Mista Savona Presents HAVANA MEETS KINGSTON PART 2

Cumbancha releases the album Mista Savona Presents Havana Meets Kingston Part 2 featuring an all-star lineup of musicians from Cuba and Jamaica. An epic set of 15 tracks, Havana Meets Kingston Part 2 unites the deep roots grooves of reggae, dancehall and rocksteady with the scorching soul of Cuban son, timba and salsa. 

While connected by common African roots and colonial histories, the music of Cuba and Jamaica have traveled largely in separate directions. Their influence on the music of the world has been immeasurable, but their influence on each other has been less evident – until now. 

It took an Australian to bring these two musically rich cultures together. Melbourne producer and musician Jake Savona had already fallen in love with the music of Jamaica, having released a string of successful reggae and dub albums under his stage name Mista Savona since 2007. He first traveled to Cuba in 2014 and on his last day in Havana, he was struck with a vision: he could imagine the sounds of Cuban rumba mixed with Jamaican nyabinghi, the spiritual & folkloric styles unique to each island. 

A year later, supported by a grant from the Australian Council, Savona returned to Cuba, joined by a quartet of Jamaican legends including Sly & Robbie (drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare), guitarist Winston “Bopee” Bowen (known for his work with Dennis Brown) and Studio One percussionist Bongo Herman. They spent the next ten days at the legendary EGREM studios recording with many of Cuba’s top musicians and vocalists. “It felt like a project that wanted to be born, and I was the one lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time,” recalls Savona. 

More sessions followed, other guests were invited, and after years of painstaking effort, the first volume of Mista Savona Presents Havana Meets Kingston was released in 2017 to worldwide acclaim. By 2018 a live version of the project had performed three world tours, culminating in an incendiary show for the BBC Proms at The Royal Albert Hall in the summer of 2018. 

Shortly thereafter Savona was back in the Caribbean to work on new recordings with a range of famous and rising stars in the Cuban and Jamaican music scenes. Much of this new record was also recorded at the famous EGREM Studio (Estudios Areito 101) in Havana, where the equipment and atmosphere has remained unchanged since the 1950s. This is the very same studio in which the famous Buena Vista Social Club album was recorded in 1996, and the Havana Meets Kingston albums share that unique sonic character and warm, woody room sound that EGREM is famous for. According to Savona “The Cubans told me an angel lives in the studio and that she blesses the music recorded there - and I believe it! Other studios we recorded at include Nelson’s Studio in Vedado, and Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong studio in Kingston, Jamaica.” 

Havana Meets Kingston Part 2 includes guest appearances from Jamaican singers Clinton Fearon (The Gladiators), Randy Valentine, Prince Alla, Stevie Culture, The Jewels and Micah Shemaiah. Featured Cuban guests include Cimafunk, Barbarito Torres, Changuito, Brenda Navarrete, Solis, Beatriz Marquez, Dayán Carrera Fernández and many more. This second album simmers with energy that comes from the magic created by musicians discovering exciting new sounds and collaborators.

Savona first saw Cimafunk performing with the band Interactivo in 2015, years before he became a household name in Cuba. The music for “Beat Con Flow,” which Savona describes as “an old-school, funky, hip-hop and reggae jam,” was recorded at EGREM Studios by a top-notch band that included Sly Dunbar, Winston “Bopee” Bowen, as well as Cuban virtuoso bassist Gaston Joya and trumpeter Julito Padrón. Savona plays piano and Hammond organ and DJ Wasabi is on the turntables. 

Cimafunk later recorded his vocals at a small, rundown Havana recording studio, bragging in Cuban slang about his talents as a singer and the infectious rhythm and vibe of the song. “I live at my own cool and easy tempo / And if is there are any problems / I solve them little by little / So go ahead, lose yourself to the beat / If being quiet is getting you down / Don’t worry, dance and sing / And you will see how it lifts your soul.” The song’s uplifting message and positive vibe is the perfect antidote for these challenging times. 

“The Human Chain” is a powerful and uplifting rocksteady roots anthem about the looming threats to humanity. Clinton Fearon, an icon of Jamaican music who was the lead singer for the legendary band The Gladiators, sings in his trademark gravel-toned and soulful voice, “A chain is only as strong / As its weakest link / Greed and poverty / Weaken the chain / Now is the time to reflect / On what's gone wrong / With the human chain.” 

The single is accompanied by an epic music video filmed on the rooftop of a skyscraper in Fearon’s current home in Seattle interspersed with stirring clips of protest and conflict drawn straight from the headlines. The sixth single to be released so far from the upcoming Havana Meets Kingston Part 2 album, “The Human Chain” offers a stark warning and an uplifting message of hope that we can come together to strengthen the ties that bind us all. 

“Guarachará,” featuring Cuban singer Dayán Carrera Fernández and a host of other stars from the island, is a scorching dance number that blends Cuban timba, salsa, flamenco and Afrobeat. The song opens with a touch of flamenco, then builds into a classic Cuban son before exploding into a high-energy salsa/timba groove that dancers will find impossible to ignore. As many parts of the world begin to open up, the lyrics to “Guarachará” couldn’t be timelier. Lead singer Dayán Carrera Fernández calls for all of his friends to join him at his home for a much-needed dance party. While the past year has seen most of us stuck in our homes longing for a social life, “Guarachará” invites people to get back together for a house party like no other. “A few days ago,” sings Fernández, “I had a feeling / My soul was hurting / And I didn't know where my friends were / But we got together / In the end my people will get together / And we’re going to sing and dance. 

The stunning music video for “Guarachará,” which was produced by Luis Toledo & Jake Savona, was filmed at an historic 1910 estate near the Havana airport. It begins with a 1940's theme as old cars pull up to the house to deliver the musicians and flamenco dancers, who are meeting Dayán and guitarist Raynier Monserrat Gonzalez in their living room. The song soon picks up into an old-school Cuban son and moves outside as salsa dancers dressed in colorful vintage clothes show off their best moves. Once the song has reached the second bridge we are transported to modern day Havana, with the party raging inside the house all through the day and night. As morning approaches and the sun begins to rise, Dayan closes the doors to his house and pianist Rolando Luna is left alone on the verandah playing the piano, for a beautiful outro to the song. 

These are just a few of the many highlights on an album that will go down in history as groundbreaking masterpiece. 

Mista Savona Presents Havana Meets Kingston Part 2 will be released by Baco Records in Europe, ABC Music in Australia and New Zealand and Cumbancha in the US, Canada, Latin America and the rest of the world. It will be available in deluxe CD and double LP packages filled with photos from the historic sessions and tours. 

The Havana Meets Kingston live project will be touring this summer in Europe and later in 2022 and early 2023 in North America. 

Queen Kong | "Fray"

Led by drummer and composer Lorie Wolf, Queen Kong is a band of klezmorim informed by a wide range of musical styles: the band members’ collective CV spans Balkan punk, hip-hop brass, classical ensembles, reggae, traditional jazz, and Brazilian psych-rock. Their collective experience fills a deep niche: it is music clearly sprung from the world of klezmer, but with migratory flight paths to destinations yet to be determined. Queen Kong’s uniting musical influence is rooted in radical Jewish culture, drawing from a set of disparate musical influences, including John Zorn’s Masada and Bar Kokhba, Hasidic New Wave and Naftule’s Dream. 

To be thrown into the fray is to enter into an intense situation without notice. Fray is also the Yiddish word for ‘free.’ For Queen Kong, this double-entendre couldn’t be more apropos. The Toronto band’s debut album Fray was created during a time of worldwide tumult, when all paths forward seemed unclear. During a time of unraveling, Fray stands as a strong unifying statement, merging myriad influences to create something unique and powerful. 

Joining the band on all tracks is clarinetist Michael Winograd, a singular musical force whose impact stretches across 20 years of klezmer-influenced music in New York and around the world. Cellist Beth Silver appears on three tracks (Bethema, Let Me Take My Time and Kaddish For Jonny.) Her contributions offer the listener a unique listening opportunity, as cello is not commonly heard in klezmer music. 

Wolf’s ten originals move through moments of odd-metered Balkan groove, (Bethema), Jewish jazz (If/Then), elegiac meditation (Kaddish for Jonny), pizzicato-punctuated funk (“East 3rd and C”), and more. The album also features Wolf’s torchy lead vocals on Di Zun Vet Aruntergeyn, a poem written before the Holocaust and later set to music. Queen Kong will perform at various festivals this spring and summer including Jewish Music Week and the Toronto Jazz Festival, as well as at a variety of venues all over Toronto. They’ll be hitting the road this fall for an extended tour.

Deb Rasmussen | "Unspoken"

Calgary vocalist Deb Rasmussen’s new album UNSPOKEN first began to take shape in 2019, only a few months before the COVID pandemic brought the world to a halt and reduced Rasmussen’s world to her house and music room. However, the newfound free time that came with the isolation gave her a chance to reconnect with an old love: song writing. After a few months, Rasmussen was inspired to reach out to her frequent collaborator pianist Jon Day, who arranged the new batch of songs, plus a few choice standards. Their  remote collaboration revolved around Rasmussen’s piano, a USB mic, Dropbox and email. This continued for a year and a half until they finally had a chance to play their new repertoire together. Deciding that they had to record, they enlisted Jeremy Coates and Robin Tufts – two of western Canada’s top call musicians – to lend their exceptional skill and sensitivity to the project. 

UNSPOKEN is a musical and emotional journey that explores the aspects of love that are often left unspoken. In the category of sweet romance, Just My Little Love Song and You Smile and were written by Rasmussen and her life partner for each other. But between infatuation (Darn That Dream), passion (I Hear a Rhapsody) and heartbreak (It Never Entered My Mind), there’s longing and loneliness (Swept Away), temptation (Unspoken), the constant balancing of love versus fear (Front Porch), and the need to draw a line in the sand (In Your Own Sweet Way). The songs explore more than just romantic love. Fly Away is dedicated to the many women who have struggled to hold their families, their work and themselves together throughout the pandemic, digging deeper and deeper inside to find the strength to carry on. Peace, Like a River is about the quest for inner solace when the world seems to be crumbling all around. The album resolves with My Best to You, a simple wish for the listener to find the love that’s best for them, whatever and wherever it may be.

Kate Wyatt | "Artifact"

Pianist and composer Kate Wyatt is one of Montreal’s  finest jazz musicians, and her debut album Artifact is an  excellent glimpse into the many layers of her  musicianship. She has been hailed as an “excellent  pianist… one of the top artists of Montreal, Quebec, or  even Canadian jazz.” (Alain Brunet, panm360.com). A  veteran of many festivals and jazz clubs nationally and  internationally, Wyatt has been invited to perform with  many recognized and respected musicians including  Kenny Wheeler, Yannick Rieu and the Orchestre National  de jazz de Montreal (ONJ). 

Artifact is a debut album that sounds like anything but. It consists of a magisterial, meditative sequence of original  Wyatt compositions, as well as a gorgeous standard by  Billy Strayhorn. The songs lay deep melodic roots, backed  by harmonies that soar to exciting heights. Antepenultimate evokes a sense of embarking on a journey into the mysterious unknown. A playful spirit smiles behind the witty Short Stories. 

The musicians on the album are all leaders in their own  right, but the group dynamics testify to a deep sympathy  between the players. Trumpeter Lex French is in  complete command of the entire musical narrative, from  the subtle flavour of individual tones, all the way to the  complex architecture of his solos. Drummer Jim Doxas is  a telepathic presence throughout the album: a sensitive  soul with an enormous heart who stays in constant  dialogue with the soloists. Bassist Adrian Vedady – Wyatt’s  husband and long-time musical collaborator – plays with  a deep, mellow tone that lays the bedrock for the band’s exploration. As a soloist, Vedady is a philosopher who  explores melodies and arranges them into thoughtful  passages that command attention. 

There are hints of influences, both pianistic and compositional, in Kate Wyatt’s work. But overwhelmingly, it is obvious that she speaks with a unique musical voice. Playful, contemplative, probing, intense, passionate – all  contained in a deep rhythmic pocket. Those who hear  her tend to come back for more. 

Gordon Grdnina's Nomad Trio | "Boiling Point"

Always an untiringly prolific and inventive artist boasting an enviable roster of collaborators and far-reaching projects, Gordon Grdina has enjoyed one of the most ambitious and fruitful periods of his career in recent months. Kicking off with the launch of his own Attaboygirl Records label in late 2021, the Vancouver-based guitarist, composer, improviser, and master oud player has released a string of adventurous, eclectic and highly acclaimed new albums. 

Grdina’s remarkable streak continues this summer with a pair of new releases featuring some of the most revered improvisers in modern jazz and creative music; both find Grdina reconvening exploratory trios that expand upon the discoveries of their respective debuts. On June 17, 2022 the Astral Spirits label will release Boiling Point, the much-anticipated sophomore outing by Grdina’s explosive Nomad Trio with pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Jim Black; while Attaboygirl will release Pathways, the second meeting of Grdina with legendary pianist Matthew Shipp and bass innovator Mark Helias. 

The self-titled 2020 debut of Grdina’s Nomad Trio was hailed by PopMatters for setting up “loose structures for wild improvising [while also including] a healthy menu of hot unison licks and fleet melodies.” Something Else! lauded the trio’s ability to “wander without a clear map through vast musical terrain few can even attempt, and make it to the other side unscathed.” Those accolades are unsurprising since Grdina enlisted two of the most inventive and technically versatile artists in modern music for this trio. 

Matt Mitchell has established himself as one of the most audacious, in-demand pianists on the New York scene, forging significant relationships with the likes of Tim Berne, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Dave Douglas, Dan Weiss and John Hollenbeck. Jim Black, meanwhile, is famed as the propulsive, rock- and electronica-inspired drummer behind such influential bands as Berne’s Bloodcount, Human Feel and AlasNoAxis, while working extensively with such artists as Dave Douglas, Uri Caine, Carlos Bica, Ellery Eskelin, Hilmar Jensson, Chris Speed and Satoko Fujii. 

“I can write anything for this band,” Grdina says. “It's very complex music, rhythmically, harmonically, melodically, and in the way every piece fits together. Those guys really can do anything. Since the last album, the group has solidified its unique sound, which is exciting to hear develop on this second record.” 

The trio of Grdina, Matthew Shipp and Mark Helias is equally bold while venturing into less ferocious terrain. Pathways quickly reveals the trio’s collective evolution since 2019’s initial meeting, Skin and Bones. Where only two of that album’s seven tracks clocked in under ten minutes, the nine pieces on Pathways never exceed the ten-minute mark and rarely even approach it. The results are tightly coiled and laser focused, with abundant ideas packed into concentrated, intense bursts of creative energy. 

Surprisingly given their extensive histories, Helias and Shipp had never played together prior to the West Coast tour leading up the recording of Skin and Bones, though they both lived in the East Village and would often discuss boxing, a shared passion. Counting on that casual familiarity (not to mention their estimable imaginations) to spark on the bandstand, Grdina invited the two to join him and discovered an instant chemistry. 

“For this second album we met at East Side Sound three years later and picked up right where we left off,” Grdina notes. “This album is much different than the first, with each piece more concisely presenting the musical ideas and interconnectedness of the group. There are many times when I can't tell what is piano and what is guitar or bass, as the roles shift and instruments blend together to create something collective. I love when that happens and you lose yourself and become something bigger.”

Seeking a new outlet that can keep pace with his ever-expanding roster of ongoing projects and new collaborations, Grdina launched Attaboygirl Records in October 2021. The endeavor was undertaken in collaboration with his partner, photographer Genevieve Monro, who curates the distinctive visual style of the label. The label made its debut with the simultaneous release of the first two entries in its catalogue: Pendulum, Grdina’s third solo album and the second composed for classical guitar and oud; and Klotski, the studio debut of Gordon Grdina’s Square Peg, an exploratory quartet featuring Grdina on guitar and oud, Mat Maneri on viola, Shahzad Ismaily on bass and Moog, and Christian Lillinger on drums. Two further releases followed in February 2022: Night’s Quietest Hour documented the meeting of guitar experimentalist Marc Ribot with Grdina’s Arabic music ensemble Haram, while Oddly Enough debuted a new collection of pieces by saxophonist/composer Tim Berne for solo acoustic and electric guitar with Midi sampler instruments.

Gordon Grdina is a JUNO Award-winning oud/guitarist whose career has spanned continents, decades and constant genre exploration throughout avant-garde jazz, free form improvisation, contemporary indie rock and Arabic. His singular approach to the instruments has earned him recognition from the highest ranks of the jazz/improv world. Grdina has performed and collaborated with a wide array of field-leading artists including Gary Peacock, Paul Motion, Marc Ribot, Mark Helias, Mats Gustafsson, Hank Roberts, Mark Feldman, Eyvind Kang, Colin Stetson, Mat Maneri, Christian Lilinger, Matt Mitchell and Jim Black. He currently leads multiple ensembles in Vancouver and New York, including the Gordon Grdina Quartet with Oscar Noriega, Russ Lossing, and Satoshi Takeishi; The Marrow with Hank Roberts, Mark Helias, Hamin Honari, and Josh Zubot; Square Peg with Christian Lillinger, Mat Maneri, and Shahzad Ismaily; Nomad Trio with Matt Mitchell and Jim Black; The Gordon Grdina Septet with Peggy Lee, Jesse Zubot, Kenton Loewen, Tommy Babin, Eyvind Kang and Jon Irabagon; and Haram, an Arabic/avant-garde ensemble that re-envisions the Arabic, Persian and Sudanese repertoire of the 50’s and 60’s from a modern improviser’s lens.

New Music: ARC Trio and the John Daversa Big Band, Phi-Psonics, Arthur Prysock, Sania Iman

ARC Trio and the John Daversa Big Band - ARCeology: The Music of MSM Schmidt

For the past 15 years, former Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip has had a fruitful working relationship with prolific German composer MSM Schmidt. Now collaborating on their sixth album, the chemistry reaches soaring new heights with ARCeology: The Music of MSM Schmidt. This dynamic project finds Haslip and members of his ARC Trio (keyboardist Scott Kinsey and Hungarian drummer Gergö Borlai) joining forces with the GRAMMY Award-winning John Daversa Big Band on greatly expanded versions of Schmidt material, along with one of Kinsey’s compositions. The result is a powerhouse collection of swaggering big band fusion, along the lines of the legendary Jaco Pastorius Big Band.

Phi-Psonics - Cradle

A wonderfully moody combo – one who are definitely in the more jazz-based side of the spectrum for the Gondwana label – but a group who also have a different vibe than label heavyweights like Matthew Halsall and Nat Birchall! There's a very loose, open approach going on here – music that moves in these gentle cycles that are more elliptical than modal jazz, but have a similar sense of spirit – served up with sublime instrumentation from group leader Seth Ford Young on bass, Mitchell Yoshida on electric piano, Sylvain Carton on saxes, and Josh Collazo on drums. At times, the group hang wonderfully on the edge between spiritual jazz and freer sounds of the loft jazz generation – on titles that include "Still Dancing", "Like Glass", "Drum Talk", "Mama", "First Step", and "The Cradle". ~ Dusty Groove

Arthur Prysock - You Never Know About Love – Two Original Albums Plus Bonus Tracks 

Two full albums from one of the most popular jazz singers of his day – back to back on the same CD, with bonus material too! First up is the album I Worry About You – fantastic work from Arthur Prysock – a singer who really helped redefine the role of the male singer in the 60s, even though he's hardly remembered today! The title cut is one of his anthems – the kind of song that's heartfelt, yet masculine at the same time – almost a different twist on territory that singers like Jerry Butler or Chuck Jackson would explore in their work. Great arrangements – with a mix of strings and jazz – and titles include "I Worry Bout You", "My Everything", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "You Loved Me Yesterday", and "Keep A Light In The Window For Me". Next is Sings Only For You – a beautiful record from a hell of a great singer – one who established a genre that was all his own, and set a whole new standard for male jazz singers in the 60s! Arthur Prysock's got some of the depth of the Billy Eckstine generation that came before him – but he's also got a mode that's more personal, almost conversational too – sophisticated, but never stand-offish – just this hip cat that really knows how to deliver a tune and make it his own! The arrangements here really fit that style too – nicely understated, but again with all these modern elements that really make things great – as Prysock makes his way through tunes that include "Only For You", "Let Her Wonder", "When I Fall In Love", "Imagination", "Don't Quit Me Now", and "Time After Time". CD features four bonus tracks – "Do You Believe", "Good Rockin Tonight", "One More Time", and "Pianissimo". ~ Dusty Groove

Sania Iman - Lofi Jazz (The Jazzy Lady Prelude)

This five song EP "lofi jazz" is written by Sanía Iman and produced by Work Station. All five songs are very modern day Jazz vibes for you to enjoy and go into the world feeling good after listening. Sanía Iman is a Singer, songwriter, and pianist from Toledo, OH who currently resides in Chicago, IL creating a career as a Musician, Music Business Coach, and Professional Recording Artist. From the age of six years young, Sanía has been playing piano, singing, writing, composing, producing, engineering and learning other areas of the performing arts and entertainment. Growing up, Sanía performed all around her hometown for local radio stations, singing competitions, National Anthems at city basketball tournaments, every single talent show ever put on in high school, musicals, college choral performances, and so much more. Sanía Iman has also had the honor of singing at Carnegie Hall in New York City with her Ohio high school Honors Choir.

New Music: Robert Lee, Brothers Keeper, John Stein, Shelia Moore-Piper

Robert Lee - Cha-Ran

‘Cha-Ran’ is the sophomore album of bassist and composer Robert Lee. Robert continues to refine his artistic identity that is rooted in the emotional provocation of jazz and improvised music but pursues the exploration and implementation of new musical genres into one cohesive creative theatre. The album contains all original compositions inspired by Korean folk stories, spanning various fantasy and romantic narratives. The main goal of this music is to evoke the same emotion that is perceived from the narrative storytelling of Studio Ghibli films (i.e. Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle).  Robert strongly believes that music has the power to evoke visual imagery through auditory stimulation. The intention is for each composition to have this effect on the listener and transport them to an emotional realm outside of their presuppositions.  \The CD will be officially released on August 26th. There will also be a Canadian tour to help celebrate the release.  

Brothers Keeper - Gypsy King (Go MAPS Music Remaster)

“Gypsy King” takes listeners on a nomadic journey back to the 70s, to a musical era defined by prolific foundations of groove and lush vocal harmonies. Inspired by flagship bands of the time like Santana and The Eagles, Brothers Keeper marries strong lyrical content with tasteful organ work, memorable choruses, and refined solos. Producer, Eddie Roberts, and bandleader, Scott Rednor's shared vision is evident in this well-honed collaboration that has the ability to grace speakers for generations to come. The track has been remastered for a new digital single release to spark the launch of the Go MAPS MUSIC record label. Based in Vail, Colorado, MAPS (Mr. Anonymous Philanthropic Society) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers artists to promote unity and peace in their communities through music. In the same spirit, the Go MAPS MUSIC label is inspired by connection, collaboration, education, and integrity in the music they produce and the relationships they build.

John Stein - Lifeline

With the release of Lifeline, John Stein celebrates a musical career as one of the most diverse jazz guitarists of his generation. Selected highlights from Stein’s varied discography capture his eclectic spirit with his honey-toned guitar effortlessly guiding listeners across several decades of brilliance. After retiring from a longtime career at Berklee College of Music where he held a professorship since 1999, and upon recently contracting a rare autoimmune disease, the esteemed jazz veteran decided to synthesize his remarkable body of recorded work. The recorded output surveyed on this compilation spans more than twenty years, from Stein’s 1999’s Green Street to the most recent recording, 2021’s Serendipity. Throughout this assortment of releases, Stein has been consistently regaled for his expansiveness, turning heads with his emotive, subtle, grooving, and precise stylistic excursions. With dazzling guitar playing, notable contributions from the side musicians, creative arrangements, and compositions that are at once sophisticated and memorable, the full scope of John Stein’s instrumental and compositional prowess is on display on this prodigious, varied, and musically rewarding retrospective.

Shelia Moore-Piper - The Love/Soul Session Vol.1

As the dynamic, multi-faceted career of Christian soul singer and veteran musical minister Shelia Moore-Piper demonstrates, sometimes we can express our love of God with funky stomps and vocal swells – and other times, in more subtle but similarly impactful ways, as on her new single “Love Is A Beautiful Thing.” Featuring intimate, soulful vocalese throughout, the song’s subtle production of acoustic guitar, finger snap percussion and elevated musical atmospheres allows us to fully experience the cozier charms of her formidable voice. While the lyrics will resonate most powerfully with people of faith, the song’s overriding universal message of the power of love to heal and make the heart sing will surely resonate with everyone who loves music, especially R&B and contemporary jazz vocals.  www.smoothjazz.com

Color de Trópico Vol. 3

The third instalment of El Palmas Music's Color de Trópico series is out today, bringing another surprising selection of go-go, salsa, funereal garage punk, jazz fusion and Caribbean grooves from Venezuelan music's golden age (the 60s and 70s), to light. 

El Palmas Music are back with a third instalment of rare Venezuelan sounds from the 60s and 70s, a wild trip through salsa, boogaloo, garage rock, jazz and delinquent pop.

Venezuelan music was moving at such a pace through the 60s and 70s that almost as soon as a new craze was born, another was preparing to eclipse it. In barely 10 years, musicians latched on to the sound of the Latin big bands of Cuba, New York and Colombia, turned to the 60s pop and rock ‘n’ roll of England and the US, before heading back to salsa as it took root across Latin American, before forays into jazz, psych rock and Afro-Venezuelan rhythms took hold in the 70s.

This fertile musical period, coming at a time when Venezuela was economically abundant and culturally as relevant as any other developed country, has always been the focus of the Color de Trópico series, and continues to be the case on this third instalment, though it should also be noted that the tracks are getting rarer and rarer, indicative of the curatorship of DJ El Palmas and El Drágon Criollo and their constant search for new sounds that reflect Venezuela’s musical treasures at this time.

Color de Trópico Vol. 3 starts with Un, Dos, Tres Y ... Fuera’s “Aquella Noche”, a song that’s fully indicative of Venezuela’s coastline with the much-loved Un, Dos, Tres Y ... Fuera giving a llanero rhythm (normally played on a harp and other stringed instruments in its rural incarnation) a fully Afro-Caribbean makeover with pulsating bass and an electric keyboard that teases and energises the groove. It possesses some of that same mid-70s vitality and need to experiment as Grupo Vaquedanus, the band of sax maestro Santiago Baquedano, and their cover of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”, here fashioned as “Toma Cinco”. This version strips away all the niceties of the original, turning it into a psych-fuzz jazz romp with Baquedano’s raspy sax leading the way.

Step back 10 years and the energy remains even if the musical terrain was different. Girl group Los Pájaros hit hard with a boogaloo whose instruction is simple enough: “shake it baby, kiss for you, take the rhythm, and do the boogaloo”. Los Pájaros were one of a number of groups who were taking inspiration from the 60s sounds of the US and Britain but repackaging it for Venezuelan youth. Pop stars Geminis 5 were at it too with a fuzzy ballad “Tus 16 Años”, and Junior Squad even injected a bit of San Francisco hippy charm into affairs with their loose adaptation of The Turtles “She’d Rather Be With Me”, retitled as “Siempre Para Ti” and sounding as rough, ready and full of youthful vim as anything made north of Mexico. On the farthest end of the pop spectrum is The Pets with their cult hit “El Entierro de un hombre rico que murió de hambre” (“The Burial of a Rich Man Who Died of Starvation”), a true countercultural anthem that even dips into “The Funeral March” for a minute, and which is much desired by record collectors.

Finally, we must mention the salsa ensembles and their big band predecessors, always an important element of any Color de Trópico compilation. On Volume 3, we find one of the earliest salsa groups in Venezuela, Los Megatones De Lucho, who recorded a pachanga, “Yo Se Que Tu”, long before salsa was even a thing. Influenced by Venezuela’s very own Los Dementes and Joe Cuba’s sextet, Principe Y Su Sexteto were one of Venezuela’s most prominent salsa ensembles. On their 1969 track “San De Manique” we get a different vibe altogether, it’s a creeping son with just vocals, bass and congas for its opening minute, before really kicking into action with a twisted guitar line and wild percussion, while always retaining a raw, Afro-Latin feel. Last, but not least by any means, is one of Venezuela’s most beloved salseros, Johnny Sede, who pipes up with a classic salsa, “Guararé”, showing how the style had developed in just a few short years.

You could accuse El Palmas and El Dragón Criollo, the curators of this collection, as getting some sort of a sick thrill at throwing such a weird and unwieldy bunch of tracks together, and that may be true, but there is logic too. These are songs full of life and creativity that signalled an era of boundless optimism. Listen to them now, and you’ll find yourself feeling those emotions once again.

Color de Trópico Vol. 3 is out now on El Palmas Music.

Caleb Wheeler Curtis | "Heatmap"

In simple layman’s terms, a heatmap is a way to show where the action is happening. If one were to represent the levels of communication, interplay and chemistry on Heatmap, the brilliant new album from saxophonist/composer Caleb Wheeler Curtis, the image would glow a consistent bright red. But take into account the range of dynamics, the span between explosive improvisation and sparse atmospherics, and you’d end up with a full spectrum of vibrant colors. Which should come as no surprise given the individual voices and shared histories of a quartet that teams Curtis with pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Gerald Cleaver.

Due out July 15, 2022 via Evans’ Imani Records imprint, Heatmap is another bold step forward for Curtis, who has released two previous albums as a leader on Imani – Brothers (2018) and Ain’t No Storm (2021). It’s also another example of the way he thrives on collaboration while fiercely retaining his individual vision. That aspect has been showcased on collective projects like the trio Ember, which recorded last year’s No One Is Any One with Evans as special guest; and the ensemble Walking Distance, whose 2018 album Freebird featured pianist Jason Moran and was acclaimed as one of the year’s best jazz albums by the New York Times, among other plaudits.

Curtis composed the music for Heatmap amidst the natural splendor of the prestigious MacDowell Colony, where he enjoyed a four-week artist residency in 2021. Whether it was the inspirational setting, the solitude or simply his own instincts, Curtis emerged with a set of music that leaves ample space for the album’s remarkable improvisers to explore and invent.

“Part of that was just recognizing that I like music with space in it,” Curtis says. “It's easy to get wrapped up in the idea of throwing everything at the wall, which – in theory – sounds bigger and more confident. But I wanted to appreciate the sound of the music in the air. You can hear the detail in the playing, and really hear the musicians as people. And I’m working with three singular musicians whose playing has real weight.”

Heatmap represents Curtis’ latest venture into what he jokingly refers to as “the Orrin Evans extended universe.” The connection began through the Philly-based pianist’s Captain Black Big Band, with Curtis appearing on both of the band’s Grammy-nominated albums, Presence and The Intangible Between. He also performs on Evans’ 2016 release #knowingishalfthebattle alongside Kurt Rosenwinkel and Kevin Eubanks, among others.

That connection led Curtis to Eric Revis. The renowned bassist shares a storied history with Evans, including the collective trio Tarbaby with drummer Nasheet Waits. Revis shared bass duties with Luques Curtis on Caleb’s Brothers and expressed his interest in working more extensively with the saxophonist. Revis and Gerald Cleaver have collaborated in the bassist’s own trio as well as that of pianist Aruán Ortiz, though the drummer has not crossed paths often with Evans, making for a thrilling new hook-up fueled by the underlying web of connections.

The full range of hues is on display from the outset on the album’s title track, which begins with Evans’ alluring and mysterious solo piano, soon accented by Cleaver’s chattering cymbals; the tune builds in intensity and combustibility as the quartet engages in richly layered collective improvisation, culminating in Curtis’ muscular, sharp-angled melody.

Each piece hints at its essential character in its title, a sensation or impression that is at the core of the minimal yet vivid ideas that the composer uses to spark the band. “Tossed Aside” self-deprecatingly references the insinuating, deceptively casual melody that ambles through the airy, floating rhythms. The Ornette Coleman-esque “Surrounding” is agitated and enveloping, while “Limestone” proceeds with the crawling pace and imposing force of erosion at work on a primeval foundation. “Splinters” abounds with thrusting barbs and piercing shards where “Trees for the Forest” luxuriates in the awe-inspiring beauty of towering trees, seeming to float in a fog-shrouded forest canopy.

Motion and action shape many of the pieces on Heatmap – witness the way that Cleaver’s rumbling percussion threatens to shake loose his bandmates throughout “Trembling,” or closer “Spheres” revolves and rotates: circles within spirals, orbits and meshing gears. Then there’s the stark contrast between the hushed and elusive “Whisperchant” side by side with the wild, cathartic outbursts and eruptions of “C(o)urses.”

“Heatmap is about the search for an essence,” Curtis concludes. “The construction of the music may be interesting, the concepts may be of deep conviction, the architecture may be important - but ultimately, the sound and its various qualities of timbre, texture and dynamics are what give this music its intimacy and vitality. The action is here – in the making of the music.”

Brooklyn-based saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis “lives at the junction of rigorous preparation and willingness to explore” (Jazz Speaks). He has released two albums as a leader on Imani Records: Brothers (2018) and Ain’t No Storm (2021). Neighborhood, the 2015 debut album from the collective quartet Walking Distance, was met with critical acclaim, echoed by its follow-up, Freebird, which featured pianist Jason Moran and was widely praised by The New York Times, DownBeat Magazine, Bandcamp, JazzTimes and others. His collaborations also include the collective trio Ember, whose 2021 sophomore release No One Is Any One featured Orrin Evans; a 2020 trio outing with bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Mark Ferber; and a 2022 duet release with Swiss pianist Laurent Nicoud. Caleb also appears on two GRAMMY nominated albums by Orrin Evans’ Captain Black Big Band and has worked with such extraordinary musicians as Mulgrew Miller, Ravi Coltrane, Gerald Cleaver, Bill McHenry, Duane Eubanks, Eric Revis, Seamus Blake, Marta Sánchez, Darius Jones, Jon Irabagon, and many others.

Dante Piccinellli | "Uapiti"

After making several albums as a sideman and finishing his studies at the Superior Technician in Jazz of the Conservatorio Superior de Musica Manuel de Falla, the young pianist and composer Dante Piccinelli releases his first album as a leader: Uapití. For the recording he called on the double bassist and composer Hernan Cassibba and the drummer Omar Menéndez. 

Uapití arises from the idea of composing for a traditional format in jazz such as the piano trio (piano, double bass and drums), taking different styles within the genre and taking them to a current context. One of the objectives is to be able to show how these different styles can coexist forming something new and original and thus recover the value of the tradition of the genre without the need to enter conservative terrains.    

The composition of the songs began after exploring and studying jazz before the bop that led to the first song of the album "AJ" whose acronym refers to two pianists: Albert Ammons and James P. Johnson, one from the Boogie Woogie style and the other from the "stride piano". From there, parts of that sonority were combined, modifying its harmony and its meter. The compositions, although they have arrangements and a certain harmony and meter, also contain moments of greater freedom such as the beginning of the theme "Uapití" and that of "Juan", where the drums and bass make a free introduction to the theme. These situations of solo instrument are important within the album since, although the interaction between the three is fundamental, these individual and free moments allow another type of listening, more intimate and personal. This exploration focused on the early years of jazz and the history of the genre, added to a search for a more "modern" language, and compositions linked to another type of sonority. 

We can see two types of sonorities within the songs of the album: 

On the one hand, songs like "Juan", "Mutando", "AJ" and "Uapití" have a sonority linked to swing and the jazz tradition with blues influences, where you can hear larger chords and a more intense expression of the music. On the other hand, songs such as "Marcas", "El Abrazo", “Para un Salteño”, "Las Manos", and "Diagonal 113" have another type of sonority closer to the song, a right bracket, small chords and a more intimate expression of the music.  

Kirsty Rock Releases Debut Solo Album Slow Burn

Kirsty Rock, best known around the world as a member of the internationally renowned reggae super group Easy Star All-Stars, brings the fire with her own distinctive, soulful, and earthy reggae sound on her solo album debut, Slow Burn, out now on Easy Star Records. The release coincides with an official video release of the title track, which was a collaboration between acrobatic dancer Julia Baccellier, Rock, and Rock’s long standing collaborator D888. Rock says about the video: “The visuals and movements are an unveiling in which we accentuate the beauty of that journey – vulnerability, a shedding, and in finality, empowerment. It’s a personal journey with a universal message.” 

Kirsty Rock came up in the Brooklyn music scene of the 1990s, including her celebrated stint in Trumystic Sound System (at one time, this band included Dr. Israel as a member and collaborator). Her first lead vocal with Easy Star All-Stars was on their 2003 album Dub Side of the Moon, performing “The Great Gig In The Sky,” which has garnered millions of streams, and earned praise from Clare Torry, the original vocalist on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. In 2003, she joined the touring version of Easy Star All-Stars and since then has toured in over 30 countries on 6 continents with the band. She was featured on vocals on their studio albums Radiodread (“Paranoid Android,” 2006), Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band (“She’s Leaving Home,” 2009), and Easy Star’s Thrillah (“P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” 2012), as well as on First Light, the band’s album of original songs from 2008. Rock is currently back on the road with ESA after a COVID hiatus, while there is a new record due from the band for the first time since 2012. 

The first single “The Feeling” may appear to be the most lighthearted song on the album, it “was the most difficult and cathartic to write,” Rock recently said. “It’s a reminder to myself that when we release grief, sorrow, pain, and anger, it leaves so much room for love and joy.” Her next single, “L.E.O.” pulses with a steady bass groove and slapping drums that draws you in with Rock’s lyrics: “The space between us pulls me in with thoughts darker than your skin. It's incredible. Burn my solar wings and carry me towards L.E.O.” 

Many of the songs on Slow Burn were started on the road with Easy Star All-Stars and with her own long-running band Trumystic, as Rock often found inspiration while in motion. With a busy tour schedule, no intention to be a solo artist, and no rush to put out “product,” she left all expectations behind and let the songs evolve. Observing how relationships unfolded and how political agendas came and went – and what was left in their wake – inspired much of the lyrical content of the record. After the bones of the songs were recorded in her home in Vermont, Rock began reaching out to her friends to breathe more life into the fire until finally the record was ablaze. 

The first few tracks completed were co-produced and mixed by Grammy-nominated producer (and longtime friend and collaborator) Matt Stein (Method Man & Redman, DMX, Jason Mraz, Bill Laswell, Blondie). The rest of the album brought in many of Rock’s closest collaborators in Easy Star All-Stars, including guitarist/vocalist Shelton Garner Jr. (who co-produced some of the songs), keyboardist/vocalist Elenna Canlas (who also co-produced the title track, while co-writing and performing on others), drummers Ivan Katz and Cliff Simpson, and the horn section of Jennifer Hill, Buford O’Sullivan, and Matt Bauder. Keyboardist Matt Goodwin – also a member of The Movement – sat in on some sessions, while bassist Nate Edgar of John Brown’s Body and The Nth Power, also laid down grooves. Easy Star All-Stars bassist Ras Droppa is a featured vocalist and bassist on the track “It’s Not The Same.” Other reggae veteran horn players, including Pam Fleming (Burning Brass), Anant Pradhan, and Billy Aukstick also contributed. As you can see, Rock really did call on her extended musical family to finish this labor of love. 

Slow Burn is a stunning “debut” for Kirsty Rock. She is already at work on new songs and looking forward to bringing this music on the road with both ESA and on her own in the coming year.

Smoke Sessions Records Announces Remaining 2022 Album Releases

Smoke Sessions Records announces the remainder of their 2022 album release schedule following albums from Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart and Steve Davis.

Three artists will celebrate their sophomore label releases this year. Iconic drummer Al Foster will release a new album on August 26 featuring Nicholas Payton, Chris Potter, Kevin Hays, and Vicente Archer. Saxophonist Wayne Escoffery will release an album with Tom Harrell, Mike Moreno, David Kikoski, Ugonna Okegwo, and Mark Whitfield Jr. on October 28. Finally, bassist Buster Williams will release an album on December 12 featuring Jean Baylor, Stefon Harris, Bruce Williams, George Colligan, and Lenny White.

Additionally, three more artists return for another round of releases with their longterm label partner. Trombonist Steve Turre has a new record featuring Wallace Roney Jr., Emilio Modeste, Ed Cherry, Isaiah J. Thompson, Corcoran Holt, Buster Williams, Lenny White, and Orion Turre coming on September 23. On October 7, saxophonist Bobby Watson will release an album featuring Jeremy Pelt Cyrus Chestnut, Curtis Lundy, Victor Jones, and special guest Gregory Porter. Trumpeter Nicholas Payton will release a trio record on November 11 featuring Buster Williams and Lenny White.

See below for the full list of releases. More details on all releases and their respective album release performances are forthcoming.

Album Release Schedule:

August 26 - Al Foster

September 16 - Steve Turre

October 7 - Bobby Watson

October 28 - Wayne Escoffery

November 11 - Nicholas Payton

December 2 - Buster Williams

One of New York City’s premier live music venues, Smoke Jazz Club, today announced its long-awaited reopening. After two years spent reorienting to the pandemic with modified operations including livestreams, sidewalk concerts, and outdoor dining, Smoke Jazz Club makes a momentous return as a world-renowned destination for the best in classic and modern jazz. Acclaimed for its essential music programming and inspired setting, this revered institution has undertaken an impressive expansion and renovation that readies the venerable club for the post-pandemic 21st century. 

Despite being closed to indoor performances and dining for over two years, Smoke has survived with a renewed sense of mission and now with a spectacularly renovated, newly expanded space. Smoke’s return brings much-needed hope and rejuvenation to the city and the music community. “Smoke Jazz Club has so much history,” says husband and wife co-owners Paul Stache and Molly Sparrow Johnson. “Despite the struggles of the last few years, we just knew that the music couldn’t stop here. The past couple of years have not been easy for anyone, but having live music back in the club with everyone together, musicians and listeners, seems like a turning point. We are very excited to take this next step.” 

Guided by their initial attempts to operate under mandated occupancy restrictions, social distancing regulations, and safety protocols for the staff, musicians, and patrons, Smoke’s expansion achieves all of those goals while still retaining its vibrant atmosphere. “We had already agreed, in principle, with our landlord to take on the two adjacent storefronts before the pandemic,” recounts Johnson, “but it quickly became obvious that combining the new spaces with the jazz club was not only a priority but really a necessity to operate safely.”

“We feel very fortunate that our landlord has been so supportive these last two years.”   

The addition of these smaller combined spaces serves as an attached lounge featuring the relocated, historic, full-length bar providing more space for audiences and a larger stage for performers in the main listening room– all while preserving the club’s familiar warm ambiance. 

A cultural cornerstone of Upper Manhattan, Smoke Jazz Club opened its doors on April 9, 1999. Since that time, this gem of a jazz joint has become an internationally recognized haven for live music and a vital and beloved home for jazz in the city. The club’s stage has played host to legendary artists and rising stars alike, including Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Hank Jones, Christian McBride, Brad Mehldau, Harold Mabern, Nicholas Payton, Peter Bernstein, Eddie Henderson, Larry Goldings, Chris Potter, Cedar Walton, Steve Turre, Eric Alexander, Bill Charlap, Jimmy Cobb, and countless others. 

While the club had already survived economic crashes, fires in the building, and the uncertainty that followed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the pandemic proved to be its most daunting challenge to date. Taking a cue from some of the resourceful performers they’ve presented at the club, Stache and Johnson displayed their own knack for improvisation to steer their club through the COVID-19 era. They inaugurated a streaming concert series, Smoke Screens, along with socially distanced sidewalk concerts and outdoor dining, while continuing to produce new titles on the club’s GRAMMY-nominated record label, Smoke Sessions. 

Most importantly, Smoke continues its dedication to presenting scintillating and vibrant programming as a club for jazz lovers run by jazz lovers. “We set the tone on opening night in 1999 with the great George Coleman and Harold Mabern.” says Stache. Fittingly, NEA Jazz Master Coleman returns to christen the new and improved Smoke with a four-night grand reopening concert celebration July 21-24, 2022 (also streaming live worldwide). Other artists slated to perform in the near future include Charles McPherson, Vijay Iyer, Mary Stallings, Bill Charlap, Bobby Watson, Nicholas Payton, Renee Rosnes, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Cyrus Chestnut, Buster Williams, and more. 

New Music: Azymuth, Zolbert, Record Kicks presents Funk Soul Sisters Vol.2, Jason Peterson Delaire

Azymuth - Fênix [2016]

Azymuth's first album in five years and the Brazilian mavericks have recreated the energy of those spellbinding seventies’ sessions which would launch them into international recognition and confirm their status as one of Brazil’s most successful bands. It's a ten-track journey through the full spectrum of Azymuth’s brilliantly coloured expressionist fusion, with all the cosmic energy and masterful musicianship you’d expect from the world's greatest three-man orchestra... Azymuth rise from the ashes! Since the passing of keyboard maestro Jose Roberto Bertrami in 2012, remaining members Ivan Conti and Alex Malheiros  have worked tirelessly to keep the spirit of Azymuth alive, and to continue the legacy of Bertrami’s genius. But Fênix also marks a new era as the Azymuth trio is complete once again, by special guest keyboardist Kiko Continentino. A hugely talented pianist, composer and arranger, Kiko has worked with the likes of Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil and Djavan, and the fresh energy and inspiration he has brought to the group is undeniable. The album also features Brazilian percussion legend Robertinho Silva.

Zolbert - Focus

Hungarian saxophonist, composer and producer Zolbert’s richly infectious, sonically adventurous, sensual silk and pocket funk driven collection FOCUS caps an impactful decade that began with two breakthrough events: winning first prize in a Budapest club song contest and snagging the grand prize in the annual song contest on the city’s leading jazz station 90.9 Jazzy Radio. While collaborating on each track with Peet Project leader Péter Ferencz – who is also featured on the album - Zolbert takes his game to the next level, creating a variety of moods and grooves while vibing with genre elites Adam Hawley, Kayla Waters, Oli Silk and Kim Scott. Perhaps they can join the recording artist at his namesake, Zolbert Jazz & Wine Fest, the popular event was launched in his native country in 2016.  ~ www.smoothjazz.com

Record Kicks presents Funk Soul Sisters Vol.2

Record Kicks is proud to present the new compilation "Funk Soul Sisters Vol.2", which is now available on all digital platforms. With this second instalment of the "Funk Soul Sisters" collection, the Milan-based label keeps on digging through its catalogue to bring you a new selection of hot funk & soul tracks from its beloved Soul Queens. The 10 tracks include some classics and some obscure material from the very best of the label’s roster, including, to name a few: Dojo Cuts, Baby Charles, James Brown's original soul diva Martha High supported by Osaka Monaurail, Hannah Williams, Tanika Charles, Marta Ren and Gizelle Smith. Side by side with similar outfits like Daptone, Truth And Soul or Timmion, under its motto "The explosive sound from Today's scene", Milan-based independent label Record Kicks has been pitching the contemporary funk & soul scene since 2003. With over 200 releases under the belt, RK has released bands from all over the globe and earned the support of VIP fans such as Kenny Dope, Jamie Cullum, Craig Charles and, last but not least, Jay-Z, thanks to whom the label received a Grammy nomination for HOV's use of Hannah Williams' "Late Nights And Heartbreak" as backdrop for his "4:44" in 2018.

Jason Peterson Delaire - After Hours

A prominent “next generation” member of The Petersons aka “Minnesota’s First Family of Music,” saxophonist and keyboardist, as well as singer/songwriter, Jason Peterson DeLaire built his rep touring and/or recording with the likes of Prince, Richard Marx, Oleta Adams and Michael Bolton before his recent emergence as an explosive force in Smooth Jazz. DeLaire’s multi-faceted five track EP After Hours showcases two distinct sides of his artistry. First, there’s his  blistering funk sax vibe on the high-octane radio airplay chart hits he scored with veteran guitarist Chris Camozzi, with titles that collectively tell a story of a fun night on the town. He balances those with his sparkling magic as a singer/songwriter, including a universal love anthem featuring Adams, Jarrod Lawson and Rockie Robbins) and a gorgeous, romantic ballad.  The good times happen After Hours.

Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo Vice Versa - Viajando Com O Som (The Lost '76 Vice-Versa Studio Session) [2017]

There have been few musicians to ever reach the stature of Hermeto Pascoal. A true maestro and a cultural icon, he represents the highest level of musical evolution; as a multi-instrumentalist, as a composer and as an arranger. Once described by Miles Davis as “the most impressive musician in the world”, there is good reason (beyond his Gandalf-like appearance) why he is known as "O Bruxo" (the Wizard).

For the label’s  200th release, Far Out Recordings proudly presents a previously unreleased album by Hermeto Pascoal and his ‘Grupo Vice Versa’: Viajando Com O Som (the lost ’76 Vice Versa Studio Sessions).

Recorded in just two days in 1976, at Rogério Duprat's Vice Versa Studios, São Paulo, the sessions featured Hermeto’s go-to ‘Paulista’ rhythm section of the day: Zé Eduardo Nazario (drums), Zeca Assumpção (bass) and Lelo Nazario (electric piano), as well as saxophonists Mauro Senise, Raul Mascarenhas and Nivaldo Ornelas, guitarist Toninho Horta and vocalist Aleuda Chaves. Hermeto decided he would record with this particular group following a show at Teatro Bandeirantes, during which an almost spiritual musical connection amongst the group was realised. The performance lasted hours on end, without any breaks in playing, and Hermeto saw the potential for his compositions to reach a ‘higher level’ as the music organically moved from structured compositions to ‘freer’ improvisational works.

In the studio, the sound engineer Renato Viola understood that things needed to happen quickly. Almost everything recorded on the first take ended up staying in the final mix. After the mixdown, Lelo Nazario would ask Renato to make him a copy of all the material, from machine to machine. As far as we know, the master tape eventually got lost over time, but Lelo kept his copy in his studio’s archives, where it stayed for over forty years.

With the tape rescued and restored, this release fills a void in time. Recorded at an especially experimental period in Hermeto’s career, it’s a compelling insight into the incredible efforts of this group, who under Hermeto’s revolutionary vision, created a unique musical language which would have a profound influence on countless artists to come.

Nowadays, the 1970s is indeed considered a golden age of Brazilian music, but it’s often forgotten how desperately hard it was for artists to get their music past the military dictatorship’s censorship efforts throughout the decade. Yet in 1976, despite the often musically radical nature of Hermeto Pascoal’s compositions, he was in a typically productive phase of his career. The year before the release of his seminal album Slaves Mass, ‘76 saw Hermeto amass performance credits on Flora Purim’s ‘Open Your Eyes You Can Fly’, OPA’s ‘Goldenwings’ and Cal Tjader’s ‘Amazonas’ to name just a few.

The release of Viajando Com O Som re-writes the already remarkable story of one of the world’s most supernaturally talented musicians, whilst illuminating a truly magical, yet hitherto lost and forgotten, moment of Brazilian musical history.

Professor of Ethnomusicology Andy Connell (James Madison University, Virginia), has kindly given Far Out Recordings his essay "Hermeto Pascoal, Universal Musician", which you can read HERE for an in-depth introduction to the life and work of this great artist.

CGI Rochester International Jazz Fest

The nine-day CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival, one of the world's leading jazz festivals, starts Friday, June 17, and continues through Saturday, June 25 at 19 diverse open-air and indoor venues in downtown Rochester, NY.

The 19th Edition multi-dimensional Festival will present 325 shows including a record 130 free shows and events with more than 1750 artists from all corners of the world. 

All headliner shows are free and presented on two outdoor stages featuring Chris Botti, Devon Allman Project + special guests Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Samantha Fish "Allman Family Revival," Tommy Emmanuel, Spyro Gyra, Robin Thicke, Sheila E., Booker T Presents: A Soul Stax Revue, New Power Generation, G Love & Special Sauce, The Bacon Brothers, and Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors. Free, no tickets are required. Shows go on rain or shine. See the full lineup at https://www.rochesterjazz.com/full_schedule.

The Club Pass Series of 196 shows is held at 11 diverse club venues. Enter with the 3- or 9-day Club Pass, the Festival's value pass to discovery available online at RochesterJazz.com, or pay $30 ($35 Kilbourn) cash only at the door, no reserved seating, and no advance tickets. Club Series artists include Lew Tabackin Trio, Tessa Souter, Robin McKelle, Bob James Quartet, Joe Locke, NY Chillharmonic, Brubeck Brothers, Kenny Werner, Jeremy Pelt, Kurt Elling with Charlie Hunter, Ranky Tanky, Tommy Smith, Bill Frisell, Drum Battle: Kenny Washington vs. Joe Farnsworth, Emmaline, Samara Joy, Tivon Pennicott Quartet, Ravi Coltrane, Big Lazy, Itamar Borochov, Adam Melchor, Champian Fulton Trio, Giveton Gelin, Immanuel Wilkins Quartet, Dan Wilson Quartet, Sarah McKenzie, Helen Sung Trio, Connie Han, Lioness and Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio and more!

Ana Mazzotti - Ana Mazzotti [1977]

In 1974 Ana Mazzotti recorded her first album Ninguem Vai Me Segurar (1974), enlisting the in-demand arrangement talents of Azymuth’s original keyboard maestro Jose Roberto Bertrami who co-wrote several of the tracks and plays organ, piano and synthesizers on the album. It also features Azymuth’s bassist Alex Malheiros and percussionist Ariovaldo Contestini, with Romildo Santos who produced the album on drums. Recorded in Estudio Haway around the same time Azymuth recorded their debut album there, it’s no wonder the samba jazz-funk pioneer’s distinctive aesthetic is present throughout, and Mazzotti’s sensational compositions are made even more beautiful for it.

An artist as imaginative and unique as Ana Mazzotti doesn’t come around often. Dubbed a “super-musician” by fellow Brazilian virtuoso Hermeto Pascoal, Mazzotti’s short but rich musical career culminated in just two studio albums: Ninguem Vai Me Segurar (1974), and Ana Mazzotti (1977). Outside circles of Brazilian funk aficionados, these two gems of spellbinding samba-jazz, lysergic funk and trippy bossa have remained relatively obscure. This was partly as a result of Mazzotti’s premature death (she lost her battle with cancer in her mid-thirties), but also due to financial restraints and the prejudice she faced as a female songwriter in a fundamentally sexist society.

Born in Caixas, in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul municipality, Mazzotti began to play the accordion aged five, before moving with prodigious ease onto the piano. By the age of twelve she was already conducting her convent school’s choir, and at twenty-one she led her city’s premier chorus, the Coral Bento Goncalves. When rock and roll hit South America in the sixties, a young Mazzotti was one of the early adopters, fronting various guitar groups including an all-female Beatles cover band, and an eclectic, eight-piece psychedelic group Desenvolvemento. Before moving to Sao Paulo to start her career proper, Mazzotti met drummer, producer and fellow music educator Romido Santos, who she would later marry. Romildo introduced Mazzotti to jazz, and music by the likes of Chick Corea and Hermeto Pascoal who she would later befriend and perform with.

In 1977, Mazzotti took her debut album back to the studio, releasing the album with a new running order and new ethereal cover art, ostensibly another crack at commercial success following the small scale of the independently funded first release. With intimately re-recorded vocals, and the bonus of gorgeous horn arrangements and a new track: the carnivalesque ‘Eta, Samba Bom’, replacing Roberta Flack’s hit ‘Feel Like Making Love’, Ana Mazzotti (1977) delivers Mazzotti’s refreshingly cool musical style even more effortlessly, while retaining the all magical energy of her debut.

Far Out Recordings is proud to present the official reissue of this cult favourite Brazilian treasure. Remastered and pressed to 180g vinyl Ana Mazzotti (1977) will be available on vinyl LP, CD and digitally from 13th September.

The Shaolin Afronauts - The Simien Fox / Rumba Cyclique

The mysterious Afro-soul of The Shaolin Afronauts first echoed across the dance floors of Australia in early 2008, captivating audiences with a highly evolved and unique approach to avant-garde soul music matched with an improvisational pedigree that immediately set them apart from their peers. In the almost fifteen years since the ensemble’s debut they have released three albums on Freestyle Records and toured across Australia and around the world. 

After an extended hiatus punctuated by rare live performances, The Shaolin Afronauts return with ‘The Fundamental Nature of Being’, an epic five album release that expands the sonic vision of the ensemble to towering new heights of burning Afro-funk alongside esoteric and ethereal new sonic excursions. This expanded musical journey further explores the wide spectrum of the band’s musical identity – with each of the five parts designed as both standalone records, while also offering a singular listening journey across the band’s expansive musical world. 

The 5-part project was recorded over just five days, drawing upon the band’s rich influence of 1970s West, East and South African music, jazz, psych-rock & soul, while also exploring the transatlantic sonic intersection between the 1960s electronic avant-garde & spiritual jazz. Free and partially directed improvisation remains a central component of the compositions, with the musical works acting as frameworks for a collective musical enterprise that has developed over the ensemble’s near fifteen years together.

The vast project is available as a strictly limited 5 LP box-set, with a deluxe booklet of extended liner notes, due for release September 16th 2022. Each individual album also being made available for singular purchase, and on CD & digital formats, following the box set release. 

‘The Fundamental Nature of Being’ firmly re-establishes Shaolin Afronauts as one of the most interesting and innovative collectives of creative improvising musicians operating in the world today. We are excited to offer the first in a series of two-track tasters due to drop in advance of the full release in late summer 2022, with each pairing intended as a representation from the broad range of sounds on offer. 

'The Simien Fox / Rumba Cyclique' again showcases the ensemble zig-zagging across East & West african grooves with the heavy ethio-esque funk of The Simien Fox backed with Rumba Cyclique, a spiritual jazz/highlife hybrid that places virtuosic soloing over a track that takes inspiration from Congolese and Guinean bands such as OK Jazz & Bembeya Jazz.

Afro Blue / Paris Sur Le Toit DJ Spinna Remix & Sly Johnson's TAGI Remix

Following on from the success of the release of 'Soul Vibrations' in March, London based Harpist Alina Bzhezhinska and her HipHarpCollective, release two more tracks from the forthcoming BBE LP 'Reflections'. The tracks, 'Paris Sur Le Toit' and an amazing cover of the classic 'Afro Blue' also come with remixes and instrumentals of 'Paris Sur Le Toit' from Sly Johnson and DJ Spinna.

In the tradition of Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, Alina is innovating the use of the Harp in Jazz with contemporary melodies overlaying fresh Hip-Hop beats. Utilising live instrumentation and the contributions of the cream of UK Jazz talent (Tony Kofi, Jay Phelps,

Julie Walkington among them) Alina has created two tracks that will be massive additions to the Jazz and Black music canons.

This re-imagining of 'Afro Blue' features a wonderful vocal performance from Vimala Rowe which interplays with the Harp solos over a strongly percussive bass driven track that lends itself to the dance floor as the Latin feel of the track builds and builds into a series of solos from the horns, percussion and drums.

'Paris Sur La Toit' is a masterclass in Jazz Hip-Hop with rhymes laid down in French and English by SANITY and Tom TheyThem. Here Alina's Harp provides the changing dynamics of the track, giving the atmosphere which bridges from the break beats to the stunning

vocals. Having these original materials to work with, the creative inputs of both DJ Spinna and Sly Johnson are at the top of their respective games bringing new resonances and nuance to 'Paris Sur le Toit'.

Paris based composer and vocalist Sly Johnson presents us with his TAGi remix that strips back to the beats in order to bring forth the inter-play between the spoken word, the sung vocals of the chorus and that wonderful harp playing. Brooklynite DJ Spinna's remix brings us a fuller sound where the slow funk of the synth bass drives the vocals along and provides a space for those harp melodies to dance in.

This EP is a digital release with seven tracks including the original groove of 'Afro Blue' along with the remixes and instrumentals of 'Paris Sur Le Toit'. 

Noriko Miyamoto | "Push"

BBE Music is proud to present the latest J Jazz Masterclass Series reissue, 1978 soul/jazz tour de force album ’Push’ by Noriko Miyamoto.

For the first time, this critically acclaimed series that delves deep into the history of Japanese Jazz will be releasing an album by a Japanese female singer, Noriko Miyamoto produced by one of the legendary figures in Japanese Jazz, Isao Suzuki.

The release of her incredible debut album, ‘Push’, coincided with a surge in popularity for local female jazz singers such Kimiko Kasai, Yasuko Agawa, etc. that crossed over into the pop market. It was originally released by the now-defunct label, Yupiteru Records in 1978. Since then, it has been reissued a few times in Japan but recently, along with a surge of worldwide interest in old Japanese music, ‘Push’ has been gaining a cult status among foreign music heads, with the price for an original pressing skyrocketing in the second hand record market. This reissue of ‘Push’ will be the first time ever that this album will be officially released worldwide.

Long before R&B music went onto enjoy mainstream success in Japan, a soul music and disco loving lady, Noriko Miyamoto who started her music career working as a dancer at the legendary Tokyo disco, ‘Mugen’, was inspired by Tina Turner’s performance there and decided to became a soul singer. It was at a time in the early 1970s when there were only a handful of female songstresses who sang soulfully in Japan. In 1977, Miyamoto was scouted by Isao Suzuki to join his band, Soul Family and subsequently, with their backing, he produced Push, an album that kickstarted her career. It is an album that exquisitely combines her jazzy and soulful vocals with Suzuki’s acoustic bass and precocious playing from his youthful and vibrant group at the time.

Along with Sadao Watanabe, Terumasa Hino, Masabumi Kikuchi and George Otsuka, bassist, cellist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer and band leader, Isao Suzuki was considered to be one of the most influential figures in Japanese jazz history. Beloved by many in the Japanese jazz scene as “Oma-san”- Suzuki was renowned for developing young talent. Noriko was one of his prodigies, and so ‘Push’ became a vehicle to showcase her and his band as well, which featured notably future renowned players such as keyboardist, Masanori Sasaji, who went on to back Yasuaki Shimizu and guitarist, Kazumasa Akiyama, who played with many major Japanese Jazz musicians. According to Noriko, these young musicians in the group helped Suzuki create a brand new sound, mixing orthodox jazz with the crossover / fusion sound that was popular at the time, coming together supremely on ‘Push’.

For ‘Push’, Suzuki focused on Noriko’s unique prowess of singing songs in English, somewhat a rarity in the Japanese music scene at the time. She sang two jazz standards, ‘Everything I Have Is Yours’ and ‘Stella By Starlight’ on the album. Noriko also wrote English lyrics for two original compositions of Suzuki’s, an instrumental piece, ‘Cadillac Woman’, and ‘My Life’, a song that he composed for Kimiko Kasai, who’d originally sung it in Japanese on her 1977 album, ’Tokyo Special’.

Noriko fulfilled her long-held dream of becoming a soul singer after she moved to the US in 1990 and subsequently joined a number of prestigious outfits, such as Eddie Murphy’s band, Graham Central Station, the Brothers Johnson and Side Effect, but ‘Push’ is the album that paved the way for her career and hopefully, with this first time ever, worldwide reissue, it will attract more listeners. Sadly the producer of this album, Isao Suzuki sadly passed away recently at the age of 89. It is unfortunate that he was not able to see the reissue of this special album that he produced for Noriko Miyamoto. 

Brian Jackson "Little Orphan Boy"

‘Little Orphan Boy’ is the second single taken from album ‘This Is Brian Jackson’, presented with remixes by Two Soul Fusion, a.k.a. Louie Vega and Josh Milan.

The veteran artist’s first true solo LP in over 20 years, ‘This Is Brian Jackson’ is produced by Phenomenal Handclap Band founder Daniel Collás. Collás lovingly re-frames and updates ideas and demos that Jackson first laid down back in 1976, right around the time he recorded ‘Bridges’ with Gil Scott-Heron, for a solo project that never saw the light of day... until now.

Alongside his ‘Two Soul Fusion’ partner Josh Milan, Louie Vega gives the album’s closing track ‘Little Orphan Boy’ two truly vintage remix treatments, taking the song on an eclectic, soul-stirring, timeless journey. The extended ‘Two Soul Fusion’ mix calls to mind the golden era of Masters at Work productions, featuring a Latin-infused percussion groove, shimmering organs and in-the-cut funky guitar lines. The ‘Downtempo’ remix lets Brian Jackson’s vocals ride over a head-nodding, stripped back, yet equally soulful arrangement.

“A dream to work with Brian Jackson” says Louie Vega. “I mean, he’s a big part of our musical landscape and has been a huge inspiration in our lives. From way back to my early years in the Bronx, through to my DJing and producing career, into productions like Nuyorican Soul, Elements of Life, Kenlou, Brian and Gil have always been with us! Now to work on such an amazing song with Brian’s keyboard work and lead vocal, it made it so much easier for Two Soul Fusion (Josh and I) to find that pocket and groove. We had to create anepic piece and take you on a trip through several styles, it was calling for it. That’s due to the original work of Brian Jackson, a true Master at Work & Two Soul Fusion hero!!! I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next on the horizon with us and the one & only Brian Jackson.

Brian Jackson: "I have always loved the musicality and the rhythmic power that surges through the artistry of Louie Vega since I first heard him in Masters at Work. I made a silent wish that one day I would hear one of my songs given that special treatment. Imagine my elation to know that it would finally happen - with a song I wrote and recorded 45 years ago for a solo project that might have never happened if not for producer Daniel Collás and BBE chief Peter Adarkwah! Louie, along with Two Soul Fusion partner Josh Milan and I are alike in so many ways, I knew that if we ever got together, magic would happen and well... here’s to magic! My love and gratitude to Louie, Josh, Daniel, Peter and the beautiful BBE family.”