Pianist George Colligan's "King's Dream"

George Colligan expresses the complexities and conflicting emotions of our confusing, sometimes chaotic times with the release of King’s Dream (PJCE Records). Though not quite a sequel, the album builds on many of the themes presented on his previous solo album, 2018’s Nation Divided.

The 11 original compositions on King’s Dream (Colligan’s 36th album as a leader) are not all new: Some of them go as far back as 2008. But like all the best improvised jazz, the tunes become about the moment in which they’re being played—in this case a very fraught moment. “It was and still is such an unusual time,” Colligan says. “Who knows what tomorrow brings? The music is a representation of that uncertainty.”

The variety of moods on the album help underscore that uncertainty. It moves from the wistful, bittersweet “Clearing the Mind” to the glorious funk of “Change”; from the hard-bitten “Blues for Dwayne Burno” to the lyrical balance of hope and trouble in “King’s Dream”; from the plaintive “Wishing for Things to Happen” to the sanguine “Finally a Rainbow.”

The title track of King’s Dream is also its centerpiece. Invoking the famous ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the piece both echoes and questions that optimism, making for a statement both timely and timeless about American life while also serving as a microcosm for the album’s precarious position between glass-half-full and half-empty—with glass-half-full perhaps taking the edge.

“In this challenging era and complex world in which we live, we have to believe that good will and enlightenment will prevail over ignorance and hatred,” Colligan writes in the album’s liner notes. “I don’t know whether music can make a difference, but I dedicate my album to those who believe in, as drummer Al Foster would say, ‘Peace, Love, and Jazz.’”George Colligan

George Colligan was born December 29. 1969 in Summit, New Jersey, but considers his hometown to be Columbia, Maryland, where he grew up since about the age of 3. In the fourth grade he took up trumpet in the elementary school band, then got serious about the instrument in middle school—around the time he discovered jazz from a neighbor who gave him a stack of Clifford Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis records.

Colligan went to Baltimore’s Peabody Institute, earning his degree in classical trumpet. While in Baltimore, though, he started teaching himself to play jazz licks on piano, soon getting gigs on the local scene, and suddenly found himself selling all his trumpets and becoming a professional pianist.

He shuttled back and forth between Baltimore and Washington, DC, mentoring with such musicians as Paul Carr, Gary Thomas, and Reuben Brown for several years before he made the leap to New York City in 1995. These associations meant that he already had some cachet on the New York scene when he arrived, and he was soon working with legendary figures like Eddie Henderson, Gary Bartz, and Lee Konitz, as well as recruiting the revered bassist Dwayne Burno and drummer Ralph Peterson for his own 1996 debut Activism.

His career continued to grow, collaborating fruitfully with other greats of his generation including Ingrid Jensen, Mark Turner, Nicholas Payton, and Kurt Rosenwinkel; working under Jack DeJohnette, Buster Williams, Billy Hart, and Al Foster; and recording dozens of albums under his own name. In 2005, he married fellow pianist Kerry Politzer, and a few years later they moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he began a career as a jazz educator.

That career continued on to a job at Oregon’s Portland State University, where Colligan moved in 2011 and remains today. In addition to his academic work, he has become a mainstay of the Portland jazz scene—as a drummer as well as a pianist. (He’s the drummer on Kerry Politzer’s latest CD, In a Heartbeat, also on PJCE Records.) Indeed, although King’s Dream is a solo album, it is also a collaboration with a longtime Portland colleague, pianist Randy Porter, who recorded, mixed, and mastered the album at his Heavywood Studio.

New Music: Dave Douglas & Elan Mehler / Dinner Party (Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, & Kamasi Washington) / Javier Nero / Greg Foat & Gigi Masin

Dave Douglas & Elan Mehler - If There Are Mountains

A collaboration between trumpeter Dave Douglas and pianist Elan Mehler – but a record that seems to draw equal input from the vocals of Dominique Eade, who's a key force on the session – delivering these darkly poetic lyrics that are matched beautifully by both of the leaders – then taken into a rich tapestry of sonic activity through further work from John Gunther on saxes and bass clarinet, Simon Willson on bass, and Dayeon Seok on drums. The original album was a vinyl-only release on the subscription-only Newvelle label, but this CD issue adds in other tracks not on the vinyl – a set of 13 titles that include "Even A Nameless Stream", "Wolf Orchard", "Here On The Plains", "Barn's Burnt Down", "Life", The Spring Current", "With Your Singing", and "If There Are Mountains". ~ Dusty Groove

Dinner Party (Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, & Kamasi Washington) - Enigmatic Society

Maybe the best work so far from this really wonderful group – a magnificent match of the keyboards of Robert Glasper, the saxophones of Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington, and the superb production talents of 9th Wonder – all working together in a stunning blend of jazz, soul, funk, and hip hop! The tunes have a sharpness and focus that's even more powerful than previous work by the lineup – like they've really found that special space where the all-stars can come together in a united voice that really soars – working with key contributions from Phoelix on vocals, alongside Arin Ray and Ant Clemons. Titles include "Insane", "Watts Renaissance", "For Granted", "Secure", "Can't Go", "The Lower East Side", "Love Love", and "Answered Prayer". ~, Dusty Groove

Javier Nero - Kemet: The Black Land

Maybe the strongest statement so far as a leader by Javier Nero – a larger group recording that really bristles with energy – full of all sorts of fantastic twists and turns amidst a set of original compositions by Nero, all every bit as soulful as you might guess from the album's title! Nero blow trombone, but he's an equally strong leader – and the group features some key guest work from Sean Jones on trumpet and Warren Wolf on vibes – the latter of whom gets two especially nice solos on the set! Titles include "Reflections On The Dark Tranquil Water", "Discord", "One Day", "Kemet The Black Land", "Time", "Nostalgic Haiku", and "Just Let Go".  ~ Dusty Groove

Greg Foat & Gigi Masin - Dolphin

The keyboards of Greg Foat have a really great setting here in a collaboration with Gigi Masin – served up in a style that's maybe more laidback and spacious than before, yet in a way that makes us fall in love with Greg's electric piano lines all over again! Masin's got roots in more ambient sounds, but the record definitely has a jazz approach at the core – plenty of the increasingly sensitive styles that Foat has developed as the years moved on – shifting from an initial role as a guy who could handle vintage keys, to a point where he's really emerged as a more fully-fledged jazz player overall! The blend of keyboards and a larger sonic palette still has plenty of live instrumentation in the mix – different than a project of this sort by an artist like Bugge Wesseltoft – and titles include "London Nights", "Viento Calido", "Your Move", "Sabena", "Leo Theo", "Love Theme", and "Dolphin". ~ Dusty Groove

WAAN - Lost | A piece of heavy Jazz

WAAN represents the musical marriage of seasoned saxophonist Bart Wirtz and keyboard wiz Emiel van Rijthoven. As a pair of self-confessed tech nerds hailing from The Netherlands, their bromance was a slow burning one, but nevertheless their eventual collaboration fulfilled a dream that they’d both held close since first working together back in 2010. 

Lost, the third and final single to be taken from the duo’s debut album Echo Echo, is a fitting description of how they felt when writing it! Emiel in particular was struggling with a myriad of issues at the time - from their identity and how they worked as a live band to personal relationships and technical studio problems. All of these factors influenced the sound of this piece, with its low slung groove, mournful bass and piano parts which were played with mostly black keys, giving it an intense classical sound that forms the basis of the bridge. The pair worked for a long time on this track and it had many incarnations, but it was only when Bart added the harmonizer (a saxophone that you can create your own chords with) that the vision for the track became clear. Bart and Emiel found their way out of the darkness and Lost became one of the most positive songs on the album with its uplifting sax parts and frenetic and joyous drums. An important document of how a partnership can see you through even the most disorientating of times. 

With influences as disparate as Floating Points, BadBadNotGood and Eddie Harris, Echo Echo is far more complex than just being a dance music influenced jazz record. Co-producer Oscar de Jong, of Kraak & Smaak fame, encouraged the pair to play freely as part of a jazz group and then add the electronic elements. As a result the album owes as much to Duke Ellington and Lalo Schiffrin as it does NERD and The Eurythmics!

Following up on their acclaimed debut EP ‘Yagana’ in 2022, 5-piece band Pigeon return with a brand new offering: ‘Backslider’

Following up on their acclaimed debut EP ‘Yagana’ in 2022, 5-piece band Pigeon return with a brand new offering: ‘Backslider’.

Dressed as if they would be equally comfortable starring in a modern spaghetti western as they are cutting slick silhouettes on a festival stage - are Guinean singer Falle Nioke, Graham Godfrey on drums, Steve Pringle on keys, Tom Dream on guitar and Josh Ludlow on bass.

As Pigeon develop and hone their sound further, Afro-disco remains at the core while jazz and no-wave make way for new elements of electro, rock and synth pop. The introduction of sequencers and drum machines sprinkles a little more structure into the mix, however the recording process still very much embodies the DIY spirit of band members that enjoy jamming together.

With the Yagana EP gaining extensive support from radio, DJs and fans, each member has found themselves heavily in demand on top of their own individual pursuits – Falle Nioke is releasing his solo work as well as other projects, while Steve Pringle and Graham Godfrey play in various bands (Michael Kiwanuka and SAULT to name a few). Adding to the creative melting pot, Tom Dream pursues filmmaking and bespoke music composition via his own studio, and Josh Ludlow runs his own record label M.A.D. Records.

Amongst all this, they still manage to find time to come together for a UK tour in summer 2023, including Glastonbury Festival, Latitude Festival and The Great Escape.

On title track 'Backslider', a laid-back, 80s funk-rock bassline is backed by a deliberate, plodding drum kit. Kicking off with congas and synth stabs which appear optimistic at first, frontman Falle Nioke proceeds to sing in English and French - calling someone a  'backslider', for their dishonesty and bad behaviour. His cool air of contempt is mirrored by an epic guitar solo drenched in distortion pedal.

Jazz Supergroup PILC MOUTIN HOENIG Release 'YOU Are the Song' Album

No rehearsal. No overdubs. Not even a plan.

None of that is all that unusual for seasoned jazz players. But when the acclaimed trio of Jean-Michel Pilc, François Moutin and Ari Hoenig reunited for the first time in 12 years, there was no question that the magic they distilled all those years ago was just waiting to be plucked from the air the moment they reconvened.

The result, YOU Are the Song, is their first album in 12 years. It’s out May 12 on Justin Time Records. “Instead of talking about music, we let music talk through us,” says Pilc. “Rather than playing music, we let music play us. In lieu of playing a song, we become the song and invite all of YOU to do so.”

Even though Pilc and Moutin knew each other in France in the ‘80s when they attended university together, they strengthened their musical relationship in 1995 when they both moved to New York where they linked up with Hoenig. Their debut in 2000 was followed by three more records before they went their separate ways in 2011.

Jazz Times once wrote: “This remarkably intuitive trio has the ability to collectively bend the harmonic and rhythmic content of familiar jazz standards like taffy…...it’s like watching the Flying Karamazov Brothers tossing bowling pins back and forth from across the stage.”

Reuniting at the behest of Justin Time Records, it was like no time had passed at all. "What we do is pure improvisation,” says Pilc. “There is no resistance in the music when the three of us are together.” They assembled in a Brooklyn studio in June 2022 and played for three hours, gathering enough material for several albums. YOU Are the Song is the first.

The result includes spontaneous compositions as well as reharmonized takes on standards such as John Coltrane’s “Impressions” and Thelonious Monk’s “Straight No Chaser” — even the theme from the 1951 Disney version of Alice in Wonderland. It’s not free jazz as some listeners might assume from the trio’s three-decade career. It has an emotive heart, with all three musicians serving as leaders. It follows melodic forms, fuels with a unique rhythmic vitality, powers into playground antics and ventures into uncharted sonic territory.

“We’re in a state of concentration,” says Moutin. “We don’t want a rational mindset to get in the way. We are constantly on that crest between control and letting go. It’s a mystery, but we like to not solve the mystery. It’s more important to carry the emotion.”

Axon Radio pays homage to the rich jazz history of their hometown

While the video for contemporary jazz group Axon Radio’s new single looks like a modern love letter to their hometown, Indianapolis, the roots of “Naptown Hustle” run nearly one hundred years deep. The duo that makes up Axon Radio, drummer Travis Brant and bassist Cory Carleton, set out to honor Indianapolis’s jazz history by affectionately crafting an instrumental tribute. Building upon the foundation of a taut rhythmic groove, melodies came from the single’s co-writer and producer Darren Rahn, a multi-time Grammy nominee who has architected 27 Billboard No. 1 singles. Electing to go with electric jazz guitar as lead instrumental voice, two-time Grammy winner Paul Brown, a producer of more than sixty number one singles, plies his bluesy, cool jazz touch to the track. Axon Radio’s third single was released this week on the Def Left Ear imprint and became one of the most added singles on the Mediabase chart, scoring an instant add to the SiriusXM Watercolor playlist, and debuting on the iTunes top 40 UK jazz singles chart prior to release.

Back in the 1920s, Indianapolis had a vibrant jazz scene, belying the bucolic city’s sleepy reputation for which the media affectionately coined the nickname “Naptown.” Guitar legend Wes Montgomery was born during that era and carried the mantel proudly when he came of age alongside fellow Indianapolis native and trumpet great Freddie Hubbard. 

The “Naptown Hustle” video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTwEW9HK7Eo) takes viewers on a tour through the streets of Indianapolis, visiting cultural landmarks, hot spots and other historic locales. The mostly black-and-white video has a cosmopolitan look and a neighborhood feel while the track itself has a distinct retro sound.

“When writing 'Naptown Hustle,' we felt the song had a strong seventies vibe. It was written on drums and bass, which is typical of most Axon Radio songs. When producer Darren Rahn heard the track, he expanded on the idea by adding strings and other instrumentation (Rhodes, organ, synths and programming) to the mix. We all wanted a title that represents both our hometown and the seventies vibe so, we added 'Hustle' to the title as a throwback to the seventies dance, The Hustle,” said Brant.

Since Axon Radio’s approach to songwriting is somewhat unique, they often pursue collaborators to illuminate their work. Brant and Carleton reached out to Rahn, being fans of his saxophone playing and songwriting skills. Initially, they weren’t aware that Rahn was also a producer who has a stellar track record.

"We happened to be looking for a new producer so finding out Darren could fill that role made this collaboration a great fit," said Carleton. 

"From the start, we wanted guitar to be the lead instrument. Not only does it fit the song's vibe, but it would also serve to differentiate us in a genre that can be heavy with saxophone artists. When we approached Darren about guitar players, Paul Brown was at the front of my mind. Again, as luck would have it, Rahn and Brown have a long-standing work history. Shortly after, Paul was on board and ‘Naptown Hustle’ was complete," said Brant, who has been playing and writing music with Carleton for thirty years.

Before forming Axon Radio, Brant and Carleton performed as a drum and bass duo for a decade, creating an alchemic sound of jazz, funk, and fusion with live looping and interactive audience experiences. They released an experimental jazz fusion EP in 2020 titled “Shadow Logic,” which highlighted fusion guitarist Oz Noy as soloist. Then the group decided to take a deliberate turn towards making more commercial music, teaming up with contemporary jazz headliners such as nine-time Grammy nominee Gerald Albright and chart-topping saxophonist Michael Lington. 

Carleton said, “Our approach to songwriting is fairly unique as every song is written starting with drums and bass. This often makes for an eclectic mix of time signatures, key changes and rhythms. We’ve enlisted top-tier producers and arrangers to help smooth things out.”

Among those producers and arrangers are Bud Harner (Mindi Abair, David Benoit, Keiko Matsui), keyboardist Matt Rohde (Jane’s Addiction, “The Voice”), and now Rahn (Dave Koz, Najee, Blake Aaron).

Axon Radio’s first single, 2021’s “Prom Drama,” featured Albright along with A-list session players Michael Thompson (guitar) and Luis Conte (percussion). Last year, the group spotlighted Lington on “Forklift Judy.” Both singles were accompanied by imaginative videos that contained hidden messages and QR codes to download free music. The band will neither confirm nor deny that they utilized that tactic in the “Naptown Hustle” video.  

Kendra Erikareturns to her jazz roots with a Sinatra remake produced by Earth, Wind & Fire’s Ralph Johnson and Myron McKinley

It’s been four years since Kendra Erika cast her spell on the dance music world to capture the number one spot on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart with “Self Control.” At her core, the siren’s burning passion is singing jazz and after a prolific three years during which she dropped eleven singles, most of which reached Billboard’s top ten enroute to amassing millions of streams and YouTube views, Erika is following her muse and changing the tempo. Her sultry version of “Witchcraft,” a Grammy nominated Song of the Year and Record of the Year originally released in 1957 as a single by Frank Sinatra.

Having become a fixture in the dance music space, Erika sought a new challenge. Just as she did with her club music releases when she tapped Grammy winner Damon Sharpe (Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull) to produce her, she teamed up with seasoned producers to launch her first foray in jazz. In fact, the idea to record “Witchcraft” came over lunch in Los Angeles with Earth, Wind & Fire’s Ralph Johnson, who along with being an original member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band has collaborated with Drake, Meghan Trainor, Nathan East and Howard Hewett.

“We were talking music direction for our collaboration, and I mentioned Frank Sinatra and that instantly perked Ralph's ears and attention. Sinatra has one hell of a classic style and vibe, and that's what made us sift through the songs he did. When I posed ‘Witchcraft,’ you could feel the agreement in the air amongst us. So, the magic started brewing from there,” said Erika who was exposed to Sinatra’s music at an early age, long before she started singing standards from the Great American songbook in South Florida clubs, bars and lounges as a teenager and in her early twenties.

Johnson brought in Earth, Wind & Fire’s longtime keyboardist and musical director Myron McKinley to coproduce “Witchcraft.” The production duo surrounded Erika’s sultry voice with lush instrumentation, including McKinley’s elegant piano and keyboards, swooning strings and a classy trumpet solo by Anne King.

Just like going home, Erika instantly felt comfortable singing jazz in the company of accomplished pros despite it being a dramatic departure from her dance-pop-EDM music recordings.   

“Before I went into the studio to record with Ralph and Myron, I thought that I would have to do a barrel of takes and change the way I sing and do things. However, it turned out to be such a smooth recording process. I only had to do a few takes of the song all the way through. That signified to me, especially going back to my roots and having spiritual confirmation from Frank (Sinatra), that I have come to that level now in my career where all it takes is for me to be fluid and stay true to myself as an artist in order to flow in an advanced environment,” said Erika, who shot a sensual video to accompany the single release (https://youtu.be/3jJAxpLepOk).

In addition to maintaining a constant presence on the Billboard dance charts, Erika’s singles and videos have filled dance floors, been added into MTV rotation and climbed the charts in the UK. “Witchcraft” will definitely introduce her vocal talents to a new audience.

“And it might just lead to a jazz album,” said Erika with a bewitching smile.

Soul-Jazz saxophonist Merlon Devine teams with Grammy nominated hitmaker Darren Rahn on new album "Shimmer"

After stirring the urban-contemporary jazz scene last fall, saxophonist Merlon Devine is back this summer with the rousing single “Shimmer,” which he wrote with his multiple Grammy nominated producer Darren Rahn (Dave Koz, Najee, Blake Aaron). The newly released single constructed of a glistening melody, an R&B groove, a jazzy soprano sax lead and a mission-driven message from the Devine Music Group has begun collecting playlist adds.

From its celestial opener through to its funky soul-powered conclusion, “Shimmer” is an inspirational soul-jazz instrumental skillfully architected by Rahn, who has crafted twenty-seven number one singles to date. Both Devine and Rahn share the bond of being spiritual, devout men and that inspired and impassioned connection permeates the new recording.    

“‘Shimmer’ is about the positive force that lives in each of us to help others. That force acts like a light shining out of us. That light can bring warmth, direction, hope, calm fears and give peace. Hopefully, this song will encourage those who hear it to do and be something positive in the life of someone else,” said Devine, who issued the new single as the follow up to the single “Stirred,” which dropped last October.  

The harmonies on “Shimmer” lushly drape the glistening track constructed by Rahn, who layered keyboards, synths, synth bass and programming around Devine’s soprano and tenor saxes. Randy Jacobs adds his nimble and nuanced guitar artistry and drummer Tarell Martin sets the tempo.  

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas who grew up in a household filled with gospel music before discovering jazz, Devine now calls the Washington, DC area home. He has worked with Ben Tankard and performed with Kirk Whalum, Paul Jackson Jr., Tom Braxton and Michael Manson. Devine will launch “Shimmer” by playing a pair of shows locally at Blues Alley Jazz on Monday night before heading out on the road for a mixed itinerary of jazz and gospel concert dates booked into October. 

• Aug. 6 - Mt. Zion Assemblies, Fresno, CA
• Aug. 31 - Johnnie Alberta Scholarship, Washington, DC
• Sept. 3 - Full Counsel Metro, N. Little Rock, AR
• Sept. 15 -  New Birth Com. Church, Manassas, VA
• Sept. 16 - Restoration Place, Charlotte, NC
• Sept. 24 - Lighthouse Fam Church, Lafayette, LA
• Sept. 30 - New Covenant WC, Ft. Wayne, IN
• Oct. 1 - New Covenant WC, Ft. Wayne, IN
• Oct. 5-7 - International Gospel Summit,London, EN
• Oct. 11 -  Hamstead Jazz Club, London, EN

Jazz Singer Heather Christine's Captivating 'Walking With You' Takes You On A Nostalgic Journey Of Timeless Romance

An ode to the golden age of crooners, Mississauga-based Jazz musician/vocalist Heather Christine dazzles with her latest uplifting song about the timeless romance of being with your partner on the new original single “Walking With You,” available now.

Inspired by vocal legends like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Judy Garland, “Walking With You” is a wonderous musical number that draws on the careers of giants and was recorded and produced by renowned Canadian Producer and pianist Bill King.

Part of the “Mentor Magic” project funded by the Mississauga Arts Council, “Walking With You” came together during the pandemic as Heather would take walks with her husband, and accomplished musician, Matt Zaddy. “It’s what got me through that rough time,” says Christine. “Just that time out of the house with him was enough to spark my creativity and let me know we would be ok.”

Exquisite melodies and relentless energy elevate “Walking With You” into a swinging spectacle for the senses. The precision of the rhythm section is performed by Mark Kelso on drums and Pat Collins on acoustic bass, allowing the listener to be swept away to a time of dance halls, Broadway songs and big bands. 

Recorded at Inception Sound in Toronto, “Walking With You” was as much of a riveting experience, as it was a growing period for Heather as an artist. “When we were recording together, Bill helped me to create a new ending for the song right on the spot,” says Heather.. Bill works ‘in the moment’ as they say. There were musical developments that happened spontaneously. The whole session was so fast as Mark Kelso and Pat Collins nailed their parts in the first two takes. I left the session floating on a cloud.”

Dynamic rhythms and cozy pianos set the backdrop for Heather Christine’s jaw-dropping vocal performance which acts as a demonstration of her raw musical talent and ability to capture the magic in her lyrics.

“Maybe good news, or some real blues

But what stays true, I’m loving you

Life is wonderful when I’m walking with you”

The music video for "Walking With You" was shot by LA Based Filmmaker Eric Soto, and was funded by the Mississauga Arts Council with their MAC MicroGrant funding. As Heather says, “The music video was a salute to old Hollywood.”

“The video features my former dance partner Rob Halley from Canada's Wonderland, and it also enabled me to brush up on my dance steps and get me dancing again!”

Heather is an award-winning vocalist, composer, entertainer and budding producer from Mississauga. Her dynamic stage presence and soulful voice have led her to stages all over Canada singing live for audiences as large as 25,000. She has performed at numerous festivals gracing stages including Mississauga’s Celebration Square, Toronto’s Mel Lastman Square, London’s Aeolian Hall and more. 

As a recording artist, Heather’s original sound is a fusion of Jazz with elements of R&B and Pop, Heather’s 2019 debut release, Love in Colour garnered international attention and within the first month of its release, Love in Colour rose to #1 on the Spanish Radio show Smooth Jazz Sitges (Radio 99.2FM Barcelona). Featuring her original compositions, songs from Love in Colour received airplay in Canada on Toronto’s JazzFM91, CIUT 89.5FM, Coco Jazz in Montreal and Wave 94.7.

Heather Christine is the proud recipient of the Best New Artist Award presented by Mississauga Music in 2018. She is grateful to share her passion for music and the arts with Matt Zaddy, her husband and their two kitties. Heather is currently writing and recording her second album, Soul Call. She is dedicated to using her gifts to uplift humanity while encouraging women to use their voices.

 

Benjamin Lapidus releases his long-awaited 8th Latin jazz recording and 9th as a bandleader

World-renowned and Grammy™-nominated Cuban tres and guitar virtuoso and music scholar Benjamin Lapidus releases his long-awaited 8th Latin jazz recording and 9th as a bandleader. The unique album features heavyweights from the Latin and jazz worlds such as Mauricio Herrera, Willie Martínez, Jorge Bringas, Manuel Alejandro Carro, Ray “Chino” Díaz, Hector Torres, Jadele McPherson, and Paul Carlon.

“This is perhaps my most personal album because there is no place to hide musically speaking. This is that much more apparent when I’m playing bass, chords, and melodies simultaneously in real time on the Warr guitar or singing original songs of love and loss. These duets with Willie Martínez, Mauricio Herrera, and Ray Díaz allowed me to bring the touchstyle/tapping technique and sound to a wide range of Spanish Caribbean music that has been so important to me since my teenage years.” – Benjamin Lapidus

Latin music’s cutting-edge musician/scholar returns with Blues for Ochún, a grooving and ear-pleasing recording rooted in Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican music traditions as well as jazz. The result is a deep listening experience that offers a truly unique take on Latin jazz featuring touchstyle/tapping guitar, Cuban tres, electric guitar, English, Spanish, and Yoruba vocals, a heavy helping of Afro-Caribbean percussion, and the Hammond organ he explored on his last record, Ochosi Blues. The recording’s focus on the Warr guitar, a touchstyle/tapping instrument created by Mark Warr that allows the player to perform melody, harmony, and bass simultaneously, marks the first time that a Latin jazz album has ever been made featuring this instrument. When asked to label Benjamin Lapidus’ music, critics and fans agree that it is Latin Jazz in the truest sense of the term, as Lapidus continues to explore different ways of mixing Jazz and Spanish-Caribbean music, while making the music accessible, organic, and logical. This is the direct result of Lapidus and the New York musicians involved, who are completely bi-and even tri-cultural, a benefit of being residents of the largest Caribbean city in the United States. Active in the New York Latin scene since 1995, Lapidus has made a name for himself among the elders as the go to player for long-established bands and new live and recording projects such as The Buena Vista Social Club, Jerry and Andy González, Típica 73, Larry Harlow, and many more.

Critics and fans agree that Benjamin Lapidus’ music is unique in its cutting-edge approach without sacrificing accessibility or the traditions of Spanish-Caribbean music. With Blues for Ochún, Lapidus continues his dynamic vision of bringing Spanish-Caribbean music and jazz together as equals while charting new ground and creatively altering the musical conventions of both worlds. He started on this path in his previous five releases of original compositions (1998-2005) as the leader of the world-renowned Latin jazz phenomenon Sonido Isleño, and continued with his pan-Latin jazz interpretation of the Brazilian songbook with Kaori Fujii on Garota de Ipanema for RCA-Victor Japan (2007). In 2008, he released Herencia Judía a critically acclaimed Afro-Latin Jewish recording project. And in 2014, he released the Hammond organ-based Ochosi Blues to wide critical acclaim performing the title track and other originals at Havana’s Jazzplaza Festival in 2019.

For his 9th release Blues for Ochún, Lapidus assembled an A-list of performers and friends with whom he has frequently toured and recorded: Mauricio Herrera (Nicholas Payton, Yerba Buena) Cuban master drummer; Willie Martínez (Johnny Colón) veteran Latin jazz drummer and bandleader; Jadele McPherson Afrocuban ritual music vocalist and scholar; Hector Torres (Sonido Isleño, Chico Álvarez) veteran percussionist and long-time collaborator; Ray “Chino” Díaz Dominican percussionist with Milly y Los Vecinos; Manuel Alejandro Carro Cuban percussionist with David Broza; bassist Jorge Bringas former musical director for Albita, and Paul Carlon (Sonido Isleño) the in-demand NYC-based tenor saxophonist and bandleader. Lapidus joins them on Warr guitar, organ, guitar, Cuban tres, and vocals.

ASH WALKER - AQUAMARINE ft. Amp Fiddler, Lou Rhodes, Joe Armon-Jones + Yazz Ahmed

Four years on from his explorative third full-length ‘Aquamarine,’ Londoner Ash Walker returns with an equally ambitious follow-up, set for release via Night Time Stories on 30th June. Alongside a plethora of award-winning collaborators and combining a dizzying array of sounds, ‘Astronaut’ hears Walker push his astral shower of rhythm and vibes to new heights. If 'Aquamarine’ was the take-off of his audial spaceship, ‘Astronaut’ is the cosmic voyage reaching terminal velocity; a rocket-powered masterclass spanning jazz, blues, soul, funk, and reggae.

‘Astronaut’ opens with ‘Only Love’ and features dreamy vocals from inimitable Mercury-nominee and Lamb member Lou Rhodes. “I’d always been such a fan of her work with Lamb and the West-Country scene growing up ,and I felt so privileged when she said yes,” explains Walker. After recording it in Somerset, the pair agreed it was in need of a choir, and Laville & Sheree Dubois were called up to elevate that Sunday service feeling. ‘Letting Go’ was developed from a sketch at Walker’s home studio, with some of the Ebi Soda crew cooking up some beats  and award-winning producer, engineer and songwriter Andrew Ashong providing the final magic touch. Having been a huge fan of Amp Fiddler and the Detroit scene from his teenage years, Walker was hungry to get him involved in the project.’ "When I first heard the vocals for ‘Afronaut,’ I was lost for words. Not only had he smashed the brief, but he clearly  understood my vision of the entire project," recalls Walker.

Another afternoon with the Ebi Soda gang saw 'Babylonian Triangle Of Captivity' come to light, its name inspired by Franco Rosso and Martin Stellman's 1980 classic film ‘Babylon.' Denitia blew Walker away with her vocal offering on 'Time Gets Wasted,’ and Grammy winner Sly5thAve (Prince, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight) went the extra mile on sax, clarinet, bass clarinet and flute. Next up Ezra Collective and Nubya Garcia band member Joe Armon-Jones and South London music-scene pioneer Oscar Jerome join forces on ‘Automaton,’ and  British-Bahraini horn player Yazz Ahmed lays down some flugelhorn magic on ‘Running Away.' After playing ‘Petrolhead’ live for years, Walker finally summoned a suitable cast to do it justice in the studio, before Ahmed’s muted trumpet breathes some extra life into penultimate groove ‘Detroit Velvet Smooth.” Intended to represent the slow rotation of Jupiter on its axis, label buddy Kennebec provides fitting flourishes to the albums final offering. A beautiful and thought-provoking finale to a cosmic masterpiece, it cements Walker’s place amongst jazz music’s elite. We have lift off.

An avid record collector, Walker has DJed far and wide... from the infamous Royal Mail squat party to the canals of Venice, spinning vinyl in Brixton with The Specials to scattering dub across San Francisco and LA. His own production output is similarly exploratory: his journeys have taken him far and wide, from tunnels under the river Thames to recording local percussionists in the Atlas mountains of Morocco. Inspired by a deep dive of sounds from artists including Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, King Tubby, Bo Diddley, 4Hero, J Dilla, Pete Rock, Curtis Mayfield, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich; his first two albums, ‘Augmented 7th’ (2015) and ‘Echo Chamber’ (2016) gained attention from the likes of BBC 6 Music DJs Gilles Peterson, Don Letts and Gideon Coe. 

New album of tropical grooves 'Sundub Society' by Bahama Soul Club

Bahama Soul Club are a German outfit whose unique blend of soul, jazz, funk, blues, bossanova, afro and Caribbean influences has firmly put them on the map as one of the most exciting contemporary outfits.

Led by Oliver Belz, the band started in 2005 under the name of The Juju Orchestra. The first 45 was double-sider “Kind Of Latin Rhythm” / “Funky Nassau” released in 2006, which became a huge worldwide success, going straight to N.1 on the German club charts and staying there for more than 12 weeks. The album that soon followed, Bossa Nova Is Not A Crime, was released in 2007 with guest vocals from soul-jazz crooner Terry Callier, Carolyn Leonhart, from Steely Dan and the lovely Katia B from Sao Paulo, whose cut became a smash hit in the worldwide club jazz scene and again reached the official media control Jazz Charts #2.

In 2008 for legal reasons the band’s name was changed to Bahama Soul Club and their first album under this name came out as Rhythm Is What Makes Jazz Jazz, following up on the outstanding success of The Juju Orchestra. They definitely hit the mark once again with the incredible appearance of guests like french chanteuse Isabelle Antena from Nouvelle Vague and Mrs. Pat Appleton from DePhazz. 2010 marks the release of the second Bahama Soul Club album, “Bossa Nova Just Smells Funky” with guest singers Xantoné Blacq from Amy Winehouse Band, British shooting star John Turrell, Kojato and again Pat Appleton, just to name a few. It soon became the band’s biggest success with radio features on ALL german public radio stations and countless “CD of the month” / “Album of the year” features worldwide, along with many Chart entries.

2013 saw the band release their third album, The Cuban Tapes, an exotic blend of Cuban rhythms and tropical flavors, executed with the trademark Bahama Soul Club style. This full-length once again featured a host of talented vocal guests such as Danay Suarez, Arema Arega & Telmary Diaz from the contemporary Cuban scene, 3 generations of American soul singers Bessie Smith, Spanky Wilson and Ruthie Foster, and Anna Luca from Club Des Belugas.

3 years later, in 2016, fourth full-length Havana ’58 was released, a musical homage to Cuba’s roaring years before the revolution. As has become customary with BSC releases, this too featured esteemed guests, from vocal quartet Sexto Sentido, to the vivacious Olvido Ruiz, and of course once again lovely Cuban singer-songwriter Arema Arega.

Bohemia After Dawn was released in 2020, with 12 sun-soaked, laid back tracks, recorded from the band’s new home in Algrave, Portugal, where they relocated. This album draws deep inspiration from the multicultural verve of young worldly folk drawn to the Bohemian coasts of the most southwestern part of Europe, where hippie-esque hedonism, infinite musical diversity, and offbeat enchanted lifestyles fuel the scene.

Now 5 albums deep and with fans worldwide clamouring for more, in 2023 the time has come for new music, which Bahama Soul Club promptly delivers in the form of a new single. hinting at the possibility of an album on the way…

 

George Porter Jr., Eddie Roberts, Robert Walter & Nikki Glaspie Produce an All-Star Funk Collaboration ‘Floki Sessions: Boots in Place’

The intrepid Viking Flóki followed the path of a raven to discover Iceland over a thousand years ago and his boldness lives on through the Floki Sessions, a series that hosts musicians at Floki Studios, located in the Fljót Valley on the mountainous Troll Peninsula in northern Iceland to create a platform for renowned musical artists around the world to share the inspiration, soul, and energy of Iceland. Following up The New Mastersounds’ acclaimed 2022 album The Deplar Effect, the latest installment Floki Sessions: Boots in Place finds revered funk contemporaries George Porter Jr. (The Meters), Eddie Roberts (The New Mastersounds), Robert Walter (Greyboy Allstars), and Nikki Glaspie (The Nth Power) embarking on a studio retreat surrounded by the striking natural beauty of the Icelandic coastline and state-of-the-art recording equipment. Produced by Eddie Roberts of The New Mastersounds, the album presents a broad range of vintage funk & soul-inspired sounds explored through 10 brand new tracks that feature appearances from Son Little, Big Chief Donal Harrison, Erica Falls (formerly Galactic) Lamar Williams Jr. (Trouble No More, The New Mastersounds & North Mississippi All-Stars), Tierinii Jackson (Southern Avenue), Eric “Benny” Bloom (Lettuce) and rising Chicago artist GreenTTea.

The record presents the perfect blend of New Orleans funk traditions spearheaded by Porter’s legacy as one of the most iconic bassists in history best known as a founding member of The Meters. During the Floki Session, each collaborator in the core quartet brought in grooves and frameworks that were seamlessly fleshed out with guests later enlisted to put the icing on the cake. The album’s lead single “Mardi Gras Day,” released ahead of Fat Tuesday, came out of the gate as a homage to New Orleans. Walter brought in the instrumental groove that was augmented by the quartet and immediately reminded Roberts of  The Wild Magnolias and other Mardi Gras Indian recordings of the ‘70s. After the initial session in Iceland, Eddie approached Big Chief Donald Harrison who is revered as an iconic jazz artist best known for being the horn counterpart of trumpeter Terrance Blanchard in the ‘80s lineup of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and is currently the Chief of Congo Square in Afro-New Orleans Culture. While Harrison was performing in Denver, Colorado, Roberts seized the opportunity to get him into Color Red Studios to guest on the track.

“It doesn’t come much more legit than a Mardi Gras anthem played by two of New Orleans’ legends, George Porter Jr. and Big Chief Donald Harrison,” remarks Roberts, “In fact, everyone on the track has lived or gigged heavily in New Orleans at some point in their careers. This new record captures the spirit of some classic Mardi Gras Indian tracks of the ’70s, but is brought to life in 2023!”

Porter adds, “Big Chief Harrison has brought a fresh spin to Mardi Gras Tradition. Paying homage to that tradition is important to keeping the culture alive.”

The album title track “Boots in Place” features New Orleans mainstay vocalist, Erica Fall (formerly of Galactic) in a particularly funky groove brought to the group by Glaspie. Like Harrison, Falls was also brought into Color Red Studios while performing during Color Red’s 4th-year anniversary show at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom. She had originally thought she was composing a song for George to sing over and penned the lyric “My Name is George Porter Jr.” in the opening verse. After realizing that it was a misunderstanding and she would be singing the song in addition to penning the lyrics, the lyric was changed to “My Name is George Porter Jr.” The proclamation solidifies the steadfast nature of the lead track paying respects to George’s living legacy as one of the fieriest funkmesiters of all time. Of the final product, Roberts exclaims, “I think this tune sums up the whole project and I love how it celebrates George and ‘what he came here to do’.”

Fans of The New Mastersounds and those familiar with The Allman Brothers lineage will delight in finding vocalist Lamar Williams Jr. on “Everything & Everyone.” Roberts brought in the Curtis Mayfied-inspired groove and had vocalist & songwriter Shelby Kemp pen the lyrics, who also worked with Roberts and Williams on two tracks on The Deplar Effect by The New Mastersounds. With the addition of Eric “Benny” Bloom (Lettuce) on trumpet and Nate Miller on saxophone, the outcome is a classic 60’s soul track with a hopeful spirit of pulling together to get through.

Another notable track is “Fall Right In,” a quirky arrangement that details the underbelly of New Orleans that acclaimed indie-soul artist Son Little. In a conversation with Floki Studios’ AR & Development Director, Chris Funk (The Decemberists), Roberts was introduced to Son Little’s music and had him on repeat for weeks citing him as “the real keeper of the soul torch.” While headlining The Bluebird Theater in Denver in November 2022, Roberts met Son Little and approached him to guest on the album and they fleshed out the arrangement that same weekend.

Other guests on the album include Tierinii Jackson of Southern Avenue on “Peace,” a gospel-inspired track that was the perfect fit for the Memphis-born and raised vocalist and promising 19-year-old Chicago vocalist GreenTTea on the ethereal “Jardim” which testifies that the vanguard of funk and soul music is in good hands as it reaches new generations. As likely implied, “Jazzmatazz” is a direct nod to Guru’s iconic 1993 album, who Roberts recalls seeing in Leeds, UK around that same time. Eric “Benny” Bloom garnished the track with punchy horn arrangements and the result is a homage to a golden era of 90s jazz-inspired hip-hop.

As cliche as it sounds, there truly is something for everyone in Floki Sessions: Boots in Place that will appeal to decades-long fans of The Meters and digital crate diggers on the hunt for fresh soul sounds alike. The merger of generations, musical styles, and home bases of musicians presents George Porter Jr. to audiences from many walks of life once again celebrating his patrimony of being a foundational funk musician and doing what he came here to do.  

New Music: Colin Curtis Presents – Indigo Jam Unit // Alan Evans Trio - Gimme Some Momo

Colin Curtis Presents – Indigo Jam Unit

indigo jam unit, a Japanese super heavy jazz dance fusion supergroup, are set to release their specially compiled album in the UK for the first time. They are renowned for their unique blend of hard-hitting piano and percussion-driven jazz.

Gilles Peterson asked Colin Curtis to start his radio show on Worldwide FM called Jazz Dance Fusion at the beginning of the pandemic in May 2020 and this meant he could introduce underexposed music that he loved. indigo jam unit was a natural fit. Following a conversation with his long-time Jazz Ally Paul Murphy of Jazz Room Records, they both quickly decided that now was the time to unleash some of the best indigo jam unit tracks to the world on an exclusive vinyl-only release.

With pounding bass lines, percussive piano breaks, and the distinct addition of two drummers and percussionists, indigo jam unit’s sound is truly unique. They have carved a path for emerging bands in the jazz scene of today.

The four musicians from Osaka, Japan – Isao Wasano (Drums Percussion), Katsuhiko Sasai (Bass Double Bass), Takehiro Shimizu (Drums), and Yoshichika Tarue (Piano) – take no prisoners with their uncompromising style! Power, passion, drive, and incredible playing – like a lethal force.

From 2006 to 2016, they had a prolific output of albums with single-minded titles: Demonstration, Realism, Collectivity, Pirates, Roots, Independent Rebel, Milestone, Lights, and more – over 17 projects.

indigo jam unit embody the same energy as those jazz dance greats like Art Blakey, Dom Um Romao, Stone Alliance, and the like – just uncompromising raw passion!

Alan Evans Trio - Gimme Some Momo

There is something undeniably special when a band of three clicks. Some would say finding three good musicians playing music together isn’t a hard task. Finding seasoned artists who can make a trio sound like a band twice their size though, well that’s special. Founded by Soulive member, writer and drummer of over 15 years Alan Evans, the Alan Evans Trio, aka Ae3, is a power soul organ trio consisting of Alan Evans, Danny Mayer (Eric Krasno Band) and Kris Yunker (Jen Durkin and the Business) and is undeniably special.

Evans, Mayer and Yunker have spent years individually and collectively touring the world bringing the soulful music they love to a captive audience. Each of these musicians are true artists who have bold and confident voices yet they create one massive sound together that is truly their own.

The trio’s sound proves hard-driving and groovy with deep, funky melodies and powerful, rhythmic counterplay. Ae3 opens a window into another side – an emotional introspection, as dark as it is powerful. Their passionate progressions emanate an electrified, smoky, 70s-era CTI Records zeitgeist. Mention the name Alan Evans to a room full of music lovers, and you will get a consensus nod at one of the most celebrated and tenacious drummers in the jazz, funk, and soul scene. A producer, recording engineer, guitarist, percussionist, vocalist and writer, Alan‘s repertoire of skills have been perfected with more than a decade of dedication.

As Ae3, the outfit has four albums under their belt: their debut Drop Hop was released on Royal Family Records in 2012, while sophomore full-length Merkaba landed in 2013. But it wasn’t until 5 years later, in 2019, that we got The Wild Root, released on Alan Evans‘ own imprint Vintage League Music, which was soon followed by Elephant Head in 2021.

Hip Holland Hip: Modern Jazz In The Netherlands 1950 - 1970

Delve into the Dutch jazz scene of the 1950s and 1960s with a selection of classic and rare hard bop and cool jazz tracks from artists like Herman Schoonderwalt, the Diamond Five, Wessel Ilcken and Tony Vos.

Holland never sounded this hip before!

“Jazz is garbage and a caricature of the modern orchestra; it is garbage arranged by half-grown musicians for the benefit of common entertainment.” In spite of the Dutch cultural establishment’s attempts to preclude jazz - as illustrated by this citation from the October 1926 issue of music magazine De Muziek - The Netherlands was one of the earliest adopters of the new music style as it came over to the Old Continent at the end of World War I.

The roaring twenties gave birth to the first Dutch jazz bands, like The Original Jazz Syncopators, James Meijer’s Jazzband and The Ramblers. Paul Whiteman was the first major American jazz artist to visit The Netherlands. His concerts in the serious music temples the Kurhaus in Scheveningen and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam brought jazz to the general public, but also rang the alarm among the early Dutch jazz purists. Although Whiteman was nicknamed ‘The King of Jazz’, they regarded his mixture of jazz with symphonic music as merely commercial and too ‘sweet’ compared to the ‘hot’ African American jazz that they favored. The founding of magazine De Jazzwereld in 1931 (by then fifteen-year-old (!) future band leader Red Debroy) and the Nederlandse Hot Club in 1933 were attempts to propagate ‘authentic’ jazz among the Dutch public, and they contributed to the creation of a true jazz scene that was in full bloom when the Swing era set off in the mid-1930s.

Hip Holland Hip wias released on June 16th via Sdban Records on 2LP in gatefold sleeve with liner notes (limited version and standard version), CD including a booklet with liner notes and of course digitally.

On Resound NYC, Moby Reimagines and Orchestrates 15 of His Most Iconic NYC Tracks

Multi-platinum selling singer, songwriter and producer, Moby, releases his 20th studio album Resound NYC through Deutsche Grammophon. It is an orchestral rework of fifteen of his most iconic tracks written or recorded in New York from the years 1994 to 2010.

In February Moby launched Resound NYC with In This World featuring Marisha Wallace, which was followed by Walk With Me, featuring Lady Blackbird, Extreme Ways featuring Dougy Mandagi (Temper Trap) and South Side featuring Ricky Wilson (Kaiser Chiefs). Today he shares In My Heart, the album’s opening track, featuring stunning vocals from Gregory Porter. Other guest vocalists include Margo Timmins and Amythyst Kiah.

In My Heart was originally featured on Moby’s 6th studio album 18. Beautiful, sweeping strings open the uplifting gospel choir rework of this track. On working with Gregory Porter, Moby said, “one of the best things about not being a great singer is that it forces me to work with great singers, and Gregory is simply one of the greatest singers in the world.”

On working with Moby, Gregory Porter said, “It’s a pleasure to work again with Moby for ‘In My Heart’, and to be part of the revival of a classic. The message of leading with love and faith is universal.”

Resound NYC is the follow up to Moby’s acclaimed album Reprise (May, 2021), which featured guests including Kris Kristofferson, Mark Lanegan, Jim James, and Skylar Grey.

While many of the vocalists on Resound NYC are well-known names, others are less familiar: Moby discovered P.T. Banks singing in a wedding band in Texas, while the elderly father of mesmerizingly soulful Danielle Ponder joins her on the remake of “Run On”.

The music pioneer’s 20th studio album reflects perhaps the most defining era in Moby’s musical life, from his former home and birth place New York City. It was there he began his music career playing in punk rock bands, and dj’ing at underground clubs in and around New York.

After dj’ing and touring live through the 90’s, in 1999 Moby’s breakthrough album Play became not just a commercial success but a global phenomenon. He had already enjoyed hits with “Go”, “Feeling So Real”, and his version of the “James Bond Theme”, and had been asked to remix everyone from Michael Jackson to Freddie Mercury, but the smash hit Play changed everything. As we entered a new millennium, he turned electronic music on its head.

“Before I discovered punk rock, I grew up with classic rock,” says Moby. “My first concert was Yes at Madison Square Garden in 1978. So it was super compelling revisiting my songs and seeing whether they held up with a more traditional, non-electronic, orchestral approach.”

Revisiting his past whilst reimagining his future has resulted in Resound NYC., an album packed full of thrilling music, a classic reworking of definitive and era defining songs, once again reminding us of the incredible scope and relevance of Moby’s musical talent. (The original version of “When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die” recently featured in Netflix’s Stranger Things finale).

“An orchestra can be anything, it can be whatever the composer wants it to be,” Moby says. “So rather than having every song receive the same orchestral treatment, I kind of built a bespoke orchestral approach for each song.”

With Resound NYC, Moby reconsiders not just the evolution of his own work, but also a time, a place, and even a transformation in our world:

“When you think of the ’90s,” he says, “Bill Clinton was President; the rave scene was this utopian, idyllic world; the Soviet Union had ended; climate change was just an idea for a book that Al Gore was going to write. Back then, making music was this celebration of the potential that our world had, that our culture had. And now it's almost a refuge in an at times terrifying and apocalyptic world.”

Discover Creative Funk: The Underrated Funk & Soul Legends

One of the most underrated bands in the history of funk and soul music, Creative Funk was the brainchild of brothers Deek and Gary DeBerry. Gary started playing piano at 9, then stand-up bass at 13. Then he joined a jazz band in junior high school and played for talent shows and every assembly. The two brothers later added an alto sax and played a lot of Parks & Recreation gigs, which led them to the Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. They called themselves the "Mighty Fantastics" and came in second place to an R&B James Brown-type group who were older. Gary was only 14 years old then, but grateful to have played at the famed Apollo. 

In high school, Gary met an outstanding guitarist, and they started a band called Creative Funk that eventually led him to the Apollo again, this time as an artist with a record out that was making waves. That record, 1972's "Ready Made Family," which Gary composed with his older brother Deek, was strongly supported by his New York family and community. The single sold 25,000 units plus in New York City and the surrounding areas. Gary credits his brother Deek for being instrumental in helping him get the band going, and the two started their own record label, Creative Funk Enterprises. 

The band Creative Funk was truly an outstanding cast of players that included Gary on bass, Richard Currence (drums), Robert Banks and Walter Etheridge (guitars), Andre Johnson (trumpet, flugelhorn), Michael Johnson (saxophone), Denzil Miller (keyboards, trombone), and a talented trio of vocalists in Diane Jenkins, Veedette Williams, and Clarence Bassett. This great combination stayed together for four years and eventually parted ways in 1975. 

Primarily a live band, Creative Funk only recorded a handful of singles as a band on their own label, but the music was exceptional enough to cement their standing in R&B history. Deek and Gary kept the Creative Funk label alive and continued to put out releases by a bevy of talented artists such as a solo Jenkins, The Limelites, Funk Machine, Jimmy Castor, Zero Hour, DJ Kool, Scratchmaster Chuck T, and many others, well into the 1990s. Gary became a much-in-demand session bassist after the band split and went on to play with flutist Bobbie Humphrey, Norman Connors, Jean Carne, Stanley Turrentine, and a host of others. Gary is still going strong today and continues to treasure his memories of having been a big part of one of the greatest independent funk bands in the history of R&B.

Maciej Obara Quartet | "Frozen Silence"

Frozen Silence is the third ECM release from alto saxophonist Maciej Obara’s Polish-Norwegian quartet, bringing the story forward from Unloved and Three Crowns, recordings which confirmed the ensemble’s standing as one of the most strikingly original European bands of the present moment. The quartet’s creative sense of musical interplay is again to the forefront of this newest album, recorded in Oslo in the summer of 2022, which may be their strongest statement to date. Obara’s new music optimally highlights his intuitive musical relationship with Dominik Wania, while Ole Morten Vågan and Gard Nilssen continually transcend rhythm section roles to interact persuasively with the saxophonist and the pianist.

Alert interactivity is the hallmark of the group’s approach. The new repertoire, however, was shaped by Maciej in isolation. When pandemic lockdowns shut the door on the Polish jazz scene and ruled out international touring, he left Warsaw and headed for the hills and forests. The compositions heard here are reveries of the solitary walker: direct responses to nature, in particular the starkly dramatic landscapes of the Karkonosze region in south-west Poland, where his family roots are. Song titles single out some special locations – “Black Cauldron” (in Polish, Czarny kocioł jagniątkowski), “High Stone” (Wysoki kamień), and “Dry Mountain” (Sucha Góra).

The craggy outline of the balladic “High Stone” suggests both an ascent and a view of the territory. If the constantly changing winter light and the “frozen silence” of snow-capped peaks provided one set of inspirations there were also subtle musical influences at work. “At the time, I had been listening a lot to the music of Bill Dixon, my favourite trumpet player, which seemed to fit the emptiness and silence of the mountains. And I think you can hear the impact of Dixon on pieces like ‘Black Cauldron’ or ‘Flying Pixies.'” The latter title, he says, refers to the flickering reflections of sunlight on hardened snow.

Two titles fall outside the conceptual framework of high atmospheres. “Waves of Glyma” shifts the geographical focus from the mountains of Poland to the beaches of south Crete with vivid memories of blue waters against red sandstone cliffs.

“Rainbow Leaves”, meanwhile, co-credited to Obara and Nikola Kołodziejczyk, was written originally to augment Maciej’s Concerto for saxophone, piano and chamber orchestra, a major work which had been premiered by the AUKSO Orchestra in Poland. Kołodziejczyk had contributed the string arrangement to the orchestral version. The quartet version characteristically steers the music to new places, following the lead of Maciej’s saxophone, by turns reflective and impassioned.

The core line-up of the two Polish musicians, Maciej Obara and Dominik Wania, and the two Norwegian players, Ole Morten Vågan and Gard Nilssen, has been together for 11 years now. Four strong individual musicians, all bandleaders and project leaders in their own right, their contrasting but complementary styles defining the group’s character.

Dominik Wania, prominently featured throughout Frozen Silence, is increasingly recognized as one of the outstanding improvisers of his generation. Obara says, “We’ve been great friends from the very beginning but now I can feel that his work on his solo album [2020’s Lonely Shadows] also helped us to develop the music and his contribution to this band, opening even more the classical approach in his soloing with the quartet. I’m not talking about a single style, but about the way in which he really cares about dynamics in every moment and focuses on the tiny details that make music better. “

Drummer Gard Nilssen’s profile has also been raised with the release, last year, of Elastic Wave, his first ECM leader date. “Gard’s touch on the drums, the sounds he draws from them, and his flowing feeling for time is fantastic, and the combination with Ole Morten in the quartet is very special. Ole Morten’s so experienced through his years of directing the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. And his way of bringing together a lyrical feeling for melody with classical awareness of form and the simultaneous commitment to free playing – well that’s a rare combination.” Frozen Silence was recorded at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio in June 2022, and mixed and completed in Munich, in April 2023, by Manfred Eicher.

Raymond Scott Reimagined: New LP ft Quartet San Francisco, Gordon Goodwin, Take 6

Violinjazz Recordings, the label of acclaimed Grammy-nominated musician Jeremy Cohen, principal violinist and founder of Classical Crossover specialists Quartet San Francisco, has announced the release of ‘Raymond Scott Reimagined,’ an unprecedented new collaboration teaming Quartet San Francisco with accomplished Grammy/Emmy Award-winning composer, producer, and arranger Gordon Goodwin and revered Grammy-winning a cappella group Take 6.

The thrilling 14-track collection, which includes Goodwin’s fresh arrangements of eight Scott classics, including mainstays “Powerhouse,” “Twilight in Turkey,” “Huckleberry Duck,” “The Quintette Goes to a Dance” and “In an 18th Century Drawing Room,” also introduces an entirely brand new composition, “Cutey and the Dragon,” which was crafted from an unfinished sketch Scott made in 1982 with Goodwin completing the composition in a manner that honors the great composer’s style and verve.

To introduce the project, a two-song single (“Powerhouse” & “Toy Trumpet”) arrived digitally June 9 with the full album arriving via Violinjazz/The Orchard/Sony on July 21.

The album, available now via Violinjazz Recordings, also contains several interstitials of Raymond Scott’s voice, along with spoken word from audio historian Art Shifrin and Grammy-winning composer/conductor John Williams, excerpted from the documentary film, ‘Deconstructing Dad’ (directed by Raymond’s son, Stan Warnow), has been two years in the making but, in actuality, is a journey of nearly 50 years.

Cohen, the project’s Executive Producer, explains, “I grew up during an era when a simple turn of the television dial could bring one's world from Leonard Bernstein to animation and cartoons. Escape, creativity, and whimsy fueled my imagination where animation offered a humorous view of the world. As a kid studying classical violin, I was fascinated by Carl Stalling's incorporation of iconic classical music into the Warner Brothers cartoon soundtracks.”

“Raymond Scott, who never actually wrote music expressly for animation, was widely quoted in Merrie Melodies cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy and pals. Scott’s music sat right alongside the world's most recognizable classical music and became part of the soundtrack of my imagination. Scott's ‘Powerhouse’ brings musical shape to emotions.”

“In the 1990s, I was introduced to Raymond Scott with the album ‘The Music of Raymond Scott: Reckless Nights and Turkish Twilights’ (Columbia, 1992, Irwin Chusid, producer) and let's just say that at that moment, the lantern was lit for a longstanding quest. Scott’s music found its way into arrangements for my group, Quartet San Francisco. We found boundless passion and energy for bringing this music to our audiences.”

While the basis of the album would be an alliance between Quartet San Francisco and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Jeremy and Gordon decided to engage a variety of ensembles to partner with the string quartet. These include pairing the string quartet with the big band on “Powerhouse,” “The Quintette Goes to a Dance,” “Twilight in Turkey,” and “Cutey and the Dragon,” incorporating a smaller ensemble of three horns on “Toy Trumpet” and a saxophone quintet on “Yesterday's Ice Cubes.” Two pianos enhanced “Huckleberry Duck” with the gorgeous vocals of Claude V. McKnight III, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley (of the group Take 6) joining on “In an 18th Century Drawing Room” and “Serenade.” The results are spellbinding.

Gordon Goodwin, co-producer, composer, arranger, and bandleader of The Big Phat Band, recalls his introduction to the iconic composer and approach to the project, “I took a deep dive into the music of Raymond Scott when I was working as a composer for Warner Brothers Animation. His music made quite an impact on me, so when Jeremy approached me about collaborating on a project featuring Scott’s music, the answer was an immediate and enthusiastic yes!”

“There is a long list of great Raymond Scott songs from which to pick, but we knew that were some tunes we had to include, such as ‘Powerhouse’ and ‘Toy Trumpet,’ but we were excited when the Raymond Scott Archives presented us with an unfinished lead sheet to a song called ‘Cutey and the Dragon’ that Scott was working on with, and for, his granddaughter Kathy. They asked if I wanted to arrange it, but as I examined the lead sheet, I realized that it really wasn’t a finished composition, but ­­rather a work in progress. So the Scott family gave me the honor of finishing the composition. This allows us to present something rare—a previously unheard composition by Raymond Scott.”

“Another highlight was “Twilight in Turkey,” which features Don Williams on timpani, along with Wade Culbreth on mallet percussion. This is special because Don’s father Johnny Williams was the drummer for the Raymond Scott Quintette. He is also the father of film composer John Williams. Don was able to allow us the use of his father’s cowbell and tom toms, so this track has a direct and unique connection to this music’s creator.”

“When we considered the vocal component for this music, there was really only one consideration. Take 6 has set the bar for a cappella singing over the past three decades, and I knew that their sound and versatility would make for a distinctive contribution.”

A distinctive collaboration is quite the understatement. Between the three main collaborators, QSF, Goodwin and Take 6, they’ve earned 60 Grammy nominations, scoring 12 wins. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of the size and scope of Reimagined as two dozen best-in-class musicians amplify the sound and vision including Wayne Bergeron (trumpet), Ray Brinker (drums), Joey De Leon (percussion, congas, bongos), Justin Smith (guitar), Andy Waddell (guitar), Kevin Axt (bass), Sal Lozano (alto sax), Brett McDonald (alto sax, piccolo, clarinet), Brian Scanlon (tenor sax), Thomas Luer (tenor sax), Jay Mason (baritone sax), Daniel Fornero (trumpet), Aaron Janik (trumpet), Dan Savant (trumpet), Andrew Martin (trombone), Charlie Morillas (trombone), Francisco Torres (trombone), Craig Gosnell (bass trombone), Wade Culbreath (marimba, vibes, xylophone, cowbell), Meredith Clark (harp) and Don Williams (timpani, tom-toms) with Goodwin on piano and tenor sax and esteemed accompaniment by the other three virtuosos in Quartet San Francisco, Joseph Christianson (violin), Chad Kaltinger (viola) and Andrés Vera (cello).

Also in the mix is 7-time Grammy-winning engineer Leslie Ann Jones, who’s recognized for her work with Kronos Quartet, Chanticleer and Rosemary Clooney and whom Cohen’s worked with on previous projects including Pacific Premieres: New Works by California Composers. For Raymond Scott Reimagined, Jones recorded the joint sessions at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Sound, the famed studio on George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch in Nicasio, California. Additional recording took place at Dragonfly Creek Recording in Malibu and Lake Balboa Sound in Los Angeles.

Reimagining one of the all-time greats is a gargantuan undertaking but one ripe to cross all boundaries of time and space and one meant for the stage. To celebrate the project, Quartet San Francisco, along with Gordon Goodwin and some of the key members of The Big Phat Band, including Wayne Bergeron on trumpet and Andrew Martin on trombone, played to a packed house at Yoshi’s in Oakland, California, with All About Jazz championing the “energetic performance and splendid tribute...a whimsical dynamism flowed throughout the music.” More shows will be announced soon. room.

Toronto’s soulstress Tanika Charles unleashes "The Union Sessions", a live in studio EP

Following the release of her third studio album "Papillon de Nuit" from 2022, Canadian soulstress Tanika Charles unleashes a new live in studio EP called "The Union Sessions", out now on digital platforms. Recorded live at Union Sound studio in Toronto, the EP comprises a total of five tracks: four of these appeared originally on Tanika’s first EP "What? What! What?!" from 2010, while “Since You Been Gone” was on her second album "The Gumption" from 2019. Watch the official video for the extract "Parkdale" [feat. I.JAMES.JONES.]. 

"Parkdale" is an ode to Tanika’s first Toronto home in one of the cities most unique and vibrant neighbourhoods, it transports to a time of part-time gig work, spontaneous hangs, and the constant hustle to make rent. But are these tensions a mere stepping stone of youthful adventure or an enduring and unescapable capitalist trap? 

Tanika Charles has earned her stripes as a performing artist. Through nearly a decade of headlining she has revealed a knack for engaging her audiences, weaving storytelling, and building dynamism into every measure of her time on stage. As such, much of her catalogue of songs have evolved from their original studio recordings in a number of creative and interesting ways. This is especially true for some of her earliest works, originally constructed over instrumental beds more reminiscent of looped hip-hop beats. "The Union Sessions" is a freeze frame of evolution, bringing the tour-tested versions of these songs into a studio setting. 

Far from a dusting off of old material, these songs have remained staples of Tanika’s live show. The writing harkens to a moment of innocence from a nascent songstress, eager for expression, but yet to carve a particular path. But with these new recordings that journey and realization is laid bare, serving a gumbo of influence and experience. Having now been played hundreds of times, these songs are the product of constant iteration, unlikely to remain as is for very long. 

The assembled band for this project is a dream team of some of the best musicians Canada has to offer. Accompanying Tanika on vocals were frequent collaborators D/SHON Henderson and emerging solo artist Tafari Anthony. Jemuel “J3M” Roberts, another solo artist of note, joined on piano, EP and synths. Members of Toronto mainstay band re.verse formed the core band, with Damian Matthew on bass, Robb Cappelletto on guitar and Austin Gembora on drums. 

All songs were recorded off the floor in a single afternoon sitting at Union Sound without overdubs. Featured guest i.james.jones popped in for all of 20 minutes, laid his verse and exited like an absolute pro. Engineer Alex Gamble recorded and mixed the entire project with a particular aim towards producing evocative Dolby Atmos mixes.