypnotic and exotica-tinged jazz vibe offering a seductive invitation to celebrate the burgeoning joys of spring. The free-flowing atmospheric coolness of the tune is driven by the creative sonic invention of veteran saxophonist Louis Cortelezzi and adventurous keyboardist Alan Palanker with dynamic rhythmic support by guitar great Michael Thompson and bassist John Siegler. ~ www.smoothjazz.com

The Sax Therapist - Sax Therapy For Your Mind, Body & Soul

A long-awaited complement to Horace Silver’s iconic jazz classic “Song for My Father” - veteran Chicago saxophonist Traysee J Leonard (aka The Sax Therapist) lifts all our spirits and celebrates moms everywhere, every day with “Song For My Mother,” a soaring, high octane, light funk single driven by Leonard’s singular  horn voice and sizzling horn textures. Collaborating with producer Chieli Minucci of Special EFX – who adds a powerhouse electric guitar solo – the jazz and gospel influenced artist also pays personal homage to his mother, who sadly passed away at an early age. ~ www.smoothjazz.com

Jeffery Smith - Smooth Grooves, Vol. 2

Now in his fourth decade of recording popular romantic, spirited, funky and fluid George Benson and Wes Montgomery-influenced guitar magic, Dallas based artist, composer, producer Jeffery Smith graces us with the cool, mostly laid back perfectly titled Smooth Grooves, Vol. 2, the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2013 jam Smooth Grooves, Vol. 1. While the strings and the groove dominate, Smith – who launched his career in the 80’ backing R&B icons the likes of Lakeside, Midnight Star, Zapp & Roger, and Millie Jackson – is also an impressive balladeer whose silky vocal tracks beautifully complement his adventurous up-tempo, danceable tracks. ~ www.smoothjazz.com  

The new album by Hamburg Spinners (Hammond jazz/ mod-jazz)

Welcome to the Hamburg of the Hamburg Spinners! This is not the boring giant village we all know. It looks something like this: one half a Soho/London scene from the early 1950s, the other half a Broadway/NYC pedestrian scene circa 1961.

A city like in a comic strip, but in black and white. Adults wearing Macintosh raincoats and smoking, everyone is over 21. There’s music in a restaurant on Pinnasberg, right in front of the harbor: driving, swinging R&B, hard, but also melodic. Keeping a straight face and wearing sunglasses even though it is night, a group of existentialist students from the local art school gather around a pinball machine. Members of the British Occupation Forces sit at the bar, smoking their beloved Senior Service cigarettes. That smells like trouble!

They’re all here to listen to a new beat. On the small stage with a mighty Hammond B3: Carsten M. & The HGs, insiders know them as the Hamburg Spinners! Organ, guitar, bass and drums: the foursome doesn’t need to make an effort to be cool and hot at the same time. The Exis and the British agree. In front of the stage, on the tiny dance floor, Eddie Constantine and Elke Sommer twist, strut, shake and dance the blues.

Wouldn’t that be a perfect setting for the Hamburg Spinners‘ sound? But their debut album “Skorpion Im Stifel” does not only fit into this magical monochromatic world. Carsten ‘Erobique’ Meyer (Hammond B3), Dennis Rux (guitar), David Nesselhauf (bass) and Lucas Kochbeck (drums) managed to write the score for our favorite film that is yet to be shot (set in New York, shot in Spain and in the Bavaria Studios, an Italian-German co-production) as well as the perfect background music for an exciting game of Rummy Cup between your own four walls. Friends of the Remo Four, Ennio Morricone, Jimmy Smith and Stax Records will be spinning on the turntables as they prepare to go out into a crackling Friday night, snap one last look in the mirror and think: “I look good! And if one or the other Hamburg Spinners song is playing in the discotheque later, I’ll see you out on the floor!”

Eddie and Elke leave the bar at dawn. Through the fog, you can make out the soon to be iconic Köhlbrand Bridge, which is still under construction. From the fish market, a sleepy young man walks towards them with a pig on a dog leash. A ‘Hamburg-Süd’ cargo ship arriving from Baltimore slowly moves into the port, with a big box packed with the latest 7inch vinyl singles from distant America on board. A drunken night owl leans against a lantern and thinks: “Is that a scorpion in my boots? Would make a change!”.

Hamburg Spinners‘ debut album “Skorpion Im Stiefel” was recorded live and on analogue equipment at Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Studios in Hamburg and produced by Dennis Rux. Expect to swing, sway and get carried away by the band’s groovin’ sound!

 

The Super 20 | "The Good Life"

The Super 20 is the curation of longtime New York hornsman, Lee Hamilton, bringing together an all-original cast of roadshow vagabonds. Created by a crew that has recorded, produced or performed with artists such as Sierra Leone’s Refugee Allstars, Chicago Jazz Underground, Joan as Police Woman, Jeff Parker, Debo Band, and Slightly Stoopid, The Super 20 invokes the classic 70’s horn sounds of legendary bands such as Don Drummond & The Skatelites, Rico Rodriguez, The Crusaders, and Fela Kuti. Fusing those influences with modern sounds a la Thievery Corporation & Quantic, The Super 20 stands firm with its own voice that demands to be heard now. 

“The Good Life” is an optimistic horn-driven track that evokes inspiration from reggae and afrobeat legends past and present. It summons emotions that are hopeful as well as tense and push forward towards the greater unknown reveling in the journey as a whole. Hamilton cites thePaulo Coelho book ‘The Alchemist’ as inspiration as well. The song channels influence by reggae greats like Rico Rodriguez and Tommy McCook as well curational expertise drawn from modern staples in the circuit like Quantic. It is the perfect introduction of a new project that savors every moment along the way from the beginning to the very end. 

Hamilton collaborated with renowned producer and engineer, Craig Welsch (10 ft Ganja Plant) at Rear Window Studio on the group’s debut album ‘Winds of Wareika.’ He wanted to record these ideas in a fashion that wasn’t constrained by the boundaries of genre or being aimed at a particular demographic. Craig was a crucial piece of the puzzle to capture these individual ideas into a form that is palatable and makes you want to listen. The two started collaborating in the early days of John Brown’s Body with Hamilton forming the horn section and Welsh serving as the band’s sound engineer. They share a common idea of what “feels good” about creating music as Welsch is a master of his craft when it comes to putting those feeling to tape.

Quentin Angus | "The State Of Things"

Guitarist and composer Quentin Angus is back with a wonderfully unique album (his fourth as a leader), The State of Things (available March 18, 2022 on Outside In Music), a pristine recording that truly reflects Angus’ life experiences, including becoming a father, embarking on a Professorship (at BMCC), the challenges and rewards of living and working in NYC, observing the political, social and environmental turmoil of America and beyond, and much more. 

Because of this album being comprised of a cohesive book of music with eight chapters, and utilizing elements of rock, pop and R&B (such as forms with very little improvisation, songs with strong, catchy melodies that could be considered a 'chorus', and very little swing), it was imperative for Angus to assemble the right musicians, and did he ever hit the mark! It’s hard to imagine a better drummer for the music on The State of Things than Nate Smith, who delivers a colossal groove at every turn. His feel, pocket and taste reaches another plateau on these compositions. Vocalist/lyricist Michael Mayo is a talent deserving wider recognition, which this album should certainly help with. His crystalline delivery is joyous to behold and truly brings these songs to life, while his improvisations reveal a communicative and compelling soloist within. Pianist Can Olgun’s parts on the album, and his many solo trades with Angus, are so near perfect that you could take them for granted. But, to achieve the level of artistic maturity and skill required to deliver such a performance is a monumental task. Bassist Desmond White . . . words won’t do him justice, so the best bet is to go listen to the album! The fearless leader and architect of this album, Quentin Angus, more than lives up to such high praise as, "Lord of the strings" – Michael Dwyer, The Age, "The Future of Jazz Composition" – Paul Williams (ASCAP), and "Exuberant, richly melodic and smartly arranged" – Richard Kamins, Culture Creature. 

 Highlights on the album include the compelling, thought-provoking title track, “The State of Things,” a strong statement (and the reason the album is named for it), meant to convey a somber story about the many predicaments and plights of the world, but also offer a more positive outlook, and ultimately to look forward to a more desirable future. The melancholy instrumental melody played by Angus and White, accompanied by a rapid-fire series of news clippings (addressing gun violence, race and gender inequalities, climate-change, political corruption, Covid-19 and more), is meant to make the listener feel uneasy and eventually overwhelmed, until suddenly the song releases into a propulsive groove in seven, with vocals and lyrics by Mayo: "As this world, ever turns. Fear, closed minds, as it burns. Can we hold, our hearts, to the sky? And make room, for our, human rise? We holding hands can inspire, Change in a land, bathed in fire. In our own, kind of way, we are whole. As long as we know, hope." Following a solo by pianist Olgun, the melancholy melody is reprised for an outro, again accompanied by a deluge of news clippings, but of a more hopeful, positive nature, covering topics such as renewable energy, new technologies, ultimately building towards a world of abundance and access for all.  

“New York Muster” is a composition about grinding it out in NYC. Beginning his journey in Eden Valley, a small South Australian country town with a population of only 200, Angus has been based in the world's Mecca for the arts, the Big Apple, since 2010. Angus elaborated, “NYC is the city of dreams, a hotbed for artistic expression, melting pot for cultural exchange, and arguably the best place for jazz in the world. While I acknowledge how wonderful it can be, it is also terrifying as the city can chew you up and spit you out if you are not lucky, and just being good at your craft does not guarantee a fruitful career. And though there are millions of people in NYC, it can also be a very lonely place at times.” Fast forward to now, and Angus is firmly entrenched in the City’s jazz scene, with the bonus of a solid career as a professor for the City University of New York. He has released many albums, toured around the world, and has a house and a family of his own. However, he’s never forgotten the New York City hustle, the struggle, hard work and persistence it took to reach this point, and “New York Muster” is a tribute to that progression. 

Peppered throughout the album are three melodic gems known the world over, arranged by Angus to great effect; “Pure Imagination,” “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” and “What A Wonderful World.” These are songs that Angus has felt a connection with for a significant amount of time. The guitarist fell in love with “Pure Imagination” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as a kid after seeing "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and "The Sound of Music." He has also listened to “What a Wonderful World” for more than twenty years (mainly Louis Armstrong's iconic versions). “Rather than simply covering the songs, I have tried to arrange them in a way to provide interest for the listener, including changing “Pure Imagination” to 3/4, adding a bass line 'riff' to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and reharmonizing “What a Wonderful World” says Angus. 

Quentin Angus has received national and international recognition for both his guitar playing and composing, including an APRA Art Music Award for 'Excellence in Jazz' (2012), subsequent nominations in 2013 ('Excellence in Jazz') and 2014 ('Work of the Year'), winning three ASCAP 'Young Jazz Composer Awards' (2012/2013/2015), five Downbeat Magazine Awards in the 'Composition' (2011/2012/2014) and 'Soloist' (2012/2014) categories, and being named the Channel 9 'Young Achiever of the Year' (Arts Category/2013). 

Angus has been leaving audiences in awe around the world with performances in Holland, Belgium, Romania, Switzerland, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. This includes appearances at the Montreux International Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Melbourne International Jazz Festival (Australia), and Jazz Hoeilaart Festival (Belgium), along with the release of three critically acclaimed albums as a band leader, In Stride (2017), called, “Eclectic, dynamic and lyrical” – Dragon Jazz, Perception (2013), described as, "A truly special and essential recording" – Jazz Inside Magazine (Eric Harabadian), and Retrieval Structure (2011), hailed as, "fresh, sophisticated, vibrant and formidable" – Edward Blanco, All About Jazz. 

Angus holds a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), awarded with a 'Dean's Commendation', a Master of Music Degree (Jazz Performance) under the tutelage of jazz great John Abercrombie, awarded 'Summa Cum Laude', and a Bachelor of Music Degree (Jazz Performance). Angus' is the author of five original transcription books of Gilad Hekselman improvisations: 'Splitlife' (2012), 'Words Unspoken' (2012), 'Hearts Wide Open' (2012), 'This Just In' (2013), and 'Homes' (2015). He has also been published by PickUpMusic, Jazz Lessons Videos, MelBay, Jazz Heaven, and the NZMiC music journal along with conducting presentations of his academic research at music conferences across Australasia including the 2020 Music Business symposium for JEN (Jazz Education Network). 

Angus has performed and recorded with jazz luminaries Nate Smith, Ari Hoenig, Kevin Hays, Jon Gordon, Shai Maestro, Colin Stranahan, Linda Oh, Rogerio Boccatto, Jo Lawry, Elliot Mason, and Will Vinson. As part of his formal academic education, he has received instruction from Jason Moran, John Riley, Todd Coolman, Hal Galper, Jonathan Kreisberg, Randy Johnston, Pat Martino, Adam Rodgers, and Carmen Lundy.

Quentin Angus – The State of Things: 1 – Broken Bones – by Quentin Angus (lyrics by Michael Mayo), 2 – Pure Imagination – by Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley, 3 – The State of Things – by Quentin Angus (lyrics by Michael Mayo), 4 – Enigma – by Quentin Angus, 5 – Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Harold Arlen, 6 – New York Muster – by Quentin Angus (lyrics Michael Mayo), 7 – What a Wonderful World – Bob Thiele & George David Weiss, 8 – New Beginnings – by Quentin Angus (lyrics by Natalie Deitz.) 

Ron Jackson | "Standards And My Songs"

Coming out of the pandemic lockdown, distinctive and versatile jazz guitarist Ron Jackson re-emerges boldly with his latest solo album, Standards and My Songs, released on his own Roni Music label. The album spotlights Jackson's clean-burning, clean-toned guitar voice mostly in trio format with Willie Jones III and Ben Wolfe (drums and bass, respectively), and serves as a bookend sequel to his pre-pandemic 2019 outing, Standards and Other Songs, with a critical difference.

“It is a sequel,” Jackson states. “On the earlier album, I played standards, some pop songs and even a Drake song that I adapted to jazz. This one is, standards and my songs. I took a couple of hits like soft rock tune ‘Brandy’ and R&B tune ‘Secret Garden’ by Quincy Jones, and adapted them to jazz.”

Song choice is key to the success of the new album’s portrait of Jackson's broad musical aesthetic, with a program opening with a jazz-flavored arrangement of the 1972 Looking Glass hit “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” (one of two album tracks with cameos by organist Brian Ho) and, to close, a gorgeous solo version of the standard “Time After Time.” The latter showcases Jackson’s unique skill on the 7-string guitar, which the guitarist has been focusing on for a decade and is one of the instrument’s prime jazz proponents. Between those repertoire extremes comes a menu of diverse original tunes, creative new arrangements of Charlie Parker's “Moose the Mooche”—spiced up with a jazz/hip hop groove--and a 5/4 take on the standard “This Nearly Was Mine,” and more, adapted to and by Jackson's special touch.

As heard through his warm, unaffected hollow-body guitar sound, Jackson’s seminal influences include Wes Montgomery and George Benson, but he has listened to and studied with a range of other important guitarists on the jazz scene. Two of those lineage points—Bucky Pizzarelli and Pat Martino—passed away in the past two years and are paid tribute to on Jackson’s album. “This Nearly was Mine” nods respectfully to Pizzarelli, who strongly encouraged Jackson to take up the 7-string ten years ago.

Jackson’s radiant ballad “For Pat” pays homage to Martino, and is loosely modeled after Martino’s own ballad “Country Road.” Martino, Jackson comments, “taught me a lot and has obviously influenced some of my lines. There are so many things I learned from Pat, things I continue to work on.” 

As for the “My Songs” portion of program, Jackson was careful to sample the diversity of his interests when deciding on originals, from the calypso “Roundabout” (featuring trombonist Clark Gayton)—linking to Jackson’s past work with such St. Thomas-born artists as Ron Blake and Reuben Rogers-–to what he cites as the “Freddie Hubbard-inspired” tune “From Dusk to Dawn.” He leans into a post-bebop energy on his “Walk Fast,” and makes a soulful turn on “She is Love,” co-written with his wife, Michelle Etwaroo.

Looking back at his work, Jackson, whose vast resumé makes him a respected and well-traveled veteran in the jazz universe, asserts “I feel that it’s the best album I’ve done so far. I had to figure out a way to put the music together and there was a lot of pressure. I thought seriously about what tunes I wanted to put on there, a mixture in which half of it was my originals. I am very happy with the end result.”

Jackson points out, “my goal would be to have other guitarists pick up the instrument and for the listener, to be more aware of it.” This effort is shown on an album cover design that boldly states “7 STRING JAZZ GUITAR,” which draws your attention to the low “A” string of the Eastman guitar that he’s holding.  

Since the 1991 release of his debut album A Guitar Thing, featuring Benny Green, Cecil Brooks III and Lonnie Plaxico, Jackson has steadily built a robust reputation as a sideman and solo artist, whose new Standards and My Songs is his ninth title as a leader on his independent label Roni Music. Born in 1964 in the Philippines, though mostly raised just outside of Boston, Jackson started out as a rocker, but fell deep into the jazz realm under the influence of such legends as George Benson, Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny.

After studies at Berklee School of Music, Jackson lived and worked in Paris before moving to New York City and launching his high-profile jazz career, playing on dozens of albums (such as Ron Blake, Hal Singer, T.K. Blue) and working with such artists as Oliver Lake, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gary Bartz and Randy Weston. His diverse musical life also includes various facets of education—as teacher and published educator--playing on Broadway and other modes of gigging, while carving out his evolving and expanding solo artist persona.

Anders Koppel's Mulberry Street Symphony, feat. Benjamin Koppel, Scot Colley, Brian Blade, Martin Yates & Odense Symphony Orchestra

Prolific Danish composer Anders Koppel, whose distinguished career includes music for theatre, film, ballet and over 150 scores for various classical ensembles, pays homage to his fellow countryman, the famed photographer and social reformer Jacob Riis, on Mulberry Street Symphony. Riis, who emigrated from his native Denmark to America in 1870, exposed the poor living conditions of impoverished immigrants in his groundbreaking photojournalism book, “How the Other Half Lives.” Inspired by Riis’ compelling photographs, Koppel created Mulberry Street Symphony, an epic work in seven movements, each one based on a different Riis photo depicting tenement life in New York City during the 1880s. “The work is a eulogy to the life and dreams of these people,” said the composer.

Koppel’s symphony for jazz trio and orchestra (the Odense Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin Yates) showcases the composer’s son, alto saxophonist Benjamin Koppel, as the main voice through all seven movements. The work is underscored by the world-class rhythm tandem of bassist Scott Colley, whose sideman credits include work with Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Pat Metheny, Carmen McRae and Andrew Hill, and drumming great Brian Blade, a longtime member of the Wayne Shorter Quintet who has also toured and recorded with Bill Frisell, Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. As Koppel noted of the flexible trio of Colley, Blade and his son Benjamin, “With their profound understanding of the music and their capacity for catching the moment, they melt effortlessly into the symphony orchestra and move the work to where the border between notation and improvising disappears.”

In capturing the essence of Riis’ striking photos in music, Koppel deftly integrates symphonic elements with jazz improvisation while also conjuring up a wide palette of colors and moods along the way. “The whole symphonic score is completely developed and notated, but I didn’t write that much for the trio,” he explained. “Great musicians have fantastic ears. And I wanted to take advantage of that by giving Brian, Scott and Benjamin the freedom that I knew that they could fill. And they interpreted my vision completely.”

Each of the seven movements of Mulberry Street Symphony is a dramatic piece that tells a story in sound. The cinematic opening track, “Stranded in the City,” conveys the sights and sensations of an immigrant’s arrival into New York City during the latter part of the 19th century. Benjamin Koppel commented on his father’s gift for capturing the extra-musical in his scores. “The way that he uses his music to describe feelings and stories and emotions and even actions is more like an abstract painter would paint a feeling. And because we know him so well, we know his intentions and we can hear his stories and we can relate to it all the way. And so that made this collaboration very easy and open for us to just go into exploring mode.”

As the expansive “Stranded in the City” develops, Benjamin’s alto sax alternately darts and soars to convey its shifting moods, from pensive apprehension to giddy optimism. Anders described the newly-arrived immigrant in Riis’ photo this way: “He’s a 19-year old boy in his best, maybe only suit, stranded on a staircase, in the corner, outside closed doors, hoping for food and lodging. Something happened to his eye. The pulsating sounds of the big city resound from the streets. The wondering, curious and shy look of his eye tell a story of arrival, isolation and will to survive.”

Equally cinematic, while also deftly straddling the through-composed and improvisational divide, are the gentle lullaby “Minding the Baby” and the frantic 20-minute “Tommy the Shoeshine Boy,” the latter featuring facile, Bird-like flights by Benjamin throughout, along with some ecstatic blowing over the more turbulent sections. The poignant and moody tone poem “Blind Man” is meant to portray the lonely figure in Riis’ compelling photo. As Koppel noted: “Always standing on the same spot, leaning slightly agains the lamppost at the corner, peddling his rubber-tipped pencils. The darkness in his gaze, the dignity of his posture.” The composer added, “I tried to convey a special character, a man who is very much himself, apart from society, in a sense. But then again, the music took on its own way.”

A dramatic “The Last Mulberry” is trudging, blues-tinged requiem for the last mulberry tree in Little Italy. As Koppel wrote: “A blues for the tree and for the time closing in. Still blooming every spring, its leaves became more and more sparse. In the end it was cut down.” The conversational playing between Benjamin Koppel, Scott Colley and Brian Blade enlivens this track as the orchestra swirls around the interactive trio.

The unabashedly swinging “Bandit’s Roost” is perhaps the most dynamic and freewheeling track of the set. With Colley and Blade setting the kinetic pulse, Benjamin wails with rare abandon and authority over the top of this up-tempo burner. Koppel described the Riis photo that inspired the invigorating music: “Young Italian mobsters posing underneath their mothers’ laundry hanging out to dry. Fragments of a popular song echo between the walls while plans are being made and energies collected, ready to burst.”

Mulberry Street Symphony closes on a comforting note with the hopeful hymn, “The New House,” based on a 1894 Riis photo of a new home for orphans and homeless children that he helped build on a green hill in the countryside. As Koppel noted: “The simplicity of the hymn reflects the hope and knowledge that lies behind this photo: things will change – and it matters what you do.” 

In the process of putting the music together for Mulberry Street Symphony, Koppel said, “I was inspired by the Riis photos but my aim was not to make a sort of programmatic piece. The music has its freedom always, as it should have. The music often has its own will. So my point of departure was the photographs, but then the music sometimes sort of took over.”

The significance of Koppel, born into a musical family in Copenhagen in 1947, now honoring the legacy of the Danish-American immigrant Riis at a time of increasing debate over the growing wave of refugees and immigrants around the world was not lost on the Danish composer. “In my family’s history there are these two immigrant stories: Firstly, my grandparents coming to Denmark in the beginning of the 20th century as Jewish immigrants from Poland. At that time, Poland was occupied by Russia and there were always pogroms on the Jews, so they fled to Denmark and made a living there. And secondly, my parents and my sisters were refugees from Hitler during World War II. When Germany occupied Denmark in 1940, they fled to Sweden. So the idea of being an immigrant has always been very present in my thinking. And these days, in this time of history, the whole issue of refugees that have no home and immigrants desperately trying to come into other countries is ever present. It’s a mess and it’s a tragedy. So that was another line of thinking in this new work.”

The son of classical composer and pianist Herman D. Koppel, Anders Koppel was a child singer in the Copenhagen Boys Choir and studied piano with his sister and father from the age of five. He also played the recorder and later clarinet and made several television and concert appearances as a youngster, including the first performance of his father’s Variations in 1962 at age 15. He took up the Hammond organ in 1966 and the following year founded with his brother Thomas the legendary Danish rock group The Savage Rose. The band toured Europe extensively from 1967 to 1974 and even made a Stateside appearance in 1969 at the Newport Jazz Festivalwhile also recording eight albums in studios located in London, New York, Los Angeles, Rome and Copenhagen. Koppel left the group in 1974 to make his first solo recordings, Valmuevejen with singer Otto Brandenburg, and Aftenlandet, a progressive instrumental album. In 1976 he cofounded with bassoonist-clarinetist Peter Bastian and percussionist Flemming Quist Møller the trendsetting world music trio Bazaar. The band played together for 37 years until 2013. 

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, Koppel wrote music for 50 plays, eight modern large-scale ballets and more than 100 movies. Since 1997, he has devoted himself to composing for classical ensembles and has completed 150 scores to date — solo pieces, chamber music, orchestral and vocal works, an opera and 33 concertos for solo instrument with orchestra. His saxophonist son Benjamin has been a featured player in six of his concertos. Father and son have also been playing together in recent years in a highly interactive quartet setting with Colley and Blade.

In the process of composing Mulberry Street Symphony, Koppel said, “I thought about the relationships between America and my country, and all the fantastic music that has been brought to us from America that has in many ways changed our lives and inspired us endlessy. And then Jacob Riis ran through my mind because I knew his story. I had just seen an exhibition in Copenhagen of his photographs, which impressed me very deeply. And so there was another link between Denmark and America.” 

As a fully-realized work seeking to bridge the worlds of classical and modern jazz, Anders Koppel’s Mulberry Street Symphony is in the lineage of such successful orchestral works as Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown & Beige (1943), Miles Davis-Gil Evans’ Sketches of Spain(1960), Stan Getz’s Focus (1961) and the Claus Ogerman-Michael Brecker collaboration on Cityscape (1982). And like many of his past works, it brings together Koppel’s love of symphonic music and jazz improvisation in organic fashion. “I think that has been my language ever since I started writing scores,” he said. “I believe that the musical language that you have as a composer is a result of the life you have lived and the music you have studied and loved. My music has traces of all the music that I have been occupied with in my fairly long life — classical, jazz, Cuban music, Italian folk songs, Turkish music. There’s so much fantastic music that influenced me during my life and all of that is in the music too. It’s all combined in my language, I believe.”

Added Benjamin Koppel, “I think all his music is very much his own music. He has his totally own voice and his own direction, which is this borderland between classical and jazz or rhythmical music. And because he was a performer himself, he has always been able to write music that all the members of the symphony orchestra love to play. He was a clarinet wunderkind when he was a child and performed of a lot of my grandfather’s clarinet pieces when he was 10, 12, 14 years old. So he knows what it’s like to be a wind player, but he’s also an extraordinary Hammond organ player and pianist as well. So he knows the instruments and he knows the importance of having fun while playing but also being challenged by the music. So he makes sure that every voice in the symphony orchestra is swinging and melodic and important. That is very much a part of his sound and his personal approach. And I think that’s a line going through all this orchestral works.”

Music Releases: Galathea, Nonnomatteo, Markus Zahrl, Jason Nazary

Galathea - Afrique

‘Galathea’ is the new project by the DJ and producer Massimo Napoli, and the title of his first solo album. Borrowing the name from the homonymous Nereid from the Greek mythology, the album is a deep dive into dub, spiritual jazz and African surroundings. Over 12 tracks, the LP reveals a strong personality. Departing from club culture with particular emphasis on electronic dub, Galathea unfolds into many influences and styles, making it a unique listening experience. Mediterranean culture, Afro and cinematic melodies, jazz, spiritual echoes, and soothing beats lead the listener into a subliminal escape, where the fluidity and the convergence of genres freely progress into a dream-like journey. In ‘Afrique' the melody and the rhythmic Nigerian Afro-funk blend with dub tonalities into a subtle listening experience, enriched by Kadi Koulibaly's vocal performance.

Nonnomatteo - My One And Only Love

Italian guitarist Nonnomatteo returns with a new jazz release with 6 timeless “almost” standards.Trying to reconcile his work as an engineer and his passion for music, Italian composer, guitarist, and producer, Nonnomatteo (Matteo Rignanese), is releasing “My One And Only Love”. This is Nonnomatteo’s 3rd solo release and the first time he enters the world of jazz music. On “My One And Only Love”, Nonnomatteo presents his personal impressions of classic songs from iconic artists like Miles Davis and Jaco Pastorius as well as reimagined timeless standards.With 5 all-original albums that goes from Folk to Black metal, since 10 years Nonnomatteo is the voice and guitar of the indie band “La figlia del dottore” with which he produced an album and 3 singles; along with this the Italian guitarist has produced records for independent artists at his own Merlino’s Studios and in 2015 he was awarded as best indie guitar by MEI (Italian Meeting of Independent Labels). All compositions have been recorded by Nonnomatteo with Vito Mancino on drums, Monique Hostanzo on Piano and  Mattia Verago on bass. 

Markus Zahrl - A World Of Bliss

On a roll since his multi-faceted 2020 EP Celtic Dance scored three Top Ten singles on SmoothJazz.com’s Listener Countdown Chart, Austrian saxophonist Markus Zahrl counters a troubled and anxiety filled world with a more hopeful, life celebrating vision – A World Of Bliss – on his full-length debut. The well-traveled arranger, composer and music educator, who studied at the Conservatory of Vienna as well as Berklee, tones down the exotica and global vibes to focus on hard-hitting pocket funk grooves and all sorts of melodic sax madness and whimsy. Zahrl wraps with a stunning ballad that showcases his dreamy, romantic side. ~ www.smoothjazz.com

Jason Nazary - Spring Collection

Brooklyn-based drummer/producer Jason Nazary (of Anteloper) makes his We Jazz Records debut with ‘Spring Collection’. The album sees Nazary crafting some deliciously sparkly solo cuts plus working long distance with choice collaborators Jaimie Branch, David Leon, Ramon Landolt, Matt Mitchell, Grey McMurray and Michael Coleman.This is essentially a collection of home recordings and the whole operation has an infectious feeling of immediacy to it. The result is improv adjacent electronic music, with modern production aesthetics transposed over spontaneous compositions.Second single 'Dust Moths' is a trio cut of sorts, featuring Jaimie Branch on trumpet and Matt Mitchell on the Arturia MicroFreak synthesizer. Jason says: ”That one feels really organic. There’s a feeling that happens when humans are playing polyrhythms together. This was a fun one to orchestrate. Matt was riffing on the whole thing, I played some drums to that and then added Jaimie’s parts on top of it all.” ‘Spring Collection’ is released by We Jazz Records. 

Yaniv Taubenhouse | "Hope"

Extraordinary times often produces extraordinary art. In the case of pianist Yaniv Taubenhouse, his new solo piano recording, Hope, was created during the onset of the global pandemic, in February 2020, against a backdrop of news about the virus spreading, coupled with anxiety and fear of the unknown, but also a survival instinct laced with hope. Hope (scheduled for release on Fresh Sound New Talent, February 18, 2022) acknowledges the great trials humanity has been through over the past two years, and offers optimism and beauty for today, and for whatever tomorrow may bring. This album speaks volumes of the resiliency, an unrelenting determination to create, and a deftness at improvising (on and off the bandstand), which Taubenhouse, and the jazz community at large, have displayed.

Hope also serves as another testament (this is his sixth album as a leader) to the fact that Taubenhouse is an accomplished trekker in the footsteps of the likes of Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Monk, Oscar Peterson and other piano giants. His educational pedigree is unassailable (having studied extensively with jazz and classical masters and earning a BFA from The New School), and he has been called upon to work with Ronald McClure, Anat Cohen, David Schnitter, Ari Hoenig, Roswell Rudd, Jorge Rossy, Orlando Le Fleming, George Coleman, Peter Bernstein, Ferenc Nemeth, Will Vinson, among many others. Taubenhouse has recorded and released three critically-acclaimed albums in the Moments In Trio series, a co-led album with vocalist Sarah Eden, and his debut trio album, Here From There, and has toured the world many times, performing at prestigious venues and festivals in numerous locales. 

Taubenhouse decided to follow up his latest trio recording with a format which enables him to tell you his story as an artist, as a pianist, as a person in this world, intimately, and from his heart. Hope, recorded on a gorgeous sounding Yamaha C7 piano at Knob Hill Studios (located in Northwest Arkansas and run by a dear friend of Taubenhouse, and incredible musician, Darren Novotny), is comprised of twelve “chapters” (original music and works by Kenny Wheeler, Cole Porter, Henry Mancini and Thelonious Monk), programmed to invite the listener deeply into the pianist’s insight, intention and truth. Taubenhouse explains that, “the album is ‘framed’ with a mini suite; Chapter One, Chapter Two, and Chapter Three. Each of the three chapters has its own title but musically there is a direct correlation between them, both harmonically and melodically. The idea of spreading the three chapters throughout the program (tracks 1, 6 & 12) and not placing them one after the other comes out of the desire to present the entire program as a whole, as opposed to individual songs that just happen to appear next to each other on the same record. 

Solo piano has been a big part of Taubenhouse’s musical expression since he was a child. To record a solo piano album, you have to consider the entire evolution of the piano and those who developed a massive cannon of work by challenging and pushing the boundaries of the various keyboard instruments over centuries. “Playing solo piano connects me to the history and development of the instrument both musically and pianistically. No matter what style of music, when the piano is heard by itself, it functions as its own ensemble. Solo piano is an intimate and fascinating art form with infinite possibilities, and I am honored to offer you, the listener, Hope,” says Taubnenhouse.

Danilo Perez | "Crisalida”

GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist, composer and educator Danilo Pérez hopes to usher in a new era of enlightenment that will unite all of humanity with his epic new album, Crisálida, which in English translates to “chrysalis.” 

Incorporating multiple artistic disciplines that include works from Panamanian painter Olga Sinclair, Panamanian photographer Tito Herrera, and spoken word from his Chilean wife and saxophonist Patricia Zárate, Crisálida is a holistic inter-disciplinary package that invites listeners to reimagine a world in which we all create our own crisálida so that our individual light and humanity radiates regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. And, in turn, we nurture that prismatic iridescence to better care for the environment and human race. 

“I envision Crisálida as a protected space where we all come together, whether we’re addressing immigration issues, climate change, environmental justice, science, interconnecting different art forms,” Pérez explains. “We need to work together to build our new crisálida, which, to me, is the emotional, mental and physical state of protection in our early development.” 

Crisálida is composed of two engrossing suites on which he leads the Global Messengers, an intrepid new ensemble, consisting of alumni from Berklee College of Music’s Global Jazz Institute. Similar to Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, which helped launched Pérez’s international career, the Global Messengers is a multicultural combo that features percussionist Tareq Rantisi (Palestine), laouto player Vasilis Kostas (Greece), violinist and vocalist Layth Sidiq (Iraq, Jordan), cellist Naseem Alatrash (Palestine) and singer Farayi Malek (United States). Guest appearing on several cuts are batá drummer Román Diaz (Cuba), Ney flutist Faris Ishaq (Palestine), Zárate (Chile), singer Eirini Tornesaki (Greece) and the Kalesma Children’s Choir of The Ark of the World (Kivotos tou Kosmou) (based in Greece). 

“These musicians are very interested in cultivating their gifts to become role models for the betterment of humanity. I love this openness of wanting to explore and connect,” says Pérez, who in addition to being the founder of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, is a UNESCO Artist for Peace, the Cultural Ambassador to the Republic of Panama, and the Founder and Artistic Director of the Panama Jazz Festival. 

“In the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, we talk a lot about finding new sounds through the blues and connecting to your roots – expanding the folkloric elements of where you come from,” he adds. “The Global Messengers are a new family that explores the power of music as a tool for inter-cultural dialogue.” 

With their intriguing, unconventional instrumentation (to jazz standards), the Global Messengers afford the music with an arabesque, “beyond category” quality that alludes to chamber music, cinematic score and, of course, the sparkling improvisation associated with jazz. The album’s four-part “La Muralla (Glass Walls) Suite” occupies the first half, while the four-part “Fronteras (Borders) Suite” concludes the program. 

The “La Muralla (Glass Walls) Suite” begins with the gorgeous “Rise from Love,” which features stunning vocals from Malek along with Kalesma Children’s Choir of The Ark of the World. Underneath the alluring strings and Pérez’s suspenseful piano improvisation and jabbing accompaniment is Diaz’s surging batá rhythms, symbolizing Africa’s arrival to the Western world and worldwide influence on music. 

On “Monopatia (Pathways),” Pérez initiates a suspenseful musical dialogue with Kostas before the rest of the band enters, establishing a 21st century universal blues that connects the dots between Middle Eastern and Mediterranean sonic imprints, African American sensibilities and Latin America’s rhythmic and melodic flourishes. The composition also showcases Zárate’s commanding spoken-word artistry as well as Tornesaki’s poignant singing. 

An increased sense of urgency arrives with “Calling for the Dawn” as Rantisi begins with an intricate percussion introduction, followed by a triumphant melody delivered by Malek and Sidiq. Pérez’s embroidered passages, hammering across the rumbling rhythmic bedrock, heighten the suspense, which is intermittingly interrupted by Malek’s asking, “Where are we going? Is it up or down?” “It’s a call to the divine,” Pérez explains of the composition. “It’s a warning that if we mess with nature and the environment, then we are responsible for what comes afterward.” 

“Muropatía” closes the “La Muralla (Glass Walls) Suite” as the strings animate a coruscating rhythm, based upon a folkloric Panamanian dance that Pérez discovered had very striking similarities of some of Palestine’s folkloric rhythms. Pérez’s hypnotic piano accompaniment anchor the interlocking polyrhythms, concocted by the strings, vocals and percussion. After he pecks a dramatic solo, Zárate enters the fold to deliver an incisive rap in Spanish. 

Pérez says that the “Fronteras (Borders) Suite” was based, in part, by a series of dreams, touching upon the emotional plight of immigration. It begins with the somber “Adrift,” which tells the story of a mother seeking to reunite with her daughter after being separated for 20 years. Malek wrote the evocative lyrics and articulates them splendidly as her voice soars across the arresting arrangement. 

The Global Messengers summon the universal blues again on “Al-Musafir Blues,” which deals with a Palestinian man trying to travel to the U.S. to study but gets stuck in the airport. Alatrash’s prowling cello rhythm conveys the sense of determination, while the violin and voice melody evoke the weariness that often comes with seeking better opportunities across international borders. 

“With ‘Al-Musafir Blues’ I wanted to find a connection and understanding to the blues from another perspective,” Pérez says. “We need to understand that the blues were created by African Americans – but also that its values and concepts can connect with other cultures. I’m trying to create this musical space where the blues can be the connector in which worldly sounds emerge.” 

A call-to-action arrives with “Kalesma (True Calling)” on which Pérez declares that the world is in a humanitarian crisis. Beginning with a faint violin melody that gives way to a plaintive laouto melody and vocals, the soul-stirring composition unfolds gradually, concluding in a haunting rhythmic and melodic recurring motif. 

The “Fronteras (Borders) Suite” ends with the energetic “Unknown Destination,” a composition that begins like a casual conversation as Pérez ricochets improvisational passages with the Global Messengers’ strings and vocals, underneath Rantisi’s percolating rhythms. The composition coalesces into a dynamic collective improvisation that’s as cohesive as it is capricious. 

History will reveal Crisálida as yet another one of Pérez’s crowning achievements. Now after four decades as a professional musician, some of which has been spent with the world-acclaimed Wayne Shorter Quartet and leading his own projects, Pérez has now achieved living legend status. Most recently, he won the prestigious 2021 Doris Duke Artist Award of $250,000. 

When asked to assess his career at this moment, Pérez responds: “I want to continue my journey of exploring this pathway of using the power of music to unite and humanize. I want to promote music that acts as a bridge and to inspire younger artists to continue the journey and leave something positive that other generations can draw upon.”

With the Global Messengers and Crisálida, Danilo Pérez is succeeding in that mission. 

Music Releases: Butch & Rhonda Coleman, Avishai Cohen, Gunter Asbeck, Abdullah Ibrahim

Butch & Rhonda Coleman - Moment Of Your Time

A spiritually grounded husband and wife duo that recognizes music as a universal healer, Maryland based Butch & Rhonda Coleman create a fascinating dual sound around the plucky thump of his bass and her versatility as a sultry pop/R&B singer and jazz keyboardist. The title of their third album Moment Of Your Time doubles as an invitation to get to know them and their deft blend of old school soul-jazz, breezy and heartfelt balladry and buoyant urban-flavored Smooth Jazz. Adept at creating a variety of moods, the Colemans like to say that their music tells a story. Here, that’s paying homage to past influences like Bill Withers while making sure we’re hip to their eclectic, very contemporary sexy, funky flow. ~ www.smoothjazz.com 

Avishai Cohen - Two Roses

Avishai Cohen’s music is an intricate tapestry of global and historical influence. A master of Afro-Caribbean music, Cohen is equally affected by the melodies of Israeli folklore, and the complexity of their Sephardi, Ashkenazi, and Yemeni heritages- so much so that he reintroduced the traditional Ladino song “Morenika”. Avishai has also featured popular tunes from his native country of Israel, such as “Two Roses”, which lends its title to his upcoming album Two Roses. The title itself works as a metaphor for the album’s adept fusion of global sounds, jazz, and the symphonic world. Recorded with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Alexander Hanson, Two Roses is the outstanding result of years of patient craftsmanship.

Gunter Asbeck - Evolve

After years of serving as a sideman for the Smooth Jazz elite (Kirk Whalum, Brian Culbertson, Gerald Albright, et al), versatile German bassist and vocalist Gunter Asbeck emerges as a compelling and eclectic singer/songwriter with his debut album Evolve. Though he cites his bass heroes as Marcus Miller and Nathan East, Asbeck eschews the concept of a bass heavy collection, choosing to keep his axe as a supporting rhythmic instrument on mostly vocal tunes that run the gamut from smooth romantic pop, and edgy, classic styled rockers to easy flowing urban jazz (on two songs with saxman Will Donato) and even country. One of the standout songs, a stunning inspirational ballad featuring Selina Albright, seems perfectly suited as a beacon of light in these challenging times. www.smoothjazz.com

Abdullah Ibrahim - Solotude

Beautiful solo work from pianist Abdullah Ibrahim – a player with a sound so rich and rhythmic, his sessions like this are often every bit as captivating as his trio and group recordings! There's a really special sort of poetry going on here – first in the way that Ibrahim brings out these unusual tones in the piano – a warmth that almost feels like a Fender Rhodes at times, even though the instrument is acoustic – secondly in the structure of the tunes, which are sometimes short and very poetic – packing a lot of meaning into just a very short space in sound! To balance that out, the record has many different selections – twenty in all – some older compositions reworked, some less familiar. Titles include "Sotho Blue", "District 6", "Tokai", "Blues For A Hip King", "In Tempo", "Dreamtime", "Nisa", "Mindiff", "Trieste My Love", and "Signal On The Hill". ~ Dusty Groove

Noa & Gil Dor | "Afterallogy"

After 30 years of performances and recordings, Noa and guitarist Gil Dor release their first, and long awaited, true jazz album: Afterallogy

Noa and Gil have been working together for 30 years. They met in the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary music in Ramat Ha Sharon in 1989.  Gil was the co-founder of the school, the academic director and a highly respected musician and educator fluent in myriad styles but specializing in jazz. Noa was an aspiring 20 year old singer and songwriter, who had recently moved to Israel form the US, completed her military service in a Military Band, and came to Rimon in search of education and collaboration. She was immediately labeled a ”jazz singer” due to her proficiency in English, her natural improvisational abilities and her inbred connection to “The American Songbook”. Having been born in Israel to a Yemenite family, and raised in NY until age 17, Jazz is part of her identity, as natural as her Yemenite and Hebrew roots.

The duo’s first concert was in a jazz festival in Tel Aviv, Feb 8th, 1990, where they performed standard tunes with unorthodox arrangements, and some of Noa’s original compositions. That first night was an enormous success that set the stage for the incredible journey to come.

Their first international album was produced by Pat Metheny, one of the most highly respected jazz musicians in the world, but did not include standard tunes, rather focusing on Noa’s songwriting.

Over the years, Noa and Gil explored many different regions of music, wrote and performed hundreds of songs,  worked with ensembles ranging from acoustic trio to bass and drum quartet to symphony orchestra, explored and fused different styles, sounds and languages, always reaching for that unexplainable, unpredictable moment of magic every musician lives for.  It has always been impossible to categorize them.

Afterallogy is another step in their fascinating journey, where they have put the musical language they have developed and their past experience at the service of these great, classic jazz tunes, and added a few originals as well. 

The name, beyond paying homage to the greats that inspired them (Charlie Parkers “Ornithology”), is a statement about life and music, exacerbated by the Covid 10 crisis:

After all is said and done, after 30 years, after a pandemic which shattered, jolted and stripped the world bare, after thousands of kilometers travelled and many more thousands of notes played and sung, what remains?

A deep love and respect for great music and the greatness in music, a deep love for the humanity that is brought to life by it and elevated and illuminated in whoever experiences it.

A deep appreciation for the gift of friendship…for a unique partnership, for the power and resonance that brought and kept them together all these years.

And that curiosity and passion, that meticulous quest to unveil the deepest mysteries of music that drives them always onwards.

Afterallogy is the first part of a Noa and Gil’s jazz project. The are currently working on part 2, which will include their band and be more improvisational and experimental. 

Steve Slagle | "Ballads: Into The Heart Of It"

With saxophonist and composer Steve Slagle you can expect the unexpected. From his early days on the NYC scene which he joined in the mid-70s (almost instantly joining the fray at the highest level with the likes of Machito And His Afro-Cubans, Steve Kuhn, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Haden, The Mingus Big Band, Carla Bley, and many others), Slagle has always been an artist up for new challenges and horizons. This holds true even after more than twenty albums as a leader, and forty years of creating music on stages and in studios around the word with many of the finest musicians of this era. 

For artists, the impact of the sudden isolation and inability to work brought on by the global pandemic manifested itself in myriad ways, one of which was influencing many, including Steve Slagle, to create with a fervour. As Slagle stated, “In the worst of times, sometimes the best music comes out of you.” This past April-2021 Slagle released the critically-acclaimed, Nascentia, and hot on the heels of this album we have another testament to the superlative level of his creative output, a true first for Slagle in a stunning bouquet of ballads, Ballads: Into The Heart Of It, to be released on Panorama Records on February 18, 2022. The album features special guest Randy Brecker, pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Ugonna Okegwo, drummer Jason Tiemann and Richard Sussman, who provides synth orchestrations and drum programming to great effect on three selections. 

Into The Heart Of It opens with Bill Evans and Miles Davis’ “Blue In Green,” and Slagle renders this iconic composition anew, wringing every bit of emotion from the melody with a minimalist approach. Accompanied by longtime friend and colleague Richard Sussman’s orchestrations and Okegwo, Slagle is completely exposed, his opening phrase a cry for humanity, a sonic prayer for the earth. Next up is Slagle’s take on Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s, “Le Sucrier Velours (The Queen’s Suite),” a gem from Duke’s oeuvre, originally released in ’76, and again on Live At The Whitney (recorded in ’72 and released in ’95, on Impulse!). We’re getting a clear picture now that this is no ordinary ballads album, and it was designed that way. “I really ruminated over this,” says Slagle, “and I find it interesting to take on the challenge of trying to maintain one mood or texture across an entire program. But I didn’t want this to be a traditional ballads record where everything sounds the same. And as much as I love many of them, I definitely wasn’t looking to recreate any of the classic ballads albums that I, and many people, grew up listening to. So, there are a number of originals here, and some classics. But I wouldn’t touch those classics if I wasn’t going to try things differently. At this point I can’t help but impart my own slant on the music we play.”

The album continues with Monk’s “Reflections,” and special guest Randy Brecker opens the tune with his famous burnished tone. Between Slagle and Brecker sharing the melody you can hear what many decades in the trenches truly sounds like – and listen to these guys on these changes – the crème de la crème . . . “My One And Only Love” is up next, and the framework designed by Slagle and Richard Sussman once again exposes Slagle, allowing him to establish a high level of intimacy with the melody, and allowing us, the listener, to share in this closeness and really hear what the saxophonist has to say about this iconic tune. Other highlights on the album include one of the prettiest melodies in the program, Slagle’s “The Heart Of It” (again featuring Randy Brecker), and Slagle’s take on Stevie Wonder’s “Kiss Lonely Goodbye.” This is a good time to mention the contributions of pianist Bruce Barth, who demonstrates on this track, and the entire album, why he is one of the most sought-after and respected artists to have ever touched a piano. On “Si, See” Slagle displays his mastery as a composer with a simple melodic line which conveys so much emotion and carries so much weight (the melody notes being, C, A, E, C, A) . . . how can a melody cause you to wonder about the world and ruminate about any number of other important topics . . . The album’s last three selections are, “If you Could See Me Now,” Slagle’s tribute to some very important women in his life with “The Four Margarets” (a truly lovely and compelling tone-poem by Slagle, polished, framed and ensconced in velvet by Sussman, and worth the price of admission on its own!), which was the first tune completed, and the catalyst for the rest of the album. After it all, Slagle drops the heated “Big Mac” as a bonus, making the final tally, “nine ballads and a burner.” Written with Randy Brecker in mind, and nodding to the important “Macs” in the leader’s musical life (i.e. McCoy Tyner, Andy McKee, Jackie McLean), it signals a new dawn on the horizon. Ever forward for Steve Slagle.

Leni Stern | "Dance"

Leni Stern was named one of the “50 Most Sensational Female Guitarists of All Time” in Guitar Player magazine’s 50th anniversary issue in 2017, with the publication aptly dubbing her “a genre-defying adventurer.” Leni’s example shines beyond just prowess on her instrument. The pursuit of her career across more than four decades has been in effect a political act – a practice in strength and defiance to be a woman and a bandleader, a female electric guitarist and a composer, an artist who produces her own albums and manages her own career. Moreover, in our current political climate, it is now more essential than ever to celebrate the immigrant experience that brought Leni to the U.S. from Germany and her African bandmates from Senegal and Argentina. Leni’s inspiration has long been the interconnectedness of music, history and our humanity. She says: “Music is one of the truest, most beautiful expressions of the human spirit, crossing borders, dissolving tribalism, binding us together – if we let it.

Leni has been on an evolutionary road over the past decade and a half, as she fused her long-honed contemporary jazz sound with a deeply felt exploration of West African styles. She has traveled and studied extensively in Mali and Senegal, performing with iconic singer-songwriter Salif Keita among other African notables. The Munich-bred New Yorker’s trans-Atlantic journeys have yielded a fresh, personal idiom, one where progressive virtuosity blends seamlessly with age-old folk traditions. Leni’s working trio – featuring bassist Mamadou Ba and percussionist Alioune Faye, both natives of Senegal – released the albums 3 in 2018 and Jelell in 2013, along with figuring into the expansive cast of her Dakar Suite of 2016. Now the trio has become a quartet with the addition of Argentina-bred keyboardist Leo Genovese, a highly regarded talent on the New York scene as both a leader and as a collaborator with the likes of Esperanza Spalding and Jack DeJohnette. Leni’s latest album – aptly titled 4, for showcasing this new quartet – draws on the crystalline guitar, irresistible grooves and multilingual songs that listeners know from her recent releases, with Genovese’s improvisational fire and hints of South American lyricism now added to the mix. In its four-star review, DownBeat marveled over the “joy” in Leni’s playing, adding: “If you love the wail of Youssou N’Dour and the jangle of Franco Luambo, but also have a soft spot for música popular brasileira, this crisply produced, infectiously melodic and rhythmically percolating album is for you.

Leni and her husband, fusion guitar star Mike Stern, helped stir up the vibrant scene at Greenwich Village club 55 Bar in the early ’80s. Her debut album as a leader, Clairvoyant (Passport, 1986), featured her alongside two jazz icons, guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Paul Motian. After the 1987 follow-up for Passport, The Next Day, Leni made a string of albums for Enja and Lipstick: Secrets (1989), Closer to the Light (1990), Ten Songs (1992), Like One (1993) and Words (1995). She also recorded a guitar duo album co-billed with guitarist Wayne Krantz, Separate Cages (Alchemy, 1996). With 1997’s Black Guitar, a record that saw her exploring the role of singer-songwriter, Leni began producing her own albums. Over the next decade, she explored jazz-meets-pop territory, releasing albums via her own Leni Stern Recordings label, as she has done ever since. This period yielded Kindness of Strangers (2000), Finally, the Rain Has Come (2002), When Evening Falls (2004) and Love Comes Quietly (2006).

Leni performed at Mali’s Festival in the Desert in 2006, getting to know many of the native musicians on site in the Sahara Desert three hours outside Timbuktu. She began spending several months a year living and working in Mali and Senegal. These experiences led to a bold new era in her music, starting with the EP Alu Maye (Have You Heard) and album Africa, both released in 2007. Leni recorded the biggest parts of six albums at the studio owned by Salif Keita in Bamako, Mali. She also played in Keita’s band, as well as with star Senegalese singer-guitarist Baaba Maal, who brought her to perform at his Blues du Fleuve Festival. Kora master Toumani Diabaté offered tutelage in Mali, too, particularly about the traditional rhythms of Malian music and the rich orchestration that can be achieved with its of string instruments and percussion. Malian n’goni player Bassekou Kouyate and his wife, vocalist Ami Sacko, also became key mentors and collaborators.

Leni’s globe-trotting musical odyssey continued with the 2009 EP Spirit in the Water, which included songs formed by her travels in Mali, Senegal, Madagascar and India. The next year’s album – Sa Belle Belle Ba (“Very, Very Big Snake,” a title referencing ancient African religious ceremonies) – presented richly textured arrangements with electric guitar, bass and drums complemented by n’goni, kora, an assortment of West African percussion instruments and backing vocalists. Kouyate, Sacko and Diabaté all contributed performances. After employing the huge cast of Sa Belle Belle Ba, Leni stripped back the instrumentation to essentials for her next album, 2011’s Sabani, which was all written and recorded in Mali. Sabani featured her on guitar, n’goni and tiple (a 12-string acoustic Colombian instrument), plus Haruna Samake on n’goni and Mamadou Kone on calabash and talking drum. All About Jazz said: “Many musicians have ventured into Mali to tune into the legendary musical vibrations, but few if any have assimilated so far into the social fabric as Leni Stern. She has totally reinvented herself and her method of playing guitar to the point that it is a fresh creation.”

Leni recorded her next album – Smoke, No Fire (2012) – in Mali during a trying time for country: in the midst of a military coup d’etat. The support of her extended family of Malian friends and fellow musicians made it possible, against the odds. The review of Smoke, No Fire in All About Jazz noted that “there is definitely a harder edge in the delivery and significance of the vocals, with an aggressive leaning toward rap to underscore the message from the streets.” Malian rapper Woroferela Moden guested on the record, while Leni sang in a mix of English and the Bambara language. Young jazz star Esperanza Spalding added a bass track from New York. Then, with her 2014 album Jelell, Leni established her current trio with bassist Mamadou Ba and percussionist Alioune Faye, recording in Dakar, Senegal. The album title is an expression in the Wolof language that means “Seize the moment” or “Go for it,” which they did by digging deep into Senegalese rhythms. Among the other contributors to the recording sessions were the Seng Seng Faye Percussion Ensemble, made up of Faye’s five brothers on sabar drums.

With her ambitious album Dakar Suite of 2016, Leni created an hour’s worth of music recorded both in Dakar and New York, with orchestrated textures and one of the biggest lineups she had assembled to date – including the Mamadou Ba and Alioune Faye rhythm section, as well as the Seng Seng Faye group of percussionists and various top New York jazz players, plus various other instrumentalists and backing vocalists from Africa and the U.S. After the textural feats of Dakar Suite, Leni once again stripped things back with her 2018 album 3 – so titled for its focus on the sound of her trio with Mamadou Ba and Alioune Faye, plus a few New York guests. All About Jazz described the album as “bewitching” before concluding: “Over the years, Stern has paid homage to our musical ancestors while integrating the complexities of African music with the sensibilities of jazz. 3 is a powerful embodiment and exploration of African roots that takes it to another level and creates a sound, style and statement that is uniquely her own.”

As Leni’s muse has led her around the world, her curiosity and empathy enabled her to develop collaborative relationships with kindred spirits across cultures. She appeared in a 2013 documentary film, Last Song Before the War, about Mali’s Festival in the Desert, where she first made the connections with the West African musicians who have had such a profound effect on her life and music. Having teamed with Salif Keita and his band on multiple occasions in Africa, the singer pulled her onstage Stateside to play a solo during his Celebrate Brooklyn! concert in 2008. Two years later, she performed at Carnegie Hall with her original African mentors: Bassekou Kouyate and Ami Sacko. As the Washington Post has said, “Stern doesn’t collaborate with the West Africans so much as commune with them.” Leni also played the U.S. Cultural Ambassador tour of Nicaragua in 2014, and she was artist-in-residence at Nepal’s Jazzmandu: The Kathmandu Jazz Festival in 2015. And, of course, Leni has played top jazz clubs across the U.S., as well as diverse festivals in Europe. Her live performances and ever-prolific recording career have earned Leni Gibson’s Female Jazz Guitarist of the Year award five times.