New Music: Steve Gadd / Eddie Gomez / Ronnie Cuber / Center Stage WDR Big Band, Calvin Keys, Christian Hoff & Melissa Hoff, Ron Trent & Others

Steve Gadd / Eddie Gomez / Ronnie Cuber / Center Stage WDR Big Band

For the first time, super drummer Steve Gadd reunites with his friends from the "Gadd Gang" days, Eddie Gomez and Ronnie Cuber for a production with the multiple Grammy Award-winning WDR Big Band. Under the direction of Michael Abene, a fantastic grooving album was created, centered around Steve Gadd and his friends. They are joined by Bobby Sparks II and Simon Oslender as special guest musicians. The recordings took place in Studio 4 of the WDR in January and February 2022. Classics from the Gadd Gang repertoire can be found on Center Stage: "I Can't Turn You Loose," "Che Ore So'," "Them Changes," "Way Back Home," "Lucky 13," "Honky Tonk/I Can't Stop Loving You," and "My Little Brother." A perfect mixture of groovy songs and an excellent ensemble around Steve Gadd guarantee the highest entertainment value. 

Calvin Keys - Blue Keys

Calvin Keys Blue Keys featuring legends Gary Bartz and Steve Turre.  One nine new recordings, Calvin Keys delivers outstanding guitar performances that clearly demonstrate why he is considered an all time great. Joining Calvin are Black Jazz compatriot Henry Franklin, Gregory Howe (Throttle Elevator Music) and Strata East conga player Babatunde Lea. Jazz guitarist Calvin Keys is a legend among soul-jazz fans and known for his lean, muscular single-string solo style. In 1971, he signed with Black Jazz label, released a pair of albums and played in the Ray Charles Orchestra. Keys' unique phrasing and his ability to balance sophisticated jazz harmonics with tough R&B and soul grooves were showcased nightly in the Charles band. By 1975, Keys had relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he became -- and remains -- an avid participant in its jazz community. He worked in live settings and recording sessions with John Handy, Bobby Hutcherson, Eddie Marshall, Bob Braye, Ed Kelly, Eddie Duran, Bruce Forman, Junius Simmons, and Eddie Moore. He was sidelined in 1997 by heart surgery, undergoing a quadruple bypass. Undaunted, he released the widely acclaimed Detours into Unconscious Rhythms on Wide Hive Records and toured in the U.S. and Europe. In 2005 Keys recorded Calvinesque for Silverado. The album hit number 30 on the jazz charts. In 2006 he released Vertical Clearance followed by Hand-Made Portrait on Silverado.

Christian Hoff & Melissa Hoff - We Talk Without Words

6-10 PRODUCTIONS, LLC announces the August 19th release of the new jazz duet, “We Talk Without Words,” recorded by Jersey Boys’ TONY ®AWARD Winner, Christian Hoff with his enchanting wife, Melissa Hoff. A dreamy jazz waltz with a fun-filled, frenetic bridge, the husband and wife musical team prove that “kindred spirits” share a language all their own. Best known for his Tony®Award Winning performance in Broadway’s Jersey Boys and two Grammy® Award Winning cast albums (Jersey Boys and The Who’s Tommy), Christian regularly bridges the worlds of jazz, rock & roll, and theater. As a solo performer and founding member of the vocal group,The Midtown Men, Christian recently completed his 10th consecutive world tour. His lifelong TV, film, and music career highlights include being the first actor to portray Walt Disney on film in One Man’s Dream, originating “Richie” in Hanna-Barbera’s Richie Rich Cartoon Show, and surpassing the Guinness World Record for number of voices in an audiobook. Most currently, Christian is the radio host of Jazz ’N Tost, heard weekly on WEQX 102.7FM, as well as the host for the new Summer Concert Series, Broadway in Vermont. With his leading lady (on stage and off), Melissa and Christian, explain “in perfect harmony” how so much can be said without uttering a single word. Coming August 19 on the new children’s album Arise Together, and as a single (to be distributed by CD Baby worldwide) on all digital platforms. 

Ron Trent & Others - What Do The Stars Say To You (Francois Kervorkian continuous mix – with bonus tracks)

One of the most soulful sets we've ever heard from the mighty Ron Trent – a full length set that's a fantastic summation of all the genius he's given us on singles over the past decade or so – and a record that marks a real maturation in Ron's music! Make no mistake, Trent was always a cut above most club music talents – working with an understanding of deeper, older currents that always showed up in his tracks, but which really take root and flower here – partly through collaborations with members of Azymuth, Jean-Luc Ponty, Khruangbin, and other guests – but with a sense of unity that's definitely Ron's own! This isn't simple house or club – but a rich palette of cosmic vision – on titles that include "On My Way Home", "Warm", "Cool Water", "Cycle Of Many", "Admira", "Melt Into You", "Flos Potentia", and "Sphere". This package brings together all the tracks from the LP in a very cool mix by the legendary Francois K – and adds in 5 bonus tracks too!  ~ Dusty Groove

South Jersey Jazz Society Announces Dates for the Pat Martino Celebration of Life and Legacy

South Jersey Jazz Society presents a Celebration of Life and Legacy of the great jazz guitarist Pat Martino at this year’s Jazz @ the Point Festival, which runs from November 3 through 6 at various venues in Somers Point, New Jersey. Artists performing at the festival include influential musicians and jazz icons who have interacted with Martino throughout the guitarist’s illustrious career that spanned more than five decades before he passed away in 2021. The complete lineup will be announced in the near future. 

“The planned Celebration of Life and Legacy comes nearly a year to the day Pat passed away on November 1,” stated Joe Donofrio, artistic director, vice president and event producer on behalf of South Jersey Jazz Society. “It was not an ideal situation to try and gather musicians and audience during the past COVID cycle and look forward to recognizing and celebrating his genius with his many musical colleagues." 

The Celebration of Life and Legacy will also be live-streamed on Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5, which will provide an opportunity for an international audience to engage. 

South Jersey Jazz Society hopes to make this a free event for all attendees (live-streaming will $10 per day), accepting only free-will donations from those in attendance thereby exposing as many people as possible to the magic that was and is Pat Martino. Proceeds from this event will be shared equally with the estate of Pat Martino. 

Sponsors include OceanFirst Bank Foundation, Benedetto Guitars, Just 4 Wheels, John Scarpa, UBS Financial, Dennisville Fence, Walt’s Original Primo Pizza and Ritala Associates..

This event is made possible in part through the New Jersey State Council of the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through the Local Arts Grant administered by Atlantic County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs. This program is made possible in part through the New Jersey State Council of the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts through the Local Arts Grant administered by Atlantic County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs. The producers wish to thank DL Media for their participation. 

For more information, call Nicholas Regine at (609) 289-0326 or info@southjerseyjazz.org, or visit www.southjerseyjazz.org.

New Music: Slave/Steve Arrington/Aurra, Giménez López / Matthew Golombisky / MatíasFormica, JK Group, Boney James

Slave/Steve Arrington/Aurra - The Definitive Collection (3CD set)

The first-ever group-spanning collection of work from the family of Slave – the late 70s funk powerhouse that was also linked to the group's Aurra and Steve Arrington's Hall Of Fame! The package is heavy on work from Slave – that bass-heavy group who really revolutionized the sound of funk in the late 70s – creating a lean groove that was tight and right on the money, and providing a perfect platform for so many new artists to leap off into the 80s! The group also boasted members Steve Washington and Steve Arrington – the former of whom would launch Aurra, a great funk group famous for their Salsoul Records material – the latter of whom was lead singer Steve Arrington, who'd enjoy a great run under his own name in the 80s! This package brings together a massive amount of greatness from everyone involved – Aurra tracks that include "Are You Single", "Checking You Out", "Make Up Your Mind", "Such A Feeling", and "In The Mood To Groove"; Steve Arrington cuts "You Meet My Approval", "Weak At The Knees", "Feel So Real", and "Dancin In The Key Of Life"; and Slave cuts that include "Slide", "Screw Your Wig On Tite", "Are You Ready For Love", "Stellar Fungk", "Feel My Love", "Shine", "Funky Lady", "Snap Shot", "Party Lites", "Life Can Be Happy", "Great American Funk Song", "Stone Jam", "Sizzlin Hot", "Watching You", "Son Of Slide", "Party Hardy", and "Drac Is Back". 44 cuts in all! ~ Dusty Groove

Giménez López / Matthew Golombisky /  MatíasFormica - 4.9

This new trio and project arises from the album Hastío y Paranoia, by Matías Formica (released on his label Numeral in 2021), in which there are two pieces recorded by Giménez López,  and Formica. After the two pieces for Hastío y Paranoia, a remaining three hours of material was left and resulted in the pieces being released here on 4.9. The idea of ​​the session had been to record spontaneous music without clear guidelines, but as the session progressed they were modified, with slight indications to generate different sound results. Matthew said out loud after soundcheck his love for playing free music and spontaneously composed pieces are something that can result in what might seem as previously worked out material. In that while we were to improvise freely, it’s ok to stop short of what is often conceived as a freely improvised piece of music; ie. it’s ok to stop after two or three minutes if the vibe is discovered, explored sufficiently, there’s not necessarily a reason to keep going… just stop and let that be the tune. All tunes (except one) are under five minutes and most are in the three-minute range, all relating to one of his ideas within the concept of “free pop”.

JK Group - Find Joy

Multi-dimensional future-jazz outfit JK GROUP to release a new EP, 'Rising' on La Sape Records. The brainchild of award-winning saxophonist, Joshua Kelly (30/70 collective, PBS Young Elder of Jazz 2019), the band returns to the label with a follow up EP to the mind-bending 2021 release, 'What’s Real?' Where 'What’s Real?' served as a platform for wild experimentation, 'Rising' returns to a more considered and familiar format for the band, offering up 4 cohesive tracks that are deep in conception and expression, at once original and fresh. Conceived after recording an as yet unreleased body of work written whilst undergoing chemotherapy, 'Rising' celebrates bandleader Josh’s survival and eventual recovery from the intense treatment he received for lymphoma in 2020. The band stays true to their honed format of jazz traditions melding with influences from electronica and beyond. Like the first release, 'The Young Ones', 'Rising' sits comfortably in the crossover of raw, live jazz and electronic dance music, whilst also throwing an unexpected curveball to the listener expanding the palate of the bands sound to a pigment never before heard in their music. 'Find Joy' is the first track taken from the EP.

Boney James - Bring It Back

Chart-topping jazz/R&B sax player Boney James released his new single “Bring It Back”  featuring critically acclaimed composer, conductor, orchestrator, arranger, and trumpeter, Dontae Winslow.  The track is available today via all streaming services and marks the first release from James’ forthcoming 18th studio album, Detour, out September 23rd on Concord Records.  The new 10-song collection is a subtle stylistic turn that builds on the commercial success of 2020’s Solid, James’ highest charting release ever on the pop charts, peaking in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. "It was such fun co-writing and co-producing this track with the awesome J-Mo. The old school vibe inspired the title. Also featuring a great trumpet solo by Dontae Winslow (from Kamasi Washington’s band)!" - Boney James

Jae Ordon | "Artificially Natural"

It’s a case of a kismet-style meeting 20 years ago, a like-minded connection and an inevitable reconnection 20 years later that produced musical magic over just one week in Nashville. That’s the distilled down story of how NYC folk-jazz artist Jae Ordon forged a creative partnership with legendary Broadway guitarist and composer Laurent Medelgi to record his new album Artificially Natural and its captivating lead single, “Life Whispers On” — available now.

A multi-layered, genre-bending tune trip that journeys from time travel through a couple’s whirlwind romance and eventual dissolution, “Life Whispers On” explores the fleetingness of life and relationships with a chorus that anchors down a central idea of the power of love.

“‘Life Whispers On’ had come to me in sort of a dream state in pieces over a few years’ time,” recalls Ordon. “A reflection on life’s relentless yet delicate and unwavering march forward, getting older in a whispering sentimental way of sometimes unnoticed motion wrapping around us while both caressing and weathering.” 

It took the aforementioned connection and collaboration with Medelgi to give “Life Whispers On” its full voice though.

In 2002, while looking for a fourth member for his trio Mascot’s Distance, Ordon put the word out on Craig’s List and Medelgi was the first to answer the ad. At the same time, Ordon’s drummer Yutaka Uchida had suggested that Ordon meet his guitarist friend, Laurent, as a potential new band member.

“That led me to believe it was a sign — if you believe in that sort of thing,” says Ordon. 

Ordon and Medelgi met up at a coffee shop in Chelsea, discovered a kinship and how much they had in common musically and Medelgi joined the band in the studio. Mascot’s Distance continued playing gigs with Medelgi at such legendary NYC venues as the Cutting Room, Bitter End, Joe’s Pub, Arlene’s Grocery, and The Living Room. A few more records were cut including Chasing Pixie Dust which spawned some radio play including on Albany’s WEXT, where DJ Dave Michaels called the album “a masterpiece!”

Even so, losing their bass player and other setbacks caused Mascot’s Distance to disband some months later and Medelgi moved back to his home city of Paris.

Fast forward to 2020 and, after reminiscing about the magic Mascot’s Distance made 18 years prior, Medelgi reached out to Ordon to tell him that his girlfriend had been crying after listening to their Chasing Pixie Dust album.

“Why was she crying?” Ordon asked Medelgi. “She thought it was so tragic that Mascot’s Distance never got the acclaim and visibility it deserved, and that it would be great if we could get back in the studio.”

Ordon agreed to send Medelgi some of his new songs and asked him to pick his favourites that they could record. Medelgi chose “Life Whispers On” as one of them. Medelgi asked if he could do some arrangements of Ordon’s new songs and, after a false start with acclaimed London-based producer Rick James, the duo focused on Nashville as a recording locale, where Medelgi had some remarkable connections.

Medelgi’s connections were utilized to negotiate and procure a group of top-shelf session musicians including Toto/Steely Dan drummer Keith Carlock, Michael McDonald’s horn section, piano player Pat Coil who was voted by Keyboard magazine ”world’s best keyboardist”, and Christopher Cross and Robben Ford’s bass player Brian Allen. 

Ordon and Medelgi booked an ambitious and economical four days of recording time at Nashville’s Coop de Ville Studios and hunkered down at Ordon’s place in Queens for a week of 14-hour-day song woodshedding before the trip to Music City. Notably, Steely Dan pianist Jim Beard was almost part of the project but opted out because he thought the music was too complicated to record in just one session that was allocated to recording auxiliary keyboards. 

“Jim said it seemed like the project was a ‘runaway horse’, which turned out to be a marvelous challenge for us, as well as the source of a lot of laughing,” recalls Ordon.

After hearing some of the studio results, Beard texted Medelgi to say, “Congratulations on a marvelous album.” Artificially Natural had been borne out of true kismet, determination, expert musicianship, and a desire to get ‘er done. 

“I guess we tamed the horse,” muses Ordon.

The star-aligning experience of recording Artificially Natural is just one in a long line of achievements for the Long Island composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter. Ordon has been featured in Time Out New York magazine and has worked as a composer with Ian Gillan of Deep Purple, the broadway musical Wicked’s composer Stephen Schwartz, as well as actors Hugh Jackman, Taye Diggs, the late Brittany Murphy and organizations such as Bed Bath and Beyond, Folger’s Coffee and The New School. A classically trained pianist who majored in music at Syracuse University, Ordon went on to earn a Master's degree from Columbia University in music education. 

Artificially Natural and its lead single “Life Whispers On” is actually on the second of three projects that the Nashville sessions form part of. “The first being a four song EP entitled Life Whispers On (released in 2021), the 2nd is a full length album entitled Artificially Natural comprising the four EP songs from Nashville sessions, as well as singles and songs from my earlier albums,” explains Ordon. “And lastly a 3rd album called Berdache which will have the remaining three unreleased Nashville songs, also songs which I recorded on my own, and four songs yet to be recorded. I am aiming to release Berdache in October of 2022.”

Ordon is nothing short of very busy and creatively productive, and that’s just the way to be as life whispers on. 

Daniel Lanois | "Player, Piano"

Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Daniel Lanois has announced the upcoming release of his new album Player, Piano. The album features a series of exotic instrumental piano performances and was recorded at Lanois’ studio in Toronto with the help of co-producer Dangerous Wayne Lorenz. Lanois has also today shared the single “My All.” Player, Piano will be released on September 23rd via Modern Recordings. 

“‘My All‘ is a melody I wrote as a send off to my little brother who passed away,” writes Lanois. “The piano part is based on an approach I learned from Steven Tyler from Aerosmith. Some time back Steven was at my house playing my upright piano, he showed this style of repeating a chord on the right hand, while playing a moving melody on the left hand. It was a turning point in my piano playing…Thank you Steven!” 

“Making this record transported me at a time when I couldn’t go anywhere,” Lanois reflects. “I got to travel to Cuba and Mexico and Jamaica. I got to visit with the ghosts of Erik Satie and Oscar Peterson and Harold Budd. I got to go back in time to my work with Brian Eno and Kate Bush and Emmylou Harris. All without ever leaving my studio.” 

In order to achieve the timeless-sounding recordings on Player, Piano, Lanois and Lorenz set about transforming each of the three pianos in the studio, dampening the strings with tea towels and dulling the percussive impact of the hammers by adding small felt pads to the heads. When it came time to record, they used vintage ribbon mics and arranged them behind the instruments rather than in front in an effort to further soften the sound. “I decided that if I was going to make a piano record, I wanted it to sound like recordings from the ‘40s and ’50s, back when the piano was soft and beautiful,” explains Lanois. 

As one of the most acclaimed and influential producers of the modern era, he’s helmed iconic albums for everyone from Bob Dylan and Neil Young to U2 and Peter Gabriel. As a prolific and critically acclaimed songwriter, he’s composed scores for Oscar-winning films and blockbuster video games in addition to releasing more than a dozen genre-bending solo records. Rolling Stone declared that his “unmistakable fingerprints are all over an entire wing of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” (think The Joshua Tree, Wrecking Ball, Time Out Of Mind), while NPR lauded him as the author of his own “brilliant albums of heartfelt songs.” 

Player, Piano follows the 2021 release of Lanois’ album Heavy Sun, which received wide acclaim from outlets such as SPIN, World Cafe, No Depression and American Songwriter and more. 

Each song on Player, Piano is a portal, an invitation to lose yourself in the moment and disappear into a world of imagination and memory. Melodies unfold slowly with patience and grace; ethereal arrangements drift around them like fog rolling through the mountains. More than just an album, Player, Piano is a gateway into a cinematic sonic universe full of mystery and wonder, a place where the lines between reality and fantasy blur and deep truths and desires reveal themselves in profound and unexpected ways.

Playing For Change Band | "The Real Revolution"

Playing For Change is proud to announce their debut album The Real Revolution featuring the Playing For Change Band! The new album is a purpose-driven record with a compelling message of connecting the world through music. The songs embody the spirit of love, truth and unity that binds us all together and leads us from the darkness to the light. 

Although this is the first studio album from the renowned band, they have been a unique fusion of influences and talents in constant evolution since their start in 2008. The band currently consists of 10 musicians from 10 countries, carrying music from the streets to the stage to the hearts of people. Even though the musicians come from many different countries and cultures, it is through music that they speak the same language. It is a tangible, traveling representation of the Playing For Change mission: to inspire, connect and bring peace to the world through music. 

The Real Revolution features members of the Playing For Change Band as well as special guests. The core group of 10 musicians from 10 countries recorded the new album over the course of five years as they toured the world to several different countries. The worldly influences are prominent in shaping The Real Revolution sound, and the body of work is a reflection of the power of the human spirit, witnessed first hand throughout their global travels.

The PFC Band recorded at the famous Tuff Gong Studio and teamed up with members of Damian Marley’s band to create an album that is a fusion of various languages and cultures, combining world music and reggae. Bob Marley has been one of the most pivotal figures in the DNA of Playing For Change and The Real Revolution is a celebration in that spirit of transforming people with music from the inside out. The record was produced by Mark Johnson, Mermans Mosengo, and Robin Moxey. Mixed by Greg Morgenstein at Astound Studios, Los Angeles, and mastered by Greg Morgenstein in Los Angeles.

The full album is 10 songs stacked with potent messages centered around unity and social
justice that vibrate to the core of the Playing For Change Band. The powerful lead single, showcasing the vocals of Congolese musicians Mermans Mosengo and Jason Tamba and also titled “The Real Revolution,” lives in the spirit of the people and offers an empowering message. Reflecting on the new song, Mark Johnson comments, “I wrote this song a few years ago knowing that I would have the full power of Mermans Mosengo and Jason Tamba’s voices and their shared conviction to tell the story. The Real Revolution lives in the spirit of the people and true change comes from within. Fear is the enemy.” 

The second release, “Me Pierdo,” written by Pierre Minetti, is a perfect blend of reggae and Latin music and speaks of the journey to our inner nature and the longing for freedom while feeling lost in a world full of injustice and stress. Tula Ben Ari comments, “I introduced the song to the band back in 2009 and it became a favorite in the band’s live show!”

The Real Revolution album will be released alongside the focus track “Run” due out on June 24, 2022. “Run” is an uplifting song written by PFC Band member Claire Finley that inspires feelings of hopefulness, focusing on the good in life instead of dwelling on the past. She comments, “When writing the song ‘Run,’ I thought it would be cool to play with the concept of running towards the good things in life instead of only focusing on getting away from bad thoughts or situations holding you back. In life, I believe it’s very important to think about the things you aspire to instead of continuing to dwell on situations of the past.”

The release of The Real Revolution album commences the 20 year anniversary of Playing For Change, with exclusively designed cover art by Neville Garrick (longtime Art Director for Bob Marley and the Wailers), and perfectly represents the PFC belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. 

Track List:

• The Real Revolution 
• Young People 
• Lamuka 
• Me Pierdo
• Right Foot Forward 
• 54-46 That’s My Number
• Bibamba
• Run
• Bwanya
• When The Music Comes Around

Julia Hülsmann Quartet | "The Next Door"

The follow-up to 2019’s Not Far From Here sees Julia Hülsmann reconvening with the same line-up as last time, in Studios La Buissonne, and entering into intense interplay with a band that has been extensively worked-in on the road. The Guardian called the quartet’s debut “a standout, for understated reinvention of the familiar and cool virtuosity” and spoke of “clever, thoughtful, inquisitively contemporary jazzmaking." These virtues have been further refined and new idioms added to the blend on the quartet’s second stance, with each member – tenor saxophonist Uli Kempendorff, Heinrich Köbberling on drums, Marc Muellbauer on bass and Julia – contributing original material to The Next Door. 

“Since the last album we’ve been on the road a whole lot," Julia notes. “We’ve had time to further develop our rapport as a quartet and, as a result, our interplay has become even more intuitive.” Even when most live-activity was intermittently shut down, Julia and her quartet participated in alternative performance projects and spent many weeks vigorously rehearsing new material. The fruit of their labour, presented on this album, is as multi-facetted as it is uncompromising, with a strong emphasis on an intimate ensemble sound. Flashes of jazz’ tradition, somewhere between '60s modal customs and post-bop swing, pull through The Next Door like a guiding light, but it’s how the group subsequently transforms these notions and makes them their own that stands out. 

“Empty Hands," the album’s pensive opener, is a blank canvas, gradually filled in with tender key strokes, searching melodies and delicate accompaniment. As Julia, who wrote the song, explains: “When your hands are full, you have to juggle everything back and forth, you’ve too much to deal with simultaneously. Empty hands, on the other hand, are like a clean slate – you have all the possibilities in the world to do what you please”. “Made of Wood” contrasts this impressionist design with an earthy tone, set in a modal frame and propelled forward by straight-ahead swing: “Time and again I feel like writing something solid, conciliatory in a way. This piece refers to my inner foundation, which I associate with something made of wood, something comforting.” 

The pianist’s brief duo exposition in exchange with saxophonist Uli Kempendorff on “Jetzt Noch Nicht” – later reprised as a variation with all members of the group – is a moody theme with a twisty melody, inviting the players’ most expressive playing. On Julia’s “Fluid” the band presents a tight, spirited unit in a mesmerizing performance of a smooth, steadily crescendoing arc: “This piece is based around the thick, layered piano sound that’s introduced after a couple of bars. Melodies can crystallize over this fluid tapestry and flow on in waves. Water is an important element to me, which frequently appears in my images.”  

Uli’s warm tone complements Julia’s trio with exceptional warmth, entering into a natural symbiosis with the piano’s subtle action, and his own piece, “Open Up," is among the set’s highlights: “When writing ‘Open Up’ I was exclusively focused on the melody’s forward-motion. The line dancingly weaves its way through three octaves. The bass part is notated and creates a counterpoint, while piano and drums are free to interject, comment and mingle at will. There’s much room for free interpretation and alteration throughout.” 

Marc Muellbauer’s compositional contributions go through various pulsations – “Polychrome” being a rubato exercise built around a, mostly, diatonic melody that wants to escape its tonal framework. “Wasp at the Window” on the other hand finds the group conspiring in an extensive workout in nine-time with an ostinato bending and bulging to the quartet’s beat. Again different by design, Marc wrote the bossa nova “Valdemossa” with composer Frédéric Chopin in mind: “It is based on the harmony of Chopin’s well-known Prelude No.4 in E Minor, from his cycle of 24 Preludes, op.28. I wrote a new melody expanding the harmony’s chromatic suggestions and exploiting its ambiguity in modulating into two other, far removed keys. It is named after the beautiful place in Mallorca where Chopin wrote his piece…” 

With a playful and slightly deconstructed inclination, drummer Heinrich Köbberling’s first original in the programme, “Lightcap," initially suggests the sketch-like framework of a Paul Motian tune. Actually, the piece is inspired by Köbberling’s early trio endeavours in the '90s with saxophonist Lisa Parrott and bassist Chris Lightcap, giving the song its name. The drummer’s other composition is “Post Post Post” – a subtle group improvisation with a veiled melody that has occupied the drummer for several years. 

It has become customary for Julia’s records to highlight revamps of known songs from the pop world and with Prince’s “Sometimes it Snows in April” the quartet uncovers another neat treat. The piece’s catchy melody, immediate harmonic hook and laid-back groove are thoughtfully explored by the entire band, with Julia’s gentle touch at the centre of attention.  

The Next Door, recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the South of France in March 2022, is issued as the quartet embarks on a European tour, with concerts in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Norway.

New Music: Mark De Clive-Lowe & Friends, Kabir Sehgal/Amaan Ali Bangash/Ayaan Ali Bangash, Robert Diak, Antonio Adolfo

Mark De Clive-Lowe & Friends - Freedom: Celebrating The Music Of Pharoah Sanders

A wonderful set, one that's even better than you might expect – and a record that really marks the shift in Mark De Clive-Lowe from club music to jazz – a format that he carries off beautifully here in the company of some very like-minded musicians! The setting is a live one – and the double-length set builds with the kind of organic energy that really lives up to the legacy of Pharoah Sanders, especially his Impulse Records material – but also has a quality that's nicely individual, too – so that the tunes aren't just aping an older spiritual jazz sound, but instead showing how its legacy has really transformed creation on the contemporary LA scene! The group is small, and in addition to work from Mark on piano, Fender Rhodes, and live effects, the set also features Teodross Avery on tenor, Corbin Jones on bass, Tommaso Cappellato on drums, and the great Carlos Nino on percussion – plus excellent vocals from Dwight Trible on a number of titles too. Tracks include "Elevation", "Colors", "You've Got To Have Freedom", "Upper Egypt", "Love Is Everywhere", "Mansions World", "Memories Of Lee Morgan", "Greeting To Saud", and "The Creator Has A Master Plan". ~ Dusty Groove

Kabir Sehgal, Amaan Ali Bangash, Ayaan Ali Bangash - Sand and Foam: Music Inspired by Kahlil Gibran

The forthcoming remarkable release from multi Grammy winner Kabir Sehgal & master sarodists Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash. The creators fused East and West artistic traditions. They turned to the eclectic works of Kahlil Gibran, the Lebanese writer and painter, for inspiration. The album and almost all tracks are named after Gibran's works. The eight tracks are an unfolding fusion of classical Indian music, with jazz harmonies, trap drums, and neo-synths. Special guest appearances by Claudia Acuna (vocals), Latin Grammy nominee; Tivon Pennicott (sax); Caliph (rap), Oran Etkins (saxophone), Malini Aswathi (vocals), Sudha Raghunanthan (vocals).

Robert Diak - Small Bridges

Small Bridges is the uncompromising new album from drummer, producer, and composer Robert Diack. After his debut, Lost Villages - an extremely focused concept album about a series of flooded townships in Southern Ontario - Diack wanted to explore a broader swath of genre and texture for his hour-long sophomore release. Small Bridges escorts the listener through a wide variety of expansive musical spaces shaped by impressive genre bending production techniques. Drawing inspiration from contemporary and traditional jazz, post-rock, fusion, and country music, Diack weaves his way deftly through this album, making clear his broad artistic vision. “I’m reminded of how Phillip Glass speaks of the intimate nature of the piano in his composition Opening from his album Glassworks” says Diack in reference to the opening track of the album. The attention to sonic detail is immediately clear: this album is truly a Hi-Fi fanatic’s dream. This initially inviting flow of Hollow hides where the song leads: it’s truly a tour-de-force of exuberant musicianship from a strong cast of some of Canada’s best young talent. The album’s sound is defined by layers of guitars contrasted with intimate piano, interspersed with complicated moments of layered meters, all packaged with an extremely focused attention to production detail and audio fidelity. Written entirely in his cramped, overpriced New York apartment, Small Bridges is a reflection of Diack’s experience uprooting countries, moving from Canada to study in the USA. This music was composed during an intense period of culture shock and isolation, and was recorded while he was in Canada for the release of Lost Villages. Small Bridges clearly demonstrates the deliberate line that runs through Diack’s entire body of work - not only in terms of the ensemble's sound, but with regards to the album’s visual appearance as well. This compelling new record is a brilliant showcase of young Canadian talent, featuring cutting edge improvisation and production.

Antonio Adolfo - Octet And Originals

With over two dozen albums as a leader and multiple Latin Grammy and Grammy nominations, pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader Antonio Adolfo is an internationally recognized Latin jazz star. More than 200 of his original compositions have been covered by artists like Sergio Mendes, Earl Klugh, Herb Alpert, Stevie Wonder, and Dionne Warwick.  Although he often includes his own compositions on his recordings, Adolfo has now recorded an album that comprises only his original music. Octet And Originals is a brilliant showcase for the writing talents of an artist about whom jazz critic Travis Rogers has said, “Let me say it from the top, I can't get enough of Antonio Adolfo. Every album, every song he has ever released is a treasure. Not only is Antonio a brilliant composer and pianist, he is also an arranger without peer.”  A few of the tunes on Octet And Originals were originally conceived with lyrics; however, Adolfo rearranged them as instrumentals for this album. His arrangements touch on a panoply of Brazilian musical styles, including samba, baiao, bossa, partido alto, quadrilha, toada, calango, maracatu and more. Although rooted in Brazilian music, Adolfo’s elegant reharmonizations transform his compositions into jazz. Antonio Adolfo is a Brazilian jazz master. Influenced by bebop, soul and West Coast jazz yet firmly rooted in the rhythmic, danceable styles of Brazil, Adolfo’s music has a polished opulence that is uniquely his own. The music on Octet And Originals is romantic, swinging, and toe-tapping with frequent unexpected turns that consistently keep the music fresh.

Brooklyn Funk Essentials have released the video for their afrofunk single ‘Scream!

Brooklyn Funk Essentials have released the video for their afrofunk single ‘Scream!’, featuring legendary vocalist Alison Limerick and the full BFE band. The video accompanying the single sees the much loved cult funk ensemble jamming in their element in the studio, with dynamic cuts of Alison moving gracefully across the screen. Watch the new video here: https://youtu.be/WbyxlmO8RDs.

‘Scream!’ is an infectious and uplifting funk and afrobeat jam, a syncopated groove wrapped by powerful Tower Of Power style brass and percussion, with lyrics that see Alison Limerick make a shout for freedom of expression.  ‘Scream!’ will be followed by the group’s hugely anticipated seventh studio album ‘Intuition’, which is due November 2022 on Dorado Records. Save & download the new single here: https://lnk.to/scream

Across 28 years and six albums, Brooklyn Funk Essentials have fused soul, hip hop, spoken

word, jazz, Latin, and of course, funk. The band has built up a loyal international cult following since its inception in 1993 by iconic producer Arthur Baker and bassist Lati Kronlund during New York’s buzzing hip hop, jazz and slam poetry scenes in the early 90s, rotating some of the finest musicians, DJs, poets, rappers and singers.

BFE’s celebrated debut album ‘Cool & Steady & Easy’ (Dorado/RCA 1995) scored an underground hit with their version of Pharoah Sanders’ ‘The Creator Has a Master Plan’ and featured legends Maceo Parker, The Tower Of Power Horns and Dizzy Gillespie.

In 2015, BFE was joined by UK soul singer Alison Limerick, for whom Lati Kronlund had originally written and produced the iconic house anthem ‘Where Love Lives’ in the early 90s.  Limerick is now BFE’s co-writer, along with singer and guitarist Desmond Foster and drummer Hux Flux. Completing the BFE lineup is Kristoffer Wallman on keys and Ebba Asman on trombone and vocals.

Masterpieces Of Modern Soul Volume 6 – Various Artists

The latest volume in the acclaimed Masterpieces Of Modern Soul series is as strong as ever and drips with brand new, old recordings. An amazing 12 tracks are previously unheard and a further two are very different versions of already popular numbers.

Some rare-soul household names have new material featured on here. Ronnie McNeir hits a wicked dance groove with ‘Let’s Make A Move’ and Dee Ervin offers a superbly soulful ‘You Make Me Happy’ – sure to become a modern classic. The lesser-known Joe Graham’s ‘Higher Than High’ is already halfway there, thanks to advance plays in Europe from DJ Dave Thorley. It’s from an Atlanta session around 1976, in-between his Chant and later Hotlanta releases. Jean Shy is a highly-thought of artist who recorded firstly in Chicago and later in L A. ‘What Tomorrow Brings’ was cut in the latter city, under the auspices of Kent Harris; it’s a very classy midtempo jazz-infused number. Ramona King had her best-known records in the 60s but ‘Happy Times’ was recorded in the Bay Area’s GSR studios in the 70s and is a laid-back gem.

Then there are the late 70s / early 80s disco sound with numbers found on tape that were just crying out to be heard. Joe Simon cut the unknown group Cynic on ‘I Want You’ at Spring early in 1982. Detroit’s Exportations very catchy ‘Second Time Around’ and the equally fast, funky and fantastic ‘Have A Good Time’ by Atlanta’s Maggabrain were laid down in the late 70s as was Fox Fire’s ‘Don’t Play Me Cheap’. The early 80s is the likely era for Melanie Burke’s ‘I Can’t Turn You Down’ – which, like the McNeir and Hodges James & Smith offerings, were Mickey Stevenson productions made in L A.

There are three great LP-only tracks from 1975 Fantasy albums by Janice, Betty Everett and Three Pieces: they fit so well into the compilation. Margie Joseph singing a Willie Tee song called ‘Nobody’ is virtually guaranteed to be great music. It is still for sale at a reasonable price – as opposed to the arm and a leg you’ll need to offer for ‘You Done Let The Daylight Catch You’ by Second Re$surection.

In addition ,there's quite different vocal take for Phillip Mitchell’s ‘I’ll See You In Hell First’ and a much longer version of Dave Hamilton’s ‘Who’ as recorded by the unknown Jackie Dee – it was remixed from the master tape. Another Dave Hamilton song ‘Must Have Had Company’ by Elayne Starr has only appeared on one of the later Dave Hamilton CDs – well worthy of a rewind for modern soul movers. The highly talented west coast producer George Semper gives us ‘Doo Doop Dee Deep Doot Doo’ which owes a lot to the Sly Stone sound of the time and is similarly enthralling. There’s some moody Bay Area jazz-soul from the Karen Sanders Group; recorded in the 70s but only ever available on a 2011 US LP. Finally, we have yet another top quality, unheard 70s soul recording from Joe Hinton who had many tracks abandoned and left in the vault when Atlanta’s GRC records crashed due to the nefarious behaviour of its owner.

Marco Benevento Announces West Coast Tour In October; New Album "Benevento"

Marco Benevento has announced a West Coast tour this coming October. The 11-date run supports the Woodstock, NY-based artist's new studio album, simply titled, Benevento, out now on Royal Potato Family. Benevento—joined by his band featuring bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Chris Corsico—will kick off the tour at Pappy Harriet's in Pioneertown, CA followed by five additional California shows, including stops at Casbah in San Diego, Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles and The Chapel in San Francisco. Benevento and company then make their way to the Northwest highlighted by a two night stand at Doug Fir Lounge in Portland and Madame Lou's in Seattle. Special guest William Tyler opens each evening. 

Marco Benevento recorded his latest eponymous titled release over the course of 2020 and 2021 while locked down during the pandemic at his home studio in the Hudson Valley. Amidst stacks of gear in varying states of repair, Benevento found fodder for inspiration during long quarantine-dictated solo jam sessions. In this environment, he unlocked his archives and surrendered to the machines, mining for unfinished song ideas, and coaxing beats and melodies from both go-to favorite instruments and gear that had long been collecting dust. Playing all of the parts himself with few exceptions, such as vocals added by his wife and daughter, the final 11-track collection mixes lo-fi dance floor jams like "Winter Rose," "At The End Or The Beginning" and "Marco & Mimo" alongside hallucinatory synth and drum machine experimentalism on tracks including "Do You Want Some Magic?," "Mountain Cougars" and "Is This A Dream."

West Coast 2022 Tour Dates

• 10/11 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriett's
• 10/12 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
• 10/13 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
• 10/14 - Felton, CA - Felton Music Hall
• 10/15 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
• 10/16 - Sonoma, CA - Sebastiani Theatre
• 10/19 - Eugene, OR - Sessions Music Hall
• 10/20 - Bend, OR - Volcanic Theatre Pub
• 10/21 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
• 10/22 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
• 10/23 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou's

Judy Whitmore |"It Could Happen To You"

The follow-up to her highly lauded 2020 debut album Can’t We Be Friends, “It Could Happen To You” marks a new era musically for Whitmore with a bold departure from the more traditional arrangements of its predecessors, unfolding in a more free-flowing sound imbued with the improvisational spirit and exploratory musicianship of jazz - a feat she achieves with both dazzling ingenuity and extraordinary grace. Produced by John Sawoski (a composer, orchestrator, and musical director who also helmed the production of Can’t We Be Friends,) the track came to life at the legendary Capitol Studios in Los Angeles (where her story began as a singer in college) in a series of sessions with Grammy® Award-nominated recording engineer Steve Genewick (Barbra Streisand, Burt Bacharach). With more music on the way, Whitmore stays true to her exquisite gift as a song interpreter, brightening each track with her warmly nuanced vocal style and radiant personality. 

No matter what mood she’s inhabiting, each track she sings spotlights the innate musicality Whitmore first discovered as a little girl growing up in Studio City, California. Named after Judy Garland (a friend of her grandfather, who played violin in the MGM Studio Orchestra,) Judy’s first foray into the music business by singing in a Mamas & the Papas-inspired band formed by Capitol Records. Although she’d begun to cultivate a promising career in music, Whitmore’s life soon led her in entirely different directions. After marrying young and having two children, like so many, Judy had to put her dreams on hold. From there, her family moved to Aspen, Colorado, where their closest neighbors were Annie and John Denver who coaxed Judy into confronting her fear of flying by inviting her to board their private plane, Windstar One. Not long after that first flight, Whitmore was determined to conquer her fear and earned her commercial pilot’s license and later began working search-and-rescue missions in the Rocky Mountains—an experience that ultimately inspired her debut novel Come Fly with Me, a 2013 romantic-adventure title that hit #1 on the Amazon Kindle Bestseller List.

Also working as a theater producer and a clinical psychologist, despite having achieved tremendous success in such disparate fields, Whitmore still felt that something was undeniably missing in her life. Once again demonstrating her boundless determination, in 2014 she took her first step toward realizing her deepest lifelong dream by co-founding Act Three (a cabaret group whose journey to Carnegie Hall was chronicled in the award-winning documentary film Once Upon a Dream). A truly unstoppable creative force, within several years, she’d struck out on her own and started performing solo shows around Southern California and also joined the board of directors for the Pacific Symphony, and currently serves on the executive committee for the world-renowned orchestra. This fall, Whitmore is gearing up for a series of live shows in support of her music by her brother and a 15-piece band. In her live performances and recorded material alike, Whitmore hopes to instill listeners with a profound love for the timeless music that endlessly inspires her. “When people hear my new music, I’d love for them to feel a deeper appreciation for these compositions and the era they came from,” she says. “The Great American Songbook is a body of work that’s stood the test of time, and all of its songs deserve to be heard the way the composers intended. So when I create an album like this one, I feel like I’m doing my part to keep this beautiful music alive.”

 

 

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.”

Title track 'Solar Eclipse' is the second single lifted off the album.

New Orleans' Laranah Phipps Ray & La Funkalicious Release “Jazz Crimes”

A fearless rendezvous of precision and skill, cosmically-wired jazz-R&B New Orleans artist Laranah Phipps Ray and La Funkalicious unveil the majestic and unbridled new single, “Jazz Crimes” — available now. 

Embodying the spirited mix of high-energy jazz, R&B, funk, and Afrofuturism start to finish, the multi-talented vocalist, songwriter, producer, and influencer continues to bend boundaries and break barriers with her deeply-rooted musicality and explosive scat execution — her new song arriving as no exception. 

Written by Joshua Redman, “Jazz Crimes” features Laranah on scat alongside trumpeter Arnetta Johnson. Produced by consummate hitmaker, guitarist, and co-founder of the legendary Gold Certified Group Instant Funk, Kym Miller, the track serves as a prime preview to Laranah Phipps Ray’s upcoming album, Game Changer — set for release January 2023. 

On the highly anticipated forthcoming release, Laranah brings her distinctive sound, phrasing, and storytelling to the table. Most noted for her “far from mainstream" scat-styling, five-octave range, improvisational facility, and volcanic grasp of groove, her voice is laced with a certain ancient richness and her instrument soars with a distinct yet familiar soul and power.

Laranah has penned several powerhouse songs as a recording artist, including the singles “I Rule the Night," “Love in Santiago” “Sudden Love,” and “Save Me Now." 

In addition, she is married to renowned trumpeter Michael Ray — known for Sun Ra Arkestra, Kool & The Gang, Cosmic Krewe, and more. Affectionately dubbed the ‘Cosmic Couple,’ they consistently co-write and recently collaborated with famed saxophonist Marshall Allen of Sun Ra Arkestra on “Mayan Temple,” Kym Miller of Instant Funk on “Covid-19,” and Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies on “Hello Hello.”

With a prolific career fronting La Funkalicious and collaborating with A-list musicians, her impossible-to-ignore talent is no surprise considering she was born to jazz royalty— the Phipps Family, Newark’s First Family of Jazz; as the daughter of pioneering saxophonist Gene Phipps, Sr., she received an unparalleled education in jazz and entertainment from a young age. As a result, Laranah's high-energy performances, regal stage presence, and mesmerizing vocal ability make her a favourite of fans worldwide.

While Laranah Phipps Ray is best known for her music, she is also a savvy media entrepreneur and a vital voice in the fight for racial justice. Her production credits include professional stage management, live events producer, and influencer with multimedia outlets Rayborhood TV, Behind the Cosmic Grind, and Down the Rabbit Hole. In addition, she is Executive Producer for the series Tales from The Stage, in which A-list stars reveal the secrets of the entertainment industry, and Co-Producer & Co-Host of kNOw Justice kNOw Peace. This 12-hour live stream provides entertainment, education, and resources to fight for racial equality.

Laranah Phipps Ray and La Funkalicious’ new single “Jazz Crimes” is available now. A Flat 5th Dimension Records (b5D) project, Game Changer is set for release January 2023. 

Quentin E. Baxter & Charlton Singleton Mark Nearly 30 Years Making Music Together with Joint Albums "Art Moves Jazz" & "Crossroads"

Friends, bandmates, and fellow members of the Gullah cultural community Quentin E. Baxter and Charlton Singleton enrich their relationship yet further with the tandem August 12 release of their albums—Baxter’s Art Moves Jazz and Singleton’s Crossroads—on Baxter’s own BME/Baxter Music Enterprises. Two-fifths of the Grammy-winning Gullah music ensemble Ranky Tanky, drummer Baxter and trumpeter Singleton each also plays a prominent supporting role on the other’s record, with Baxter as the producer of both. 

Friends for nearly 30 years, Baxter and Singleton’s musical collaboration began on the jazz scene in their native Charleston, South Carolina (first as a duo, then in the popular local quartet Gradual Lean). They also found common ground in South Carolina’s Gullah culture, in which they both have roots. While that was the direction in which they ultimately found success in Ranky Tanky, they never lost touch with the jazz spark that had brought them together. 

“His playing reminded me of church,” Singleton (music and choir director of Charleston’s St. Patrick Catholic Church) says admiringly of the drummer. The admiration is mutual: “Musically, Charlton is just so dependable,” Baxter says. 

The albums make clear their exceptional abilities (separately and together). On Art Moves Jazz— Baxter’s leadership debut—the drummer extends his exploration of traditional Gullah music, stamping perceptively played jazz standards like Jimmy Heath’s “For Minors Only” and Thelonious Monk’s “In Walked Bud” with its rhythms. Singleton’s Crossroads (his fifth album) skews more toward bebop-based jazz, even as it comprises eight shrewd original compositions ranging from the propulsive swinger “On the Avenue” to the nostalgic ballad “Nett and Root.”

In each case, however, the leader finds a sympathetic partner in his associate. Whether it’s Baxter underlining Singleton’s music with his surefooted rhythm, or Singleton seasoning Baxter’s folk-dance milieu with his pungent tone, both draw deeply from the same cultural wellsprings of jazz, gospel, and Gullah traditions, extensions of the Black heritage of the American South. 

Or, as Baxter more concisely puts it, “That stuff we played was swinging!”

Charlton Singleton was born January 7, 1971. Quentin E. Baxter  was born April 28, 1971. Both were born in Charleston, South Carolina; both showed an early aptitude for music; and both had profound family connections to the region’s Gullah community—an African American enclave that forged a distinctive culture out of their African traditions and shared experience in slavery. 

Despite these coincidences, however, trumpeter Singleton and drummer Baxter didn’t know each other until the mid-1990s, when they (along with bassist Kevin Hamilton, another longtime friend and colleague) met at the Charleston record store where Singleton worked. Later that evening, he and Baxter got to know each other and were astounded by all they had in common. “Within two hours,” Singleton recalls, “we determined that we were brothers.” 

Soon they were also roommates, not to mention collaborators. Baxter and Singleton—along with Hamilton and guitarist Clay Ross—formed the jazz quartet Gradual Lean, which quickly came to be regarded as a linchpin of the Charleston jazz scene. However, Gradual Lean dissolved around the turn of the 21st century when its members turned to other pursuits. Baxter toured with such luminaries as René Marie, Monty Alexander, and Freddy Cole, also honing his chops as a producer; Singleton became an educator and continued developing the local jazz scene as the founder and director of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra.

In 2016, however, the duo, along with the other two members of Gradual Lean and vocalist Quiana Parler, reinvented themselves as Ranky Tanky, a jazz- and soul-infused combo whose assay was the Gullah musical tradition that Baxter, Hamilton, and Singleton had known from birth. They garnered considerable acclaim (and the number 1 spot on the Billboard jazz chart) with their self-titled 2017 album. Then they outdid themselves with the 2019 follow-up, Good Time, winning a Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music album. 

All throughout, both men have cultivated accomplished solo careers. As he became a beacon of Charleston jazz, Singleton also recorded four albums under his own name. While he didn’t lead a record himself, Baxter co-led and produced three with poet and electronic musician Marcus Amaker. Their work together on Baxter’s Art Moves Jazz and Singleton’s Crossroads reveals significant new depths in each individual, and in the creative relationship they’ve fostered over three decades. 

Joyce's long lost 1977 album "Natureza" with Mauricio Maestro & Claus Ogerman finally set for release

Not long after the dawn of her career, as a teenager in Rio de Janeiro, Joyce was declared “one of the greatest singers” by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Yet despite reputable accolades and the fact that she has since recorded over thirty acclaimed albums, Joyce never quite achieved the international recognition of the likes of Jobim, João Gilberto and Sergio Mendes, all of whom became global stars after releasing with major labels in the US.

There was a moment when it seemed she might be on the cusp of an international breakthrough. While living in New York, Joyce was approached by the great German producer Claus Ogerman. Ogerman had already played a pivotal role in the development and popularisation of Brazilian music in the 1960s, recording with some of the all-time greats like Jobim and João Gilberto, as well as North American idols like Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Bill Evans.

"I met him in New York City, in 1977”, recalls Joyce. “I was living and playing there, and João Palma, Brazilian drummer who used to play with Jobim, introduced me to Claus. We had an audition, he liked what we were doing and decided to produce an album with us.”

Featuring fellow Brazilian musicians Mauricio Maestro (who wrote/co-wrote four of the songs), Nana Vasconcelos and Tutty Moreno, and some of the most in-demand stateside players including Michael Brecker, Joe Farrell and Buster Williams, the recordings for Natureza took place at Columbia Studios and Ogerman produced the album, provided the arrangements and conducted the orchestra.

But mysteriously, Natureza was never released, and what should have been Joyce’s big moment never happened. As Joyce remembers, “I returned home, but Claus and I remained in contact, by letters and phone calls. He was very enthusiastic about the album and tried to hook me up with Michael Franks. He wanted me to go back to NYC in order to re-record the vocals in English with new lyrics, which I actually wasn’t too happy about. But then I got pregnant with my third child and could not leave Brazil. And little by little our contact became rare, until I lost track of him completely. And that was it. I never heard from him again."

While Claus was known to be something of an elusive character, the album’s disappearance might also have been a result of timing. The Brazilian craze was coming to an end, making way for disco and new wave at the end of the seventies, and Ogerman struggled to find a major label interested in a new Brazilian sensation. Additionally, as Joyce mentions, it wasn’t quite finished. Ogerman wanted to add finishing touches to the mix and to record alternative English lyrics for the US and international markets - a critical artistic difference between Joyce and Ogerman.

As the military dictatorship’s grip on Brazil began to subside in the 1980s, Joyce had a handful of hits in her home county, including a tribute to her daughters ‘Clareana’, and the iconic ‘Feminina’ - an intergenerational conversation between mother and daughter about what it means to be a woman. But already a feminist pioneer, these successes were hard fought. Joyce had caused controversy as a nineteen-year-old when she became the first in Brazil to sing from the first-person feminine perspective, and the institutional sexism she faced was worsened by the dictatorship who would often censor her music. Even once the Junta was out of the way, Joyce found herself up against the male-dominated major record companies in Brazil, who sought to dictate her career and sexualise her image, before dropping her for refusing to play along.

A few years after the success of her albums Feminina and Agua E Luz in Brazil, Joyce’s music began to find its way to the UK, Europe and Japan, and “Feminina” and “Aldeia de Ogum” became classics on the underground jazz-dance scenes of the mid to late-eighties and early-nineties. 

The full-length version of “Feminina” from the Natureza sessions was first heard on a Brazilian Jazz compilation in 1999 and “Descompassadamente” was licensed for a CD compiling the work of Claus Ogerman in 2002. Following these, word began to get out about an unreleased Joyce album with Claus Ogerman and the legend of Natureza grew. 

Forty-five years since it was recorded, Natureza finally sees the light of day, as Joyce intended: with her own Portuguese lyrics and vocals. Featuring the fabled 11-minute version of ‘Feminina’, as well as the never before heard ‘Coração Sonhador’ composed and performed by Mauricio Maestro, Natureza’s release is a landmark in Brazilian music history and represents a triumphant, if overdue victory for Joyce as an outspoken female artist who has consistently refused to bow to patriarchal pressure.

Natureza will be released 30th September 2022 and vinyl and CD are estimated to begin shipping 28th October 2022.

The Jones Factor | "The Time Is Now"

The pandemic and post-lockdown restrictions created opportunities for some and provided a swift kick in the butt for others. In the case of the “little big band” The Jones Factor, it provided both. Typically, it’s a monumental challenge for the ten-piece ensemble of first-call studio musicians and in-demand live performers to synchronize their schedules in order to work on their own records, which is why they were three years into recording their first album in thirteen years when the pandemic hit. Unable to tour for an extended period of time, as soon as it was permitted for them to return to the studio, the contemporary jazz collective gathered with a renewed determination to complete and release their third album. 

Produced by the group’s Dave Anderson and John Fumasoli utilizing an unusual production approach for a jazz ensemble, “The Time Is Now” is a horn-powered session that serves up an expansive assortment of jazz – contemporary, fusion, bop and hard bop – along with swatches of blues, funk, Latin and pop nuances. Showcasing the pedigree of performers who have accompanied jazz, pop and R&B legends and luminaries (Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Diana Ross, Elton John, Steely Dan, and Smokey Robinson among many others), the musicianship throughout the nine-song mix of original compositions and covers given a big band makeover is scholarly and dynamic. Adding the firepower of six special guest musicians, the project is truly collaborative with each player given free rein to improvise, experiment and uniquely texturize the sonic amalgams.  

To get a sense of the magnitude of “The Time Is Now,” check out this studio performance video of the album’s “Hall of Mirrors,” a Bela Fleck tune to which multiple Grammy nominee and three-time.

 

Russ Hewitt | "Chasing Horizons"

With his musical background rooted in rock, Russ Hewitt’s fluid guitar work sets him apart. His album Chasing Horizons is a watershed project for Nuevo Flamenco.

Russ Hewitt impressed the fans world over with his debut recording Bajo El Sol (2008) and has been diligently honing his craft. With his strong follow up Alma Vieja (2011) and his last recording Cielo Nocturno (2016), is a continuation of this artists development as a virtuoso. Chasing Horizons continues to exceed all expectations. 

This album is an experience, a 10-track journey through samba, montuno, milonga, fatback, rumba Flamenco, guajira, and four-on-the-floor grooves. It begins with his breezy and steady, fluid and melodic “Allende”. Close your eyes as you just might hear the rustling of palm leaves as you sit on your mental warm sandy beach of choice. With a total of four tracks with Hewitt in the spotlight, he is equal to the task of making this album so inviting more so than anything he has done in the past. Check out the radiant “Luminous” or later in the album the brooding moody “Serein”.  

But it would be silly to talk all things Russ when he was kind enough to invite others to the musical banquet where they graciously accepted. First up is the appearance of Nuno Bettencourt, best known for his axeslinger work in the unique rock band Extreme. However, here Nuno trades in his electric strings for nylon ones and Hewitt goes toe to toe with Nuno on the title track. With a rumba flamenco number in 7/8 time signature the composition certainly has an underlying attitude and bite. Add the equally impressive “Vivir Libre” featuring former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman to a montuno rhythm, and you have the one-two punch of impressive collaborations. 

The smoother mid paced “Amor Perdido” featuring the Bucharest All-Star Orchestra is perfectly sequenced for a timely change of pace and mood. Meanwhile, we transition to “Sunset Samba” featuring Jorge Strunz who brings to mind the heady days of Deodato. This is later followed with the toe tapping sway of “Cubalia Café” featuring Hewitt and Ardeshir Farah where there is magic in this magnificent merger of musical styles. 

Russ Hewitt leaves us with his most unique and impressive collaboration to date by concluding the album with Tri Nguyen. This is where East merges with West featuring Nguyen’s Vietnamese zither work (sounds like a hybrid of an Indian sitar and Japanese coda) fusing with Hewitt’s sublime guitar work. It is this very unique collaboration that reflects an artist willing to take chances seeking growth in his compositional capabilities. Chasing Horizons shows an artist intentional in his convictions and sphere of creativity. 

Chasing Horizon street date August 19, 2022.

The Meltdown | "It's A Long Road"

The Meltdown present their second LP ‘It’s A Long Road’, a wistful and uplifting journey through dusty, countrified soul music and tender, reflective songwriting.

Led by vocalist, keyboard player and producer Simon Burke, the band is understated but deft throughout, letting the songs and Simon’s golden voice do the heavy lifting. The band stick to a sonic palette reminiscent of golden era Southern soul studios from Memphis to Muscle Shoals and in that tradition there’s as much as country-soul and blues in the mix as there is soul and funk. Of particular interest to fans of Durand Jones and the Indications, Lee Fields and Tedeschi Trucks.

Bandleader, vocalist, producer and multi instrumentalist Simon Burke led the creation of this record from his home base in Avenel, Victoria, not far from the most-locked-down-city-in-the-world of Melbourne. Recorded over the course of the pandemic, ensemble recording was difficult if not impossible and on nearly half of the record Simon played every instrument himself, while his band was trapped inside the ‘ring of steel’ that encircled metro Melbourne. Throughout 2020 and 2021, in between his day job as an air ambulance pilot and raising a young family, Simon put down demo rhythm section takes on drums, bass and guitar to send to his band. When session after session was canceled, the demos became the record. It’s a mark of his musicianship that it’s genuinely difficult to tell the difference.

The album starts on the cruisy but quietly anthemic ‘Tell You Not To Worry’ and picks up for the rolling triplet feel of ‘River’, featuring a blazing saxophone solo from Meltdown co-founder Lachlan McLean. Standout guest slots from Emma Donovan on the title track and Liz Stringer on ‘Not The Only Love' give the album additional emotional and musical depth.

Shawn Lovato | "Microcosms"

Microcosms is a septet formed by bassist and composer Shawn Lovato born out of a commission from New Music outfit Hotel Elefant in 2017.  Lovato, whose compositions have been described as “absolutely stunning” and “energetic, pointillistic, fluid” composed a striking and intricately developed suite performed by members of Hotel Elefant: violinist Patti Kilroy, guitarist Hannis Brown, and himself and by improvisers outside of the core ensemble: alto saxophonist Michaël Attias, pianist Santiago Leibson, drummer Vinnie Sperrazza, and percussionist Colin Hinton.  

Lovato composed the suite with each improviser’s unique perspective in mind, giving them freedom to express their individual artistic voices as they engage with and directly develop the composition to realize a unified vision. The work is a balancing act of sharp composition and multi-faceted improvisation, with transitions that blur the two.  The listener can feel the septet’s sense of community while they push, pull, and settle the boundaries of the composition together. As All About Jazz writer Troy Dostert wrote, Lovato has a “distinctive compositional approach and a knack for finding the right partners to bring it to life.” 

The compositional structures serve as a springboard for showcasing the improvisational virtuosity of each performer while being bound by a shared logic. Throughout the eight-movement suite, highly composed driving rhythmic lines intersect with colorful textures and dynamic voices.  The listener is transported to ethereal sonic landscapes before being returned to a grounding in energetic, driving rhythms. Most movements were configured to feature one or two soloists, and throughout the album each musician has control over how the composition moves within the parameters of solidly formed rhythmic and melodic structure. 

Microcosms premiered in October of 2017 at The Cell in Manhattan and was performed again in January 2020 at Scholes Street Studio in Brooklyn before going to the studio to record.  The album from the studio recording at Big Orange Sheep, Brooklyn, supported by a grant from Hofstra University, will be released September 2, 2022 by independent label, ear s& eyes Records.

For more than a decade, Lovato has composed and performed within the many strains of creative and experimental music of New York’s vibrant music scene:  as a performer of contemporary concert music with Hotel Elefant, as a composer and bandleader with the release of compositions on his debut record, Cycles of Animation (Skirl, 2017), and as an improviser working with material spanning from free-improvisation to the American Songbook.  Microcosms unites Lovato’s experiences by bringing together musicians of different disciplines, improvisatory approaches, and musical philosophies to collaborate within a framework where they can explore their common ground as artists.