Jen Kearney | "Atlantic"

If life is a never-ending series of evolving dualities, then over the past few years, Jen Kearney has experienced a dramatic effect on both ends. The Boston singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer spent two years living in London just before the pandemic hit, writing new music and honing her craft across English stages while getting accustomed to a new rhythm of life. Upon returning home to New England, the pandemic suddenly hit, and like most of us, the artist was rendered limited by lockdowns and quarantines not only in her personal life, but as a born performer. 

The pandemic, however, didn’t curb her creativity, as on March 4 Kearney is set to release a new EP titled Atlantic, a collection that bridges the space between her life in London and life in Boston. Across the EP’s four lived-in compositions, Kearney shows off a creative core that augments her eclectic amalgamation of sound combining  elements of soul, R&B, funk, rock, and Latin music. 

And true to a sign that we’re finally coming out of the past two years of unnaturally subdued living, Kearney takes the Atlantic EP and shows it off where it sounds best, on stage at The Burren in Somerville for the official release party on March 6.

“Like any album, the songs are observational of the times we’re living in,” says Kearney. “It’s a personal snapshot of the last few years looking deep within, but also observing what’s on the surface of society. I feel like I’ve taken some different turns musically and lyrically on ‘Atlantic.’ Living in two countries with completely different rhythms of life over the last few years influenced me for sure. I pushed myself out of some comfort zones.”  

That shines through on Atlantic’s four bold and vibrant  tracks, which were first conceived in London, and then recorded and finalized around Boston using a hybrid approach of home recording and studio production sessions at Charlestown’s A1 Productions and Chillhouse Studios, as well as Wonka Sound in Lowell. Both cities influenced the EP, furthering its oceanic theme. 

Audiences received a taste of the EP last year, when Kearney released lead single “Writing on Water,” which was written after she watched the news and saw how doctors and caregivers were struggling to keep up with the pandemic, and how we need to look inward in order to heal. It's a soulful track where Kearney's warm songwriting acts as its core, and an updated version with live strings finds its home on Atlantic. 

Elsewhere, “Spinning” finds Kearney reclaimed her soul through an unrequited love song, and tracks like “Magician” and “In The Neighborhood” show off a loose playfulness that belies their more serious lyrical nature, the former about how ageism and sexism intersect in both music and life, and the later about gentrification in cities that are becoming unrecognizable. Atlantic finds Kearney taking inspiration from a wealth of favorites across a musical spectrum.

“I think the evolution of a songwriter goes directly with the evolution of the person and every life circumstance, joy, lesson, interaction, heartbreak and loss gets absorbed,” admits Kearney. “I feel like I’ll never be finished learning or have anything in life or music really figured out, so my songwriting is always moving and hopefully growing in good ways.” 

The band around Kearney keeps things moving as well, providing a diverse and comprehensive backbone that buoys the singer’s powerhouse vocals. As Kearney commands her Fender Rhodes, as well as holding court on her Wurlitzer, clavinet, and other keyboards and synths, she’s surrounded by a veritable arsenal of instruments – from brass to strings to everything in between – helmed by some of her closest collaborators.  

“There have been so many great moments getting to work with everyone on the record,” Kearney says. “I am so lucky that I genuinely love all the people on this album. They all feel like a family that has my back and they just happen to be amazing musicians in their technical skills, but also far beyond  in their soul,  imagination, and creativity. I come from a stance that a good song should be able to stand strong when you play it solo or when you play it with a band, but there’s no doubt that the players on this all have such great taste and enhanced these songs in every way.” 

Now they’re ready to be heard, from one side of the Atlantic to the other. 

Norwegian Trumpeter and Composer Mathias Eick Returns to Musical Storytelling with When we leave

Mathias Eick is among the most immediately recognizable soloists to have emerged from the Norwegian jazz scene, and his wistful trumpet sound and strongly melodic compositions have met with a positive response around the world. When his ECM leader debut The Door was issued in 2008, US magazine JazzTimes described the trumpeter’s tone as “plaintive and spare,” while emphasizing that, “like all good bandleaders, his focus is on the interaction of his musicians. The contrast of his restraint and the energy around him constitutes the album’s driving tension.” 

Over the years, Eick has focused and strengthened his approach on both fronts, as soloist and ensemble leader, with concepts for the band adjusted to meet the needs of each project, as well as what The Guardian has described as “a cinematic interest in musical storytelling.”

Skala (recorded 2009 and 2010), for instance, introduced the two-drummer format, latterly a hallmark of much of Eick’s work. Midwest (2014), a meditation on the voyage of Norwegian music to North America, brought violin into the ensemble sound along with colours and textures from folk music. Ravensburg (2017) turned the spotlight on Eick’s own biography, looking, with affection, at his Norwegian and South German family roots. The full group heard on Ravensburg returns for When we leave, augmented by Stian Carstensen’s pedal steel guitar – last heard in an Eick context on The Door - and the saga continues. 

Mathias Eick sees When we leave as “a natural continuation of Ravensburg, almost a Ravensburg 2. More of everything.” Where its predecessor drew portraits of friends and family and sketched some personal interactions, the new album follows its protagonists through a troubled year. A sense of narrative could be drawn from the interplay of titles and musical atmosphere: “The songs and titles on When we leave play upon each other, draw inspiration from each other.” 

Meanwhile the Eick band continues to grow in confidence and range. Violinist Håkon Aase, increasingly recognized as one of the outstanding improvisers of his generation (his ECM credits also include two albums with Thomas Strønen’s Time Is A Blind Guide ensemble), augments the bandleader’s solos with lines that draw upon folk traditions as well as jazz. There is mystery, too, in the way that the violin leans into the delicate swell of Stian Carstensen’s pedal steel. Eick: “Stian’s carpet of harmonies adds a feeling of depth - and the combination with the violin creates a special sound. I’m always searching for sounds that are unique and stand out of time.” 

Powerful drummer Torstein Lofthus has played in contexts from pop to free jazz (including sessions with US saxophonist Sonny Simmons) and is known also for his contributions to exploratory rock group Elephant9. When Ravensburg was released, Eick explained his decision to add a second drummer: “I wasn’t trying to make the drumming bigger but rather more three-dimensional. What’s going on in the area of rhythm is very much like what’s happening between Håkon and myself, where a similar idea of shadowing and call and response is taking place.” Co-drummer Helge Andreas Norbakken digs into the textures of the music, creatively detailing the rhythm and working freely with sound as he has on ECM recordings from the Jon Balke/Amina Alaoui project Siwan to the “percussion think-tank” Batagraf or Jon Hassell’s Last Night The Moon…, as well as Mathias Eick’s Midwest. 

Andreas Ulvo, a pianist of lyrical gifts, draws inspiration from classical music, in his own projects juxtaposing Satie and Rodrigo with free playing, and working across a broad range of idioms. Latterly he has been collaborating with Swiss harpist Giovana Pessi in a new project: an ECM release is in preparation. In parallel with his musical activities he is also a photographer, and has contributed images to albums by Dans les arbres and Giovanna Pessi/Susanna Wallumrød, among others. 

Bassist Audun Erlien’s particular groove, informed by years of playing soul and funk music, has been part of the Eick band sound since The Door. Erlien can also be heard with Nils Petter Molvaer on Solid Ether. 

Mathias Eick was born into a musical family in Norway in 1979 and took up the piano at the age of five, followed by trumpet a year later. A multi-instrumentalist, he also plays vibraphone, double bass, guitar and keyboards, although the trumpet was always “the instrument closest to my heart” as he once put it. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the including the International Jazz Festival Organization’s “International Jazz Talent” prize, the Statoil Scholarship and the DNB Prize. 

When we leave was recorded at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio in August 2020. It was produced by Manfred Eicher. The Eick band presents music from the album in concert at Nasjonal Jazzscene Victoria, Oslo (September 17), Collage Festival, Copenhagen (October 2), Jazzfest, Brno, Czech Republic (November 1), and Schloß Elmau, Krün, Germany (November 20).

LNDFK Releases Debut Album "Kuni"

LNDFK (aka Linda Feki) presents her ground-breaking debut album, “Kuni,” on Brooklyn-based Bastard Jazz Recordings. Undeniably on the rise after her 2019 breakout performance at Primavera Sound, LNDFK has already caught the attention of Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Clash Magazine, Noisey, and Brooklyn Vegan (among many others) while being championed by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Tom Ravenscroft, and Jamz Supernova & landing spots on tastemaker playlists like Spotify’s “Pollen” and “Fresh Finds.” 

“Kuni” is a spellbinding exploration of dichotomies: Love & Death (Eros & Thanatos), Flower & Fire, Delicacy & Violence, Poetry & Realism, Purification & Destruction. These opposites are reified in the 10-track LPs multifarious and multifaceted sounds, elegantly meandering through a variety of styles and genres, spearheaded by Linda and features the production wizardry of Darrio Bassolino who co-wrote the album. 

“Kuni” opens with “Hana-bi,” an ambient instrumental piece that sets the tone for the album. Inspired by the Takeshi Kitano 1997 film of the same name – particularly Joe Hisaishi’s stunning soundtrack, as well as Kitano’s paintings which appear in the film. “Hana-bi” expresses the dialoguing opposites of flowers and fire, the first of many dichotomous representations throughout the album. “Takeshi” acts as an extension and to “Hana-bi,” albeit one of opposing sound, with its driving, highly syncopated drums (which reappear throughout “Kuni”) – à la Karriem Riggins, Questlove, or Yussef Dayes – frenetic bass line, and jazz chords. Linda’s sultry voice is interspersed, initially jumping around in scat fashion, being triggered as if a sample, before her lyrics come in; her vocals are used like an additional instrument, adding to the song’s rich texture. “Kuni” truly hits its stride with the next song, “Smoke – a moon or a button” (its title lifted from the 1959 book by Ruth Krauss and Remy Charlip), which is structured like a jazz standard yet flows into neo-soul territory sonically with those prodigious drums a highlight once again. 

LNDFK touches on experimental hip hop in two songs on the record (both of which were released as singles in 2021): “Don’t Know I’m Dead or Not (feat. Chester Watson)” – track #4 – and “How Do We Know We’re Alive (feat. Pink Siifu)” – track #9. Although they embrace a more hip hop-leaning sound, these songs by no means shy away from the exploratory theme, and feature two of the alt-rap scenes rising stars with Chester Watson and Pink Siifu who offer provocatively impressing verses, combining dense word play with unconventional flows. While these tracks may first appear to be outliers on the album, they are undeniably in tune with “Kuni’s” message and sonic palette, acting as testaments to LNDFK’s willingness to explore and experiment. 

Meanwhile, “Ku” – the third and last single before the album release – furthers the pre-established future soul sound while meandering through nu jazz and left-field electronic. Inspired by the graphic novel and film, “Sin City,” and its female assassin protagonist Miho, “Ku” is a musical interpretation of Miho’s story, incorporating both her beauty – the first half of the song – and murderous tendencies – the second half – to create a stunning juxtaposition, culminating in an ambient finale that suggests the character’s vulnerability and inner peace. The song gracefully bridges the gap between Hiatus Kaiyote-esque songwriting, Dilla’s rhythmic syncopation, and Thundercat’s instrumental prowess (LNDFK has shared a stage Brainfeeder labelmate Kamasi Washington). 

Mixed in throughout “Kuni” are three instrumental pieces that function as something akin to an interlude. The aforementioned intro, “Hana-bi,” and the album closer “se mi stacco da te, mi strappo tutto:” act as bookends, while “Om” indicates the half-way mark. These tracks are the ambient foundation of “Kuni,” representing the thematic duality of the work. Clocking in at only 24 minutes, “Kuni” packs an astonishingly diverse array of sounds, styles, and themes, all while showcasing virtuosic musicianship and instrumental prowess. 

LNDFK is a singer and songwriter, born of two cultures – an Italian mother and Arab father. She grew up in Naples, away from her father, the Sahara, her homeland and traditions, which has helped nourish the desire to rediscover – through art – an engagement to her roots. Her music melts with jazz, neo-soul and hip-hop influences, filtered through her experiences and sensibility. 

Her first EP, "Lust Blue," was composed with the artistic production of Dario Bass and released by Feelin' Music; after that she released several singles that saw international radio support (BBC, NTS, Wordwide FM) and gained a massive audience on digital platforms. Together with her band, she toured around Europe, performing alongside such notable artists as Kamasi Washington and Mndsgn, among others. Her last appearance on the stage was at the Primavera Sound Festival 2019 in Barcelona. 

“Kuni,” is due out now on NYC label Bastard Jazz Recordings, while the vinyl LP will follow shortly after.

Kit Downes | "Vermillion"

After his widely acclaimed ECM leader-debut Obsidian saw Kit Downes exploring a broad spectrum of organ timbres and the chamber-toned follow-up Dreamlife Of Debris substantially expanded the instrumental pallet, Vermillion now introduces us to Kit’s exceptional pianistic qualities in a trio context with collaborators Petter Eldh on bass and James Maddren on drums. 

The Guardian has praised Kit for his “uncanny ability to make difficult music sound natural” and Vermillion provides proof of that, capturing the trio in a carefully assorted piano trio programme that treads gentle lyricism and bold creative outbursts in equal measures and with a strong penchant for melody.

“This record is different from what I’ve done before. We pushed ourselves into an area that we haven’t played in before, which is a more chamber music-oriented sound. The complex rhythmic component is still kept intact, but it’s wrapped in a different aesthetic.” Kit traces his constant search for new musical challenges back to his early mentor, pianist John Taylor, who passed in 2016 and to whom Kit dedicated his first ECM recording: “John sought after real moments in the music, often by doing something unpredictable. He wanted to make new things happen and was obsessed with taking risks musically, which is what I think I did with Obsidian and what we’re doing now on Vermillion.”

Risk comes in subtle disguise as the trio navigates rich and varied structures. Powerful bass attack is intercepted by the softest piano touch, uneven meters veiled in rubato feel and Kit’s unique harmonic language hides its intricacies in patient timing and warm cadences. James Maddren’s percussive contribution is both assertive and adaptable, woven into the music’s fabric. 

No matter whether written and rehearsed at an earlier point or brought to the group on the day of the recording, the trio gives each idea definition and every impulse precise form. “Rather than just documenting everything we’ve done live, with Manfred Eicher’s help we picked what felt like a great collection of music – some music written a couple of years ago, other songs merely two days old. ‘Class Fails’ for example was brought on the day of the recording by Petter. Its bass line may sound like it’s free, but it’s actually in quite specific time. As we started playing the song it turned into what sounds like an organized rubato.” 

On Vermillion, construction and deconstruction exist in harmony with each other, creating organic shapes as the two extremes pull at opposite ends and yield gracefully melodious themes in the process. Kit and Petter each came up with five pieces, while the eleventh and final one is an abstract take on Jimi Hendrix’ “Castles Made Of Sand” – the trio joining in a careful unravelling of the song’s individual elements. Vermillion, recorded at the Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano in May and June 2021, was produced by Manfred Eicher. 

James Maddren and Kit Downes’ musical association goes back to their college days, when the two were flatmates, making music together on a daily basis. James studied with percussionist Martin France at the Royal Academy of Music in London and belongs to the most in-demand percussionists in today’s UK jazz scene – having contributed to recordings and performances by the likes of Norma Winstone, Marc Copland and Gwilym Simcock, on top of being the rhythmic backbone to the majority of Kit’s projects. 

Known as the bassist in pianist Django Bates’ Belovèd trio – the trio’s album Study of Touch was released on ECM in 2017 – Petter Eldh’s distinct lower-end contributions can be heard in a variety of contexts since joining Bates’ trio in 2010. Besides his work as an accomplished jazz player, Petter also experiments with electronics, hip-hop and other forms of popular music, which he combines with his jazz background in his Berlin-based group Koma Saxo.

Kit Downes was an organ scholar at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich before going on to study piano, organ and composition at the Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music. He recorded and toured widely with the band Empirical while also working with – among others Django Bates and Lee Konitz. Besides Petter Eldh and James Maddren, over the years Kit has frequently collaborated with drummer Sebastian Rochford, saxophonist Tom Challenger and cellist Lucy Railton, who all appear on his last ECM outing Dreamlife Of Debris.

New Music Releases: Daniel Maunick, Colin Curtis – Presents Jazz Dance Fusion, Brandee Younger, Phil Walker

Daniel Maunick - Persistence

The Azymuth, Marcos Valle and Incognito producer has announced his sophmore solo album. Between producing landmark albums with the likes of Azymuth, Marcos Valle, and Sabrina Malheiros, recent years have seen Daniel Maunick flourishing as a solo artist. His new solo album Persistence is an exemplary culmination of the momentum Maunick has built since his 2019 debut Macumba Quebrada, which earned support from Moodymann, Benji B, Gilles Peterson, Ron Trent, Palms Trax, Derrick Carter and Moxie to name just a few. As on his previous Far Out opuses (most recently the Musica Encantada EP), Persistence sees Maunick continue to playfully use foundations of traditional afro-brazilian rhythms, as is heard in the spectral cuicas throughout the blissfully bumping, deep-disco lead-single ‘Illusions’. 

Colin Curtis – Presents Jazz Dance Fusion Volume 3 

After the immense success of Volume Two last year, it was only right we get Colin back. Here we find Colin gathering the essence of the last 15 months, reflecting the positivity and feedback from his previous compilations for ZR and his Worldwide FM show. Jazz Dance Fusion Volume 3 is a combination of tracks that had previously evaded a release on vinyl and a reflection of the reaction that the new music was getting in his DJ sets and Radio show. The whole purpose of these compilations is to introduce you to fantastic talent to allow you to then go and explore all their works and keep this movement moving! With exclusive releases, many only available on Vinyl for the first time from Idris Ackamoor, Martin Johnson B3, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, JuJu, Bellita & Jazztumbatá, GeeW & JD73’s ElecTrio. The UK has made a great musical contribution to this genre in 2020 – 2021 From London to Leeds from Wales toScotland and beyond, quality emerging jazz talent which Colin hopes to showcase right here. “ ~ www.firstexperiencerecords.com

Brandee Younger - Unrest

Today harpist, composer, and recent Grammy® and NAACP Image Award nominee, Brandee Younger releases “Unrest” (Impulse! Records). The socially conscious two track digital single reflects upon the extraordinary uprising against police brutality and racial violence, aurally capturing the nations sociopolitical upheaval. Made possible by a grant from the Jazz Coalition and recorded at Van Gelder studios amid a pandemic and sweeping political change,and Younger deftly captures the turmoil on the emotionally charged tracks. Commenting on the two track release Younger says, “One thing is true for every person hearing this piece; we've all witnessed unrest as the nation grapples with its past and present - all in the midst of quarantine and major political change.” “Unrest” follows the 2021 release of her major label debut album, Somewhere Different, that garnered her a Grammy® nomination for Best Instrumental Composition for “Beautiful is Black” from the genre-busting set and a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Jazz Album – Instrumental. In addition to her prowess as a bandleader, Younger straddles the line between the mainstream and the current jazz generation, exemplified by her work with jazz leaders and popular hip-hop and R&B luminaries including Ravi Coltrane, Kanye West, Maxwell, John Legend, Pharoah Sanders, Common, and Lauryn Hill. Her original composition “Hortense” was also featured in the Beyoncé documentary Homecoming.  

Phil Walker - In The Air Tonight

As proud of his “day gig” as a financial planner as he is of his burgeoning career as a sly and funky, soul-fired saxophonist, Phil Walker says his goal is destress you in two ways – Smooth Jazz and Smooth Life in Retirement. Because of the title of his latest seductive yet funky, groove intensive and Latin fired album In The Air Tongith, much hoopla will be made of the soaring, spot-on Phil on Phil (Collins) connection. Yet Walker, working with genre greats like Steve Oliver, Richard Smith and former Rippingtons’ members Kim Stone and Dave Hooper, also kicks it up on a Rufus classic and a batch of inspiring originals showcasing his talents at late night mood setting and firing on all cylinders for a danceable good. ~ www.smoothjazz.com

New Music Releases: Melissa Manchester, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Diego Rivera, Irma Thomas

Melissa Manchester - Live '77 (2-CD Set)

1977 was a whirlwind year for Melissa Manchester. The singer-songwriter toured North America's arenas and amphitheaters that summer with Leo Sayer before launching a fall solo tour that attracted the attention of none other than Bob Dylan, who attended the Minneapolis date. Melissa played Carnegie Hall, appeared on network television specials, taped a memorable commercial with Ella Fitzgerald, and released her sixth album, Singin'. But that wasn't all. On October 30, 1977 at Gainesville, Florida's Great Southern Music Hall, Melissa recorded her first live album. The electrifying double record captured her in front of an appreciative college audience, leading a smoking-hot, seven-piece band of rock, R&B, and jazz veterans including two KISS collaborators' saxophonist and keyboardist Tom Saviano (Dolly Parton, Earth Wind & Fire) and bassist Bill Bodine (Van Morrison, Cher)'plus drummer Art Rodriguez (Rickie Lee Jones, Manhattan Transfer) and Melissa's discovery Lenny Castro, now one of the most-recorded percussionists of all time. Yet Arista Records shockingly consigned the album to the shelf, where it's remained unheard'until now. Melissa Manchester's Live '77 makes its long-overdue debut from Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records as a deluxe 2-CD set. Its 21 songs'joyful, sensual, romantic, optimistic, soulful, spellbinding, and ultimately empowering'spoke directly to the thoughts and emotions of the young audience and have proven timeless over the ensuing decades. These include her hits 'Midnight Blue,' 'Better Days,' and the song Bob Dylan admired, 'Just You and I,' as well as the now-standard 'Come in from the Rain,' fan favorites 'We've Got Time,' 'Happy Endings,' and 'Caravan,' and spirited covers of such beloved tunes as 'I Wanna Be Where You Are,' 'Rescue Me,' and 'Monkey See, Monkey Do.' Live '77 also premieres Melissa's only recording anywhere of the blues classic 'Hi-Heel Sneakers.' This landmark release has been mastered from the original tapes by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision, and boasts a deluxe booklet with rare photos and new liner notes by Joe Marchese based on a fresh interview with the artist and including exclusive quotes from the legendary Clive Davis. Appropriately, Melissa closed this concert of pop, rock, and soul sounds with 'No One's Ever Seen This Side of Me.' Now, in time for its 45th anniversary, you too can finally hear this thrilling side of Melissa Manchester.

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio - Cold As Weiss

A really great set from one of our favorite groups on the Colemine label – just a trio, but a group who manage to deliver with the same raw funky power as a much larger group! Delvon Lamarr handles the Hammond in the group – and he's a wizard on the keys, able to move between rhythmic vamping and these incredibly deft solos – at a level that matches some of our old school favorites, like Jack McDuff or Lonnie Smith! The rest of the group features Jimmy James on guitar – a player who can bring a nice edge to his sound – plus Daniel Weiss, who handles some mighty heavy drums – the rock-solid core of the trio, and always keeping things funky throughout. Titles include "Keep On Keepin On", "Pull Your Pants Up", "Don't Worry Bout What I Do", "I Wanna Be Where You Are", "Get Da Steppin", and "Uncertainty". ~ Dusty Groove

Diego Rivera - Mestizo

Fantastic work from Diego Rivera – a real rising star on the tenor, and a player who seems to really be able to pack a lot into a very small space! The tunes here are never super-long, but they're overflowing with meaning and color – not just from Rivera's well-crafted solos, but also the trumpet work of Alex Sipiagin and piano of Art Hirihara – both musicians who really do a lot with their space on the record too! The rest of the combo features Boris Kozlov on bass and Rudy Royston – and all members of the group work together as if they've been thinking the same thoughts for weeks before going into the studio – effortlessly making magic on Rivera's original tunes that include "Battle Fatigue", "Braceru", "Cancion De Cuna", "Most From The Least", "Mestizo", "Rasquache", and "La Raza Cosmica". ~ Dusty Groove

Irma Thomas - Full Time Woman

'Soul Queen of New Orleans' Irma Thomas enjoyed a run of national success in the U.S. in the mid-'60s with classics like 'Wish Someone Would Care,' 'Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)' along with the original vocal version of 'Time Is on My Side' (later a massive hit for the Rolling Stones), recorded for Imperial Records. Following a short stint at Chess Records, Irma recorded for Canyon before being signed to Atlantic Records by the label's much renowned executive, Jerry Wexler. A first session in 1971 yielded one single, 'Full Time Woman' (produced by noted New Orleans music legend Wardell Quezergue), which failed to chart but was singled out by Wexler in a 2007 interview as one of his all-time favorite recordings. Undaunted, Atlantic arranged further sessions for Irma in Detroit, Miami and Philadelphia throughout 1972 ' yet none of the material was ever issued until a 2014 CD collection. Now, some 50 years after they were originally recorded, Full Time Woman: The Lost Cotillion Album brings all of Irma's recordings for Atlantic (under its Cotillion imprint) to LP for the first time! Irma puts her own distinctive, ever-soulful stamp on such tunes as the standard 'Time After Time,' Bobbie Gentry's 1969 hit, 'Fancy,' and Billy Walker's country hit, 'Tell Me Again,' alongside the funky 'She's Taken My Part,' (the flipside of 'Full Time Woman'), and R&B-flavored original material including the highlights 'Waiting For Someone,' 'Our Love Don't Come Easy,' and two early '70s Philly soul cuts, 'No Name' and 'Adam And Eve.' All told, 13 of the 15 tracks on Irma Thomas: Full Time Woman'The Lost Cotillion Album make their vinyl debut (on light blue vinyl, to be exact); it goes without saying that this release represents a major addition to the Irma Thomas discography!

Jazz Is Dead Returns with new albums joined by Lonnie Liston Smith, Jean Carne, Tony Allen plus NFTs and Concerts

In the music industry, time moves ten times faster. There is no pause given to greatness, and legends can vanish amidst the churn of the hit parade. It is no minor miracle, then, that in the face of a deadly pandemic and faltering supply chain, Jazz Is Dead has returned with another offering of top-shelf recordings, paying tribute to past legends and new school torchbearers alike. Whether you’ve known the names of Jazz Is Dead Series 2’s featured guests or are just meeting them for the first time, prepare to be blown away. 

For Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, collaborating with music icons and personal heroes is a dream come true. As Younge notes, “A lot of the luminaries have been forgotten, and we want to get people excited again. For me, there is nothing more rewarding than that.” However, completing such a monumental task while facing the ongoing unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic meant taking careful steps to ensure each artist’s safety and contending with obstacles brought by a global supply chain slowdown, all while keeping the initial vision for the label and production house intact.

“Due to the pandemic, we weren’t able to have live events, which are such a foundational part of what we do,” says Muhammad. “We launched the label during the pandemic, unsure how we would be able to promote the music when the world was in chaos and turmoil and suffering such loss. We weren't even sure if the music mattered. But what we discovered was these albums helped ease some of the pain of the adversities and difficulties. There's no greater prize than your music having a positive impact on a person.”

With Jazz Is Dead Series 2, Younge and Muhammad have once again, together with a roster of world-renowned legends, crate digger patron saints, and an exciting vanguard of young talent, delivered another unimpeachable collection of fresh and captivating recordings inspired by jazz’s past, present, and future. There are names that some may already be familiar with, such as Lonnie Liston Smith, Jean Carne, and Tony Allen, and those less so, like Henry Franklin, Phil Ranelin, Wendell Harrison, Garrett Saracho, & Katalyst. What unites each new collaborator is their unbent dedication to remaining original, preserving their creativity, and sharing it with the world. More info about Series 2 below.

After a 2-year hiatus from social gatherings, Jazz Is Dead is back in the concert business! With sold-out upcoming concerts for Nate Smith (2/19), Kamaal Williams (2/27, second show added) and Alfa Mist (5/18, second show added) and are currently on-sale with the Los Angeles legends Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, saxophone god Ronnie Laws and Sons of Kemet. To find more info and tickets for Jazz Is Dead concerts visit jazzisdead.co/events.

Jazz Is Dead has also stepped into the NFT world. “We recognize the value in the utilities that NFT’s can provide and the security and transparency that blockchain provide. Our NFT’s will act as vinyl subscriptions, concert season passes, lottery tickets (with monthly drawings) and weekend getaways. NFT’s are allowing us to build a stronger community for fans and reward them for their support of Jazz Is Dead,” says co-founder Andrew Lojero. The first NFT Jazz Is Dead will release is for FREE. The only way to get it is by collecting all of the records in Jazz Is Dead Series 1 (JID001-JID010). If this all sounds complicated to you, don’t worry, Jazz Is Dead has created simple, original and comprehensive materials to guide you through the process. To buy NFT’s and find more info go to jazzisdead.co/nft.

Few can claim to have shaped Jazz-Funk to the extent that Lonnie Liston Smith has. “To have Lonnie Liston Smith in the studio was an immense honor. Once he stepped in and saw the analog equipment, he lit up, and took us all to space,” says Younge. 

Known for her incredible vocal acrobatics that span from Spiritual Jazz to Disco and R&B, Jean Carne dazzled those in attendance for her session. As Muhammad puts it, “Jean Carne walked through the door, and her grace and positive spirit filled more than the Linear Labs studio. It was a playland, there were no challenges.”

As the drummer for Fela Kuti’s Africa 70, legendary drummer Tony Allen brought Afrobeat to the world, and reinvented the possibilities of rhythm. “It’s bittersweet”, says Younge. “We just feel very fortunate that we’re given the privilege to add to his indelible legacy. To be able to record with him in the studio, on my drum set...I feel like it should be in a museum.”

Best known to curious ears for his work on the trailblazing independent Black Jazz label, Henry “The Skipper” Franklin reconfigured the bass into the emotive focal point of some of the label’s most well-regarded releases. “He was so cool about everything that was happening, one slide on that bass and the whole universe shifted”, recalls Muhammad. “(Franklin’s former collaborator) Hugh Masekela had just passed. It’s hard to highlight how something so subtle gets into the music, but it does.” “Working with Henry was like a warm Spring Day,” adds Younge. 

As founders of the legendary Tribe Records, Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison led a jazz underground renaissance in Detroit, forming a model for creative independence that is still followed today. “It was great working with Phil and Wendell, they definitely set the blueprint”, says Muhammad. 

Virtually forgotten after the botched release of his head-spinning debut album, Garrett Saracho returned to the studio after a decades-long hiatus with unflappable poise. “The LA Latin sound, built on Black and Brown unity, deeply resonates with me”, says Younge. “For us to have the opportunity to revisit this idea with Garrett in this day and age is powerful and inspiring,” adds Muhammad. And although jazz insiders around Los Angeles may have already known for some time, Katalyst, is bridging the timeless sounds of past generations forward for a new audience. “It is important for us to include the younger generation,” says Muhammad. “We feel that they are legends in the making.”

For both Younge and Muhammad, preserving and sharing these legacies remains at the core of their mission. “We do this work with reverence, for the people who came before us, that’s our intent,” says Muhammad. In an era of streaming and rapid devaluation of music, and with the lingering uncertainty of running a new independent label in the time of COVID, Jazz Is Dead continues with Series 2. 

Brev Sullivan | "Ira The Tribute Album"

Although Ira Sullivan performed with jazz luminaries like Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Roland Kirk, and Art Blakey, his music is not as widely known among general audiences; however, as a master on the saxophone, flute and trumpet, he had a reputation among his peers as an outstanding bebop soloist. Trumpeter Brad Goode called Sullivan “one of the greatest soloists in the history of the music.” Sullivan limited his touring performances and instead chose to focus on teaching at the esteemed Frost School of Music, becoming one of the leading jazz educators in the U.S., mentoring several generations of up-and-coming musicians. Sullivan passed away in 2020 at the age of 89, but his musical legacy lives on in a new recording project titled Ira The Tribute Album by The Blue Road Records Band. The band is the house band of Blue Road Records Studio, a Miami institution founded in 2019 by guitarist Miriam Stone. 

The Blue Road Records Band is made up of some of the sterling musicians who have made a home in South Florida, including Brev Sullivan, one of the lead guitarists and son of Ira Sullivan.  Sullivan passed away while Stone and Brev were working together, and they decided to record a tribute album to Sullivan. Brev relates, “My father had so many families, not only his actual family, but also his touring family as well as his family of students. I wanted to make this album to not only preserve his legacy but also preserve the memory of those moments that are dear to me when I performed with him on stage.” Brev brought his father’s complex charts to the recording sessions. A bebop player at heart, Sullivan embraced a younger generation of musicians, like Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorius, whom he mentored and who learned from Sullivan’s iconoclastic approach to music. The charts reflect the later period of Sullivan’s life when his music touched on the sounds and harmonies of fusion. Ira The Tribute Album is a fitting tribute to the multi-instrumentalist who has influenced so many lives through his teaching and music.

New Music Releases: Nina Simone, Ethan Iverson, Travis Duo (Jarvis Earnshaw & Trevor Dunn), Toots Thielemans

Nina Simone - Feeling Good – Her Greatest Hits & Remixes

A really great collection of work from the legendary Nina Simone – a set that's overflowing with the kind of timeless cuts that continue to resonate as strongly today as when Nina was first recording them back in the 60s – served up in that genre-breaking blend of jazz, soul, and folk-styled elements – all in a style that continues to remain Nina's own! The set is very heavy on message-oriented cuts, but also includes a few remakes of standards – but done with that edge that Simone had that could turn a love song into a biting moment of commentary – a quality that really comes through here in the 19 classic tracks in the set, which are mostly from her years at Philips. Titles include "Feeling Good", "Sinnerman", "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair", "Me Me Quitte Pas", "Mississippi Goddam", "Strange Fruit", "Work Song", "Take Care Of Business", "See Line Woman", "I Put A Spell On You", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "Ain't Got No I Got Life", and "Don't Explain". The package also features 7 remixes too – new reworks of classic Simone tracks, done with the continuing power that's kept her fresh – titles include "Feeling Good (Joel Corry rmx)", "See Line Woman (Riton rmx)", "Sinnerman (Sofi Tukker rmx)", "My Baby Just Cares For Me (honne rmx)", "Take Care Of Business (Rudimental rmx)", "I Put A Spell On You (Floorplan rmx)", and "Be My Husband (Hot Chip rmx)". ~ Dusty Groove

Ethan Iverson - Every Note Is True

A very different album than you might expect – certainly different than the music that pianist Ethan Iverson was giving us when he was a member of The Bad Plus – and a set that may well stand as a great testament to his decision to break out on his own! There's a subtle sort of majesty here as Ethan plays in a trio with Jack DeJohnette on drums and Larry Grenadier on bass – often with the kind of rhythmic pulse of his previous work, but with themes that travel at a deeper level, and which have the record bristling with meaning at each new twist and turn – thanks to the fresh vision of Iverson's music! Make no mistake, this is hardly a standard piano trio album – something that's signaled on the initial tune, "The More It Changes", which has a vocal chorus – then continues through the trio titles "Had I But Known", "For Ellen Raskin", "The Eterna Verities", "She Won't Forget Me", "At The Bells & Motley", "Praise Will Travel", and "Merely Improbable". ~ Dusty Groove

Travis Duo (Jarvis Earnshaw  & Trevor Dunn) - HYPNAGOGIA

Travis Duo’s debut album is a collection of improvisations done based on a set of line drawings and diagrams drawn during lucid dreams. Recorded by legendary producer Martin Bisi at his studio in Brooklyn NY, “HYPNAGOGIA” is a bold and honest 1st album by the pair pushing abstractions whilst gently nestling on their pop roots. The kaleidoscopic overtones of the sitar dance elegantly with the charismatic and eloquent contrabass, provoking dreamers to kenopsia-tic drawers of the sub-consciousness; psychedelic with a mean right hook, at times eruptive like a feral animal ready to bite, to long deep bows that stretch across the glittering night sky reaching through to your deepest of nightmares lurking at the bottom of oceanic abyss. Featuring: Daniel Carter on flute and saxophones, the NYC Jazz veteran weaves through the tapestry of colours painted by Sean McCaul on xylophone, as Devin Brahja Waldman poetically releases the spirits summoned by the dynamic drumming of Niko Wood moving mountains and parting the clouds to a brighter future.

Toots Thielemans - Soul Station: The Complete Toots Thielemans 1952 to 1961 (4CD set)

A huge collection of work from the initial years in the long musical career of Toots Thielemans – a musician who really helped shape the sound of jazz on a few different instruments, and who also made strong contribution to the world of soul and soundtracks over the years too! The package features eight full albums by Toots – all brimming over with color and lyrical magic – with Thielemans famously crafting these amazing lines on harmonica – bringing the instrument into jazz territory that no others had touched – and often playing guitar as well, depending on the record. The settings here vary nicely, as the records are from both European and US sources, each of which have a different setting – including a date with backings by Kurd Edelhagen on the record Road To Romance, small combo European sounds on the 1961 record Toots, work with the Ray Bryant trio on The Soul Of Toots Thielmans, a cool French group on Try A Little Tenderness, a larger US orchestra on Time Out For Toots, a small jazz combo with Pepper Adams on Man Bites Harmonica, Toots' group with organ from Billy Desmedt on Toot's Quartet, and a larger group on The Sound Of Toots Thielmans. 84 tracks on four CDs – with notes in English and French!  ~ Dusty Groove

New Music Releases: Avataar, The Heavyweights Brass Band, Beth McKenna, Montreal Jazz Trio

Avataar - Worldview

Avataar is an award-winning world-jazz group featuring a cohort of some of Toronto’s finest jazz, world, funk, and pop musicians. The music is inspired by the deep musical traditions of India, Africa and Brazil, and is rooted within the framework of modern jazz. In an innovative marriage of ancient and modern, driving grooves intersect with cinematic atmospheres and soaring melodies, creating a fresh sonic experience.The music in Worldview represents a logical artistic evolution for its leader, Sundar Viswanathan. The album is a musical commentary on the state of our world, on the pandemic, and on the inability of our leaders to lead with integrity, honesty, and compassion. While the actions of our leaders affected so many, some of the songs started as gut responses to the treatment of children, our most valuable and vulnerable citizens, and act as vehicles of catharsis for the composer. Song Song explores ideas of childhood nostalgia and memory, and the homesickness and saudade one feels when trying to recollect that song that’s just out of  our memory’s reach. Little Kurdi (for Alan Kurdi) is a lament and memorial for three-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi, who washed up on an Italian shore, a victim of human trafficking; and Innocents (12/14/12) is a dedication to all those who were murdered in Sandy Hook in 2012, tragic victims of gun violence. Together these pieces comment on the honesty and fragility of children faced by a world of uncertainty and confusion created by adults.

The Heavyweights Brass Band - Stir Crazy

They won’t be contained! Drenched in energy, passion, and feeling, The Heavyweights Brass Band bursts forth with their latest outing Stir Crazy! Their fourth full-length album, Stir Crazy, features the high intensity New Orleans-style brass playing and virtuosity that has been a staple of the band since its inception. Put that alongside soulful and reflective grooves on tracks like Feel Like Makin’ Love and Black Hole Sun and you’ve got a smorgasbord of musical flavour. The album is punctuated by the tasteful use of studio production techniques that add even more depth to this remarkable creative statement. This is the kind of album you turn up, put on repeat, and then lose all sense of the passage of time! The Heavyweights Brass Band is known for their collaborative efforts, and Stir Crazy is no different with Joel Visentin of JV’s Boogaloo Squad joining the band on organ for Sweet Pauly’s Boogaloo and Rehab. Recorded during a marathon three-day session at Union Sound Station from March 12 -14, 2020, Stir Crazy is a demonstration of the Heavyweights at the height of their powers, captured just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the live music world into hibernation.

Beth McKenna - Beyond Here

Born in Nova Scotia and a Montrealer since 2008, Beth McKenna is one of Montreal’s most versatile saxophonists, bandleaders, and composers. A Prix Opus Laureate (Concert of the Year – Jazz/World Music) and a 2-time finalist for Revelations Radio-Canada (Jazz), Beth has studied with a wide range of jazz music’s top voices, including Christine Jensen, Darcy James Argue, Jim McNeely, Rémi Bolduc, John Roney, and Chet Doxas. Written almost entirely prior to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, McKenna’s new album Beyond Here was inspired by the impact we as humans have on the world around us. From conflict and climate change, to the fusion of North American culture with global influences, Beyond Here is pure energy from start-to-finish, pushing a sense of urgency to reflect on where we stand with our planet, and how our actions can echo far beyond the present. This album mixes a wide range of influences: from Pat Metheny to Brad Mehldau, Snarky Puppy to Jacob Collier, and from Pink Floyd to the Brian Blade Fellowship. As a composer, McKenna writes with plenty of room for improvisation and spontaneous musical conversation, with a diverse pallet of colours and shifting rhythmic textures in each piece. As the album weaves from darker to more upbeat moments, McKenna’s unique through-composed approach to writing breaks through traditional jazz forms, creating a strong narrative that runs through the album from start to finish.

Montreal Jazz Trio - Montreal Jazz Trio

Montreal Jazz Trio’s self-titled recording is modern jazz piano trio playing at its finest. This exciting new album was recorded in November of 2020 at the storied recording studio Boutique de Son in Pointe Claire, Quebec, and is being released by the Montréal label ODD SOUND. The group features three of Montreal’s finest musicians: Steve Amirault on piano, Adrian Vedady on acoustic bass, and Jim Doxas on drums. This recording was self-produced by the trio and mixed by Doxas. This nine track record is a mix of memorable originals and deft arrangements of well known jazz standards. Amirault is the main contributor with four originals, including the contrafacts All Those Lovely Things (based on Jerome Kern’s All The Things You Are) and Nowhere (based on the famous standard Out Of Nowhere), both of which showcase his singular approach to harmony. Highlights include arrangements of the classics Takin’ a Chance on Love and Take the “A” Train, as well as Wray, Vedady’s swinging tribute to the late great Canadian jazz pianist Wray Downes. Amirault’s stirring composition Empathy serves as a call for peace during turbulent times. This music is fresh, swinging, creative, and innovative.   

THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER PRESENTS “SONGS WE LOVE” TOUR

From March 3-19, some of today's rising stars in jazz music will perform Songs We Love, a journey through the first 50 years of jazz song, in performing arts centers and concert halls in the U.S. Under the musical direction of Riley Mulherkar, 3 guest vocalists will join an all-star band made up of New York’s rising stars. Combining their distinct talents, the group will sing their way through four decades of music, beginning with the early blues and jazz of the 1920s and ending in the early 1950s. Iconic singers to be explored include Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. 

The Songs We Love tour kicks off in March with nine-shows throughout the north, east coast and south. Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents – SONGS WE LOVE: 50 Years of Jazz Song features Riley Mulherkar as Musical Director, with Vuyo Sotashe, Brianna Thomas and Shenel Johns on vocals with Julian Lee, Mariel Bildsten, Mathis Picard, Barry Stephenson and TJ Reddick.

Songs We Love was first presented as the 2016 Season Opener at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. For over three decades, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a leading advocate for jazz, culture, and arts education globally. Under the direction of Wynton Marsalis, and with the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and guest artists spanning genres and generations, JALC produces thousands of performance, education, and broadcast events each season in its home in New York City, and around the world for people of all ages.

The JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER PRESENTS touring initiative provides a new opportunity to present great jazz programming, featuring up-and-coming musicians who have been identified as rising stars by JALC. The initiative also allows for expansion of the mission of JALC “to entertain, enrich and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy.”

Riley Mulherkar has been recognized as a “smart young trumpet player” by The New York Times and praised by The Wall Street Journal as a “youngster to keep an eye on.” Riley is a founding member of The Westerlies, a new music brass quartet that creates the rarest of hybrids: music that is both “folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous” (NPR Music). Riley works with a number of leading artists of our time, including Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Alan Cumming, and Anna Deavere Smith. Born and raised in Seattle, Riley moved to New York to study at The Juilliard School, and received the Knowles Prize for Jazz and the Peter Mennin Prize for outstanding achievement and leadership in music. In 2011, Riley was named a “rising jazz artist” by Wynton Marsalis in JET magazine, and in 2014 was the first recipient of the Laurie Frink Career Grant at the Festival of New Trumpet Music. Riley is actively engaged in educational outreach, founding the music program at START Osceola, directing the Summer Advanced Institute at Seattle JazzEd, and serving as an ambassador for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Jazz for Young People” program in New York and St. Louis. All of this experience and accolades position him as the perfect musical director for Songs We Love.

Vocalists on tour include the fast rising young South African jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe, who moved to NYC in 2013 after being awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to pursue Master of Music at William Paterson University. Since then, he has gone to win numerous awards including first prize at the very first Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival Vocal Competition in 2014, and more recently, he won the Audience prize award and placed second over-all at the Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition in 2015. Brianna Thomas is another vocalist making waves and has been described by The NY Times stating, “Ms. Thomas has a strong voice and a big range, descended from Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter and routed through Dianne Reeves, with clarity and confidence and a little dirt.” Rounding out the vocalists with a voice that embodies grace and passion and a personal style that sways effortlessly from jazz to R&B to gospel is Shenel Johns, who has emerged as one of the shining stars of her generation.

Accompanying Riley Mulherkar and the three guest vocalists is Julian Lee, who quickly established himself as one of the most sought after and versatile saxophonists of his generation. He is the recipient of the 2017 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award from Jazz At Lincoln Center, and has performed both internationally and nationally with a wide array of critically acclaimed artists, including Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, and Jon Batiste. Also joining is Mariel Bildsten on trombone, known as the lead trombonist in Arturo O'Farrill's Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and tours internationally with the rock band Brass Against. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Radio City, O2 Arena, Birdland Jazz Club, the Apollo Theater, the Chicago Jazz Festival, Perth International Arts Festival, Caramoor Jazz Festival, Smalls Jazz Club, and Smoke Jazz Club, among other venues. On piano is French-Malagasy pianist Mathis Picard who recently released his new album Live At The Museum, showcasing his diverse talent. Considered one of the most sought-after bassists on the scene today, Barry Stephenson also joins the tour with his raw talent. On drums is TJ Reddick, already a world traveler, who has performed in many countries including France, Brazil and Belize. TJ is an energetic musician ready to light up any stage. Together these musicians bring a young dynamic vibe to each performance that you won’t want to miss.

Select markets will also include "Let Freedom Swing" educational shows. Let Freedom Swing brings outstanding jazz artists and performances to community audiences. Inspired by conversations between former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, Let Freedom Swing includes three jazz concerts: Jazz and Democracy, Jazz and the Great Migration, and Jazz and Civil Rights. Since 2013, Let Freedom Swing has reached nearly half a million students in over 3,000 concerts around the world. 

Tour Dates

March 03 @ Arts Commons – Jack Singer Concert Hall – Calgary, AB 

March 06 @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts – Scottsdale, AZ * 

March 09 @ Lyric Theatre – Stuart, FL 

March 10 @ Tribby Arts Center – Fort Myers, FL

March 11 @ Christensen Performance Hall – Sanibel, FL 

March 12 @ South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center – Miami, FL 

March 15 @ Newberry Opera House – Newberry, SC 

March 18 @ SUNY Potsdam – Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall – Potsdam, NY 

March 19 @ The Paramount Theatre – Rutland, VT 

*Let Freedom Swing (March 07 Educational Show)

Jhelisa | "7 Keys V.1 & V.2"

The incomparable Jhelisa releases 7 Keys V.1 & V.2 on Dorado Records. It is an adventurous concept album, based on ancient eastern music, balanced with contemporary sounds, where all 7 keys of the musical scale and sonic frequencies align with each of the chakras.  This cosmic collection features tensions and dissonances as much for connection, reflection and spiritual balance, as for lovers of ambient beats and electronica.

The first single to be taken from the album, Solar Plexus E 320Hz, is a soul-opening opus of radiating frequencies that resonates at a frequency of 320 Hz, the same as that of the body’s solar plexus chakra. The result is a soundscape that is drenched in Jhelisa’s subtle and exquisite vocal power, dissolving into a warm gong bath of sound.  

The mesmerising new video Atmospheria is the wholly absorbing and striking visual representation of 7 Keys. Combining three of the album’s musical pieces – Solar Plexus, The Root and 8N All - the stunning, abstract video features dancers, yogis and Jhelisa, with her mother as the peaceful, great, old sage, in kaleidoscopic, psychedelic form. 

Celebrated as much as an enigmatic, musical maverick, as an outrageously gifted vocalist and songwriter, Jhelisa Anderson was the name to know in the 1990’s.  Her thrillingly daring music – a mix of trip-hop, jazz, avant-garde, gospel and soul - was underpinned by a glorious, deeply seductive voice, remarkable in its intensity and spiritual force.

The Mississippi-born singer based herself in London in the 90’s signing with independent label Dorado Records who offered her complete creative freedom and released and her first two albums - 1994’s Galactica Rush and 1997’s Language Electric to huge critical acclaim.

New-age ideology has peppered much of Jhelisa’s musical output, so a concept album based on her research into the use of sacred drone tones in ancient Eastern music comes as no surprise. Now, in the run up to the label’s 30-year anniversary, Dorado reunites with Jhelisa to present 7 Keys V.1 & V.2, a deeply resonant body of work based around sustained long notes that weave around grounding heartbeat drums and circular, meditative sounds.  Jhelisa’s extraordinary vocal ability makes these explorations especially powerful. It’s a record with a broad audience, from spiritual listeners who’ll immediately recognise the music’s deep harmonic intention, as well as fans of ambient electronica sounds. With Jhelisa’s unadorned voice at the heart of the sonic journey, 7 Keys is universal music for everyone.

Chris Standring announces March shows at Pizza Express Jazz Club to launch release of Wonderful World on vinyl

Guitarist Chris Standring has announced the long-awaited vinyl release of Wonderful World, the stunning new album by jazz guitarist, Chris Standring, which will be played in the intimate setting of Pizza Express – Holborn on 3rd March (8pm), 4th March (8pm) and 5th March (6.30pm and 9.30pm).

Backed by his drum-tight quartet, he will be performing a selection of songs from Wonderful World alongside some much-loved classics from his extensive back catalogue. Former Incognito frontman, Tony Momrelle will be appearing as special guest for all four shows.

“My kind of jazz music undoubtedly works best in an intimate setting, and it doesn’t get much more intimate than Pizza Express – Holborn,” Standring explains. “I haven’t played a club show in London for many years, so I’m incredibly excited.

“It was so important for me to release Wonderful World on vinyl because it is undoubtedly the best format to listen to jazz. Streaming is great, but there’s a palpable pleasure that you can only get when the needle hits the record and you immerse yourself in the warm glow of the music.”

In an illustrious career that stretches back over the last 25 years, Chris Standring has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most virtuosic jazz guitarists. Whilst he has enjoyed huge commercial success in contemporary jazz, Wonderful World is the record he was destined to make from the very moment he first picked up a guitar.

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

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

“I then called up the finest musicians I knew – Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine, Harvey Mason, Darek Oleszkiewicz, David Karasony and Chuck Berghofer. In March 2021, we recorded the orchestra in Studio Two at Abbey Road – the final piece of this jigsaw. When everything came together, it sounded spellbinding. From beginning to end, it really has been a dream come true.”

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

Wonderful World will be released on CD and Limited Edition Heavyweight 180g vinyl on Ultimate Vibe / Lateralize Records - 3rd March 2022.

The Inaugural Jazz Music Awards Announces Online Submissions for its Global Awards Ceremony in October 2022

The inaugural Jazz Music Awards: Celebrating the Spirit of Jazz, today announced the online submissions for the global awards show, which opened on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, and will run through Saturday, April 30, 2022. The Jazz Music Awards is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit subsidiary of WCLK Jazz 91.9. The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, GA. For more information visit www.jazzmusicawards.com.

The Jazz Music Awards will recognize a broad spectrum of creators within the national and international jazz world, from mainstream and contemporary musicians, vocalists, and big bands, to composers, individual songs, and full-length albums. The eligibility period for the 2022 awards ceremony started on April 1, 2021, and will run through March 31, 2022. The award categories are as follows: Best Mainstream Artist; Best Contemporary Artist; Best Duo, Group or Big Band; Best New Artist (Contemporary or Mainstream); Best Jazz Vocalist; Best International Artist (Contemporary or Mainstream); Best Mainstream Album; Best Contemporary Album; and Song of the Year (Fan Vote).

The JMA Executive Committee will pool two balanced groups of voters for each voting round. Voters will consist of creators and industry leaders, including recording artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers, and composers, as well as educators, record label executives, concert promoters, radio personalities, radio executives, and journalists.

The Jazz Music Awards will also present three Awards of Distinction, including the Innovator Award, Composer Award, and Educator Award. The nominees and winners will be chosen by a specially selected craft committee with expertise in the field. For the Legacy Award, nominees and a winner will be selected by the WCLK Jazz 91.9 Executive Committee. (Specialized awards are not open for public submission).

"The Strings of São Domingos" by The Ano Nobo Quartet

In 1989, as the Berlin Wall collapsed in front of the world’s eyes, a burly soldier from Cabo Verde stood on the East German side. Nicknamed “El Bruto” or “The Brute” because of his “brutally” good prowess on the guitar, Pascoal watched the end of an era in full uniform, the ever dutiful soldier. As a member of the FARP, the armed wing of Cabo Verde’s independence struggle, which was backed by the Soviet Union, Pascoal was dispatched the world over—from Cuba to Crimea to East Berlin.

Being stationed in Cuba gave him access to a world of guitar music. His stints in the Caribbean and the Crimean Peninsula were alongside soldiers from elsewhere in Lusophone Africa and the former colonized world. Not required on the battlefield, these military postings became cultural gatherings and, quite simply, jam sessions, where sounds and techniques were exchanged.

Today, along with fellow guitar maestros, Fany, Nono, and Afrikanu, Pascoal leads The Ano Nobo Quartet, named after Cabo Verde’s most legendary composer, Ano Nobo, Pascoal’s mentor and father to the rest of the group. Till today, Ano Nobo’s face graces murals across the archipelago.

Ostinato Records has delved deep into the sound of this cluster of 11 islands floating 400 miles off the West African coast. Critically acclaimed compilations like Synthesize the Soul, Leite Quente Funaná, and Pour Me A Grog provided three chapters of Cabo Verde’s story: 1980s synthesizer dance music, the 1990s diasporan sound in Europe, and the accordion heavy Funaná sound, all born in the same island of Santiago. 

But the Covid-19 pandemic called for a departure in the fourth chapter. A different story needed telling. Pascoal is a soldier, able to weather hardship, adapt, and maintain a clear-eyed focus. In short, the man to lead a pandemic-era recording that demanded a shorter recording period to lessen the chance of transmission along with abrupt restrictions and limitations on gatherings and recording locations.

The Strings of São Domingos is not only a tribute to Koladera, or Coladeira, a guitar-driven, subtly rhythmic sound of a lighter spirit, but to Pascoal’s rich life history shaped by the Cold War and the legacy of Ano Nobo. But these tracks aren’t your traditional Koladera, the original recipe first cooked up in the island of Fogo and popularized by Cesaria Evora. 

The Ano Nobo Quartet’s Koladera is a global story with Cabo Verde at its center, a creole melting pot in the middle of the Atlantic attracting the best from four continents: hypnotic, haunting Koladera guitars inflected with twangs of Salsa Cubano, Spanish Flamenco, Brazilian Samba Canção, Jamaican Reggae, Argentine Tango, Mozambican Marrabenta, and finished with a dash of Black American Blues. It’s all here. Pascoal even picked up a few notes from a group of Chinese guitarists—a traditional instrument in China resembles the cavaquinho—who arrived on a socialist cultural exchange in Cabo Verde. Absent percussion, the quartet’s sound still drips with rhythm.

This album was recorded in three locations on Santiago Island: in Pascoal’s home in São Domingos, the small hometown of Ano Nobo that sits amid the cascading hills of the countryside; in a secluded, remote recording space in the north of the island; and near Santiago’s northern beach cove without any electricity. Each location used a mobile recording studio equipped with different mics placed near and far to capture both the Spanish and Chinese-made guitars and the natural environment that shapes the saudade, a melancholic longing, of Koladera. Each space has its own atmosphere heard in the interludes.

The maiden voyage of our new Ostinato Acoustics series, The Ano Nobo Quartet confirms humanity is at its finest when we break life down to its essential parts and fundamental simplicity. A sound and approach cast from the depths of personal and world history that obliges us to seek humbler ways in the years ahead and hold the delicate yet sharp, serene yet swaying strings of São Domingos as the soundtrack to exit a brutal time, guided by brutally good music from brutally good guitarists.

Koma Saxo - Koma Saxo Live

Koma Saxo, the explosive quintet led by Berlin-based Swedish bassist/producer Petter Eldh, returns on We Jazz Records with their new album, cut live at We Jazz Festival in Helsinki, December 2019. 

Whereas their lauded debut was a triumph of remapping the goal posts for an acoustic jazz combo for the 2020's, ‘LIVE' takes you right to the heart of the actual ensemble sound, with 5 musicians tearing the place down, no post production. 

From the fiery opening sequence kicking off with "Euro Koma", on to the much calmer beauty of "Waltz Me, Waltz Me Baby, All Night Long" and the first single "Fiskeskärsmelodin", the 8-song set is pure fire, never failing to convey the extraordinary intensity of the group: Eldh on bass, Otis Sandsjö (Y-OTIS), Jonas Kullhammar and Mikko Innanen on saxes, and Christian Lillinger on drums.

An excerpt of liner notes by Peter Margasak:

"When I first saw Petter Eldh's quintet Koma Saxo in Berlin in September of 2019 I was floored. The raw, sprinting energy of the band was both infectious and astonishing, but what I most remember was a sense of cognitive dissonance. Was this the same combo that recorded a fantastic eponymous 2019 studio album that represented one of the most convincing, pleasurable, and driving hybrid's of searing post-bop and the production ethos of hip-hop? There have been endless stabs by producers trying to remap the machinations of an organic, all-acoustic jazz band with electronic post-production, but Eldh, channeling a sonic language heavily informed by J Dilla, nailed it in a way I'd never experienced before.

Having the trust of his three imaginative, high-octane saxophonists—Jonas Kullhammar, Otis Sandsjö, and Mikko Innanen—he used their grainy sound as raw material, smudging and smearing it like a painter creating new hues on a palette, and then extending, editing, and powering it up within the imperturbable grooves meted out by he and drummer Christian Lillinger.

He didn't really alter the essential core of the band's performances. There's no question that a seriously burning quintet had laid the tracks down, even if the performances reflected the kind of concision many jazz groups adapt for a studio endeavor. But the way his jacked-up bass lines and Lillinger's impossibly peripatetic, stuttering rhythms buffeted the massed saxophones elevated Koma Saxo to plane all its own, and I repeatedly returned to that place—half the time trying to figure out what the hell Eldh had done, and the other half lost in giddy ecstasy.

The live show, on the other hand, featured the band without any production tricks. Its soaring, pithy repertoire came alive in a different way, and this excellent live recording from the 2019 We Jazz Festival, has reminded me of how fun and visceral that experience was."

Gabriel Evans | "Global Entry"

New York saxophonist Gabriel Evan’s sophomore album Global Entry is a playful, skillful exploration of pre-war jazz, early chamber jazz, and bug music. Inspired by the classical-tinged sound of the John Kirby Sextet - one of the most celebrated bands on 52nd St. in the 1930’s - the Gabriel Evan Orchestra takes you on musical trip around the world. While bringing a fresh spin on traditional jazz classics, incorporating 1930s Cuban music and even mid-century exotica, Global Entry maintains the Kirby tradition of arranging classical music for jazz band.

A carefully constructed arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers opens the record, paying homage to the arranging style of trumpeter Charlie Shavers, reimagining the languid waltz into a fun, hot swing number, suitable for a Looney Tunes Nutcracker tribute. As a matter of fact, most of this record is suitable cartoon accompaniment - so much so, that GEO’s first two singles, Rumba Azul and Arabian Nightmare are released as cartoon music videos (Waikiki Wabbit [1943] & Chicken a la King [1937] respectively). Both Rumba Azul and album closer  Rumba Tambah are timeless classics from the Lecuona Cuban Boys, one of the most famous early Caribbean ensembles.

Arabian Nightmare - one of three Charlie Shavers arrangements on the record - is a brilliant take on Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, echoing the haunting Dorian theme of the classic work before springing into swing. Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes is a hip pre-bop arrangement of a 1616 classic by English playwright Ben Jonson. Effervescent Blues, a Shavers original, is a slow swinger with standout solos from Joe Goldberg (clar.), John Zarsky (tmp.) and “Big” Joe Kennedy (p), before a horn soli brings it on home.

The jazz capitol New York City is well represented by Duke Ellington’s red hot Jubilee Stomp, as well as two NYC inspired Evan originals: Negotiations of South Williamsburg, a klezmer rollercoaster featuring clarinetist Joe Goldberg shredding and wailing; and South 5th Street, written while Evan lived in South Williamsburg - a high-energy, pseudo-Broadway show tune, with a stomping 2 & 4 heartbeat. Global Entry is a brilliant tribute to the “biggest little band in the land,” as Kirby’s band was often called.