New Releases: Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble; The Electric Jazz Room; Spirits Rejoice; Dennis Bovell

Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble - Le Le (LP)

Recorded in the 1980's and snapped up upon arrival in Europe by the Soho Boho's, Acid Jazzuals,Cuboppers, Jazz Massivists and Mojo Jazzmuziker, "Le-Le" by The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble is a unique one off Spiritual Soul-Jazz outing with Avant Garde touches and more than a hint of Afro-Cuban Orientalism.The percussion drenched title track has that special Worldwide Sound and the Cool Jazz Get Down Groove of "Wet Walnuts and Whipped Cream" is a DJ's delight, whether played over the Airwaves or to a crowded Dancefloor. An adventurous jazz outfit that has been playing around Philadelphia since its formation in 1979. The Ensemble was founded by Warren Oree, an acoustic bassist, producer and composer who continues to lead the band. Eclectic and far from predictable, on this album the Ensemble has embraced a variety of acoustic and electric jazz styles combining them with African and Middle Eastern influences and mixed together with the "New Thing" have managed to make a timeless underground classic.

The Electric Jazz Room - The Electric Jazz Room E.P. (feat. Walpataca & Vienna Art Orchestra) (LP)

Two Underground London Jazzfloor hits from Paul Murphy's Jazz Room Records.On the A side Latin Supergroup's wild and infectious "Caliente" with Paquito's Banging piano riff and heavy Bass Line action from Descarga originator Cachao overlaid with Driving vibes from Tany Gil and a Percussion Meltdown from Walfredo De Los Reyes. On the B side the Vienna Art Orchestra provide a dark and mysterious version of the Bud Powell classic "Un Poco Loco" keeping that Be-Bop Afro-Cuban vibe but adding that East of the Border darkness you'd expect from a sound recorded at the time the city was on the Cold War fault line. Gilles Peterson (Worldwide / Brownswood): "Paul Murphy found almost every jazz dancefloor classic. He is the original messenger of jazz. He opened the door to an alternative way of being a Dj. The rest is history.

Spirits Rejoice - African Spaces (LP)

A defining musical statement in South Africa’s jazz canon – pinpointing the moment of social and musical ferment in which the country’s terms of engagement with jazz were irreversibly changed. Forged when township kids were facing down bullets this is an electric mulberry funk – slick, intense and complex. Heavyweight 180g vinyl with remastered audio, inner sleeve with new photographs and additional liner notes by Francis Gooding. At a distance of more than forty years, the radicalism and significance of African Spaces can be seen more clearly. Ambitious, uncompromising, and resolutely progressive, it represents a unique high-water mark in South Africa’s long musical engagement with the newest developments in American jazz – a response to the cosmic call of Return To Forever, and an answer to Miles’ On the Corner. Spirits Rejoice drew together some of South Africa’s most abundantly talented and forward-thinking jazz players and created  a complex and challenging jazz fusion that shifted the terms of South Africa’s engagement with jazz towards new music being made by pioneers such as Chick Corea, Weather Report, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny and others. African Spaces, their debut recording, is one of the key documents in the South African jazz canon. Emerging in the aftermath of the 1976 Soweto uprising, and taking its place alongside the crucial mid-1970s music of Malombo, Abdullah Ibrahim, and Batsumi, it is a defining but unsung musical statement of its era.

Dennis Bovell - Dubmaster: The Essential Anthology

A massive tribute to the long career of Dennis Bovell – the British artist who first rose up in the late 70s group Matumbi, then went on to share his production talents with a host of other artists in the decades that followed! This double-length set brings together a career-spanning set of tracks that all were handled by Bovell – a first half that features his own recordings under a number of groups, and a second half that features Bovell production and studio work with a range of other artists too – including some rare and unissued material, in a package put together by Dennis himself! Titles include the Bovell cuts "Choose Me" with African Stone, "Za Lon" with 4th Street Orchestra, "Blood Ah Go Run" by Matumbi, and cuts "Brain Damage", "Chief Inspector", "Dub Master", "Silly Dub", "Caught You In A Lie", and "Oh Mama Oh Papa" – all issued under Bovell's name. The second half features titles that include "African Queen" by Errol Campbell, "Africa Is Our Land" by Joshua Moses, "Take Five" by Young Lions, "Hooked On You" by Delroy Wilson, "Differentah" by Errol Dunkley with Julio Finn, "Silly Games" by Janet Kay, "Get Up Stand Up" by I Roy, and "Can't Go Through With Life (dancehall version)" by Marie Pierre. ~ Dusty Groove

Louie Vega – Expansions In The NYC – Various Artists

What is it about New York City, that concrete jungle that continually inspires the creative spirit? From Warhol’s Factory to Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage to David Mancuso’s Loft, collectives that celebrate and nurture unfettered, organic artistry have been absolutely intrinsic to the story of this sprawling metropolis. Its latest chapter is being written at the hands of ‘The Maestro’, Grammy Award winner Louie Vega and his Expansions NYC parties, the sound documented in his latest album Expansions In The NYC (Nervous Records).

Starting in February 2019 in Manhattan and Brooklyn venues, Vega’s Expansions NYC parties have their origin not in his revered prowess as a DJ but rather his whole-hearted appreciation of the different elements of the dance floor surrounding him: the dancers, the musicians who bring their instruments to join him ad-hoc on the night, the small, dedicated crowd of clubbers whose ears to the ground keep them informed on the underground party information. The events included 6-hour DJ Sets with Louie under his select curation, and would usually end with 3 AM jam sessions involving keyboardists, guitar players and poets all performing in front of a jam packed crowd. In just a few short years the Expansions NYC events have evolved into an NYC-clubland institution, an intimate celebration of house, funk, disco, afro, R&B and more.

As with his parties, so goes his album. The collective vibe that forms the beating heart of Expansions NYC parties is absolutely front and centre in Expansions In The NYC, Vega drawing in one of the most comprehensive lists of collaborators in recent memory. House heavyweights Honey Dijon, Joe Claussell, Moodymann, Kerri Chandler and Anané rub up against legendary vocalists Bernard Fowler, Cindy Mizelle, Lisa Fischer, Audrey Wheeler and Tony Momrelle. Gospel royalty BeBe Winans and Debbie Winans, pop icon Robyn and rising star Karen Harding sit alongside disco-era champions Unlimited Touch, Cuban jazz pianist Axel Tosca, Nico Vega, Two Soul Fusion with Josh Milan and Vega and underground legend DJ Spinna. At the centre of it all, fingerprint on every beat, touch on every groove, sits a master at work, weaving the individual threads into a rich dance music tapestry.

“In the past few years I’ve found new inspiration both from the musicians I’m working with and the audiences coming to see me at my DJ shows,” Vega says. “So for me this album represents new beginnings, bringing together a beautiful mosaic of artistic perspectives to express musically what we call Expansions In The NYC.”

At its heart, Expansions In The NYC is a love letter to New York, as much as melting pot as the city it represents, the scope of its line-up possible only because of the influence and reverence of Vega the artist, the DJ, the producer, the curator. In creating this album, Louie Vega has once again utterly enriched the lives and libraries of music lovers the world over, far beyond the hustling streets of NYC that have so indelibly left their mark on his work.

Manel Fortià | "Despertar"

Barcelona-born bassist Manel Fortià bridges his Mediterranean and Spanish roots with the sounds of modern New York jazz on his trio album Despertar, available May 12, 2022 via Segell Microscopi/Altafonte Distribution.

Meticulously composed and produced by Fortià, Despertar presents a musical self-portrait based on a selection of spirited originals, all inspired by his experiences while living in New York City between 2016 and 2020. The composer creates a mellow and personal music which touches on influences as varied as Charlie Haden, Keith Jarrett, Maurice Ravel and Paco de Lucía, among others.

Fortià’s extraordinary trio features two of the most prolific European jazz personalities of the new generation. Multi-award winning Spanish pianist Marco Mezquida (Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Bill McHenry, Chicuelo, Noa), understands Fortià's music deeply and performs with elegance and dynamism. The connection between these two artists and their ability to listen deeply was showcased on their critically acclaimed 2015 duo album My Old Flame. Rounding out the trio is the revelatory French drummer Raphaël Pannier (Miguel Zenón, Aaron Goldberg, François Moutin) with whom Manel recorded the 2018 album Bulería Brooklyniana mixing Brooklyn jazz underground with flamenco. Joining them on that album was pianist Albert Marquès. With his huge palette of textures and sounds, Pannier brings the music to another level, infusing vital and foundational energy into the rhythm section.

“This album is very important to me because it reflects one of the most transcendent moments in my artistic life. I feel that living in NYC changed me tremendously and I grew a lot there,” Fortià says. “It is also the first time I recorded a full album featuring all my compositions. That I can share playing them with two of my favorite musicians with whom I have a great connection personally and musically, is like a dream come true.”   

The Spanish title "Despertar" translates into “awakening,” which references the last tune of the album, while, in contrast, the first one is called "Dormir" ("fall sleep"). Between these tracks we are on a dreamy journey of vital experiences, traveling to different places and moments in a very imaginative way that brings about the magic of Mediterranean culture. 

Like Charlie Haden, Fortià is an extremely melodic and open-minded player, executing performances on the upright bass with deep sound and precision, dropping guideposts, marking turns and grounding the journey while adding the occasional weighty statement on his compositions. His sound on the instrument is his major virtue, easily recognizable as his own. He can play a variety of styles and rhythms without losing his personality. Mellow and powerful, straight and flexible, sober and free, laid-back and energetic... all of these contrasts coexist in his playing. Inside his music we can find New York modern jazz but also some Mediterranean colors, hints of flamenco as well as European classical influences.  

Between the Bach choral-inspired opener "Dormir" and the powerful meditative suite "Despertar," we have seven different episodes of an exciting dream unfolding in NYC. The energetic groove of the JFK AirTrain ("Circular") drives us from the airport to the melancholic, impressionist neighborhood Astoria ("Saudades") where Manel lived while in New York. Then we travel to Harlem with the beautiful gospel-inspired “Espiritual,” an homage to Black American music, where Manel's solo travels from the bottom of his upright bass to heaven. Next is the deep ballad with a Spanish touch called "El Día Después," dedicated to La Rambla de Barcelona where there was a terrorist attack in 2017 while Fortià was in New York, suffering in the distance. We then travel to the iconic Grand Central Station at rush hour which is represented by the frenetic and dynamic song "Crescente.” A calm after the storm arrives courtesy of two beautiful tunes with South American flavors: "Aires de Libertad" is dedicated to Prospect Park, an area of Brooklyn where historically a huge group of jazz musicians have been living, and "Simple" to the Jackson Heights neighborhood in Queens, where we find a huge Colombian community. This musical "American Dream,” is Manel’s self-portrait of life as an immigrant artist during his time in the United States.

Recorded and mixed at El Local Studios (Girona, Spain) by Marc Piña and mastered at Sear Sound (NYC, USA) by Grammy-Award winning sound engineer Jeremy Loucas, Despertar has the perfect balance of sounds between Europe's beautiful harmonies and America's energetic rhythms, bringing us on a journey of different colors and contrasting climates. 

The striking album art highlights original objects the Argentinian artist Fran Pontenpie conceptualized and built after listening to the music and then photographed for the album. On the cover is a wooden upright bass bridge transformed into a human who is awakening from the bass. On the back are four clouds created from bass tuners. Inside is a plant that has three pairs of eyes, for every member of the trio. Pontenpie's visual contributions enhance the listening experience and make the album a unique piece of art. 

Barcelona/NYC-based upright bassist Manel Fortià is in a fruitful moment of his artistic life. His melodic sense, rhythmic precision and creativity have made him one of the most unique and original musicians of the new generation.  In addition to leading his own projects, Fortià is a versatile and in-demand sideman.

His recent work as a leader includes: Despertar (2022, Microscopi) playing fresh own compositions inspired in New York alongside his new European Trio featuring Spanish pianist Marco Mezquida and French drummer Raphael Pannier. Arrels (2021, Microscopi), the debut recording of his new free-flamenco-jazz Libérica project, Antonio Lizana, the award-winning saxophonist and singer from Cádiz. The album was in the top 10 of Best Jazz Albums of 2021 by the prestigious Enderrock magazine. Fortià’s original folk-jazz duo album Fang i Núvols (2020, Microscopi) with the talented Catalan singer Magalí Sare was also critically acclaimed. 

Throughout his career, Manel Fortià has performed with jazz luminaries such as Dave Liebman, Chris Cheek, Eliot Zigmund, Bill McHenry, Ari Hoenig, Arturo O’Farrill, Chano Dominguez, Stephane Belmondo, Scott Hamilton, Dena Derose and Raynald Colom, among many others, at some of the most prestigious international festivals such as Vitoria Jazz Festival (Spain), SudTirol Jazz Festival (Italy), NYC Mediterranean Jazz Festival (USA), Jazz in Sardegna (Italy), PortaJazz Festival (Portugal), and Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival (Spain)… as well as in famed jazz clubs like the Blue Note and Zinc Bar (New York), Bimhuis (Amsterdam), Pizza Express (London), An Die Musik (Baltimore), Hot Five (Porto), and Cafe Central (Madrid).

In addition, he has appeared in more than 50 albums as a co-leader and as a sideman, including Estándares with Grammy Awarded pianist Chano Dominguez and Antonio Lizana, My Old Flame in duet with Marco Mezquida and Bulería Brooklyniana with Marquès/Fortià/Pannier trio. 

Fortià has been recognized with multiple awards such as the “Jazzer 2020” from the Jazzing Festival of Barcelona. He has also been a finalist at “Terra i Cultura 2019” with Magalí Sare, and a three-time finalist at Castelló Jazz Contest (2012-2014). He won the Jazz Fusion Contest (2013) with Tak! In addition, he combines a performing career with his teaching role at the prestigious ESEM - Taller de Músics in Barcelona and in the Jazz Department of Girona Conservatorium.

He also has been involved with social justice music projects happening in the U.S. including Freedom First (Justice for Keith Lamar), which fights for human rights and equality, led by the musician-activist Albert Marquès featuring Arturo O’Farrill, Salim Washington, Caroline Davis among many others.

Saxophonist Kenny Garrett's Wins "Outstanding Jazz Album - Instrumental" at 53rd NAACP Image Awards

Kenny Garrett’s latest release, Sounds from the Ancestors, is a multi-faceted album. The music, however, doesn’t lodge inside the tight confines of the jazz idiom, which is not surprising considering the alto saxophonist and composer acknowledges the likes of Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye as significant touchstones. Similar to how Miles Davis’ seminal LP, On the Corner, subverted its main guiding lights – James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone – then crafted its own unique, polyrhythmic, groove-laden, improv-heavy universe, Sounds from the Ancestors occupies its own space with intellectual clarity, sonic ingenuity and emotional heft. 

“Sounds from the Ancestors examines the roots of West African music in the framework of jazz, gospel, Motown, hip-hop, and all other genres that have descended from jùjú and Yoruban music,” explains Garrett. “It’s crucial to acknowledge the ancestral roots in the sounds we’ve inhabited under the aesthetics of Western music.” 

Indeed, Sounds from the Ancestors reflects the rich jazz, R&B and gospel history of his hometown of Detroit. More important though, it also reverberates with a modern cosmopolitan vibrancy – notably the inclusion of music coming out of France, Cuba, Nigeria and Guadeloupe. 

“The concept initially was about trying to get some of the musical sounds that I remembered as a kid growing up – sounds that lift your spirit from people like John Coltrane, ‘A Love Supreme;’ Aretha Franklin, ‘Amazing Grace;’ Marvin Gaye, ‘What’s Going On;’ and the spiritual side of the church,” Garrett explains. “When I started to think about them, I realized it was the spirit from my ancestors.” 

The core ensemble for Sounds from the Ancestors consists of musicians that Garrett has recorded and toured with in recent past – pianist Vernell Brown, Jr., bassist Corcoran Holt, drummer Ronald Bruner and percussionist Rudy Bird. The album also features guest appearances from drummer Lenny White, pianist and organist Johnny Mercier, trumpeter Maurice Brown, conguero Pedrito Martinez, batá percussionist Dreiser Durruthy and singers Dwight Trible, Jean Baylor, Linny Smith, Chris Ashley Anthony and Sheherazade Holman. And on a couple of cuts, Garrett extends his instrumental palette by playing piano and singing. 

With his illustrious career that includes hallmark stints with Miles Davis, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, as well as a heralded career as a solo artist that began more than 30 years ago, Garrett is easily recognized as one of modern jazz’s brightest and most influential living masters. And with the marvelous Sounds from the Ancestors, the GRAMMY® Award-winning Garrett shows no signs of resting on his laurels.

Eri Yamamoto, Chad Fowler, William Parker & Steve Hirsh | "Sparks"

When Eri Yamamoto, William Parker, Chad Fowler and Steve Hirsh settled in for their first recording session together, the engineer shouted “rolling” and sparks flew. But they weren't steel mill sparks: the music unfolding in that moment was more like a crackling campfire, smoke rising slowly, points of light lifting lazily into the breeze — and foreshadowing a greater heat to come.

Such an image is apt for the airy chords with which Yamamoto kicks off the title tune of Sparks, the quartet's new album on Mahakala Music. After her piano begins, like wind chimes playing standards, Parker and Hirsh fall in as if walking up from the woods, and then Fowler's stritch enters, do-re-mi-do, like a sprite carrying memories of a folk song.

“Spontaneous folk music,” says Yamamoto with a ripple of laughter, recalling the phrase Fowler used to suggest the quartet's point of departure that day. And she responded immediately to the premise, as Yamamoto herself has created hybrid free/composed jazz that sometimes harkens back to the traditional Japanese music of her youth, as on her Goshu Ondo Suite. For over a quarter century, she's made waves as she “gracefully bridges the worlds of post-bop and free jazz” according to Time Out New York, with her “evocative songs without words.”

A classically-trained pianist with a vibrant improvisational streak, she's long performed and recorded with William Parker, a composer in his own right and a mainstay of the New York free jazz community. Indeed, playing a session with Parker, who has pursued an unparalleled vision of free jazz since before his days with Cecil Taylor, and whose quartet recordings in this century are legendary, was an inspiration to all. “I've played on nine or ten albums with William as a leader,” says Yamamoto. “He's really been an eye opener for me. It was like he reminded me, 'Ah, I can be free!' And he always writes great melodies, which is very natural for me: start with a good melody, and have a lot of open space.”

With only those sentiments and a brief introductory chat guiding them, the players created these pieces on the spot. And like a strong line in visual art, a spontaneous, striking melody typically jumpstarts each performance on Sparks. That's always been at the core of Yamamoto's playing. “Growing up in Kyoto, I was surrounded by a lot of traditional Japanese music, with very minimalist melodies. I started writing music when I was eight, and I still write the same way. It all starts when I hum some melody. But even with my composed tunes, my approach is to leave a lot of space for musicians to go beyond the form.”

Space is another key element on this album. “Kyoto is a very old city, with a lot of shrines and temples,” says Yamamoto. “And zen philosophy is very prominent there. Sometimes emptiness is more full of feeling.” The space is crucial to even the more lively passages. When Parker announces, “I can pull an old rabbit out of the hat” and launches the swinging “Bob's Pink Cadillac,” Fowler and Hirsh immediately pick up on the groove, spontaneously evoking the classic trio sound of, say, Sonny Rollins' Way Out West. Yamamoto is content to listen, until she's not: reaching into the piano with her left hand, her right hand chops the keys like rim shots. As the tune evolves, Fowler squawks, Hirsh rolls, and Yamamoto is up and down from her seat, first muting strings, then playing traditionally, then plucking the strings like a ragged harp.

“That was completely spontaneous. I don't plan anything, in general. Then after I play, I don't remember anything,” Yamamoto laughs, recalling the performance. “But the piano is a percussion instrument, after all. On that one particular tune, I felt, 'I'm gonna wait until the moment comes.' And then, Boom!”

Such dynamics were typical of the day. As Fowler notes, “We expected this session to be laid back. And there are some moments of beauty and tenderness, but it was anything but mellow, overall.” That's partly thanks to Hirsh's perceptive drumming, ranging from the gentle rattle of shells to to full on Klook-mopping and bomb-dropping as the intensity demands.

Ultimately, the rapid-fire energy, the screeching and hammering, was a natural corollary to the music's spaciousness. For Yamamoto, it's all about dramatic juxtapositions. “I always like contrast in music,” she reflects. “Or in anything. Paintings, poems. The contrast makes art, especially music, more interesting. When I play something, yes, at some points the dynamics get very intense with more notes, but after that, in contrast, having a chunk of space is pretty powerful. That empty spot has more meaning. So I try not to do too much all the time. If I say something, then in the other spot I want to have a chunk of space.”

The miracle of these performances was how well each player tuned in to the others' dynamics, in the moment. Though Fowler and Yamamoto had each played with Parker separately, the saxophonist and pianist had never played together. As it turned out, they surprised each other with some distinctly Asian touchstones at the core of their playing. “'Taiko' is named after my Japanese grandmother, Taiko 'Jean' Sawyer, who passed at 92 in late April of last year,” says Fowler. “Before we started it, I asked the group to play something as a memorial for a lost loved one. My playing references some music of meaning to my grandma, including a minor key version of 'You Are My Sunshine,' her favorite song. None of that was planned, but it came out as we went.”

All told, there's an infectious joy felt as these players encounter each other in this arrangement for the first time. As Yamamoto says, “That was the first time I'd been in a recording studio for a year and half. New York City was locked down for a long time. And I'd never played with Chad or Steve before. But I could tell, just from our first greeting, that we could trust each other. So, returning to the studio with such wonderful musicians, I felt so alive. I said to myself, 'Yes! Yes!'”

She pauses and reflects on the final product. “The four of us really made one music together. Everything was just one take, and I think we really blended well. No one was shy. We just trusted each other and made one sound. Instead of going, 'I'm saying blah blah blah,' and then answering, 'da da da da,' we made one moment together. Spontaneous folk music. Improvising that moment together.”

Deluxe Edition of "Traitors" by Calibro 35

Record Kicks proudly presents the reissue of CALIBRO 35’s fourth legendary long-time sold out album “Traditori Di Tutti” (Traitors) out Today on limited edition crystal red vinyl and digital “deluxe” edition with bonus tracks. The publication is part of “The Record Kicks Trilogy” that follows the reissue of the first three albums of the band, released in 2020. This time, Milan label Record Kicks will repress on wax of three different colours and on digital deluxe edition, the fourth, fifth and sixth legendary studio albums of the Italian cinematic-funk cult band. The digital deluxe edition of “Traditori Di Tutti” includes 2 bonus tracks: a crime funk cover of “Get Carter”, originally released as a b-side of the “Butcher’s Bride” 45 vinyl, and the unreleased funky stormer “Milan, Michigan”. 

“Traditori Di Tutti” is the fourth album by Milan’s combo, inspired by noir masterpiece novel “Betrayers” published by the father of Italian noir, award-winning crime fiction author Giorgio Scerbanenco. The album contains only band’s original recordings, from floor-shaking first single “Giulia Mon Amour” to groovy “The Butcher’s Bride”, from deep funky “Filthy Bastards” to the dancefloor jazz madness of “Mescalina 6”. The five-piece pays homage to “I Maestri” such as Morricone, Micalizzi and Bacalov with 12 tracks full of funky beats, heavy guitars, groovy bass lines and fuzzy organs. 

There’s one thing that Italians do better than others: funky soundtracks. Quentin Tarantino knows best: soundtracks from Italian movies of the '60s and the '70s are the THING! “Calibro 35 does with music what Tarantino does with films”. They borrow what they love and they make it their own. With Rolling Stone magazine words: “Calibro 35 are the most fascinating, "retro-maniac" and genuine thing that happened to Italy”. 

Active since 2008, CALIBRO 35 enjoy a worldwide reputation as one of the coolest independent bands around. During their fourteen-year career, they were sampled by Dr. Dre on his "Compton" album, Jay-Z, The Child of lov & Damon Albarn; they shared stages worldwide with the likes of Roy Ayers, Muse, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sharon Jones, Thundercat and Headhunters and as unique musicians they collaborated with, amongst others, PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish and Stewart Copeland and Nic Cester (The Jet). Calibro 35 now count on a number of aficionados worldwide including VIP fans such as Dj Food (Ninja Tune), Mr Scruff and Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin' Criminals) among others.

ANDY OSTWALD TRIO Releases their Debut Solo Record FIELD GUIDE

Andy Ostwald is a San Francisco Bay area-based performer, teacher, and author of the book Play Jazz, Blues, Rock Piano by Ear. He performs as a band leader, sideman, solo pianist, and as a member of Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra. Now with his own ANDY OSTWALD TRIO he is proud to present their debut full-length release FIELD GUIDE. The album is a true Field Guide for that meadow we’ve seen before but never traversed, featuring intimate and intensely focused improvised musical travels through overlooked gardens and orchards of sound. Grab a copy of the Field Guide and enjoy your trip!

Andy Ostwald has toured the US and abroad with singer Diane Witherspoon and has performed at many of the San Francisco Bay Area’s notable venues, including the SF Jazz Center, Yoshi’s Oakland & SF, Kuumbwa, and the Great American Music Hall. In 2011, Andy Ostwald began performing with fellow Bay Area musicians Ravi Abcarian (bass) and Bryan Bowman (drums), and the ANDY OSTWALD TRIO was born. They largely developed their group sound while performing at Bocce Café in the North Beach district of San Francisco, an engagement that lasted for five years until 2016. It was during this run that the musicians honed their ability to interact freely and play off one another’s musical ideas. 

As a fellow member of Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra, trumpeter Eric Wayne knew the trio and offered to help them record and release their debut album through his own Digital Victrola label. Andy was prepared with a fully formed album concept, including the title FIELD GUIDE, which allowed them to get straight to the business of finding the best material for the release. Recorded during the pandemic, resources were scarce, and it was difficult to find a studio with a worthy piano; they decided to record in Andy Ostwald’s own home with his personal piano on an 8-track HD recorder. They were able to make the most of the home studio environment, with the craftsman-style wood house giving the recording a warm and full sound.

“Since starting Digital Victrola I’ve always had a desire to record a trio album,” says Eric Wayne. “Even though I’m a trumpet player I’ve always felt that the trio format is the distilled essence of jazz and improvisatory music. Every player has to be fully committed, has to listen with their entire body and mind. It was an honor to work with such musicians under the difficulties of a pandemic and limited resources and space, but I’m very happy to have ‘my trio album’ and I hope you will enjoy listening as much as I have.”

Andy Ostwald’s father played a key role in his early musical development. “My dad made a point of introducing me to his favorite early jazz and classical recordings,” says Andy. “He would also pick up his violin and improvise melodies over the scales that I was practicing on the piano; Dad could breathe life into those scales.” By age 12 Andy began improvising over rock songs, and a couple of years later he attended a clinic by jazz pianist Dan Hearle, who introduced him to recordings by three towering figures of jazz piano: Herbie Hancock, Ahmad Jamal, and Oscar Peterson. “The music these musicians created both moved and mystified me,” notes Ostwald, “and in the end, contributed to steering me in the direction of jazz.”

Ostwald received a BA in music from San Jose State University. While there he focused on performing contemporary jazz, classical compositions, and the Gamelan music of Java, and a few years later he spent a year in New York studying with renowned jazz pianist Harold Mabern. Following his stay in New York, Andy returned to his native San Francisco Bay Area to teach and play music. Soon thereafter he met singer Diane Witherspoon and became her piano accompanist. They performed locally on tour in the States, and then on several occasions in Tokyo. Currently Ostwald is a member of Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra and freelances as both a band leader and sideman.

Andy teaches piano at his home in Oakland. He’s also an instructor at Oaktown Jazz Workshops, where Ravi Abcarian is also an instructor and the executive director. Ostwald’s book/audio series Play Jazz, Blues, Rock Piano by Ear was published by Mel Bay Publications in 2004. It remains in print today.

Oded Tzur | "Isabela"

On his follow-up to Here Be Dragons New York-based saxophonist Oded Tzur and his collaborators apply their subtle dialect in a more intense space, exploring the nuances and colours of the saxophonist’s self-fashioned raga in a suite-like sequence of quiet meditations and powerful exclamations. Throughout Isabela a heightened sense of urgency prevails, as Oded returns with his unaltered quartet to weave one underlying musical idea through a series of elaborate and impassioned designs. Since their debut appearance for ECM, the group’s interplay has grown more intimate on the road and the deep trust between the leader and his accompanists is a driving and binding force behind the music’s conceptual scope. 

Oded has carved out a particularly idiosyncratic approach to composing on his musical path, blending raga and jazz in a way where the saxophonist is neither borrowing nor imitating musical idioms from elsewhere, but rather applying a comprehensive music-philosophical concept on a universal level. As Oded figures, a raga goes beyond a set of parameters bound to time signatures or notes: “One way to define a raga is to see it as an abstract personality that’s made of sound. Some musician would even refer to it as a presence that you have to make come alive. That’s where it’s not a scale anymore, but something so much more than a sequence of notes. In that sense, the blues is exactly like a raga. It has a scale, but it’s not simply a scale. It’s an abstract personality that is so distinct that you can hear one phrase of it and already go: ‘That’s blues’ – like a person you recognize from afar.” 

Once again joining Oded on his musical journey are pianist Nitai Hershkovits, bassist Petros Klampanis and drummer Johnathan Blake, who infuse the leader’s inventions with effortless musicianship and vivid imagination. Each a pillar in the contemporary jazz scene and with links reaching beyond the genre’s traditional format, the saxophonist’s collaborators are given “freedom to develop the music any way they want,” within the structures and possibilities the compositions offer. The group is constantly discovering new ways to communicate with each other and expand their musical vocabulary in the process: “It’s like we’re on a river with trees around the banks, so we can’t really make out where we’re headed, but we can be sure that it will lead us someplace good.” That place is marked by Nitai’s delicate brush strokes on piano, Johnathan’s fierce and confident percussion work and Petros’ more than reliable foundation in the deep end. 

Downbeat has described Oded’s playing as “quietly fantastical and full of narrative feints” while outlining his tone as “light and sweet, with a whispered airiness,” and the saxophonist’s note-bending, microtonal technique, inspired by Indian classical instruments and touching the “barely audible,” is again at the heart of his voice and the melodies that protrude on Isabela. 

The raga that pervades the album from start to finish is introduced in the opening act “Invocation,” which works like a Chalan in Indian classical music – the skeleton of a Raga that outlines the raga’s structure in the briefest possible way, much as a synopsis does a play. Oded and his quartet develop the concentrated musical matter of “Invocation” and transform it into new shapes and forms in expansive studies of temperament, shifting from pensive introspection in one moment to outgoing and free-wheeling improvisation in the next. “It took me a while to develop the courage to also explore the other extreme, see what happens when you follow the explosion at the other end of the dynamic spectrum. For this album I finally felt comfortable to explore the totality of the dynamic range, the silence but also the eruptions, the bright colours.” 

Neither the silence nor the bright colours that immerse the album in manifold shades could emerge without the distinctive contributions from Oded’s fellow travellers and the group’s performance is highlighted by the crystalline acoustics of the Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in Lugano, where the album was recorded in October 2021.

Jean Carne, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad | "Jean Carne JID012"

The voice of Jean Carne is an instrument of delicate, aqueous dimensions, shape shifting across era and genre. It has graced some of the most sought-after subterranean jazz and guided several generations of stars to new heights. Now, Jean Carne JID012 brings her magnetic talent front and center, showcasing the legend’s alchemical vocal abilities in the latest offering from Jazz Is Dead.

Perhaps best known to listeners for her collaborations with Doug Carn in the early 1970s, Jean Carne has left a legacy that runs deep. She bridged a generational gap, coming from her earlier recordings that were rooted in Spiritual Jazz, towards Philly Soul, Disco, and R&B. In the process, Carne has worked with luminaries such as Azar Lawrence, Phyllis Hyman, Michael Jackson, Lonnie Liston Smith, Earth, Wind & Fire, and many others. It is near impossible to tune into pop music today and not hear a vocalist emulating, in some way or form, Carne’s distinct vocal acrobatics.

Here, Carne’s unmistakably limber voice flutters across seven tracks, exploring the possibilities and power of love- of self, of community, of powers from above. Reminiscent of masterworks by Weldon Irvine or Carne’s frequent collaborator Norman Connors, the arrangements crafted by Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad stand at the border of introspection and exuberance. “My Mystic Life” invites listeners to “come and find life on Mars” or “listen to the cosmos,” while “The Summertime” is a funky ode to hot pavement and looking your best. 

“Black Love” is an impressionistic journey through soul and sound. The album closer from Jean Carne's upcoming LP for Jazz Is Dead deftly carves around Carne’s voice, giving it the same reverence reserved for a Renaissance sculpture. Continuing the album’s recurring themes of love and spirituality, Black Love is a tribute to the higher power of community. Like ascending through layers of clouds, the vocals build higher and higher, as Carne takes you to the album’s emotional apex. Reminiscent of Sarah Vaughn’s lush scat singing on standards like “Pinky,” Carne’s vocals cease to be of this world, instead only offering abstractions to capture such an immense and indescribable force that can protect, bring one home, and bring people together. 

The mellow Funk percussion and hazy keys instantly recall ice cream trucks, running through sprinklers, and backyard BBQs with cool ease. Built around the universally relatable “feeling good in the Summertime,” the tune confidently cruises the same boulevards as Kool and the Gang and Roy Ayers do each year when the temperature starts to rise. Like the rest of Jean Carne JID012, “The Summertime” showcases Carne’s innate ability to animate the abstract, and to bring collective experiences and emotions to life. 

"Black Rainbows" blossoms from a keyboard fantasy into a more percussion-driven number, all while giving Carne’s voice enough space to showcase her incredible talents. The title and refrain conjure memories of Sun Ra’s afrofuturism with graceful awe. As Carne’s voice fills the space, the tune slowly transforms from a meditation into a call for celebration, giving way to morse-code guitar that beckons listeners towards the dancefloor in the sky. 

More than merely a survey or summary of Carne’s career, Jean Carne JID012 is a celebration of self-perseverance, and invites listeners to seek out and capture joy, and to love unapologetically. 

Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds Series Set for Release

Craft Recordings and Acoustic Sounds have announced the Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds series, which begins with six album releases from the Contemporary Records catalog, celebrating 70 years of the legendary jazz label. 

Each title, originally engineered by Roy DuNann and/or Howard Holzer, features all-analog mastering from the original tapes by legendary engineer Bernie Grundman (himself a former employee of the label), and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings (QRP) and presented in a Stoughton Old Style Tip-On Jacket. 

The series begins with the May 13 reissue of Art Pepper’s +Eleven: Modern Jazz Classics. Throughout the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, Lester Koenig’s artist-friendly Los Angeles-based audiophile jazz label documented career-defining performances by some of modern jazz’s most influential and accomplished improvisers, including Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Harold Land and Benny Golson. No musician is more closely identified with Contemporary than Pepper, whose cool tone and simmering lyricism made him one of the very few mid-century alto saxophonists to forge a path independent of bebop patriarch Charlie Parker’s pervasive influence.  

Produced by Koenig and recorded in 1959, Art Pepper +Eleven: Modern Jazz Classics is one of the saxophonist’s masterpieces. Featuring brilliant arrangements by Marty Paich, the album elaborates on the lush but lithe sound introduced by the epochal Birth of the Cool sessions, which Miles Davis started to record almost exactly a decade earlier (like Birth, +Eleven kick offs with Denzil Best’s “Move”). Surrounded by the cream of the LA scene, including fellow saxophone masters Herb Geller, Bill Perkins and Med Flory, Pepper brings all his scorching lyricism to a program of modern jazz standards by Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan and Sonny Rollins. 

The series continues on June 10 with 1957’s The Poll Winners, the first of five all-star trio sessions featuring the dazzling interplay of guitarist Barney Kessel, drummer Shelly Manne and bassist Ray Brown. Kessel and Manne are also on hand for the July 15 release, 1958’s Four!, which fills out the quartet scorecard with bassist Red Mitchell and the supremely soulful Hampton Hawes, one of jazz’s most appealing yet unsung pianists. 

August 12’s release is another 1958 classic, Jazz Giant, which showcases the alto saxophone, trumpet and arrangements of triple threat Benny Carter, whose majestic talent awed four generations of jazz artists (he’s joined by a formidable cast including Manne, Kessel and tenor sax titan Ben Webster). The September 9 release, Manne’s hugely popular 1956 trio session My Fair Lady with bassist Leroy Vinnegar and pianist André Previn, paved the way for hundreds of jazz albums dedicated to Broadway shows. 

November 11 sees the release of Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, the altoist’s auspicious 1957 Contemporary debut pairing him with pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones, three-fifths of Miles Davis’ nonpareil quintet. 

Zion I Kings Releases Single Red, Gold and Green Dubmarine!

For the last decade, Zion I Kings, comprised of  Laurent “Tippy I” Alfred of I Grade Records, Andrew “Moon” Bain of Lustre Kings and David “Jah D” Goldfine” of Zion High Productions, have delivered some of the finest and most indelible musical offerings to date in modern reggae. Adding to their success, the trio have created a dynamically rich lagoon themed dub, “Red Gold & Green Dubmarine” is out now, and off their 5th studio album Future Oceans Echo!  

With the new record the listener is taken into an aquatic dub-filled wonderland with streaming proceeds to benefit climate action for oceans and beaches in the Virgin Islands. “Red Gold & Green Dubmarine,” opens with the bubble-like sensation that carries the dark, driving drum and bass groove into a fervent quest of discovery, opening up to a bright, underwater dub lagoon in the B-section. Andrew Moon Bain declares, “A triumphant and courageous aquatic exploration of uncharted territories, in the dub abyss that is Future Oceans Echo. Press play, add or next and buckle up for the magical horn swells, crashing spring reverbs, analog synth lines and pulsing organ shuffle on this dubaquatic excursion.” The new song is the second release from the upcoming album and comes out on the heels of the stellar single “Whale Shark Skank” featuring the talented Ngoni player Losso Keita.

With the new release Zion I Kings have pledged a percentage of their streaming profits from Future Oceans Echo to support clean oceans and beaches initiatives in St. Croix, VI, with the Good Hope Country Day School’s climate action club. Laurent “Tippy” Alfred’s daughter Tsehai attends the school and is very active with the club. It’s a student-founded and student run organization whose mission aims for a more sustainable environment for the island community.

In a recent interview with Rootfire, Andrew Moon Bain reflected on the new project when asked if artists felt a responsibility toward the plight of the Oceans, he says, “I don’t know if artists have a responsibility but we all have to live here. We are all connected to one source of life, one planet and atmosphere…all of us depend on it. Whether we feel a part of it or not. It is all connected. A lot of people can’t understand what they can’t see. Can’t feel for what they can not touch. Whether it is my responsibility or not, I do feel a duty to uncover some overstanding of the unknown through art, music and the glorification of Jah.”

Zion I Kings is the talented multi-instrumentalists and producers Laurent “Tippy I” Alfred of I Grade Records, Andrew “Moon” Bain of Lustre Kings and David “Jah D” Goldfine” of Zion High Productions. Together they are an ever prolific and expanding crew of producers, musicians and performers whose work has spanned many waves within the genre to create a solid and unique modern roots sound that is infectious, warm, melodic and steady in any sound system. They are singular as much as a collective, as each musician has spent formative years honing their craft. Collectively they have produced for many great artists of our day including Akae Beka (Midnite) , Sizzla, Lutan Fyah, Jah 9, Blakkamoore, Chronixx, Protoje, Loydd Brown, Ziggi Recado, Pressure and many more. 

Out now, “Red Gold & Green Dubmarine” is the second release from Future Oceans Echo, due out April 15th, and available everywhere you stream music.

James Singleton | "Malabar"

James Singleton is one of the most in demand bass players in New Orleans. This is, of course, saying quite a lot. But it’s no exaggeration. At 66 years old, Singleton has accompanied everyone from Chet Baker, Ellis Marsalis, and Charlie Rich to John Scofield and James Booker. But he is much more than a reliable sideman. Singleton is a core member of Astral Project, a group that OffBeat has called “the finest modern jazz ensemble in New Orleans,” and since 2016, Singleton has performed and recorded as a founding member of the lauded Nolatet. Perhaps even more significantly Singleton has ventured far beyond New Orleans and into the farther reaches of creative music and improvisation, collaborating with Chicago jazz experimentalists Charles Rumback, Jim Baker, and Greg Ward on recordings for the venerable underground label Astral Spirits.  

It is for all these reasons that Malabar, Singleton’s new full-length recording as a band leader, is something of a miracle. 

Malabar marks the first time on vinyl for Singleton’s compositions, and the session was executed by a stellar and versatile sextet employing trumpet, electronics, guitar, vibraphone, saxophone, clarinet, flute, and of course Singleton’s commanding and adventurous bass playing. At times sweeping and romantic, at other moments chaotic, Singleton’s writing––and leadership––allows for the players to stretch out, but never beyond an engaging and fully engaged sense of narrative. We may not be sure exactly what the story is, but there is nothing other than fierce focus in the dramatic and soulful sense with which these players execute the narrative’s implications. 

The music on Malabar will likely call to mind Dave Holland’s Conference of the Birds, Charles Mingus’ Black Saint and the Sinner Lady or Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra. But Malabar is no throwback to 1963 or 1973. Singleton’s vision is firmly cast, forward and up. And the work here has as much to do with the aforementioned Chicago experimentalists and some of their cohorts like Luke Stewart, Ken Vandermark, and Rob Mazurek. Malabar is another chapter, a brililant new chapter in James Singleton’s evolving songbook, and one that will be remembered as such for years to come.

Lynne Arriale Trio | "The Lights Are Always On"

The Lights Are Always On is pianist/composer Lynne Arriale’s 16th album as leader, and her third recording on Challenge Records International.  Lynne’s original music is a suite of compositions that reflect the world-wide, life-changing events of the past two years. Several of the pieces are named in honor of heroes around the world, including those who served as caregivers on the front lines of the COVID pandemic and as defenders of democracy. 

On this session Lynne is joined by bassist/co-producer Jasper Somsen and drummer E.J. Strickland, both outstanding, in-demand musicians on the international jazz scene. The trio creates the sort of engrossing musical conversation that has become a trademark of Lynne’s groups.

Lynne’s ten original, highly evocative compositions begin with the persistent Afro-Cuban influenced “March On,” a tribute to activists worldwide. “The Lights Are Always On” features a lyrical melody in perpetual motion; the foundation of a thematic arc that soars over the entire piece. It is followed by the jubilant, gospel-influenced “Sisters.” Lynne’s dedication to Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, “Honor,” is the melding of two engaging melodic ideas; each reinforcing the other. Together they convey the heroic character and unwavering strength of this American patriot.  “Loved Ones”expresses joyful appreciation for those who are precious to us. 

The set continues with “Sounds Like America,” where Lynne creates an optimistic melody and solo, culminating in a celebratory chordal finish. “The Notorious RBG,” is an exuberant dedication to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, assertively propelled by drummer E.J. Strickland. Following that, Lynne and Jasper deftly navigate the angular harmonic construction of “Into the Breach,” Lynne’s ominous remembrance of the January 6th Insurrection and the heroes that saved democracy on that day. “Walk in My Shoes,” a dedication to civil rights icon John Lewis, reflects the tenacity and strength of this remarkable leader. Lynne begins her solo with two motivic statements, which she skillfully integrates into a cohesive, powerful performance. The album concludes with “Heroes”, a heartfelt ballad composed in recognition of those who enlightened a very dark period in our history, and who embody the greatest humanistic virtues of mankind. 

The title of the project was inspired by Dr. Prakash Gada, an esophageal and robotic surgeon in Tacoma, Washington. Lynne explained, “This collection was inspired by the doctor and all front-line health care workers. For me, Dr. Gada crystallized the workers’ heroism; each day bearing the risk of personal infection, and enduring the emotional toll of staggering caseloads presented by this global crisis. Nevertheless, the doctor said, ‘Here I am back at work after COVID...I fled Kuwait after the invasion. No matter what happens, no one works at home. The lights are always on. Babies are being born; bones are being set. This hospital, this profession…..we are in a league of our own; we’ll take care of you, I promise. I stand next to the most fearless people I have ever seen.’ ”

“Dr. Gada’s words deeply moved me and evoked memories of 9/11. In the aftermath of that attack, I remembered the rescue workers who ran into the towers without hesitation or concern for their personal safety, and thought, ‘Who are these angels?’ Clearly, the angels of our time are Dr. Gada and all health care workers, professionals and volunteers alike, who battle COVID-19.

Lynne won the Great American Jazz Piano Competition.  Her 15 critically acclaimed  albums  have topped the Jazzweek Radio Charts and  have received  “Best of” honors in major publications. She toured Japan with “100 Golden Fingers” with Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones, Monty Alexander, Cedar Walton, Kenny Barron, Harold Mabern, Roger Kellaway, Junior Mance and Ray Bryant. 

She has performed at major international festivals including Montreux, Burghausen, Gilmore, Spoleto Arts, Montreal, Monterey, North Sea, Stuttgart, Pori, San Francisco, Ottawa, Zagreb, Perth, Brisbane, Rouen, Sardinia, Rochester, Wigan, Poznan, Estoril, Inverness, Cork and San Javier.

Fabian Willman Trio | "Balance"

On his debut album, Balance, Berlin saxophonist Fabian Willmann immediately gets down to business. The opening track bears the businesslike title, "Intro". And indeed, with just a few simple tones, he foreshadows what emerges over the course of the album. Fabian Willmann is a trenchant narrator who, using a sonorous tone and a fearless narrative approach, strips himself down to the essentials, yet with something to say in every breath. 

The experience of following Willmann's music is akin to that of reading Marcel Proust's epic novel, In Search of Lost Time, not because the album is that sprawling – the contrary is actually the case here – but rather because he rappels himself down into an imaginary past with the subtle means of poetic expression, arriving directly in the here and now. Willmann's clear tone on the tenor saxophone recalls the best eras of a Dexter Gordon or a Stan Getz. On the other hand, the rhythmic meshing contributed by bassist Arne Huber and drummer Jeff Ballard is starkly modern. As opposed to a dichotomy, this implied contrast creates a unity that fully corresponds to the essence of this Berlin-based saxophonist, who radiates restrained calm while still making it unmistakably clear that he knows exactly what he wants. 

Willmann has been connected to Jeff Ballard since he was a student in Basel. He has always been captivated by the dynamics that the drummer can unroll, especially in trio situations. Arne Huber has partnered up with Willmann within various contexts. With Ballard and Huber, Willmann could envision a stable, equilateral triangular formation in which both playful and impulsive parts could be distributed in a balanced way. Fourth in the group for several pieces is the Danish alto saxophonist Asger Nissen, who harmoniously takes up Willmann's idiom from a complementary direction. The two saxophonists dance around and complete one another so elegantly that while listening, it is often difficult to identify who is making what tone. 

Willmann had the sound of these combinations in his mind’s ear before he started writing the pieces. "With these personalities in mind, I wanted to keep the pieces themselves as simple as possible in order to allow the trio’s sound to better develop," Willmann recalls about the genesis of his album. "Simple not in the sense of easy, but rather to limit myself while composing in order to be as free as possible while playing. The less I assigned to and the cleaner the compositions, the more could be created in the room with the three to four musicians." 

For Willmann, freedom always goes hand in hand with self-reflection. He considers spontaneity and control not as a contradiction, but rather as interdependent. At any given moment in his musical stories, he knows exactly where he is and what he has to say. Precisely because of this conscious vigilance, he is always able to give free rein to the music itself. As a saxophonist, he has a broad virtuoso vocabulary, but he deliberately uses only the means he needs in order to make the statement he wants. This concentration on what is necessary is extremely unusual for a debut album, but it is precisely this poised access to his imaginative mental and physical instruments that is Willmann's particular strength. His approach is devoid of any chatter, redundancy, or showing off. In this respect, Balance comes across as a kind of self-portrait. "I'd rather make a clear statement than hide the message somewhere in the saxophone" is his courageous credo. "The album’s title Balance doesn't imply shying away from extremes, for me it's more about the contours. The fact that different elements are balanced gives me a satisfying gut feeling of restraint." 

As is well known, jazz has many facets, and concrete classifications only make sense in very few cases. This also applies to Fabian Willmann's music, because it conveys much more about himself and the musicians involved than it does about historical derivations in jazz. Nevertheless, a certain proximity to the attitude of cool jazz cannot be dismissed out of hand. This applies less directly to the music itself – which was especially prominent in the 1950s with musicians such as Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Lee Konitz or Art Farmer – than it does to its aura. The album title, Balance, is also an apt motto for the record in that Willmann finds a balance between his influences – which he does not disclaim – and the genuine statements that only he himself can make. From the very first note up to the end of the album, the saxophonist and his companions leave no doubt that they not only know exactly where they come from, but also where the journey should go. 

Taking a break while breaking forth, breaking forth while taking a break: Fabian Willmann finds the perfect balance between perception and memory. He is a subtle chronicler of the eternal moment, finding the right tone for his debut as a leader in order to make himself undeniably heard. Indeed, Balance is the album we've all been waiting for. 

John Scofield | "John Scofield"

With a career spanning over half a century, marked by influential collaborations with jazz greats like Miles Davis and Joe Henderson as well as several dozen genre-bending leader dates, it’s all the more striking that this is in fact John Scofield’s first ever guitar-solo recording. The long wait, however, pays off, as John is able to benefit from his decades of experience and charts an intimate path through the styles and idioms he has traversed up until today. He is not entirely all on his own on this endeavour though: the guitarist enters into dialogues with himself, soloing to his own tasteful chordal and rhythmic accompaniment via loop machine. 

“I think that there’s a delicateness that I have acquired from playing at home alone," Scofield has recently said in conversation with The Boston Herald. “I am so used to playing with a slamming band […] and there’s a certain musicality to that. That went away and was replaced by this more delicate approach of pinpointing the beauty of the strings. When I play solo, I make these little guitar loops on the fly, […] and it’s almost like I’m playing with another person.” 

Not uncommon for self-titled recordings, a deeper meaning can be read into choosing the album name John Scofield, as John digs deep into the past, all the way back to his roots and the heroes of his youth. The result is a balanced and thorough picture of the musician, tying together the music that shaped him and that he has subsequently continued to influence and forge himself.  

“When I was a kid the guitar was the instrument of rock and roll and popular music, that’s what I was interested in," Scofield explains. In that spirit, he effortlessly pulls Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” from a hat, giving an edgy and laid-back rendition of the hit Holly wrote six years after Scofield was born. John reaches even further back with Hank Williams’ “You Win Again," released when Scofield was just a year old, in 1952. 

John’s main emphasis throughout the years, however, has remained his deep commitment to the jazz tradition, and here he grabs a number of standards off the rack and gives them unique interpretations. His comments on each song are included in the liner notes accompanying this release, where he reveals his fondness for Kenny Dorham’s take on “It Could Happen to You." John’s own version is a swinging affair with a deft key-change halfway through. He also reminisces about his first recording date, backing up Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker on “There Will Never Be Another You” and his pass at the song proves a nimble and compact adventure. An especially minimalist take on the Arthur Johnston and Sam Coslow-penned “My Old Flame” follows – John turns off the loop machine for this one. 

The guitarist has filled a fair share of albums with his own writing – its tuneful qualities and inviting singability having the same timeless character as jazz standards. “I never think about ideas when I write music," John reflects. "Instrumental music exists in a different part of your brain, it’s not about an idea that can be described with language or visually. Music exists in its own place." 

His compositions are among the highlights of this set: Scofield renders “Honest I Do," which he originally wrote and recorded in 1991, into a soulful ballad, explored with experimental guitar tones. “Mrs. Scofield’s Waltz” is dedicated to his wife, who in turn gave “Since You Asked," a song John initially recorded with Joe Lovano in 1990, its name. “More of a feeling than an actual composition” – in the words the guitarist – “Trance Du Hour” is his “version of '60s jazz à la Coltrane." It maintains the same high level of energy as his blues “Elder Dance” does. 

Along with traditionals “Danny Boy” and “Junco Partner," John delivers a haunting and somewhat oblique interpretation of Keith Jarrett’s “Coral” – Scofield’s version doesn’t introduce the song’s main theme until the very end. They complete this graceful solo venture, recorded in Katonah, New York in August 2021. 

John Scofield’s ECM appearances to date include two albums with Marc Johnson’s Bass Desires group – Bass Desires (recorded 1985) and Second Sight (1987) – in which the guitarist shared frontline duties with Bill Frisell. On Shades of Jade (2004), a third Marc Johnson album, Scofield is heard alongside frequent colleague Joe Lovano. The live double album Saudades (recorded in 2004), meanwhile, features Scofield as a member of Trio Beyond, alongside Jack DeJohnette and Larry Goldings, reassessing the songbook of Tony Williams’ Lifetime. After 2020’s Swallow Tales, John Scofield is the guitarist’s second ECM recording as a leader.

Tord Gustavsen Trio | "Opening"

Tord Gustavsen’s album Opening develops the traits and styles explored on his earlier works, while introducing a broader spectrum of suppleness and a transformed sense of interplay to the trio’s repertory. It is the first Gustavsen Trio recording with Steinar Raknes on bass and the newcomer feels quite at home supporting his colleagues in the deep end, settling in quickly between Tord’s refined chordal studies and Jarle Vespestad’s delicate stick- and brushwork. 

There’s a particularly striking openness to the music, marked by spacious improvisations and a tendency to reveal the secrets and melodies at their own pace. “The urge for saying something, be it abstract or lyrical, has to come from within,” Tord reasons. “During the recording of the album it felt better to do the breathing first, open up the soundscape in more organic ways and let the melody enter when it comes naturally.“ 

Multiple causes may account for the shift in temperament on Opening – the change in lineup certainly being one of them. Bassist Steinar Raknes establishes a firm counterpoint in the music. “He’s an extroverted bass player, who likes to take center stage, while also being an incredibly supportive and humble accompanist, so he moves very swiftly between background, collective and soloist roles.” An ideal counterbalance to the variable basslines, Jarle’s percussive rumination acts as a mediator, guiding his fellow musicians through alternating straight-ahead and rubato passages. 

Here more than ever Tord dwells on minuscule fragments, brief chord chains and scarce hints of motifs, developing the material patiently: “It’s something I’ve been doing a lot in solo concerts. Having themes just appear out of the dark and disappearing back into a shady undercurrent…” 

In a way picking up where the prior trio album The Other Side left off, album-opening "The Circle“ presents a hymnal refrain, fashioned with a humble design. “I was sitting at the piano and the first four bars just came to me. I worked out and developed the remaining structure deliberately, but more and more I find that the best tunes I’ve written over the years basically just came to me, like gifts. I then have the responsibility to shape the gift, make it grow and turn it into a complete piece”. 

The trio offers spontaneous moments of dense rubato interplay on “Opening” and “Findings," the latter of which ends on an instrumental quote of the Swedish folk song “Vis Fran Rattvik," “It shows that I was listening to the classic Swedish Folk-tune arrangements by the late Jan Johansson, who also happened to be one of the greatest Swedish jazz pianists. I’ve been learning many of his arrangements by heart, just as an exercise, and that influence is in evidence here." These are also the most freely improvised exhibits of the record, as is counterpart “Findings II." “I really enjoy building these miniatures — it’s something we often do in live situations. It’s about creating a shape, not about free improv in the sense of showing everything you’re capable of doing," 

With each song, the trio shifts focus, presenting the reduced, most skeletal shape of a composition on “The Longing," the gentle untangling of melody on “Shepherd Song” and the subtle deconstruction of a dance with “Helensburgh Tango” – “to the point where it almost doesn’t qualify as a tango anymore." Like “Re-opening," most songs have prescribed harmonic changes and general shapes, “but when to move from one chord or section to the next isn’t pre-composed, but decided between us, in the spur of the moment." 

“Stream” uncovers a ‘classic’ piano trio ballad in shape and execution. “Though seemingly counterintuitive, in the studio our interplay grew densest during Steinar’s solo, then we move into a collective crescendo – both spontaneous decisions that really shed a different light on the track.” “Ritual” follows, seeing Steinar taking the lead with guitar-like treble and Gustavsen being in charge of the lower frequencies, applying subtle electronics in the process. 

The group goes full circle with the one subject that pulls through Tord Gustavsen’s entire ECM oeuvre, as Opening closes with Norwegian folk themes: “Fløytelåt” (the flute) by composer Gveirr Tveitt and Egil Hovland’s “Vær sterk, min sjel” from the Norsk Salmebok, the Norwegian Hymnal. Instead of stating the obvious and immediately going for the melody, Gustavsen and his accompanists again broach the songs with openness, trading strict organization for thoughtful and effortless improvisation. 

Opening was recorded in Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo in November 2021 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Alune Wade | "Sultan"

France-based Senegalese Bassist, Vocalist and Composer Alune Wade Releases "Sultan" Featuring Lenny White, Harold López-Nussa, Christian Sands, Leo Genovese and More

Few artists would dare to tackle quite such a kaleidoscope of music styles and accompanying socio-political issues in the space of 12 songs and 66 minutes. And yet France-based Senegalese virtuosic bassist, vocalist and composer Alune Wade, who’s worked with Joe Zawinul, Marcus Miller, Oumou Sangare, Bobby McFerrin, Youssou N’Dour and others, achieves this with effortless mastery on Sultan, his fifth solo album in 15 years.

The epic dozen-song Sultan, which represent 12 chapters of a voyage, features Wade’s onstage band, including percussionist Adriano Tenorio DD, pianist and keyboardist Cédric Ducheman, trumpeter Carlos Sarduy, saxophonist Hugues Mayot and drummer Daril Esso. The 43-year-old Wade is also accompanied by many high-profile guest stars who have been regular accomplices in Wade’s storied music career: Paco Séry, Cyril Atef, Lenny White, Josh Deutsch, Ismail Lumanovski, Hein Benmiloud, Mustapha Sahbi, Nasriddine Chebli, Harold López-Nussa, Christian Sands, Leo Genovese, Bobby Spark, Daniel Blake, Faris Ishaq and others. The guest artists help to expand the voices of Nora Mint, Seymali, Mounir Troudi, PPS the Writah, Aziz Sahmaoui, Mehdi Nassouli and Djam.

The seeds for Sultan were planted while Wade was wrapping up his fourth album, 2018’s African Fast Food, which included “Pharaoh’s Dance,” a song he says allowed a peek into what he’d been wanting to develop for some time.

“In 2018, I was fascinated by a potential meeting between the musics of East Africa – notably Ethiopia – and Egypt,” Wade says from his home base in Sartrouville, near Paris. “My ensuing travels – and there were many – allowed me to meet artists from the diaspora that you find in New York and Paris. This dynamic melting pot was enriched by my passion for jazz, highlife and Afrobeat. So, I just went deeper and deeper into my private musical laboratory, seeking to fuse these styles without losing any of their respective textures.”

But Wade’s reflections go well beyond mere music spheres. He has always displayed a sensitivity to the historical, social and political turmoil of our times and these infuse these 12 songs, as explained in the adjoining liner notes: “I have never stopped reading. And I decided to go on a philosophical mission based on Africa’s untold history: I wanted to recount it in another way, take off layers of revisionism, inch closer to the original sources.”

The COVID-19 lockdown gave him some breathing space in an Ile-de-France home shared by his partner and their child. Wade’s vision sometimes strayed the Mother Continent’s diaspora: “I read a book on the Falasha and their tragic uprooting and experiences in Israel. Its author, French Senegalese intellectual Tidiane N'Diaye reflects on the deep injustices and mistreatment these Ethiopian Jews went through in their odyssey, both at home and in the country that ‘welcomed’ them. Despite this, however, it made me feel that there remains an unbreakable link between Africa and the Middle East. I’ve been trying to expand on it.”

Wade’s focal point with Sultan was Tunisia. A 25-day residency supported by the Institut Français de Tunis kickstarted the project in January 2021. His residential villa in La Marsa, next to the Tunisian capital, became a rehearsal base for Wade and mercurial vocalist Mounir Troudi. The latter helped the former assemble the leading lights of the country’s traditional music scene.

“It was a true discovery for me. I had been more acquainted to Moroccan and Algerian sounds. But much had familiar echoes: the Stambouli style, for example, mirrors the diasporic culture of the Gnawa, a music I’ve grown to embrace over the years.”

Once the rehearsals consolidated the crossover experiments Wade sought, he took them to Tunis’ modern Arpège studios. He then left the Mediterranean shores to share them in New York and Paris with multi-Grammy winning producer/engineer/mixer Nic Hard (of Snarky Puppy, The Klezmatics, Elizabeth Chan and-a-plethora-of-others fame). Hard used his years of experience to knead the long explorations of this bass conductor into cohesive whole.

This tapestry now goes by the name of Sultan. It’s an Arabic name both masculine and feminine newborns, a word used not only in Arabic but also Turkish, Bengali, Avar and Urdu. This royal image and figure suits Wade to a tee: a graceful confidence, a calm authority, and an intensity that his bass playing echoes throughout these 12 musical chapters.

Like all wise leaders, he has surrounded himself with accomplices who shoulder the responsibility Wade delegates, entering a creative dialogue that he has the secret of. These outside artists have been part of the illuminati from Paris’ world music sphere for decades. They do honor to the restless explorations of an artist whose initial inspirations balanced delicately along a fine invisible line - between the creative artistry of his conductor father and the down-to-earth realism of his nurturing mother.

While Sultan represents 12 chapters of a voyage, Wade has been on own journey of sorts since he began on guitar as a child, egged on by an inspirational father who, at the time, was conducting Senegal’s Symphonic Army Orchestra. Precociousness was Wade’s middle name. Within years, he learnt scales for the piano, guitar and bass. Ismaël Lo’s bass player, Samba Laobé N’Diaye, lent him his first bass guitar at five and, irony of sorts, he took over from N’Diaye’s successor 12 years later. In 1999, he began his recording career at the singer’s side for Lo’s seminal albums, first with Jiguen and, two years on Dabakh.

This was just one of a list of collaborations Wade enjoyed over the decades. They read like a who’s who from the worlds of jazz and crossover music: Joe Zawinul, Marcus Miller, Oumou Sangare, Bobby McFerrin, Youssou N’Dour, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Harold López-Nussa, Lokua Kanza, Blick Bassy, Fatoumata Diawara… the list goes on. His inspirations – Weather Report, Charlie Parker, Salif Keita, to name but a few – reflect musical choices he made. Many were distilled in explorations with the aptly named University of Gnawa, an ‘institution’ Alune co-founded with the mesmeric Aziz Sahmaoui, the virtuoso singer and sinter player, formerly of L’Orchestre National de Barbès, also makes an appearance in Sultan.

Christian McBride | "The Q Sessions"

Seven-time GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz artist Christian McBride partnered with Qobuz, the Hi-Res streaming and download service, last year to produce The Q Sessions EP. Released exclusively through their streaming platform last year, the project is now available across all platforms.

The release comes on the heels of Christian McBride & Inside Straight's Live at the Village Vanguard album, as well as the GRAMMY® Award nomination for his 2020 Christian McBride Big Band release, For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver. Additionally, McBride is touring internationally through March and will return to the US with performances through the end of June. You can see a complete schedule here.

McBride visited NYC’s Power Station last year to record three start-to-finish Hi-Res songs commissioned by Qobuz. The project was created with top-notch equipment at 24-bit/192kHz quality, and the final product streams and downloads with the exact same sound, tones and touches in which it was first recorded. 

The EP features three McBride performances, played in a quartet with saxophonist Marcus Strickland, drummer Eric Harland, and guitarist Mike Stern. Comprised of one blues improv, one standard and one new original commissioned by Qobuz ("Brouhaha," a song inspired by the then-recent passing of Chick Corea), The Q Sessions was custom-designed for the jazz fans who turn to Qobuz for the best quality sound. This EP joins Qobuz’s already established catalog of exclusive content – expert penned “panorama” interactive essays, artist-created playlists, liner notes and lyric booklets – to add to the platform’s reputation for the best listening experience in the field. 

“What a pleasure it was to put together a special group featuring one of my favorite guitarists of all time, Mike Stern. It was a great day in the studio with Mike, Marcus and Eric – not only jamming a couple of tunes, but to also record a new original of mine, 'Brouhaha,'" said McBride.