Artur Tuznik Sextet - Spring (Nordic jazz)

SPRING - the debut album from the Artur Tuźnik Sextet - takes listeners on an engaging, reflective journey through sounds, sensations and seasons in a program featuring new music that pays homage to the bandleader and composer’s greatest inspirations. The musical voices of the carefully chosen contributing instrumentalists bring nine original tunes to life in a production that’s intimate, spiritual, and offers something for audiences of all backgrounds.

Polish pianist and composer Artur Tuźnik (born 1989) has been based in Copenhagen, Denmark since 2008 and is one of only a few musicians to have studied at both the “classical” (Royal Danish Academy of Music) and “jazz” (Rhythmic Music Conservatory) schools in the Danish capital. His fascination with both sprawling genres is evident in his virtuosic playing, but also in his compositions. As a pianist, Tuźnik is known for his work with drummer Thomas Blachman, Thomas Agergaard, Tomasz Stanko, Chris Cheek, and Tony Malaby among many others. He’s written commissioned pieces for the Classical Days festival in Holstebro and his work as a composer has been celebrated by international audiences and reviewers alike.

The lineup of musicians he’s selected for his sextet reads like a modern all-star band of Scandinavian-based players: American tenor saxophonist Ned Ferm, who has called Copenhagen home since 2001 (known for his work with Roswell Rudd and Kurt Rosenwinkel); Norwegians Erik Kimestad on trumpet (a member of Kresten Osgood’s Quintet), Simon Albertsen on drums (Espen Berg Trio, WAKO); Swedish trombonist Petter Hängsel (Danish Radio Big Band, Horse Orchestra); the legendary Danish bassist Anders “AC” Christensen (Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band, Tomasz Stanko). Each of the soloists shines on this album that is thick with highlights.

The songs were recorded in The Village Recording Studio in Copenhagen in early 2020 (just pre-pandemic) by Thomas Vang, and later mixed and mastered by Brian Massaka. The band set up and played together in the same room - a decision made by Tuźnik in order to create a musical intimacy among the players and bring that sound to listeners. That incredible closeness is present throughout this album that absolutely sparkles with creative joy while it inspires nuanced nostalgia.

The first four songs (Road to Nowhere, January, Spring, Tales From The Road) are all interconnected and are based on unique harmonies and forms. Material from Road to Nowhere and Spring are referenced in Tales From The Road - a solo piano piece that functions as an overview for the first part of the musical journey. The next part of the journey kicks off with the enchanting Lazy Song - a tenor saxophone feature that allows both Fermand Tuźnik to soar on the moving minor mood. Christensen plays the band into the energetic, tidal rubato flow of Monday with a meditative bass solo and the album goes to another new place on Water - a tune that follows the theme down a stream that develops into a babbling brook and later becomes roaring rapids. The album’s final selection, Monstera Deliciosa, is a return to the group’s “swing” mode.

The Artur Tuźnik Sextet has officially arrived in 2022 with an album that reminds us of the interconnectedness of the composer’s influences and tunes that put his clear appreciation for nature, spiritualism, and musical beauty front and center. The melodic, harmonic, and structural flow of the music whisks listeners away on a journey that’s engaging, entertaining, and peppered with provocative, natural tension and resolution. SPRING deserves to be heard multiple times to fully grasp its depth, and as the detailed layers of meaning unfold with each listening experience, audiences can look forward to understanding more about the Artur Tuźnik Sextet and its musical mission.

"Spirit Of France" - obscure, rare spiritual jazz, deep folk and psychedelia sounds from the French ‘70s - ‘80s underground

Obscure, rare spiritual jazz, deep folk and psychedelia sounds from the French ‘70s - ‘80s underground.

‘Spirit of France’ is an anthology celebrating the French artists whose total desire not to belong to a particular trend expanded their horizon by pushing the boundaries of creative music. Recording in caves during the full moon, or in the open air in Ibiza to celebrate the sun - with flutes, cromorne (French woodwind reed), darbouka and hurdy-gurdy, or with fascinating, unusual, artist-build instruments, with sounds heavily influenced from Indian, African, Arabic, Eastern and Malagasy cultures, this is what makes this compilation so unique. 

Freedom of expression, experimental creativity and collaboration constitute the fuel for these hand picked artists – similar to Don Cherry’s influence on Colin Walcott and Kahil El’Zabar (in the field of jazz), and folk background artists like Robbie Basho and Sandy Bull; in Europe, the same approach was manifested in Italy with bassist Marcello Melis, the Sardinian singers from the Gruppo Rubanu, Aktuala and Futuro Antico. In France, Cossi Anatz, Nu Creative Methods and Sonorhc were also echoing the same approach. 

‘Spirit of France’ – a project that was several years in the making, is dedicated in unearthing more than just curiosities, instead focusing on never been reissued, obscure, self-released music. Carefully curated by Spiritmuse Records’ Mark Gallagher and Thea Ioannou, and joined by young French digger Tom Val, ‘Spirit of France’ is an anthology of obscure spiritual jazz and its’ relationship with deep folk in the ‘70s - ‘80s French multi-cultural melting pot underground scene.

The album’s aim is evident from the outset, with Rémy Couvez’s aptly named ‘Rêve de Voyage’, illustrating the theme’s quest for imaginary folklore, continued with Workshop de Lyon, Jef Gilson – France’s spiritual jazz giant, Sylvain Kassap, Noco Music, Pân-Râ, L’Empire des Sons, Ghédalia Tazartès, and the mysterious Adjenar Sidar Khan. Some of these artists remain unacknowledged, yet they’re all extraordinary heroes of the French music avant-garde scene. 

‘Spirit of France’ is a journey of imaginary folklore, blending spiritual jazz influences and deep folk, celebrating the unique sounds of the French avant-garde underground, at the crossroads of the tribal, the secular and the universal. 

New Music: Don Cherry, Miles Davis, John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, Chet Baker

Don Cherry - Where Is Brooklyn & Eternal Rhythm Revisited

Two Don Cherry classics – back to back in a single set! Where Is Brooklyn is easily one of the most powerful albums ever cut by Don Cherry – a searing set of tracks done for Blue Note in the late 60s – and featuring some tremendous tenor work by Pharoah Sanders! There's a tightness and level of energy here that surpasses even Cherry's other excellent Blue Note sessions – a rawness that recalls the style forged often on key ESP albums of the 60s, but honed here into a slightly tighter mode. Sanders' horn is especially well-placed in the set – and pushes Cherry past the spacier notes of other recordings, in a way that unlocks fire from the years with Ornette – but which opens up into a much freer groove. The rest of the group includes Henry Grimes on bass and Ed Blackwell on drums – both a perfect match for the quartet – and titles include the 17 minute "Unite", plus "There Is A Bomb", "Awake Nu", "Taste Maker", and "The Thing". Eternal Rhythm is one of Don Cherry's most hypnotic albums ever – a full album-length performance that features one of his first experiments with mixing jazz and global elements! The set was captured at the 1968 Berlin Jazz Festival – and mixes Cherry's amazing work on cornet, flute, and a myriad of world instruments with key contributions from European improvisers who include Eje Thelin on trombone, Bernt Rosengren on tenor and oboe, Karl Berger on vibes, Joachim Kuhn on piano and prepared piano, and Albert Mangelsdorf on trombone! There's even a bit of gamelon elements in some of the music, and Sonny Sharrock plays guitar too – and although free at times, the music comes together with an amazing sense of cohesion by the end – a vision that would inspire others to move into new territory in the decade to come. ~ Dusty Groove

Miles Davis - Stockholm 1967 & 1969 Revisited

Miles Davis, recorded in Stockholm – two different shows with only two years between them – but almost a lifetime of difference in the way the music is presented! The 1967 show has the Miles Davis group still hanging onto the greatness of its classic mid 60s lineup – with Wayne Shorter on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Anthony Williams on drums – making the special kind of quickly-creative magic that really graced Davis in a live setting at the time – as they soar over versions of "Gingerbread Boy", "Footprints", "Agitation", and "Round Midnight". The 1969 show has the more electric side of Miles starting to show – partly in the use of electric piano from Chick Corea in the group – but also in the longer form of some of the tracks, which have that more open vibe that would mark the start of the 70s for Davis. Other players include Wayne Shorter on tenor, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – and titles include "Bitches Brew", "Masqualero", "Nevertiti", and "Paraphernalia". ~ Dusty Groove

John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman - John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (180 gram pressing)

A landmark album of vocal jazz – and one of the few sessions that John Coltrane ever cut with a singer! In a way, the album's more Hartman's than it is Coltrane's – given that Johnny's warm, mellow style of singing isn't as free and open as Trane at his most adventurous – but at another level, the album's got a great approach to Coltrane's gentler side, one that wasn't showing up on a lot of his Impulse albums of the time! Overall, the album's got an extremely haunting quality, and McCoy Tyner's piano adds as much to Hartman's hip voice as Coltrane's mellow tenor. Titles include some well-chosen moody standards – including "Lush Life", "Dedicated To You", and "Autumn Serenade". (Part of the excellent Acoustic Sounds series – heavy vinyl and cover!) ~ Dusty Groove

Chet Baker - Live In Paris – The Radio France Recordings 1983/1984 (180 gram 3LP pressing) (2022 Record Store Day Release)

Chet Baker in the 80s was a really wonderful thing – hardly the sound of an aging musician stumbling towards the end of his life, as so many others tend to paint this time – and instead, a continually-creative individual who was really finding ways to get around his losses and make some tremendous new sounds in the process! One of the greatest things about Chet during these years was his sense of an unusual style of group – and that's definitely the case here as he works on both recordings with a drum-less trio – the great French pianist Michel Grailler on both sets, and either Dominique LeMerle or Riccardo Del Fra on bass – the latter of whom is a player who appeared on some of the best Baker recordings of the final decade. Tracks are nice and long, filled with unusual changes, and some wonderful phrasing from Baker – very different than the early days, but equally beautiful! Titles include "Arbor Way", "Walkin", "Lament", "Just Friends", "Stella By Starlight", "Easy Living", "But Not For Me", and "Funk In Deep Freeze". (Hand-numbered limited edition – on heavyweight vinyl!) ~ Dusty Groove

Lou Pomanti & Friends

Multi award-winning Canadian music producer, arranger and composer Lou Pomanti presents a beautiful record featuring many of his illustrious collaborators. A stellar back-up band, phenomenal featured soloists and a "who's who" of vocalists performing ballads to big band, bossa-nova to blues, and plenty of soul. The album features Emilie-Claire Barlow, Randy Brecker, David Clayton-Thomas, Matt Dusk, Marc Jordan, Oakland Stroke, John Finley, Dione Taylor, Robyn Black, Larnell Lewis, Irene Torres, June Garber, Sam Pomanti, Scott Alexander, Lou Bartolomucci, Tony Carlucci, William Carn, Steve Heathcote, Chris Howells, John Johnson, Drew Jurecka, Jake Langley, Blair Lofgren, Jason Logue, Steve MacDonald, Bill McBirnie, John Panchyshyn, Prague Smecky Orchestra, Marc Rogers, Kathryn Rose, William Sperandei, and Simon Wallis.

Canadian Screen Awards (Gemini) winner Lou Pomanti is one of Canada’s most accomplished producers, composers, musicians and musical directors. Lou’s original music and performances are featured on soundtracks and recordings from some of Canada's biggest stars, and he has contributed playing, arrangements and productions to several Grammy-winning albums. In 1980 Lou received a call from David Clayton-Thomas to join the seminal jazz rock group Blood, Sweat and Tears and toured the world. It began a decades-long association including the role as producer on DCT’s “Soul Ballads” album for Universal Records. 1983 saw the beginning of Lou’s session career as the first call pianist/synthesist in Toronto. His playing and arranging has enhanced the recordings of Michael Bublé, Gordon Lightfoot and Anne Murray; as well as rockers Kim Mitchell and Triumph. He received a Gemini award for arranging and conducting “Both Sides Now” for Joni Mitchell’s induction to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Lou is known for his big band and string arrangements. He arranged the orchestra for Michael Buble’s smash hit “Haven’t Met You Yet”, which has sold over 7 million copies worldwide. He has 8 arrangements in total on Michael Bublé records. He has contributed to and/or produced recent albums by Marc Jordan, The Tenors, Matt Dusk, David Clayton-Thomas, June Garber, John Finley, Barbra Lica and many more.

Amanda Whiting | "After Dark"

Welsh harpist Amanda Whiting returns on Jazzman Records following on from her successful debut album ’After Dark’ (2021). New explorations and global changing events have led Whiting to ‘Lost in Abstraction’.The Reynolds/ Thorne/ Whiting trio is joined again by the mesmerising lines of flautist Chip Wickham, resuming their conversation reminiscent of Dorothy Ashby and Frank Wess.

‘Lost in abstraction’ was written during a  period of the unknown when Whiting, like most, explored her own sense of self.  The world  paused, with no timeframe, and the fragility of  life was laid bare. A time when humanity was left searching for purpose. Freedom and the dependable structures of familiarity were dissolved in most aspects of life. But music stayed constant. Creativity kept weaving its thread, connecting music and its makers in an indissoluble bond.

The album explores the questions and realisations whilst confined. The spiritual findings, the playful curiousness and the reflective moments of loss. Whiting’s writing indulges the listener with the spiritual ethereal washes of sound demanded of the harp, whilst also embracing her influences across many genres. Classically trained, her roots are evident.  But with an emotionally charged energy and spiritual questioning, a new  soundscape of modernity has emerged. 

So often associated with Ashby and Coltrane, the harp finds itself in the hands of a new voice which tells the story of a period of time where the world was unified in reflection. 

'Abstraction' is the second single taken from the album. Early support for 'Lost In Abstraction' comes from Huw Stephens on BBC 6 Music, China Moses and Tony Minvielle on Jazz FM and Twisted Soul amongst others.

Najee | "Savoir Faire"

“My life has been a series of pivotal events and circumstances that have gotten me to where I am,” reflects the fearless chart-topping Contemporary Jazz pioneer Najee. In a business where trends and artists come and go, the genre-bending saxophonist’s staying power is a rare blessing. The Grammy and NAACP award-winning musician’s genuine love for connecting with people, coupled with his consummate musicianship and sheer passion for music, have made him one of the brightest stars in Contemporary Jazz for close to four decades. “I heard this beautiful saying once,” explains the Zen saxophonist who has collaborated with Prince, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and Herbie Hancock, among others. “It said that some people meet their destiny while traveling on a road trying to avoid it. I recall as a young man contemplating the idea of changing directions and going into banking. Here I am still doing what I am doing because it’s what I am meant to do! Every day I wake up and I am grateful for my life and career.” Najee’s gratitude permeates every note on Savoir Faire, his newest recording out on Shanachie Entertainment May 13, 2022. Recorded during the pandemic, Savoir Faire, a Pan American excursion, found Najee enlisting friends from New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Connecticut, Florida, Sao Paulo and Rio, to honor a melting pot of influences. “I gave up worrying about disputes between genres a long time ago,” states Najee. “Duke Ellington said there are only two kinds of music: good music and bad music. So based on that I do not worry. People seem to forget that in the early days of jazz, the music was designed to make people dance. All of your experiences live inside you and they come out in your music. I just want to make good music and make it accessible for people to enjoy.” Fait Accompli on Savoir Faire!

Armed with a surplus of technical agility and firepower, Najee commandeers a magnificent 10-track journey that is a testament to his keen ability to assemble the right musicians in order to orchestrate unforgettable musical moments. Joining Najee on his 19th recording as a leader are Alyson Williams, Frank McComb, Chris “Big Dog” Davis, Barry Eastmond, Adam Hawley and Robert Herbert, among others. Savoir Faire opens with the album’s first single, the funk-drenched and mystical “Dr. Dolittle,” penned by pianist Frank Wilkins. Najee’s spunky soprano juxtaposed with Rohan Reid’s slaphappy bass and guitar and the gritty swinging horn section ceremoniously opens the album. “Luna” is the perfect showcase for Najee’s sublime, flawless and dancing flute. The track’s smooth rock-steady groove makes it hard to sit still. Pianist Mark Harris II wrote “Luna” and appears on the song. A welcome gem on Savoir Faire is Michael Henderson’s timeless R&B hit “Valentine Love,” featuring Alyson Williams and Chris “Big Dog” Davis. “The first time I heard ‘Valentine Love,’ it was covered by Norman Connors and Michael Henderson, who is a great bassist and songwriter. I have always loved the story and the chord changes,” admits Najee who was convinced that Williams and Davis would both put their own stamp on his version. “I knew they could make it special,” states the two-time Platinum-selling and four-time Gold-selling multi-instrumentalist. “Alyson Williams is like a modern day Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan. She’s a living legend, she’s brilliant and she is one of the most underutilized vocalists in the industry. I can’t say enough about Chris Davis who has this natural ability to take a song and re-harmonize and take it somewhere completely different.”

A highlight on Savoir Faire is the utterly delightful take on Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Happiness (A Felicidade)" produced by Robert Herbert featuring Bossa Nova Noites and Curtis King Jr. “I am truly a fan Brazilian music," confides Najee. “I had the pleasure of having Robert Herbert produce and co-arrange this track with Brazilian musicians in Rio and Sao Paulo, who live the music everyday. We also brought in Curtis King who is a great long-time session musician and singer. For me, flute and Brazilian music have a natural organic chemistry that is undeniable." Herbert also produced "Modern Lovers" (composed by Terri Lyne Carrington and Brenda Russell) featuring Frank McComb. "My association with Frank began 2002 when we first met in Mexico where he was performing,” reminiscences Najee. “He is a great keyboardist and vocalist. Both Rob and I felt that Frank was the perfect person to merge the cultures of the US and Brazil. He brings a unique talent to any record that he performs on. In this case, Frank was truly brilliant in the way he approached the song."

Najee’s warm, emotive and burly tenor takes center stage on the scintillating ballad “Isla Hermosa,” co-written with Barry Eastmond who also plays percussion on the track. “Barry’s a great Grammy-award winning producer who has worked with Anita Baker, Al Jarreau, Freddie Jackson, George Benson and so many others. Our friendship goes back probably close to 30 years,” says Najee. The gale force winds of "Hurricaine" summon the funk edge of Najee's tenor and flute and a rockin’ horn section featuring Mike Parlett and Lee Thornburg. Najee enlists guitarist Adam Hawley for whom he holds a great deal of respect and adoration. Najee and company has got it all covered with “Bottom To The Top.” Najee’s flute calls to mind a “Memphis Underground” vibe as bassist David Dyson, who wrote the track, propels the groove to the outermost limits. The effervescent "Bounce" adds some unyielding fun and swagger to the unstoppable playlist and the sultry “Savoir Faire,” takes us to our final destination. “I made this album for the people,” Najee simply states. “I hope my fans will have a pleasurable experience and that they will hear what ‘Savoir Faire’ means, which is to live elegantly according to the best of the cultural norms or to know how to present something with elegance. That is my goal and I hope it came together well.”

When Najee was just a kid, he had the great fortune of meeting two iconic jazzmen: Sonny Rollins and Charles Mingus. The introductions, which left lasting impressions further led him down his musical path. “When I was about 14, I was playing on a school instrument and everyone in the house was covering their ears and saying ‘stop, stop!’ My mom noticed that it was my thing and my release and so she bought me my first saxophone,” recalls Najee. As I began to develop on my instrument, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Yusef Lateef and Hubert Laws became influences.” As Najee honed his skills he had the blessing of being mentored by iconic saxmen Jimmy Heath and Frank Foster and flutist Harold Jones. As an industrious and hungry young musician, Najee had the good fortune of coming through Dr. Billy Taylor’s now legendary Jazzmobile program. While a student at the New England Conservatory (where both Najee and his brother attended) he studied Jazz with luminaries George Russell and Jaki Byard. In the late 80s when Najee finished school and returned to New York, he landed a gig with Chaka Khan along with his brother, guitarist Fareed (who is his long-time manager).

In 1987 Najee's Theme was released and the saxophonist earned a slot on tour with singer Freddie Jackson. The following year, Day By Day was released, and in 1991, Tokyo Blue, which is one of Najee’s most successful and enduring recordings. Tokyo Blue (which was produced by Najee’s brother Fareed) and Day By Day both went Gold and led to two Soul Train Awards for Najee (Best Jazz Artist in 1991 and 1993). Just An Illusion came in 1992 and around the same time he collaborated with the iconic Quincy Jones, as well as with jazz greats Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham and Larry Carlton for the album Live At The Greek. 1994 saw the release of Share My World and the following year, Najee received critical praise for his tribute to Stevie Wonder's 1976 classic, Songs In The Key Of Life that was produced by George Duke and featured Herbie Hancock and Sheila E. among others. Najee’s CD Morning Tenderness, released in 1998, went to #1 on the contemporary jazz charts. The late ‘90s were marked by extraordinary international experiences, from performing at Nelson Mandela’s birthday celebration in South Africa to playing as a special guest of President Clinton at the White House at an event honoring President Jerry Rawlings of the Republic of Ghana. Najee also spent two years of touring (2001-2003) with Prince and appears on Prince’s albums Rainbow Children and One Night Alone. In 2003 Najee released Embrace, featuring special guests Roy Ayers and BeBe Winans. My Point Of View was his follow up in 2005 featuring his good friend and vocalist Will Downing. 2007’s Rising Sun joined Najee with Phil Perry and Mind Over Matter from 2009 paired Najee with singer Eric Benét. The Smooth Side Of Soul (Najee’s Shanachie debut) followed in 2012, successfully covering such diverse terrain as Jimmy Heath and Ne-Yo and the follow-up, The Morning After, arrived in 2013 debuting at #1 on the Billboard charts and exploring the many sides of love. You, Me & Forever was released in 2015 and united Najee with James Lloyd and Frank McComb among others.

In 2017 Najee released Poetry In Motion, dedicated to the memory of Prince and Al Jarreau and featuring an all-star line up including Maysa, Will Downing, Eric Roberson and Incognito. Center Of the Heart followed in 2019 garnering an NAACP Image award. The album showcased the smash singles “Speak Love” and “Face To Face” featuring Kenny Lattimore. Until the start of the pandemic, Najee enjoyed the successful launch of his own saxophone company called Chase of Winds. His first line was the Najee Platinum Series. “Unfortunately due to Covid and the inability to transport things from Asia, where most musical instruments are manufactured, I had to disband the company. However, as a saxophonist, I learned more from manufacturing saxophones than I ever did as a player,” confides Najee. “It was a great experience for me and an expensive one!” Although the line is discontinued, Najee has made it a point to pay it forward and has been donating his saxophones to students in need and to numerous charitable organizations.

A family man at heart, Najee shares that his greatest joy has been “being able to see my children grow up and live productive lives and go out into the world and make their claim. That for me is what makes life fulfilling and gratifying.” He continues, “I have always had family that has supported me and a brother (Fareed) who was there with me. We have always facilitated keeping one another held up, moving along and meeting challenges together.” As for what keeps Najee cranking out the hits. He concludes with a chuckle, “There is a saying that as musicians we never retire, we just stop hearing. I believe that physically, mentally and spiritually a musician has to love what he does and that inspires him to want to continue to grow and associate themselves with things that inspire them and keep them moving.”

Bluesman Joe Louis Walker Signs With Forty Below Records | New Music to be Released Fall 2022

Forty Below Records announces the signing of celebrated Blues and Roots musician Joe Louis Walker. A Blues Hall of Fame inductee and six-time Blues Music Award winner, NPR described Walker as “a legendary boundary-pushing icon of modern blues”. His 2015 release Everyone Wants a Piece was nominated for the Contemporary Blues Grammy. Walker dueted with B.B. King on his Grammy Award-winning Blues Summit album and played guitar on James Cotton’s Grammy winning album Deep in the Blues.

Regarded as one of the greatest bluesmen of his generation, Walker’s output spans the gamut of American Roots music. His playing "blows all over the map…gutbucket blues, joyous gospel, Rolling Stones-style rock crunch, and aching R&B. Walker’s guitar playing is fine and fierce." opines Billboard.

A brilliantly lyrical guitarist, soulful singer and prolific songwriter, Walker has toured extensively throughout his career, performing at the world’s most renowned music festivals and earning a legion of dedicated fans. He has recorded with Ike Turner, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal,  and Steve Cropper, opened for Muddy Waters and Thelonious Monk, hung out with Jimi Hendrix, Freddie King, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and was a close friend and roommate to Mike Bloomfield.

Walker’s 1986 debut album Cold Is the Night on HighTone Records announced his arrival in stunning fashion, and his subsequent output for Verve, Alligator, Hightone, and others has only served to further establish Walker as one of today's leading bluesmen. The New York Times raved, "Walker is a singer with a Cadillac of a voice. His guitar solos are fast, wiry and incisive, moaning with bluesy despair." Rolling Stone simply calls him "ferocious." Walker long ago earned his rightful place among the pantheon of legendary electric blues singer/guitarist/songwriters like B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Luther Allison. Blues Revue calls Walker "one of contemporary blues' most dynamic and innovative. musicians, releasing consistently exciting music... soulful, heartfelt and spellbinding." Living Blues effused, "His fretwork is indelibly stamped with his own trademark blend of emotional heat and impeccable precision. Even at his most flamboyant, Walker sounds as if he's playing ideas, not just notes. 

Already at work with Producer Eric Corne (John Mayall, Walter Trout, Sugaray Rayford), new music is expected this fall with a full-length album following in early 2023.

New Music: E Soul Cultura, Chris Greene Quartet, Eric Alexander Quartet, Black Mango

E Soul Cultura (Various Artists)

A really cool idea for a collection – a set that brings together vintage 70s tracks and more contemporary cuts – all with a globe-spanning ear for a groove, and an approach that's as heavy in soul as you'd expect from the title! This isn't your usual collection of sample tracks or funk classics – as the selection moves way past the obvious, and does a brilliant job of combining tracks we never would have thought to put together – while also introducing us to a number we'd never heard before too! Titles include "Every Time I See Him" by Metropolis, "Eva" by Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti, "O Galho Da Roseira" by Airto, "Apocalypse Now Ho" by Nar'Chiveol, "Wache" by Francisco, "After All" by Soylent Green, "Space Queen" by King Errison, "Robot Man" by Yusef Lateef, "Stay This Way (lunar dub)" by Brand New Heavies, "Le Train" by Chene Noir, "Southern Freez" by On, "The PL (ext edit)" by Typesun, and "Le Cyclope" by Daniel Humair, Francois Jeanneau, and Henri Texier. ~ Dusty Groove

Chris Greene Quartet - Playspace 2: Play Harder

Saxophonist Chris Greene just keeps maturing more and more as an artist and leader over the years – a quality you'll definitely hear even before he blows his horn, as he speaks a bit at the start of this live performance – then rolls into some really great work on both tenor and soprano sax, both horns that really show his strong development of an individual style in recent years! The quartet is rock-solid throughout, in that they're very responsive to Greene's leadership and change of mood from track to track – with work from Damian Espinosa on piano and keyboards, Marc Piano on basses, and Steve Corley on drums and percussion. Titles include the originals "Samba Fu Maga" and "Divers" – plus versions of "Caravan", "You Win Again", and "Omi". ~ Dusty Groove

Eric Alexander Quartet - Gentle Ballads 6

A great installment in this long-running series from tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander – a player who also picks up a bit of alto on the record too! As with the previous volumes, this is way more than just a set of sleepy ballads – as the presentation is way more than "gentle", and the music moves with some nice currents of soul – thanks in part to superb accompaniment from John Di Martino on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass, and Willie Jones III on drums! Alexander approaches the tunes in ways that really echo his roots on the south side scene in Chicago – using them as bare frameworks, really – never losing the melody, but also really constructing his own songs as well – and reminding us again that he's one of the greatest mainstream saxophonists to come our way in recent decades. Titles include "Bright Moments", "Estate", "So In Love", "Moon & Sand", "Hush A Bye", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life", and "Say It". ~ Dusty Groove

Black Mango - Quicksand

A really unique project from Philippe Samiguel – recorded in Bamako, where Samiguel has worked as a producer for many years – during which time he's pulled together ideas from all sorts of different projects, and forged them into a new groove of his own! Samiguel's worked most famously with Samba Toure – who's here on the record alongside other artists who include Hugo Race, Mariam Kone, Mamadou Sidibe, and others – working on music that has roots in Malian blues, Tuareg guitar, and other west African modes – but which has a quality that's also very much all its own. There's an experimental nature to the project that takes us back to some of the best global experiments from the early days of the Crammed label – and titles include "Are U Satisfied", "The First Tone", "Minamba", "Heaven Sands", "Mad Girl Lament", "Quicksand Blues", and "Golden Cage". ~ Dusty Groove

S-Tone Inc | “Body & Soul - The Disco Experience

With seven releases - including this one - on Schema Records and three - considering also the Cosmorama project - on Milano 2000, Stefano Tirone has tightened his collaboration with the Edizioni Ishtar group.

He is today one of the label’s most popular artists, with more than 300.000 monthly listeners and millions of plays of his acclaimed hits on Spotify - more than 3 million overall for his recent digital singles “Blow My Mind" and “No Meio Do Samba”. 

His previous full-length “Body & Soul” shows influences from the early ’90s British acid jazz scene and his deep love for the ’70s soul, Brazilian and jazz;music that constitute the basic foundations of the S-Tone Inc. sound. Here, instead of asking other artists to remix his tracks, Stefano has decided to do that himself, reworking in a nu-disco key the entire “Body & Soul” record, herein named “The Disco Experience”. 

The title and the graphic layout take us to a period in time between late ’70s and early ’80s when the artist as a teenager, completely absorbed by the sound of disco music, used to go to clubs and discotheques to listen and dance to those unmistakable sonic frequencies. In those years the American DJ Larry Levan and the Italian Mozart and Baldelli used to play their music in front of crowded disco halls, while record labels such as Prelude and Solar set the standards with artists such as D-Train, Sharon Redd, Whispers, Shalamar and their soulful vocals combined to strong basslines, funky guitars and uptempo rhythms. 

This is how “Body & Soul - The Disco Experience” was born, as an homage to the music that Stefano used to immerse in during those adventurous years, with a few exceptions: “No Meio Do Samba”, a tribute to the house sound of Frankie Knuckles in the early ’90s, and the two downbeat tracks “Flying Away”, with its essential R&B arrangement, and “Midnight Sun”, that keeps its cinematic mood but with a more funky attitude. “Odoya” is the only track remixed by The Invisible Session in a minimal spacey disco arrangement that fits perfectly with the overall sound of the album. 

Keith Oxman | "This One’s For Joey"

When acclaimed tenor saxophonist and educator Keith Oxman learned that one of his former students, bassist Joey Pearlman, had passed away in February 2021 at the age of 24, Oxman decided to create a recording paying tribute to the brilliant young man who’d already earned a place on the New York scene. The result is This One’s for Joey, out April 15, 2022 via Capri Records.

This One’s for Joey features Oxman’s quartet with pianist Jeff Jenkins, bassist Mark Simon and drummer Todd Reid, as well as Joey and his twin brother Stevie on the Coltrane standard “John Paul Jones,” recorded when the twins were 17. 

The album also features Joey’s composition “Garden Song,” written when he was Oxman’s student at Denver’s East High School. (Other jazz greats who’ve graduated from the school are the late trumpeter/cornetist Ron Miles, guitarist Bill Frisell, jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves and, in the early 1900s, bandleader Paul Whiteman.)

A highlight of the album is the Coltrane standard “John Paul Jones” featuring Oxman with bassist Joey and his twin brother Stevie on drums, recorded in June 2014 when the twins were 17. The album also features Joey’s composition “Garden Song,” written when he was in high school. Oxman says about this tune, ”Joey’s writing has great emotional depth and brilliance, no matter where the piece falls on a spectrum of relative complexity.”

Oxman penned the title track as well as six others. Jeff Jenkins, another of the twins’ teachers as a member of the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts (CCJA), wrote “Waltz for Joey” as well as “Kahlid,” a piece he composed for organist Larry Young. The remaining tunes are Oscar Levant and Edward Heyman’s “Blame it on My Youth,” famously recorded by both Nat Cole and later Chet Baker, and “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” the David Mann piece used as the title track from Frank Sinatra’s 1955 classic album. Performing are Oxman’s quartet with pianist Jeff Jenkins, bassist Mark Simon and drummer Todd Reid.

“After thirty years of teaching music, I can count a handful of accomplished students who were destined to accomplish great feats. Notable among those students was the brilliant bassist Joey Pearlman, whose music and personality brightened every day for us at East High School,” says Oxman. “Joey was taken from this world too soon. His presence brought joy to our music room as he challenged us with his brilliant compositions and performances. Joey’s musical influence on his classmates, as well as his one-of-a-kind sense of humor, had an undeniable and positive influence on what was really most important in our program: Human and musical interaction.”

Denver has a close-knit jazz scene and it’s because of that comradery this recording was made,” said Thomas Burns of Capri Records. “Most involved contributed their time and some their money to make this a reality.”

Other alumni of East High School include the late trumpeter/cornetist Ron Miles, guitarist Bill Frisell, jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves and, in the early 1900s, bandleader Paul Whiteman. 

Chris Standring | "Simple Things"

Sometimes it takes a potentially life-altering event to make you stop and re-evaluate what is truly important to you. In March 2021, guitarist, composer, and arranger Chris Standring found himself in the emergency room after experiencing chest pains.  He was having a heart attack. On his newest release, Simple Things, Standring reflects on his recent experience and his new and intimate awareness of the fragility of life. Standring relates, “We have all heard cliches like ‘who knows what tomorrow may bring’ and ‘don't forget to stop and smell the roses,’ but we usually don’t take those old aphorisms to heart. To suddenly come face to face with my own mortality made me think about what is really important to me and how I want to live out my third act. Ultimately the answer came down to a just few basic things -- spending time with loved ones, being present in the moment, and doing things with joy. Indeed, the theme of this album is joy, positivity, hope, and, because I'm a sucker for a beautiful melody, a little sadness as well.” Standring is one of the most prolific and successful artists on the contemporary urban jazz scene. 

Simple Things is his 14th release as a leader and follows his 2021 large ensemble album, Wonderful World, of which critic Travis Rogers said, “Wonderful World propels Chris Standring’s reputation—indeed, fame—as masterful guitar artist and savvy arranger. Standring’s ability to pare down standards and classics, while never losing the lush quality of the orchestra, is brilliant. Whether it is his composing, his arranging, or his performing, Chris Standring is deserving of careful attention.” Standring is a superb guitarist and composer with an innate feel for funky, bluesy jazz. For him, music should be emotionally authentic rather than an intellectual exercise or a demonstration of a musician’s proficiency. As Standring says, he is a sucker for a beautiful melody, which is quite apparent on Simple Things, an album with a lot of heart.

Album Personnel: CHRIS STANDRING  guitar, keyboards, programming / ANDRE BERRY bass / CHRIS COLEMAN drums / RODNEY LEE keyboards (6,10) / GARY MEEK sax  (10) / KEVIN AXT bass (4) / Produced & Arranged by CHRIS STANDRING   

Tracks: 1. SHADOW OF DOUBT  4:32 / 2. THANK YOU BOOTSY  4:49 / 3. CHANGE THE WORLD  3:34 / 4. A THOUSAND WORDS  5:36 / 5. FACE TO FACE  4:39 / 6. AIN'T NUTHIN' BUT A THING  4:44 / 7. THE GIST OF YOU  4:09 / 8. NO TWO WAYS  4:35 / 9. TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT  4:02 / 10. DONT GET ME STARTED  5:11 / 11. AND THE SHOW GOES ON  4:12

2023 Soul Train Cruise w/George Benson, Peabo Bryson, Deniece Williams, and many others

The Soul Train Cruise announces its 10th Anniversary Voyage, bringing back some of the most beloved artists who have sailed on the annual cruise over the past decade along with some who will be joining the cruise for the first time ever, including superstars Babyface and George Benson.  The 2023 Soul Train Cruise will take place from January 29 through February 5, 2023, departing from Ft. Lauderdale for Grand Turk, San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Half Moon Cay aboard the Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam. 

“This will be the 10th year I’ve spent surrounded by the Soul Train family for an incredible week of the greatest music, artists and fans,” says Cruise Host Tony Cornelius. “I’m ready for 10 more! When we launched the first sailing back in 2013, we knew this was a special way to honor and carry on Soul Train’s legacy. I’m so grateful that the fans have come aboard to celebrate the hippest cruise at sea.” 

“The unparalleled star power aboard every Soul Train Cruise over the past 10 years is a testament to the special place that Soul Train holds in the hearts of artists from across multiple generations,” adds Alan Rubens, StarVista LIVE Senior Vice President of Entertainment and Executive Producer of the Soul Train Cruise. “The lineup for the 2023 sailing represents that incredible past while looking toward an even bigger future. And our guests share that love for the iconic show, bringing the spirit and excitement of Soul Train to life every time we sail. It’s powerful and joyful and like nothing else.” 

Artists confirmed for the voyage include Babyface and George Benson, The Commodores, The Spinners, Peabo Bryson, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Midnight Star, Deniece Williams, Zapp Band,  Al McKay Allstars, One Way featuring Al Hudson, Sounds of Blackness, Al “Lil Fats” Jackson, The Honey Cone, Purple Reign – The Prince Tribute Show, The Urban Guerilla Orchestra, Cruise Host Tony Cornelius, Original Soul Train Dancers, comedians who will perform in The Soul Train Cruise Comedy Club and more. 

Guests aboard the 2023 Soul Train Cruise will experience seven days of Love, Peace, Soul, and nonstop celebration on the high seas, spending their days and nights with the stars during more than 50 live performances and over 25 celebrity interactive events. This vacation of a lifetime includes parties at the pool, gospel events, live interviews with icons and legends, Q&A sessions, dance classes with the original Soul Train dancers, wine tasting, costume parties and so much more. 

The cruise will take place aboard the Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam. Holland America is consistently voted the highest-rated premium cruise line in Conde Nast Traveler’s “Readers’ Choice Awards” and the “World’s Best” by Travel + Leisure. The ship features 11 passenger decks, premier dining options, lounges surrounded by panoramic views, the popular Greenhouse spa and salon with hydro pool as well as the award-winning fitness center. For the ultimate in comfort, spacious staterooms average 25% larger and private verandahs average 50% larger than typical ships. 

Cabin prices start at just $1,990 per person and include access to all of the major concerts, gourmet meals and daily events with the superstars.  Further information is available at www.soultraincruise.com or by calling 844-266-7685. 

Created by Don Cornelius, Soul Train has been an integral part of popular culture since its debut in 1970 and continues to be a vital force in entertainment with its all-star Soul Train Awards. Best remembered for its indelible cultural impact across music, dance and fashion, Soul Train is also one of the most successful shows ever created, holding the record for longest, first-run, nationally syndicated television show.

New Music: Jay Yoo / Mark Kazakevich, Joe Tatton Trio, Clinton Fearon, Michael Lemmo

Jay Yoo / Mark Kazakevich - Dual Unity

Dual Unity is a project where Jay and Mark explore extensive jazz harmony and creativity in a duo setting. Their debut album, 'Dual Unity' (2022), with the same name as the group, is an interactive piano and guitar jazz duo record, heavily influenced by Brazilian music and contemporary jazz. It features mostly original compositions, in addition to their own take on a classic instrumental swing standard, Voyage (K. Barron) as well as two Brazilian compositions, Insensatez (A.C. Jobim) and Quero Não (T. Maria). The album was recorded with both instruments in one large studio room, rather than in separate booths, in order to capture the intimate ambiance of a live performance. The project was inspired by the great guitar and piano duos past and present, including the likes of Bill Evans and Jim Hall, and Bill Frisell and Fred Hersch.The album will be officially released on Friday, May 13th on all streaming platforms, and we will have a release show at the Jazz Bistro, Toronto, at 8pm on Tuesday, May 31st, with special guests Jon Chapman on bass and Patrick Smith on saxophone. 

Joe Tatton Trio - Big Fish

Big Fish, the new album from the Joe Tatton Trio, is in large part a tribute to the legendary, late bluesman from Mississippi Mose Allison. Joe’s excellent piano skills allow him to imbibe the songs with that same ironic and humorous view of life as Allison, but updated to the 21st century.Joe Tatton is a pianist, organist, singer & songwriter who emerged from the diverse Leeds music scene around 2001, playing up and down the UK’s jazz, funk and soul clubs. He is a current member of famed quartet The New Mastersounds and has been playing with them for over 16 years. As part of NMS, Joe has recorded over a dozen albums and many singles, playing organ, piano and keyboard. During this time he has toured 8-9 months a year with the band, mainly in the USA but also across Europe and Japan too. Prior to this, Joe held down the keyboard role with UK jazz-funk kings The Haggis Horns, appearing on their first two albums Hot Damn! and Keep On Movin’. He’s also featured on piano and keyboards on the worldwide hit single “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae. Over the years Joe Tatton has played live sets with Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley as well as Art Neville, George Porter Jr. and Zigaboo Modeliste of The Meters. He’s always maintained his own trio under his own name as a side project, releasing singles and EPs via ATA Records (UK) and Color Red Music (USA).

Clinton Fearon - Breaking News

Clinton Fearon unveils a second single from his upcoming album! "Trod On" is a ballad in the land of love and positivity, honed to perfection on reggae rhythms. The new single is out now and available everywhere you stream music. With the new song, Clinton Fearon beams with positivity and blows a wind of hope and wisdom on whoever will listen. "Trod On" reflects the reggae pioneer's benevolence such that softens our daily life with his lyrics and his music. Always in the company his backing band, Riddim Source is composed of Xavier 'Kubix' Bègue on guitar, Julien 'Manjul' Souletie on backing vocals and percussion, Simon 'Saymon' Coutant on drums, Thomas 'Mato' Cirade on bass, and Muctaru Wurie on keyboards. Clinton Fearon accompanies the release of the single "Trod On" with a live session. The musical performance plunges us into the heart of the raw talent of these musicians who are in perfect osmosis with the awesome vocal power of Clinton Fearon. Watch here: https://youtu.be/86kUIDJ2Tu4.

Michael Lemmo - Blue Comet

While keeping his ultra-cool day job at Norm’s Rare Guitars in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley – from where his YouTube streaming show “Guitar of the Day” reaches over 500,000 subscribers – singer, songwriter and guitarist Michael Lemmo takes a powerful, stylistically expansive double-fisted approach to the official launches of his recording career with BLUE COMET. Produced by Paul Brown, the album boldly showcases two unique sides of his ever-evolving artistry. On the instrumental side, the guy whose influences range from George Benson to Eddie Van Halen shares his crackling, muscular, super rhythmic and melodic rock edged contemporary jazz fire. He intersperses these tracks with showcases of his singing and songwriting artistry that reveal a vocal artist of extraordinary sensitivity and soulful depth. All of this bodes well for an incredible career in Smooth Jazz and beyond! www.smoothjazz.com

Ciyo Brown | "Can We Pretend"

Born in Jamaica, Ciyo arrived in England at the age of eight months old. Though a high academic achiever qualifying as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and specialising in the area of Housing Law, music has always been a dedicated and professionally nurtured constant in Ciyo’s journey through life. Ciyo is also a University Lecturer in Law and a range of other academic subjects and also provides private guitar tuition.

From early beginnings Ciyo was taught to play the guitar at the age of nine by his late father Lorenzo Alexander Brown after which he studied Classical guitar for a short period. Throughout his illustrious career, Ciyo has participated in several different aspects of music to include theatre musicals, educational seminars and workshops, studio recordings and live performances. Ciyo’s career continues to take very interesting turns and he has increasing been asked to appear in musical settings in popular television series. This development has seen him appear in ‘Landscapers’ alongside Olivia Coleman, the period drama ‘Sanditon’ with the likes of Rose Williams, Crystal Clarke, Kris Marshall, Anne Reid, Jack Fox, Charlotte Spencer and Leo Suter, ‘A spy among friends’ alongside Damian Lewis and a live television performance on ‘The last leg’ alongside Alex Brooker, Josh Widdicombe and Adam Hills.

He has worked alongside a parade of internationally acclaimed artists. These have included Meli’sa Morgan, Glen Jones, Mica Paris, Melba Moore, Shirley Jones, Jean Carne, China Moses, YolanDa Brown, Omar, Linda Lewis, Tony Momrelle, Tara Minton, Jo Harrop, Judy Jackson, Imaani, Suggs, Caron Wheeler, Pauline Catlin-Reid (Shezzie), Soul II Soul, Jazz vocal sensation Vimala Rowe, Ann Nesby (Sounds of Blackness), Ruby Turner, Royal Wedding vocalist Paul Lee, Annie Lennox, Damian Flood, Leo Richardson, Alex Webb, Jason Rebello, Soca Queen Alison Hinds, Jazz Warriors, Tomorrow’s Warriors, Paul Weller, Talvin Singh, LCGC, East London Gospel Choir, Chevelle Franklin, Andy Hamilton, Chakademus and Pliers, The I-Threes – Marcia Griffith, Judy Mowatt and Rita Marley, Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, Urban Soul Orchestra, Alex Wilson, Sonny Okusons, internationally acclaimed jazz guitarists Jim Mullen, Martin Taylor, Giorgio Serci, Nigel Price, Dave Cliff, Femi Temowo, legendary James Brown saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis, Sly and Robbie, Freddie McGregor, Little Roy, Horace Andy, Steel Pulse and Carleen Anderson. Ciyo has also been appointed as Musical Director for a range or coveted artists to include the likes of Ronnie Laws, Billy Paul, Loose Ends, Hil St Soul, Johnny Clarke, Greg Kofi-Brown of Osibisa fame and Ann Nesby of Sounds of Blackness fame.

An in-demand musicians’ musician, Ciyo’s ongoing collaborative works cover a range of genres. His talent has enhanced iconic popular music alongside artists such as Roachford, Raghav, Shara Nelson, Soweto Kinch, to the ‘new psychedelia’ Brit-pop/folk influenced music of Bishi. Ciyo’s Jazz guitar contributions are also present in the genres of reggae and lover’s rock and can be found in his live and recorded work with many artists including John Holt, Carroll Thompson, Janet Kay, JC Lodge, Errol Dunkley, The Original Aces, Ken Boothe, Sugar Minott, Frankie Paul, Victor Romero-Evans, Ginger Williams, Christine McNab, Paul Dawkins, tradition, Bob Andy, Legendary Jamaican guitarist Earl ‘Chinna Smith’, Barry Biggs, Laurel Aitkin, Dennis Bovell, Cornell Campbell, Kiddus-I, Prince Jazzbo, Lorna ‘Sutara’ Gayle, Pam Hall, Jimmy Lindsay, Earl 16, Lukie D, Bushman, Susan Cadogan, Lorna Bennett, Kofi, Caron Wheeler, Pauline Catlin-Reid, Aleighcia Scott, Winston Reedy, Christopher Ellis and internationally acclaimed vocalist Luciano. Ciyo is credited as being THE first musician to perform Reggae at the Jazz Café, The Hideaway, The Pizza Express Jazz Club in Dean Street, The Hampstead Jazz Club and The Boisdale of Canary Wharf.

Ciyo has toured with Courtney Pine, Byron Wallen, Ronnie Laws, Jean Toussaint, Maxi Priest, Beres Hammond, Horace Andy, Cleveland Watkiss, Steel Pulse, Alex Webb’s Café Society Swing All Stars and a host of others to include Royalty in Lady Gabriella Windsor. He counts quality time spent with George Benson, Phil Upchurch, Martin Taylor and Joe Pass as being amongst his most inspiring experiences.

Special EFX featuring Chieli Minucci | "Twenty Twenty 2"

Celebrating a fortieth anniversary is a big deal, especially when it comes to the longevity of a band so, when the novel coronavirus forced contemporary jazz group Special EFX featuring Chieli Minucci to abandon their concert tour midflight in March 2020, Minucci retreated to his New York City home studio and began work writing, producing and recording an album to commemorate the outfit’s milestone occasion. “Twenty Twenty 2” was released on April 22.

Minucci, a three-time Emmy-winning and Grammy nominated guitarist-composer-producer-arranger, teamed with Hungarian percussionist George Jinda to form Special EFX in 1982, a bountiful partnership that ushered the band to the top of the charts, saw them embark on extensive concert tours with stops at some of the most prestigious jazz festivals in the world, and crafted a distinctive brand of music that incorporates jazz, rock, fusion, blues, pop and world music. Although Jinda died in 2001, the release of “Twenty Twenty 2” celebrates the enduring legacy of what he and Minucci built together that continues to thrive today via the guitarist’s fervent vision and creative force.

“Twenty Twenty 2” consists of eleven new Minucci compositions, most of which were written during the first year of the pandemic. The album includes two reimagined songs from Minucci’s catalogue that were expanded and given new twists. “Everything & Anything,” a refresh of “Anything & Everything” penned thirty years ago, now features a sweet and soulful saxophone solo by Grammy winner Eric Marienthal. Over seven minutes long and recorded live at the SiriusXM studio prior to the lockdown, “Ballerina Dreams” is a sprawling 1989 piece that frees Minucci’s guitar to plier and pirouette with passion and grace. A nearly nine-minute remake of The Allman Brothers Band’s “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” is given the Special EFX gloss and serves as the album’s surprise opener.

Minucci and his extended band - seventeen musicians perform on “Twenty Twenty 2” in addition to the guitarist – broke from standard Special EFX recording practices.

“Special EFX has traditionally been a live-in-the-studio band for most of its years. But because of the world health crisis, that option wasn’t available. So, as many artists also experienced recently, the music was sometimes recorded one part, one musician at a time. This was a new experience for me,” said Minucci who acknowledged that “Ballerina Dreams” and the playful, handclapping Irish romp “Ceili Music” are exceptions that were recorded live.

“Twenty Twenty 2” showcases Minucci on acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, synths, beats, shaker and vocals. Making appearances on the album are keyboardists Lao Tizer, Jay Rowe and Oli Silk; saxophonists Marienthal, Nelson Rangell and Richie Cannata; violinist Antoine Silverman; trumpeter Lin Rountree; bassists Jerry Brooks, Ric Fierabracci, Dave Anderson and Gianluca Minucci; drummers Joel Rosenblatt, Lionel Cordew and John Favicchia; and percussionist Mino Cinélu.

In writing music for the album, Minucci found inspiration everywhere: on meditative beach walks (“Words Left Unsaid”); in mellow moments of reflection (“Slow Hands”); sifting through his record collection to listen to some of his favorite big-band sounding fusion groups (“Showboat”); solitude and seclusion (“Folks Like Us”); admiring the productions and arrangements of global pop artists like

Zedd and Max Martin (“Novembers Child”); and from watching espionage and terrorism playout on a television series (“Homeland”).

“I once read that composing is like an energy wave passing through one’s body: first from above, through the mind, then through the body, and finally out the hand, off into the world for all to share. I still feel that same excitement about music that I experienced as a child, more than ever perhaps,” said Minucci who has written music for television (“The Guiding Light,” “Dancing With The Stars,” “American Idol” and the “Good Morning America” theme), movies (“Bowfinger,” “Legally Blonde,” “Snake Eyes” and “Panic”), radio (Bloomberg Radio theme), and theater (live productions of “Peter Pan,” “Dora the Explorer” and “Thomas the Tank Engine”).

Special EFX featuring Minucci recently launched their 2022 concert itinerary with shows in Minneapolis and Denver to set the stage for “Twenty Twenty 2.” The band has dates booked through October and includes Boscov’s Berks Jazz Festival (April 2, 3 and 10), Winter Park Jazz Festival (July 16) and the Vail Jazz Festival (July 17). Special EFX will be in Houston, TX (Sugar’s Cajun Cuisine) the day “Twenty Twenty 2” streets and at Southern California hotspot Spaghettini the following night.

“My hope is that music lovers will listen to ‘Twenty Twenty 2’ from top to bottom, as is, in the order I chose to sequence it in - kind of like how we all did back in the day, before streaming and websites,” said Minucci who earlier this year released the solo acoustic guitar album, “Someone’s Singing.”

“Twenty Twenty 2” contains the following songs:

“In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”

“Gonna Be Alright”

“Slow Hands”

“Showboat”

“Folks Like Us”

“Ceili Music”

“Everything & Anything”

“Novembers Child”

“December”

“Ballerina Dreams”

“I’m Leaving You”

“Kampalino”

“Homeland”

“Words Left Unsaid”

Catch Special EFX featuring Chieli Minucci on tour in 2022:

March 31 Annapolis, MD Ramshead Tavern

April 1 Richmond, VA The Tin Pan

April 2 Reading, PA Berks Jazz Festival Midnight Jam

April 3 Reading, PA Berks Jazz Festival

April 10 Reading, PA Berks Jazz Festival/Friends of Nick Colionne

April 22 Houston, TX Sugar’s Cajun Cuisine

April 23 Los Angeles, CA Spaghettini

April 29 & 30 Tarrytown, NY Jazz Forum Arts

May 6 Baltimore, MD Montpelier Arts Center

June 5 Saratoga Springs, NY Caffe Lena

June 12 San Diego, CA San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival

June 17 Birmingham, AL Steel City Jazz Festival

June 18 & 19 Atlanta, GA Velvet Note

July 16 Denver, CO Winter Park Jazz Festival

July 22 Pittsburgh, PA Allegheny County Sound Park Bandshell

July 23 Augusta, GA Capture the Rhythm Art and Jazz Series

August 6 Portland, OR Vanport Jazz Festival

August 25 Branford, CT Branford Town Green

October 28 Miami, FL Miami Smooth Jazz Festival

October 29 Charlotte, NC Middle C Jazz

J. Peter Schwalm & Stephan Thelen | "Transneptunian Planets"

The demotion of Pluto remains a topic of controversy more than a decade and a half later, but the now dwarf planet is hardly alone way out on the fringes of our Solar System. On their first collaboration, Transneptunian Planets, electro-acoustic composer J. Peter Schwalm and guitarist, composer, and mathematician Stephan Thelen journey beyond the beyond to draw inspiration from the outer limits of the cosmos.

Transneptunian Planets further evolves the already innovative body of work that both Schwalm and Thelen have created for the label. Schwalm’s relationship with RareNoise began in 2016 with the release of his entrancing album The Beauty of Disaster, followed by the sound sculptures of 2018’s How We Fall and continued through collaborations with electro-jazz trio Chat Noir, Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen and guitarist Markus Reuter.

Thelen first came to RareNoise in 2018 with Vortex, which combined his minimalist quartet Sonar with the expansive guitarist David Torn. Two more meetings, Tranceportation Volume 1 and Volume 2, followed over the next two years. Under his own name, Thelen released World Dialogue in late 2020, collecting a decade’s worth of his contemporary classical compositions performed by the renowned Kronos Quartet and Al Pari Quartet.

Transneptunian Planets was built on a back and forth communication between the two composers, with each given complete freedom to build on, transform or mutate the other’s contribution. The music is also enriched by contributions from Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset and British bassist Tim Harries, both regular collaborators of Schwalm’s, and Swiss drummer Manuel Pasquinelli, Thelen’s bandmate in Sonar.

The instigation for the collaboration came from RareNoise founder Giacomo Bruzzo, who suggested that Schwalm and Thelen might discover some fertile common ground. “I think the idea was that we could combine my 'architectural' way of using polyrhythms with J. Peter's dystopian soundworlds,” explains Thelen. A meeting over coffee was soon arranged in Schwalm’s native Frankfurt, where Thelen visits often.

“We immediately connected on many levels,” Thelen says. Adds Schwalm, “We actually already developed the first ideas during that conversation. Stephan was very open and also very goal oriented. I had suggested that we give each other creative space and ‘permission’ to dismantle each other's contributions, and also not to fall into grids that we both might already have been in.”

Plans were made to enter the studio together in May 2021, but like so many other notions over the past couple of years, the idea was disrupted by the pandemic. Transneptunian Planets was thus crafted with files sent over the internet. The communication began with the piece now known as “Haumea,” initiated by Thelen, with synth tracks added by Schwalm, and so on, eventually resulting in the mysterious and mesmerizing form the piece finally assumed. 

“It was important for both of us to put together two opposite musical worlds and to use the first ideas and subsequent results as further inspiration for further material,” says Schwalm. “We needed to keep all channels open mentally so that something could come about that neither of us have done before… It was important to both of us that we didn't get stuck in one key and that the freedom of the artist should be the top priority.”

That attempt was ultimately successful, as Thelen points out. “This album turned out to be very unique, different from anything that J. Peter or I have done before – or anyone else for that matter. And yet, you can clearly hear our individual voices.”

The same applies to the guest contributors, each of whom adds their singular voice to the mix. Aarset in particular adds strange and heady elements to the already densely layered mix. “Eivind's playing is so expressive,” lauds Thelen. “I find it fascinating how strong the emotional impact of his glitchy and distorted sounds can be.” Schwalm continues, “Like a solo singer, he flew over the basic structures of Stephan and I in a way I had never experienced before. He's the element that was needed to give this project even more craziness.”

All of the tracks are named for celestial objects drifting out past the eighth planet. The convention began when Schwalm contributed the basic tracks for album closer “Eris” and “Sedna” with those titles, which Thelen rushed to look up. “I found out that they are both names for objects of the Solar System beyond Neptune (like the former planet Pluto) and had the idea that we could name the pieces according to these 'Transneptunian Planets',” the guitarist explains. “J. Peter immediately liked the idea because a faraway, mysterious and unknown planet was the perfect analogy for every piece that we had created together.” 

That’s true from the opening moments of “Pluto,” where a grinding industrial rhythm is soon enshrouded by ethereal atmospherics, evocative guitar patterns and mechanical eruptions. Harries and Pasquinelli lock into a steamroller groove that carries the listener through the track with the implacable momentum of a conveyor belt. “MakeMake” is punctuated by volcanic eruptions and cyborg vocal incantations, while “Quaoar” time travels between the tribal past and the interstellar future. “GongGong” takes that notion into a primeval techno/trance feel, while “Orcus” drifts free of gravity in a dub-inspired ether.

Like Pluto, the Transneptunian Planets may not technically be planets – but does it really matter how you define these massive, majestic objects, further from us than we can imagine but still linked to a region of the universe that we consider home. The same can be said for the music made by J. Peter Schwalm and Stephan Thelen – intimate and vast, alien yet enticing, foreboding yet endlessly inviting for the exploratory listener.

Florian Hoefner Trio | "Desert Bloom"

With striking new compositions and inspired arrangements, Hoefner’s hallmark lyricism and knack for suspenseful dramaturgy are on full display. With “Desert Bloom,” it is clear that Hoefner has taken complete advantage of the opportunity to deepen and strengthen his compositional craft. The result is an exceptional new album.

Of his process creating “Desert Bloom,” Hoefner writes:

“The open space provided by the pandemic facilitated weeks of uninterrupted composition time, allowing me to experiment with new approaches. I was inspired by post-minimalist composers such as Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, and Philip Glass, and dove into exploring repetitive structures, pedal points, and drones in my own writing. These devices also helped me to capture my experience during the early days of the pandemic, which was dominated by the contrast between an unruly and dramatic outside world and a much quieter personal world.” 

A calling card of the German-born, New York-trained, Canadian pianist/composer is his ability to give his music a strong shape and storyline, something that critics have recognized: “It is the essence of flow, as clear as a stream rushing by and equally invigorating.” (New York City Jazz Record). In “Desert Bloom,” there is a particular alchemy at work: Hoefner’s music can be formally complex and has the kind of structural integrity that comes from a highly developed and careful craft, with far more attention to this than would normally be the case for a jazz piano trio. And yet, invariably, there is an emotional immediacy and appeal to it. In these 9 new tracks – 7 originals and 2 inventive arrangements - the compelling storytelling shines through. 

The title of the album, “Desert Bloom,” refers to an extraordinary phenomenon which occurs in nature, and which resonated strongly with Hoefner: 

“I watched a documentary on water and was blown away by the footage of a desert bloom in Chile’s Atacama Desert – the driest place on earth. In some parts of the desert, rain doesn’t fall for up to 10 years. But then, when the rain does come, the colours explode. After staying dormant in the ground for years, protected underneath the hot and dry desert floor, the seeds of wildflowers suddenly germinate after heavy rainfall, turning the desert into a flower garden within days [..] This is what it has felt like to be a musician over the last two years. Waiting and waiting for the bloom.” 

That period of ‘waiting for the bloom’ – for the trio to be reunited – lasted almost a year and a half. Most of the music for the new album had already been written by the end of the first pandemic lockdown, but it took until August 2021 before the three players could gather in the same place (Hoefner lives in St. John's, Newfoundland, more than 1300 miles from Toronto where the other two musicians are based.)   

Hoefner has found a leaner and more direct form of expression here. “The minimalists have made me want to think about the importance of every single note, about shapes and intervals…” There is also a constantly shifting balance of the roles in the trio, and an openness to new sounds, such as a bass variant of the folk fiddle “chopping” technique with the bow from bassist Andrew Downing. Of drummer Nick Fraser’s contribution to this album, Hoefner says: “Nick is such a creative player with a huge dynamic range from the most filigree work to really hitting the kit hard.” These contrasts are captured superbly on this recording. Throughout, remarkable interplay between the three musicians attests to their unparalleled rapport. 

This is jazz piano trio playing at an astonishing level. Hoefner, Downing, and Fraser grab the listener's attention as they create and link a myriad of moods. There is a palpable expressive immediacy in their exploration of emotional extremes. Hoefner’s craft has never been stronger. With every listen, more and more of the album’s wealth of compositional subtleties emerge.

Florian Hoefner has had a unique trajectory through music, which may to some extent explain a capacity, noted by critics, to keep revealing new and unexpected facets of his artistry. Born in Bavaria, his talents were singled out at an early age. He held the piano chair in Germany’s national youth jazz orchestra (BuJazzO). Then followed studies in Berlin with Hubert Nuss and Kurt Rosenwinkel, a time during which he also started to tour extensively with his own bands. A Fulbright Scholarship brought him to New York City for studies with Jason Moran, a mentor who, according to Hoefner, inspired him “by showing that it is possible to find one’s own artistic horizons while connecting to tradition.” 

Moving to Canada in 2014, there has been a consistent flow of awards for his work as both pianist and composer. “Luminosity" (Origin, 2017), a quartet album with Seamus Blake, was nominated as Jazz Recording of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards 2017. The Group also received the Stingray Rising Star Award from the Montréal Jazz Festival. “First Spring,” (Alma Records, 2019) was nominated for a 2021 Juno in the category Jazz Album of the Year: Group, and also won the prizes for both “Instrumental Recording of the Year” and “Jazz Recording of the Year” at the 2020 East Coast Music Awards. Hoefner has also been a two-time winner of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award.