Wadada Leo Smith - String Quartets Nos. 1-12

TUM Records releases the first-ever recording of String Quartets Nos. 1-12 from iconic composer, trumpeter and Pulitzer Finalist Wadada Leo Smith, “one of the most influential figures of the postwar black musical avant-garde” (NY Review of Books).

A pinnacle in a career that’s been building to this moment, these twelve string quartets, which were written beginning in1965, showcase Smith’s powerful and distinctive musical voice. They are performed by RedKoral Quartet (Shalini Vijayan, Mona Tian, Andrew McIntosh and Ashley Walters) as well as featured soloists including Smith, pianist Anthony Davis, harpist Alison Bjorkedal and vocalist Thomas Buckner, among others. 

“My aspiration was to create a body of music that is expressive and that also explores the African-American experience in the United States of America,” says Smith in the liner notes. “My music is not a historical account. I intend that my inspiration seeks a physiological and cultural reality.”

String Quartets Nos. 1-12 represents a magnificent addition not only to Smith’s own recorded output but also to the literature for modern string quartet music more broadly. Compositions vary from relatively brief, one-part string quartets of highly evocative and at times meditative soundscapes to the groundbreaking “String Quartet No. 11” that fills two discs with its nine movements.

Also coming June 17 from TUM are The Emerald Duets, a 5-disc box set of trumpet and drum duets, one each with Wadada joined by Pheeroan akLaff, Han Bennink, Andrew Cyrille and two with Jack DeJohnette. And on Tuesday, June 21, Smith will receive the VISION Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award in a celebratory and expansive concert at Roulette in Brooklyn.

Trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist and composer Wadada Leo Smith is one of the most boldly original and influential artists of his time. Transcending the bounds of genre or idiom, he distinctly defines his music, tirelessly inventive in both sound and approach, as "Creative Music."

For the last five decades, Smith has been a member of the legendary AACM collective, pivotal in its wide-open perspectives on music and art in general. He has carried those all-embracing concepts into his own work, expanding upon them in myriad ways.

Throughout his career, Smith has been recognized for his groundbreaking work.  A finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music, he received the 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award and earned an honorary doctorate from CalArts, where he was also celebrated as Faculty Emeritus. In addition, he received the Hammer Museum's 2016 Mohn Award for Career Achievement "honoring brilliance and resilience." In 2018 he received the Religion and The Arts Award from the American Academy of Religion.

Smith regularly earns multiple spots on the DownBeat International Critics Poll and has won poll in the categories of Best Jazz Artist, Trumpeter and Jazz Album of the Year. The Jazz Journalists Association has also honored Smith as their Musician of the Year, Trumpeter of the Year, Composer of the Year, and Duo of the Year for his work with Vijay Iyer. He has also earned top billing as Artist of the Year and Composer of the Year in the JazzTimes Critics Poll as well as top spots on the NPR Jazz Critics Poll.

In October 2015 The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago presented the first comprehensive exhibition of Smith's Ankhrasmation scores, which use non-standard visual directions, making them works of art in themselves as well as igniting creative sparks in the musicians who perform them. In 2016, these scores were also featured in exhibitions at the Hammer Museum, and the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and Kadist in San Francisco.

Born December 18, 1941 in Leland, Mississippi, Smith's early musical life began at age thirteen when he became involved with the Delta blues and jazz traditions performing with his stepfather, bluesman Alex Wallace. He received his formal musical education from the U.S. Military band program (1963), the Sherwood School of Music (1967-69), and Wesleyan University (1975-76).

Smith has released more than 60 albums as a leader on labels including ECM, Moers, Black Saint, Tzadik, Pi Recordings, TUM, Leo and Cuneiform. His diverse discography reveals a recorded history centered around important issues that have impacted his world, exploring the social, natural and political environment of his times with passion and fierce intelligence. His 2016 recording, America’s National Parks earned a place on numerous best of the year lists including the New York Times, NPR Music and many others. Smith’s landmark 2012 civil rights opus Ten Freedom Summers was called “A staggering achievement [that] merits comparison to Coltrane’s A Love Supreme in sobriety and reach.”  His most recent recordings include 2021’s Sacred Ceremonies, a 3 CD set featuring Smith, Bill Laswell & Milford Graves; Trumpet, a 3 CD solo trumpet set; The Chicago Symphonies a 4-album set celebrating the Midwest with his Great Lakes Quartet; and A Love Sonnet for Billie Holiday. In May 2022 TUM will release two major box sets of Smith’s work. They include Wadada Leo Smith: String Quartets No. 1 - 12, a 7-CD box set featuring RedKoral Quartet plus featured soloists including Smith, Anthony Davis, Alison Bjorkedal, Thomas Buckner and more; and Wadada Leo Smith: Emerald Duets a set with 4 CDs, one each with Pheeroan akLaff, Han Bennink, Andrew Cyrille and Jack DeJohnette, adding to Smith’s long history of duo recordings with some of the greatest drummers in the history of creative music. Writing about Smith in the New York Review of Books, Adam Shatz notes: “For all the minimalism of his sound, Smith has turned out to be a maximalist in his ambitions, evolving into one of our most powerful storytellers, an heir to American chroniclers like Charles Ives and Ornette Coleman.” 

wadadaleosmith.com

 

John Yao's Triceratops | "Off-Kilter"

Trombonist and composer John Yao reconvenes his audacious three-horn quintet Triceratops for its bold, inventive second album Off-Kilter, out June 10, 2022 via See Tao Recordings, features Yao with saxophonists Billy Drewes and Jon Irabagon, along with bassist Robert Sabin and drummer Mark Ferber.

Musically scratching that prehistoric itch, trombonist/composer John Yao has once again unleashed his three-horn terror Triceratops on unsuspecting listeners with the band’s even more audacious second outing, Off-Kilter. The album title is an apt one, vividly capturing the exhilarating sense of risk-taking and disconcerting invention that make up this boldly unpredictable album.

Due out June 10, 2022 via Yao’s own See Tao Recordings, Off-Kilter reunites the brilliant frontline from Triceratops’ 2019 debut, How We Do – saxophonists Billy Drewes and Jon Irabagon along with Yao himself – and drummer Mark Ferber. This time the chordless quartet is completed by bassist Robert Sabin, a longtime collaborator with Yao’s 17-Piece Instrument big band.

While How We Do featured some of Yao’s most envelope-pushing music to date, he deliberately stretched the limits even further on Off-Kilter. The compositions are at once daringly complex yet expansive and open, challenging these gifted players while offering limitless space in which to venture and discover.

“I set out to write music that was freewheeling and open,” the trombonist explains. “I tried to strike a balance between structured, complex compositions with loose, open space for improvising.  The music offers plenty of freedom and opportunity for interaction between the players.”

It doesn’t hurt in that effort to share the stage with two such unfettered saxophonists. Drewes is a veteran whose approach blurs the boundaries between a variety of styles; he came of age in 1970s NYC alongside the open-minded likes of Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell, with whom he recorded and toured in Paul Motian’s band. Irabagon is a prolific and irreverent player with a seemingly limitless collection of horns (on Off-Kilter he supplements his tenor with the miniscule soprillo saxophone). He’s worked with a who’s who of modern jazz including Dave Douglas, Mary Halvorson, Barry Altschul and Mostly Other People Do the Killing. 

Important in any band, a rhythm section is especially crucial to a chordless group like Triceratops, even more so given the liberties that Yao allows – even encourages – in the free-ranging improvisations throughout the album. Mark Ferber is a in-demand drummer who can be heard on more than 200 recordings, including dates with Lee Konitz, Gary Peacock, Fred Hersch, Don Byron, Ralph Alessi, Marc Copland and Brad Shepik. On Off-Kilter he combines a sly precision with a buoyant spirit that maintains a core of infectious joy in even the most chaotic of moments.

Sabin proves to be a perfect fit for the band, lending the tunes a robust spine whenever necessary but with a slippery, elastic sensibility that maneuvers empathically with the horns’ eccentric deviations. “Robert is a very open, exploratory sort of player,” Yao says. “His attack and articulation can be a little more aggressive and he takes a lot of liberties with the instrument in a way that I really enjoy. His open-minded willingness to explore uncharted territory, harmonically and rhythmically, is something that the music really called for.”

The album opens with the darting lines and erratic grooves of Drewes’ “Below the High Rise,” the sole piece not penned by Yao. The tune’s sharp angles give way to vast open space, setting the tone for the album as a whole by quickly pulling the rug out from under the undaunted musicians. They challenge one another as well – Yao’s blustery solo is unexpectedly pierced by Irabagon’s flitting, high-pitched soprillo, sending the trombonist off into abrupt, soaring detours.

The title of “Labyrinth” suggests the feeling of wrong turns and tight corners embodied by the piece, with sudden surprises around every corner from tautly coiled funk to stealthy grooves to raucous eruptions. It’s followed by the first of two interludes that shine a spotlight on Ferber, with sculptural drum solos over a bed of bass and horns. They’re prime examples of Yao’s compositional approach, which aligns this small, chordless group with his big band in its use of intricate architectures and lush backgrounds.

“Quietly” is a wavering, sinuous ballad, while “Crosstalk” bursts into a swaggering funk out of some otherworldly car chase. “Unfiltered” is built on a foundation of rich, colorful three-horn harmony suspended over a floating time feel, whereas “The Morphing Line” is another shape-shifting composition atop the rhythm section’s muscular foundation. The title tune hurtles the album to an end at an untethered, breakneck pace.

“I love this band's ability to go wherever everyone collectively or individually feels like they want to go,” Yao concludes. “That was such an amazing thing to be a part of. It’s something you can’t predict when you write a piece of music, but then you put it in front of players like Billy, Jon, Bob and Mark, and it becomes a thousand times better than anything you could have come up with.”

For more than fifteen years, John Yao’s adept talent as a trombonist, composer and arranger has helped cement his place on the New York City jazz scene. All About Jazz calls Yao “an evolving artist who continues to grow at a rapid pace.” As a trombonist, he has worked extensively as a sideman for Grammy-award winning ensembles, such as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, and has also performed with Paquito D’Rivera, Eddie Palmieri, Danilo Perez, Chris Potter and Kurt Elling, among many others. As a composer, Yao has been commissioned by the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Arsonore Spirit Orchestra based in Graz, Austria. He has published numerous compositions and arrangements for professional and educational ensembles. As a bandleader, he has released four solo recordings, all of which feature his adventurous, boundary-pushing compositions for small groups and big bands alike. An in-demand educator, Yao serves as Assistant Professor of Trombone at Berklee College of Music and as Adjunct Professor of Music at Molloy College. He is an active guest artist and soloist at colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad.

Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club Features 6x-GRAMMY® Award Nominated & 12x-Blues Music Award Nominated Singer MARIA MULDAUR

Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club Features 6x-GRAMMY® Award Nominated & 12x-Blues Music Award Nominated Singer MARIA MULDAUR on Friday July 29 at 7:30 P.M. Maria Muldaur has 3 GRAMMY® Award Nominations for "Best Traditional Blues Album" (2001, 2005, 2018), and 6 Nominations for "Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year" as well as 4 Nominations for "Acoustic Blues Album of the Year" from the Blues Music Awards.

Maria Muldaur is best known world-wide for her 1974 mega-hit "Midnight at the Oasis," which received a GRAMMY® Award Nomination, and enshrined her forever in the hearts of Baby Boomers everywhere. In the 47 years since "Midnight at the Oasis," Maria has toured extensively worldwide and has recorded 43 solo albums covering all kinds of American Roots Music, including Gospel, R&B, Jazz and Big Band.

“Don’t You Feel My Leg: The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker pays tribute to a great New Orleans blues singer and testifies to the vitality and mastery of Maria Muldaur as she continues to mine rich veins of American roots music,” raves LIVING BLUES.

“Consider ‘Let’s Get Happy Together’ a triumph that lives up to its title, “ says AMERICAN SONGWRITER.

“Maria Muldaur...dubbed “The First Lady of Roots Music” for previous albums touching on her wide-ranging influences from blues, country, folk, jazz…” observed AMERICAN BLUES SCENE.

Maria says she has now settled comfortably into her favorite idiom, the Blues. Most recently, in 2018 Maria received another GRAMMY® Award Nomination for "Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year" for 'DON'T YOU FEEL MY LEG ~ The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker'. In 2022, Maria received yet another Blues Music Award Nomination for "Acoustic Blues Album of the Year'' for her 2021 Album with Tuba Skinny entitled 'Lets Get Happy Together'.

“We are delighted to have the soulful and masterful voice of Maria Muldaur at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club for a memorable and entertaining night of blues," says Suzanne Bresette, the Managing Director of Programming at Jimmy's Jazz and Blues Club.

Tickets for 6x-GRAMMY Award Nominated & 12x-Blues Music Award Nominated Singer MARIA MULDAUR at Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club on Friday July 29 at 7:30 P.M. are available on the Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club Maria Muldaur Event Page.

Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club’s 2022 Schedule of Shows currently includes 7 NEA Jazz Masters, 35 GRAMMY® Award-Winning Artists, 33 Blues Music Award-Winners, and a comprehensive list of talented musicians with 450+ GRAMMY® Award Nominations amongst them. Visit Jimmy's Event Calendar for Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club’s 2022 Schedule of Shows. Subscribe to Jimmy’s Email Newsletter to stay informed on new jazz and blues artist announcements, tickets, special offers, Jimmy’s Sunday Jazz Brunch, and much more.

Jazztopad Festival Returns to New York

Poland’s premier Festival celebrating its sixth year of presenting Polish jazz and improvised music in New York City with cutting edge performances by Polish and American artists. American editions of the festival are presented in cooperation with the Polish Cultural Institute New York. 

Performances in Manhattan and Brooklyn include James Brandon Lewis and the Lutosławski Quartet’s US Premiere of “These are soulful days”; premiere of Kamil Piotrowicz Sextet’s new album "Weird Heaven"; members of the Sextet with appearances by Tim Berne, Kate Gentile, and Jamie Baum; and the Lutosławski Quartet in concerts with Uri Caine and Michael Bates' Acrobat.

After an absence of two years, Jazztopad Festival is returning to New York City to celebrate Polish contemporary jazz and improvised scene and its unique cross-continental collaborations with the best of New York’s creative artists. This sixth iteration of Jazztopad New York will present a week of performances in venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn, including Dizzy’s Club, Barbès, The Owl Music Parlor, and the Soup & Sound series from June 19 to 25, 2022.

The 2022 edition of Jazztopad New York will bring two diverse Polish groups to New York, the Kamil Piotrowicz Sextet, and the Lutosławski Quartet. These groups will play in different configurations and contexts during the week of programming.

Pianist/composer Kamil Piotrowicz will present his forward-thinking Sextet. The group's third album Weird Heaven will premiere live at Dizzy's Club during the Jazztopad Festival. Their albums Product Placement (2018) and Popular Music (2016) were nominated for a Polish Fryderyk award (comparable to the Grammy) in their respective years. The band performs Piotrowicz’s own compositions, blending elements of jazz, contemporary music, Polish folklore, and minimalism. The sextet includes trumpeter Tomasz Dabrowski, alto saxophonist Kuba Wiecek, tenor saxophonist Piotr Checki, bassist Andrzej Swies, and drummer Krzysztof Szmanda. The Sextet will perform at Dizzy’s Club on June 21 and 22. Piotrowicz and Dabrowski will perform with Downtown jazz legend Tim Berne and drummer Kate Gentile at Barbès on June 19. Piotrowicz and members of the Sextet will also perform with flutist Jamie Baum on June 24 at The Owl Music Parlor.

Founded in 2007, the Lutosławski Quartet has become one of Europe’s foremost contemporary classical string quartets, specializing in the music of their namesake, Witold Lutosławski. The Quartet began a partnership with Jazztopad over a decade ago and remains an essential part of the festival’s commission program.

The most recent commission from Jazztopad is a piece written for saxophone and the Lutosławski Quartet by the celebrated tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis. The piece, the composer’s first writing including strings, was premiered in Poland last year and will get its US premiere at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola on June 21 and 22. The Quartet will revisit an earlier commission with piano great Uri Caine at The Owl Music Parlor on June 24. Lastly, the Quartet will premiere arrangements of Lutosławski made by bassist/composer Michael Bates along with his chamber jazz group, Acrobat, at Barbès on June 25.

Jazztopad continues its partnership with percussionist Andrew Drury and his Soup & Sound series. There will be an improv session held on June 23 with very special guests. 

The idea for Jazztopad New York was inspired by the Jazztopad Festival of Wroclaw, Poland. Jazz at Lincoln Center director of programming Jason Olaine attended the 2014 Festival in Poland. The Wroclaw festival impressed Olaine, and a deal was struck to bring a taste of Jazztopad to Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Launched at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Jazztopad New York continued to expand over the next five years, spreading to several illustrious venues throughout the city.

Jazztopad artistic director Piotr Turkiewicz has been steadfast in his efforts to introduce the New York Polish creative music scene. Turkiewicz has also focused on facilitating cross-cultural exchanges with musicians from other countries. An important element in this has been the commissioning of original works from visiting artists who then premiere their pieces at a Wroclaw performance. Commissions have included high-profile artists, including Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, Vijay Iyer, Jason Moran, Uri Caine, and James Brandon Lewis. 

The last Jazztopad New York was held in September 2019. The Wroclaw Festival was canceled just weeks prior to its opening in 2020 because of COVID. But during the pandemic, Jazztopad continued to find avenues for their music by streaming concerts in coordination with Polish Cultural Institute New York, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Lincoln Center among others. 

Joel Quarrington | "The Music Of Don Thompson"

The first time I heard Joel play was in my basement studio in January 1981. My friend, Coenraad Bloemendal had asked me if I would record some music with himself and Joel (Duos for Cello and Bass) for an album he was doing for Crystal records. I’d been doing a lot of jazz recordings but very little classical music, so this was going to be something new and I was really looking forward to doing it.

I’d heard about Joel from Dave Young, a great jazz bass player well known for his work with Oscar Peterson. I’d heard Dave and a couple of other jazz guys play their solos with the bow so I thought I had an idea about what to expect but when Joel came in that day and started to play, I couldn’t believe the power and the feeling in his playing. I thought to myself that this guy would be the greatest jazz bass player of all time, if he ever decided to do it.

We did the recording and it turned out very well, and I didn’t see Joel again until the summer of the following year (1982) when we both wound up teaching at the Banff Center for the Arts. Joel was teaching in the classical program and I was part of the jazz faculty along with Dave Holland and Kenny Wheeler. We were both really busy so we didn’t spend much time together, but I heard him play (the Bottesini Elegy and the Grand Duo with Jim Campbell), and he came to one of our concerts and I think he really enjoyed the music. It was a trio concert with Kenny on trumpet, Dave on bass and me on piano. Dave Holland is one of the world’s greatest jazz bass players and Kenny Wheeler was . . . . . . . Kenny Wheeler. Our music was very open and free.

I didn’t see Joel or hear from him for quite a while after Banff. He went his way and I went mine, but then I got a call from him asking if I’d like to write a bass quartet for us to play on a concert at the conservatory. The quartet would be Joel, Wolfgang Goetller, Roberto Occhipinti and me on pizzicato bass. I knew I couldn’t write a real “classical” piece, so I just tried to come up with something we could play that might be fun. I wrote a big part for myself with a solo intro, a solo in the middle plus a cadenza, and left it up to the rest of them to decide who played lead etc. It was pretty wild, but it was fun and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Joel had been telling people about this piece for years, and there were a few of them that had asked about getting the score so they might play it, so I was really pleased when Joel contacted me recently about getting it together and recording it for this project. I spent a bit of time re-writing some of it (most of it actually) and I think the recording came off amazingly well. It’s not an easy piece, but there are some parts that are really tricky. I couldn’t believe the dedication to the music and attention to detail that every player showed in the sessions. 

I’d like to thank Travis Harrison for matching Joel’s sound and phrasing so beautifully on the second part, and Joe Phillips not only for his great playing, but for tuning his bass in fourths for the third part. I know that he normally tunes in fifths, and I can’t imagine being able to go from one tuning to another like that. Roberto Occhipinti had the bad luck to be stuck with the part I’d written for myself back in 1989. Along with the written part, which includes playing the melody at the beginning and again at the end, he gets to play a solo and a couple of cadenzas. The piece begins and ends with him and his solo introduction sets the mood for everything that follows. He also provided the rock-solid rhythmic foundation throughout the entire piece that was a huge factor in the success of the music. It was a great honor for me, hearing these four fantastic musicians playing my piece so beautifully, and I thank them a million times.

A few years ago, Joel called me again and this time, he was asking me to write a piece for him to play at a concert in Rochester, New York. 

He told me how, on a break from a rehearsal, he’d gone to sleep under the piano and was awakened by me playing it. I was playing “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square”, and as he was listening he was thinking that he’d like to play that song with me someday with those chords. I’d been playing with George Shearing and Mel Torme for a few years, and Nightingale was one of their show-stoppers, so I knew it really well. 

The challenge for me, was to find a way to write it so it would be special for Joel. I thought that going into a Brazilian feel after the melody would work nicely with the chords, and I remembered that cadenza that John Coltrane played at the end of “I Want to Talk about You”, so I guess my arrangement was inspired by Mel Torme, John Coltrane and Tom Jobim. 

I remember well, the first rehearsal we had for the piece. Joel drove down from Ottawa (I think) and came into my studio, took the cover off of his bass, put the music on a stand and we just played it straight through, cadenza and all, without stopping. Then he asked me “Just what exactly, did you have in mind for this?” and I said “I wanted it to sound like a combination of Phil Dwyer and John Coltrane”, (Phil is one of the greatest musicians in Canada, and a fantastic saxophone player) and Joel said, “Oh, I know exactly what you want. I won’t waste any more of your time now, I’ll take it home and learn it” and he did. A couple of weeks later he came back, and I think he’d memorized most of it. It was amazing. We played it in Rochester and it was a huge success.

I wrote “Egberto” as a dedication to the great Brazilian musician, Egberto Gismonti. I had the honor of getting to know him and playing one tune on a concert with him a few years back. It’s impossible to describe Egberto and his music. He’s one musician that’s totally beyond category. He doesn’t just compose and play music, Egberto IS music. There’s simply nobody else in the world like him. He is truly a one-of-a-kind miracle.

Another Time, Another Place was written as a dedication to Keith Jarrett, whom I got to know briefly back in 1966. We stayed in the same house for a few weeks in San Francisco and had a couple of really nice visits. All we talked about was music. It was like he was obsessed with music. I think we both were, and I felt like we were friends even though I only ever saw him a few times in the following years. I was twenty-six then, and I think he was twenty-one. It was another time and another place, a happier time, and San Francisco was a very happy place in those days.

A Quiet Place was written for a concert in Toronto with my jazz quintet and a small string orchestra. I wrote it for my bass player, Jim Vivian to play with the bow and Phil Dwyer doubling the melody on soprano sax. I didn’t have any special place in mind. Any place that’s quiet is special to me.

One more thing though about Joel. I’ve played bass for over sixty years and the problem for any bass player, any musician actually, is to make the music more important than the instrument. Bass is, for most of us a difficult instrument that can be very hard to get along with. My own bass (and I have a great bass) will only let me play when it feels like it and even then, my playing is a compromise between what I want to play, and what it will allow to play. Joel is one of the very few bass players I’ve ever heard, jazz or classical, that has the technique and the total understanding of the music he needs, to be able to put the music before himself. Very few musicians can or will do it, and it’s this, more than anything else that makes Joel special to me. When I listen to him play, I’m not hearing his amazing technique or his beautiful Italian bass, I’m only hearing music, wonderful, beautiful music. - Don Thompson

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The first time I heard Don Thompson play Bass was on a 1970’s Jim Hall Live recording that my brother Tom ( a guitarist ) and I were listening to , over and over. Don’s Bass playing was incredible and so complete. I was very inspired by his feel, sound, compositional thinking and lyrical solos. I heard from other musicians that Don also played great piano and vibes . I marveled at all of this then and I still do now. So , it was no surprise when I heard his gorgeous compositions, especially the ones on this recording . Don’s piano playing , compositions , orchestrations (including the beautiful Bass Quartet ) are all extraordinary . The Beauty, lyricism and harmonic depth of these pieces is stellar.

Joel Quarrington is an incredible bassist whose sound, virtuosity and emotional depth are striking. His unique command and flexibility make playing Bass on this extremely high level sound so effortless and easy . Indeed, it makes me want to throw my bow in the fireplace !!!!!

The colors Joel gets and the way he interprets the beautiful melodies that Don writes make this project a perfect partnership.

Finally, Kudosto the other bassists in the Quartet, Travis Harrison , Joe Phillips and my dear friend Roberto Occhipinti who always sounds great ! ~ John Patitucci 5/11/22

Peter Kogan | "Just Before Midnight"

With Just Before Midnight, his fourth album since 2013, the constantly evolving and very productive drummer-composer Peter Kogan delivers another far- ranging feast of originals (and a knowing arrangement of Cedar Walton’s classic Hindsight). All the qualities that made Kogan’s previous albums attractive — sophisticated-yet-accessible compositions, great players and soloists, and just enough quirkiness to make it interesting and fun — are here again, in abundance.

Kogan is the rare percussionist who has been able to travel back and forth between jazz, rock, and blues idioms and the classical world. He jobbed around New York City with jazz, rock, and blues bands (along the

way backing up blues masters Lightnin’ Hopkins, Floyd Jones, and Honeyboy Edwards, and gigging with the Larry Elgart Orchestra) but could also stand behind a set of timpani in a concert hall with a major symphony orchestra. This kind of versatility — and crossover — is quite exceptional for a percussionist.

Kogan did stints with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Honolulu Symphony before landing a spot with the highly esteemed and Grammy-winning Minnesota Orchestra, where he served as principal timpanist for 29 years. But classical training and employment never dimmed his love of jazz, which reaches back to his childhood. This latest chapter in Kogan’s musical career — as a jazz drummer and bandleader — brings him full circle, back to the music that originally inspired him to play the drums.

On this recording, Kogan uses groups of varying sizes, from a quartet up to a septet (he dubs the seven-piece group his “Monsterful Wonderband”) to give voice to his finely conceived compositions. His band has also become something of an incubator for young talent. For the most part, the crew on this CD definitely skews younger, but these musicians handle the challenging material with confident mastery.

Remember the names — I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about these outstanding musicians in the future, if you haven’t already.

One thing to understand about this record:

Each of these songs is a fully realized composition that takes you on a little trip, through changing moods and feelings, “sights” and sounds. While there are some stylistic nods to classic Blue Note and Impulse recordings of the 1960s, Kogan never falls back on the easy but tired formula of “Song/Bunch of solos over the song’s chord progression/Song once more and out.” More like a series of trips to a wide variety of destinations. Definitely worth taking the whole tour!

New Music Releases: Jason Palmer, Brandon Seabrook, Ghost Power, Shawn Lee & Misha Panfilov

Jason Palmer - Con Alma

Trumpeter Jason Palmer does a great job here of updating older jazz classics and mixing in some really nice originals of his own – all recorded with a quartet, and in a manner that gives the leader plenty of room to shape the tunes with that unique phrasing we've always loved in his trumpet! The combo features Leo Genovese on piano and Fender Rhodes – the latter of which is an especially nice match for Palmer, as it really seems to bring out the warmth in his horn, and encourage more fluidity in his phrasing. Other players include Joe Martin on bass and Kendrick Scott on drums – and titles include the originals "It's A Brand New Day", "Miracles", "Black Beauty", and "Nameless" – plus nice takes on "Con Alma", "Nefertiti", and the Duke Pearson tune "You Know I Care". ~ Dusty Groove

Brandon Seabrook - In The Swarm

Guitarist Brandon Seabrook does a great job here of moving between more intense moments on his instrument and more spacious, open-ended passages – sometimes with a sound that makes you very aware of his fingers on the strings, other times much more abstract – qualities that are echoed by the work of the other two members of the trio – Cooper Moore on diddley bow and Gerald Cleaver on both drums and electronics! The album's got jazz sensibilities at times, maybe more genre-less instrumental qualities at others – and titles include "Crepuscule Of Cleaver", "Adrenaline Charters", "Of The Swarm", "Aghastitude", and "Seething Excitations". ~ Dusty Groove

Ghost Power - Ghost Power

The first full length set from this mighty duo – Tim Gane of Stereolab and Jeremy Novak from Dymaxion – coming together in a set of stripped-down instrumentals that really get at the core of their contributions to those other projects! There's plenty of blips, bleeps, and echoes of older analogue electronics – and the lean quality of the set is really great – maybe almost a bit like the way the Beastie Boys served up In Sound From Way Out in contrast to their more lyric-based work on better-known records! We're almost tempted to put this one up there with the classic Testcard EP from Young Marble Giants – but things are slightly fuller, and more sinister too – on titles that include "Zome Primer", "Grimalkin", "Vertical Section", "Opsimath", "Astral Melancholy Suite", "Lithic Fragment", and "Asteroid Witch". ~ Dusty Groove

Shawn Lee & Misha Panfilov - Space & Tempo

Two contemporary funk legends, coming together in a really wonderful set of tracks – spare, yet full-on funky all the way through – and very much at the top of the game for anything you might expect from both artists! Shawn Lee serves up funky drums, Misha Panfilov handles the bass – and both of them bring in a huge range of keyboards, electronics, and other effects – complete with the sort of spacey touches we especially love in Misha's music – almost an outer space version of deep funk at times! Titles include "Rope Tornado", "Tom Tom Yum", "Prowling", "Separated At Surf", "Glamorous Life", "Florian", "Stairway To Seven", "Turbo Engine", "Hans Zimmerframe", "sAmba Brown", "Porta Hole", "Wet Streets", and "Rope Tornado". ~ Dusty Groove

New Music Releases: BT Express, Flock, Fresh From Finland – Now's The Time – Best Of Suomi Jazz Vol 4, Yusuke Hirado (Quasimode)

BT Express - Do It (Til You're Satisfied) (with bonus tracks)

The monumental debut of BT Express – and an excellent funk album that often gets overlooked by fans of the music because of the band's bigger fame as a disco group! This first record has the combo grooving hard and instrumentally – in the mode of a tight blacksploitation soundtrack, with plenty of tight wah wah guitar riffing, conga beats, and funky flute and sax – topped off by just the right amount of strings to make the set soar even more! The album's best known for the title track "Do It (Til You're Satisfied)" – which was a big hit, but is still an excellent groover – and the set also includes loads of other great cuts too – like "Express", which was the original song that the created the JBs' response track "Monorail"; "This House is Smokin'", which has lots of funky descending horn bits; and other great tunes that include "Mental Telepathy", "If It Don't Turn You On", and "Do You Like It". CD features two bonus tracks – the original 7" single versions of "Express" and "Do It".  ~ Dusty Groove

Flock - Flock

A really great lineup of musicians from the London scene – coming together here in a mix of modes that's both electric and acoustic, jazz and more global-based – all with the far-reaching sounds you might expect from their previous work in groups like Collocutor or Comet Is Coming! There's a freshness here that's wonderful, right from the very first note – players with a jazz sensibility, but who've also drunk up all the criss-crossing modes that have been bubbling up in London in recent years – pushing past conventional rhythms and instrumental placements, and creating an intensity that takes their music to audiences who might never have listened to mainstream jazz! Players include Tamar Osborn on bass clarinet, flute, and soprano sax; Bex Burch on vibes, electronics, and percussion; Danalogue on Fender Rhodes and other keyboards; Al MacSween on prepared and conventional piano; and Sarathy Korwar on drums and tablas – and all the players seem to handle a wide variety of other instruments as well. Titles include "Prepare To Let Go", "Sounds Welcome", "Expand", "It's Complicated", "Murmuration", "How Many Are One", "Bold Dream", and "My Resonance". ~ Dusty Groove

Fresh From Finland – Now's The Time – Best Of Suomi Jazz Vol 4

A really wonderful overview of sounds from the contemporary jazz scene in Finland – put together with a fantastic ear for the heady grooves and really fresh solo modes that have been bristling up on the scene of late – all of which really come together in the impeccable track selection on the set! Most of these tracks have a highly rhythmic pulse, but at a level that's very different from more familiar jazz funk or fusion – with percussion and basslines that are often nice and earthy, and a very different sense of timing that further makes the tracks stand out! Groups and instrumentation vary in a nice way throughout the collection, and the whole thing is the sort of set that will have you soon digging deeper to unlock some of the best sounds from this overlooked scene. Titles include "Dark Sparkle" by JAF Trio, "En Ut" by UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, "Bilawal" by Superposition, "Imprologue" by Kari Ikonen, "Zigenerskan" by Emma Salokoski Ilmiliekki, "Niin On Kehto Tyhjilaan" by Hot Heroes & Iro Haarla, and "Garag" by Riitta Paakki.  ~ Dusty Groove

Yusuke Hirado (Quasimode) - Higher & Higher

We loved the keyboards of Yusuke Hirado in the group Quasimode – but on recent solo sets like this, he's pushed his talents even more – to a point where he's stepping out with a soaring, soulful vibe that's somewhere between 70s Johnny Hammond and more contemporary work from Mark De Clive Lowe! Hirado's changed up his keyboards a bit from the previous set – expanding the range of instruments even more, and working with these funky club rhythms that still have room for plenty of jazz – letting the album glow in the spacious keyboard lines that Hirado spins out with effortless ease, as the grooves chance up nicely from track to track! Titles include a great remake of the Mighty Ryders "Evil Vibrations" – plus "Route 202", "Puzzle", "Dreamin Sunday", "It Got To Be Funky", "Shades Of Blu", "Air Dancing", and "Midnight Fantazy". ~ Dusty Groove

Anne Walsh | "The Astrud Project"

The seeds for “The Astrud Project” were sewn on jazz vocalist Anne Walsh’s previous album, “Brand New.” On that 2016 set, Walsh penned biographical lyrics to Brazilian jazz singer Astrud Gilberto’s lyric-less scat on “Nao Bate O Coracao,” retitling the song “The Writing’s on the Wall.” Walsh did a similar thing with Gilberto’s scatted “Beach Samba,” which led to recording an entire album that pays tribute to Gilberto’s seminal bossa nova catalogue. Produced and orchestrated by Grammy nominated arranger Tom Zink, “The Astrud Project” drops July 8 on the A to Zink Music label.     

“Looking over Astrud’s life and career in researching that song (“Nao Bate O Coracao”) was the beginning of a deeper dive into the songs that inspired this collection. I’ve always found a kindred spirit in the vocal approach that Astrud took. Her light, straight tone is what really makes the music she sang shine. There is little doubt that Astrud’s approach set the stylistic vibe for the bossa nova movement of the 1960s,” said Walsh who will preview the new album at a concert performance at Herb Alpert’s Vibrato in Los Angeles on June 22 that will feature Zink and an orchestral ensemble. 

Walsh and Zink say that Gilberto served as “sort of a poster child for innocence and the unaffected musical beauty that summed up the early bossa nova movement.” To honor the indelible mark she made on the music for which they hold immense ardor, the spouses recorded some of Gilberto’s best-known songs as well as lesser-known selections, adding their own fresh twist to the arrangements and approach. “The Astrud Project” is comprised of eleven tunes and encompasses a mix of songs sung in English and Gilberto’s native Portuguese, including the iconic “The Girl From Ipanema.”

“Learning the Portuguese lyrics is so important to understanding how the music should swing. In Brazil, you can find yourself listening to a conversation and faintly hear the cadences of the various percussion instruments. That is such a huge part of getting the music under your skin as a singer; really internalizing the percussive feel of the language. I sing most of ‘The Girl From Ipanema’ in Portuguese because it’s impossible to get that same rhythmic feel from the English lyrics,” said Walsh.

Gilberto’s sultry and sensual voice meshed perfectly with Brazilian jazz rhythms and the rich melodies written by Antonio Carlos Jobim (“Dindi,” “The Girl From Ipanema” and “Fotographia”) and other emerging Brazilian composers of the era such as Baden Powell and Vincius de Moraes (“Canto de Ossanha”) and Marcos Valle (“Crickets Sing For Anamaria”). She uniquely illumined pop songs like “Call Me” and selections from the great American songbook (Legrand and Mercer’s “Once Upon a Summertime”) by applying her trademark bossa nova varnish. On “The Astrud Project,” Walsh skillfully plies her exquisite voice and passion for Brazilian jazz to the lavishly produced and orchestrated tracks meticulously crafted by Zink.   

“Our hope was to keep that sunny innocence of the original, while updating the sound and playing to reflect our own perspective on the era. One of my favorite elements as an orchestrator is how the original recordings could go from simple two-person performances to huge orchestral arrangements and yet still retain the fun and light sound that characterizes bossa nova. This recording moves from guitar/voice duos to very large ensembles with full string, woodwind and brass sections. All of the arrangements are original, but I focused on retaining the sense of innocent beauty that was so characteristic of Astrud’s recordings,” said Zink, who earned a Grammy nod for his arrangements on Walsh’s “Pretty World” (2009), nominated alongside some of his biggest influences, Gil Evans and Claus Ogerman.  

Zink plays piano throughout “The Astrud Project” and was joined by Mitchell Long (guitar, cavaquinho), Kevin Winard (drums, percussion), Chris Wabich (drums), Mike Vacarro (flutes, clarinet, bass clarinet), Gary Meek (flute solos), Tony Guerrero (trumpets, flugelhorns), Andy Martin (trombone), Charlie Bisharat (violin), Tom Lea (viola) and Irina Chirkova (cello).

Boston born and now based in Long Beach, California, Walsh is a classically trained vocalist, lyricist, composer and educator. She recorded amalgams of Brazilian and contemporary jazz for “Pretty World” followed by the “Go” (2011) and “Brand New” albums. Walsh earned praise from Grammy-winning guitarist Pat Metheny for writing lyrics to his “So May It Secretly Begin” for “Pretty World.” That set included another instrumental song for which she wrote lyrics, Keith Jarrett’s “My Song.” Walsh and Zink are very much at home in the Brazilian jazz space, which has proved to be a fount of creative inspiration for their recordings, spawning “The Astrud Project.”

“Our previous jazz albums are a mix of bossa nova and smooth jazz, but we wanted to go all in on this project paying tribute to Astrud and the bossa nova era,” said Zink.

Chris Beyt | "New Roots"

Chris Beyt is a guitarist, bassist, recording engineer, electronic composer, and educator living in Asheville, NC. He has a master’s degree from the University of North Texas and a doctorate from the University of Illinois, and he is now the Assistant Professor of Jazz Guitar and Recording Arts at Western Carolina University.  

As a husband and father of two boys, to Chris, his music always comes back to the family. New Roots is guided largely by his family and their story. In 2017, they moved from Illinois to North Carolina where they will be for the foreseeable future, establishing new and deep family roots as the Beyt boys grow up. This narrative, while by no means an uncommon experience, was a driving force for this music. 

The first song on the album, “Scott’s Song” originated from Chris’s son Scott himself. When he was 1 year old, he often vocalized by repeating “da,” as kids do. This was the genesis of the composition heard in the repeated chords at the very beginning and all throughout. “Two Against One” was guided by the difficulties and “bad days” of parenting two small children alone when Chris’s wife was at work. And “Time on the Road” is a song that was largely conceptualized while he was driving on his long commute through the mountains of Western North Carolina.. The form of the song is symmetrical, ABCBA, but, such as leaving your neighborhood at the beginning of a trip is a very different feeling than entering your neighborhood on your return, the song does not feel symmetrical. Rather, it’s a continuous journey, until the final explicit return to its introduction, such as finally arriving back home. 

As an artist that utilizes both worlds, Chris created this album with a combination of recordings  of live, interactive jazz quartet performances and music composed electronically with samples and virtual instruments. As such, there is a range of very realistic sounds, sounds that don’t originate in the natural world, and even some from everyday life, such as the sound of the coffee maker at Chris’s parents’ house recorded on his phone one Christmas morning as his boy played with the Legos Santa Claus brought the night before. 

The album features Jacob Rodriguez on saxophone, Pavel Wlosok on piano, Ryan McGillicuddy on bass, and Jay Sawyer on drums. Chris performed all guitar and electric bass parts, as well as sampling, midi sequencing, and recording, mixing, and mastering engineering. 

With this latest project, Chris Beyt found a comfortable workflow combining live performances with electronic composition and post-production effects. By handling composition, performance, and audio engineering himself, he was able to freely compose and improvise at every level of production. 

In an age where listeners so frequently shuffle playlists and streaming radio stations, Chris decided to not be concerned with centering on a single sound for the record, as  many great jazz records do. Embracing sudden changes in timbre and styles, and shifts from live musicians to electronic compositions, New Roots employs a diverse set of styles, always centered around the guitar. 

The tracks largely fall into two categories: entirely live performance with added editing and effects, and a combination of electronics with live performance recorded at various times. For instance, on “Scott’s Song” and “Two Against One,” many of the instrumental tracks were prepared by Chris ahead of time, then Jay and Jacob recorded their contributions after the fact, followed by further editing and processing. “A Cold Open” and “Time on the Road,” on the other hand, were recorded entirely as a live performance with only some effects and editing applied afterwards. “Further to Fly” by Paul Simon was composed entirely with electronics, using composition through non-linear sequencing, and then guitar and bass tracks were recorded on top. Finally, the first half of “An Outro into a Fugue” was entirely electronic composition with ambient saxophone tracks layered on top. This track also includes some outside-the-box approaches, such as the warbling electronic sound created by Chris running a guitar cable across his fingers. 

Some approaches were accidental. For instance, when recording the drum track for “Two Against One,” Jay recorded his part with two takes. Chris liked them both, so decided to combine them, adding to the frantic feeling of being outnumbered that the composition is based on. The result is a tense and busy feeling to the song with a too-brief moment of deceptive relief during the guitar solo. The complex melody of this song actually came from an improvisation Chris recorded into the computer, then virtual instruments and Jacob on sax performed the actual execution of it. 

This release marks Chris Beyt’s third release as a leader, and second also functioning recording/ mixing/ mastering engineer.

REGGAE LEGEND SLY DUNBAR OF SLY & ROBBIE CREATES FIRST-EVER OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED REGGAE REMIX OF THE KENNY ROGERS CLASSIC "THE GAMBLER"

From North America to Asia, Europe to Africa, and nearly every corner of the planet, global superstar Kenny Rogers touched millions of people all over the world with his music for more than six decades. This was especially true in Jamaica as generations of Jamaicans, whose love of country music dates back to the 1950s when the Caribbean nation's first commercial radio station arrived in Kingston bringing with it an eclectic mix of country, pop, R&B, classical and more, grew up on Rogers' music, a staple on the radio as well as a fixture on the island's sound systems. Since the '70s, Rogers' songs have been covered by reggae and dancehall artists like Delroy Wilson & Jennifer Lara, Busy Signal, Sister Nancy and many others. Rogers himself collaborated with Wyclef Jean on a dub plate version of his beloved song "The Gambler," which helped Jean's Refugee Sound System win one of Jamaica's most popular soundclashes in 2000. The song was featured on Jean's album, The Ecleftic – 2 Side II A Book, later that year as "Kenny Rogers – Pharoahe Monch Dub Plate."

To celebrate Jamaica’s love for Kenny Rogers and to bridge country and reggae music, two seemingly different genres with many common threads and a fascinating intertwined history, the legendary Sly Dunbar of the acclaimed reggae rhythm section, Sly & Robbie and The Taxi Gang, has created a reggae mix of “The Gambler,” one of the world’s best known American country songs.

To celebrate Jamaica’s love for Kenny Rogers and to bridge country and reggae music, two seemingly different genres with many common threads and a fascinating intertwined history, the legendary Sly Dunbar of the acclaimed reggae rhythm section, Sly & Robbie and The Taxi Gang, has created a reggae mix of “The Gambler,” one of the world’s best known American country songs.

To celebrate Jamaica's love for Kenny Rogers and to bridge country and reggae music, two seemingly different genres with many common threads and a fascinating intertwined history, the legendary Sly Dunbar of the acclaimed reggae rhythm section, Sly & Robbie and The Taxi Gang, has created a reggae mix of "The Gambler," one of the world's best known American country songs. For his inspired reinterpretation, and the first-ever officially sanctioned reggae remix of a Kenny Rogers song, Dunbar, who along with the late bassist Robbie Shakespeare were one of the most prolific musical duos and production teams – estimated to have played on or produced more than 200,000 tracks, from countless reggae artists to The Rolling Stones, Grace Jones, Bob Dylan, No Doubt and Paul McCartney – kept Rogers' original vocal and the track's lead guitar and had his band re-record the music like it was a 1978 recording session with Peter Tosh. The end result is a song that pays homage to Rogers' influence on Jamaican music while creating a new version filled with tropical beach vibes that will serve as the perfect soundtrack for summertime, family road trips, poolside hangs, tiki bar singalongs and a great addition on playlists alongside "Three Little Birds," "Margaritaville" and "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere." "The Gambler (Sly's TAXI Gang Remix)" is available now on all streaming and download services.

Stream/Share "The Gambler" (Sly's TAXI Gang Remix)

"I am a great fan of Kenny Rogers so when I got the call to do this remix for 'The Gambler' I couldn't believe it and thought wow this should be great for me because most of his songs have this kind of reggae kind of twist, country and western has this kind of reggae feel to it," said Sly Dunbar from Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang. "Everyone in Jamaica listens to a lot of country and western, especially Kenny Rogers. The people know his songs and when he came to Jamaica to perform the people were singing all his songs. I enjoyed doing this remix and want to say thanks to the Kenny Rogers Estate for giving me the opportunity to create a reggae remix for this legendary song."

Despite Jamaica's love for Rogers, it wasn't until "The Gambler" performed in the country for his first time in January 2004 at the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival that he found out how truly popular he was there. "We just assumed it was a show, until it took us four hours to get from our hotel to the concert because so many people were walking to the venue," Rogers said. "I never assume people know my music, [but] they knew every word. [It was] one of the most fun performances I've ever done. Jamaicans live music, they don't just listen to it." So overwhelmed by the response he received, Rogers returned for an encore performance later that year in Kingston in November at King's House, the official residence of the Governor-General of Jamaica, drawing an enormous crowd. As the rave review in the Jamaica Gleaner exclaimed, "Kenny Rogers could have been a coward – or at least played it safe – at King's House on Thursday night. Instead, he gambled and won jackpot after jackpot of applause from the huge crowd gathered on the lawns of the Governor-General's residence for 'One Night Only'."

Rogers fell in love with the island and its people who welcomed him with open arms and would return for additional concerts and several vacations over the years. Upon hearing the news of his death, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, sent his condolences: "I pause to acknowledge the passing of one of the greatest singers and performers of our time, Kenny Rogers. Like many Jamaicans, I grew up listening to his 'story telling to music' country and western hits in the 70s and 80s. My favorite was 'Coward of the County' and '[The] Gambler.' May his soul Rest In Peace."

Country music has long been embraced by Jamaica, from being some of the first music to be played on the country's first commercial radio station, Radio Jamaica Rediffusion – aka RJR, to Jamaica's love of Westerns and cowboy movies, which inspired the names of many dancehall artists. After hearing Claude Gray's 1961 country hit, "I'll Just Have Another Cup Of Coffee (Then I'll Go)," Bob Marley reinterpreted the song in 1962 for his second single "One Cup Of Coffee." Years later Marley gave Darrell Glenn's "Crying In The Chapel" a makeover as "Selassie Is The Chapel." In 1963, the Skatalites covered Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" as an instrumental, leading the way for a tradition of ska and reggae-tinged instrumental versions of country hits. In 1972, Toots & The Maytals released their reggae take on John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads," transporting the song from West Virgina to West Jamaica. Almost as soon as Kenny Rogers' music made its way to the Caribbean, reggae and dancehall artists began to pay tribute with their own covers, which continues to this day.

Originally written by Don Schlitz, "The Gambler" hit #1 on the Billboard Country singles chart in 1978 for three weeks. The song was so successful and popular that it also spawned a TV movie on CBS, starring Rogers himself in the title role. The film was a smash hit on the airwaves and generated four other follow-ups, making it the longest running miniseries franchise on television. It also was the beginning of Rogers' second career as an actor on television and movies.

In a career that spanned more than six decades, Kenny Rogers left an indelible mark on the history of American music. His songs have endeared millions of music lovers around the world. Chart-topping hits like "The Gambler," "Lady," "Islands In The Stream," "Lucille," "She Believes In Me," and "Through the Years" are just a handful of Kenny Rogers' songs that have inspired generations of artists and fans alike. Rogers, with twenty-four number-one hits, was a Country Music Hall of Fame member, six-time CMA Awards winner, three-time GRAMMY® Award winner, recipient of the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, CMT Artist of a Lifetime Award honoree in 2015 and has been voted the "Favorite Singer of All Time" in a joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People.

Elektric Voodoo | "Telescope"

During the time of a massive pandemic, global warming awareness, and rampant school shootings comes an album with a glimmer of hope. Elektric Voodoo presents their newest album Telescope due out August 20th. The new album is an eclectic mix of driving rhythmic textures and influences that create modern global soundscapes set against thought provoking lyricism. 

Elektric Voodoo is comprised of an all-star ensemble with songwriter, guitarist and band leader Scott Tournet, Matt Bozzone (drums/percussion, vocals), Ty Kiernan (congas, timbales, percussion), Travis Klein (tenor sax, keyboards, guitar, percussion, vocals), Brad Nash (baritone sax, keyboards, percussion, vocals), and Luke Henning (bass, vocals, percussion). Each player is immersed in a particular discipline; jazz, classical, Latin, indie, reggae, world, New Orleans music and other global influences. Building upon this, they have created a rhythmic foundation that requires human beings interacting, not technology and mechanics to fuse perfectly into what Tournet refers to as an “imperfectly perfect human band." Elektric Voodoo has created a true analog sound hailed by Relix as, “intriguing, enticing and engaging all at the same time— evidence of Elektric Voodoo’s ability to cast a hypnotic spell.”

Created and crafted with intent, Telescope is a concept album that presents a conscious shift from internal to external, and intended to be listened straight through. Telescope is 9-songs deep that tunes-in the listener to the main character who goes through a journey of self-reflection, evaluation of mortality, confrontation of death and eventually dawns a new perspective. Written over the course of six months, Scott Tournet reflects, “The first 6 songs were initially inspired by my own issues with addiction, anxiety, and depression as well as a search for meaning. That being said, they were also inspired by other people who I know who were struggling with the same issues.” He continues, “One day I was hitting a wall and I took a break and started watching a show called “One Strange Rock.” The first episode told the stories of 5 or 6 different astronauts and the “overview effect syndrome”. Overview effect syndrome can happen when an astronaut looks back at Earth and is blown away by seeing our planet from up above. This had a profound effect on me and the concept of rising up above one’s self and seeing the world from a fresh perspective with more clarity and a wider view inspired me creatively and personally.”

Tournet continues, “The record is about being jolted into seeing the world from a fresh perspective. It’s also about how you can be doing endless self-analysis but that often the thing you’re looking for lies outside of yourself.”

The new album compels the listener’s attention all the way through with many standouts to be released as singles including, “Wake Up” set to be released on May 21st. The track sets the stage with afrobeat guitars, blissed out synths, heavy percussion and presents a song about addiction and realizing one needs to reach out for help. Tournet comments, “It’s a pop song craft and production dealing with a heavy topic, yet an ultimately optimistic message. At first the refrain ‘can’t let go’ is referring to their addiction but by the last chorus ‘can’t let go’ is referring to this new, healthier path that they have found. Funky verses, soaring choruses, and a bridge that sounds like Quentin Tarantino made a movie somewhere in the Middle East.”

Another advance single and music video will be the title track, “Telescope.” The title track hits at the heart of the story, and it jolts the main character into a fresh perspective as heard in the lyrics” I’ve been peering through a Telescope…looking at the world up close…but never opening up both eyes.” Scott says, “these lyrics from the title track summarize the plight of the main character through the first half of the record. On top of a heavy afrobeat groove, this song stacks analog keyboards and delayed guitars that drift along with a song that could work in a stripped down singer-songwriter setting. An amalgamation of genres and elements that are disparate but blend in a natural way.”

The new album closes out with “Children Are The Revolution” in which the narrator focuses on the next generation and through the searching and spiritual questioning concludes, “Love shines through it all.” Tournet recalls, “I was inspired by how the children from Stoneman Douglas High School responded by taking political action after the “Parkland school shooting.” It’s further inspired by Greta Thunberg and thousands of other kids who are trying to make the world a better place.”

The band rehearsed the new album for three months 3-4 hours a night. They worked and re- worked new rhythms, wrote horn lines, rearranged parts, sped up and slowed down tempos. Scott comments, “Our percussionists like to get creative in utilizing unique sounds. In addition to a smorgasbord of percussion, they recorded a jawbone and a turtle shell. In addition to analog synths, rare organs, vintage drums, guitars, and amps, there was Baritone Sax, Tenor Sax, Flute, Bass Clarinet. Beyond that, the majority of the songs were written on a Wurlitzer Electric Piano that used to be in Waylon Jenning’s band.”

Reflecting back Scott says, “We kind of took a reverse technological approach. I started by writing to a rhythm that inspires me. Next, I jumped on Waylon’s Wurlitzer and found some chords that seemed to fit. I’d hum some sounds that felt rhythmically fitting and would come up with a section of a song. I’d play the songs for the guys and they would pick out the ones they liked the best.”

They recorded at Studio West in San Diego as it can accommodate the large band with added musicians in the live room to capture the excitement of a real “performance”. Tournet comments, “This is the most collaborative record we have made to date. It is also the first time we’ve recorded as a full band. The first record I recorded the instruments one at a time. The second record, we recorded bass, drums, guitar, and percussion first and then added horns, vocals and keyboards later. Since we had been touring, rehearsing, and playing together so much we really wanted to capture the energy and the spirit of the band, together in a room, performing the songs. Sonically, it’s a couple levels up than anything we’ve done.” Collin Dupuis (Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Dr. John), a Grammy award winning engineer, mixed the new record at his Easy Eye Studio in Nashville, TN. Dave Cooley (Tame Impala, J Dilla, Spoon, Animal Collective, Dr. Dog) mastered the record.

Elektric Voodoo first came together in 2016 around the time Tournet left the band he had built up for 12 years with Grace Potter and Nocturnals. Together they took a leap of faith to create something new. Tournet says, “We share a common creative vision and a true bond has been formed through many many hours together…on the road, in the rehearsal room, on endless phone calls during this crazy year of the pandemic. I think it can’t be stressed enough that we’ve really done this thing the old fashioned way and all of that heart is in the music. The music is pure in that way.”

He concludes, “Whatever The Voice or American Idol is, we are the opposite of that.”

Art Pepper | "Unreleased Art Pepper Volume Eleven: Atlanta,"

On a 1980 tour that he undertook with his working quartet, Art Pepper spent the evening of May 17 electrifying the audience at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta. The tour was a quickie affair—his wife and manager, Laurie, barely even noted it on her calendar. She did roll tape, however, and for her efforts, posterity can enjoy his thrilling performance with the band on the double-disc Unreleased Art Pepper Volume Eleven: Atlanta, released on Laurie Pepper’s Widow’s Taste label. 

Art was at the cusp of what would be the last of many career comebacks that spring. (He died in July 1982.) This one was built on the foundation of Straight Life, his seminal memoir (written with Laurie), which had hit shelves in December 1979. Its harrowing, honest portrayal of Art’s bouts with addiction and incarceration (“It tells all,” he promises the Atlanta audience in a plug for the book) had achieved rave reviews and impressive sales. “Art’s career and fame were suddenly greater than ever before,” notes Laurie in the CD’s liner notes. “Internationally. And he was able to tour with his own band for the first time in his life.”

Yet before the summer and fall triumphs in Europe and Japan (heard on Unreleased Art volumes VI and VII, respectively), before the majesty of the beloved Winter Moon session in September, there was this small, ad hoc tour through Boston, Houston, and Atlanta in April and May. Laurie was accompanying Art as his road manager, accountant, agent, band boss, and general factotum: “the jobs he didn’t want.” To those tasks, the saxophonist added a new one: He asked Laurie to buy a portable tape deck and microphone and start recording his performances.

To that request, and to Laurie’s determination to make him happy, we owe the hair-raising document that now comes before us. From the panache of “Blues for Blanche” and propulsion of “Mambo Koyama” to the rush of “Straight Life” and masterful balance of restraint and relish on “Song for Richard,” it’s clear that Art’s adventures and misadventures hadn’t depleted his artistry a bit—if anything, it added a new sense of urgency and purpose. The audience’s rapturous reception of his every tune confirms this.

Then again, his bandmates were earning their share of the rapture too. Brilliant musicians thrive in the company of their peers; Art may have been their better in terms of name recognition, but in terms of musicianship pianist Milcho Leviev, bassist Bob Magnusson, and drummer Carl Burnett more than hold their own. All four players’ skills and mutual respect come into focus on the second set’s opening blues “Untitled #34,” with Magnusson’s tour-de-force bass solo followed by a cutthroat three-way battle between Pepper, Leviev, and Burnett. Though we can’t hear it happening, we can safely assume that the band rattled the windows in the place. 

The lack of window-rattling evidence is not due to any shortcomings in the sound. Laurie’s equipment was remarkably sharp in capturing all the sonic nuances in Art and the band’s music; recording engineer Wayne Peet breathes new life into them with his painstaking mastering. 

Art’s banter between the songs is mumbly—more a defect of the saxophonist than of the audio—but it also adds scope and dimension to both artist and art. “I’ve retained more onstage talk on this album than on any other I’ve released,” Laurie Pepper muses in her notes, “because I find it funny and revealing.” Coming in the wake of the Straight Life book, as this concert did, it’s only fitting that Laurie allows Art to tell his own story here. 

Perry Smith | "Peace"

For guitarist, composer, bandleader, and educator Perry Smith, standards are an integral part of his life as a musician, accompanying him on the ups and downs of life, providing a landscape for him to explore, and improvise on, from his heart. Smith elaborates, “I had been interested in recording a trio album of standards to really draw the listener in through classic melodies, dynamics and the natural sound of my Gibson ES-175. Using a traditional archtop hollow body, my style of jazz guitar can really work with a sensitive and swinging rhythm section like Schnelle and Minaie. I chose to record a variety of standards that have meant a lot to me over the years, and what I discovered is that as my own life experiences have unfolded, my connection to these songs, and what I have to offer them musically has only gotten deeper. It leaves me with an immense amount of gratitude for these standards.” 

The genesis of Peace materialized in November of 2019 when Smith found himself on the road with two old friends and great musicians, Los Angeles drummer Dan Schnelle and NYC bassist Sam Minaie. Musically, and personally, this trio is thick as thieves, having all coming up together in Southern California about two decades ago, and creating music together for many years. The trio recorded the album on a day off in LA. After the initial trio recording Smith returned to LA in February, 2020 to mix the album and record three solo guitar tracks (“A Child Is Born”, “I Remember You” and “Alone Together”). “I wanted to close out the album in a more intimate way and provide some contrast to the trio. Solo jazz guitar has always been a big part of my artistic path. I view the guitar as an orchestra and each string a separate voice. Playing solo gives me an opportunity to shape the song exactly as I’m hearing it in the moment. Solo guitar is kind of like walking on a tight rope, if you’re centered and in the zone, it feels so natural,” says Smith. 

The standards of the jazz tradition are a very rich and valued trove of music that can accompany you through joy, lamentation, celebration and sorrow. Whether it’s a song by Jimmy Van Heusen or Sam Rivers, these compositions have stood the test of time, and have provided countless generations of listeners and musicians with a foundation on which to build, on which to express oneself; a vast source of solace, entertainment delight, triggering/making memories, serving as the “cornerstone of the jazz repertoire” (Ted Gioia, The Jazz Standards), and providing the soundtrack to many of our lives. 

“In these trying times where all our lives and careers have been upended by a pandemic, I offer this album as a soothing escape from the daily headlines. We could all use a little more Peace in our lives and I hope this album provides listeners some comfort through these turbulent times,” says Smith. 

Recorded and mixed by Justin Stanley in Los Angeles, CA Mastered by Fred Kevorkian in Brooklyn, NY *tracks 7,8,9 are solo guitar performances.

Guitarist Perry Smith combines the tradition of Jazz with broad influences from contemporary music to create his signature style. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Smith is now based in Brooklyn where he is an educator and performs as a bandleader and a sideman for local and touring artists. Smith’s extensive performance resume includes notable venues and festivals such as the Blue Note Jazz Club (NYC & Tokyo), Smalls Jazz Club (NYC), Dizzy's Club Coca Cola (NYC), Montreal Jazz Festival, Java Jazz Festival (Indonesia), Jazz a la Calle (Uruguay), Rochester Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Festival, Yoshi's Jazz Club (Bay Area), The Blue Whale (LA), Philippine International Jazz Festival, The Healdsburg Guitar Festival and SFJazz. 

As a bandleader Smith has now released 5 full-length albums with his most recent being Peace on Smith Tone Records. As an active player in the NYC jazz scene, Smith hosted a weekly series in Brooklyn called The Soda Session every Wednesday from 2015-2019. Each week he performed with a different group of NYC's finest jazz artists while hosting an open session for NYC's international jazz community. The Soda Session was generously supported by a grant from KeyedUp.org in conjunction with the Jazz Foundation of America. Smith built the session from scratch along with bassist Matt Aronoff. His album Live in Brooklyn, featuring saxophonist Melissa Aldana, was captured from one of their final performances hosting the series. 

In addition to leading his own projects and working as a sideman, Smith is a founding member of the critically acclaimed New West Guitar Group. Based in Los Angeles featuring guitarists John Storie and Will Brahm, NWGG has been performing internationally since 2005 and they are recognized as one of the premier jazz guitar ensembles in the country. Currently they are hosting a poplar podcast series all about guitar called High Action!

In 2005, Smith received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Flora L. Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, where he studied jazz guitar legend Joe Diorio. In 2011 he completed his Masters in Music at New York University studying with the great modern jazz guitarist John Scofield and was named the “Outstanding Graduate” for the NYU Jazz Department.

FRANCISCO MORA CATLETT - MORA! I & II

Mexican-American percussionist and former member of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Francisco Mora Catlett originally recorded and released his debut solo LP as a private press in 1987, but the sequel he recorded over the course of the next few years with an expanded Detroit jazz brass section was shelved for decades to follow. A pan-American melting pot of hypnotic afro-cuban rhythms, frenetic batucadas and fiery sambas, Mora I & II are holy grails of latin jazz, masterminded by an unsung hero of the genre. 

Born in Washington DC, 1947, Francisco Mora Jr is the eldest child of two highly prominent Mexican artists, Francisco Mora Sr and Elizabeth Catlett, to whom this project was dedicated. Being born into a mixed heritage bohemian family provided Mora Jr with what he called a “creative, progressive, and healthy arts environment”, building the foundations for a fascinating career journey ahead. Mora grew up in Mexico City where he began working as a session musician for Capitol Records in 1968, before moving to study at Berklee Music College in Boston, MA in 1970. Once he’d completed his studies in 1973, he very briefly returned to Mexico City with the best intentions of cultivating an avant-garde movement in the city, but when the Sun Ra Arkestra came to perform, Mora ended up leaving with the band to tour the world for the next seven years, a decent innings within a group famous for its constantly evolving line up. 

Settling in Detroit after his years with the Arkestra, Francisco set to work on his self-titled debut, gathering an ensemble of musicians that included keyboardist Kenny Cox, founder of the legendary Strata Records, esteemed bassist Rodney Whitaker of the Roy Hargrove Quintet and percussionists Jerome Le Duff, Alberto Nacif, and Emile Borde. The album openly embraces and unites the broad spectrum of improvisation, rhythm, and jazz that has thrived throughout the American continents for centuries. In Mora’s own words the album intended to “manifest the African heritage presence in the American continent.” Epitomising this outlook, album opener ‘Afra Jum’ deploys a melody based on Haitian, African and Native American motifs, which is expanded upon by the soulful excellence of the Detroit veterans Cox and Whitaker, amidst a backdrop of afro-cuban inspired percussion. 

The sequel Mora II was recorded shortly after with an expanded line up that included trumpet legend Marcus Belgrave, famed for his work with Ray Charles, Charles Mingus, Hank Crawford, Eddie Russ and Wendell Harrison. Continuing the concept of the first album, the follow up moves deeper into South America with the samba jazz dance belter ‘Amazona’, led by the rich vocals of Francisco’s wife Teresa Mora. This follow up album remained shelved until 2005, when Mora put it out as a now obscure CD titled River Drum, but only now has it been given the high quality vinyl treatment it so deserves, presented as the sequel to Mora! as originally intended.

Through the 90s and into the the 21st century Mora would continue his Pan-American explorations, moving toward a more electronic afro-futurist direction as part of Detroit techno pioneer Carl Craig’s Innerzone Orchestra. Mora also worked with Carl Craig, moog synth wizard Craig Taborn, and his former Arkestra colleague, the legendary Marshall Allen, to form the Innerzone Orchestra spin-off Outerzone, released in 2007 on Premier Cru Records.

Gabriel Bolaños / Frank Carlberg | "Charity And Love"

Brooklyn-based Red Piano Records has released Charity and Love from pianist/composer Frank Carlberg and electronic music composer Gabriel Bolaños. According to Frank and Gabriel, “the music on Charity and Love draws inspiration from Mary Lou Williams; her music, her voice, her commitment, her courage. The title track incorporates her voice slowly emerging with a message of love as the piano and the electronic processing weave ever-evolving textures. Many of the other tracks such as Mary Lou, Mary Blue, Zodiac Impressions and Mary’s Aries include fragments and cells from her Zodiac Suite as the electronics and the piano converse in real time. This project is not meant as a tribute to Mary Lou Williams, but rather a celebration of her groundbreaking career, her forward looking work, and her fearlessness.”

Gabriel José Bolaños (born in Bogotá, Colombia) is a Nicaraguan-American composer of solo, chamber, orchestral and electronic music. He frequently collaborates closely with performers and writes music that explores unusual structures and timbres. He is interested in computer-assisted-composition, auditory perception and linguistics. His recent music engages with theories of ecological listening: how our sense of hearing evolved primarily to interpret our environment. He enjoys listening to music by Harvey, Furrer, Ligeti, Grisey, Cerha, Romitelli, Messiaen, Os Mutantes, Simon Diaz, Sabicas and Bach.

 The Finland-native, Brooklyn-based Frank Carlberg has an extensive catalogue of compositions including pieces for small jazz and improvisational groups, big band, orchestra, music for dance companies, and over 150 songs with settings of contemporary American poetry. He has over twenty recordings to his name as a leader and countless others as a sideman, and has worked with the likes of Kenny Wheeler, Steve Lacy and Bob Brookmeyer. He owns and operates Red Piano Records.