Wadada Leo Smith: The Emerald Duets

As part of its celebration of the 80th Anniversary of composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, TUM Records releases The Emerald Duets, a five-CD boxed set that includes Smith’s collaborations with four leading drummers of our time, Pheeroan akLaff, Andrew Cyrille, Han Bennink and Jack DeJohnette.

The Emerald Duets features four master drummers who have, each in their own unique fashion, contributed to the way modern drumming has developed over the past six decades and is now perceived. Cyrille, Bennink and DeJohnette broke through to the elite of modern drummers already in the 1960s whereas akLaff became a household name after being featured by some of the most exciting group leaders in creative music in the 1970s and 1980s. DeJohnette and akLaff in particular have performed and recorded with Smith extensively over the past decades but Bennink and Cyrille have also performed with him in different connections before these recordings were made. 

Pheeroan akLaff, Andrew Cyrille and Han Bennink are each featured on one disc and Jack DeJohnette appears on two discs, including on Smith’s five-part composition “Paradise: The Gardens and Fountains,” which fills the fifth disc of this boxed set in its entirety. 

The sessions with akLaff, Cyrille and DeJohnette were recorded in New York City in 2019 or 2020 and mostly feature compositions by Wadada Leo Smith, including three very different versions of Smith’s “The Patriot Act, Unconstitutional and a Force that Destroys Democracy,” his powerful statement about the need to protect freedom and democracy. The duets with Bennink were recorded in Amsterdam in 2014 and include a combination of Smith’s compositions and collectively created tracks. 

The five-CD boxed set represents a crowning achievement among Wadada Leo Smith’s already legendary series of duo recordings with some of the greatest drummers in the history of creative music, which has seen collaborations with such creative giants as Ed Blackwell, Jack DeJohnette, Milford Graves (TUM BOX 003), Louis Moholo-Moholo (TUM CD 029), Adam Rudolph and Günter Sommer, among others. 

“On this recording, drummers DeJohnette, Cyrille, Bennink and akLaff and their drum-sets become a team unified as one, forming uncommon music-making ideas,” says Wadada Leo Smith. “Their philosophy of drumming elevates the melodic and rhythmical elements of their instruments. They create thundering sounds and beautifully articulated melodic textures, constructing a permeating resonant range, stacking complex sonic waves layered from top to bottom, wave by wave, depending on the type of cymbals and drums in their ensemble kits.” 

“Smith really hears drummers He is deeply attuned to what is unique about each one, and he relates to them all quite differently,”writes Vijay Iyer in his liner notes. “Music-makers of this level display a crystalline quality: hard-won and authentic luminosity, poise, composure, conviction, and in Smith’s phrase, ‘maximum sincerity.’ Each of these five beings has entered that phase of creative life known to some as ‘late style,’ in which everything they do is magical. These five discs are wondrous monuments to the art of living.” 

Pheeroan akLaff (b.1955) grew up in a musical family in Detroit, Michigan. In l975, akLaff moved to New Haven where he began performing with Wadada Leo Smith and other young musicians based in the area. His first recordings were with Smith´s New Dalta Akhri and with Oliver Lake in 1976. After akLaff moved to New York City in 1978, he was often associated with improvised music but also other forms of African-American music from funk to reggae. He has toured extensively in Africa, Asia and Europe and studied urban popular music, folk drums and dance in Abidjan, Cote D´Ivoire, and Lagos, Nigeria. In the early 1980s, akLaff joined Oliver Lake in his reggae-influenced band Jump Up and Henry Threadgill first in his highly acclaimed Sextett and later in his Make A Move ensemble and New Air. In 1988, akLaff has also began working extensively with Japanese pianist Yosuke Yamashita. Since that time, akLaff has worked with a veritable Who´s Who of modern jazz and improvised music in addition to leading his own projects and teaching. akLaff has released a number of recordings under his own name including the solo album House Of Spirit: "Mirth" in 1979, Fits Like A Glove in 1983, Sonogram in 1989 and Global Mantras in 1997, among others. Throughout the years, akLaff has led his own groups, including various trios, quartets and quintets that have toured in North America and internationally. His more recent projects have also included the Double Duo ensemble dedicated to the spiritual music of John Coltrane; the New York Jazz Collective with Marty Ehrlich, James Zollar, Ray Anderson, Mike Formanek and Mike Nock; Mixed Erato, a duo combining classical piano music with a drum set (with pianist Qi Liu); and Dear Freedom Suite, a tribute to Sonny Rollins´ classic recording. In the past two decades, akLaff has performed with a number of Wadada Leo Smith´s ensembles, including the Golden Quartet, the Golden Quintet, Mbira, Organic and Najwa. Since 1991 he has been involved in music education at the university level. He began by teaching master classes at The New School in New York City (1991-92) and has been on the faculty of Wesleyan University since 1993. He has also taught students in Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Andrew Cyrille (b. 1939) was born in Brooklyn, New York, into a family with Haitian parents. He was mentored in the art of drumming by the great Philly Joe Jones circa 1958 and began recording and performing with the likes of Walt Dickerson, Coleman Hawkins, Roland Kirk and Mary Lou Williams when barely 20 years of age. Cyrille truly made his mark through his membership in the Cecil Taylor Unit for over a decade (1964-75) establishing his position as one of the leading percussionists in the then-emerging “new jazz” or freely improvised music. Cyrille soon became one of the most respected drummers in modern jazz through both of his own recordings as a leader and through his collaborations with virtually every important name on the contemporary scene. Since the 1970s, Cyrille has led or co-led a number of ensembles, including Maono, The Group, the percussion quartet Pieces Of Time and Haitian Fascination, which pays homage to his Haitian roots. In 1992, Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman and Cyrille founded Trio 3, a cooperative group that became one of the main performing vehicles for all three of its members, recording more than 10 albums with several of the later ones also featuring a visiting pianist. Altogether, Cyrille has released more than 30 recordings as a leader or co-leader and countless others as a sideman. His most recent recordings as a leader are The Declaration Of Musical Independence (with Richard Teitelbaum, Bill Frisell and Ben Street) in 2014, Lebroba (with Wadada Leo Smith and Bill Frisell) in 2017 and The News (with David Virelles, Bill Frisell and Ben Street) in 2019. Cyrille has been involved in music education since the early 1970s and is currently a faculty member at the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City. Cyrille has been recognized with several awards and prizes over the years. In 2020, Cyrille received the Doris Duke Artist Award.

Han Bennink (b. 1942) is the son of a concert percussionist who also played the clarinet in the style of Benny Goodman and the tenor saxophone in the style of Coleman Hawkins. Bennink began both of his favorite activities – making art and playing the drums – at an early age under the tutelage and influence of his father. Beginning in the early 1960s, Bennink frequently had opportunities to play with the many of the American musicians visiting Holland. Bennink was also heavily involved with the nascent European free improvisation scene of the 1960s. With fellow Dutch pioneers, Misha Mengelberg and Willem Breuker, he founded the musicians´ collective Instant Composers Pool in 1967. In addition to playing in various groups with his many long-standing collaborators, such as Mengelberg, Breuker, Peter Brötzmann, Fred Van Hove, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Derek Bailey and others, Bennink has frequently performed and recorded as a solo artist and led his own groups. From 1988 to 1998, Bennink´s main performing vehicle was Clusone 3, with saxophonist and clarinetist Michael Moore and cellist Ernst Rejsiger, which toured globally and recorded several highly acclaimed albums. Bennink has been a fixture on the European scene for improvised music for nearly six decades. In addition to his own projects as well as his numerous performances and recordings with smaller groups under the collective name Instant Composers Pool beginning in the late 1960s and with the ICP Orchestra starting in the 1980s, Bennink has been featured with many other European improvising ensembles, including Company, Globe Unity Orchestra, Cecil Taylor’s European Orchestra, Royal Improvisers Orchestra and Spring Heel Jack.

Jack DeJohnette (b. 1942) began studying classical piano at the age of four at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, then added the drums to his repertoire when he joined his high school concert band at the age of 14. By the mid-1960s, DeJohnette had entered the Chicago jazz scene – not just as a leader of his own groups, but also as a sideman on both piano and drums. He experimented with rhythm, melody and harmony as part of the AACM during the organization’s early days and later drummed alongside Rashied Ali in the John Coltrane Quintet.  DeJohnette first began garnering international recognition during his tenure with the Charles Lloyd Quartet (with saxophonist Charles Lloyd, pianist Keith Jarrett and bassist Cecil McBee or Ron McLure) in the late 1960s. Parallel to this, he also began one of the most extensive recording careers in modern jazz. In 1968, DeJohnette joined Miles Davis’s group shortly before the recording of Bitches Brew, an album that triggered a seismic shift in jazz and permanently changed the direction of the music. DeJohnette stayed with Davis for three years, making important contributions to a number of Davis recordings. During this same period, DeJohnette also recorded his first albums as a leader and has led and recorded with his own groups throughout his more than six-decade long career, including Compost, The Gateway Trio, Directions and New Directions in the 1970s and Special Edition in the 1980s. In the early 1980s, DeJohnette began his collaboration with Keith Jarrett and bassist Gary Peacock in the Keith Jarrett Trio, which resulted in 20 recordings over three decades. Another of DeJohnette’s high-profile projects was a trio with Herbie Hancock and guitarist Pat Metheny in the early 1990s, which developed into a touring quartet with the addition of bassist Dave Holland. In the new millennium, DeJohnette has performed with the Jack DeJohnette Quartet, the Trio Beyond and other groups of his own. He has also continued to release albums as a leader. For over two decades, DeJohnette has performed with Wadada Leo Smith, with whom he first played in Chicago in the late 1960s during an informal trio session at the invitation of Muhal Richard Abrams. DeJohnette was one of the original members of Smith’s Golden Quartet (with Anthony Davis and Malachi Favors Maghostut; Golden Quartet in 2000 and The Year of the Elephant in 2002) and also recorded a highly acclaimed duo album with Smith (America in 2008). He has participated in both recordings by Smith’s Great Lakes Quartet (The Great Lakes Suites, TUM CD 041-2, and The Chicago Symphonies, TUM BOX 004).

New Music: Brian Citro, Pablo Moser, Lampen, Beverley Church Hogan

Brian Citro - Acoustic Pastime – Solo Guitar

In this solo acoustic guitar album you'll hear some jazz, folk and Americana all mixed together in a relaxing sonic experience. Says Brian, “looking back now, I can see the trajectory that led from the beginning of the pandemic to Acoustic Pastime – Solo Guitar. At the time, I was grounded—literally, forced to cancel a fully planned trip to Ghana in March 2020—coping with the sudden halt in my work as a human rights lawyer and the fear surrounding the disease. So, I refocused on something I could control, things I could create despite everything—playing solo guitar, recommitting myself to writing music, and learning to record. Acoustic Pastime is the result and my first solo effort." Brian will perform a month-long album release residency each Friday in August at Chicago’s The Whistler. Says Brian's uncle and award winning poet of Monk's I Mean You: "The title reaches out for us, and this tune does the same. Brian interprets the tunes of Monk so beautifully. He lives inside them like cozy little houses with unusual windows. This song is like those days when I wake up in a good mood, my clothes are soft and warm, fit correctly on my body, and I feel capable for the day ahead; I don't feel that way very often, but I want to. What a great tune to open this album, a fitting doorway through which to begin this intimate journey together: we three: Brian, his guitar, and the listener."

Pablo Moser - Lenguaje Secreto

Pablo Moser is a saxophone player, composer, arranger, and educator based in Buenos Aires. In addition to leading his own project, which recorded “Mascota” (Kuai 2016) he participated in various musical projects including the groups of Pía Hernández, Juan Cruz de Urquiza, Ernesto Jodos, Marcelo Gutfraind, Paula Socrón, Pablo Diaz, Ignacio Amil, Francisco Salgado, Sebastían de Urquiza, Carlos Quebrada, Ensamble Kuai, Rodrigo Agudelo y la Salamanca, Artistry Big Band amongst others. He recorded film musical scores, participated in multidisciplinary projects, and contributed to several training courses.On this newest release, he's joined by bassist Juan Bayon and drummer Andrés Elstein.This album was recorded after two years of developing the music collectively. Musical collaborations among Pablo Moser, Andrés Elstein, and Juan Bayon go back to over a decade and a half of shared projects, and the trio consolidated after the long months of quarantine without the possibility of making music as a group. The songs were born both by the long experience and the power and joy resulting from the possibility of meeting again after the endless musical void brought by the pandemic. The music evidences the trust and complicity between the three players, as they navigate the breakneck curves, in the fresh improvisations combined with the written material and the immediate reaction to each other's proposals. The trio itself generates an optimistic secret language, eager to be shared with others.

Lampen - Lampen

Lampen is Kalle Kalima and Tatu Rönkkö. Kalle plays guitar, Tatu plays percussions and sampler. Together they're Lampen, a duo making highly addictive "post jazz" with a musical heart far beyond genre. Call it what you will, but the main point is listening, and there's a high season for that coming as Lampen is set to release their debut album on We Jazz Records on "Kintsugi Gold" vinyl and digitally. Previously a CD-only release (Karkia Mistika Records, 2020), ‘Lampen' presents two artists who have a knack at making music which opens up with each listen, pulling you deeper and deeper. Meditative passages flow by slowly as in a peaceful river stream, erupting into full rapids of sound when the time is right. This is sonic rafting for the curious listener.

Beverley Church Hogan - Sweet Invitation

On Sweet Invitation, vocalist Beverley Church Hogan once again brings her smoky, affecting voice to a selection of romantic songs from the Great American Songbook. The album follows her 2019 release Can’t Get Out of this Mood. Making a Scene Magazine said of the album, “This is sophisticated, elegant music best appreciated free of distraction. You’ll want to listen repeatedly to appreciate the many nuances.” Although this is only Church Hogan’s second recording, the 86 year old chanteuse packs a lifetime of experience in her interpretations of the lyrics and music. Church Hogan is a storyteller, and she chose the songs on this album because of the imagery they evoke. Her forte is romantic ballads, which she approaches with elegance and sophistication. The arrangements by John Proulx, a popular singer, pianist, recording artist, and Grammy-winning composer, never overshadow her vocals, rather they set the stage for her sensitive interpretations. At 86 years old, Beverley Church Hogan has the wisdom and maturity to imbue a romantic ballad with depth and gravitas without flash or an excess of melisma. Her interpretations of the lyrics come straight from heart.  She is the kind of singer that makes you feel she has lived the stories she sings about. “It doesn’t matter how old you are,” says Church Hogan. “This is the only life we’re granted, and you have to take chances and follow your dreams no matter your age.”

New Music: Clear Path Ensemble, Milton Nascimento, Henry Grimes Trio, Michel Legrand

Clear Path Ensemble - Solar Eclipse

As pockets of new jazz scenes emerge around the world, it’s apparent that New Zealand’s bubbling microcosm in Wellington interprets the genre through a unique lens. Clear Path Ensemble bottles the energy of that burgeoning movement and distils it into moody morsels of differing styles. From electric jazz to ambient, experimental, house and funk – it’s a DIY, jam- session attitude towards composition, as the band members freely cherry-pick from a vast orchard of influences. Citing inspiration from ‘70s ECM catalogue, the ensemble channels the “expansive and astral” elements of electric jazz, with an introspective dynamic. At times it’s fused with catchy synth hooks, smooth basslines and shuffling beats, while other tracks morph into moody electronic soundscapes, and even Sun Ra-esque free jazz. Led by percussionist Cory Champion, the band released their debut self-titled album with HHV in 2020, followed by a headline performance at the 2021 Wellington Jazz Festival. Champion has played drums alongside some of New Zealand’s most revered contemporary musicians (Lord Echo, Lucien Johnson and Mara TK to name a few), and also produces leftfield deep house and techno under the name Borrowed cs, which partly informs the ensemble’s electronic production. Says Champion: “For a long time I had ambitions to make this project but always planned on it being recorded traditionally. Ultimately, I was encouraged by a new DIY spirit in contemporary jazz, where electronic music production techniques are fully integrated in the recording and production of great new contemporary jazz music.” First single ‘Absolvo’ features a stripped back ensemble of drums, bass, keys and bass clarinet - at once urgent yet moody, reminiscent of '70s Herbie Hancock with the clarinet venturing into psychedelic Sun Ra territory.

Milton Nascimento - Maria Maria

Milton Nascimento's 1976 soundtrack Maria Maria returns on vinyl. Recorded in 1976 and unreleased until almost thirty years later, Milton Nascimento's Maria Maria was written in collaboration with poet, lyricist and journalist Fernando Brant as the soundtrack to a ballet which dealt with the legacy of slavery in Brazil. Raw, atmospheric and emotionally charged, Maria Maria reveals one of Brazil’s greatest ever songwriters at his creative peak. Featuring an all-star cast of fellow Brazilian legends including Nana Vasconcelos, João Donato, Paulinho Jobim, and members of Som Imaginario, Maria Maria holds what Milton himself considers to be the definitive versions of some of his classic songs, including ‘Os Escravos De Jó’ and ‘Maria Maria’. Double vinyl LP expected shipping 4th July.

Henry Grimes Trio -  Call 

One of the few albums as a leader from bassist Henry Grimes – a hell of a great player who'd made his name working with Sonny Rollins, but who steps out here into much freer territory! The group features Grimes at the helm on bass, but also features killer contributions from Perry Robinson – playing outside clarinet here at a level that's even more farther reaching that Jimmy Giuffre at his 60s heights. The group's completed by drummer Tom Price, who really spurs the combo on strongly – as they work with a very raw, free sound that features tremendous interplay between all three instruments. One of our favorites on ESP – with titles that include "Fish Story", "Walk On", "The Call", and "Son Of Alfalfa". ~ Dusty Groove

Michel Legrand - Hier Et Demain

The legendary Michel Legrand gave the world music in so many different styles and formats – jazz, soundtrack material, and even a huge legacy of vocal material too – the last of which is showcased in this great collection – which features a fair bit of more recent recordings, which stand in nice contrast to Legrand's decades of albums and singles – as proof that his musical legacy has gone on to touch generations! A number of these feature Legrand himself on arrangements, and all the tracks are his own compositions – titles that include "La Chanson De Delphone" by Clara Luciani, "Chanson Des Jumelles" by Yuri Buenaventura, "Les Moulins De Mon Coeur" by Juliette Armanet, "La Joueuese" by Philippe Katerine, "Sa Maison" by Natalie Dessay, "Ton Copain Des Jours De Puie" by Benjamin Legrand, "Chanson D'Un Jour D'Ete" by Les Umbrellas, and "Sans Toi" by Youn Sun Nah. ~ Dusty Groove

Los Calvos | "Estos Son Los Calvos"

Few have done as much for salsa in Venezuela as band-leader, composer and pianist Ray Pérez. He burst on to the scene in the mid-60s with his group Los Dementes, creating the blueprint for guaguanco, pachanga and boogaloo in Venezuela. When the name salsa began to be used as something of a catch-all-term he was still at the forefront, recording two hugely-popular salsa albums with Los Dementes in 1967. Remarkably, that very same year, he also recorded two albums with a brand new group, Los Calvos, that showed how as well as being the genre’s most visible band-leader, he was also pushing the nascent genre to its limits. Looking back, revered journalist Alfredo Churion states that Los Calvos were "one of the most innovative experiences in Venezuelan popular music."

Estos Son Los Calvos is the first of the two albums he made with Los Calvos. On it, he made a few alterations to the line-up that may seem minor, but created a completely new sound. For the first time, he recruited a drummer (unprecedented at the time for a salsa ensemble, which always used percussionists), he switched from the trombones of Los Dementes to the much harder, direct sound of trumpets, and he recruited Carlos Yanez, best known as El Negrito Calavén, as singer. Whereas Los Dementes had been aligned with the slightly pop sound of tropical orchestras, Los Calvos took an almost-jazz approach, allowing room for the musicians and vocalists to improvise, and they also took inspiration from the sounds of surf rock swirling around Caracas. The group’s drummer El Pavo amusingly once described the group’s sound as like “wearing a dinner suit with flip-flops”.

Opening track “El Kenya” is the clearest example of that surf rock influence; it’s opening lines make clear its intentions: “una linda trigueña que me invitó a bailar el Kenya” (“a beautiful trigueña – tri-ethnic girl – invited me to dance the Kenya”). They are intent on creating their own dance craze, El Kenya. If the group had ever performed live, then maybe it would have taken off, as the song had all the credentials: rollicking montuno piano from Pérez, ingenious scatting and vocal improvs from Calavén, and a middle section where the drums and trumpets battle it out hard, with an audience screaming its appreciation throughout. It’s followed by ‘Mi Salsa Llego’, which Pérez had already recorded with Los Dementes; here, it’s a tougher beast, the sparser hits of the drums and trumpets giving a harder sound evocative of the times, with more and more people moving to the cities, and wanting a grittier, urban soundtrack.

The secret weapon in Los Calvos was the fact that this was a group made up of some of Venezuela’s finest musicians, many of which, Pérez included, had working class roots. Music for them was as much a part of their day-to-day lives, as it was a profession, it was what they did. The legendary Frank “El Pavo” Hernandez was on drum kit, with revered names like Alfredo Padilla, Carlos “Nene” Quintero, Pedro García, Miguel Silva, Enrique Vazquez, Rafael Araujo and Luis Lewis, also involved in the group. Their versatility allowed Los Calvos to go from the slower, haunting groove of “Negrito Calavan”, a showcase for their singer to improvise, and on to “Bailemos Kenya”, another attempt by the group to create their own version of “The Twist”!

Los Calvos never played live, but that was always the intention. Pérez was in demand by the record labels of the time and his deal with RCA Victor to make two albums as Los Calvos was only ever that. But the spirit of Los Calvos remained when Pérez then formed Los Kenya, whose name came from the opening track of this album, and whose line-up featured the same inventions as Los Calvos, with a drum kit, two trumpets and the same vocalists (for their second album, Carlín Rodríguez joined as a singer, and remained for Las Kenya). For this reason, Los Calvos would never have the same successes as Pérez’s other groups, though even Pérez has revealed in interviews that the two albums he made as Los Calvos are some of the most fun he ever had recording. With the price of originals for both albums ever increasing for vinyl collectors, this is a great chance to get hold of two of the heaviest salsa albums ever issued in the 60s, and an important moment in the life of Venezuela’s salsa king, Ray Pérez.

Los Calvos came to life in Caracas in 1967, the product of musician Ray Perez’s restless mind. It was a band that sounded different to everything that had gone before, and everything that would come after. They were the encapsulation of what Perez, who was nicknamed “El Loco”, had already achieved in his music career: the rock, salsa, jazz and Latin rhythms that he played in groups like Trío Hambay, Los Singers, Los 5 de Romero and the legendary Los Dementes.

To create the band’s line-up Perez turned to heavyweight names in Venezuelan music at the time, recruiting Frank “Pavo” Hernandez on drums – who curiously thought it was crazy to introduce a drum kit to salsa; Pedro Garcia on percussion; Miguel Angel Silva on bass; Rafael Araujo on trombone; and Lewis and Josue on trumpets; all supporting dual vocalists Carlos “Carlín” Asicio Rodríguez and Carlos “Calaven” Yanes, the latter an innovative and charismatic singer who added a touch of jazz to salsa, scatting like one of the greats.

They only ever released two albums, a debut in 1967, followed by a second in 1968 that offered the same power and quality as its predecessor, with one review defining them as “dazzling and avant-garde”. Unfortunately, the ever-busy Perez, who was always working and travelling with groups like Los Dementes and his newly-formed Las Kenya ensemble, decided to abandon the project shortly after that second album came out, devoting his energies elsewhere. Curiously, the group never performed live, yet these days, Perez considers these recordings the most enjoyable that he experienced in his whole career.

New Music: Sidney Jacobs, Jimmy Branly Trio, The San Gabriel 7

Sidney Jacobs - If I Were Your Woman

Many people will undoubtedly think that If I Were Your Woman is an attention-grabbing and curious title for an album by a male singer, but vocalist, songwriter, arranger, and producer Sidney Jacobs is an exciting performer who likes to experiment and is not afraid to take chances. On If I Were Your Woman, he lends his rich, baritone voice to straight-ahead and R&B-inflected jazz tunes that are usually sung by or identified with women. The songs are a daring mix of standards, Jacobs’ originals, and pop/R&B songs. IF If I Were Your Woman is Jacobs’ second album. It follows First Man, which rose to 34 on the JazzWeek chart and received many accolades, including an honorable mention by Ted Gioia as one of the best CDs of 2017. The concept for If I Were Your Woman grew from one of Jacobs’ live performances when he sang “I Feel Pretty” just for fun. The audience loved it and he decided to record a whole album that shines a new light on female-oriented songs. As he began exploring this theme, Jacobs says, “I wanted to create a different listening experience and find songs that had personal relevance to me and songs that marked some very specific times in my life.” As a composer and arranger, Jacobs’ music has a syncopated, polyrhythmic feel underlying richly constructed harmonies. There is a hint of gospel, classical, soul, folk, and R&B in his music and it is cohesive and seamless. As a singer, Jacobs has fluid control of dynamics and phrasing, and he finds the emotional center every time. Although it can seem a bit surprising at first, the entire album hangs together beautifully with Jacobs’ smart interpretations and musical sensibilities. It takes an artist with the sense of daring, emotional maturity, and chops of Sidney Jacobs to pull it off so convincingly.

Jimmy Branly Trio - The Meeting

Drummer Jimmy Branly has been so busy touring with and playing on albums for other A-list jazz artists that he has put his own career as a leader on the back burner. Branly has now recorded as well as engineered The Meeting, an auspicious trio date that showcases not only Branly’s adventurous and sensitive playing, but his predilection for melding World music and jazz. The performances on the album are rhythmically and harmonically sophisticated, and the music is thoroughly engaging. Branly, who hails from Cuba, has been living in Los Angeles since 1998. He had been performing with Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s group for several years when he got a chance to tour North America with a band made up of American and Cuban musicians. Once he was here, he decided not to return home. The list of artists he has performed with is extensive. It includes Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chucho Valdez, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, Michael Nesmith, Strunz and Farah, Celia Cruz, Sheila E, Jimmy Haslip, Russell Ferrante, , Bob Sheppard, Celia Cruz, Luis Conte, Ronnie Foster, Justo Almario, Otmaro Ruiz, Oscar Hernandez, Brandon Fields, Alex Acuña, Bob James, David Garfield, Carol Welsman, Doc Severinsen, Don Grusin, Tom Scott, Keiko Matsui, Colin Hay and Lyle Mays, among many others.  Although Branly is an expert in Cuban rhythms, he cites the spaciousness and the influence of World music from ECM -Jazz as a major influence. Indeed, the music on The Meeting is influenced by World music, particularly Cuban styles, but performed with a straight-ahead jazz feel and sound. It is mostly played in either 4/4 or 6/8 with the melody determining where the accents fall, creating the illusion of unusual rhythms. The album features original music by all three band members as well as some of Branly’s favorite jazz standards. Jimmy Branly’s music comes from the heart. He has to feel the essence of a tune to know how to approach it. He uses subtle dynamics to generate energy rather than playing loud and fast and showing off his considerable chops. He wants the audience to be able to tap their feet and enjoy the melody. The Meeting is an eminently satisfying entree into Branly’s personal aesthetic.

The San Gabriel 7 - Under The Stars

The San Gabriel 7 is a progressive funk band presenting all original music. A prolific and inventive recording ensemble, the band’s 11th and newest album, Under The Stars, features Danish singing sensation SINNE EEG. SG7 features tight horns, a first-rate rhythm section and exciting arrangements. Jazz journalist Scott Yanow says, “Throughout its existence, the San Gabriel 7 has always been funky, versatile, and creative. Sometimes the group’s ensembles have sounded a bit like a big band, or perhaps a little like Tower of Power, a rock group or bop septet. In all cases, the San Gabriel 7’s musical personality shines through.” Featured vocalist Sinne Eeg is considered the preeminent jazz vocalist in Scandinavia. She is not only a brilliant vocalist, she is also a great songwriter and the recipient of numerous awards. The compositions on this album reflect Eeg’s out-of-the-box writing style. “Much of my composing is melody driven. I might write something with a bar missing or an extra bar. I just like to keep in the flow of the melody. A song may wind up with a tricky mixed meter, but it usually makes sense because the melody makes sense.”  The San Gabriel 7 attracts so many talented guest artists because they are a high energy band of top-notch players. Presenting albums with the music chosen or written by vocalists is certainly rare, if not unique in the jazz world, but the results are eminently alluring. And any album featuring the singing and writing of the multi-talented Sinne Eeg is bound to be an eleven on a scale of one-to-ten.

New Music: Bill Ortiz, Nat Birchall, Wayne Gutshall, Rai Narita

Bill Ortiz - Points Of View

One of the Bay Area’s most dynamic multi-genre trumpeters for over four decades, Bill Ortiz recorded and toured the world with Santana for 16 years – starting with the multi-Grammy winning Smooth album – and has recorded and/or performed with legends of jazz (Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea), Latin (Tito Puente, Pete Escovedo), rock/blues (Boz Scaggs, Buddy Guy) and R&B (Tony Toni Toné, TLC, En Vogue, Destiny’s Child). Points Of View, the title of his first solo album since leaving Santana in 2016, perfectly reflects the great array of influences and the freewheeling playing and stylistic approach he brings to a wide range of classic pieces while leading an ensemble of fellow Bay Area greats. Each of the ten pieces Ortiz re-imagines on Points Of View was chosen because he felt they would be the best vehicles to showcase his personal voice on trumpet. “At its best,” Ortiz says, “music makes people feel something. I wanted the album to feature important pieces that have been overlooked or forgotten, songs I felt could document the sounds and artists that were important to me in forming my voice while updating and bringing my personal style to them.”

Nat Birchall - Afro Trane

One of the most beautiful, spiritual albums ever from saxophonist Nat Birchall – and that's really saying a lot, if you know his other records! As you can guess from the title, the spirit of John Coltrane looms large on the record – and the tracks are a mix of Coltrane classics and new material by Nat – performed in these long, flowing modes that balance soulful lines on tenor and soprano with work on percussion, mbira, harmonium, piano, and even a bit of bass clarinet – the latter of which is a nod to a key moment when Eric Dolphy stepped in to the Coltrane group! Yet despite the Coltrane influence, the sound here is very original – all Nat's own, as he layers his performances on the other instruments with really well-crafted saxophone solos – at a level that feels much more like a small spiritual combo presenting the music than just Birchall alone. Tremendously beautiful – even better on record than it sounds on paper – with titles that include "Trane's Garden", "Dahomey Dance", "India", "Folk Song For Trane", "Acknowledgement", and "Afro Train". ~ Dusty Groove

Wayne Gutshall - Going Up

If you’re somehow not familiar with Wayne Gutshall, the guy Sandy Shore calls a “modern master of saxophone” who’s scored five #1 singles on SmoothJazz.com Global’s Listener Chart, you get another inspiring chance with his latest track “Going Up” – a passionate, meditative ballad duet with bassist Brendan Rothwell penned during the pandemic for the sole purpose of soothing our anxieties and lifting our spirits. Gutshall, a favorite on Miami’s vibrant Latin jazz scene, who’s played with Steve Oliver, Paul Brown, Arturo Sandoval and many others, offers up Rothwell’s seductive bassline to build anticipation as he rolls out the song's sultry sax melody. The two fashion a hypnotic dual-energy that balances intuitive musical conversations with vibrant soloing. And all at once you’ll find your blood pressure is going down while your hopes start “Going Up.” ~ www.smoothjazz.com

Rei Narita - Indigo Rain

Though his latest single “Indigo Rain” is not officially part of his decade plus slate of releases under The Color of Soundscape name, composer, pianist and multiple label owner Rei Narita – the foremost pioneer of Smooth Jazz in Asia – creates a sensually soulful, gently relaxing vibe that fits right into the graceful side of his established aesthetic. A complete 180 degree turn from his rambunctious previous single “Run Through the Urban City,” this beautiful, expansive piece begins as an elegant, sparkling piano solo. It then eases into a seductive, slow-simmering groove (driven by Omar Hakim’s tasteful drumming) and a charming lead melodic back and forth conversation between Narita and the instantly identifiable guest guitar artistry of Peter White. ~ www.smoothjazz.com

Felipe Salles | "Tiyo’s Songs of Life"

Saxophonist Felipe Salles presents the first-ever recordings of works by late saxophonist, composer, and prison activist Tiyo Attallah Salah-El.  Tiyo’s Songs of Life, out June 17 via Tapestry Records, features pianist Zaccai Curtis, bassist Avery Sharpe and drummer Jonathan Barber, premiering compositions written while Salah-El served a life sentence without possibility of parole.

Freedom is a vital element at the heart of all great jazz. It’s all the more central to the music of the late saxophonist Tiyo Attallah Salah-El, who managed to become a prolific composer, author, and activist while serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole in a Pennsylvania prison for nearly 50 years prior to his passing in 2018. Thanks to the untiring efforts of prison abolitionist Lois Ahrens, who championed Salah-El’s work for nearly two decades, his music can now be heard via exhilarating new arrangements and performances by saxophonist Felipe Salles and an all-star quartet.

Tiyo’s Songs of Life, out June 17, 2022 on Tapestry Records, collects pieces that Salah-El composed while incarcerated, vividly capturing a spirit unfettered by a lifetime behind bars. Ahrens, founder of the Real Cost of Prisons Project, had sent fifty blank sheets of music paper to Salah-El in 2005, which the saxophonist filled with music within a few months. Ahrens strove for 17 years to find performers who could do justice to this prolific imagination, finally connecting with Salles. The saxophonist assembled a brilliant ensemble to breathe life into Salah-El’s work, which features pianist Zaccai Curtis, bassist Avery Sharpe, and drummer Jonathan Barber.

Salles’ involvement in the project is a way not just to explore Salah-El’s music, he explains, but also to raise awareness of the complex issues involved in mass incarceration – in the United States, in Salles’ native Brazil, and around the world. That mission aligns Tiyo’s Songs of Life with Salles’ other recent politically focused work, particularly his acclaimed project The New Immigration Experience, which took on the urgent topic of immigration via his wide-ranging big band, The Interconnections Ensemble.

“When Lois contacted me out of the blue,” Salles recalls, “what interested me was the opportunity to make a musical connection to things that I actually cared about that were not necessarily musical. We refer to incarceration as a ‘correctional system’ but it's really just a punishment system, one that doesn’t treat people with dignity. That’s not unique to the U.S., it happens in many countries including Brazil. The system is so distorted that it becomes very difficult for anybody to succeed in being reformed. So prison just becomes a place where people rot and get worse and worse.”

Salah-El was born David Riley Jones in West Chester, Pennsylvania in 1932. After serving as a tank operator in the Korean War and being awarded a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in battle, Salah-El returned home to work in his father’s plumbing business while moonlighting as a tenor saxophonist in R&B clubs. He also became involved in the less savory aspects of the nightlife, leading to a series of run-ins with the law and his eventual life sentence.

The music on Tiyo’s Songs of Life harken back to Salah-El’s heyday on the music scene, blending passionate blues, vigorous hard bop and tender ballads. In his arrangements, Salles sought to honor the composer’s original intent while giving the music a more modern twist. In some cases he fused two of Salah-El’s pieces into a new hybrid composition, especially when the tunes’ themes or subjects were connected. “Blues for Pablo – Blues for Professor Zinn” is a prime example, joining two blues numbers named for politically active supporters (agent Paul Alan Smith, editor of Pen Pal, a collection of Salah-El’s correspondence; and A People’s History of the United States author Howard Zinn).

In assembling the quartet for the session, Salles sought out musicians who shared the roots evident in Salah-El’s music while each having a strong, contemporary voice; he also enlisted players whose own work was outspoken on social justice issues. “Some musicians don't want to be involved in that kind of thing,” Salles says. “They want to stay neutral in that conversation. But I thought that this project needed people who are not afraid of talking about the issues as well as playing the music.”

Most importantly, Salles wanted to honor the spirit of Salah-El’s music and the life he made for himself while in prison – not only composing dozens of songs but also earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and founding the Coalition for the Abolition of Prisons. “I think these tunes reveal a beautiful soul,” Salles says. “Tiyo never let the horrible situation he was in crush his soul. Despite everything, his music shows a deep love for people. I feel a real responsibility to him. This is something that life just dropped into my lap, and I'm grateful to have that musical gift given to me.”

Tiyo's Songs of Life is made possible by generous grants from the Garner-Glaser Foundation and the Markham Nathan Fund for Social Justice.

A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Felipe Salles is a Professor of Jazz and African-American Music Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he has taught since 2010. An active musician in the U.S. since 1995, he has worked and recorded with prominent jazz artists including Randy Brecker, David Liebman, Lionel Loueke, Jerry Bergonzi, Chico Pinheiro, Jovino Santos Neto, Oscar Stagnaro, Duduka Da Fonseca, Maucha Adnet, Tony Lujan, Luciana Souza, and Bob Moses. He has released eight critically acclaimed recordings as a leader, most recently the ambitious CD/DVD set The New Immigrant Experience, featuring his Interconnections Ensemble big band, which earned a 4 1/2 star review from DownBeat and made the magazine’s list of best albums of 2020. Salles is a 2018 Guggenheim Foundation Composition Fellow, a 2021 South Arts Jazz Road Creative Residency Grant Fellowship recipient, a 2015 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant winner, a 2009-2010 winner of the French American Jazz Exchange Grant, and a 2005-2006 winner of the Chamber Music America New Works: Creation and Presentation Grant Program, grants sponsored by The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. His arrangements and compositions have been performed by some of the top groups in the world including The Metropole Orchestra, UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Violas, Meta4 String Quartet, Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra, Manhattan School of Music Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra, New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra, and New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble, among others. 

BLUE NOTE JAZZ FESTIVAL NAPA VALLEY ADDS THIRD DATE ON FRIDAY, JULY 29th

Due to overwhelming demand, the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley announces a third day of programming on Friday, July 29th. With standout additions including Dinner Party (Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington) and Snoop Dogg, the third day also includes performances by Chaka Khan, Kamasi Washington, Madlib, Chris Dave & The Drumhedz, Kenny Garrett, Alex Isley, Domi & JD Beck, Kiefer and Amber (of Moonchild), Marcus Strickland Twi-Life and DJ Jahi Sundance. Tickets for Friday start at $225 for general admission and $450 for VIP, and go on sale Thursday, June 16th at 12:00pm PT.

"Following the initial sell-out response from our two-day festival lineup in a matter of hours, we're thrilled to announce a third festival date for the Blue Note Jazz Festival, Napa," says Director of Programming and Talent Buyer Alex Kurland.

Kurland continues, "This third date features a jaw-dropping and exclusive headline collaboration between Snoop Dogg performing with Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington as Dinner Party. We've strived to present a pure concentration of greatness and culturally meaningful artistry — from the legendary Chaka Kahn, and jazz icon Kenny Garrett, to the prolific producer Madlib — we have extraordinary artists and creators gracing the festival airwaves drawing from the inspiration, stylistic influence and vibe of Robert Glasper."

Announced alongside the Friday performances is the Wine Train Platinum VIP experience. This exclusive experience will let Platinum VIP's ride in style to the festival in beautiful, perfectly restored vintage 20th-century Pullman cars. At $1,500 per person per day, VIPs will enjoy a 3-course gourmet brunch, complimentary wine & sparkling wine and will enjoy additional perks, including:

Access to the air-conditioned, Platinum VIP Wine Train with reserved seating and exclusive viewing platform on the Wine Train's open air car, parked next to one of the stages.

Complimentary premium wine tasting at Charles Krug Winery during the festival.

Complimentary post-festival light meal with wine & sparkling wine, served on the Wine Train back to Napa and midday snacks

Access to all on-site VIP lounges, viewing platforms and restrooms

Full cash bar available - the Wine Train is the only area in the entire festival where guests are allowed to consume hard liquor and cocktails.

While tickets for Saturday and Sunday have sold out, 70 additional weekend tickets are available exclusively to Wine Train Platinum VIP ticket holders. The Wine Train arrives at the festival grounds daily at 12:30pm and departs at 10:30pm sharp. Tickets for the Wine Train Platinum VIP Experience are on sale on Wednesday, June 22 at 12pm PT.

The debut of the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa Valley marks the first Blue Note Jazz Festival presented as an outdoor, multi-day and multi-stage event. The especially intimate festival, with limited capacity, will feature top-tier talent at the historic Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, CA from July 29 to 31.

Grammy Award-winning multi-genre pianist, songwriter, and producer Robert Glasper serves as the festival's Artist-In-Residence. Glasper's residency, hosted by comedian Dave Chappelle, includes performances by special guests Dinner Party with Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Ledisi, D Smoke, Terrace Martin, and BJ the Chicago Kid.

"The response from ticket buyers and the music industry to our first multi-day outdoor Blue Note Jazz Festival has been astounding. This year's festival is a great model for the future of Blue Note Jazz Festivals. Our network of Blue Note Jazz Club venues spans over four continents. I plan to expand our festival throughout those markets and worldwide," says Blue Note Entertainment Group President Steven Bensusan.

"Napa is particularly important to us. Not only do we have a Blue Note Jazz Club in downtown Napa, but our partnership with Charles Krug Winery has successfully expanded. We've grown from our outdoor series during the pandemic to this new three-day festival experience taking over the entirety of the winery property."

The Napa Valley outdoor weekend event represents a new audience experience for Blue Note fans by combining a more traditional festival style event with the local wine culture of Napa Valley. The weekend will include food by renowned area restaurants, wine tasting experiences and other VIP add-ons.

During the pandemic Blue Note Napa, operating in the Valley for six years, partnered with Charles Krug Winery to present nearly 40 successful outdoor summer concerts at a time when few were offered. Charles Krug Winery, established in 1861 as the Napa Valley's first winery, is remarkable for its historical significance and character.

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.