Drummer Ross Pederson Delves Into Jazz, Rock, Pop and Hip-Hop on "Identity"

In his decade-plus residence in New York, compelling drummer and producer Ross Pederson has performed regularly around town and toured the world as a sideman ranging from collaborating with Snarky Puppy and supporting Patti Austin at a Kennedy Center New Year’s Eve extravaganza to today serving as the drummer for the Manhattan Transfer, an international gig since 2016, and he’s currently working with Grace Kelly and Shayna Steele. But, he says, his broad musical taste has taken him in many directions. Call him a musical chameleon. 

“I have roots in different kinds of music that don’t show up in my sideman gigs,” says Pederson, a native of Fargo, North Dakota, and graduate of the University of Texas Jazz Studies. “So, I was looking for an outlet to express myself as an artist.”

With a stellar band of musicians attuned to a different sonic experience informed by jazz, rock, pop and even full-tilt hip-hop, Pederson makes his solo recording debut with the self-fulfilling title, Identity. The indie release—available August 25 on most streaming platforms—opens with a splash and ends with a surprise.

“This is me,” Pederson says. “It’s a sensibility of one foot in the jazz world and one foot in pop. I drum, program, and added in layers of synths and percussion during the Identity production.” 

Along for the ride are fellow in-demand beat keeper bassist Sam Minaie and two keyboardists who color the show with a full and at times dense spectrum of electronics—David Cook on piano, Wurlitzer, Rhodes, synths and Hammond B-3; and Julian “J3PO” Pollack on piano, Rhodes, B-3, synths. The group solidifies with tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, who delivers blustery excursions and outstanding harmonies that are signature to his rock-meets jazz intuition.

“Donny is a player who has relentless energy,” Pederson says. “Before and after I moved to New York, I saw him as a key player in my own development. I looked at him as a mentor. He was driven in jazz but also just as heavily by indie rock and electronica. He’s a heavy player who is generous. We became friendly and played some sessions together. Donny was the perfect voice for this music. He stretches here.”

Pederson also talks about his long-term history with Minaie and Cook, who were the co-best men at his wedding. Again, there’s the jazz-pop connective tissue as he points out that Cook has served as the music director for Taylor Swift and Maren Morris. The core of the band recorded in Brooklyn except for Pollack, who tours with Marcus Miller and Chris Botti. He was stuck working in L.A., so Pederson sent the studio tracks to him for more sound push. “Just as I knew he would do, Julian added his magic to the tapestry,” he says.

With a solid beat undergirding the affair, Identity opens with “Anxiety,” a whirlwind, beat-grating drive with melodic interludes amidst other-worldly haunting electronics. “The title gives it away,” Pederson says. “This is music that expresses that sense of anxiety, which we’ve all been experiencing.” While it’s an eerie yet catchy tune that develops in a minor key, Pederson points out there’s hope. “The idea was to turn that anxiety we’re all feeling into a different sonic realm,” he adds. “At about the 7-minute mark, the song resolves into beauty with a major sustained chord.”

The uneasiness spell broken, Pederson offers “Now,” a positive, uplifting tune where McCaslin plays mightily through an arpeggio cloud of electronica that Pollack added into the mix. “Julian brought it to the table here,” Pederson says. “It feels like a shining halo. This is a bit of ear candy for where we should be now.”

In an extension of “Now” thematically, Pederson offers the quiet and ethereal “In the Moment” (a “short and sweet self-reflection”) followed by the soulful ballad “Contemplation” about personal connections that features Cook on B-3. 

“Strange Things” takes a different twist with McCaslin’s blowing and a sci-fi groove inspired by the Netflix series Stranger Things that reminded Pederson of his fascination with the ‘80s film The Goonies. That precedes the electronics-fueled “Sagittarius,” that in keeping with the album theme, focused on Pederson’s birth sign. “That is part of my identity for sure,” he says. “It’s a fire sign that also suggests wandering. I’m not happy staying in one place. I need to move into an adventure.” Highlight of the tune is McCaslin and Pollack conversing together.

The anthemic “Hope Uplift” is a dreamy, melodic, cosmic salute to overcoming the pervading environment of tension, hate and division. In a new melodic rush “No Pressure,” Pederson plays off a running joke from his in-laws. “It ends up taking on a darker vibe than I intended,” he says. “Like “Strange Things,” I used a lot of unscripted space for group improvisation. It’s like a musical invite. Come to the party, but no pressure.”

Composed as a reflection of the 2020 elections, “Bedlam” takes musical shape with odd meters and restless shifting. McCaslin stars as well as Cook who take the meaning to heart. That’s followed by the short love song, the pop-beat “Somewhere in the World,” inspired by Pederson missing his wife, bassist Julia Adamy, who importantly shows up at the finale. 

For the surprise, the leader says the change-of-pace hip-hop “Bigger Than That,” is definitely an “outlier.” He started by coming up with an offbeat keyboard sketch that called out for a groove. “I’m hearing something, but I’m looking for the right sound,” he says. “So, I asked Julia, does this need a rapper?” She agreed and soon he contacted JSWISS who he knew from some jam sessions. JSWISS came to his studio, got into the flow and improvised lyrics. Adamy and her singer-songwriter friend and long-time collaborator Melissa McMillan were hanging upstairs and came down to co-write and sing the chorus.

“It’s kind of like a bonus track,” Pederson says. “This totally fits into my musical identity. It’s part of the tapestry. What I like is that this song has such a positive vibe. At end of the day, I hope this song and the rest of Identity uplifts people.”

The Sextones – Love Can’t Be Borrowed

Produced by Kelly Finnigan of The Monophonics, Record Kicks presents “Love Can’t Be Borrowed”, the new album by US combo The Sextones, out on September 29th. Analog soul from the high desert of Nevada.

The intrepid soul crusaders from Nevada’s high desert have emerged from a years-long writing and recording process guided by virtuoso producer Kelly Finnigan (Monophonics) with their latest offering: Love Can’t Be Borrowed, to be released next September 29th via Milan heavy-weight soul label, Record Kicks.

Sophisticated, suave, and masterfully composed, the album is a sonic love letter to late 60s and early 70s soul, nodding to the giants of the genre and bowing to its unsung heroes. Drawing from their upbringings steeped in the sound, front man and guitarist Mark Sexton and bassist Alexander Korostinsky knew they wanted an album to highlight their old-school bona fides while leaving room for innovation. They found that balance in marathon recording sessions at Finnigan’s Transistor Sound studio in San Rafael, California. Over the course of two years, the producer helped them break down their slate of songs to the bare essentials and add a new layer of sonic maturity. “The ability to be vulnerable when writing your music is an important ingredient for any record,” Korostinsky said. “You can tell when an artist is being genuine and for a long time, we felt a little insincere with what we were doing. After working with Kelly, we started noticing that the music we were all making now was truly and finally ourselves.”

Kelly Finnigan said: “The Sextones made my job easy as a producer. They fully bought in to my way of thinking and stayed focused throughout the whole process. We took our time crafting the songs and did our best to capture a vibe when tape was rolling. It was a really great time making the album and we put a lot of care and love into each song. I think that comes through in the music and people will feel that.”

With inspiration from artists like The Moments, Baby Huey, The Delfonics, and especially the late Curtis Mayfield, the album is drenched in the era-defining tone that can only come from its origins on analog tape. From the first notes of the opening track “Daydreaming”, the songs shimmer and glow from one moment to the next like a summer’s drive with the windows down, with steady cruise anthems like “Beck & Call” floating by like a cool breeze. Love Can’t Be Borrowed is captained by Sexton’s smooth falsetto and bolstered by lush guitar work, crunchy drum breaks, and molten basslines that seep into every crack. Beyond the rhythm section, we find a delicate universe of orchestral strings, punchy horns, vibraphones, and reverb-drenched background vocals—reveling in the hallmarks of the genre as only true acolytes can. “I feel like this record is going to speak to people who understand it, and that’s who we’re making it for,” Sexton said. “I think it’s going to touch a lot of people emotionally. And, selfishly, we’re making it for ourselves because we just love this kind of music.” With an authentic sound and historical appreciation, The Sextones’ new album sounds like opening a time capsule from the golden era of American soul, assuring crate-diggers and casual fans alike that the legacy of the genre’s past 50 years is in capable hands.

Friends since childhood, The Sextones are Mark Sexton (guitar, vocals), Alexander Korostinsky (bass), Daniel Weiss (drums), and Christopher Sexton (piano). Having known each other for so long, their musical chemistry is effortless and forms the foundation of the band’s longevity and creative workflow. Despite their bond, each member has been able to channel their creativity into other acclaimed groups—Alexander and Mark with their cinematic-soul project Whatitdo Archive Group, whose acclaimed debut LP The Black Stone Affair was released on Record Kicks in 2021, and Daniel with the soul/jazz group Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (Colemine Records). Flexing their creative muscle individually has only strengthened The Sextones’ collective songwriting ability and heralds their formidable return to the spotlight. With their recent signing to Record Kicks, the self-made heroes of soul begin a new chapter in their sonic journey, ready to scale new heights and plumb deep emotional depths in service of the genre they love. ~ firstexperiencerecords.com

Sonny Rollins | "Go West!: The Contemporary Records Albums"

Craft Recordings releases Go West!: The Contemporary Records Albums, the 3-LP and 3-CD collection that explores Sonny Rollins’ output for Lester Koenig’s revered Los Angeles jazz label. Newly cut from the original analog tapes by GRAMMY®-winning engineer (and former Contemporary Records studio employee) Bernie Grundman, the 20-track set presents two classic albums from the legendary saxophonist’s catalog: Way Out West (recorded in March 1957) and Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders (October 1958). Adding additional context are six alternate takes, culled from both albums. Originally released in 1986 on the long-out-of-print compilation album Contemporary Alternate Takes, these tracks allow listeners to hear Rollins and his fellow musicians develop such iconic recordings as “Way Out West” and “Come, Gone.”

The 3-LP edition (pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI) and the 3-CD set both include an expanded booklet with new liner notes by the GRAMMY® Award-winning music historian Ashley Kahn. Also included is a new interview with Rollins, conducted by Kahn in August 2021. Beginning today, fans can stream or download an alternate take of “You.” Previously unavailable on digital platforms, the recording was captured during the sessions for Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders. 

Go West!: The Contemporary Records Albums is part of an ongoing collection of special releases celebrating the 70th anniversary of Contemporary Records, including 2021’s Ornette Coleman – Genesis of Genius, which is available here, and the Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds series, featuring a variety of classic, 180-gram vinyl reissues from the likes of Art Pepper, Benny Carter and Shelly Manne, available here.

In the spring of 1957, 26-year-old Sonny Rollins was primed for a new adventure. For nearly a decade, the tenor saxophonist had worked his way up through the ranks of the New York City jazz scene. By the mid-50s, Rollins was playing alongside such stars as Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Max Roach, and Thelonious Monk, and had released his first albums as a leader on Prestige Records. The saxophonist had also established himself as a talented composer, through such now-iconic jazz standards as “Oleo,” “Airegin,” “Doxy” and “St. Thomas.” But while the Harlem-born artist was firmly entrenched in the East Coast hard bop scene, the opportunity to explore the sights and sounds of the West Coast (where the cool jazz movement was in full swing) had a strong appeal. Moreover, having recently concluded his contractual obligations with Prestige, Rollins was a free agent. In his new liner notes, Ashley Kahn writes, “The idea of freedom comes up often in chronicles of Rollins during this period. It’s noted in the music he was creating—particularly in his decision to perform and record with piano-less rhythm accompaniment, allowing for a harmonic freedom, but also in his extended improvisations that developed into lengthy stories of their own. Rollins was developing his sound and approach on a daily basis.”

At the center of the West Coast jazz scene was Contemporary Records. Founded in 1951 by former screenwriter and film producer Lester Koenig, the young label was home to some of Los Angeles’ most exciting artists, including Shelly Manne, Barney Kessel, Hampton Hawes, Art Pepper and André Previn. From its state-of-the-art recording facilities to its high-impact jacket art, Contemporary Records had quickly established itself as an industry tastemaker—and Rollins wanted to take part in the action. Koenig, who had recently begun pairing East and West Coast musicians together, was just as eager to work with the rising star.

“I think everybody on the scene knew about Contemporary Records. Contemporary had a very positive reputation, a good name,” recalls Rollins, speaking to Kahn in 2021. “[Koenig] seemed to be a very resolute fellow, a no-nonsense type of guy, and a very charming person. . . . He was very respectful and a supporter of the music. He knew the history.”

Rollins commemorated his inaugural trip to California with Way Out West. Recorded in the early hours of March 7 with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne, the album marked the saxophonist’s first in a trio setting. A loose concept record, Way Out West was comprised of originals (“Come Gone” and the title track), standards (Duke Ellington’s “Solitude,” Isham Jones’ “There Is No Greater Love”) and a pair of Western classics: Johnny Mercer’s “I’m an Old Cowhand” and Peter DeRose’s “Wagon Wheels.” Engineer Roy DuNann (whom Rollins refers to as “the Rudy Van Gelder of the West Coast”) recorded the sessions.

The memorable jacket art, photographed by Bill Claxton, was also conceived of by Rollins. The desert scene features the musician as a lone cowboy, drawing a saxophone from his gun holster. “I used to go to the movies every week in Harlem and I happened to be a big cowboy fan,” reveals Rollins. “They were my heroes and they were always the good guys. They stood for justice. In the end, good would always win over bad.”

In 1958, Rollins returned to Los Angeles—but this time he was a star. In the two years following his first visit, the saxophonist had released multiple albums (including the groundbreaking Freedom Suite), made his debut at Carnegie Hall and was hailed by critics as the decade’s most influential tenor sax player. Rollins had also married his first wife, actress and model Dawn Finney, whom he met during his first trip to California. His follow-up for Contemporary, Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders, would bookend this eventful era—marking the musician’s final album of the ’50s, before he embarked on his first European tour and took a three-year hiatus, ahead of his next artistic phase.

Recorded over three days that October, Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders found the horn player primarily in a quintet setting, backed by Manne, Barney Kessel (guitar), Hampton Hawes (piano) and Leroy Vinnegar (bass), with a guest appearance by vibraphonist Victor Feldman—all of whom also recorded as leaders on the label, as the title implies. Bridging the sounds of both coasts, the album showcased the talents of each musician, as they played eight standards, including “Alone Together” (Schwartz/Dietz), “You” (Donaldson/Adamson) and “How High the Moon” (Lewis/Hamilton).

“I really like the mix of tunes we did on the Leaders album, and I also like that the record shows there is a difference between the West Coast and East Coast musicians back then,” notes Rollins. “The musicians out there were just like the West Coast itself—beautiful landscape, beautiful weather, everything like that… East Coast jazz was more hard-edged. The bebop music we were playing at that time represented that divide—I could hear the difference.”

Rollins’ love affair with California wasn’t just about the scenery, however. To him, these trips and their resulting albums represented a unique moment in his life—one filled with creative exploration, a thrilling sense of opportunity and romance. “Being out West felt like new beginnings to me,” he explains. “That whole experience in L.A. was a moment of growth. I’m so grateful that I’ve lived to the age that I am and that I could learn. I’m still learning, you know, growing and learning.”

Eddie Henderson | "Witness to History"

If it hadn’t already been used for a 1950s television series, I Led Three Lives might have been an ideal title for the upcoming documentary about Eddie Henderson, who would be a fascinating subject in any one of those lives: as a medical doctor, as a pioneering figure skater, and of course as a legendary jazz musician. As it is, the film is scheduled to premiere on PBS in 2024 under the equally apt title of Dr. Eddie Henderson: Uncommon Genius.

If the process of making the documentary has forced Henderson to look back over the impressive scope of his own life, it’s also led him to ruminate on the broad sweep of momentous events and influential figures that he’s encountered over the course of his nearly 83 years on the planet. On his exhilarating new album Witness to History, due out September 15 via Smoke Sessions Records, Henderson has assembled a collection of musicians and material that represent key points along that consequential timeline.

“My first trumpet teacher, way back in 1949, was Louis Armstrong,” recalls Henderson, who met the trumpet icon through his mother, a dancer at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club.

“From that point on, I witnessed the evolution in music through Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Booker Little, Woody Shaw, John Coltrane, up to the present. I lived through the turmoil of the ’60s and ’70s and the rise of Black Power in this country. I was also fortunate to come into contact with people like Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, and Willie Mays. So, I have been a witness to history, and inevitably that rubbed off on me musically.”

The release of Witness to History arrives on the 50th anniversary of Henderson’s debut as a leader, 1973’s Realization. The stellar quintet on this album bridges that half-century of music: lifelong collaborator George Cables returns once again to the piano bench. Henderson’s colleague in The Cookers, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, and his more recent collaborator, bassist Gerald Cannon, have also appeared on the trumpeter’s recent string of releases for Smoke Sessions. They’re joined by legendary drummer Lenny White, who has reunited with Henderson in the studio for the first time since Realization 50 years ago.

Henderson’s “Scorpio Rising,” which opens the album with two drummers, also features a guest appearance by drummer Mike Clark, who, like Henderson, was an integral part of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking fusion groups (Henderson in Mwandishi, Clark in the Headhunters). The piece explicitly revisits “Scorpio-Libra,” the searching opening track from Realization. Henderson’s airy yet piercing approach, the hip-hop influence on White’s grooves and Clark’s exploratory interjections, all hint at the original while exemplifying the distance all have traveled in the intervening years.

The album continues with “Why Not?,” the title tune from Cables’ own 1975 leader debut, making for another fascinating career bookend. “I chose songs for this album that stood out in my mind for shaping my musical destiny,” Henderson says. “George and I are close musical affiliates, and I’ve always loved the way he writes, the way he leaves a lot of space and lets things float. I’ve played that tune with George on live gigs, and I’ve always wanted to record it, so like the title says, why not?”

While many of the remaining pieces are classic standards, four of them represent a kind of Mount Rushmore for the post-Armstrong jazz trumpet, at least in Henderson’s estimation. “Totem Pole” is the one piece actually written by one of the horn players I question, a cut from Lee Morgan’s immortal The Sidewinder, here given more of a bossa nova feel. He discovered “Born to Be Blue,” meanwhile, from Freddie Hubbard, though Henderson’s version shifts from a ballad to a simmering mid-tempo swing. Finally, “Sweet and Lovely” is a nod to Booker Little, again reimagined from a melancholy ballad to a ¾ swagger.

Henderson says that “It Never Entered My Mind” really “hit a nerve” when he first heard Miles Davis’ rendition as a teenager. Eddie Harris’ “Freedom Jazz Dance” is another homage to Miles, as Henderson fell in love with Davis’ renowned version from Miles Smiles.

Finally, “I Am Going to Miss You, My Darling” is the latest contribution to Henderson’s songbook from the pen of his wife Natsuko. The gorgeous ballad is named for her sentiment whenever Henderson heads out on the road, vividly captured by the pining melody. “Natsuko is a very prolific composer with an innate, God-given musical talent,” says Henderson. “This particular tune was particularly meaningful, because we are inseparable when we’re together. She usually travels with me, but it is difficult when we’re apart.”

Three lives, eight decades, more than fifty years of incredible music. Witness to History traces Eddie Henderson’s evolution through a remarkable span of time but listening to this captivating album, it’s abundantly clear that he’s done more than watch from the sidelines as history unfolds. Dr. Henderson has made his own indelible mark on history, and this vital music reveals that he’s far from writing his final chapter.

CLARK SOMMERS | "FEAST EPHEMERA"

First call Chicago bassist, Clark Sommers, perhaps best known for his long, and ongoing, tenure with Kurt Elling, has an enviable CV, with appearances on stage and in studio with The Chicago Yestet, Jeff Parker, Matt Gold, Darrell Grant, Joe Locke, Gary Versace and many others. He has also led his own ensembles including his open-sky trio Ba(SH) and the quintet, Clark Sommers Lens. As busy and in demand as Sommers is, a true artist keeps growing and expanding; they continually search for outlets for creative impulses that are simply boiling over inside of them. And that is precisely what Sommers did. “I wanted to get deeper into writing,” said Sommers. “I wanted to see what I could do if I had the capacity to add more texture to a group – to go further into the exploration of harmonic possibilities, and to try spreading out the sounds using different instruments.” With that in mind, he enrolled as a Masters student in composition at DePaul University, with the aim of enlarging his tonal palette while expanding the scope of his work.

Sommers still had no plans to write charts for a traditional jazz orchestra, or to write such an expansive suite, as he has done here. (“Man, why would I do that now, in 2020? What’s the point?” he remembers thinking.) He admires the power and sweep of the classic big bands led by Ellington and Basie – who wouldn’t? – and the unsurpassed arrangements that Nelson Riddle wrote for the likes of Fitzgerald and Sinatra; he just didn’t see those as a model for himself. But, he was intrigued by the 12-piece band in the composition workshop at DePaul run by his Ba(SH) bandmate, the formidable drummer, composer and long-time friend and collaborator Dana Hall. “I really started to get into this more streamlined version of a big band,” says Sommers; “I felt I could do more with counterpoint in a way that wasn't so dense – like I could keep some of the small-group ethos but with a few more players.”

During the workshop, Sommers attempted writing a new introduction for one of his older pieces, and inadvertently composed an entirely new piece, “Pedals,” which contemplatively treats the listener to tiers of burnished brass, solos from trombonist Joel Adams and saxophonist Nick Mazzarella, and then the unexpected timbres of organ and flute. Subtly authoritative, it belies the fact that it is the first composition Sommers completed for this instrumentation. Encouraged by “Pedals,” he then wrote “Chance Encounter,” and got to hear it played at DePaul, in March, 2020 – only days before COVID-19 upended the world.

The pandemic made virtual hermits of almost everyone, and especially those whose lives and work revolved around real-time interplay and synergistic creativity – you know, musicians. Cut off from audiences and colleagues, going a bit stir-crazy at home, Sommers channeled his energy and frustration into his new avocation. He began to write the pieces heard on Feast Ephemera – pieces that quickly gained a significance beyond the music itself. Over time and through diligent hard work, Sommers found himself with a suite of music, with each composition a chapter in this story, told from the heart by Sommers through rhythm, harmony, melody, counterpoint, and many other ingredients that make music like this such a joyful, life-affirming pleasure to listen to.

The music on Feast Ephemera reflects on Sommers’ life over the past two decades, and the love, camaraderie and solidarity that he shares with his family in music (of which, eleven are featured on this album). He wrote this music while meditating and reflecting on his experiences with each of them. He wondered when or even if they might get back to working together – back to their neighborhood. (The “ephemeral” nature of these reflections inspired the name of the band and the album.) And then he thought, “How can I be creative with them in mind, kind of on their behalf? How can I fit them into the music in a way that I hear naturally?” The answer lies in the compositions and the performances on this album.

Sommers wanted to capture the memories and the experiences that sustained him during the pandemic’s amorphous twilight. To do that, he sought to convey the personalities of the musicians – not only by giving each of them solo space, but also by utilizing their unique artistic personae within the ensemble writing. This proved easier than you might think: as the music evolved, he began “hearing” their styles, and connections seemed to spring to mind. “I let each composition guide me to whom I thought could best represent it” as a soloist, he says; the design of the piece dictated whether to highlight the specific sound of John Wojciechowski’s flute, or Geof Bradfield’s bass clarinet, or Tito Carrillo vis-à-vis Russ Johnson on trumpet.

The process allowed Sommers to access an interior dialog with absent friends, but it didn’t stop there. “I was only three months into my graduate studies. I didn’t know much about arranging then. So I would get on the phone with various people. I would ask Chris Madsen and he'd say, ‘No, man, you’ve got to give more to the saxophones here.’ I would call Scott Hesse and ask about a certain guitar voicing. It was a way for me to stay engaged with these players, and to think about how they could bring this to life. And it became an important driving force for me to finish the piece and just bring these people together to record it.”

You’ll notice that Sommers takes no solos on this album. He didn’t have to; he expresses himself throughout the work. Feast Ephemera is rigorously imagined, handsomely arranged, superbly realized – all the things that make it a long-lasting feast for the ears. Ultimately, it’s about community: these specific musicians, at a specific time and in our lives, that Clark Sommers gets to lead and enjoy from the back of the bandstand.

This press release borrows text from the album’s liner notes by the esteemed Neil Tesser.

Darius Jones Announces fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s̶ suite but sacred)

A radiant manifesto of artistic freedom, Darius Jones' fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s̶ suite but sacred) brings together a composition in four movements written and performed by Jones on alto saxophone, long-time collaborator Gerald Cleaver on drums, and four Vancouver-based string musicians: violinists Jesse Zubot and Josh Zubot, cellist Peggy Lee and bassist James Meger; with original artwork by Stan Douglas and liner notes by poet Harmony Holiday.

Commissioned by Western Front, an artist-run center for multidisciplinary experimentation and the historic home of the avant-garde in Vancouver, Jones drew inspiration from Western Front’s art is life ethos and its legacy of exchange with creative musicians such as George Lewis and Ornette Coleman. Composed across a series of residencies beginning in 2019 and recorded in June 2022 at Western Front’s iconic Grand Luxe Hall, fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s̶ suite but sacred) is the first collaborative release with Brooklyn-based Northern Spy and Helsinki-based We Jazz Records.

The album’s spirited first movement, Fluxus V5T 1S1, reveals a compositional universe as penetrating as it is expansive. For Fluxus artists, art can exist anywhere. This can take the physical form of a fluxkit, a collection of artworks and everyday objects placed in a small container or box. By challenging definitions and pushing artistic boundaries, anyone who opens a fluxkit can experience an art event. Jones presents us with a fluxkit that we want to reopen again and again. 

The cover art for fLuXkit Vancouver was contributed by internationally acclaimed Vancouver-based artist Stan Douglas. Part of Douglas’ DCT series (2016 - ongoing), Occ6 is a brightly colored abstraction created through manipulating frequencies, amplitudes, and color values at the point in the digitization process where a photographic image is only represented by code. Occ6 mesmerizes and in turn offers a visual language that is untethered from conventional notions of the art form. “Stan found this world inside of a machine. Is this a photo?” Jones asks. “Is it a painting? What am I looking at? Maybe something that doesn’t exist anywhere else.” 

The music of fLuXkit Vancouver also exists in between worlds: Is this a compositional suite? Is it sacred music? Or is it simply art? Jones’ score includes visual components — a 25 unique graphics key for extended technique on strings — alongside standard musical notation. “I wanted the musicians to respond in a way that was unique to them, to explore the relationship between what we hear and how we see, where sound becomes visual, emotional, and visceral.” That relationship is seen in the second movement Zubot, a bopping earthy elixir, and in the third movement Rainbow, an alluring and sultry ballad. “The music has a cinematic quality. Like Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite, I wanted to tell a story about a place,” Jones says

The album’s fourth and final movement, Damon & Pythias, marks Jones’ chrysalis as a sonic painter. The 200-year-old building that houses Western Front was originally a fraternal lodge of the Knights of Pythias. When Jones arrived in 2019, he encountered a multidisciplinary space that had fully integrated art practice into daily life. Between composing, Jones spent time with Fluxus artist and Western Front founder Eric Metcalfe and explored their historical archive. “I was able to sit and converse frequently with Metcalfe about why he and other artists created Western Front and how they were influenced by a movement called Fluxus. Being there helped me remember the importance of art existing together, music alongside visual art, writing, and dance, as a way to influence one’s process and perspective. This inspired me to make a compositional statement that would present me fearlessly as an artist."

In her liner notes for fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s̶ suite but sacred), poet and archivist Harmony Holiday writes, “The playing here is gorgeous, but what stands out most is the rigor of the compositions, which feel like tributes to Sun Ra’s call that ‘only the impossible happens.’ Their mood is expansive, gleeful, wistful, sometimes frantic, but so coherent and poised at every turn that all you can do while listening is marvel at this fluency in the language of will and won’t that lives here alone.”

Released by Northern Spy and We Jazz Records, and produced with support from Coastal Jazz & Blues Society, the International Institute of Critical Studies in Improvisation, and with additional support from the Robert D. Bielecki Foundation.

Darius Jones has created a recognizable voice as a critically acclaimed saxophonist and composer by embracing individuality and innovation in the tradition of Black music. Jones has been awarded the Van Lier Fellowship, Jerome Foundation Artist-in-Residence and commission, French-American Jazz Exchange Award, and a Fromm Music Foundation commission from Harvard University. Jones has received acclaim for not only his studio albums featuring music and images evocative of Black Futurism, but also for his commissioned work as a composer throughout the United States and Canada.

In 2021, Darius released Raw Demoon Alchemy (A Lone Operation) on Northern Spy Records. Jones was the 2022 MATA Festival artist in residence and festival curator, where he premiered Colored School No. 3 (Extra Credit).

Jones has collaborated with Gerald Cleaver, Oliver Lake, William Parker, Andrew Cyrille, Craig Taborn, Wet Ink Ensemble, Jason Moran, Trevor Dunn, Dave Burrell, Eric Revis, Matthew Shipp, Marshall Allen, Nasheet Waits, Branford Marsalis, Travis Laplante, Fay Victor, Cooper-Moore, Matana Roberts, JD Allen, Matthew Shipp, Nicole Mitchell, Georgia Ann Muldrow, International Contemporary Ensemble and many more. 

Jones was a JJA Jazz Awards finalist nominee for Alto Saxophonist of the Year in 2022 and 2013, the 2019 Downbeat Annual Critics Poll winner for Rising Star Alto Saxophone, and The New York Times named Jones among the Best Live Jazz Performances of 2017 for his Vision Festival performance with Farmers by Nature. Jones has been featured in Pitchfork, The Wire, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Downbeat, among others. Critics have called him "robustly creative" (Nate Chinen, New York Times) and "one of NYC's most incisive and passionate saxists" (Time Out New York). AllAboutJazz.com reviewer Troy Collins writes, "Jones has set the stage for a winning series of albums designed to document his rise as one of the most impressive and unique voices of our time." 

Jones has been a contributing writer with featured essays, “Year of Demoon (My Life Inside 2020)” in The Brooklyn Rail (September 2021) and “We Can Change the Country" New Music Box (October 2020).

Jones graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies in 2003, earning a Master of Arts in Jazz Performance/Composition from New York University in 2008, where he also taught New Music Improvisation as an adjunct professor. Jones taught saxophone and improvisation at Columbia University in 2017, and currently teaches in the College of Performing Arts and Contemporary Music at The New School. 

Jones’ music is a confrontation against apathy and ego, hoping to inspire authenticity that compels us to be better humans.

 

Eje Eje | "Five Seasons"

Batov Records opens another chapter, introducing ‘Five Seasons, the debut album of Eje Eje, the brand new solo project of Itamar Klüger, of the Şatellites, presenting a fresh and contemporary world incorporating the rich diversity of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean musical styles with psych, funk, dub and other internationally known sounds.

Itamar Kluger is best known for his work with the Şatellites, a six-piece band whose blend of Turkish folk and psych with funk and disco won them champions and listeners across the globe, from KEXP in Seattle to BBC Radio 6 Music, and FIP in France.

With Eje Eje, Itamar brews a fresh blend of psychedelic rock and funk, incorporating a wide range of influences, from Levantine dabke, Persian bandari music played at weddings and other celebrations, the traditional “Khaliji” music heard across the Gulf, and Turkish traditional folk music, to the more international renown sounds of Afrobeat, Saharan blues, indie rock, electronica, and Jamaican roots & dub.

Eje Eje’s special blend of musical perspectives reflects Itamar’s interest in humankind’s subjective perception of reality, informed by national and global cultural movements and traditions, and insistence on collectively creating and sharing stories, at times to explain the unexplainable.

Each of the tracks on ‘Five Seasons’ reflects the spirit of the season in which it was written, and the terrain that inspired it, from the arid, mountainous desert to the sleepy streets of Eje Eje’s hometown of Haifa and the busy crowded streets of Jaffa, Tel Aviv, where he currently reside.

Bass and percussion combine into a deadly groove on the lead single ‘Black Sea Majic', laying the groundwork for a mantra-like saz to lead the melody, accompanied by giggling synths, mimicking the sound of the woodwind Armenian duduk, building into a continuous trace, the beginning half forgotten and the end lost. Hearing it back, Itamar imagines a bustling market in a small town by the shores of the Black Sea.

Recorded in spring, ‘Saved from the Jazz’ provided the first taste of this new project, appearing on Batov Records’ first full compilation of ‘Middle Eastern Grooves’.   A beautiful collage of guitar grooves over a deadly drum rhythm. This continues on ‘That Rainy Dawnì, a winter piece that slowly evolves, featuring an electro baglama over an Egyptian baladi rhythm.

‘Five Seasons’ invites the listener on an incredible journey, across the year, from the desert to the crowded streets of Jaffa, via an incredible soundtrack drawing on a plethora of relatable sounds traded and heard across the region, both traditional and modern.

Itamar noted the difference between the symmetrical Western concept of four seasons, celebrated by Vivaldi, versus the five seasons of the Chinese calendar, winter, spring, summer, end of summer, and fall. The end of summer is a short season, characterized by the elemental earth, the time of year when fruit fall and rot beneath the trees.

Secret Night Gang | "Belongs on a Place Called Earth"

British street soul, Jazz, and P-Funk masters, Secret Night Gang release their highly anticipated second studio album 'Belongs on a Place Called Earth' alongside focus track 'When Will The Sun Rise Again' today via Brownswood Recordings. 

A sonic evolution from their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album; 'Belongs To A Place Called Earth' continues to breathe new life into the classic British street Soul sound.  Featuring previously released singles, including upbeat summer jam 'Out Of My Head' and funk laden 'Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings'; alongside new track 'When Will The Sun Rise Again'; the album showcases Kemani Anderson's soulful vocals and composer Callum Connell's tightly arranged orchestrations, across the ten tracks with lyrics discussing the importance of kindness in the uncertainty of our existence.

"Whilst we’re on planet earth, it is important to be thoughtful and to be kind to one another, and to not take the days we have with each other for granted - because they could be halted at any moment."says Kemani.

This powerful and positive message is one that is carried throughout the album which was inspired by the duo's lives and the relatable, hard-hitting realities of life in 2023. By thinking of short phrases, talking to loved ones, and asking themselves questions about the world, Anderson and Connell found ways to process the rollercoaster of emotions they felt - jotting down their thoughts in the form of poetry, journalism, and note-taking. "Each name, in a way wrote itself" says Kemani - and the album, whilst addressing pressing themes such as equality, love, and heartbreak, is also a sonic beacon of light that spreads a powerful and uplifting message.

Led by Manchester natives and childhood friends, singer/song-writer Kemani Anderson and multi-instrumentalist Callum Connell, Secret Night Gang spread their uplifting sound through, dynamic melodies, striking brass accents and jazz inflected soul prowess. Handpicked by legendary broadcaster, DJ, producer and label head, Gilles Peterson from Manchester's vibrant live music scene, the band have been championed by a wide range of tastemakers from Deb Grant (Jazz FM) to Craig Charles, The Guardian, Clash, Crack, Wonderland Magazine and The Vinyl Factory.

Having sold out shows at renowned venues such as the Jazz Café London as well as appearing at festivals like North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreaux Jazz, Primavera Sound, Mostly Jazz Funk and We Out Here festival, they’ve built a reputation as a must-see live act alongside a collection of today's leading Jazz musicians.

The new jazz scene has officially hit its golden era filtering its way back into the mainstream with an abundance of talent and forward thinking musicians. Secret Night Gang are spearheading UK Jazz on a global scale alongside acts like the Ezra Collective.

New Music: Anthony David – Heaven: The Best Of Anthony David // Jalen Ngonda – Come Around and Love Me

Anthony David – Heaven: The Best Of Anthony David

For the first time in 10 years Atlanta vocalists Anthony David and Algebra Blessett come together for an emotionally charged performance of the 1988 BeBe and CeCe Winans #1 Gospel and R&B hit “Heaven”, and their acoustic version of the song – which has received praise from BeBe Winans himself – has now become a Billboard Top 20 Gospel hit, with airplay on more than 100 Gospel and Adult R&B radio stations.

The song opens this first ever collection of many of Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Anthony’s finest songs, which also includes “4Evermore”, a Top 20 Billboard R&B hit with Algebra from 2011, and his very first Billboard R&B hit, “Words”, on which he is joined by India Arie.  Following the success of that single he received warm acclaim from Michelle Obama and President Obama, who both said he was one of their favorite artists.

Anthony and Algebra have such a unique vocal chemistry together and it is very evident on “Need You Now”, their achingly soulful rendition of the Grammy Award-winning Lady Antebellum song, a huge hit in the US and around the world in 2010 and the #1 best-selling country song of all time in the US.

Other guest vocal performances come from Millie Jackson’s daughter Keisha on the beautiful “Lady”, Gramps Morgan of Morgan Heritage and Demetria McKinney on the irresistible reggae tune “Givin’ It Up” and Dutch singer/actress/TV and radio presenter Giovanca on “The Further We Go”.     Anthony’s remake of Tears For Fears’ “Rule The World” is a unique family collaboration, on which he is joined by his cousin, Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, and another UK song he has always loved is the Level 42 classic “Something About You”.

Jalen Ngonda – Come Around and Love Me 

Artists like Jalen Ngonda come around once in a lifetime, so it is our privilege and distinct pleasure to announce the release of his debut album Come Around and Love Me.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Jalen perform live knows that he is one of the most captivating performers on today’s soul scene. His voice, equal parts raw feeling and elegance, exudes confidence and charm – disarming packed rooms of rowdy concert goers, leaving them silent as they hold fast to every syllable sung.

Now it’s your turn to come around and love one of the finest soul albums of the decade.

Plans for the album were struck just months before the COVID 19 pandemic shut the world down. Notwithstanding, Jalen eventually made it to Hive Mind Studios in Brooklyn, NY where he began writing and recording with the help of producer/arrangers Mike Buckley and Vincent Chiarito (both members of Charles Bradley’s Extraordinaires) and a crack team of a-list musicians from the Daptone family. The team skillfully blends heavy arrangements and introspective lyrics with motown sophistication, leaving the listener in a blissful wash of wonderment.

Jalen has been writing songs since he was 14, and his compositions are also very much of these times. He explains, “I love music from the 20th century— I listen to it all the time, but Iʼm in this world and the 21st century. …to a stranger, Iʼd describe my music as modern soul and R&B, while trying to fit in the Beach Boys and the Beatles somewhere in between.” Come Around and Love Me reveals how he creates a classic approach that is rooted in the sounds of revered pioneers, without falling into imitation – leaving no doubt that Jalen will continue to shine within the superlative, timeless musical tradition that is Daptoneʼs hallmark.

~ First Experience Records

Chuck Copenace | "Creator”

During one of his first experiences in a ceremonial sweat-lodge in 2014, Indigenous jazz trumpeter Chuck Copenace heard a simple Ojibway melody that got stuck in his head. He did some research and learned of its original creator, Neil Hall from Sagkeeng, and received encouragement from an elder to use it in his current single “Creator” – available now – from his forthcoming album Oshki Manitou (Jayward Artist Group/The Orchard.)

Originally called “The Creator Helper Song,” it’s a piece of music meant to heal and encourage letting go. “I really loved how simple the melody is, but how it flows. All that you need is right there – it’s just one melody with one drum,” Copenace muses in a video about the making of the song.

“And it’s a structure that’s… finished,” he continues. “With Western music, there’s all these layers – well, it needs drums and it needs bass – but these songs don’t need anything else and they have a purpose, to help people and to heal people.”

It was a transformative experience for Copenace, both musically and personally. “Whatever happened in the lodge – the focus, darkness, pain, the heat – I was able to start singing that ceremonial music on my own,” he says. “From then on, all my compositions seemed to come from those melodies and that place."

Oshki Manitou, out September 22, is a decidedly personal musical expression for the 45-year-old former social worker, a way to share his story of recovery and his spiritual awakening. On it, he fuses contemporary interpretations of sweat-lodge melodies with jazz and elements of dance, and electronica.

“When I met Chuck three years ago at the Indspire Awards, I knew immediately that I had just met a very special person and an extremely talented musician,” says Keely Kemp, Founder of CultureCap, Copenace’s management. “I wanted to help bring his gifts to the world and I’m thrilled that today we are releasing the first single from his upcoming album Oshki Manitou.”

“We are honoured to have Chuck Copenace as a Jayward distributed artist for his debut full-length release as a solo artist,” says Jayward’s Jill Snell. “Chuck's story is compelling and the innovative merging of his jazz trumpet background with ceremonial Ojibway melodies creates pretty stunning music! We are excited to see Chuck's song ‘Creator’ coming to music platforms on June 23rd, on the heels of Indigenous People's Day in Canada.”

Music has been a healing force in Copenace’s life, starting with when he picked up a trumpet in Grade 7. Since 2015, he’s been leading his own band, performing around the world, and collaborated with Tom Wilson and iskwē.

“I’m committed to sharing my story to help heal and offer support to people, and I want to introduce young people to jazz, but I also want to bring Indigenous musicians together. And I think my music can be a platform to further that mission.”

Chuck performed at the Winnipeg Jazz Festival on June 21 to a rousing congratulations from the crowd. Upcoming shows include: July 1 - Canada Day at Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, MB and August 11 - 13 - Live From The Rock Folk Festival, Red Rock, ON. For future dates, please watch www.chuckcopenace.com

Christine Jenson | "Day Moon"

We’ve witnessed and heard testimonies from countless musicians who were forced to struggle—financially and artistically—through the lockdowns of the pandemic. For some who have survived, there’s been the silver lining of a shift in perspective. Many artists dug deep in isolation and discovered the solution to long-elusive mysteries. Some let go of the tried-and-true and instead explored new means of expression.

While we’re hopefully emerging from the final Covid surge, it’s a welcome that an artist like Christine Jensen is opening ears to the magic of reflection on her long, turbulent days and months locked down.

The exceptional alto and soprano saxophonist from Canada releases the compelling Day Moon with her impressive quartet on Justin Time Records. The music is at turns, melancholic and ebullient, sober and playful. It’s a date where she creates an improvisational community of close friends in quartet and duo settings. “I got hit hard by the pandemic because I felt alone and was not doing what I’m supposed to do,” Jensen says. “So, I focused on my saxophones, teaching myself to present my sound, my solo voice. It’s almost like becoming the vocalist.”

At home leading her own renowned jazz orchestra, Jensen was forced to pull back by necessity into a more intimate space. “I had to shed the extra instrumentation that was always in my head,” she says. “So, I started to once a week play music with my longtime piano friend Steve Amirault. We worked together—he collaborated with me and pushed the boundaries. It created a stable place for me.”

Jensen invited her regular rhythm team of bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Jim Doxas to mask workshop in small spaces to bring new colors into the ebb and flow of her compositions. The quartet members became, as she writes in her liner notes “my refuge and sanctuary.” She continues, “I feel like we met on thin ice through two cycles of seasons, meeting, greeting, and expanding on this repertoire, so that we could find a place that allowed us to trust and support each other at the highest level—not just in the music, but also in friendship, empathy and love, all words that the lockdown was attempting to repress.”

The album opens with the title tune that was written pre-pandemic for her chordless collective CODE Quartet that included trumpeter Lex French. The ‘60s Ornette Coleman-inspired band issued its Genealogy album for Justin Time in 2021. “It started out as a demo that ended up being the recording,” Jensen says. “At that point, the tune was just starting to jell, but I never glued to it. So, I thought let’s explore it wider harmonically with the piano instead of trumpet. The changes led to a surprising end.”

It’s the perfect lead tune inspired by a vision Jensen experienced. She was on her street in the middle of the day and saw a perfect moon in front of her with the sun glowing behind. “It was so strange,” she says. “It’s how the pandemic felt—living in another world. Other worldly and so sci-fi. It makes for a perfect prelude to the rest of the album where the world is shifting.”

The four-song suite Quiescence was written for a commission from New York’s Jazz Coalition that had raised funds for composers. Jensen sketched compositions including the Brazilian clave-feel “Tolos d’Abril,” her April Fool’s birthday song. “I wrote it because I was alone and I didn’t want to be in the Montreal snow and would just love to be anywhere from here,” Jensen says. “So, I thought of any opposite place, like a beach in Brazil.”

Highlights of the album feature the duo spots with Amirault, including the short-and-sweet torrent of the playful “Balcony Rules” based on “What Is This Thing Called Love?” and the gem of the album, the gorgeous rendering of Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Here’s That Rainy Day.”

“That’s one of my favorite cuts,” Jensen says. “Steve and I hit on the emotion in ballad playing that’s not often captured in this day and age. We just looked at each other, slowed the tune down and played our feelings. I take the melody line and Steve is focused on time. It’s a deep conversation and an elaboration of who we are as musicians. We stole the slowness of this tune from the style of Shirley Horn and her delivery of a ballad."

Finally, Jensen is happy to play some gigs to support Day Moon. In the future she continues to be on the tenure track at Eastman School of Music and has more music ready to go, including another CODE Quartet album, more recording and performing with her sister Ingrid Jensen and a big band recording to be released by the end of 2023. “It’s all in motion,” she says. “And who knows, maybe even an album of duos in the setting I discovered on Day Moon.”

Brandon Sanders | "Compton's Finest"

The only thing drummer Brandon Sanders has to prove on Compton’s Finest, set for an August 25 release on Savant Records, is his musicality. Making his recording debut at the age of 52, Sanders is past the youthful need for flashy pomp and circumstance. He instead focuses on serving the material—and supporting an ace roster of bandmates that includes vibraphonist Warren Wolf, tenor saxophonist Chris Lewis, pianist Keith Brown, and bassist Eric Wheeler—with taste and maturity.

Though he’s only now recording his first album, Sanders has been playing drums for the better part of three decades. Thus this “arrival” finds him already brimming with both competence and confidence. His subtle but unmistakable touch on the kit is the result of, in Sanders’s own words, years of “practicing, practicing, trying to develop my craft.”

Based in New York (where he works as a social worker as well as a musician), Sanders grew up in Compton, California—the famously troubled Los Angeles suburb. The title of the album (and its eponymous second track) are in the spirit of celebrating rather than denigrating the drummer’s hometown.

“I wanted to show that there is a positivity in Compton,” Sanders says, “that people have come out of there and done positive things.”

He couldn’t have provided a better example than Compton’s Finest. Between the lively, genial readings of the standards “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise” and “Monk’s Dream,” the melodic soul of Sanders’s two originals “Compton’s Finest” and “SJB,” or the masterful vocals from special guest Jazzmeia Horn on Stevie Wonder’s “I Can’t Help It” and Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood,” Sanders’s maiden voyage on record is a serious accomplishment.

Part of that accomplishment, of course, is his selection of an ideal supporting cast. Wolf has been a friend of Sanders’s going back to their days together at Berklee College of Music; Horn is another friend of years’ standing; and Lewis, Brown, and Wheeler are three of the most exciting and in-demand talents in New York, for reasons that are clear when you hear them on the album. Not to be left out is Willie Jones III, Sanders’s fellow drummer and Angeleno, who served as producer.

“I am proud to work with Brandon,” Jones says. “He has instincts like a DJ and understands the pace of the recording must function like a live performance. As a musician and a bandleader, Brandon is intuitive and knows how to support the band.” As Compton’s Finest shows, he knows a lot more than that.

Brandon Sanders had the stars aligned for a life in jazz. Born February 20, 1971, in Kansas City, Kansas to a violinist mother and a trombonist father, he moved to Los Angeles as a toddler but came back every summer to visit his grandmother, who operated a renowned jazz club in Kansas City. By his teen years he was obsessed with the music.

However, it wasn’t initially his life’s plan. Sanders earned degrees in communication and social work from the University of Kansas (where he was also a walk-on practice player for the basketball team) and laid the groundwork for a long and successful career as a social worker. It wasn’t until he was 25 that he began learning to play the drums. Yet he threw himself into it, to the point that he went back to school at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music.

Moving to New York in 2004, Sanders soon found himself a regular participant in the city’s busy jazz scene, creating a formidable reputation while working with the likes of Joe Lovano, Jeremy Pelt, and Esperanza Spalding. It was his old friend Warren Wolf who urged Sanders to record an album, encouragement that has now at last borne fruit as Compton’s Finest.

“As a kid I was introduced to everyone from James Brown, John Coltrane, and Sarah Vaughan to Stevie Wonder and Duke Ellington,” says Sanders. “These artists were constantly played on my mother and father’s turntable. My new album is a reflection of all the joys I experienced growing up listening to that music.”

New Music Releases From: Matt Wilde, Damon Locks & Rob Mazurek, Budos Band, High Pulp

Matt Wilde - Hello World

A record with all the personal warmth of the cover image – jazzy keyboards from Matt Wilde, but served up in a lean style that's nice and funky, but in sort of a gentle way! The record reminds us a bit of some of those excellent Japanese records from the start of the century – where a keyboardist might be working a Fender Rhodes over spare beats – although here, the rhythms are live on most numbers, with these cool crackling drums that really sound great! Wilde uses warmer sounds on the keyboard too, which makes for a really nice combination – very different than other funky keyboard records that maybe go for an over the top approach. Titles include "Eclipse", "Fields Of Green", "Savvy", "Trashes", "Who Cares", "Figuring", and "Entitled Smile". ~ Dusty Groove

Damon Locks & Rob Mazurek - New Future City Radio

Damon Locks and Rob Mazurek are no musical strangers to each other – their paths have crossed often on the Chicago and global scenes over many years of creative activity. Yet this project is also the first they've co-led, and it's an incredible document of how much both artists have grown in recent years – especially when they let their talents flow together on a project like this! At some level, the core of the work is the voice that both artists have discovered – Locks, his own more focused message and ability to find other voices to sample in with his own – Mazurek, a way of using his own voice more directly, in addition to his well-known work on trumpets and electronics. Both Rob and Damon are in the forefront here, criss-crossing electric and acoustic elements with voices live and sampled – mixed with guest voices from others, in a swirlingly creative project that not only lives up to the current legacy of International Anthem and the Chicago scene, but also advances it a few notches too. Titles include "Breeze Of Time", "New Future", "Yes", "The Sun Returns", "Future City", "Las Ninas Estan Escuchando", "Support The Youth", "10 Mins Past The Hour", and "Polaris Radio". ~ Dusty Groove

Budos Band - Frontier's Edge

That's a real Roger Dean-styled image on the cover, which maybe heralds the sound that's going on here for the Budos Band – an approach that's even heavier than before, with maybe stronger guitar and bass at times – yet a vibe that still bristles with the group's great use of percussion and horns! There's maybe a new sort of majesty going on here – as if someone whispered to the band that they could be at the top of the deep funk spectrum if they stepped on the gas a bit more – which they definitely do on this super-sharp set, delivering a half-dozen tunes that are completely smoking throughout! Titles include "Devil Doesn't Dance", "Kritn", "Crescent Blue", "Passage To Ashinol", "Curled Steel", and "Frontier's Edge". ~ Dusty Groove

High Pulp - Days In The Desert

High Pulp have some pretty heavy jazz guests this time around – a killer lineup that includes work from Jeff Parker, Kurt Rosenwinkel, James Brandon Lewis, and Brandee Younger – all musicians who definitely deepen the sound, while still letting the core combo bristle with all the funky edges of their previous work! The jazz soloists are working in a territory that's not strictly jazz – more the post-styles of labels like Brownswood or International Anthem – but also given a different sort of spin in the manner we've come to expect from High Pulp. Titles include "Dirtmouth", "Never In My Short Sweet Life", "Robert Pollard", "Solanin", "Unified Dakotas", "Fatigue", and "Bad Infinity". ~ Dusty Groove

Seminal avant-Reggae Band Creation Rebel releasing 1st new studio album in 40 years

Hostile Environment is the first album in over forty years from the legendary Creation Rebel, who were the original On-U Sound house band and responsible for classics such as Dub from Creation and Starship Africa. The trio of Crucial Tony, Eskimo Fox and Magoo are back with producer Adrian Sherwood to create a modern spin on their heavyweight dubwise rhythms. Listen to "Swiftly (The Right One)."

It is the seventh album credited to the group, who originally coalesced as a live backing group for the late, great Prince Far I, in the process sharing stages with the likes of The Clash, The Slits and Don Cherry. Vocals from their former band leader, preserved on archive tapes, feature on the new record, as well as guest contributions from the likes of Cyrus Richards (musical director for Horace Andy and the Dub Asante Band), Italian synth maestro Gaudi, and fast chat king Daddy Freddy. The album title refers to former British Prime Minister Theresa May’s controversial policy towards asylum seekers, and the recent Windrush scandal, all too relevant to a group of musicians of Jamaican origin who have spent their whole lives operating in the darkening shadow of a former colonial power with a staggeringly short memory for historic wrongs. 

The sound of the album is surprisingly diverse, ranging from the low-slung funk of opening track “Swiftly (The Right One)” which would slot easily in a DJ set alongside the likes of Nightmares On Wax or early releases on the Mo’Wax label, through to the Augustus Pablo-esque “Stonebridge Warrior” (previewed on the most recent volume of the long-running Pay It All Back series of compilations); spaced out, psychedelic dub on tracks such as “That’s More Like It” and “Off The Spectrum”, and even an inspirational, soulful and warm R&B earworm with “Whatever It Takes”. A clue to this eclectic approach comes in the form of penultimate track “The People’s Sound”, which pays tribute to West London sound system operator Daddy Vego. All of these tracks could fit into the kind of blues parties and shubeen dances the band members grew up on, and whose influence forms an intrinsic part of their musical DNA.

Producer Adrian Sherwood is on a hot streak currently, having masterminded late career renaissance records from the likes of Lee “Scratch” Perry and Horace Andy. On Hostile Environment he repeats the trick, teaming up with these incredible players and longtime friends to craft a worthy showcase for their collective talents.

RYAN KEBERLE’S COLLECTIV DO BRASIL Releases Second Album, CONSIDERANDO

What started as Ryan Keberle’s torrid love affair with Brazilian music has blossomed into something far deeper and more enduring. Considerando, the trombonist’s second album with the São Paulo-based Collectiv do Brasil, confirms that this is a singular relationship built to last. Slated for release on July 14, 2023, it’s a deep dive into the songbook of Edu Lobo, the beloved and pervasively influential Brazilian composer, guitarist and vocalist who bridges the bossa nova era with the 1970s flowering of MPB (música popular brasileira).

“I love that early and mid-70s period when there was this explosion of the most creative songwriting. So many of the Brazilian songwriters were able to do their thing, and Edu was at the center of it,” says the New York-based Keberle. “Edu was there in the beginning in the ’60s with the Quarteto Novo, the first time artists combined, jazz, Brazilian folk and pop, and just blew open the world for Brazilian composers.”

Considerando (Considering) follows in the footsteps of Collectiv do Brasil’s acclaimed 2022 debut release Sonhos da Esquina (Esquina Dreams), a ravishing celebration of Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta and the landmark Minas Gerais-centered Clube da Esquina collective. The project features the original members, drummer Paulinho Vicente and pianist Felipe Silveira (who also contributes three arrangements), with bass player Felipe Brisola taking over for original bassist Thiago Alves, who had enrolled in a prestigious Swiss jazz program.

“This trio had been performing together their entire adult lives, playing three or four nights a week for more than a decade creating this shared language that we just don’t the opportunity to do here,” Keberle says. “Thiago was in Europe when we toured and recorded this new material and they’d replaced with him with Felipe. Of course, I trust them completely.”

The trust and commitment to creating an improvisation-laced musical world around Lobo’s ingenious compositions is evident throughout the album’s 10 tracks, which include original arrangements of seven Lobo songs. Drawing heavily from his classic 1971 album Sergio Mendes Presents Lobo, the album opens with the crackling “Zanzibar,” an arrangement that exemplifies the Brazilian jazz conversation at the heart of the Collectiv do Brasil collaboration. 

Lobo, who will turn 80 on August 29th, had a chance to preview the recording. “I can only say I loved the result,” he enthuses. “I’m impressed by Ryan’s ability to absorb our Brazilian accent in his solos and improvisations, and by the talent of the trio accompanying him with such precision and musicality.”

On the title track, a sensuous Lobo ballad, the quartet delivers a simple statement sans improvisation with Keberle caressing the melody with all the late-night rue of Frank Sinatra. He embraces another gorgeous Lobo ballad, “Toada”, (written with the late Minas composer Cacaso) with a tone so lithe and burnished it might surprise even close listeners to his previous recordings. Silveira’s elegant arrangement of one of Lobo’s best known tunes, “Pra Dizer Adeus,”­– introduced in 1966 by Elis Regina and recorded memorably in 1979 by Sarah Vaughan as “To Say Goodbye”– offers another opportunity for Keberle to lean into his seamless legato phrasing.

“It’s not something I’ve gotten to realize in other settings,” says Keberle, a capaciously-inspired composer whose discography encompasses a dozen albums exploring chamber jazz, post-bop, big band and various Latin jazz amalgams in an array of unusual instrumental combos. 

“I’ve discovered how much I love to play that role of vocalist. I really strive to find ways to ‘sing’ these melodies. It’s good timing because I’m a better musician than I was a decade ago. I’m much better prepared to make this kind of statement now.”

Keberle offers his own distillation of Lobo’s blend of jazz harmonies and Brazilian lyricism with “Edu,” a piece he wrote just before flying south, after months of reorchestrating Lobo’s music and inhabiting his sonic realm. He reimagined “Gallop,” a tune originally released on his 2014 Catharsis album Into the Zone set to a Uruguayan Candimbe groove, with more of a samba beat, while retaining the sing-song contours that seem to call out for a lyric.

Paulinho Vicente contributed “Be,” a patient, melancholic ballad that unfurls with a tightly focused narrative. And in a direct response to Sergio Mendes Presents Lobo, which concludes with a folky rendition of “Hey Jude,” Keberle closes out Considerando with an arrangement of Lennon and McCartney’s “Blackbird” centering on a Silveira solo that’s a model of melodic concision.

As a love letter to Edu Lobo, Considerando shines a welcome spotlight on a Brazilian master who should be better known in North America. As the latest dispatch in an ongoing correspondence, it’s a harbinger of more beauty to come, tracking the process of discovery that draws Keberle in ever deeper. In the Collectiv do Brasil, Keberle has found the ideal companions for this ongoing adventure.

Claudia Villela | "Cartas ao Vento"

Vocalist-pianist-composer Claudia Villela basks in the warmth of her hometown of Rio de Janeiro with Cartas ao Vento, set for a September 8 release on her own Taina Music label. When visiting her family last year, the San Francisco Bay Area artist rounded up some of her collaborators from her youth (drummer Marcelo Costa, bassist Jorge Helder, arranger Mario Adnet) and some of Brazil’s greatest players (guitarists Toninho Horta and Romero Lubambo, multi-reedists Edu Neves and Zé Nogueira, accordionist Vitor Gonçalves) to craft the first album Villela has made on Brazilian soil.

The result is a beautiful, highly disciplined collection of Villela’s originals, with a focus not on individuals’ improvisations but on the leader’s songcraft. “This is not a jazz album,” Villela stresses. “I wanted everything to be part of the song, to get away from the solo as a virtuoso statement.”

That said, Cartas ao Vento (Portuguese for “letters to the wind”) puts Villela’s own virtuoso writing abilities on vivid display. It’s in the soaring melody and wordless vocal break on “Meninando,” the seamless exchange between sweeping flow and rhythmic dance on “Chamego,” the stirring drama of “Instrumento,” and the surprising shapeshifts of “Agua Santa”—also a tour-de-force for Villela as a performer, taking extraordinary turns as both pianist and a cappella vocalist.

But Villela is not the only artist to shine on this album. Three of the pieces were written as settings for the words of great South American poets including Ana Cristina Cesar (“Flores do Mais”), Ramon Palomares (“Paramo”), and Mario Quintana (“Instrumento”). There’s also fine work from the instrumentalists, with the rhythm section of Helder and Costa giving exemplary performances throughout the album and guests such as Lubambo, Neves, and accordionist Vitor Gonçalves adding gorgeous color and deep pathos to Villela’s songs. On the writing side, Adnet also makes splendid contributions with charts for violin, reeds, and even (on “Bolero”) for the obscure but lovely opheicleide (played by Everson Moraes). It’s Villela, however, that brings the magic to Cartas ao Vento.

Claudia Villela was born August 27, 1961 in Rio de Janeiro. She grew up surrounded by music in her grandmother’s home, beginning to make music herself when she was only a year old. She started singing in college festivals around Rio at age 15, and before long found work as a studio musician. She also started performing around the city, while developing a book of original songs featuring her lyrics and music. Initially planning to enroll in medical school, Villela decided to combine her two passions and earned a B.A. in music therapy from the Brazilian Conservatory of Music.

Relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-1980s, Villela quickly immersed herself in the region’s thriving jazz scene, gaining valuable experience with the Down Beat-award winning De Anza College Jazz Singers. She studied with NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan and with John Robert Dunlap of the New York Metropolitan Opera before making her recording debut with 1994’s Grammy-nominated Asa Verde.

She has since performed and recorded with such major jazz figures as Michael Brecker, Toots Thielemans, Toninho Horta, and Kenny Werner. She recorded a live performance at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California, for broadcast on NPR; it was released as Live @ Kuumbwa 2004 in 2013. 2019 saw the appearance of her second live album, Encantada Live (compiled from several of Villela’s illuminating concert performances). Her recordings have included 1998’s Supernova, 2001’s Inverse/Universe, and 2004’s Dreamtales (an improvised duo album with Werner). As only her seventh album in a thirty-year career, Cartas ao Vento stands as a rare but exquisite gem.

Villela’s summer/fall performance schedule kicked off with a sold-out show at Kuumbwa Jazz in Santa Cruz Mon 6/26. It also includes Monterey Jazz Festival, Sun 9/24; and SFJAZZ, San Francisco, Thurs-Sun 11/9-12. 

Gregory Hutchinson | "Da Bang"

The acclaimed drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Gregory Hutchinson has unveiled "New Dawn," the third preview from his highly anticipated debut solo album, 'Da Bang,' out September 29th. A captivating collaboration with Swedish and London-based jazz artist Liselotte Östblom, "New Dawn" is infused with infectious rhythms and airy jazz keys, where Östblom's soulful neo-soul vocals interweave seamlessly with Hutchinson's punchy drum production, creating a mesmerizing blend of melody and rhythm. Embodying personal growth and transformation, "New Dawn" encapsulates the exhilaration and determination of embracing a fresh start. “It’s a dawning of dreams / A new regime / The forming of a crown on my head / I’m moving on," as Östblom sings. With playful sensuality and unwavering resolve, the track invites listeners to embark on a journey of new beginnings and exciting horizons.

“New Dawn” follows the previously released offerings “Straight From The Heart" (Feat. Leona Berlin & Karriem Riggins) and “Blow My Mind/Let's Take It Back” (feat. Sy Smith, Javier Starks) from the upcoming album. Recorded by award-winning producer/drummer Karriem Riggins (J Dilla, Common, Robert Glasper), the 15-track collection “Da Bang” sees Hutchinson joined by an all-star lineup of unique collaborators, including such diverse friends and fellow artists as Riggins, Leona Berlin, PJ, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Vernon Reid, Christian Scott, Nicholas Payton, Kameron Corvet, Tim Smith, Sy Smith, Javier Starks, Samora, James Poyser, and more. 

One of the most highly regarded musicians of his generation, Gregory Hutchinson has been hailed for his work performing and recording with countless jazz greats including Betty Carter, Red Rodney, Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, Dianne Reeves, Lou Donaldson, Wynton Marsalis, John Scofield, Diana Krall, and Harry Connick Jr, to name just a few. The Brooklyn, NY-born, Rome, Italy-based artist grew up surrounded by music, from his late mother’s beloved soul and R&B to reggae via his percussionist father and the explosive sounds of classic hip-hop that filled the streets of NYC in the late 1970s and 1980s. 

Now, with 'Da Bang,' Hutchinson has taken those variegated styles and fused them into a one-of-a-kind blast of genre-busting Brooklyn energy, all with a deeply personal lyrical approach hewn from his own diaries and experiences. Though soundly rooted in the jazz tradition, the album sees Hutchinson approaching his strikingly powerful songcraft with the versatility, dynamism, and imagination he has long been known for, coloring original compositions like the fiery statement of purpose, “We Got Drumz (Feat. Javier Starks & Soweto Kinch” and the album-closing “Fly Away (Feat. Nicholas Payton)” with his mastery of timing, natural feel, and staggering innovation.

“Everyone knows me for playing jazz but I grew up around the corner from Biggie,” Hutchinson says. “That's my era. I was thinking, how are we going to bring younger people to jazz music now that they are gravitating away from it. I was going through a divorce, going through different trials in life, and I decided to just do what I love to do. To just speak to the way I want to speak. Making music is, I think, supposed to be kind of like telling your life story. I'm not trying to portray anything that I'm not in the music. I just understand what makes people move and how to do that. It’s like, this is where we are.”