People of Earth’s Self-Titled Debut Album

Since first exploding onto New York’s cutting-edge Latin and tropical music scene, People of Earth has become one of the city’s most exciting emerging bands. The 13-member collective is filled with some of the highest caliber musicians the city has to offer, whose combined credits include GRAMMY® wins, jazz masters Paquito d’Rivera, Arturo O’Farrill, and Miguel Zenon, Broadway shows, and classical phenoms Danil Trifonov and Yuja Wang, to name but a few.

Members of People of Earth, or P.o.E. as they are often monikered, hail from seven countries, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Greece, Canada, Haiti, Switzerland and the United States. The ensemble has built up a strong following in its home city, delivering a spicy blend of styles and rhythms from the Caribbean and beyond at residencies at Rockwood Music Hall, DROM and The Django.  

With their powerhouse lineup of congas, timbales, drum-set, electric bass, piano, synthesizer, two trumpets, two trombones, and three singers, P.o.E. uses their original sound and groove to cast a wide net that ensnares and engages veteran salsa dancers and neophytes alike. The band’s repertoire consists of original compositions as well as original arrangements of select standards, and P.o.E’s singers effortlessly switch from Spanish to English to Portuguese as they perform what they’ve coined “A.T.M.” or American Timba Music, a style with deep roots in Cuban timba (many of the band members have played with the top timba bands in Cuba), but with an unmistakable flavor brewed in the musical and cultural melting pot of sound only possible in a city as diverse as New York. No matter where you’re from or what language you speak People of Earth will get you up on your feet and in the groove or die trying. 

Despite their short time together as a band, P.o.E. has already performed at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Disney Hall in L.A., Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and at Carnegie Hall Citywide. In 2021, P.o.E. partnered with phenom conductor Teddy Abrams to commission MacArthur Genius Fellow Dafnis Prieto to compose a concerto for the band and string orchestra. With the help of a New Music USA creator grant as well as workshop residencies at Kaufman Music Center and San Fransisco Conservatory, the band pushed the project to reach resounding success, performing Prieto’s Tentacíon with the Louisville Orchestra, New World Symphony in Miami, and Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon as well as a 40-minute theatrical children’s adaption performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Since day one, People of Earth has made education a cornerstone of their mission. P.o.E. has performed children’s concerts for 92Y, World Cafe Live, Louisville Orchestra, and Britt Festival, and has visited schools throughout New York City in partnership with the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. In 2019, P.o.E. performed for 4,000 summer campers at the Mann Center in Philadelphia (their most energetic audience to date). P.o.E. has presented lectures and residencies at University of Pennsylvania, San Francisco Conservatory, and Queensborough College. 

People of Earth’s self-titled debut album offers nine tracks that capture the unique blend of influences, explorations, and experimentations that has defined the band’s sound thus far. Cuban cowbell rhythms ebb and flow next to neo-soul synth patches while swirling piano montunos collide with kick-snare downbeat funk rhythms. The album consists of seven original compositions by band members Victor Pablo, Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, Ivan Llanes, Joana Obieta and Ayamey Bell (who has since departed the band), as well as two arrangements; Djavan’s “Te Devoro” and Leonard Bernstein’s “Mambo” from West Side Story, both arranged by Globus-Hoenich. Lauded Bahian singer Marcos Costa, formerly of Ilê Aiyê, is a special guest on “Te Devoro,” while virtuoso British trumpeter Bryan Davis joins for “Mambo” fun.               

The album burns from the first moment to the last, beginning with Pablo’s “Chiki,” a timba-songo style song that has been the band’s set-opener for good reason; it hooks you in from the start and pulls you on your feet. The following track, “Shoulda Known Better,” is a Globus-Hoenich/Bell examination of seduction set to hard-core Cuban timba rhythms with lyrics completely in English. Singer Llanes is featured on his composition “La Mejor Mujer,” which offers a welcomed cool-down to the hard hitting energy of the previous number. Pablo’s haunting lament, “Piloto,” follows sung by Bell and features guest plena musicians recorded in Puerto Rico.  

Later in the album we hear Obieta’s “Wolf Mother,” another English song, this time mixing elements of soul, hip-hop and rock with traditional danzón and bolero. All three singers are featured on Pablo’s “Un Ratito,” equal parts electro-rumba-rap and hip shaking timba. Bell closes out the album with Globus-Hoenich’s "La Coda," a timba burner filled with tongue and cheek musical metaphors and double meanings about the relentless search for love, with a coro that professes: “Te doy mi clave pa seducirte, mi piano pa’ descargar, y los metales para la boda, te coje en la coda”- I give you my claves to seduce you, my piano to jam, the brass for the wedding, I’ll get you in the end. 

P.o.E began laying these tracks down in 2019 and continued recording remotely from across the country and world during the COVID pandemic. The resulting nine tracks are a powerful collective statement of creativity, ambition, talent, and unrelenting desire to open minds and move behinds. Salsero or not, Spanish speaker or not, make no mistake: People of Earth has landed and is here to stay.

Isaiah J. Thompson’s 'The Power of the Spirit'

Rising star jazz pianist Isaiah J. Thompson has been making waves in the jazz scene with his unique sound and virtuosic playing. With a deep respect for the jazz tradition and a forward-thinking approach to improvisation, Thompson has established himself as one of the most exciting young musicians of his generation. He has been hailed as “a young musician and composer with a mature touch and rare combination of talent, creativity, humility and honesty” by NPR. 

Thompson has performed with an array of jazz legends including Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Steve Turre, John Pizzarelli, and Buster Williams. Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Managing and Artistic Director says, “I first encountered Isaiah when he was a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra nearly a decade ago. Since then, I've had the privilege to watch his artistry develop, both at the Juilliard School and on the stages of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Isaiah is a versatile, soulful musician with such a singular voice and strong intention in his playing that I know he is destined to do great things.”

Captured in front of a rapturous audience at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy’s Club, The Power of the Spirit finds Thompson’s seasoned quartet delivering a locked-in performance of their repertoire. On full display are the pianist's stunning dexterity and soulful original material; combining crisp technicality with a gospel-inflected sound, Thompson nods to forebears like Bobby Timmons, Phineas Newborn Jr., and Cedar Walton while blazing a trail of his own.

Thompson has already dropped two singles from the album to critical acclaim. The first single “The IT Department” is a play on Thompson’s initials, but also a tribute to his father. Thompson states, “I don’t come from a particularly musical family, but they have always supported me. When someone would ask my parents if they had been involved in my musical education, my father would respond by saying, ‘music is his department.’” The song landed Thompson on the cover of Tidal’s “Rising Jazz” playlist. The second release from the upcoming album "Tales of the Elephant and the Butterfly" has all of the makings of a classic recording. 

You've heard and seen his NPR Tiny Desk concert, his Jazz Night in America’s Youngblood series episode, and his special guest appearance on the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra's Handful of Keys. With the release of The Power of the Spirit, Isaiah showcases his undeniable talent and passion for jazz, solidifying why he is poised to become one of the most important voices in the genre for years to come.

Sexmob | "The Hard Way"

For over a quarter-century, the visionary quartet Sexmob has exploded all preconceived notions of what an instrumental jazz band can be. In many cases — on the albums Dime Grind Palace, Din of Inequity, Solid Sender and Sex Mob Does Bond — they've done so with producer Scotty Hard at the board. On The Hard Way, Sexmob's remarkable new recording for 2023, the music skews decisively electronic, as Hard's beats and soundscapes provide slide trumpeter and founder Steven Bernstein, saxophonist Briggan Krauss, bassist Tony Scherr and acoustic/electric drummer Kenny Wollesen all the stimulus they need for further composition and fearless reinvention.

Scotty Hard has worked extensively in genres including jazz, experimental music and cutting-edge hip-hop (Harriet Tubman, Ka, Vijay Iyer & Mike Ladd, Preservation, Mach-Hommy, more), and those aesthetic convergences inform much of the music on The Hard Way. "Steven really loved my last album," Hard says, "and I suggested we do something entirely different. A process record. We've already done the four musicians (sometimes more) in a room thing, so let's do something totally unique and collaborative." While Hard was very hands-on with all previous Sexmob albums, this would take it to a whole other level.

The album is being released by the Chicago-based Corbett vs. Dempsey — no ordinary record label, but an art gallery that curates albums and books. Creative music has always been a feature of the gallery’s activities (in addition to its record label, CvsD represents Peter Brötzmann and the estate of Sun Ra).

"I was introduced to [co-directors] John Corbett and Jim Dempsey at Hal Willner's Nino Rota show in New York," Bernstein recalls. "When I went on their site I saw albums by Hal, Don Cherry, Van Dyke Parks, Lester Bowie, Sun Ra and many more, and I realized that this was the home for The Hard Way. It's what I call 'a gift from Hal.' I keep getting them." (Willner died of Covid in 2020.)

"Scotty and I realized," Bernstein adds, "that since this is not really a 'record label' but an art gallery, let's treat this album like an art piece." One of the gallery's favorite artists, Corey Escoto, created the album cover art, continuing a long tradition of next-level visuals for the band. "We start the album with the longest piece, 'Fletcher Henderson,'" Bernstein explains, "which began as an almost eight-minute through-composed electronic piece by Scotty that I composed melodies and harmony on top of. This process was used for the entire album: Scotty would send me loops, beats or electronic pieces and I would write compositions over them."

Acclaimed pianist/composer Vijay Iyer guests on "You Can Take a Myth," sprinkling stark sustained treble tones and abstract harmonies on top of fat processed bass (played by Hard) as the composition unfolds. John Medeski (of Medeski Martin & Wood) underlays organ chords and blues phraseology to perfection on "Banacek" and works atmospheric magic with mellotron, counterposing Hard's evocative balafon samples, on "Club Pythagorean," one of two tracks included on the bonus 12-inch 45rpm EP. (The other, "Dominion," was created with DJ Olive.)

With each offering, and certainly with The Hard Way and its rich electro-acoustic groove canvas, Bernstein and crew evince a modernizing impulse but also an equally strong foundation in the roots of jazz and American song. Their immersion in a wide range of contemporary music is consistent with Bernstein's own chameleonic experience alongside Lou Reed, Levon Helm, Hal Willner, Sam Rivers, Bernie Worrell, Henry Butler, U2, Little Feat and a host of other legends (all of it feeding the pan-genre worldview of Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra, heard to stunning effect on its four-volume 2022 opus Community Music). Funky, bluesy, with a tattered dissonance conjured up by Krauss' throaty saxophone tone, the distinctive wail of Bernstein's rare horn and the swagger of Scherr and Wollesen's rhythm section grind, Sexmob continues to chart new paths in 21st -century creative music.

Brandon Seabrook's brutalovechamp

Guitarist and banjoist Brandon Seabrook is known for pushing his music past the far reaches of the extreme. Welding together elements from punk, jazz, pop, and metal, Seabrook revels in abrasive textures, paint-peeling virtuosity, and angularity so severe as to draw blood at the touch. But his Pyroclastic Records debut,brutalovechamp, is a different beast entirely. No less bold or bracing than his more confrontational work, the album trades the corrosive for the lyrical, venturing into areas of beauty and deeply personal emotion with the same intrepid spirit of exploration that Seabrook’s music has always thrived upon.

Released this past year, brutalovechamp features Seabrook’s stunning and malleable octet Epic Proportions, which includes percussionist and vocalist Nava Dunkelman, cellist Marika Hughes, bassists Eivind Opsvik and Henry Fraser, electronic musician and vocalist Chuck Bettis, John McCowen on clarinets and recorders, and Sam Ospovat on drums, vibraphone and percussion. The unique ensemble evolved from the sextet Die Trommel Fatale, which released its self-titled album in 2017. “I wanted to push myself to grow as a composer,” Seabrook explains. “This band is a perfect outlet to do that with. All of these musicians can really do anything, which enables a lot of experimentation.”

The group and the music emerged from a period of what Seabrook refers to as “drastic flux” in both his personal and artistic lives. As he writes in the liner notes, “I felt the need to find meaning in that chaos. To mirror, amplify, and transform that state, this sound word intentionally disregards any familiar chronology or form… I imagined a sound realm that would reflect more life, less process. The result is intimate and vast.”

 As that description suggests, the music of brutalovechamp reveals a more mature and vulnerable composer, but never one that is comfortable with playing things safe. These eight selections may not come wrapped in the barbed wire and broken glass surfaces that characterize Seabrook’s past efforts, but they are rife with unexpected juxtapositions and labyrinthine structures. The music is vividly echoed by the repurposed metal sculptures of artist John Chamberlain that grace the album booklet, brutal steel and corroded colors shaped into fluid and vibrant curves.

Seabrook’s departure is evident from the outset, as the title track opens with a tender melody on recorder and mandolin, lending a Medieval feel that would sound appropriate accompanying a treatise on courtly love. The piece blossoms into a stark chamber piece with the entrance of cello and bass, gradually building in tension and complexity throughout. As in the case in most of these pieces, improvisation is limited, with the musicians adding accents and filigrees to the composition’s tapestry rather than embarking on full-fledged solos. “brutalovechamp” does break down into a spotlight for Dunkelman’s percussion, a richly textured excursion as dense with space as the remainder of the track is with sound.

Launching with a dramatic two-chord fanfare, “I Wanna Be Chlorophylled” is a two-part suite that reimagines serialism in a rock and roll context – intricate polyphony with the blunt force of the Ramones. 12-tone counterpoint is passed among the band, mutating by the end into a serrated drone. Fraser is given the feature here, bowing his bass so low that it seems more felt than heard at times, followed by a knotty Seabrook solo. The second half is even more sparse, rinsing the piece away with monolithic tones and white noise. 

Gongs and mandolin introduce “The Perils of Self-Betterment” with a manic serenity, the agitated tune drawing on Seabrook’s experience playing with Klezmer and Eastern European folk ensembles, ending with the guttural flight of McCowen’s contrabass clarinet. Resonant chimes bring the proceedings to an arresting halt for the pendulum swing of “From Lucid to Ludicrous,” gradually accruing from preternatural stillness to absorbing atmospherics. With Bettis’ anarchic vocal turn, “Gutbucket Asylum” is an eruption of free playing that harkens back to Seabrook’s more acerbic music.

The gossamer scrape of “Libidinal Bouquets” is centered around Seabrook’s bowed banjo, an uncanny sound somewhere between violin and grinding metal, all cohering into a piece of taut clockwork minimalism. The composer’s rubbery guitar tones introduce “Compassion Montage,” a shimmering an mysterious piece highlighted by the operatic animalism of Dunkelman’s and Bettis’ soaring vocals.

“A lot of the music that I listen to embraces lyricism and space in so many ways,” explains Seabrook. “Everything from Mahler to Bob Dylan to Joni Mitchell. My music was always about shock and density and physicality, very mercurial with a lot of jump cutting. With brutalovechamp I wanted to slow things down and open things up.”

The results are a stunning success, bringing the vigor and aggressive eclecticism of Seabrook’s past work to a more heartfelt and harmonically exploratory work. It’s a bold leap forward that doesn’t abandon his brutalist past so much as uncover unexpected depths at its emotional core.

Brandon Seabrook is a New York City-based guitarist and banjoist. His music fuses a wide range of practices and traditions: punk rock, jazz, pop, and metal. As a guitarist his work feeds off tactile sensations; rapid tremolo picking, contorted clusters, and extreme physicality. His ensemble music leans on a wide range of variance: jump cuts, chance, improvisation, humor, and tight segues. He has led a diverse range of groups including Seabrook Power Plant, Die Trommel Fatale, Epic Proportions, and the Brandon Seabrook Trio with Cooper-Moore and Gerald Cleaver.

Greg Foat & Gigi Masin | "Dolphin"

Utilizing “an electric piano, sounds from my digital library and an old iPad2” (Masin) and “grand piano, vibraphone and lots of vintage synthesizers” (Foat), the former’s melancholy melodies meet the latter’s laid back, slo-mo grooves, which pour out like honey. Herbert’s huge unfurling basslines, and taught Pistorius-style fretless are paired with Boyd’s sturdy but swinging drums, whilst warm synths create pastel-colour clouds, through which emerge smokey keys, flute, and piano.

Both artist’s signature styles are here, but blended with such smooth liquidity that the pairing seems like the most natural no-brainer ever. What might seem less obvious though, or at least more of a surprise, is that Gigi – someone synonymous with sun-drenched electronica – has proper jazz chops:

“Through my record collection, which is full of jazz, to my friendship with Kenny Wheeler, and chats with Paula Bley, I would say I’m definitely a jazz man of sorts. I love many genres and have a desire to explore my musicality; a desire to create melodies, moods and atmospheres flows from me, spilling right over genre lines.”

With a basis in draft compositions by Masin, these were then embellished and developed by Foat’s trio, and were followed by a back-and-forth exchange of improvised ideas, all of which was produced by Greg, who sculpted the finished article. The record is predominantly a group effort, but due to Foat’s sensitive handling, certain points were left largely unadorned, sans rhythm section, letting Masin’s essence take centre stage.

“The live music played by myself, Moses and Tom on real instruments, blended organically with the digitally created music by Gigi. To me there’s no overarching theme to the album, other than I love Gigi’s music and wanted us to record together. The oil painting featured on the album cover – also called ‘Dolphin’ – is by my cousin Niul, and provided a broad inspiration for the feel of the record”, comments Foat.

“I think above all it’s a tribute to the joy of playing together and creating something beautiful and exciting. It’s a sincere hymn to life and humanity, and as with all my records, is a personal exploration and translation of life moments”, comments Gigi conversely. “I was sure that Greg's extreme musical ability would respect and give further light to the ideas I proposed. I find it really unique, listening to the record now; it’s not easy to distinguish where my contribution ends and where his begins. It’s a beautiful fusion because it was so natural”.

San Francisco singer-songwriter E.G. PHILLIPS presents jazzed-up 'It Ain't Good to Be in Love With You'

San Francisco-based artist E.G. Phillips presents the single 'It Ain't Good to Be in Love With You', a jazzy affair that showcases the Tom Waits meets Nick Cave-esque facets of his confessional songwriting. This is the first taste of Phillips' forthcoming  'Outlaw The Dead' EP, which was mixed by Chris McGrew and Billboard-charting producer Jaimeson Durr (Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Hope Sandoval).

A tech refugee who comes from a country called the Midwest, Phillips ultimately found warmer pastures on the West coast. Originally from Chicago suburbs and having also lived in East Central Illinois and Minnesota, his musical journeys have grown more adventurous since relocating to the Bay Area at the turn of the century, especially since venturing out on the open mic scene in San Francisco -- finding a musical home of sorts at Bazaar Cafe.  

With the steadfast backing of his band Ducks With Pants, Phillips blends lyric-driven compositions with his own special blend of whimsy and cinematic imagery, offering a wry take in dealing with the longings of the heart and the madness of existence.  

"A few years ago, San Francisco found itself under a veil of orange apocalyptic skies, something the East Coast recently experienced as well. The weirdness of that experience was what got this song started and as I was writing the first verse the phrase "the last words that I heard from your lips'' was just one of those things that seems to come out of nowhere, but immediately feels right and tells you were the song needs to go, with an implicit question that needs to be answered before it's over," says E.G. Phillips.

"Although it leads with a slyly and subversively distorted guitar, with its soulful B3 organ, lushly stacked horns, and a seering tenor sax solo that really “digs in", this track feels like a throwback to the big band era. No points will be awarded for guessing the 1960s sitcom from which I cribbed the chords for the chorus."

Call this jazz-infused progressive folk or jazzy confessionals - call it what you will, but there are certain flavours here that can's be mistaken for anyone else, influenced by Duke Ellington and the jazz greats as much as Bob Dylan and even The Kinks with a touch of satirist Tom Lehrer in the mix.  

Produced by Chris McGrew, the forthcoming EP was recorded in Studio C of Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco (AKA Wally’s HydeOut). In this very room of the former Wally Heider Studios, numerous legendary artists (Herbie Hancock, Santana, Grateful Dead, Green Day, Dead Kennedys) recorded some of their most legendary sides.

Grammy-Winning Singer Judith Hill Releases New Single “Runaway Train”

GRAMMY-winning soul singer and songwriter Judith Hill proudly announces the release of her new single “Runaway Train,” out today, Sept. 15 via Regime Music Group.

“Runaway Train” speaks to the reflections of an artist finally taking time to look into the rearview mirror of her life’s path – the culmination of a passionate and unyielding pursuit of her music career above all else. The song’s chorus and stunning vocal performance captures the highs and lows of a woman in the music industry, owning the dedication she’s given to her craft over the past two decades while hinting at the personal sacrifices she’s made for it. 

Hill reveals the tough life decisions that “Runaway Train” alludes to: life on the road in lieu of domestic partnerships, career over family, music above all – and ultimately acceptance of the path she’s chosen.

She explains, “I am at a crossroads in my life of constantly choosing music and making decisions that are in support of what I'm doing as a musician and as an artist. So it comes with sacrifice and consequences.”

Regardless, Hill revels in the strength and beauty of the high-stakes life of creative pursuits and putting it all on the line to harness the power of now.

“Right now, this moment where I am at my age, singing the songs I am singing to the people that I'm singing it to, with the people on stage with me – that moment is so special, it'll never happen again. And those are the moments that make history leave an imprint on people's lives. It’s a transformative experience. At this point in the game, I have become a runaway train. The brakes have pulled out and this is not going to stop. We have invested way too much of my life, too much skin in the game, and I have put all of my investment in this. So there's no turning back.”

Hill’s already prolific career calls back to collaborations with icons such as Michael Jackson and Prince. She was selected to duet with the late Michael Jackson on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" during his This Is It concerts in London. After his sudden passing in June 2009, Hill sang lead on a number at Jackson's memorial service, putting her on the worldwide map in an instant. Her rise to fame is explored in “20 Feet from Stardom,” the documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman, where her performances garnered a 2015 GRAMMY Award for Best Music Film. Her work with Prince began after he discovered her on Revolt TV, where she spoke aloud her wish to work with him and he summoned her to his famous Paisley Park compound shortly after. Together they recorded her debut full-length solo album Back in Time, a promising project that the dearly departed genius both produced and played on.

Despite the high-profile collaborations, Hill used her 2021 studio album Baby, I’m Hollywood as a declaration to reclaim her story and personify Hollywood as a woman who’s a survivor. In a candid interview feature with SPIN, she stated, “When you find yourself in the crossfires of huge monuments (like Prince) you become a prisoner of your own story. It’s a weird feeling. Everybody else can go ‘This is my story’ and they’re free to tell it, but with me I really feel like I’m struggling to maneuver through a world that was taken from me. I’m now starting to find my way with it and starting to define my liberation. This album is the first step. I’m just now owning my story.” American Songwriter praised Hill’s journey, affirming that the album, “feels like a manifesto of sorts, embracing Hill’s struggles and blessings concurrently.”

Today’s release of “Runaway Train” precludes Hill’s upcoming performance at the Seventh Annual Crossroads Guitar Festival, taking place Sept. 23-24 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. A coveted event of performances and impromptu collaborations from the world’s most renowned guitar players, the festival is curated by Eric Clapton – who featured Hill in his July 2023 single “How Could We Know.”

After Crossroads, Hill, who is renowned for her powerhouse live performances, is set to headline a short series of California concerts: four shows in three nights at Yoshi’s in Oakland Sept. 26-28, followed by a showcase at Venice West in Venice Sept. 29. The following month she embarks on a month-long European fall tour across France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and Czechia in support of the new music. Hill returns stateside in November to close out the year in Atlantic City, New Jersey as a special guest for Chicago & Friends Nov. 17-18 to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the legendary rock band’s debut album Chicago Transit Authority.

Judith Hill 2023 Tour Dates

Sept. 26-28: Oakland, CA - Yoshi's

• Sept. 29: Venice, CA - Venice West
• Oct 12: Nîmes, France - Nîmes Métropole Jazz Festival
• Oct. 13: Aubange, Belgium - Centre Culturel d'Athus
• Oct. 14: Nancy, France - Nancy Jazz Pulsations
• Oct. 15: Verdun, France - Cathedral de Verdun
• Oct. 16: Zülpich, Germany - Live Proberaum
• Oct. 18: Hengelo, Netherlands - Cafe De Cactus
• Oct. 19: Arnhem, Netherlands - Musis & Stadstheater
• Oct. 21: Prerov, Czechia - Czechoslovak Jazz Festival
• Oct. 22: Bremen, Germany - Metropol Theater Bremen
• Oct. 24: Augsburg, Germany - Spectrum Club
• Oct. 25: Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos-Saal
• Oct. 26: Nurnberg, Germany - Der Hirsch
• Oct. 28: Fiesch, Switzerland - Inch Club
• Nov. 1: Stuttgart, Germany - Bix
• Nov. 2: Milan, Italy - Blue Note Milano
• Nov. 4: Rome, Italy - Roma Jazz Festival
• Nov. 5: Bologna, Italy - Bravo Caffe
• Nov. 7: Zoetermeer, Netherlands - Poppodium Boerderij
• Nov. 8: Marcq-en-Barouel, France - Theatre Charcto
• Nov. 10: Aulnay Sous Bois, France - Le Nouveau Cap
• Nov. 12: Landerneau, France - L'atelier Culturel
• Nov. 14: Dreux, France - Theatre de Dreux
• Nov. 17-18: Atlantic City, NJ - Chicago & Friends

Koma Saxo - Watten Koma (single)

Berlin-based Swedish bassist and producer Petter Eldh returns with a new Koma Saxo album ‘Post Koma’, out on We Jazz Records, 10 November.

The title Post Koma aptly describes the vibe of this one: The Koma Saxo sound continues its evolution, morphing into a holistic vision of jazz now and soon, where live instrumentation and repurposed sampling lose their boundaries.

Over the course of its three iterations (self-titled debut in 2019, LIVE in 2020, Koma West in 2022) Koma Saxo has sounded at times "liquid" and postproduced, at times raw and direct, at times acoustic and at other times oddly electronic (even while still being made with acoustic instruments). Post Koma is a culmination of this sonic study by Eldh, resulting in a music vision that never second-guesses throwing tasty hooks and everlasting melodies out the window after a mere bite of them. But fear not: there are even more new ideas just around the corner.

Eldh's compositions and ideas merge together in a way that just flows. There are quality musicians in the mix, including Koma Saxo live band members Sofia Jernberg, Jonas Kullhammar, Otis Sandsjö, Mikko Innanen, Maciej Obara and Christian Lillinger, but that's like saying that a cake includes flour and sugar. This music is not about playing, it's essentially about how the music is and how it takes its shape, so you quickly lose track of who did what, and that's all in the benefit of encountering this music as an entity that is constantly challenging itself while moving forward. The musicians are valued contributors, and an integral part of what's here, but this is far from traditional jazz playing where a band sits in a room playing takes after takes of compositions on sheet.

That being said, this is jazz to the fullest. That is, music that understands its past but always moves forward, and is never afraid of taking risks. Petter Eldh uses jazz as a starting point, not the end goal. This gives his music edge and mobility beyond what can be contained on one album. In a way, an album, then, becomes a snapshot of a creative process in constant flux and evolution.

'Watten Koma' is the first single taken from the album.

Roberto Vally | "Last Flight Home"

For a journeyman musician like bassist Roberto Vally, who has been touring for 44 years, there’s nothing like that last flight home as the sun sets at the end of a concert tour. And for Vally, that trip home could be anywhere in the world his family resides: from West Africa to Norway, from France to his Los Angeles residence. The destination really doesn’t matter. What does is re-uniting with loved ones. Vally’s new Woodward Avenue Records single, “Last Flight Home,” which began collecting playlist adds on Monday (September 11), captures the evocative emotional journey through warm melody, rich harmony and a robust groove.

Vally’s traveling companions on “Last Flight Home” are his cowriters: two-time Grammy nominated pianist David Benoit and Jeff Carruthers (Paul Brown, Boney James, Dave Koz). The bass player produced the track that features his pliable and lyrical bass lines along with scatted vocalizations. The flight team is bolstered by lush tenor sax embellishments added to the chorus by Billboard chart-topping tenor saxophonist Jeff Ryan and a nimble acoustic piano solo from Benoit, a seminal contemporary jazz artist who has a long history of collaborating with Vally. Another frequent collaborator, two-time Grammy winner Paul Brown mixed the track.

“Really everyone who plays on this track, I have extensive history of not only recording with them but having shared many chart successes together. The newest would be my labelmate, Jeff Ryan, and I just love the way he plays and knew that Jeff would bring something special to ‘Last Flight Home.’ And he did just that. I have many fond memories of playing and recording with David (Benoit). He wrote his part for this song, which really helped bring the entire thing to life,” said Vally, who will flank Benoit during the piano man’s famed “A Charlie Brown Christmas Tour” this coming holiday season.  

Brooklyn-born Vally was classically trained in the bass and music theory. He attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (made famous in “Fame”) and The Juilliard School briefly during and after high school. His versatile repertoire spanning classical, jazz, Latin, funk, rock, hip-hop, pop, reggae and soul music was developed and honed through international touring during which he accompanied an array of jazz, R&B and pop greats. After being invited to join Spyro Gyra when he was just 27 years old, Vally then toured the globe with Michael Franks. From there, he served long tenures as musical director for Diane Shuur and Randy Crawford and spent 29 years playing in Bobby Caldwell’s band. Vally has played recording dates with George Benson, Al Jarreau, Patti Austin, Jeffrey Osborne, Boney James, and many others. 

More than a premier sideman and a first-call session player, Vally started writing songs for members of the contemporary jazz royalty who are his contemporaries. He’s penned Billboard number one hits for Brown, Bob James, Kirk Whalum and Richard Elliot. He’s also written tunes for Larry Carlton, Boney James, Rick Braun, Euge Groove, Carol Albert, Marion Meadows and Najee.

 

GEORGE - Letter To George

Letters to George (OOYH 018), released January 27, 2023, is the debut recording of drummer, composer, and bandleader-extraordinaire John Hollenbeck and his brand new band GEORGE, featuring Anna Webber, Aurora Nealand, and Chiquita Magic. Pre-GEORGE Hollenbeck had two main creative outlets for his composing and drumming (both still active to varying degrees): The Claudia Quintet, his long-standing band featuring Chris Speed, Drew Gress, Matt Moran, and Red Wierenga, has been redefining jazz for the last 25 years. And the GRAMMY-nominated John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, a 19-piece big band assembled in 2005, whose lineup reads as a who’s-who of modern creative jazz (notable members are Theo Bleckmann, Matt Mitchell, Patricia Brennan, Tony Malaby, Anna Webber, to name just a few). So a new band, and the first one in 17-years, is kind of a big deal for Hollenbeck, and for jazz fans across the world. On a personal note, this is a very special album for me (Adam Hopkins) to have as part of the OOYH Records catalog. John has been a bit of a mentor to me since subbing for Drew Gress in the Claudia Quintet on a 2017 tour, when I saw firsthand what an incredible band leader he is, as well as his complete devotion to this music. I can say without hesitation that there is not a single element of this recording, or this new band, that does not receive the utmost attention to detail or careful consideration from John.

Hollenbeck formed GEORGE with three specific musicians in mind, all whom he admired and wanted to play with, but none of who knew each other well before they remotely recorded PROOF OF CONCEPT in March 2021. This track was essentially a test to see how the band sounded, and how they worked together (spoiler: it worked). The recording session for Letters to George took place in Montreal in January of 2022. It was the first time the quartet even set foot in the same room, and they immediately coalesced into what was very obviously going to be John Hollenbeck’s next trailblazing band. All four members of GEORGE are skilled improvisers without a doubt, but they come together from three different corners of the music world; Hollenbeck and Webber are very much a part of the same orbit from the Brooklyn creative music scene (they are the only two members of GEORGE with a prior musical history), Nealand is at the forefront of the revival of New Orleans Traditional Jazz, and Chiquita Magic’s solo releases are described as futuristic pop using microtonal synths, voice, and drum machines. The fruits of this exceptional combination of musicians proves Hollenbeck to be part of an esteemed lineage of jazz bandleaders, think Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, and Miles Davis, who write for specific musical personalities to express their singular vision. To me, GEORGE draws more than a few parallels to the second great Miles Davis Quintet

(Claudia being the “first”). The sum is greater than the parts, but the parts (all bandleaders in their own right) each have a unique voice that shines brightly as part of the ensemble, and GEORGE is overflowing with the distinct musical personalities of each of its four members.

That all being said, calling GEORGE a jazz band misses the mark a bit. For starters, if you see GEORGE perform live you’ll notice that no one is reading music, a very conscious decision by Hollenbeck. On that, he says “The idea when I was writing was that [the compositions] could be taught without needing any notation, which greatly affects all different parts of the pieces. I know some people in the band don’t really even know what time signature [each piece] is written in. They have their own relationship to the music. So, that’s kinda cool. I love that.” When I saw GEORGE in Richmond on their first tour in March 2022, they presented the music very much as a rock band would, but with twists and turns touching on synth-pop, full-on extended jazz solos, super tight synth-bass/drum grooves, and anything else that might be a part of any one band member’s distinctive background. Is it jazz? Sure, but it is a whole lot of other things as well. What is important is that this music is new, it is futuristic, it will make you think but also make you dance, and it is a band that we can only hope will be making music together for the next 17-25 years. Letters to George is just the beginning for GEORGE.

Peripheral Vision – We’ve Got Nothing

Peripheral Vision is one of the most exciting and innovative jazz quartets on the international jazz scene. Based in Toronto, Canada, the group is co-lead by long-time musical collaborators guitarist Don Scott and bassist Michael Herring. They have assembled a synergistic musical unit designed to push the boundaries of jazz while engaging the listener with a grooving, toe-tapping immediacy. Their distinctive musical voice bridges tradition and innovation, with deeply felt influences ranging from jazz, rock, classical, and improv, with a focus on dynamic group interaction.

We’ve Got Nothing is Peripheral Vision’s 2nd live album, and 6th full length release. It is a thrilling celebration of the band’s 15 years together, and marks the first time in their long creative history that Scott and Herring have co-written music together. The project was conceived during the pandemic as a way to create collaboratively; thankfully, pandemic restrictions were lifted in time for them to work together in person. They were eventually able to debut their new music at the return of their long-running monthly series at The Tranzac, one of Toronto’s most important creative music hubs. The concert series was recorded over the course of four months between January to April 2023 by Peripheral Vision’s long-time co-producer/mad scientist Jean Martin (Barnyard Records). The album is a collection of the band’s finest performances from the series, with each piece accompanied by live video filmed and edited by Good Job Hi Five (the creative team of Brittany Farhat & Matt Fong).

Once again, Peripheral Vision has mined the intricacies of their collective neuroses for inspiration. We’ve Got Nothing is about the constantly pressing search for new sources of creativity – especially on the heels of the disruption of the pandemic. Scott and Herring drew on a range of influences for the record: Comedian Stewart Lee’s musings on lost creativity and his deft (and hilarious) incorporation of his anxiety into his routine; the influential bassist Dave Holland’s thoughts on achieving balance in life; and most importantly, the band’s 15 year history of playing and traveling together. The original working title for this project was Telling Tales Out Of School, a phrase they often use in their “Comedy Vehicle” (aka their tour van) while encouraging a policy of “Full Disclosure,” which may, on occasion, require invoking the “Cone Of Silence.”

Jocelyn Gould – Sonic Bouquet

Swing, blues and bebop are the core musical values of Jocelyn Gould’s new album Sonic Bouquet. With this record, the JUNO-winning guitarist builds on the success of her first two albums with a studio recording that captures the spirit and spontaneity of a live club performance. It was recorded in a single day, immediately after Gould’s return to Toronto from a six week, thirty-three concert tour of the United States. Gould and her internationally acclaimed band landed in Toronto together, just in time to start an electric, four-night run at Toronto’s storied Rex Hotel. The morning after their last show, they entered a studio in the heart of Toronto to capture the energy of these performances.

The title Sonic Bouquet refers to a musical process where each musician can add their own colour, timbre, and personality to a recording – much in the same way that a collection of individual flowers combines in a bouquet. The ensemble features an unconventional front line of two guitars and clarinet: this unique instrumentation was central to the writing and arranging process.

Gould has always put together world class bands for her recordings, and Sonic Bouquet is no exception. Featured musicians include drummer Quincy Davis from Texas, bassist Rodney Whitaker and guitarist Randy Napoleon from Michigan, pianist Will Bonness from Winnipeg, and clarinetist Virginia MacDonald from Toronto. The band, spanning 3 generations, brings decades of love and passion for jazz music to life.

Sonic Bouquet is full of swing, bebop, blues, jazz standards – both familiar and obscure – and original compositions. It is the result of Gould’s long-time desire to collaborate with Randy Napoleon, an old friend and one of her favourite guitarists. Both Gould and Napoleon contributed arrangements and original music written specifically for this collaboration. 

New Music Releases: Joey Alexander, Wayne Shorter, Bombino & Jesse Dietschi Trio

Joey Alexander - Continuance 

Pianist and composer Joey Alexander’s seventh album, Continuance, is the story of a critically acclaimed artist at the peak of his creativity, not only as a bandleader but as a celebrated composer. At 20 years old, Alexander has gathered his touring band, consisting of Kris Funn (bass) and John Davis (drums), to translate their unique improvisation on the stage to the studio with the help of trumpeter Theo Croker. Featuring five newly written original compositions and breathtaking renditions of “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (made famous by Bonnie Raitt) and the popular hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” Alexander is bound to make new waves on a global level.

Wayne Shorter - Odyssey Of Iska (HQCD pressing)

A very unusual album for Wayne Shorter – recorded right around that 1970 point when Duke Pearson was exploring formats for Blue Note artists that included larger, often electric arrangements, pointing the way towards some of the later 70s soul jazz work on labels like Kudu or CTI! This set, produced by Pearson, features Shorter as the main soloist on tenor and soprano sax – in a very hip group that includes Dave Friedman on vibes, Gene Bertoncini on guitar, Ron Carter and Cecil McBee on bass, and both Billy Hart and Alphonse Mouzon on drums. Tracks are long and complicated, with searching soulful arrangements that are part post-Miles fusion, part early 70s indie soul jazz – but balanced nicely without any sense of overindulgence at all. Shorter's soprano work is very nice, and much more angular than his playing on tenor – and titles include "Wind", "Joy", "Storm", and "Calm". ~ Dusty Groove

Bombino - Sahel

It's been quite a few years since Bombino's previous record – and in that time, it almost feels as if he's locked himself up somewhere and learned how to be even more amazing on guitar! His sense of sound, tone, and timing is incredible – and the record's one of those Tuareg sets that can easily stand next to Anglo greats from the years of psych and hard rock – but with that special sub-Saharan quality that also makes a player like Bombino so unique – as he spins out long lines of freedom and fuzz over plenty of driving rhythms! Titles include "Darfuq", "Alwane", "Tazidert", "Aitma", Si Chilan", "Mes Amis", "Ayes Sachen", and "Nik Sant Awanha".  ~ Dusty Groove

Jesse Dietschi Trio – Gradient

Gradient: a change in the magnitude of a property observed in passing from one moment to another. The term implies gradual transition on a continuous scale between two seemingly opposing elements. In Gradient, the Jesse Dietschi Trio travel along a continuum between modern jazz and contemporary classical chamber music, adjusting position as they navigate compositions that blend these styles. The progression of the album invites the listener on a journey from modern jazz soundscapes to chamber music aesthetics and back again. Leader, bassist, and composer Jesse Dietschi is an international touring and recording jazz artist who also serves as a top-call extra musician with both the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Canadian Opera Company. Joined by pianist Ewen Farncombe and drummer Ethan Ardelli, the compositions featured in Gradient draw from Dietschi’s extensive training in both the jazz and orchestral fields to create lush and colorful auditory narratives exploring a wide range of emotional responses. From joyful to melancholy, exciting to introspective, optimistic to angsty, Gradient uses both composition and improvisation to take listeners on a journey through the full gamut of human experiences.

Bassist Ciara Moser Explores on Her Journey as a Blind Musician on Her Modern Jazz Fusion Debut, "Blind. So what?"

As a professional bassist and someone who has been blind since birth, part of Dublin-born/Austria-raised/Boston-based Ciara Moser’s identity has shaped her unique journey through life and music in a profound way. Blind. So what?, Moser’s modern jazz fusion debut album, is centered around her experience as a blind musician while also raising awareness for the blind community.

The songs on Blind. So what?, available October 20, explore topics such as the art of memorizing, spatial sense for orientation, trusting others, and the different perceptions that blind people have on the world. The 27-year-old Moser, who plays virtuosic basslines on a Fodera electric six-string throughout the album, undoubtedly knows her way around groove-laden funk fusion and experimental contemporary jazz/world music.

While Moser pursued her master’s degree at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, she was mentored by its director and multiple GRAMMY-winning Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez, who Moser has performed with around the globe, John Patitucci, Victor Wooten, Terri Lyne Carrington, Joe Lovano and others. Moser’s stint at Berklee not only heightened her playing and composing skills but she was also deeply inspired by the theme of using music as a vehicle for social change, thus inspiring her to pen compositions for Blind. So what? Each tune on the album is lyrically and instrumentally dedicated to one topic concerning music and blindness. The lyrics were written by Moser except for the poem “The Lady with a Green Cane.”

Moser’s insightful arrangements on Blind. So what? give each of the many of the album’s musicians, most of which all current and former Berklee students, a chance to showcase their artistry and add their individual flavor to the compositions. Moser is joined by drummer and vocalist Lumanyano MZI, percussionists Juan Sebastian Sanchez and George Lernis, keyboardists Warren Pettey, Stephanie Weninger and Anastassiya Petrova, guitarists Amaury Cabral, Liam Garcia and Isaac Romagosa, saxophonists Salim Charvet, Shahar Amdor and Lihi Haruvi, lead vocalists Aditi Malhotra and Nishant Shekar, backing vocalists Masa Vujadinovic and Shivaraj Natraj as well as several others who provide spoken voices.

Following an intro that a screen reader (software that translates what is displayed on the screen for a blind person) recites the album title in 16 languages, Moser, and the band lock into the tight funk groove on “I Trust.” Moser says the composition is dedicated to the “trust in sighted peers, friends, family and colleagues which is necessary for living in this visual world as a blind person. The first step to trust others is to be confident in yourself, let go of any fear and urge to control and open your heart and have faith in the people who help me to see.”

Moser says “Memory,” for which she won a 2023 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award, “is about the art and structure of memorizing, which is crucial for a blind person. A blind person needs to memorize all the music they play, the ways they walk, where they put their belongings and many more things. The task of internalizing melody and chords of a song like a language or a code requires practice, discipline, patience, consistency, concentration, and energy and in contrast to reading it will help the player to express the emotion and message of the song.”

“The Call to See Beyond,” Moser says, is about “the visual first impression a person has of someone and a call to see beyond the physical appearance of a person. Open your heart, soul and see beyond because the person is the thing we care about and not the stereotypes that were put on them and what they look like by society. A blind person is not blinded by those things.”

“Different Ability” is a two-part composition in which the first part is “dedicated to the moment of realization that something is different, and we are being treated differently while entering school, kindergarten and growing up as a blind person,” Moser says. Part two of “Different Ability” outlines the importance of individuality and leads to the conclusion that being different is something special.

Moser plays a stunning two-minute bass intro before launching into the Latin-tinged “Humanity,” which she says speaks of the dark sides of humanity, “but that the belief in hope and its ability to strive will lead towards inclusion, unity and equality.” The composition features vocalists from India and South Africa who say and sing the words hope, unity and humanity in their mother tongues.

Moser’s composition “Developing Senses” looks at the higher use of senses that blind people need to compensate for lack of sight. “A sighted person relies on 90 percent of their perceptional information for seeing, which means that there is only 10 percent left for other methods of perception,” Moser says. “A blind person, however, makes far more use of the other senses, such as hearing and touch, and thus elevating these senses far beyond those of sighted individuals. In the piece each of the four senses a blind person uses to a higher extent is assigned a motive and the motives are extended and developed throughout the piece, which symbolizes the higher use of those senses.”

“Sixth Sense” is about the proprioception sense or kinesthesia, the sense of body awareness. The song contains spacy sounds and rhythms that symbolize the feeling of movement.

On the odd-metered song “Traveling,” Moser invites the listener into the world of traveling as a blind person with different smells, feelings, emotions, tastes and influences weaved into the composition to create a full sensory experience. “Along with the exciting 11/8 rhythms come catchy synth and guitar sounds and a Moroccan drone with an emotional and meditational improvisation bring the idea of traveling through music to a new level,” Moser says.

The album closes with “The Lady with a Green Cane,” a free improvisation performed along with a poem of the same name written by Fran Gardner. Moser says the poem was recorded first, and then everyone improvised over it one at a time. Each musician had only one take to improvise, which allowed for an honest and raw interpretation from every instrument.

Miles Spilsbury - Cyclamen/Tungsten

Saxophonist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Miles Spilsbury shares radio edits of ‘Cyclamen’ and ‘Tungsten’, 2 tracks taken from his debut solo album ‘Light Manoeuvres’, set to be released via Rush Hour Music’s New Dawn label in autumn 2023.

‘Light Manoeuvres’ may be Spilsbury’s first full-length as bandleader, but the Brighton-based artist brings more than a decade of experience to bear on this record. In addition to a list of collaborators which includes Carlos Niño, Iglooghost, Nate Mercereau, Surya Botofasina and Yasei Collective, Spilsbury has been a permanent member of celebrated avant-rock experimentalists The Physics House Band since 2018. He has performed at prestigious UK venues such as the Southbank Centre and the London Jazz Festival, and has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Japan.

‘Light Manoeuvres’ is about warmth, generosity and openness. The music which would become Light Manoeuvres was sketched in fragments, but began to take shape in earnest during a period of living under the Marseille haze in the South of France.

The specific character and opacity of the light in Marseille inspired the album title which imagines the movement of light passing over different subjects and spaces in intricate motion. Sand blows over from the Sahara on the Sirocco wind and is whipped up by the Mistral, the Marseille sky becomes golden and vapoured, then intermittently pastel blue. That image stuck while shaping this body of work, and became integral to the function of the compositions - which act as jumping off points for the players and myself, vehicles for improvisation and gateways to something else entirely.

‘Cyclamen’ and ‘Tungsten’ are now available for radio play, while full length album ‘Light Manoeuvres’ will be available as LP / Digital via New Dawn in November 2023.

Miles Spilsbury plays 91 Living Room (London) on 23rd September with Jake Long (Gary Bartz, Maisha, Snapped Ankles), Cameron Dawson (Vels Trio) and Oliver Cadman (Nubiyan Twist / John Carroll Kirby)

Brian McCarthy's AFTER|LIFE

Saxophonist, bandleader and composer Brian McCarthy found that idea a source of boundless inspiration as he conceived the music for AFTER|LIFE, the second album by his acclaimed Nonet. Out via Truth Revolution Recording Collective, AFTER|LIFE is the follow-up to McCarthy’s critically lauded The Better Angels of Our Nature, which explored the Civil War era and its music through stunning original compositions and brilliant reimaginings of vintage folk songs.

With AFTER|LIFE, the scope and ambition of McCarthy’s vision has expanded on a cosmic scale. While he originally pondered a series of pieces reflecting on different cultures’ concepts of life after death, he found himself compelled more by science than spirituality. The cyclical nature of the universe, the possibility that it will eventually collapse and then explode into a reborn reality – and the distinct possibility that this has already happened, perhaps many times – was enthralling enough to fuel an hour’s worth of adventurous, stargazing music that traces the life cycle of our solar system.

“The life that we're living is basically a form of whatever came before us,” McCarthy says. “In that sense, we exist in the after life. I’m fascinated by the fact that all the molecules that make up our bodies, our atmosphere, the planet that we live on and all the planetary bodies around us were once a part of the same giant structure. We are all inevitably connected, even at a molecular level, no matter how different we might think we are.”

As much as these grand ideas serve to fuel McCarthy’s creativity, he’s equally inspired by the stellar band he’s assembled. All but one member of the Nonet return from Better Angels, many of them collaborators since his days from his days at William Paterson University or in the band of legendary trumpeter Clark Terry. The group includes trumpeter and former teacher Bill Mobley, saxophonists Daniel Ian Smith, Andrew Gutauskas and Stantawn Kendrick, trombonist Cameron McManus, bassist Matt Aronoff, pianist Justin Kauflin and drummer Jared Schonig along with McCarthy on alto and soprano saxes.

“Knowing these players the way that I do, it's second nature at this point to tailor the music for their individual personalities,” he explains. “I know what situations they'll thrive in and I also know the situations that might make them a little uncomfortable but that will push them a bit. And I definitely use both of those.”

The final member of the ensemble is producer Linda Little, McCarthy’s partner in life as well as music, who brought a keen ear and a much-needed perspective to the sessions. “I completely trust Linda’s ideas and criticisms,” McCarthy says. “We may not always agree, but in the end the music ends up being better than either of us could have made by ourselves.”

AFTER|LIFE begins with “Nebula,” a brief introductory piece that captures the monumental stillness of the “vast, dense cloud of dust and gas that was motionless for hundreds of millions of years” and that eventually gave birth to the solar system. It segues into “The Beginning,” where a lively, ricocheting energy imagines the progression from chaos to order. The vibrant, chamber-like horns that open “Flux” provide a wondrous sense of the transfer and flow of energy, while a gentle melody orbits Matt Aronoff’s robust bass line to depict “Kepler’s Law” regarding planetary motion.

The centerpiece of AFTER|LIFE is the titular three-piece suite, the most ambitious composition in McCarthy’s repertoire to date. The piece is the evolution of the cosmos in miniature, beginning with a relatively simple, swinging melody that becomes increasingly complex over the course of the 18-minute suite, culminating in the frenetic pace of modern life. “Lucy” provides a searching postscript; the piece is named for NASA’s 2021 mission to study the formation of the solar system, which borrowed its name from our fossilized ancestor. The piece is built on the three-note motif that NASA sent out in a call to artists to create music inspired by the mission. 

AFTER|LIFE, which was awarded grants from the Vermont Community Foundation and the Vermont Arts Council, is also a direct result of its predecessor’s success, as the plaudits that greeted the release of Better Angels helped steer McCarthy’s trajectory in the direction of more conceptual works. But where the first album took elements from wartime songs and melodies, with AFTER|LIFE McCarthy had to start from scratch, somehow translating the very fabric of the universe into concrete musical ideas. He found parallels in the speculative nature of theoretical science itself, the need for scientists to make grand leaps in logic akin to those of science fiction authors in order to conceive new breakthroughs in understanding.

“Astronomers and physicists need to have an artistic view to bridge the gap between the observable universe and what lies beyond,” McCarthy says. “They need to have a firm grasp on both reality and artistic fantasy to make that come to life. It's unconventional thinking mixed with conventional physics that brings those ideas into reality.” 

Saxophonist, composer and arranger Brian McCarthy draws inspiration from the history of jazz while maintaining a modern awareness. His debut nonet project, The Better Angels of Our Nature, began with a Creation Grant from the Vermont Arts Council and was named one of the best albums of 2017 by the Huffington Post and DownBeatMagazine included the album in their "Best of 2017" lists. McCarthy is a Selmer-Paris and D’Addario Woodwinds endorsed saxophonist who has additionally released two albums of small group material: Codex (2017) which was awarded a grant from the Vermont Community Foundation, and This Just In (2013). Offstage, McCarthy has laid down roots in presenting and education as Saxophone Affiliate Artist at the University of Vermont and adjunct Director of Bands at Saint Michael's College.

 

Jeff Babko, Tim Lefebvre & Mark Guiliana | "Clam City"

When three friends get together, conversation, camaraderie, and cosmic communication can occur in the most special of cases. That unpredictable magic erupts every time keyboardist Jeff Babko, bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Mark Guiliana converge for a “hang," or in the case of Clam City, recorded live at the LA jazz venue Sam First, a musical evening of discovery.

“Friendship is vital. The spirit of camaraderie is crucial to a greater collective of shared ideas, laughter, and to be sure, music,” Babko writes in the liner for Clam City, available on vinyl and digital platforms via Sam First Records on November 10.

Babko states the bond between the three musicians, whose credits span from David Bowie’s album Blackstar and Donny McCaslin’s band, to TV appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live and motion picture soundtracks, is palpable within the grooves of Clam City. 

“To the casual listener and avid music participant alike, the music heard here reflects the magic that happens in a ‘real time’ moment with very little prejudice, expectation or direction,” Babko writes in the liner notes. “The music composed for Clam City is distilled to the most basic of notated data and the dream of what it can be when cast under the spell of my pals’ brilliant ears, hands, brains and souls. 

The album’s opener, “The Church of Bill Hilton,” suggests gospel, as does the title. “But if you saw the San Fernando Valley church where I was the organist as a teenager, there was an emphasis on suburban and less… urban,” Babko writes. “But growing up listening to Keith Jarrett, Ramsey Lewis, Billy Preston and Richard Tee nudged elsewhere. We end up somewhere in the middle. Bill Hilton was a kind pastor and man, regardless.”

Babko says “New Wave Theatre” takes the listener into the present and future. “Mark, Tim and I all keep one foot (and several additional toes) in contemporary music and enjoy exploring the production and compositional style of a post-1980 world,” Babko writes. (New Wave Theatre was a brilliant and bizarre local ‘80s TV show— its harmonica toting host Peter Ivers was mysteriously found dead in downtown LA.)

“New Jersey Ballad” was the one chart Guiliana brought in to play when Babko and Lefebvre first brought the drummer “out west” from the East Coast and played as a trio in 2012. “Its warmth and simplicity invite multiple visits a night and reminds us that Jersey is more than Secaucus and is indeed the Garden State,” Babko writes.

“This West” is a new folk melody with a soul vamp, Babko writes, and the fellas knew what to do with the music while Thelonious Monk’s “Boo Boo’s Birthday” was fun for the trio to run through at any given moment. “Monk’s music can be so playful and wide open and celebratory,” Babko writes. “It’s fun to ‘swing’ with [Mark and Tim], and I don’t think we ever really intended to go ‘all the way’ in that direction, but lo and behold…”

Babko says “Fugue Robotique” is what the title suggests, a Kraftwerk Berlin pulse with some harmonic visits from a few towns away where J.S. Bach might have strutted his stuff. “We seem to get lost in a video arcade along the way,” Babko says.

The album’s journey approaches conclusion with “Chongo’s Song,” aptly named after Babko’s wife, when his son couldn’t pronounce words. Babko says, “Thankfully for us, his unfamiliarity of the English language provided many song titles at the time. Tim and I recorded it on an album called Crow Nuts years ago and he seems to like continuing to play it, so we keep playing it. A ballad that proves that patience and space can inspire creativity and breath within the cracks, and like it or not, intensity can blossom.”

The album joyfully concludes with “New Jersey Ballad – Return to Jerz,” which Babko says is “lovely stopover before you return to your regularly scheduled programming.”

Babko and the trio thank Sam First Records for “catching and releasing” the sounds in a “safe and inspiring space for us to share these real time moments with those that want to join us on the ride.”

Nora Stanley & Benny Bock Share | "Distance of the Moon"

On their first album together as a duo, Distance of the Moon is a deep journey into acoustic, electronic, and improvisatory realms by Nora Stanley and Benny Bock. With a friendship dating back to high school in Berkeley, CA, the saxophone/ keyboard duo has been making music together for nearly a decade. Hikes through the Marin Headlands and Mt. Tam set the landscape for a long friendship that only deepened when the duo found themselves both living in Ohio, attending Oberlin Conservatory. Cross country road trips and weekend excursions through cornfields further solidified a connection both personal and musical that Nora and Benny have continued to build throughout the past four years despite being situated on opposite coasts. 

Nora and Benny share uncanny similarities in their upbringing including the music, art and cultures they were exposed to from a young age. These similarities are reflected in a parallel musical connection with the duo reacting on a deep instinctual level, completing each other’s musical sentences and drawing from a vast wealth of shared experiences, values and interests. The opportunity to convene at Pete Min’s studio, Lucy’s Meat Market, allowed the duo to finally document the powerful musical connection they have been developing with the help of many friends. Distance of the Moon brings together shared musical, literary, and cinematic influences. Improvisation, spontaneity and instinct make up the heart of the creation process for this record, which was co-produced by Min. 

The duo’s connection to and deep love for the natural landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area is present throughout the record and is referenced in songs like “Into The Flats” and “Hawk Hill”, which is also an homage to the late Pharaoh Sanders. Distance of the Moon features the duo on a plethora of instruments, capturing a variety of textures and sounds from pump organ and prepared piano to Oberheim Four Voice synthesizer and baritone guitar. 

Distance of the Moon features guests Abe Rounds, CJ Camerieri, Daphne Chen, Doug Stuart, Jacob Richards, Jeff Parker, Mark Giuliana, Myles Martin and Owen Clapp. This is the first full length release from Nora Stanley & Benny Bock and Benny’s second release on Colorfield Records. 

Nora and Benny draw influence from the duo recordings of Charlie Haden and Ornette Coleman as well as the playful and exploratory music of Argentinian composer Juana Molina. Other influences include LA artists Sam Gendel and Sam Wilkes, Keith Jarrett, Pharoah Sanders, composers such as Olivier Messiaen, Caroline Shaw, Arvo Part, and Indonesian Gamelan. 

New Music Releases: David Boykin Expanse, Tomorrow Comes The Harvest, Carlos Nino & Joe McPhee / Mette Rasmussen / Dennis Tyfus

David Boykin Expanse - Chicago – Featuring Lasana Kazembe

One of the most spiritual, most well-conceived sessions we've heard from reedman David Boykin in years – a single performance that runs for almost 30 minutes, featuring a totally hip lineup that includes Nicole Mitchell on flute, Joshua Abrams on bass, Jeff Parker on guitar, Eliel Sherman Storey on tenor, and Avreeyal Ra on drums! The key element here, though, is Lasana Kazembe – who delivers a powerful spoken passage at points – these righteous words about our fair city of Chicago, with a powerful message about the city and life within. Lawrence Jones adds congas to the proceedings, Zahra Glenda Baker sings a bit, and the whole thing resonates with a mix of jazz, spoken word, and spiritual message that takes us back to some of our favorite recordings of the 70s! ~ Dusty Groove

Tomorrow Comes The Harvest - Evolution

A very cool project – one that was initiated by the late Tony Allen in collaboration with Detroit keyboardist/percussionist Jeff Mills – and which is carried forth here by a trio with a really soaring, far-reaching vibe! Percussion is at the core – played both by Mills and by Prabhu Edouard, who adds in all this great work on tablas, which grounds the acoustic side of the record – as Jean Phi Dary plays keyboards along with Mills, and really sends the whole thing climbing to the skies! There's a mix of jazz and broken beat energy going on here – although the beats certainly aren't broken, and we're using that reference to indicate some of the best spiritual inspirations of the 4Hero generation. Yet these guys are definitely onto something new, and very much their own – on titles that include "Rising Water", "Words Of Wisdom", "Peace Pipe", and "Metamorphosis". ~ Dusty Groove

Carlos Nino - I'm Just Chillin – On Fire

We've been following the music of Carlos Nino for many years, and during that time he's never failed to take us on an amazing journey – yet despite that legacy, this set may well be his most visionary record in years – a tremendous summation of ideas that have been brimming around the edges of some of his more subtle projects, really given focus, and set off into some great new directions! Make no mistake, this is no all-out jamming session – Carlos is hardly "on fire" – yet his creativity burns with a new sensibility that's wonderful, as he opens the door for a lineup of guests that includes heavyweights like Kamasi Washington, Jamael Dean, Andre 3000, and Laraaji – while still acting very strongly as the spiritual leader of the whole proceedings! The music is seeded with wisdom and knowledge throughout – and titles include "One For Derf", "Woo Acknowledgement", "Spacial", "Am I Dreaming", "Mighty Stillness", "Flutestargate", and "Maha Rose North". ~ Dusty Groove

Joe McPhee / Mette Rasmussen / Dennis Tyfus  - Oblique Strategies

A really haunting setting for the great Joe McPhee – working here mostly on tenor, next to the alto of Mette Rasmussen, and a mix of percussion, voice, and tape manipulation from Dennis Tyfus – all of which make for a very different sounding record for Joe than usual! The resonances of both horns are fantastic – maybe qualities that just come from the performance, or the way they were recorded – although we're guessing that Tyfus also has a hand in opening them up in very cool ways, creating all these extended sonic passages that are surprisingly beautiful, and which really find a great balance between silence and action! Titles include "Sun Gore", "Death Or Dinner", "Destilled Edible", and "Light My Fire". ~ Dusty Groove