Definitive, bonus-filled edition of Vince Guaraldi’s ‘It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’

Craft Recordings proudly announces the definitive edition of Vince Guaraldi’s evocative soundtrack to the 1966 animated television special, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, from Charles M. Schulz, creator of the PEANUTS® comic strip, and Lee Mendelson Film Productions. Remastered from newly discovered analog session reels, the album features seven previously unreleased alternate takes—all of which offer fascinating insight into Guaraldi’s creative process. The package also includes new liner notes by PEANUTS® historian Derrick Bang, with contributions by the family of Lee Mendelson, the Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning producer and co-creator of the PEANUTS® animated specials. Additionally, a note by Mendelson (taken from the 2018 edition of the album) rounds out the release. 

To celebrate the discovery of these incredible archival recordings, Craft is issuing the album in several formats, including multiple vinyl options. Available across all major retailers is a 45-RPM pressing on black vinyl, housed in a standard jacket, as well as a 33 1/3-RPM pressing on pumpkin-shaped translucent orange vinyl, housed in a clear sleeve, both accompanied by a four-page insert. Available exclusively at CraftRecordings.com is a collectable edition 45-RPM pressing (limited to 500 copies) in a “Pumpkin Patch” splatter design. The album will also be available on CD and digital formats.

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Original Soundtrack Recording) is available for pre-order beginning today and is set for release August 26th. Listen to the first digital single, “The Great Pumpkin Waltz (Alternate Take 2),” available on all digital platforms today. A second pre-release track, “Linus and Lucy (Alternate Take 2),” is scheduled for release on August 5th.

In 2019, not long before he passed away, Lee Mendelson had been looking to see if he could find any of the original tapes from the recordings used to score the Peanuts specials. The team at Lee Mendelson Film Productions had an opportunity the following year to scour their vast archives. Among their discoveries was a treasure trove of materials from Vince Guaraldi—the GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz pianist, who composed some of the most recognizable cues in television history for PEANUTS® specials throughout the ’60s and ’70s, as well as some of the most beloved jazz albums of the 20th century. One of the most exciting finds, however, were the original analog reels from the Great Pumpkin sessions—which, until this point, were considered lost to time. Accompanied by detailed session notes, the tapes also included a multitude of alternate takes.

From these reels, Jason and Sean Mendelson, along with the team at Craft Recordings, assembled the definitive version of the Great Pumpkin score. In the liner notes, the Mendelson’s write, “Not much is known about how Guaraldi wrote and arranged these classic melodies and themes, and even many of the musicians who played with him found his method to be a beautiful mystery…We hope that by listening to this music, especially the bonus material, you will get a glimpse into Guaraldi’s creative process as he and his musicians mold their sound. These [alternate] takes demonstrate the evolution and choices that became the now-famous score.”

Flashback to 1966, when Guaraldi readied to write music for It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. By then, the Bay Area jazz musician was in the early years of a long-running, highly successful creative partnership with Mendelson and Charles M. Schulz. Just two years earlier, he had been commissioned by Mendelson to score a TV documentary about Charles M. Schulz, titled A Boy Named Charlie Brown. While the film never aired, the trio reconvened a year later for A Charlie Brown Christmas. The animated special was an instant hit—as was its best-selling soundtrack. In June 1966, they followed with Charlie Brown’s All-Stars!, while It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was slated for October.

The score for the Halloween special was recorded just weeks ahead of its airdate at Desilu’s Gower Street Studio in Hollywood. The pianist was accompanied by his trio sidemen—bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Colin Bailey—with additional instrumentation by Emmanuel “Mannie” Klein on trumpet, John Gray on guitar, and Ronald Lang on woodwinds. The musicians were also joined by seasoned composer, arranger, and conductor John Scott Trotter—best known for a three-decade run as Bing Crosby’s music director—who oversaw the entire scoring process.

In addition to bringing a bolder, orchestral sound to Guaraldi’s scores, Trotter also “brought order to chaos,” as Derrick Bang explains. “With no scoring experience, Guaraldi had laid down many of his cues for the first two PEANUTS® specials the way he would record in a studio: as extended takes that often were too long for the on-screen action they accompanied. As a result, much of the music in those first two shows tended to fade out or ‘trail off,’ as a scene concluded.”

Trotter—who also contributed two original compositions to the soundtrack, “Snoopy and the Leaf” and “Breathless”—helped Guaraldi shape his work into short cues with clearly defined endings. That process can be heard in the new album’s alternate takes, including multiple versions of the iconic PEANUTS® theme, “Linus and Lucy,” as well as the reflective “The Great Pumpkin Waltz” and the ghoulish “Graveyard Theme.” These original reels also offer fans a new opportunity to hear many of these instrumental tracks without sound effects, including “Frieda (With the Naturally Curly Hair)” and “Breathless.” Additionally, several cues are available—for the very first time—in their entirety (including “The Red Baron,” “Roses of Picardy,” and “Charlie Brown Theme,” among them.)

Offering a more candid, behind-the-scenes moment is the final bonus track, “Charlie Brown Theme (Alternate Reprise Take 2),” which finds Guaraldi abruptly halting the session and interjecting: “It’s not my key, John; I wrote it in another key!” Bang muses, “This unexpected burst of ‘reality’ gives us a tantalizing sense of being in the studio with Guaraldi, Trotter, and the other musicians: an excellent—and oddly touching—way to wrap up this chunk of musical gold from the Mendelson vaults.”

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown premiered on October 27, 1966, and featured Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Sally, Schroeder, Lucy, and Linus, who is determined to seek out the mysterious “Great Pumpkin.” The half-hour special proved the popularity of the growing franchise, capturing an astounding 49 percent of the audience share (making it an even bigger success than the debut broadcast of A Charlie Brown Christmas). It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown earned a well-deserved Emmy® nod the following year and is now available all-year round to stream on Apple TV+.

Unlike its yuletide predecessor, however, the soundtrack to It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown wasn’t initially made available. While select tracks were added to compilations over the decades, a comprehensive collection of music from It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown wasn’t released until 2018. But because of the lack of original reels, many of the cues still contained overdubbed sound effects or were edited down.

In his notes for the original release, Lee Mendelson declared the score to be “the quintessential Vince Guaraldi for our PEANUTS® specials.” Now, with the discovery of these long-lost tapes (found in boxes labeled “Big Pumpkin Charlie Brown”) fans can enjoy these classic cues in their full glory. “We know [our father] would be thrilled that we finally found this ‘Great Pumpkin,’” add Mendelson’s children. “If only we had known that we should have been looking for a ‘Big Pumpkin’ all along.” 

Katalyst, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad | "Katalyst JID013"

Over the last decade, the Los Angeles-based band Katalyst has carved out a name for themselves as bearers of the community-driven jazz scene, popping up on major releases while remaining an integral incubator for outstretched corners of the emerging sound. The group members have become favorites of Jazz Is Dead, appearing on stage with legends like Ronnie Laws and Lonnie Liston Smith. Bandleader Greg Paul can be heard with Gary Bartz and Roy Ayers on their respective releases with the label. Here, the nascent superstars convene with maestros Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad to document their chameleonic pallet and ever-growing profile as one of the most exciting emerging groups in the genre, all featured here on Katalyst JID013.

“Where they are now is where Earth, Wind & Fire was before they named themselves Earth, Wind & Fire, or even early Headhunters,” reflects Muhammad. “They are of that ilk, and watching those guys to me is the equivalent of watching a young Max Roach or a young Herbie Hancock; but they are not that. They are Katalyst, they are themselves.”

Katalyst is a collective of contemporary producers, composers, session musicians, and writers featuring pianists Brandon Cordoba and Brian Hargrove (brother of the late Roy Hargrove), saxophonists David Otis and Corbin James, trombonist Jonah Levine, trumpeter Emile Martinez, percussionist Ahmad Dubose, drummer Greg Paul, and bassist Marlon Spears.

The web of influences that ties Katalyst together immediately leaps from the headphones on tracks like “Reflections” and “Corridors,” which channel the Soulquarian energy of James Poyser and the late Roy Hargrove, as well as Jazz-Funk astral travelers like Lonnie Liston Smith and Norman Connors.

Fluttering in and out of gravity, the drums and keys oscillate between contemplation and exuberance. The album’s first single “Juneteenth” is a triumphant celebratory number, a commemoration of a history that has long been obscured and outright denied, featuring swooping horns and stomping percussion. The track focuses on the holiday which came to be celebrated as the true end to slavery, removing the whitewashing of the Reconstructionist narrative that Lincoln “freed the slaves,” but rather, had failed to free anyone not under his jurisdiction. It is a reminder not only of the inhumane crimes committed by this nation, but of the perseverance to recognize the truth. On the track bearing the same name, Katalyst pays tribute with like-minded urgency, as the percussion marches forward and horns announce the inevitably of justice prevailing. 

The group’s second single “Daybreak” is a deceptively languid track. Imagine the soundtrack to this city of quartz that floats you along the 10 freeway, above the crawl, towards a deeper feeling of the concurrent states of bliss and anxiety that coexist in Los Angeles. 

“Katalyst is the first time that we recorded a younger group for Jazz Is Dead, and it was very interesting for me to learn from them, to learn how newer cats are thinking in the studio and to find ways I can grow,” shares Younge. “We all grow with all these musicians in watching not only their amazing musicianship but also their sonic bond together. The fact that they know how to control their volume together its like they represent what a band really is and I just feel very fortunate that we were allowed to record new music with these young living legends.” 

On “Summer Solstice,” the group channels the distinct smell of ocean breeze. “Dogon Cypher” is taut and precise, while maintaining the group’s spontaneity, the kinetic percussion and supernatural synthesizer reminiscent of fellow contemporary Angeleno jazz innovators the West Coast Get Down. There may be no better introductory track to the group than album opener, “The Avenues,” an inspiring four minutes that captures the ensemble’s wide influences and makes an unimpeachable case for their ascendancy, with flourishes of DJ Premier and Pharoah Sanders.

 “They are the babies of hip hop and jazz,” says Muhammad, “and they are having a different conversation, so to be able to sit with them… it's very different from the other records, and I just love having the opportunity to work with them and mix it up.” 

Despite their incredible talent and artistic vision, Katalyst is not here to save jazz. To position the multifaceted group and its multi-talented members as such would be to discredit the tremendous accomplishments and acclaim that they have garnered collaborating on stage and in the studio with some of the world’s biggest stars. Rather than preserve any such outdated notions of what is and isn’t, the collective’s music is a mission to pollinate, and reposition jazz for a new generation while paying respect to the giants whose shoulders they stand on. In which case, Katalyst JID013 is the ideal mission statement, a rallying call for curious listeners, as well as an open invite to anyone new to the party.

Atlanta Soul Artistry 1965-1975 – Various Artists

Though built with highly questionable finances, gangster Michael Thevis’ GRC, Aware and Hotlanta labels produced some scintillating mid-70s soul music. Thevis knew his limitations and allowed his producers, arrangers and songwriters free reign as long as they worked hard and came up with good recordings. It was the period in music when Detroit and the south got together, as with Stax and Westbound’s Memphis/Detroit co-productions, and Thevis tried to make that blueprint work for his Atlanta set-up. He brought producer Marlin McNichols and engineer Milan Bogdan down from the Motor City and Floyd Smith from Chicago. Smith came with the highly talented singers Loleatta Holloway and John Edwards, while McNichols brought the Counts, Ripple and Deep Velvet to cut in the spanking brand-new Sound Pit Studios. Songwriter supreme Sam Dees was co-opted from Thevis’ Moonsong operation, which he ran out of nearby Birmingham, Alabama, and the resulting sessions produced some exquisite soul songs – several of which charted, making the company hot between 1973 and 1975.

Those main acts are here along with artists from the Los Angeles office of the stature of Jimmy Lewis, King Hannibal and Joe Hinton. The John Edwards track debuts on vinyl for the first time, while the Joe Hinton number ‘I’m Tired Of Dreaming’ is the original version of the collectible 45 as recorded by Pure Velvet on Osiris in 1976 – it has never been issued before at all. The King Hannibal track is from his Atlanta sessions (Hannibal lived in both Los Angeles and Atlanta, from where he hailed) and makes it out of the tape vaults for the first time, while gospel legend Dorothy Norwood’s epic opener ‘Big Boat Ride’ had previously only been available since 2016 on CD and is now available to vinyl purists too.

We tried to avoid the non-Atlanta tracks from the Thevis years but have included earlier offerings from Arthur Alexander and Bobby Wilburn recorded by the independent producer Bill Haney – a man as far adrift in personality to Thevis as you could wish for. One of Haney’s acts, Joe Graham, did record for the Aware set-up around 1973 but the four excellent tracks were shelved until now – more will follow. Bill Haney recorded Drifter Charlie Thomas while he visited the city for live work, and ‘Don’t Let Me Know’ is another classy mid-tempo number making its vinyl debut.

Kent and BGP have featured this hugely impressive catalogue for nearly 30 years. This album is a great overview of the musicians’ and singers’ work – the cream of Atlanta Soul.

New Music: Noori & His Dorpa Band, Ori Dagan, Anteloper, Dave Douglas

Noori & His Dorpa Band - Beja Power: Electric Soul & Brass From Sudan's Red Sea Coast

Noori is pictured with a very cool "tambo guitar" on the cover – an instrument that combines familiar electric strings with some of the more ancient harp-style modes that were used in East African music in the past – electrified here, and used to create a really amazing sound throughout the album! Noori plays with modes that echo guitar sounds from both African coasts, but also a vibe that's very much his own – partly through the way the two aspects of his guitar are mixed, but also because the album's all instrumental – with small combo backing that has some very nice tenor, plus bass, rhythm guitar, congas, and tablas! As you might expect, there's a nicely earthy vibe throughout – as the percussion mixes with the guitar lines, then gets topped with jazzy touches on the tenor – on titles that include "Wondeeb", "Daleb", "Qwal", "Saagama", and "Al Amal". ~ Dusty Groove

Ori Dagan - Click Right Here

Is life online in the 21st century a blessing or a curse? One could make a case either way, but if you’re Toronto-based vocalist and songwriter Ori Dagan, one thing is certain: there’s great material to be mined for a lyric, something Dagan always delivers with a wry and agile sense of swing. Click Right Here, praised by John Devenish of JAZZ.FM91 as “fun, provocative, fancy-free and spirited,” and by journalist and author Jeanne Beker as “the perfect balance between modernity and nostalgia,” is Dagan’s first album of original material. It offers a joyful escape from, and timely reflection upon, a world spinning out of control. Themes include online dating, social media, technological troubles and the quest for freedom and equality in a divided world. Dagan’s rich bass-baritone is unmistakable; his irreverent songcraft speaks to the lineage of Nat Cole novelty numbers and the impeccably swinging humor of the late Bob Dorough and Dave Frishberg. His scat singing has the natural, fluid, bop-inflected feel of the best in that idiom. Click Right Here, his most ambitious project to date, is sure to take him to new destinations, onstage and online.

Anteloper (Jaimie Branch & Jason Nazary) - Pink Dolphins

The Anteloper duo of Jaimie Branch and Jason Nazary have a key partner this time around – guitarist Jeff Parker, who also produced and mixed the whole album – really helping to intensify the cosmic creations of the core duo! As before, Jaimie Branch blows her familiar trumpet, but also works in all sorts of electronics, as well as a bit of vocals as well – often processed in a very cool way down in the mix – whole Nazary plays drums and more electronics – and Parker electrifies their energy with his own guitar, added bass, more percussion, and work on Korg keyboard! The project is a great foray past familiar jazz for all players involved – including drummer Chad Taylor, who adds in a bit of mbira at points – and titles include "Earthlings", "Delfin Rosado", "One Living Genus", and "Baby Bota Halloceanation". ~ Dusty Groove

Dave Douglas - Overcome 

A set whose origin is partly hinted at by its title – as trumpeter Dave Douglas initially wanted to create a new interpolation of the classic anthem "We Shall Overcome" – then expanded on the energy of that collaboration to create a whole album in a similarly righteous style! The set features key vocal contributions from singers Camila Meza and Fay Victor – and Douglas' trumpet is balanced nicely with trombone from Ryan Keberle – as the players resonate with a the tones of a larger ensemble at moments, while still stepping forth individually too. Meza adds in guitar, and the rest of the group features Jorge Roeder on bass and Rudy Royston on drums – on titles that include "We Shall Overcome", "Good Trouble For John Lewis", "Peace", "When We Are Together Again", and "Perspective". ~ Dusty Groove

KUMA | "Niffty Teddy"

Geneva-based jazz quartet KUMA share their debut single 'Niffty Teddy’ - a vibey, catchy, and compelling jazz tune that will be the welcoming theme to their newest musical odyssey.

‘Niffty Teddy’ is the first single from the quartet's upcoming album 'Honey & Groat', which is set for release on October 14th. The track is a silky smooth blend of groove, jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music. The soothing sound of Fender Rhodes and dreamy synthesizers combined with saxophone melodies, raw drumbeat, and sub-bass delights create a vibey and catchy nu-jazz tune.

Trained in the theoretical rigours of classical music and jazz, experts on their instruments, and brought up on a diet of hip-hop culture, techno, and house club scenes, Matthieu Llodra and Arthur Donnot - composers of KUMA – love to challenge their musical boundaries.

To free oneself from a theoretical straitjacket acquired during one's studies is a challenge that many young musicians must face. Einstein once said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler”. The way ‘Niffty Teddy' and ‘Honey & Groat’ have been composed truly encapsulates the meaning of this quote.

In the spaces opened up by the harmonic construction of the keyboards, the saxophone flourishes, sometimes airy, sometimes sweet, never talkative. There is a particular texture in Arthur Donnot’s sound, in the balance between the vibration of the reed and the passage of the breath through the instrument, which itself has a timbre that is so close to the human voice, something which seduces not by trying to impress, but through its sensuality.

“This tune was written during moody times. The main purpose behind this piece was simplicity, honesty, bright and sunny vibes to counter the darkness.”

I found in my phone a simple drum loop that Maxence had sent me a few months earlier. I added to that warm Fender-Rhodes chord changes and sub-bass to make it all big. And it was done. I wrote and produced the entire track in 30 minutes. I’ve pictured the melody as an easy learning and feel-good anthem for people to hopefully sing along to.”

The LP is a 9-track production that embodies the diverse and dynamic nature of KUMA sound and features talented young jazz instrumentalists such as trumpet players Shems Bendali (FR) and Zacharie Ksyk (FR), vocalist and songwriter Léo Chambet, and guitar knight Cyril Moulas (FR).

“For Honey & Groat, we wanted to delve into the "ner details of sound textures. It is the result of compositions recorded and mixed in three and a half intensive weeks in the studio. An exploration of our individual or common universes with one keyword: sound”, says the band.

“'Honey & Groat' is a symbolic and real part of the bear's diet (KUMA means bear in japanese). We called it Honey & Groat because we fed on our reality and our imagination to create this work.”

Way North | "New Dreams, Old Stories"

New Dreams, Old Stories, the latest release from avant-folk-jazz quartet Way North, seeks to connect the past and present of our collective human experience. Old stories acknowledging a vast musical heritage are woven together to create fresh new sounds with bold explorations, singable melodies, and even singalongs. Drawing on the musical lineages of jazz and bebop, as well as folk musics from South America and the American South, Way North’s compositions are a diverse collection of old stories to inspire new dreams and hope for society.  

There’s a palpable joy in this music that comes from having recorded on the heels of a tour. The band is tight and loose, freely improvising and having fun while fully in control of the music they are playing. That they love playing together is obvious, and this feeling is contagious, drawing listeners into their love of folk musics bound by improvisation and jazz. Way North is about bringing people together and spreading uplifting music in the spirit of community.  This is jazz you can dance to!

Way North is a community where all of the band members contribute music. New Dreams, Old Stories begins with Hennessy’s Play – their opener for every show – inviting the listener in with a cozy groove. Hennessy also contributed the epic and dreamy New Way Through, the hard-not-to-sing-along-to Dr Good, and co-wrote the beautiful When You Say Goodnight to Me with Herring. Second on the album is Cancura’s no-nonsense blues I’m Here to Stay. He continues the celebration of sound with the title track, New Dreams, Old Stories and also contributed the low-down and dirty Lonely Hearts. Herring’s first composition on the album is the avant-bop Château Gonflable. His other compositions include the gorgeous bass feature If Charlie Haden couldn’t write a song to bring world peace, what hope is there for me? and the ever so fun and groovy sing-along Come Over to Our House. Barshay shares with you the Venezuelan musical story Pajarillo Verde (Green Parrot) and also contributes a unique signature arrangement of the great Jackie McLean composition Dig. 

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.