New music releases: Alpacas Collective, Ted Falcon, Erobique, and Dario Margeli

Alpacas Collective - Gunkali

Belgian 11-piece global groove ensemble Alpacas Collective takes you on a trip from Lagos to Addis Ababa, from Augusta, Georgia to New Orleans, and from Delhi to sci-fi worlds far beyond our solar system, bringing it all back home in a unique set of original songs. The band draws inspiration from James Brown, Fela Kuti, Mulatu Astatke, The Meters, Sun Ra, Ravi Shankar, The Heliocentrics, …and many others. Like their great examples, the grooves are laced with cutting horn lines and rousing percussion breaks. Funk is the basis, flavored with afro, jazz, boogaloo, soul and eastern vibes. Alpacas Collective has shared the stage with renowned acts such as Mulatu Astatke, The Budos Band, Lefties Soul Connection, Cody Chesnutt, Quantic Soul Orchestra, The Poets and Rhythm and more. The band found their voice and soul on their well-received debut album Seven Wisdoms of Plutonia released in October 2022, a tasty blend of smells and musical spices that included 60s and 70s Ethiopian styles and compositions, afrobeat and US style funk. One year on, the ensemble is excited to release the second collection of Alpacas tunes. From the adventurous spaces of Plutonia, from where Alpacas Collective emerged, this gang of fanatic music lovers continue their trip through new places with new friends on their upcoming second album Big Words.

Ted Falcon - TÔ CHEGANDO-Almost There

When people think of Brazilian music, the first thing that comes to mind is bossa nova. But Ted Falcon, a jazz violinist, mandolinist and composer, fell in love with a different style of Brazilian music called “choro.” Falcon’s newest album, TÔ CHEGANDO-Almost There, comprises 14 original compositions that celebrate the happy, danceable, urban rhythms of choro music. Falcon plays both violin and mandolin on the album, which was recorded in São Paulo, Brazil, and Los Angeles with different bands. Falcon is not only a devotee of the music, but he also pushed its musical boundaries by introducing the violin to the mix of traditional choro instruments. He has become the premier choro violinist in the world. Although the word choro (pronounced shoru) means "cry" or "lament," the music is vibrant and cheerful. Considered the first urban popular music in Brazil, choro was born in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. Often played at informal gatherings called “rodas de choro,“ choro is characterized by the virtuosity and improvisation of its participants. Falcon is a highly accomplished musician and composer, and the music on TÔ CHEGANDO is the best of two worlds. Choro is often labeled the “jazz of Brazil.” Improvisation is at the heart of choro, and its origin is a hybrid of African, European and American musical styles. While Falcon stays true to its rich roots, he pushes the envelope and opens the music to even wider influences.

Erobique - No.2

Carsten Meyer aka Erobique (born July 11, 1972 in Saerbeck, Westphalia) is a German composer, musician and entertainer who has been active for over 30 years both as a solo artist and as a member of various formations. Erobique became known above all for his solo concerts as a disco musician, which often flowed into impetuous dance parties and, since he has been around for 30 years, he has been able to attract a very heterogeneous & colorful audience from ages 6 to 60, with often two generations of a family attending concerts, and the average number of spectators in 2022 being between 1000 to 2000. His performances have included concerts for institutions such as the Goethe Institut as well as in non-European countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Israel, China (Shanghai). In addition, there have been and still are engagements as a composer and/or theater musician at numerous German and Swiss stages (Schauspielhaus Zurich, Residenztheater Munich, Schauspiel Hannover, Thalia Hamburg, Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Kampnagel Hamburg, Deutsches Theater Berlin and many others), including collaborations with Herbert Fritsch, Stefan Pucher, Studio Braun. In addition there were composition commissions from Haus der Kunst Munich (audio guide for the ‘Gilbert & George’ retrospective), and radio plays by national German radio stations WDR and SWR. As well as his solo work, Erobique has been active in various formations, such as International Pony (with DJ Koze and Cosmic DJ), the Hamburg Spinners, ex & Erobique, Songs for Joy (yearly project at the Gorki-Theater in Berlin with Jacques and Chris Dietermann), and others.

Dario Margeli - To Be Like Water

Dario Margeli releases a new guitar-led smooth jazz song, entitled "To Be Like Water." "To Be Like Water" benefits from jazz guitar solos by Ezequiel Angeleri. This recording fits perfectly with recordings by Norman Brown, Niles, Adam Hawley, and Chris Standring. Previously, Dario Margeli achieved significant Smooth Jazz radio airplay with the 2019 recording "Suffering is optional". The song was also added to two very important smooth jazz electric guitar Spotify playlists. This means that to this day the song is getting discovered by new listeners. It has stream counts approaching a hundred thousand when adding the different versions and youtube listens. Dario trained as a musician in the 1980's, however musicianship was left behind to pursue regular office jobs. In 2011 with the availability of digital recording software and social media, Dario took interest in music again and released his first single. He releases one song a year, as he still combines music with his office work. The music is often non-aggressive and inspired by meditation, Buddhism and self-improvement.

Sara Serpa / André Matos | "Night Birds"

Vocalist Sara Serpa and guitarist André Matos consolidate their partnership with a compelling and magnetic new album. Night Birds, available September 29, 2023 on Robalo Music, establishes Serpa and Matos’ gifts as a creative and an expansive duo in a program of contrasting beauty and darkness, with mesmerizing and textural pieces featuring Dov Manski, Sofia Jernberg, Okkyung Lee and João Pereira.

Seven years after their last duo album, vocalist Sara Serpa and guitarist André Matos return with Night Birds. Due out September 29, 2023 in CD and digital download on the Portuguese label Robalo Music, the duo’s third release captures and crystallizes their uncanny musical connection. Serpa is widely acclaimed as one of the premier vocalists of her generation and was crowned the 2020 Vocalist of the Year by NPR. Matos has been praised as “one of the kings of melody..." by the New York Music Daily. Together, their music has been described as “decidedly otherworldly and totally original” (The Classical Arts) and “a perfect musical union” (O Público).

A collection of original compositions, improvisations and a Bartok bagatelle, the dozen tracks on Night Birds reflect on the fast-paced societies of the modern world, questioning the consumption and exploitation of natural ecosystems. Serpa’s distinctive singing and Matos’ spectacular sonic landscapes are enhanced by original and creative artists in jazz and improvised music including Brooklyn-based pianist Dov Manski, South-Korean avant-garde cellist Okkyung Lee (John Zorn, Nels Cline, Chris Corsano, and Thurston Moore),  Ethiopian-Swedish experimental vocalist Sofia Jernberg (Fire! Orchestra, Mette Rasmussen), Portuguese up-and-coming drummer João Pereira, and on two tracks, Serpa and Matos’ child Lourenço. At turns magical, dazzling and calm, the duo’s unique sonic world draws on pure, contemplative sounds and takes a personal approach to melody and poetry. Their musical identity is informed by their Portuguese culture and the creative artistic environment of New York.

The duo’s previous albums, Primavera (2014) and All The Dreams (2016), produced close to the birth of their child, radiated with the excitement of experimentation and the joy of creative communion. Night Birds brings that child in as a collaborator and a participant in the music. “I really wanted to include his voice in this album,“ Serpa says, “before it changes in a few years. It has always been so inspiring to watch Lourenço being natural, spontaneous and present in our musical lives.” Family, Serpa’s composition, reveals multiple layers of voices, including Lourenço’s, intertwined with the guitar, bass and drums, in simple yet complex rhythmic parts.

Across the album’s twelve tracks, Serpa and Matos employ unusual, diverse approaches to the voice-guitar relationship. The voice often takes on a background role, creating textures, grooves or ambiances while the guitar defines the melody or freely improvises. Adding more voices, piano, synth and cello expands the duo’s sonic palette, resulting in immersive and captivating musical moments that transcend language and barriers.

More than just a musical achievement, Night Birds addresses relevant, timely thematic concerns. “Much of this music reveals reflections on what family means for us, as immigrants and as New Yorkers, how parenting has changed our lives and how horrified we are about the overconsumption of resources and the destruction of the natural world,” Serpa explains. “How do we nurture this precious and fragile microcosmos of watching a child grow while we witness our planet’s destruction? What will be left for him?” 

Exploring the interaction of electronic settings created by the guitar and synth with acoustic instruments such as the voice, cello and drums, the music of Night Birds creates a synthesis of traditional song forms and improvisation. Matos, whose compositions shine with lyricism, mood and atmosphere, plays electric and acoustic guitar on tracks like Counting or Bergman’s Island. “Both are textures that I live with in my musical mind,” Matos explains. “While the electric is still my main vehicle, the steel string acoustic guitar has been more present in recent years, exploring new possibilities.”

Genre-crossing contemporary singer and improviser Sofia Jernberg is featured on three tracks. Her singing vocabulary includes non-verbal vocalization, split tone singing, pitchless singing and distortion. Whether mirroring Serpa’s ethereal voice with a sustained accompaniment or contributing an inspiring intro for the track Underwater, Jernberg’s gifts add to the album’s layers of compelling complexity. “I have been listening to Sofia’s voice for a long time,” Serpa says. “I love her tone and her ability to create all these mysterious sounds with her voice. She’s truly inspiring.” 

Pioneer cellist and adventurous noise maker Okkyung Lee, who moves freely between artistic disciples and contingencies, demonstrates her highly distinctive sonic approach in a subtle and yet effective cascading solo in Degrowth and Lost Whale.

Throughout the album, Serpa and Matos employ the diverse talents of pianist Dov Manski, whose fluidity, vital counterpoint and lyricism bolster songs like From A Distance and Watching you Grow.  “Dov is a longtime friend and collaborator, " Matos says. “He brings an effective and polished sound while keeping an organic and dramatic feel with the piano and the synth.”

João Pereira (Mário Laginha, Jorge Rossy), a young Portuguese drummer and regular collaborator with the duo in Portugal, provides a spirited and grooving feel in tracks including Carlos, Family and Counting.

Night Birds is a testament to the ways in which Serpa and Matos have refined and developed their sound while exploring new dimensions of spontaneity. Their meaningful use of restraint and space in composition is clear on the intimate, direct Degrowth, a hypnotic musical call to reduce over-consumption and connect with our planet. “What if we changed our mindset?” asks Serpa. “Is material accumulation really what we need? Our way of life is destroying the planet, and we can’t seem to agree on what actions to take. I think that walking more and going outside is a great first step.” 

Night Birds closes with a concise and stunning interpretation of Bela Bartok's Bagatelle, Op.6: Lento. The otherworldly melody and harmonies have a haunting quality that lingers in the mind and ear well after the album ends.

New music releases: Glucklich VI – A Collection Of Brazilian Flavours From The Past & The Present Compiled by Rainer Truby, Diana Jenkins with Creative Funk, Daniel Ogren, and Bobby Caldwell

Glucklich VI – A Collection Of Brazilian Flavours From The Past & The Present Compiled by Rainer Truby 

A stunning set of Brazilian-styled cuts – presented here in the long-overdue 6th volume of this legendary series! Decades back, the Glucklich series taught us plenty about Brazilian grooves – especially the sort that weren't always recorded in Brazil, and were sometimes lost to the sands of time – especially as a few of these cuts appeared only on CD back in the day! And in the best Glucklich tradition, there's a few more contemporary cuts nestled in with the classics – making for a hell of of a set list that really lives up to the genius spirit of the series – on titles that include "Brasil Nativo" by Marcia Maria, "Brother Samba" by Midnight Gigolos, "Pe No Chao" by Grupo Ebano, "Come With Me To Rio" by Jon Lucien, "The Mystery Of Man (Truccy rmx)" by Sonzeira, "Mr Jenkins" by Guillermo Reuter, "Sob A Luz Do Sol" by A Bossa Eletrica, "Offering" by Jean Mar Jafet, "Hallo Hoppel" by Wutrio, "Aderico" by The Matheus Combo, and "Sambomambo" by Christian Knobel. ~ Dusty Groove.

Diane Jenkins with Creative Funk:  I'm A Woman – The Complete Singles

Diane Jenkins was one of a few singers who worked with the mighty Creative Funk ensemble in the 70s – and here, she steps out in a collection that brings together her rare singles for that group's label, all of which feature backings from Creative Funk themselves! The groove here is nicely wide-ranging – as Diane can deliver a mellow cut with a great deal of feeling, then step into a funkier number next – all with a voice that's got plenty of feeling, and which maybe sounds even better here in the indie, small label setting of the music than it would have were she snapped up by a bigger label! The set features both vocal and instrumental versions of "I Need You" – plus "Recycle", "Sweet Wine, Music, & My Imagination", "Anniversary", "Tow Away Zone", "I'm A Woman", and "Gee Baby What About You".  ~ Dusty Groove

Daniel Ogren - Fastingen 92

A record with a very vintage-styled cover, but a set that's contemporary overall – jazzy work from Daniel Ogren, who plays all the instruments pictured around him on the cover – mixed with some occasional vocals from Anna Ahnlund, plus live drums and keyboards that almost hit a clubby sort of vibe at times! The record's got a sound that's really hard to peg – not really right for our jazz section, or new grooves – but certainly not rock, and not really global – although global elements clearly influence some of the rhythms on the record too. Most tunes have a melody that warms things up out of the darker corners of the rhythms – and titles include "Picasso", "Levi", "Hjalmarsfjorden", "Idag", "April", "Oktober", and "Annalena (album version)". ~ Dusty Groove

Bobby Caldwell - Cat In The Hat (Reissue)

One of the greatest moments ever from Bobby Caldwell is his second album, Cat In The Hat, from 1980, is one of his greatest moments and another masterwork of soulful sophistication. The album occupies it's own place between genres – a touch of soul, the warmth of jazz, and a delivery that really helped Caldwell reach out to some big new audiences at the time. There's a cool, compressed feel to the record – but a quality that's still quite personal and never too slick – that rare balance that only a few of Bobby's contemporaries could ever match – and which is really hammered home here by the production and great songwriting. Instrumentation uses a warm blend of acoustic and electric elements that offset the vocals nicely – and titles include "Coming Down From Love", "Wrong Or Right", "You Promised Me", "I Don't Want To Lose Your Love", and the  eternal "Open Your Eyes", brilliantly sampled by J Dilla for Common's "The Light".

Saxophonist Marike van Dijk Presents STRANDED

Dutch saxophonist, composer and arranger Marike van Dijk has divided her time between New York, the Netherlands and Australia in recent years. Her previous album, The Stereography Project Featuring Jeff Taylor and Katell Keineg, and was released in 2018, her large ensemble recording, The Stereography Project, was released in 2015, and her debut was a quintet recording titled Patches Of Blue, released in 2010. Stranded marks van Dijk’s fourth recording to feature her compositions and her second album for Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records; released worldwide, September 22, 2023.

An important part of the concept for Stranded was van Dijk’s exploration of open structures. She explains, “I needed a group of open-minded musicians that would be into collaborating and improvising quite freely. There’s a lot of space for the musicians to play around with and I needed musicians who would be comfortable with that, because I really wanted to create an environment for these artists to freely reveal themselves. I tried to write a balance of open structures and also a few compositions with more defined forms and information. In my work I always draw from different musical genres, as I think many from my generation of musicians do, and I utilize collaboration and improvisation as a way to connect players and ideas.”

Van Dijk also needed an open mind, and as the album title, Stranded, hints at, the artist originally planned to spend a year to start her PhD in composition in Australia followed by travels to New York and Europe, and found herself marooned in subtropical Brisbane, the third city of Australia, during the Covid-19 Global Pandemic. Much of this music was composed and conceptualized during this time as part of her PhD, focused on collaborative practices and abstract composition techniques.

Commissioned by the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2020 as the Festival’s annual commission, van Dijk’s concept for Stranded developed over the following two years until its delayed premiere at the Festival in 2022. During this time van Dijk had to use her imagination to remember and feel some semblance of the joy of performing with her friends and collaborators, and connecting with each other and the audience. Van Dijk elaborated, “with this music I tried to stay as close as possible to what it feels like to be part of a live performance: the album was recorded in a live setting and produced to give listeners the sensation of sitting on stage, right there, with us.”

In terms of concept for the music and compositions, composing for this specific ensemble came to be central to Stranded. The musicians were chosen specifically for their musical personalities. Van Dijk said of this factor, “their personalities were a big influence on the whole process, not only during the performances, but during the composing process I was already imagining how the musicians would play the pieces and what that would sound like.”

A versatile musician, van Dijk has performed and toured with many ensembles; European Jazz Orchestra, Jazzmania Big Band, Konrad Koselleck Big Band, New Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra, as well as numerous smaller groups. Prior to moving to Australia in 2019, van Dijk worked as a research assistant at the Antwerp Royal Conservatoire (Belgium) and was part of the saxophone faculty at the Institut fur Music in Osnabrück, Germany for several years. Additionally, she taught workshops and classes at Codarts Rotterdam, Groningen Conservatory, Royal conservatory the Hague and Amsterdam Conservatory.

Perhaps pianist/arranger Gil Goldstein puts it best when describing van Dijk’s music (specifically The Stereography Project), “van Dijk’s writing has an organic quality; balanced and seems to find ratios and combinations that are based in nature. I find her music very intuitive and feel that she has great honesty. This record will be just another step in a long career of composing.”

New music releases: Gregory Porter, lophiile, Apollo Suns and Hiromi

Gregory Porter – Christmas Wish

Gregory Porter, with his customary class, elegance and sophistication, presents his new holiday album Christmas Wish – a cool yule selection of festive favorites as well as brand new songs written by the singer himself. Backed by his long-time band, produced by repeat collaborator Troy Miller in New York and London, with orchestral contributions recorded at Abbey Road, and featuring powerhouse guest vocalist, double Grammy-winning sensation Samara Joy, Gregory Porter’s seventh studio album is a loving tribute to his favourite time of year – and to great songwriters, singers and interpreters including Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Dinah Washington. Across its dozen tracks, Christmas Wish encompasses the saintly and the secular, the funky and the fun, the Great American Songbook and the best of Motown. With Christmas Wish, Gregory Porter has given us a whole new soundtrack to this most wonderful time of year. 

lophiile –The Good Days Between

Multi-instrumentalist and producer lophiile releases The Good Days Between, a vibrant new collection that comes out via Bluewerks. The 8-track EP further solidifies lophiile’s reputation as a torchbearer for a new generation of producers melding jazz, hip-hop, and R&B sounds. The latest sonic adventure from lophiile is a musical diary of his time spent living in London, a heartfelt ode to the creative melancholy of the city's atmosphere, weather, and music. The rhythms, harmonies, and textures intertwine into a mosaic that pays tribute to an enchanting and somber muse. The Good Days Between marks lophiile’s first release since his 2019 EP To Forgive, which followed his work as a member of Radiant Children, a contemporary R&B trio who released their debut EP TRYIN' in 2018.

Apollo Suns – Departures

Departures, the debut LP from Winnipeg psychedelic jazz-funk collective Apollo Suns via Do Right! Music, finds the band evolving across new styles and moods, encompassing the shifting tides of the pandemic years. The band stayed busy then, writing over Zoom with midi-programmed instruments in a recording interface. When restrictions relaxed, they flew Juno award-winning producer Ben Kaplan (Bootsy Collins, Five Alarm Funk) to Winnipeg to record the new songs at No Fun Club over 10 days, re-igniting the chemistry of their high-energy live shows. Departures is a cinematic journey inspired as much by artists like Lettuce, Frank Zappa, Goblin, as film, TV and video game scores and soundtracks like those for The Warriors, Akira, Cowboy Bebop, Lupin III, and The Legend of Zelda. The band combines classic compositional techniques with synths and electronics, showcasing genre-melding finesse. Introducing strings, acoustic guitar, grand piano, and lap steel into the mix, Apollo Suns explore the visceral and heavy, the elegant and ethereal, epic house rock to New Orleans-y brass, proggy pathways, string-backed balladry, greasy stank-face funk and beyond, reflecting the many emotions of the pandemic’s unpredictable days.

Hiromi - Sonicwonderland

“Reminiscence” is the second IG track from Hirmoi’s upcoming album, Sonicwonderland and features vocalist Oli Rockberger. Hiromi announces Sonicwonderland, the internationally celebrated and GRAMMY-winning pianist and composer’s new album, out October 6 (Telarc/Concord).  Sonicwonderland represents a new musical adventure for the constantly evolving pianist and composer, who is a star in her native Japan. Recorded with a new quartet, called Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, the album features 9 new works with Hadrien Feraud (bass), Gene Coye (drums) and Adam O'Farrill (trumpet). Artist Quote: “In 2021, I wrote this piece called ‘Reminiscence’ and heard [Oli Rockberger] singing in my head. So I called him and I said, ‘I wrote this song and I’m hearing your voice. Would you like to co-write the lyrics?’ I thought the song would be perfectly fitting with the sound of this band, so we decided to record it on this album and I’m so happy with how it turned out.” - Hiromi. Hiromi's Sonicwonder band tours US in Oct (Seattle, Santa Cruz, Stanford, New York, Raleigh).

The Adam Deitch Quartet - Roll The Tape

Beyond his sheer virtuosity and versatility, drummer Adam Deitch has proven to be a musician of perpetual motion. In just over a year’s time, he has been the driving force behind psychedelic funk veterans Lettuce’s eighth studio album Unify, released a hip-hop beats album 'Take Your Time', and now returns with the second LP release from his soul-jazz project The Adam Deitch Quartet entitled Roll The Tape. Available via Deitch’s imprint Golden Wolf Records on November 10, 2023, the forthcoming album exemplifies his unwavering commitment to producing authentic music from a broad spectrum of styles, all rooted in his tutelage of rhythmic studies & groove, and his upbringing as a drummer from a young age. Deitch is joined by organist Wil Blades, Lettuce cohorts Eric “Benny” Bloom on trumpet and Ryan Zoidis on saxophone, and the lead single “Mushroom Gravy,” available today, features legendary guitarist John Scofield.

“Mushroom Gravy” is a tribute to Deitch’s Grandma Betty’s chicken mushroom gravy. He cites that she was pivotal in his development as a drummer as her brother and his Great Uncle Dave was the first drummer in their family and helped his father, Bobby Deitch, become a professional musician. Scofield, who joins the quartet after appearing on three tracks on the group’s debut album Egyptian Secrets, has worked with Deitch since the early 00s and has keen insight into his evolution as a musician and bandleader. “It’s tremendous fun to play with the quartet because they fully understand where I’m coming from and hopefully I ‘get’ them the same way. I think Adam and I have very simpatico concepts in music,” says Scofield of their musical chemistry.

Of their collaborative history and Adam’s inherent impact he imparts with his collaborators, Scofield continues, “When I first played with Adam, I knew he was right for me. This kind of chemistry is hard to come by and I’ve only had it a handful of times in my life. Eric Krasno recommended Adam. When we first played together, I liked it so much that I had to change drummers in the band immediately. The result was Uberjam. This period marked a new direction in my career and without Adam, it wouldn’t have worked as well. I’ve heard him improve and get better—more refined—from that original already great drummer that I met way back when. He’s an excellent musician and one of the very best drummers period.”

Roll The Tape was a 1-2 punch effort coming off the heels of Lettuce recording their next full-length album as Blades flew in to join Deitch, Bloom, and Zoidis for a session at Scanhope Sound. Written on ProTools in his home studio in Denver, Colorado, Deitch composed and arranged all parts for the quartet and provided demos for the band to learn on the spot, much like the quartet’s debut LP Egyptian Secrets. “I’d bring the tunes in, play them on the computer, have the guys learn them as fast as possible, and then ‘roll the tape,” Deitch says of the rigor of the back-to-back sessions and marathon studio effort that contrasted the band’s debut effort recorded in two sessions over the course of five years. While the process may seem overwhelming at first glance, Blades speaks to it being a testament to Deitch’s thorough composition process and wholeness as a musician, “I don’t change much of anything at all. All of the harmonies and voicings are spot on. I grew up as a drummer, so the way Adam plays organ is the way I’m already playing organ.”

The quartet was formed when Deitch and Blades joined forces to play a last-minute late-night show at Boom Boom Room in San Francisco after Lettuce performed at The Fillmore and Tedeschi Truck Band performed at Bill Graham Civic Center in December 2013. The impromptu after-show featured an array of special guests including Zoidis and Bloom along with Eric Krasno (Soulive), Maurice “Mo Betta” Brown (Anderson .Paak), and James Casey (Trey Anastasio Band) and Kofi Burbridge (Tedeschi Trucks Band), both who left this earth all too soon. After additional performances at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and some one-offs, Deitch knew the project had to continue and took the reigns to get the group in the studio.

‘Roll The Tape’ features ten brand-new songs that transcend the traditional organ trio format and are accentuated by Deitch’s prowess for funk, breakbeat, hip-hop, and electronic music experiences coupled with highlighting the strengths of every musician in the group. “Wil and I are both basketball fans and homies. He is highly skilled with the organ pedals and lefthand bass and is super smart and easy to work with. Zoidis and Bloom always balance each other out with Zoidis bringing a psychedelic vibe with his effects and Benny bringing his wild, crazy Benny attitude as a great musician with great showmanship,” says Deitch.

 

Jack Lee and Nathan East - Heart And Soul

“Heart and Soul” is a new concept album of spiritual melodies by legendary bass guitarist Nathan East and Korean Jazz guitarist Jack Lee. This album, a fusion of gospel ethos and jazz virtuosity, is a testament to the power of music to uplift and inspire, especially in these challenging times.

This album transcends the traditional boundaries of the genre; it’s a narrative of hope and resilience, delivered through a rich tapestry of sounds and brilliant performances featuring acclaimed talents; Grammy Award winning pianist John Beasley, legendary drummer Steve Ferrone, and son of Nathan East and organ prodigy Noah East.

Drawing on their extensive backgrounds, East and Lee channel their creativity to craft music that resonates deeply with the human spirit, encapsulating emotions we’ve all felt, yet often struggle to articulate.

From haunting melodies of Bach’s “Joy of man’s desiring”, Gabriel Faure’s Libera Me (from Requiem suite), and Stevie Wonder’s “Have a Talk with God”, Paul Simon’s “Bridge over troubled water” to two heartfelt original compositions (“Heaven Knows” by Jack and “Heart and Soul” by Nathan), along with a very special passionate vocal performance by Japan’s star vocalist, Ayaka Hirahara, and a few contemporary popular gospels and hymns interpreted in unique and creative ways, East and Lee’s synergy and shared vision shines through these recordings with the contributions of the featured artists, and the overarching theme of hope, love and resilience.

”Heart and Soul” is more than just music; It is a glorious power of artistic collaboration and a celebration of the gospel spirit with rich palette of sounds and emotions, infusing the higher and broader messages of love and passion.

Eric Krasno & Stanton Moore - Krasno/Moore Project: Book of Queens

Grammy Award-winning guitarist Eric Krasno and Grammy Award-winning drummer Stanton Moore celebrate women musicians worldwide through their debut joint album Krasno/Moore Project: Book of Queens. The Concord Jazz release is the first official studio collaboration between the longtime friends, who have known each other since the mid-90s. After sharing a stage during last year’s Jazz Fest, Krasno and Moore set off to create a new body of work that would make their wives proud. They teamed up with organist Eric Finland to recreate some of their favorite songs by musical queens. The result is a stunning collection of covers that sound vaguely familiar, yet quite unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. 

Recorded at the Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, New York, and mixed by Jim Scott (Tedeschi Trucks Band, Wilco), Krasno/Moore Project: Book of Queens is a moving tribute to women in music. Krasno’s laid-back guitar licks and Moore’s in-the-pocket grooves, transport listeners to the rich musical history of Levon’s upstate barn. Across nine songs, the longtime friends serve up a steady fusion of jazz, soul, and blues, putting a refined instrumental spin on the work of Billie Eilish, Aretha Franklin, H.E.R., Brittany Howard, Sharon Jones, Peggy Lee, Kacey Musgraves, Nina Simone, and Amy Winehouse. The album features special guest appearances by Cory Henry, Branford Marsalis, and Robert Randolph.

Arriving alongside the album, Krasno/Moore Project share a swingin’ version of Amy Winehouse's iconic “You Know I'm No Good.” Listen here: https://found.ee/KM_NoGoodYT

The single follows their previously released covers of Brittany Howard’s “Stay High (feat. Cory Henry)” and Billie Eilish’s “Lost Cause.” 

“This song in particular has a very haunting quality to it. When Kraz suggested doing this song, I instantly heard that this swampy groove that we put on it would work. I made a loop of this beat and sent it to Kraz and Finland. They overdubbed their parts to what I sent so we could get an idea of what it would sound like. With the three of us playing on this demo together with each of our sounds, especially Kraz's airy reverb, I knew we were headed toward a concept that could be very cool and unique and we were off to the races!” – Stanton Moore

Eric Krasno and Stanton Moore first met in the mid-90s, when Eric was attending college in Northampton, MA. Stanton frequently passed through the area on tour and Eric became a fan of his drumming. Eager to make an impression on Stanton, Eric would always give Stanton demos of his latest guitar work. Stanton listened to these recordings and soon realized that kid Krasno was on to something with his eccentric guitar work. Krasno went on to found Lettuce and Soulive, while Moore founded Galactic and Garage-a-Trois. Through their various projects, the pair have crossed paths and shared stages countless times over the past 25 years, forging a friendship along the way. After a joint gig during Jazz Fest 2022, Krasno and Moore had an honest sit down about putting their musical ideas on paper. Reflecting on the role their families have played in their lives and how they wanted to create something that would make their wives proud, they decided to form the Krasno/Moore Project, an organ trio featuring Berklee college grad and Hammond B3 organist/keyboardist Eric Finland.

WAR: The Remixes

With more than 20 gold, platinum and multi-platinum records, WAR have cemented their righteous strains of funk and soul in the fabric of global culture and consciousness. But in the 50 years since The World is a Ghetto made the Southern Californian street band a crossover sensation and became the best-selling album of 1973, the group's sound has continued to transcend genres and generations. 

To further mark the 50th Anniversary milestone of The World is a Ghetto, WAR announce a brand new collection called WAR: The Remixes. Out May 12th on Avenue / Rhino Records, the EP expands the influence of WAR's music on the worlds of contemporary hip-hop, as esteemed DJs, producers and musicians including Beastie Boys turntablist Mix Master Mike, DJ Logic, Jesse Perez, Preditah and Saxsquatchreimagine eternal hits like "The World is a Ghetto," "Spill The Wine," "Why Can't We Be Friends" and more that spans several of the band's magnum opuses. 

Across WAR's six decades and counting, the band spread its messages of harmony and inclusion through songs that have soundtracked the anti-Vietnam movement, Watergate, the first Congressional Black Caucus, the first US-Soviet space mission and multiple Barack Obama summer playlists. Bolstered by the gold-selling success of the title track and the boundary-breaking power of "The Cisco Kid," The World is a Ghettotopped Billboard's pop and R&B charts, launching WAR's legacy not only of creative and commercial triumph, but of timely and timeless relevance. Music from The World is a Ghetto has been sampled by 2Pac, A$AP Mob, Cypress Hill, DJ Shadow, Janet Jackson, Method Man and Scarface, among others, while the likes of De La Soul, Kendrick Lamar, Shaggy and many more have honored and celebrated WAR throughout the years. 

Led by Lonnie Jordan, WAR remains one of the busiest bands on the road today, and throughout 2023 they will headline dozens of shows, in addition to appearing at festivals like BottleRock Napa Valley and more to be announced soon.

WAR: The Remixes Tracklist

• "Slippin' Into Darkness" (Mix Master Mike Remix)
• "The World is a Ghetto" (Mix Master Mike Remix)
• "Why Can't We Be Friends" (Saxsquatch & Stephen Walking Remix)
• "Spill The Wine" (Jesse Perez Remix) 
• "Galaxy" (Preditah Remix)
• "Galaxy" (DJ Logic Remix)

Mathew V Makes Vocal Jazz Debut With New Album Anything Goes

All throughout ‘Anything Goes,’ Mathew V speaks out against the vilification of jazz, boldly bringing his thoughts to life with storied tunes such as “Moon River” and “Georgia On My Mind,” each sung from the perspective of a queer man who embodies rebellion, flirtatiousness and glamor. This record allows Mathew to confidently share his stance on love, romantic trials and tribulations with other men. 

“With [Mathew V’s] new album, he is not only leaning into his vocal jazz talent but is creating queer space in a musical genre that is not known for being queer,” wrote GLAAD in a recent interview. Read the full interview here and learn more about Mathew V’s take on subverting jazz’s expectations — oftentimes at the intersection of camp, musical theater, cabaret, and burlesque — with his new album of American classics.

Previously, in addition to the Marilyn Monroe-inspired track Mathew V has released his own glitzy rendition of Peggy Lee’s “Big Spender,” written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields originally for the musical Sweet Charity, along with a take on George Gershwin’s “The Man I Love.” Upon release the latter was included in the New Music Friday Canada, Contemporary Blend and Sweet Jazz playlists. The single also reached #1 on the Canada iTunes Jazz Chart. Recently the Canadian crooner took to Tik Tok with a brand new genre he’s coined “jazzba,” otherwise known as jazzy ABBA. Thus far, he’s put his playful take on “Money, Money, Money” and “Mamma Mia,” racking up over one million views along the way.

Additionally, Mathew V spoke with Golf Monthly about how he spends his freetime and his return to the sport after a long hiatus. “Life moves so much faster than It once did and golf is a really beautiful pause to all that,” he explains. Read more here.

Mathew V’s timeless musical sensibilities are perhaps most evidently stemming from his youth. 

At age 17 he moved from Vancouver, Canada to London, England and began exploring what would soon become his signature soul-filled vocal style. Following his musical awakening overseas, Mathew penned a deal with 604 Records, has become a sought after topliner in the dance world and now debuts into the vocal jazz world with his tasteful representation of the Great American Songbook. 

 ‘ANYTHING GOES’ TRACKLIST:

• Moon River (originally written by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini)
• Big Spender (originally written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields)
• At Last (originally written by Mark Gordon and Harry Warren)
• Anything Goes (originally written by Cole Porter)
• The Man I Love (originally written by George Gershwin)
• My Boy (Mathew V original song)
• Georgia On My Mind (originally written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell)
• Don’t Rain On My Parade (originally by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill)
• Mamma Mia (originally written by Benny Andersson, Stig Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus)

 

Charles Mingus Changes: The Complete 1970s Atlantic Recordings

Charles Mingus is the most important American jazz composer after Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. As part of the ongoing celebration of Mingus’ centennial, Rhino will release a new boxed set that spotlights the creative resurgence that defined the final phase of the legendary bassist and composer’s career.

The collection includes the last seven studio albums Mingus recorded for Atlantic Records between 1973 and his death in 1979 and a selection of outtakes - some previously unreleased.

The set brings together newly remastered versions of all seven studio albums Mingus recorded for Atlantic in the 1970s. The LP and CD versions include Mingus Moves (1973), Changes One (1974), Changes Two (1974), Three or Four Shades of Blues (1977), Cumbia & Jazz Fusion (1977), Me, Myself an Eye(1979), and Something Like a Bird (1979). The collection also features previously unreleased session outtakes.

CHANGES: THE COMPLETE 1970s ATLANTIC RECORDINGS comes with an illustrated booklet that delves deep into the final years of Mingus’ music with extensive liner notes by Andrew Homzy, a musician, arranger, jazz scholar, and Grammy® Award Nominee.

Mingus Moves opens the collection, recorded in October 1973, leading a new quintet with youthful musicians – trumpeter Ronald Hampton, tenor saxophonist George Adams, and pianist Don Pullen – and old friend Dannie Richmond on drums. One of the songs they recorded was a new Mingus composition, “Opus 3,” which was built on the chords from the composer’s 1956 landmark piece, “Pithecanthropus Erectus.”

The band’s lineup shifted slightly in 1974 when Jack Walrath replaced Hampton on trumpet. Soon, Mingus and the group returned to the studio for a three-day session that produced two albums, Changes One and Changes Two. A tribute to Mingus’ dynamic wife, “Sue’s Changes” from Changes One is a vibrant masterpiece. With five themes that move through several different keys, tempos, instrumental textures, and emotional registers, it’s a highwater mark not only in Mingus’ career but also in jazz history.

Mingus recorded Three or Four Shades of Blues in 1977 with a rotating cast of stellar musicians. The album includes new versions of two Mingus standards, “Goodbye Porkpie Hat” and “Better Git Hit In Your Soul.”

Mingus was commissioned to write the score for an Italian film, Todo Modo, in 1976. Performing with a large ensemble, he recorded two extended compositions that rank high among his best work of the 1970s. Ironically, the music wasn’t used in the film; however, it was released on Cumbia & Jazz Fusion in 1977.

Later that year, Mingus was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Undeterred, he continued to compose and direct his last recording sessions from a wheelchair. Me, Myself an Eye, and Something Like a Bird were completed before his death in January 1979 - both included in Changes.

Five previously unreleased recordings debut in the new collection. The CD version includes three outtakes: “Big Alice,” “The Call,” and “Music for ‘Todo Modo.’” The LP version consists of those plus additional unreleased takes for “Big Alice” and “The Call” that are exclusive to the vinyl set.

Otis Redding - Otis Forever: The Albums & Singles (1968-1970)

Otis Redding’s reign as the King of Soul was cut short more than 55 years ago when the Georgia-born singer-songwriter perished in a plane crash en route to play a show. The Big O was gone too soon, but generations of fans still cherish the musical legacy he left behind.

Rhino brings all four of Redding’s posthumous records together for a new vinyl boxed set that includes mono versions of 24 singles from the albums. Limited to 1,000 copies, OTIS FOREVER: THE ALBUMS & SINGLES (1968-1970) will be available on June 9 as a 6-LP set on multi-color vinyl for $149.98. The albums are each pressed on different colors: The Dock of the Bay (yellow), The Immortal Otis Redding (silver), Love Man (green), Tell the Truth (blue), and The Singles 1968-1970(yellow). The set will also be available as a 6-LP black vinyl retail exclusive for $124.98. 

The Singles 1968-1970 is a double album exclusive to the set in a gatefold sleeve illustrated with the 7” labels from all 24 singles. Mono mixes are used for every track, including gems like “The Happy Song (Dum-Dum)” and “Hard To Handle.”

Between 1962 and 1967, Redding was a creative dynamo, recording frequently at Stax Records with Booker T. & The MG’s – keyboardist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson Jr. During his lifetime, Redding released six studio albums and a succession of R&B and Top 40 hits (“These Arms Of Mine,” “Respect,” “Try A Little Tenderness”) that helped transform Stax from a small Memphis record label into a global musical institution.

When Redding died in December 1967, he’d recorded enough music to fill several albums. The first song from that trove arrived shortly after his death when “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” was released in January 1968. Recorded during his final days, it became Redding’s signature song, biggest hit, and first pop chart-topper.

The song was the title track for the first of Redding’s four posthumous studio albums: The Dock of the Bay (1968), The Immortal Otis Redding (1968), Love Man (1969), and Tell the Truth (1970). The albums sustained Redding’s streak of hits, introducing singles like “Look At That Girl,” “Love Man,” “I’ve Got Dreams To Remember,” and “Amen.”

The OTIS FOREVER: THE ALBUMS & SINGLES (1968-1970) opens with The Dock of the

Bay, a #1 album in the U.S. and U.K. The album’s title track made history in America as the first posthumous #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Through the years, the song has accumulated a multitude of awards and achievements, including over four million copies sold worldwide; two Grammy Awards (Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance); and ranked #38 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Redding’s legacy has only grown since his 1962 Stax debut with “These Arms Of Mine.” He’s been inducted into the halls of fame for Rock and Roll, Rhythm and Blues, Songwriters, and Georgia Music. Decades after his passing, Redding’s music has continued to be recognized with a GrammyÒ Lifetime Achievement Award (1999), and three of Redding’s songs have been inducted into the GrammyÒ Hall of Fame: “Respect” (1998), “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” (2011), and “Try A Little Tenderness” (2015).

Terri Lyne Carrington's Debut Album TLC & Friends

Four-time GRAMMY-winner, NEA Jazz Master, composer, activist, and educator Terri Lyne Carrington unveils a remarkable musical treasure to the world. TLC & Friends, Carrington's debut album recorded in October 1981 when she was just 16 years old, finally gets a wide release via Candid Records, providing a rare glimpse into the early talents of this extraordinary multi-faceted artist.

Though it is Carrington’s very first session, TLC & Friends features an epic and enviable lineup of collaborators, including Kenny Barron on piano, George Coleman on saxophone, and Buster Williams on bass. Her father Sonny Carrington also contributes saxophone to the Sonny Rollins classic “Sonnymoon for Two.” The album masterfully showcases Carrington's artistry as a drummer and composer, highlighted by the standout original track "La Bonita," a refreshing interpretation of Billy Joel's beloved composition, "Just The Way You Are,” alongside scorching renditions of standards like "Seven Steps To Heaven," and “What Is This Thing Called Love.” The Candid release features original liner notes by Terri Lyne and Sonny, a new essay by Dianne Reeves and more. The full album is available on CD, Vinyl, and streaming across all digital platforms. 

“It's been over 40 years since this album was recorded,” Carrington writes in a new reflection included with TLC & Friends. “My Dad has been nudging me for quite some time to release this because (in his words) I have not done a legitimate ‘blowing session’ album since then. Generally, it's difficult for me to listen to myself from the past, but after all this time, I can smile. It's hard not to due to the amazing musicians that so graciously recorded with me in the fall of 1981, a few months after my 16th birthday.”

TLC & Friends captures Carrington at the outset of an auspicious recording career, but by age 16, she was nearly a veteran. Hailing from a family of musicians - in addition to her father, Carrington’s grandfather and fellow drummer Matt Carrington, performed with Chu Berry and Fats Waller - Carrington first shared the stage with Rahsaan Roland Kirk at age five. By ten she became the youngest musician in Boston ever to receive a union card, and was impressing audiences with Clark Terry and his All-Stars. At age eleven, Carrington was awarded a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, when the school’s founders Lawrence and Alma Berk, heard her sit in with the great Oscar Peterson at the suggestion of Ella Fitzgerald (today Carrington teaches at the school and is the founder of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice). Carrington would go on to perform with dozens of other legends including B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Illinois Jacquet, Nat Adderley, Jon Hendricks, and many more before she was old enough to drive, and drum masters Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, Buddy Rich and Elvin Jones invited her to sit in with their bands. 

Earlier this year Terri Lyne Carrington won the GRAMMY for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, with another Candid Records release new STANDARDS Vol. 1, a groundbreaking project, created to further acknowledge and shed light on women composers in jazz. new STANDARDS Vol. 1 has been celebrated by The New York Times, NPR, Billboard, The Guardian, Stereogum, a Jazziz cover story, Boston Globe and more for its groundbreaking mission and ambition.

Tina Turner - Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll: A Collection Of All Her Singles From 1975-2023

To celebrate 50 years since the start of Tina Turner’s iconic solo career, Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll is a huge compilation of 55 tracks that compiles an incredible anthology of Turner’s legendary solo career through her singles. From her cover of “Whole Lotta Love” to the Kygo remix of “What’s Love Got to Do With It” in 2020, this is the first time her singles collection has been released as one set.

Available to pre-order now, it will be released on November 24 as a 3-CD and 5-LP sets and digitally with a cut-back 12-track vinyl version. All sets come with a foreword from Bryan Adams - her longtime friend and collaborator.

Turner’s first release as a solo artist was the 1974 album Tina Turns The Country On! whilst still touring and releasing albums as the duo Ike & Tina Turner Revue. The album spawned no singles, but in 1975, upon the release of her second album - Acid Queen - her cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” was released, which kicks off this set and goes on to include duets with other legendary performers like David Bowie, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart as well as some of the most unforgettable and celebrated pop and rock singles of all time such as “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “Private Dancer,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero,” “The Best,” “Steamy Windows,” “I Don’t Wanna Lose You,” “Disco Inferno.”

To celebrate the legacy of the undeniable and inimitable Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, this collection also features a new version of “Something Beautiful Remains,” retitled to simply “Something Beautiful.” The track has been reworked by legendary producer and long-time collaborator of Turner, Terry Britten. It is an emotive and fitting final tribute to the power of her legacy that Britten made shortly after her passing. He stated, “Dear Tina, the experience of working with you could never be repeated, but in my heart something beautiful remains. Love, Terry”.

Turner is revered around the world, inspiring millions through her own personal story, her singing, her dancing and beyond; her music legacy is a collection of some of the best-known songs of all time.

She is unquestionably one of the most important artists ever inspiring, amongst many others, Beyoncé who, at the Kennedy Center Honours tribute event for Tina in 2005 said, “I will never forget the first time I saw you [Tina Turner] perform, I had never in my life seen a woman so powerful, so fearless and so fabulous” (watch her tribute here) and their performance of ‘Proud Mary’ together is regarded as some of the most iconic Grammy moments ever. Watch here.

Turner has sold over 200 million records and has had 10 UK top-hit singles and nine UK top 10 albums. She was the first female artist to have a top 40 hit in six consecutive decades in the UK. Her albums combined are 20 times platinum in the UK and nine times platinum in the US, whilst also achieving huge sales throughout the rest of the world. She has won eight Grammy® Awards and has been nominated for 25. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and has stars on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and St. Louis Walk of Fame. Her 1988 Break Every Rule tour broke the world record for the largest paying audience at a solo concert, with 184,000 at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, and Rolling Stone Magazinenamed her No. 17 in 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and No. 63 in the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. 

Yet, regardless of all the success and fame throughout her career, Turner remained relatable and adored for the person she was. In Bryan Adam’s beautiful and personal foreword, he sums up perfectly the effect she has had on him that reflects on so many around the world…

“From obscurity to the stages of the UK and Europe, I credit Tina for changing the course of my life and I’m so grateful to have had some of her precious time. She was a force of nature, no one had her energy or her voice, I suppose it’s fitting to say, it’s only love, and that's all.”

 

Keyon Harrold - Foreverland

Keyon Harrold has announced his new album Foreverland, out January 19 on Concord Jazz. A “world class trumpeter” (Essence) and composer, Harrold has performed on a host of GRAMMY-winning projects, and has been widely celebrated for his ability to transcend jazz, R&B, hip-hop and pop with his singular sound, positioning him as go-to performer for a who’s-who of stars: Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rihanna, Eminem, Maxwell, Mac Miller, and Snoop Dogg to name a few. Foreverland features 10 timely and timeless original compositions that explore themes of empowerment, positivity, love, loss, and vulnerability. The album’s guests include Laura Mvula and Malaya, along with GRAMMY-winning artists Common, Robert Glasper, PJ Morton, Jean Baylor, Chris Dave, and legendary musician Greg Phillinganes. The vinyl version of Foreverland will be released March 1. 

Today Harrold has released “Find Your Peace” (Single Edit), featuring longtime collaborators Common, Robert Glasper and vocalist Jean Baylor. Harrold sings on the track as well. 

“'Find Your Peace' is my ode to finding everlasting happiness in the most aggressive, intentional, thoughtful ways,” says Harrold. “For some it’s found in religion. Others seek peace in rituals, rest, reflection, meditations; love and loved ones; getting lost in books; or lost and found in nature. It’s all part of the lifelong search to find that internal stillness, that eternal peace. Finding that stillness in the troubled waters of life is both the challenge and the goal.”

Foreverland is proudly emotional and dramatic, a triumphant journey that takes the listener through the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful experiences that lead to wisdom. Says Harrold: “What I can offer as a musician who plays an instrument with no words is an honest conveyance of emotion. Some of these notes, I play them because there’s not a better word.”    

Before he set out to make the album, Harrold found himself stuck in the doldrums of the pandemic lockdown, and a birthday that found him adrift. Personal challenges left him exhausted, including the passing of his mother, and the racially charged assault of his 14-year-old son that became part of the national news cycle. 

He broke through the creative block in a most surprising way: a trip to Vegas. But Harrold passed up the slots for the studio, and was invigorated from playing with his musical family after months of isolation. The sessions enabled him to tap into a deeper space of creativity, turning his pain into power that brought his music to a new level. A profound awakening with each note he played, he emerged with a renewed creative spirit not felt in years. Harrold then brought the raw emotion of the Vegas sessions into focus by creating a vivid tapestry of melody, harmony, and instrumental improvisations. Harrold’s most provocative work to date is laced with sultry tempos, sensual vocals, and rich tones that maximize the album’s expressive intentions. He cites a wide-ranging list of inspirations, from Radiohead and Fela Kuti to Coltrane and Fleet Foxes, and the album’s collaborators helped Foreverlandcoalesce into some of the most exciting work of his career. 

“Find Your Peace” - a mashup of jazz, hip-hop and R&B - sets the tone for the album, with the opening lyrics “Gotta find that peace of mind / can’t control things outside,” serving as a mantra. “Beautiful Day” featuring PJ Morton radiates joy over a quick-paced samba with a touch of distortion fuzz. Instrumentals include “The Intellectual,” Harrold dazzling on trumpet over a slow burning groove, and the hard-charging “Gotta Go (Outer Space).” In August, Harrold released the R&B-heavy “Don’t Lie” featuring the lush vocals of Malaya.  

Foreverland is a family affair — nearly every musician is a longtime friend, and Harrold accounts the record’s warmness to this dynamic. “It’s like the ingredients of a great meal: you don’t need just any pepper, you need a certain kind. Every musician on this record is a rare and essential element.” The lineup includes Chris Dave and Marcus Gilmore on drums, Nir Felder, Randy Runyon and Justus West on guitar, Burniss “Boom” Travis and Brandon Owens on bass, Greg Phillinganes, BIGYUKI, Shedrick Mitchell and Jahari Stampley on piano/keyboards, and Jahi Sundance on turntables. In addition to singing on “Find Your Peace,” Harrold also sings or speaks on four other tracks. 

Harrold was born and raised in Ferguson, MO to a musical family - the son of pastors and one of 16 children, and moved to New York to study at The Mannes Conservatory of Music at The New School. While there he landed his first major gig with Common, an experience which he says broadened his musical horizons beyond jazz to include funk, Afrobeat, R&B, and hip hop. He released his solo album, Introducing Keyon Harrold, in 2009, and then won wide acclaim for his trumpet performances in Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead, which featured him on the GRAMMY-winning soundtrack for the film. 2017’s The Mugicianfeatured Pharoahe Monch, Gary Clark, Jr., Big K.R.I.T., Guy Torry, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Robert Glasper. It was praised by the NY Times as "a stirring piece that consolidates elegy and exhortation" and AllMusic celebrated the album’s “alchemical swagger.” Hailed as “the future of the trumpet” by Wynton Marsalis, Harrold has toured the globe, playing the world’s top venues and festival stages, and will be touring extensively over the next year.

Pharoah, the new box set and first official remastered reissue of Pharoah Sanders’ seminal record from 1977

It’s Harvest Time, declares the Luaka Bop release of Pharoah, the fresh box set and first official remastered reissue of Pharoah Sanders’ seminal record from 1977, out now and quickly cementing itself as a must-hear jazz release of 2023. The New York Times, in its Critic’s Notebook feature, calls it “a touchstone” release hailing the music as “intimate and serene,” while Pitchfork says it’s “unearthly magic” and granted it their Best New Reissue designation. 

Télérama is calling the album “superbe” — and MOJO deems Phaorah a “serene masterpiece” in their dazzling 5-star review. UNCUT dedicated a 6-page spread in its latest November issue as did The New York Review of Books in an extensive cultural examination, further confirming this fall’s celebration of the cosmic jazz legend. “It’s a work of atmospheric, almost tactile beauty, whose pleasures lie in the texture of the playing as much as the melody itself: the liquid warmth of the guitar, the vibrations of the harmonium, the saxophonist’s vibrato and breath, the cycle of sound and sound’s decay,” writes The New York Review of Books.

The Pharoah box set is unique in more than just its unearthing of artifacts and re-mastering of tracks though. It looks closely at this chapter of Pharoah’s life in a way that has never been done before. Through interviews, photographs, and ephemera that have never been shared, including never before seen photographs, and live show recordings, the set is also a one-of-a-kind examination of Pharoah’s personality and his intention for this crucial record. 

Made evident through the work, and liner notes by Harmony Holiday is also just how much Pharoah is “a love letter” to Bedria, his wife at the time of recording. Her presence is all over the album—she was the only one of Pharoah’s wives to ever play on a record of his, and it’s clear from his wild, improvised vocals on “Love Will Find a Way,” that Bedria was the inspiration for much of the music. The result of “Love Will Find a Way,” after all is a 14-minute vocal incantation and fevered improvisation dedicated to a relationship that always had something spiritual about it. The remastering of the album helps this piece shine on the record for perhaps the first time.

Also happening this fall and celebrating the life and music of Pharoah Sanders is the one-time-only performance of his 2021 album Promises also by Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl on September 20th. Created over five years and full of ambient, drone-y textures and passages, it became one of the most talked about works of that year, and went on to top a number of Best Albums of 2021 lists including Time Magazine.  Pitchfork called it a "celestial event" and awarded it a 9.0, and Best New Music, one of the highest reviewed records of that year.  

The meditative 9-part instrumental, experimental suite captured the imagination of music fans during an uneasy, strange time, released at the beginning of 2021. Speaking with The Guardian for one of the very first times about his dear friend and collaborator, Floating Points Sam Shepherd imagines Sanders is in the cosmos,...”hearing music in all of the sounds that he hears. He’ll be sitting in the garden listening to the crickets and he’ll pull out music from that. He listens deep.”

Pharoah’s part will be performed by Shakaba Hutchings, the British musician known for his solo work and his projects The Comet Is Coming and Sons of Kemet.  Shabaka has recently said that he's setting down the saxophone to focus on other creative endeavors, and this will be one of his final saxophone performances for the time being. The Hollywood Bowl show Promises lineup also will feature Dan Snaith (Caribou), Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), Sun Ra Arkestra and many, many more. And read more in another one of Shepherd’s first interviews about the music here at Billboard.

And next month, Saturday October 14th, National Sawdust will host the first occurrence of the Harvest Time Project, an ever-evolving concert which will happen around the world, featuring a selection of different musical ensembles who will come together in different iterations to reinterpret Pharoah Sanders' seminal composition “Harvest Time.”

Featuring Jeff Parker in NY along with the original Pharoah guitarist Tisziji Muñoz and Joshua Abrams as musical director, each performance will diverge from the others as much as Pharoah’s own wildly different live performances. 

Tickets and more information can be found here: https://www.nationalsawdust.org/event/the-harvest-time-project-a-tribute-to-pharaoh-sanders 

Forty-five years later, the remastering of the India Navigation Pharoah album seeks to correct for the technical difficulties that plagued the recording process and to finally do the music justice, hemming closer to what Pharoah envisioned. For “Love Will Find a Way” and “Memories of Edith Johnson,” the result is a revelation. Alongside the remastered India Navigation album, Luaka Bop has included two previously unreleased live recordings of “Harvest Time.” Performed during an intense European tour in the late summer of 1977, these exciting live versions turn the original composition on its head. 

For seasoned listeners and new acolytes both, Pharoah will never sound the same.

Pharoah Sanders (October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022)

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas at the height of the Jim Crow era, Pharoah Sanders was one of the last icons of his generation when he passed last fall, on September 24, 2022. He was handpicked by John Coltrane and played on his late-career masterpieces, and thereafter released a string of expansive recordings under his own name for the Impulse! label, which have been cited as a pivotal influence by everyone from Prince to Iggy Pop to Marvin Gaye. Over a career that spanned fifty years, Pharaoh recorded some of the most revered — and controversial — albums in jazz history, embracing a wild, anarchic sound that would reverberate across genres for decades to come, eventually winning a GRAMMY in the late ’80s. 

In 2016, the National Endowment for the Arts bestowed him with its prestigious Jazz Master title, the genre’s highest honor. His last album Promises, released in 2021 with Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra, was heralded as “a late-career masterpiece,” and was awarded Album of The Year in several national newspapers around the world, including #1 in TIME Magazine and The New York Times, and #2 in The New Yorker who called it “...an extraordinary intimate experience…”.

Hiromi Announces New Album Sonicwonderland

Hiromi has announced Sonicwonderland, the internationally celebrated and GRAMMY-winning pianist and composer’s new album to be released on October 6 (Telarc). Sonicwonderland represents a new musical adventure for the constantly evolving pianist and composer, who is a star in her native Japan, and burst onto the music scene 20 years ago with her debut album. Recorded with a new quartet, called Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, the album features 9 new works bursting with synthesizer and deep-in-the pocket grooves. Hiromi dazzles at the keyboard, striking a balance of playing that is powerful, aggressive and delicate. She has also announced a select run of shows performing this new album in North America in October.

Hiromi’s Sonicwonder is a quartet featuring blossoming young talents Hadrien Feraud (bass), Gene Coye (drums), and Adam O'Farrill (trumpet) and began performing live together earlier this spring. Sonicwonderland was recorded May 25-28 at Skywalker Sound Stage in Nicasio, California, where Hiromi also recorded her 2019 solo piano album Spectrum. In addition to new works written for this project, the album includes songs that were released on her "One Minute Portrait" YouTube initiative during the pandemic and rearranged for this band. UK singer/songwriter/keyboardist Oli Rockberger also contributes vocals to "Reminiscence" (lyrics co-written by Hiromi and Rockberger).

“Sonicwonderland” is a preview of the album’s many delights: it kicks off with a thumping sequenced synthesizer groove that’s more dance club than jazz club. It’s fast-paced, fun, and unfurls into an 8-minute adventure of open space and improvisation. While other songs feature quick tempos, funk grooves and synth work (“Trial and Error,” “Go Go”), Hiromi works gracefully on acoustic piano extensively throughout, her elegant playing and composition work shines on pieces such as “Polaris” and “Utopia.” The closing track, “Bonus Stage,” is a lively, modern take on traditional jazz, with a short intro that could be mistaken for a video game soundtrack. "The word 'wonder' has a lot of meaning. It fits the musical view that I have for this project…it is definitely a new adventure for me," says Hiromi.   

Sonicwonderland is Hiromi’s 12th studio album, a prolific artist who has explored a number of musical spheres over the course of her career. Earlier this year she recorded the soundtrack to Blue Giant, a motion picture film based on the manga series of the same name. 2021's Silver Lining Suite features her with a string quartet and 2019's Spectrum a solo piano recording. Her work has been celebrated by the New York Times, NPR and NPR Music, the Washington Post and beyond, and she was a featured performer at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony in 2021. She has worked with Stanley Clark, Chick Corea, Ahmad Jamal (who produced her first album and was her mentor), and many other jazz luminaries throughout her career, is a perennial favorite on DownBeat’s Annual Critics Poll, and has performed at the world’s finest jazz festivals.  

The Sonicwonderland cover was created by Lou Beach, famous for his Weather Report album covers, not to mention Blink 182's Dude Ranch and albums by Flying Burrito Brothers, Madonna and Weird Al. 

Marimba/vibraphone virtuoso Taiko Saito’s new solo album, Tears Of A Cloud

Tears of a Cloud, the new solo album by marimba and vibraphone virtuoso Taiko Saito, throws the spotlight on a major talent in improvised new music. With dazzling precision, and a discerning ear for new textures and colors, Saito makes music that is unprecedented, full of melodic and rhythmic surprise and invention of breathtaking originality.  main instruments.

Her style draws on many sources, but seems indebted to no single tradition. “I’ve been inspired by so many people,” Saito says. “My mentors Prof. Keiko Abe and Prof. David Friedman; the playing and compositions of Kenny Wheeler; a lot of traditional Japanese music—tea ceremony, ikebana, etc. But I was always looking for my own sound.”

That personal sound is on full display on this remarkable recording, her first recorded solo outing since 2008. Saito explains that she took three basic approaches to creating the music—completely spontaneous, developing an initial motif, and experimentation with sound and the characteristics of mallets and sticks. 

Most of the album is totally improvised with no preconceived ideas. Anything might happen once she starts. For instance, “Daichi” alternates between pregnant silences and eruptions of phrases, balancing stillness and sound. Using heavy leather mallets that she handmade herself, Saito explores unique tones with a feeling for proportion, shape, and spontaneous structure. On another improvised piece, “Uneri,” Saito creates a unique sound world by using the vibraphone’s open pedal and motor to make clouds of resonant notes that enshroud her flowing lines. On the title track, gently throbbing overtones also form a backdrop for a delicate improvised melody that grows deliberately note by note.

On other pieces, Saito takes a motif and develops it over the course of her improvisation. On “Rain,” her motifs mimic the irregular rhythms of nature, achieving a graceful asymmetry as they lengthen and morph into a continuous dance of notes. On “Sound Gradation” she ingeniously manipulates rhythmic motifs, subtly shifting accents in the melodic material and using different mallets to create new tone colors. The result is varied yet unified.

And then there’s the arresting “Underground I,” a sound exploration on which Saito uses a double bass bow and two oversized soft sticks. The wide range of textures and colors reveal her to be an explorer of the marimba’s sonic potential, unafraid to push the limits of the instrument’s capacity for new sounds with deep emotional resonances. 

Award-winning mallet player-composer Taiko Saito was born in 1976 in Sapporo and studied with marimba virtuoso Keiko Abe and classical marimba and percussion at the Toho School of Music. In 1997 she began to improvise and to write music, and moved to Berlin to study vibraphone and composition with David Friedman at the Universität der Künste Berlin. In 2003 she co-founded Koko, a marimba/vibraphone-piano duo with German jazz piano player Niko Meinhold. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2005 and Live in Bogotá was released in 2014. Together with Rupert Stamm, she also created the jazz mallets duo Patema whose recording was released by Zerozero in 2007. She is a founding member of the Berlin Mallet Group, which also includes her former teacher Friedman. She is a co-founder of Futari, a duo with pianist-composer Satoko Fujii, and also performs with Fujii and drummer Yuko Oshima in Trio San. In addition, Saito has performed and recorded with the Trickster Orchestra and saxophonist Silke Eberhard’s Potsa Lotsa XL. As a soloist, Taiko has appeared with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra and with Orchestra d´Auvergne in France. As a composer, she won the originality prize in the International Marimba Competition 2004 for “Landscape IV.” In 2008 she wrote “Hide and Seek for 9 percussionists,” commissioned by the percussion ensemble coup de baguette. In addition to Tears of a Cloud, Saito is also featured on Wald, a trio album with drummer Michael Griener and bassist Jan Roder also coming out in 2023 via Trouble in the East Records.