John Dokes | "Our Day"

With inspiration from his stylistic ancestors Nat King Cole and Joe Williams, John Dokes brings new life to the deep-souled world of baritone jazz vocals on his elegant new album, Our Day, on his Swing Theory Entertainment imprint. 

In delivering a distinctive post-pandemic outing of classic songs embodied with hopeful passion, Dokes—once a champion Lindy Hop dancer—also promises that his new endeavor is “an album that will make you move.” 

Our Day features songs associated with Cole (such as the smooth low-toned “Almost Like Being in Love,” the delightful Rodgers and Hart gem, “This Can’t Be Love,” the Latin-vibed “L.O.V.E.” that elicits dancing), two vocalese numbers (Jon Hendricks’ take on one-time Jazz Messenger composer Bobby Timmons’ “Moanin’,” Mark Murphy’s swinging run through Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay”), the full-energy pop vibe on Billy Ocean’s hit “Suddenly,” and the calming Michel Legrand tune “I Will Wait for You” made famous from the Frank Sinatra songbook. 

“Even though I grew up with hip-hop, I made a transition to something that I could do for a longer time in my life,” Dokes says. “I switched to swing. I came to singing later in my life, but I gravitated to the music I was most passionate about—the eras of the ‘40s, ‘50s, early ‘60s. I started picking songs that really moved me. Over the years, I’m still learning how to get the best of my voice so I’m going deeper which shows me more of who I am.” 

Dokes’ last two albums were quintet affairs. For Our Day, he convened a nonet that includes members of the New York-based George Gee Swing Orchestra where Dokes launched his career as a vocalist. (He documented that with his debut album, John Dokes Sings, George Gee Swings.) Key to the album’s success is the arranging of Gee’s musical director trombonist David Gibson. “David is a great arranger,” Dokes says. “He provides layers for the nonet where everyone has a chance to shine on solos as he fills up the space with his lines.” 

Originally, Dokes was in the midst of fashioning a trilogy of quintet recordings (2017’s Forever Reasons and 2019’s True Love on Ian Hendrickson-Smith’s Rondette Jazz label). While the third album is still in the works, a couple of events intervened. “I got derailed,” Dokes says. “First, our drummer Lawrence Leathers died after True Love came out. I moved to Chicago with my wife and two children. Then there was the pandemic that changed how I was looking at the future. I had to restart my brain. I decided to work on some of my material that had never been recorded. I contacted George Gee and he was working on his nonet’s Christmas album in May 2023, so we combined that with David arranging my album. It was a back-to-back operation of small big bands.” 

The nonet comprises saxophonists Anthony Nelson Jr. and Michael Hashim, multi-reeds player Patience Higgins, trumpeters Freddie Hendrix and Andy Gravish, Gibson on trombone. pianist Steve Einerson, bassist Malik McLaurine and drummer Chris Latona. 

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas who grew up living in Oakland, California, Dokes never dreamed of becoming a professional singer even though he was fascinated by black-and-white reruns of Nat Cole’s short-lived 15-minute network television show that ran on NBC in 1956. “I watched them nonstop before I ever thought about singing,“ Dokes says. “But there was his elegance, his smoothness, his ease. That resonated with me. And it informed how I approach my singing today. I don’t dive into a lot of vocal acrobatics - but like some of my favorite acrobatic and non-acrobatic singers I like to lean in and tell the story to connect with my audience.” 

His father was steeped in music while Dokes was growing up. He played Nat King Cole albums in the house, and he was in an R&B band in the Bay Area in the ‘70s that often opened for soul/R&B stars of the day like The Whispers and The Stylistics.  

He moved to New York and became a regular at swing dance shows including dates by the George Gee Swing Orchestra. One of his dance partners was the legendary Lindy Hopper, cabaret star, alto sax player Dawn Hampton, the cousin of jazz hero Lionel Hampton and sister of legendary trombonist and composer Slide Hampton. She told him that she really liked his voice when he was dancing. “If Dawn likes my voice, I’m going to surprise her one night and sing a couple of songs with George’s band. George only knew me as a dancer. He saw my potential and asked me to join the band. That built my confidence and gave me the path to get better.”  

Now, with his fourth album, Dokes has fully arrived. There’s not a dull moment on Our Day. He opens with “Our Day Will Come.” “It’s a love song,” Dokes says, “but it’s also an opening from the past. Now is our time. Now is our day. It’s really a song about us as a band coming back together.”  

Even though the classic tune “Moanin’” with its bluesy tone and plaintive lyrics is far from hopeful, Dokes says that there’s a truth to the song that attracts him. “It’s an outlier from the rest of the songs, but I was having fun with it by taking on his character,” he says. “In some ways it reminds me of the pandemic, especially with the lines, ‘I’m so tired of paying these dues.’ He’s saying, I’m over this.” 

On “Red Clay,” Dokes’ vocal delivery shifts. “Yes, my voice is definitely different,” he says. “David’s arrangement really swings. Any time you dive into vocalese, it takes you to a different place. It pushes your voice.” As for Legrand’s “I Will Wait for You,” Dokes says, “I love the ease with the song. It’s the best song for someone to sit back and relax into the weekend.” 

After the flirtatious Nat-hit “Don’t Blame Me” comes the Rodgers & Hart beauty, “This Can’t Be Love,” about overcoming doubt. The end song, Bernard Ighner’s “Everything Must Change” from Quincy Jones’s 1974 Body Heat album, is the perfect thematic close to an assured recording. “My father used to sing this song,” Dokes says. “David takes this to a different place stylistically with a subtle funk arrangement. It changes but the message is still the same. Hopeful? Yes. I’m hoping we can figure out a way to fully come out of the pandemic as well as solve the general social climate we’re in.”  

Indeed, in Dokes' special 10-song showcase, Our Day, has arrived just in time.

2024 TOUR DATES

• April 28: Swing 46, NYC. Pre-release performance at with George Gee Swing Orchestra 
• May 10: Winters Jazz Club, Chicago. Official Chicago release event with Nonet. Including David Gibson, Freddie Hendrix, Malik McLaurine from New York and Chicago jazz all stars - Marquees Carrol, Lenard Simpson, Scott Burns, Ben Paterson, Ted Hogarth, Greg Artry
• May 16: Mezzrow, NYC. With Quartet
• May 17: Monks Jazz Club, Austin, TX. With Nonet featuring Mike Sailors
• June: San Francisco TBD
• July 7: Birdland, NYC. With George Gee Swing Orchestra

New Music From: Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Willie Morris, Joel Ross, Fahrenheit 702

Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gore - The Original Hits

Add up the years that Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme spent actively recording and between them you end up at a figure over 110. So how do you boil all that down to a single CD? Well, at Real Gone Music, they know that sometimes you just gotta have the hits. So, that’s what they have done with this 20-track CD; packed it to the gills with their hit-making highlights both solo and together. The result: the single most concentrated dose of Steve and Eydie hit power ever assembled into a single collection! One thing will become very, very certain as you listen to The Original Hits: no matter what the genre, be it pop, Latin, rock and roll or The Great American Songbook, this dynamic duo—who, by the way, were recently the subject of a wonderful TV special from TJ Lubinsky's My Music series on Public Television —display their vocal mastery. Includes such gems as Steve’s “Party Doll,” “Go Away, Little Girl,” “Footsteps,” and “Portrait of My Love,” Eydie’s “You Need Hands,” “Sabor A Mi,” “Blame It on the Bossa Nova,” and “Tonight I’ll Say a Prayer,” and their duets “I Want to Stay Here,” “I Can’t Stop Talking About You,” and “We Can Make It Together” with The Osmonds. Assembled, like their other Steve and Eydie releases, with the assistance of their son David Lawrence, The Original Hits features rare photos and liner notes by Billboard writer Paul Grein. Consider this the tasty appetizer before the multi-course meal they are preparing to serve from the Steve and Eydie catalog in the months to come.

Willie Morris - Attentive Listening

We love the work of saxophonist Willie Morris – one of the freshest talents to hit the Posi-Tone label in recent years, and an artist who really seems to take off with this album! Willie blows tenor throughout, and the set's got this unexpected depth, especially on his original compositions – while also sharing some of the solid swing that we love from the label's other releases – thanks to rhythm work from Jon Davis on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums and percussion. There's a mix of fresh ideas, solid soul, and modern currents that almost echoes some of the late 60s work of Jackie McLean – maybe underscored by the excellent alto work of Patrick Cornelius, whose horn is a perfect counterpart for Morris' tenor. Titles include "Delusion Of Understanding", "Terminal Lucidity", "To Worlds Unknown", "Leaving Paradise", and "The Imitation Game".  ~ Dusty Groove

Joel Ross - nublues

Vibraphonist Joel Ross, in his 4th Blue Note album "nublues," brings forth a captivating exploration of ballads and blues. This collection, a testament to the ingenuity of one of the most creative modern jazz groups, features an ensemble of exceptional talent. Immanuel Wilkins on alto saxophone, Jeremy Corren on piano, Kanoa Mendenhall on bass, Jeremy Dutton on drums, and the special guest appearance of flutist Gabrielle Garo collectively infuse a distinctive energy into every note. Ross's compositions, both melodic and soulful, offer a contemporary perspective on the blues genre. The band's seamless navigation through the blues-imbued musical landscape transcends mere homage, creating a sonic journey that resonates with emotional depth. The inclusion of pieces by jazz legends John Coltrane ("Equinox" and "Central Park West") and Thelonious Monk ("Evidence") further enriches the album, paying homage to the trailblazers who have left an indelible mark on the jazz landscape. "nublues" stands as a testament to Joel Ross's ability to blend tradition with innovation, creating an immersive experience for jazz enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Fahrenheit 702 - Gettin' In The Game, Vol. 1

Fahrenheit 702 ignites a sultry and high-energy party atmosphere with their debut, "GETTING IN THE GAME, Vol. 1!" The album is not only a musical triumph but also marks the triumphant return of producer, bassist, and group founder Greg Radford to the music industry after a nearly decade-long hiatus. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant city of Las Vegas, the album is an embodiment of the lively themes of The Strip, creating the perfect soundtrack for a night filled with fun and success. At the heart of this Smooth Jazz collective are the core members – Greg Radford, the dynamic power vocalist Diane 'Dedae' Patrise' Spann, and the skilled saxophonist Keith Marlo. The ensemble's lineup is further elevated by the Grammy & Emmy Award-winning Singer and Trumpeter Skip Martin, along with the talents of keyboardist Mike Clark, bassist Walter Jones, guitarists Michael Henegan and James 'JD' Davis. Ronnie Foster on organ and John Wedemeyer on guitar inject bluesy excitement into the eclectic blend of urban jazz, Prince-like funk, and Brazilian coolness that defines the album's sonic landscape. "GETTING IN THE GAME, Vol. 1!" promises a musical journey that captures the essence of a jubilant night out, making it a must-listen for enthusiasts of contemporary jazz and beyond.

Joe Taylor | "Westside Chill"

Like his sound and style, guitarist Joe Taylor’s inspiration balances big city grit and hustle with gentle and slow downhome charm. His sixth album, “Westside Chill,” captures his ardor and appreciation for both primary influences in his musical muse as well as in his lifestyle. Taylor wrote all ten songs on the new Moonwatcher Music release produced by four-time Grammy winner Steve Rosenthal and the collection marks the guitar slinger’s first contemporary jazz outing in seventeen years. The haunting nocturnal title track is collecting Spotify playlist adds and is moving up the radio singles chart.

For decades, Taylor split his time between living in New York City and escaping to the coast in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Now he spends most of his time nestled in by the water in the Lowcountry, his rural coastal surroundings informing the material he wrote for “Westside Chill.” Equally present is the New York City metropolis’s influence on the setlist. Taylor is joined on the album by jazz pianist Jeff Franzel, bassists Woody Lingle and Brian Stanley (Bryan Adams), drummer Steve Holley (Paul McCartney & Wings), percussionist Blair Shotts, and flutist John Ragusa.

Opening the record with the title cut that he wrote with Franzel, Taylor said, “This melody came to me on a quiet late-night walk home up Broadway on the Westside of New York City, feeling that chill wind blowing off the Hudson, seeing the streetlights in the snow.”

Decades ago, Taylor used to see the late bass legend Jaco Pastorius playing hoops in a Big Apple playground. Written with Lingle, who is featured prominently on “Jaco’s Court,” the track evokes those vivid memories and concludes with the sounds of a present-day basketball game played on that court.

“Back in the day, I would pass by this court, and there would be Jaco (Pastorius), in the twilight, playing a pickup game, perhaps before his gig at Seventh Ave. South or some other Village haunt. I go by there occasionally these days, and it feels like something of him still lingers,” recalled Taylor.

Taylor remembers another late icon, Glen Campbell, on “Mr. Campbell,” a soothing melodic and congenial tribute befitting the singer-songwriter country-pop crossover star.

“Menemsha Fog” showcases Taylor in a jazz trio configuration flanked by Holley and Stanley, playing his cool electric guitar in a dark, misty, tension-riddled soundscape.

“I used to run my old wooden trawler up Long Island Sound, from Greenport to Menemsha Harbor in Martha’s Vineyard every summer. Often, upon approaching the Menemsha Bight, the fog would roll in, making everything quiet and spooky, ‘til I heard that always welcome sound of bell buoy No. 1 at the mouth of the Bight,” Taylor said in his colorful Southern drawl. 

Taylor lets his imagination loose on “Twenty-Two Rivers,” a vocal tune featuring Jordan Trotter as the female protagonist on this unnerving straight-ahead jazz prowl. 

“In the grand old tradition of murder ballads, this tune is a story about a girl in New York City. Weary of being abused, she does away with her abuser, taking all his money and his vintage convertible, and makes her escape. It’s said that there are twenty-two major river systems across the continental U.S., and she must cross them all as she journeys west,” said Taylor who penned the song with Franzel.

“She’s The Moon” is an ode capturing the radiantly glowing spirit of Taylor’s wife, Stacey. Taylor played a McGill Resonator guitar, a rare instrument that was made for the late guitar great Chet Atkins.

“I was a member of Chet’s Saturday morning breakfast club in Nashville a few years before he passed, and the guitar came to me from its builder, Paul McGill. It is my single favorite and most cherished instrument,” said Taylor.

“Available Light” moves at a relaxing pace, written about a photographer friend who “is always seeking that magic, elusive available light.” Referencing the intro to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Shining Star” is how Taylor opens the vibey “The Cooper and the Thief.” 

“A wine cooper is the fellow that makes the cask. A wine thief is the tool used to ‘steal’ wine from the barrel to test the wine throughout the winemaking process. This song is my unabashed attempt to curry favor with my favorite vintner: Cooper & Thief,” Taylor admitted with a sly smile.

Taylor’s instrumental storytelling tells the tale of seeing a bobcat in the wild from his boat on “The Cut.”

“Stacey and I were aboard the boat one evening heading home through the Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff when we spied, up ahead, a rather large bobcat, casually swimming across the cut, stepping out on the other side and giving us a nonchalant stare as we passed. Cool,” shared Taylor.

Dedicated to his friend, Captain Baldwin, the album closes with “The Waterman,” a soulful, bluesy rhythmic cruise. Taylor explains, “There is a long tradition of shrimpers, oystermen and others who pull a living from the saltwater down here in the Lowcountry where I now live. They’re up before dawn and out on the salt all day.”

"Westside Chill” is Taylor’s first album since 2015’s “Sugardust in the Devil Wind” and his first contemporary jazz project since 2007’s “Accidental Sugar.” In the interim, he’s played, written, produced, recorded and performed in a variety of settings spanning rock, pop, blues, country, classical and Celtic music along with signing and developing artists for his Moonwatcher Music label.

Taylor debuted as a solo artist in 1988 with the ProJazz label release “Mystery Walk,” eventually signing with RCA/Victor to release “Spellbound” in 1995. His contemporary jazz recordings maintained a consistent presence on the Billboard charts. As a session player and producer, Taylor has collaborated with an eclectic list of artists – from Dave Koz and Donna Summer to Nile Rodgers, Al B. Sure! and Andrew Lloyd-Webber. Crafting music for television and film, his credits include “Stephen King's Golden Years,” Discovery Channel's “SpyTek” with Roger Moore, ABC Television's “Turning Point” and A&E's “Spies.”

 

Patrick Bradley | "Road Trippin'

The kids are grown, living on their own, and there’s a fifth wheel parked in the driveaway. Relishing the freedom to hit the road to explore and take in nature is the inspiration for jazz fusion keyboardist Patrick Bradley’s new single, “Road Trippin’, which will begin collecting radio playlist adds and Spotify spins on March 11. Bradley wrote the song with 26-time Billboard chart-topper Darren Rahn, a multiple Grammy nominated producer, songwriter and saxophonist. Rahn produced the single previewing Bradley’s “Gratitude” album, which is slated to arrive later this year from the Patrick’s Song Factory label.   

Beyond their shared musical connection, Bradley and Rahn are bonded by their devotion to their Christian faith. Blessed with a grateful heart, Bradley is thoroughly enjoying this chapter in his life after having raised two children. He and his wife of forty years, Lisa, decided to get the fifth wheel so they could travel freely and easily, enabling them to spend more time on their own in serene scenic outdoor settings. You can hear the sense of adventure on the rousing groove anchored by Rahn and Grammy-winning bassist Mel Brown on “Road Trippin’.” One can almost see the fifth wheel motoring along the open road against a majestic backdrop as Bradley’s piano issues melodic flourishes. Rahn texturizes the track with energizing harmonies via his Wurlitzer, synths and programming. Further embellishments come in the form of Joel Del Rosario’s funky guitar riffs, which are dispensed liberally throughout the cut. 

“The inspiration of the song is really celebrating the freedom and the joys of a road trip. Ever since Lisa and I purchased the fifth wheel a couple of years ago, we’ve been enjoying the outdoors. We’re grateful to have the opportunity at this time in our lives when we have both the freedom and the means available to get out there. For us, it’s about exploring new destinations and visiting cherished places while enjoying the beauty of God’s creation,” said the Southern California-based Bradley, who will perform on July 28 at Spaghettini south of Los Angeles.

“Road Trippin’” provides a glimpse into what’s in store on Bradley’s upcoming sixth album, “Gratitude.” It’s his first outing since 2021’s “Exhale” album, which spawned four Billboard top 20 singles, including the title track that went No. 1 and the top 10 single, “Completely Yours.” Rahn was a big part of that project as was Grammy-winning jazz fusion keyboardist Jeff Lorber, a longtime collaborator who cowrote and produced two songs on the album after producing several of Bradley’s earlier albums. Bradley debuted in 2006 with the “Come Rain or Shine” album. Over the years, he’s collaborated with Grammy nominated saxophonists Dave Koz and Eric Marienthal, Billboard hitmakers Rick Braun and Adam Hawley, and legendary guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. (Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole, Luther Vandross, George Benson). 

                                                                                                    

Eric Hilton | "Sound Vagabond"

Montserrat EricHouse Music and trip-hop pioneer Eric Hilton are excited to announce the release of Sound Vagabond, a 14-track travelogue by one of the godfathers of downtempo electronic music. Having spent decades merging diverse global genres into a singular music vision, Sound Vagabond is perhaps the ultimate iteration of this ethos — each track an audio picture postcard of a place, real or imagined. “Some memories of the places I've been are very clear. Others are distant, nostalgic echos,” Hilton says of his latest showcase. “This record started modestly with some basic ideas, but after writing the first eight tracks, I knew I had a travelogue.” 

Available for pre-order, Hilton offers the singles “Midnight Milan,” “Closer” and “Poppy Fields” from Sound Vagabond in the form of three 7” colored vinyl releases that feature an unreleased B-side on each. 

The dynamic contrasts in Eric Hilton’s music make his latest full-length album, Sound Vagabond, a rewarding listen, with muscular, rhythmic grooves propelling elegantly crafted sonic landscapes. Hilton’s hybridization of music influences and experiences is nowhere more evident than the album’s title track. "Sound Vagabond" locks into a vintage trip-hop groove, while flutes and Northern African flavors drift in and out. It’s difficult to identify a specific geographic or ethnological fingerprint of these sounds — and the others on the album — because everything Hilton assimilates goes through his “filter" and comes out as his own thing.

The destinations on this sonic travelogue are diverse. “Cerro Allegre” was inspired by Hilton’s visit to Valparaíso, Chile, a city he likens to a Latin San Francisco with stunning vistas. “The Violet Hour” is a breathy, Stan Getz meets space-age bachelor pad jaunt that recalls a distinctive Chicago cocktail bar. "Mumbai Hustle” is reconstituted Bollywood by way of Detroit — tough but fun, like a club where you need to know the secret password to get in. “Petra” breathes haunted echoes of Jordan through the speakers, while “Endless Affair” and “Poppy Fields” have 1960s cinematic overtones. 

And while every journey enriches the traveler, time spent on unfamiliar ground often brings self-reflection. Hilton explores these themes on two of the record’s strongest tracks (“The Mirror Inside” and “The Grand Intro”). “Those two songs are more self-focused than the rest of the album,” he says. “‘The Mirror Inside’ is about the feeling of creating a different vibrational experience, turning things back on yourself, which is very much where I am when making a record by myself. ‘The Grand Intro’ is tongue-in-cheek – it’s the kind of song I’d like to be playing when I enter a room; it’s got swagger and élan, but it’s also laid back.” 

Hilton, who has used sampling in his music since the early days of Thievery Corporation, didn’t go digging into crates to create crunchy, 12-bit vinyl samples for this record, but instead turned to public domain sample libraries. “This record is like a sound collage, with 60% samples and 40% live instruments. Sampling off old vinyl records is great, but there are obvious licensing and clearance headaches. Public sample libraries are a fantastic resource; you dig through a lot of hilarious garbage, but I’m astounded by the nuggets you can find. You can find specific instruments in any given key, and then the challenge is chopping them up, recontextualizing and integrating them with the track you’re making.” 

The end result is music where the samples don’t call attention to themselves or distract from the carefully curated mood in any way. Sound Vagabond’s closer, “Lumi,” feels like the beginning of a long journey home, and is a perfect way to close out the album. Get your musical passport stamped.

Curtis Taylor | "Taylor Made"

Although trumpeter CURTIS TAYLOR has performed with some of the top names in jazz and has been a sideman on two dozen recordings as well as recording two EPs as a leader, he has been flying under the radar far too long. But that may well change with his debut full-length album, TAYLOR MADE, a showcase for his considerable playing, writing, and arranging talents. TAYLOR MADE follows #Hashtagged (2017) and Snapshot (2019), recorded live at the World Stage in Los Angeles 

Taylor’s core group of musicians are from the Midwest, including MARCUS ELLIOT (tenor sax), THERON BROWN (piano), JONATHON MUIR-COTTON (acoustic and electric bass) and ALEX WHITE (drums). San Diego-based percussionist DAVID CASTAÑEDA joins the group on the second track. 

The Ohio native made a name for himself early on in his career when he performed on Gregory Porter’s Grammy-winning 2013 CD, Liquid Spirit. He also appeared on Porter’s debut CD, Water, and in his documentary, Don’t Forget Your Music. Taylor has extensive performing and recording credits that include Patrice Rushen, Billy Childs, Gary Novak, Bob Sheppard, Ed Motta, Marvin "Smitty' Smith, Rodney Whitaker, Antonio Hart, and gospel luminaries Karen Clark-Sheard, Kierra Sheard and the Singletons. Taylor’s stint with jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut included a notable concert performance at the Kennedy Center, which was recorded for NPR’s JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, an appearance at the Spoleto Jazz Festival, and a week-long engagement at Dizzy’s Club in NYC. Taylor also toured extensively around Europe and the U.S. with saxophonist James Carter’s quintet. 

Although Taylor is a superb trumpet player, in his youth he aspired to learn the saxophone. However, financial constraints led his mother to steer him to the trumpet. Taylor relates, “We had just moved to Bedford, Ohio, and money was tight. My mother told me ‘You're going to play the trumpet.’ At the time, the cost of a saxophone was around 3,000 dollars, while a trumpet was only 300 dollars, making it a more feasible option.” From that point on, Taylor committed himself to mastering the trumpet and never looked back. 

At the age of 11, Taylor experienced the loss of his father. Fortunately, during this time, caring and generous music teachers became his mentors. A couple of years later, the school’s band director, Shawn Nichols, saw Taylor’s potential and encouraged him to get involved in the jazz ensemble. He also took Taylor to several concerts around the city where he got his first real taste of jazz. One night after seeing a great concert featuring trumpeters Jon Faddis and Steve Enos, Taylor was so inspired that he decided, at the age of thirteen, that he wanted a career in music. Taylor continued his music education throughout high school and went on to receive a BA in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University in 2007. He then received a master's degree at Rutgers University, where had studied with the late William "Prof" Fielder, a legendary educator who taught many jazz notables like Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, and Sean Jones, among others. After graduating, he spent time in New York trying to kick off his career when he got a call from Kamau Kenyatta, Gregory Porter’s producer. Taylor had met Kenyatta several years earlier at a jam session in Detroit, and Kenyatta invited Taylor to come out to San Diego to play on Porter’s debut album, Water. He subsequently tapped Taylor’s talents to play on Porter’s sophomore release, Liquid Spirit, along with other projects he produced.

Taylor liked Southern California, especially the mild winters, and decided to relocate there. He quickly became a sought-after performer in the SoCal jazz scene as well as a guest lecturer at Cal State San Marcos. Taylor has performed with his quartet across the US at many top venues and festivals, most recently at Font Festival (2020), Detroit Jazz Festival (2020), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2021), Bechtler Museum of Modern Art (2021) and the Blue Llama Jazz Club (2021). Taylor moved back to the Midwest in 2021 to become a lecturer at the University of Iowa’s Jazz department, where he teaches jazz history, jazz theory and directs the JRE Big Band. 

Taylor’s compositions swing but all have a fresh, modern perspective. His playing is a fluid blend of soul, blues, gospel, and bebop with expressive, lyrical solos. For TAYLOR MADE, he carefully selected songs that he had crafted over the years and perfected through numerous captivating performances. 

Taylor opens the album with “Kham’s Dilemma,” a tribute to his son Khamari, who was born in 2018. The title was inspired by Wynton Marsalis’ popular “Delfeayo’s Dilemma.” “After the Rain” is a happy, upbeat tune. Taylor recalls, “I wrote this song during a visit to my mother’s house. I sat at the piano and this melody started to come to me while it was raining. I was having trouble coming up with the bridge of the song, which I finally finished right after the rain ended, so I decided to call the song ‘After the Rain.’” The tune is very popular in Taylor’s live performances, and he often uses it to close his shows. 

Taylor set out to represent the feeling of nervous energy with “Heightened Awareness,” a driving composition with a post-bop attitude featuring smoking solos by Taylor, Elliot, and Brown. “For Her” was inspired by a past relationship with a woman who was a dancer. Written in 3/4 time, Taylor wanted to capture the expression of a dancer’s graceful, elegant movements. 

“Indomitable” is about the will to prevail, which is represented with recurring musical figures that create an undercurrent that keeps pulling you back in. Taylor revisited and expanded “Hashtagged,” initially recorded on his EPs #Hashtagged and Snapshot. The 7/4 meter composition was inspired by Robert Glasper’s “Jelly's Da Beener.” Taylor closes the album with “Journey,” a number with a Maiden Voyage vibe written during a transitional period of his life. 

Although Taylor is teaching at the School of Music at the University of Iowa, he maintains a busy touring schedule. Admired by his numerous fans who have been lucky enough to hear him play live, with the wide release of TAYLOR MADE, jazz enthusiasts across the country will be able to enjoy his hip, soulful, contemporary originals.

Jean Carne | "Give It Up"

Renowned for her extraordinary five-octave vocal range and innate improvisational prowess, Jean Carne stands as a paragon among the finest singers of our era. Initially recognized in the jazz realm for her unique vocal stylings, Carne seamlessly transitioned into one of the nation's most gifted R&B performers. From the early 1970s to the 1990s, her consistent string of hits, including the chart-topping R&B hit "Closer Than Close" in 1986, has garnered a global following captivated by her musical prowess.

Closely aligned with the Philly Soul sound, Jean Carne's association with Gamble & Huff's Philly International label solidified her status as the genre's most sophisticated voice. Throughout her illustrious career, Carne collaborated with eminent soul and jazz artists, producers, and songwriters, including Dizzy Gillespie, Norman Connors, The Temptations, Glenn Jones, and Phyllis Hyman, showcasing her versatility and depth.

With an unyielding commitment to musical excellence, Carne's talent and creativity remain undiminished, consistently delivering quality albums for over four decades. Her distinctive voice continues to captivate audiences worldwide. In recent years, Jean Carne has collaborated with iconic soul producer Butch Ingram, releasing critically acclaimed singles and full-length albums that showcase her enduring artistry.

One such gem from her collaboration with Butch Ingram is the Ingram-penned "Give It Up," the title track of her lauded album. This release features the stellar saxophone work of Don "Juan" Ward, adding an extra layer of brilliance to Carne's soulful delivery. As a bonus, this single release includes a previously unreleased instrumental version, providing listeners with a unique perspective on the musical artistry of Jean Carne.

In essence, Jean Carne's journey through the realms of jazz and R&B has left an indelible mark on the music industry. Her ability to seamlessly traverse genres, coupled with an unwavering commitment to excellence, ensures that her legacy continues to inspire and enchant music enthusiasts across generations.

Mark Watkins & His Celebrated Saxophone Quartet | "FOUR + Six"

Watkins envelops his long-running saxophone quartet in lush, billowing textures on FOUR + Six, the band’s deliriously tuneful sixth album, set for a March 29 release on Jazz Hang Records. Watkins augments the core quartet of himself (soprano and tenor saxes), Sandon Mayhew (tenor sax), Ray Smith (alto sax), and Jon Gudmundson (baritone sax) with Corey Christiansen (guitar); a three-piece rhythm section of Justin Nielsen (piano), Braun Khan (bass), and Kobie Watkins (no relation, drums); and the esteemed Gardner brothers, Derrick (trumpet) and Vincent (trombone). 

While the saxophone quartet FOUR goes back more than 20 years, the roots of this particular collaboration lie in the turbulent year of 2020, when Derrick Gardner was forced to cancel a performance at the Brigham Young University-Idaho (where Watkins has been director of jazz studies since 1999) annual jazz festival. With the reinstatement of the festival in 2022 and the re-inviting of Derrick Gardner—as well as his trombonist brother and drummer Watkins—Watkins took the opportunity to formulate this build-out of the original FOUR. 

“I love composing for a cappella saxophone quartet but have often been intrigued by the possibility of including a trumpet, a trombone, and a rhythm section in my compositions,” writes Watkins in the album’s liner notes. “These instruments add color and variety to the quartet without creating the weight of a big band.” 

The broadened sonic palette of FOUR + Six demands a broad stylistic palette too, and on this Watkins delivers. The album’s seven tracks (all Watkins originals) include the New Orleans pastiche “On Any Given Day in Summer,” the angular post-bop “The Executioner Is Looking Away,” the gentle ballad “Against My Desire to Imagine,” and the Third Stream–inspired “Today, Yesterday, Tomorrow and Forever.”

But a recording packed with so many superb musicians can’t simply be a composer’s vehicle, and FOUR + Six’s soloists appropriately shine. Christiansen, Nielsen, Mayhew, and Vincent Gardner each take a bravura turn on the terse Latin “Shouldn’a Did That,” while the brothers find themselves featured in “Without Another Word” (which also includes solos by Khan and Mark Watkins on soprano). “There’s so much talent in this band,” Watkins notes. “We were able to go off in all kinds of directions.” Which, of course, was FOUR + Six’s intention all along.

Mark Watkins was born May 29, 1961 in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up on classical, country, and rock & roll records as the family moved from place to place across the country. Partially blind since birth (and today fully blind), he struggled with the disability and attendant prejudice both in and out of school—but not enough to keep him away from the music he loved.

Watkins earned a bachelor’s degree in saxophone performance from Brigham Young University in 1988, followed by a doctorate in woodwind performance from Indiana University. Though his concentration in both cases was in classical music, at IU Watkins encountered the legendary jazz educator David Baker, with whom he studied to earn a minor in jazz studies.

Originally, Watkins’s vision of a saxophone quartet was a classical ensemble, which he realized while teaching at North Dakota State University in the late ’90s. But when a colleague suggested that they investigate some jazz tunes, the Hard-Bop Saxophone Quartet was born. 

Watkins has been a jazz musician ever since, taking the job of director of Jazz Studies at BYU-I in 2001, and remaining there until 2022. At the university’s seat of Rexburg, Idaho, he created the sax quartet FOUR, who recorded their debut album With Friends Like These in 2006. Five other albums followed, of which FOUR + Six is the latest. 

In addition to his performance, Watkins is an accomplished scholar of his instrument and the author of many books on the subject. One of these, 2018’s From the Inside Out: An In-Depth Resource for the Development of Saxophone Sound, has been widely hailed as a landmark and comprehensive study of the human physiology behind playing the saxophone. 

Charles McPherson | "Reverence"

Never mind Webster’s – how does Charles McPherson define reverence? “To me, it means deep respect and admiration,” explains the legendary saxophonist, who chose the word as the title for his breathtaking new album, Reverence.

“There’s a nostalgic element to it, but you can certainly revere somebody that's here right now as much as you can have reverence for the past. It definitely describes everything that I feel about the musicians I’ve worked closely with throughout my life, all of whom I respect musically and artistically.”

On his first release for Smoke Sessions Records, due out April 26th, McPherson certainly reveals why he’s been held in such reverence for the last 64 years. The album captures a scintillating live performance from Smoke Jazz Club, where McPherson is joined by his remarkable current group featuring trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Jeb Patton, bassist David Wong, and drummer Billy Drummond. The set is a showcase for McPherson’s gifts as both composer and soloist and bridges his deep and far-reaching exploration of the full jazz spectrum.

Reverence kicks off a yearlong series of live recordings celebrating the 25th anniversary of Smoke Jazz Club and the tenth anniversary of its record label, Smoke Sessions. McPherson’s preference for recording live was a major factor in launching this series. After an inspiring, post-pandemic week performing at the recently renovated and reopened Smoke back in November 2022, McPherson knew he wanted to capture that same atmosphere and energy on his next recording, so the decision to skip the studio and record live was a relatively easy one.

“It’s a perfectly sized, well-run club,” he says. “It’s just big enough to have some room for listening but just small enough to still have a personal intimacy. That’s the ideal combination. And both the label and the club are obviously run by people who love the music and are willing to take a chance on artists who are creative and believe in what they're doing.”

Born in Joplin, Missouri, McPherson spent his formative years in the rich jazz city of Detroit, where he was mentored by the late Barry Harris. His closest childhood friend was the future trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer; the two later played together with the iconic Charles Mingus, with whom McPherson would tour and record for more than a decade. McPherson and Hillyer lived just blocks from the famed Blue Bird Inn, a renowned jazz club where the house band included Harris, Pepper Adams, Paul Chambers, and Elvin Jones.

Reverence was born shortly after Barry Harris passed away in late 2021. Harris was a pivotal figure for McPherson, not just as a musician but as a person. In light of his recent passing, Reverence is particularly dedicated to his memory. “Barry was my mentor and my teacher for a long time,” McPherson recalls. “I owe a lot to him. He always told me that there was more to this music than just playing the horn – you actually have to know how to think to be able to do this well. In order to be hip in Detroit at that time you had to know about Bird, but you had to know about Schopenhauer, Miró, Gerald Massey, and Immanuel Kant as well. That opened a lot of doors for me.”

McPherson didn’t set out to undertake an explicit tribute project – there are no Harris compositions in the repertoire, and only the final track, “Ode to Barry,” was penned in homage to the great pianist and educator. But McPherson did set out with the high regard in which he holds Harris in mind and entered into the recording with a sense of reverence both for his longtime mentor and collaborator, as well as for the younger musicians whom he enlisted for the session.

“I really like the language of bebop, which allows for a broad range of expression,” he explains. “But I'm not a civilized bebopper – I'm a wild bebopper, and I might go anywhere from that jumping-off spot. I’m 84 years old now, so the core remains the language of bebop, but I do it in today’s world with today’s players.”

Reverence reconvenes the ensemble that recorded McPherson’s previous album, Jazz Dance Suites, and has cohered into a stellar working group over the last few years. Realizing that the quintet consistently achieved a unique chemistry during live gigs, he determined to make his next release a live album, a nod to the respect and, yes, reverence with which he esteems his current collaborators.

“I chose these players because they represent how I feel about jazz,” McPherson says. “The term ‘jazz’ covers a pretty broad umbrella, and there are a lot of different ways to play what we call jazz, even within the same style. So, when I hire younger players, I hire players who honor and care about the same things that I care about. The members of this band definitely understand the language of bebop, but they’re flexible and can go to a lot of other places as well.”

The album opens with the simmering “Surge,” which bristles with the tidal forces implied by the name and summons keenly focused solos from Stafford, McPherson, and Patton. “Dynamic Duo” winks at McPherson’s boyhood love of comic books as it spotlights the chemistry between Patton and Wong, who have worked together in Patton’s bands as well as with the Heath Brothers. “Blues for Lonnie in Three” has a playful nature, ideal for the lifelong friendship that McPherson shared with Hillyer.

“Ode to Barry” closes the album as a show of respect to Harris, painting a musical portrait of his unique personality. “Barry was an interesting figure because he was very smart and intelligent, but slightly melancholy,” McPherson describes. “There’s a mix of emotions that comes up when I think of him. He was a pensive, thoughtful person with a lot of depth, so I tried to capture his basic emotional makeup with the harmonic coloring of this tune.”

The set is rounded out by a pair of familiar standards: “Come Rain or Come Shine,” the Harold Arlen classic, showcasing the warm tenderness of McPherson’s ballad playing in a quartet setting; and the yearning, nostalgic “Old Folks,” led by a wistful Stafford outing. McPherson chose both tunes, he said, simply because “I consider them beautiful and sophisticated. These tunes are written for adults, not for 12-year-olds.”

The title of Reverence may be intended to reflect the way that McPherson feels towards his late bandmates; it also vividly captures the deep respect felt towards the master saxophonist by his current bandmates – not to mention generations of jazz fans. More than six decades into a remarkable career, few command and deserve our reverence quite like Charles McPherson.

Bassist Yosef Gutman releases "The World and its People"

In an absorbing follow-up to Soul Song, his recent collaboration with guitar great Lionel Loueke (“a scintillating and sun-struck combination of ringing, gentle jazz and percussive African highlife that can only make you smile” — freq.org.uk), bassist and composer Yosef Gutman Levitt of Jerusalem is back with a new and invigorating release: The World and Its People, available from Levitt’s recently formed Soul Song imprint.

Leading a drum-less, chamber-jazz-newgrass foursome influenced in part by The Goat Rodeo Sessions (with Chris Thile, Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan), Levitt draws from deep within his soul on a collection of beautiful melodies, in deeply felt renderings from all involved.

The tracks are Levitt originals cowritten and arranged by producer Gilad Ronen, with sterling contributions from Levitt’s close musical associates Tal Yahalom on nylon- and steel-string acoustic guitars, Omri Mor on piano and Yoed Nir on cello. Yahalom and Levitt have made two captivating duo albums, Tsuf Harim and Tal Yasis; Mor released his own Soul Song title earlier in 2023 called Melodies of Light and appeared with Levitt on the 2022 trio release Upside Down Mountain. “Everybody worked so hard in bringing creative ideas to this session,” Levit recalls of The World and Its People. “The music is very much inspired by our prior interactions—I feel excited about taking our conversation into different styles and opportunities to connect and communicate.”

The album was mixed by Richard King, whose Grammy-winning work on The Goat Rodeo Sessions has served as an inspiration to Levitt and his colleagues. “The musical color that those musicians bring to the world is something pure and delicate and honest and lovely and luscious and warm,” Levitt remarks of Goat Rodeo. “These are the qualities I wanted to surround myself with: creating a classical crossover, dipping into country, using tools of the language to bring a light, bouncy, folky aspect to the music that I typically play, which is improvised jazz.”

A religiously observant Jew, Levitt has endowed all his music with a sense of spiritual searching and depth, whether he is interpreting Hasidic nigunim on such releases as Ashreinu and Chabad Al Hazman or exploring original music with a jazz trio on Upside Down Mountain. On The World and Its People he focuses again on originals, animated by truths gleaned from Hasidic teachings. “All of my albums begin with a notion of spiritual development, a connection to God and those around me, and how to translate the various things that I’m working on, internally and externally, into melody and music.” He explains the album title as follows: “When we make a space for the world, and we make a space for its people, we infuse it with light and we make an impact—not just socially, but through being honest and open, doing what we’re meant to be doing.”

As on previous releases, Levitt imbues The World and Its People with the sound of upright bass as well as his unique five-string acoustic bass guitar (built by Harvey Citron, Steve Swallow’s luthier), on which he’s developed a signature voice: a warm, singing, bell-like high-register tone with a focus on simple, direct, expressive melodies. The solos and unison passages on the two advance singles, “Awakening” and the title track, cut through the ensemble with a singing legato that is emotionally rich, intense yet delicate. “It’s very precious music,” Levitt says. “It’s very alive when I listen to it—I feel a magical sense of life and humanity and relationships, and I hear the depth and excitement of the other players in the room.”

“Awakening” evokes not only Levitt’s writing process (waking up first thing and improvising melodies into a voice recorder), but also the inner meaning of the Aramaic phrases itaruta diletata and itaruta dile’eyla, “awakening from below” and “awakening from above.” “Awakening from below,” Levitt explains, “can mean making a space for hearing a friend, paying attention to the world around us, inviting the world around us in, which is the idea behind the album.”

Levitt launched the Soul Song label with a set of core principles and values in mind: “The goal is to create music, and to create a label that stimulates others to do the same—to make their soul song. To create music that’s intimate and honest, improvised, and Jewish if you will.

What makes Jewish music, to me, is a profound honesty, stripping away anything that’s not needed. That’s the work I want to do with the artists on this label—whether they’re Jewish or not is not important. What’s important is that the music is inspired by something higher. I want to work with artists who are interested in getting to that place.” Releases with eminent guitarists Gilad Hekselman and Ralph Towner are soon to follow.

R&B/jazz guitarist 2unes releases "Let's Wait Awhile"

In a world of instant gratification, R&B/jazz guitarist 2unes aka North Woodall invites pausing, patience and peace. Releasing just ahead of Valentine’s Day, his new single, “Let’s Wait Awhile,” encourages listeners to savor the beauty and anticipation of romance with his sensual instrumental remake of Janet Jackson’s Billboard hit. Two-time Grammy nominee Chris “Big Dog” Davis (Will Downing, Dave Koz, Rick Braun, Gerald Albright) produced the single dropping on 2uneswave Records.

“Recording ‘Let's Wait Awhile’ was a deliberate choice stemming from a desire to encapsulate a moment in music that transcends the fast-paced nature of our world. In a society often rushing from one moment to the next, I felt compelled to create a space for patience and reflection. This recording is my way of inviting listeners to pause, to reflect, and to find joy in the moments of quietude,” said 2unes about his latest collaboration with Davis, following last summer’s “Sensual,” on which he played an intimate acoustic guitar.

Jackson penned “Let’s Wait Awhile” with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for her “Control” album. The song topped Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked in the second spot on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart in 1987. The song lyrics are about sexual abstinence, but reimagined as an instrumental by 2tunes, the tune takes on different meaning and undertones that embrace stillness and serenity.

"‘Let's Wait Awhile’ is not just a song; it's a musical sanctuary where time slows down, and where the simple act of waiting becomes a celebration in itself. The song, to me, represents more than just musical notes and lyrics; it's a plea to savor the beauty of anticipation, to embrace the power of waiting, and to find solace in the stillness between breaths. In a world that often rushes towards the next big thing, ‘Let's Wait Awhile’ is a reminder that some experiences are worth the patience, and that the journey itself holds a beauty that can only be discovered by allowing time to unfold naturally,” said 2unes, a Dayton, Ohio native who is a longtime Atlanta resident.

Woodall has been recording as 2unes for nearly twenty years. He’s released four albums, mixing up an alchemy of R&B, jazz, soul and hip-hop. 2unes has shared the concert stage with Brian McKnight, Lakeside, Ohio Players, Roger Troutman and Zapp, Roy Ayers, Millie Jackson, Tom Browne and Will Downing.

Simon Denizart | "Piece Of Mind"

Montreal-via-France jazz pianist and composer Simon Denizart has announced his fifth full-length Piece of Mind arriving March 29th. He shares a taste of the new album with the intoxicating and mysterious new song “Speedball.” Enticing piano melodies and stuttering drum beats draw the listener in with hypnotic energy. 

Simon explains: “Speedball is a track that immerses you in raw emotion and makes you feel the rush of the unknown. Through dynamic rhythms and staccato melodies, this song captures the essence of adrenalin and the giddiness of risk-taking.”

“Speedball” accompanies recent releases “35 Years of Mistakes” “Music Box” and “9-4,” (All About Jazz Song of the Day) on the virtuoso’s upcoming full-length, Piece of Mind, out March 29th via Nettwerk/Justin Time Records.

Originally from Créteil, France, jazz pianist and composer Simon Denizart now calls Montréal, Québec Canada home.  He arrived in 2011 and quickly made a name for himself as one of the city’s top players. With a nod to world music, his style and repertoire can be soft, sensitive and energizing with subtle and accessible melodies.  His first three releases (labels 270 Sessions and Laborie Jazz) were all nominated for ADISQ Awards (Québec Grammy®) in the Album of the Year category, jazz. Selected for the 2014 Rimouski Festival's next generation competition, he won the audience prize which enabled him to travel and perform throughout Québec. He received significant praise and recognition from CBC/SRC having been chosen as one of their rising stars with the Radio Canada Revelation Award which highlights and encourages the next generation of emerging artists.

Recently signed to Justin Time Records worldwide – Simon’s fifth album ‘Piece of Mind’ proves to be his most innovative yet with influences borrowed from jazz, classical and electronic music. Always sensitive to developing new sounds and sonorities with the piano, Simon offers solid melodic and rhythmic playing. On ‘Piece of Mind’ Simon is supported by his long-time collaborators; virtuoso Elli Miller Maboungou on percussion and Michel Medrano Brindis on drums. Jonathan Arseneau's electric bass brings an unrivaled groove to the compositions and sometimes transforms into an electric guitar thanks to the bassist's palette of effects. Finally, the string trio present on half of the compositions transports the listener into the cinematic universe of the French pianist.

Simon tours frequently and has performed in Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and his native country France.  Stay tuned for 2024 tour dates to support the release of ‘Piece of Mind’.

Kay-Ta Matsuno | "Distance"

Nearly four years ago, the word distance took on an entirely new and different meaning when the coronavirus pandemic forced the world to practice social distancing – i.e., maintain a “safe” gap between people. As the pandemic raged,  economic fear and uncertainty, divisive politics, and civil unrest also gripped the U.S., creating more “distance” between people. Contemporary jazz guitarist Kay-Ta Matsuno journaled his feelings, experiences and observations during this unprecedent period of isolation and turmoil into songs, writing and producing his third solo album, “Distance,” which was released by LCR Music. The title track, an exploration of ethereal jazz and melody, is the first single that will begin collecting playlist adds on February 12.

Recording in his home studio near Los Angeles, the Osaka, Japan-born Matsuno performed all the music and instrumentation heard on the ten-track “Distance” album with the exception of “Kraken” that includes drummer Channing Holmes. Known for his gifted guitar artistry in jazz, fusion, R&B, pop, classical, new age and Japanese music settings, Matsuno brings elements from his diverse repertoire to the project. The heart of the songs’ subject matters reflect what was happening throughout the world four years ago with a particular focus on what was happening in America at the time.

The album opens with “Distance,” which feels like an emotional journey guided by Matsuno’s reassuring acoustic guitar. Melding atmospheric new age nuances and contemporary jazz sensibilities, Matsuno delivers his thesis using riffs and runs etched with dazzling speed and technical brilliance.  

“The word distance means something completely different since the pandemic. It used to have a romantic/melancholic tone to it. But during the pandemic, no matter how much you want to come close to someone, you had to maintain six feet of distance from each other. You can see them, but you can’t touch them. The more you maintain that six feet of distance, the more strongly you realize how important we are to each other. Including the title track, the entire album is based on songs I wrote during the pandemic to stay positive, both as a person and as a musician,” said Matsuno.

Matsuno’s desire to find positivity through adversity becomes a sonic affirmation on “Hope Within,” offered in the form of the song’s luminous and rousing melody.

There were benefits inherent in the stay-at-home order issued at the onset of the pandemic, with the precipitous reduction in pollution and significantly improved air quality being just two. Matsuno noticed the cleansed and purified Los Angeles skylines, capturing the beauty in a jazz fusion meets neo classical composition titled “Smog-Free.”

“During the pandemic, the sky in Los Angeles was as clear as ever before because almost no cars were driving around. The contrast between the clear sky and the gloominess inside our hearts was quite interesting,” said Matsuno.

Amidst the pandemic, the climate in the U.S. took on another heated dimension after the beating death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. “Elbows & a Knee” musically memorializes that moment with a futuristic electronic contemporary jazz groove tinged with a country guitar twang and hip-hop turntable scratches. 

“The season of pandemic changed the meanings and sentiments of a lot of words. ‘Elbows’ became a word symbolizing friendship since we couldn’t shake hands with each other and we were told to bump elbows instead, and Derek Chauvin’s knee on George Floyd’s neck brought a lot of chaos to the entire world. To me, ‘Elbows & a Knee’ is a post-pandemic way of saying ‘love and hate.’ In this song, I mixed slide guitar, which represents country music, and an electronic beat inspired by N.W.A., representing hip-hop, finding a way to seamlessly merge with each other,” Matsuno explained.

The uncertainty of the pandemic era felt disjointed, disconnected and dystopian. Matsuno said that his song “‘Uncertainty’ represents the sentiment prevalent during the pandemic. You feel depressed, but when you see your own seven-year-old daughter having a blast communicating with people through a tablet, you start to feel like this world shouldn’t be so bad.” 

“Push It Back!” is a fast, frenetic fusion foray that Matsuno said he wrote “to shake off the gloom.”

On “Kraken,” the guitarist shifts his sights to the political chaos that inflamed the nation, culminating in the presidential election. The track is a frenzied rock and jazz fusion exposition, ignited by fiery electric guitar solos and licks that include snippets of the American National Anthem.

“The 2020 presidential election was a total nightmare. I have never had that many arguments with my colleagues before. In the middle of all the crazy tsunamis of information and news from TV, social media and daily conversations, I just had to write this song to let my thoughts out without using words. This song literally saved my sanity during that time,” shared Matsuno.   

Two of the original songs on the “Distance” album were written prior to the pandemic, but Matsuno included them in the setlist because he felt they fit the sound, feel or theme of the collection. The first is “Silky,” a compelling sonic collage of fusion, rock and new age textured by Matsuno’s impassioned electric and acoustic guitars. “Magic Hour” was written for his wedding fourteen years ago and recorded here for the first time.

“It would have been so difficult to go through this pandemic without family, so it felt appropriate to include this song (“Magic Hour”),” concluded Matsuno.

Near the end of the pandemic, Matsuno’s older sister passed away from heart failure. He remembers her on “Arabesque No. 1,” which closes the album.

“She used to play this piece by Debussy often on the piano in the living room. This is my way of commemorating her life.”

Matsuno is a first-call session and touring guitarist who has recorded and/or performed with R&B singers Lalah Hathaway, Jennifer Hudson, Jody Watley, Amerie and Chante Moore;  contemporary jazz artists Keiko Matsui, Jackiem Joyner and Michael Lington; and Japanese artists Senri Kawaguchi, Chikuzen Satoh, Junko Yagami, and Marlene. He released his solo debut in 2016 titled “Arrival,” which won the Best Jazz Instrumental Album statue at the Independent Music Awards and spawned his Billboard top 25 single, “Synch With Me.” Two years later, he won the Best Instrumental award for “Spring in Lviv” at the USA Songwriting Competition. In group settings, Matsuno’s classical crossover band Quattrosound was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award in the Best New Artist category in 2013. His current configuration, Kay-Ta Crypto String Society, performs throughout the US, Austria and Japan, the latter country being where they’ll tour again in July. On Valentine’s Day, Matsuno will join trumpeter/vocalist Ilya Serov for a concert in Mumbi, India. The guitarist will perform aboard the all-star Dave Koz Cruise this spring.

 

MEKLIT | "ETHIO BLUE"

Visionary Ethiopian-American vocalist, composer, and cultural activist Meklit has announced the release of her new EP Ethio Blue,  a prescient six-song collection attuned to inner landscapes. 

Recorded with GRAMMY-winning songwriter / producer Dan Wilson, Ethio Blue is powered by an array of Ethio Jazz-inspired grooves, while presenting some of Meklit’s most personal songwriting to date. Meklit has also shared the new single “Antidote”, a bouncing ode to emotional wisdom and self-knowledge, powered by an array of funk, arpeggios, and Ethio Jazz. 

“The music of Ethio Blue was designed to “heal ourselves and nourish our hearts,” writes Meklit. “I realized I need to make a record reminding us - myself included - of the power we have and the spirit of resiliency that can refresh us.”

On Ethio Blue, Meklit’s vision is channeled through the prowess of her longtime band, which includes Ethiopian pianist/keyboardist Kibrom Birhane, saxophone maestro Howard Wiley, drummer Colin Douglas, percussionist Marco Peris Coppola, and bassists Sam Bevan and Miles Jay. Guest artists featured on Ethio Blue include legendary Macedonian clarinetist Ismail Lumanovski, Los Angeles singer/songwriter Sara Mulford on synth and keyboard, and Dan Wilson on OP-1 synth.

The EP follows the release of Meklit’s acclaimed, hard-grooving 2017 album When the People Move, the Music Moves Too. When the People Move, the Music Moves Too, has been acclaimed by Vibe, New York Magazine, and Popmatters.

In 2020 she launched Movement, a transmedia storytelling initiative that lives at the intersection of migration and music. Movement exists as a syndicated podcast and radio show (airing regularly on PRX’s The World to an audience of 2.5M listeners), as well as an ongoing series of live events which brings the conversation before live audiences. For Meklit, Movement stems from her own youth as a refugee, and her hunger for new narratives of migration driven by the folks most impacted by it. It is an opportunity to honor the vastness of immigrant experiences, including themes of joy, curiosity, ancestral wisdom and epiphany, even while making space for the very real presence of trauma, difficulty and pain. 

Meklit has collaborated with renowned artists such as Kronos Quartet, Andrew Bird, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and the late creator of funk music, Pee Wee Ellis. Meklit is a National Geographic Explorer, a TED Senior Fellow, and a former Artist-in-Residence at Harvard University and NYU. She is the co-founder of the visionary pan-African Nile Project, a featured voice in UN Women’s theme song and the winner of the 2021 globalFEST Artist Award.

With Ethio Blue, Meklit continues to open her arms to the world with a sound gleaned from Addis Ababa, Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Francisco and beyond. But the frontier she embraces with her new music is the vast and mysterious interiors of the human heart.

Meklit Tour Dates:

• 02/15/24 - Silver Spring,MD - Montgomery College - Movement Live
• 02/17/24 - New York, NY - Joe’s Pub
• 03/09/24 - San Francisco, CA - Brava! Theater - EP release show
• 04/04/24 - Claremont, CA - Scripps College

Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul; New Small Batch Vinyl Release

Craft Recordings is pleased to announce an audiophile pressing of Hot Buttered Soul: the earth-shattering 1969 hit record from GRAMMY® and Academy Award®-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and actor, Isaac Hayes. The album—which marks the sixth reissue in Craft’s acclaimed Small Batch vinyl series—pushed the boundaries of soul music, while setting Hayes on the path to superstardom, thanks to such groundbreaking tracks as “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic,” plus ambitious renditions of the Bacharach/David classic “Walk on By” and Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” Available March 1st and limited to just 3,000 copies worldwide, Hot Buttered Soul can be found exclusively at CraftRecordings.com and AcousticSounds.com. 

Handpicked from Craft’s extensive catalog, each Small Batch release offers listeners the highest-quality, authentic sound—distilled to its purest form. As with all albums in the series, Hot Buttered Soul features lacquers cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Bernie Grundman and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with Neotech’s VR900 compound. Using a one-step lacquer process (as opposed to the standard three-step process), this technique allows for the utmost level of musical detail, clarity, and dynamics while reducing the amount of surface noise on the record. The limited nature of these pressings guarantees that each record is a true representation of the original lacquer and is as close as the listener can get to the original recording. 

Since launching in 2020, the Small Batch series has drawn accolades from both sides of the Atlantic. Speaking to previous edition, Thelonious Monk’s Brilliant Corners, Analog Planet declared that the set “sounds more realistic, full-bodied, natural, and richer... If you love this Monk music and want the best possible version you can get your hands and ears on, then this new edition may very well be your jam.” While Record Collector Magazine described it as a “...masterpiece lovingly revived... superlative... revelatory in terms of sonic detail, while the deluxe packaging, including new liner notes, is also top-notch.” Absolute Sound summarized the pressing as “intensely alive, more upfront and dynamically forceful, with exceptional clarity, focus, and kind of you-are-there intimacy...if you can still find it, do!” and PopMatters’ echoed in a 10/10-star review, “Craft Recordings’ reissue certainly gives Brilliant Corners the respect it deserves, with a sumptuously packaged reissue and stunning sonic fidelity. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to add this to your collection, the wait is over.” 

Each copy of Hot Buttered Soul is individually numbered and encased in a foil-stamped, linen-wrapped slipcase featuring an acrylic inset of the original artwork. The vinyl disc—extractable through a unique, frictionless ribbon pull tab—is housed in a reproduction of the album’s original tip-on jacket from Stax Records and protected by an archival-quality, anti-static, non-scratching inner sleeve. New in-depth liner notes by veteran music writer and journalist A. Scott Galloway (Wax Poetics, Variety, Urban Network) complete the package. Described by Galloway as “a searing souvenir of the art form, that will emphatically inspire into eternity,” Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul has long been considered a landmark title in R&B—one that pushed the limits of soul music and influenced countless artists in its wake. Released in 1969, Hayes’ sophomore effort also served as a proper introduction to the artist, following his widely overlooked solo debut, Presenting Isaac Hayes (1968). After Hot Buttered Soul, there was only forward momentum for Hayes.

Nearly a decade earlier, Hayes (1942–2008) began his musical career behind the scenes, working as an in-house session musician and songwriter at Stax Records. There, he formed a highly successful writing partnership with David Porter, which resulted in some of the era’s biggest R&B hits, including “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Comin’” for Sam & Dave, “B-A-B-Y” for Carla Thomas, and “I Got to Love Somebody’s Baby” for Johnnie Taylor. By the close of the ’60s, however, Hayes was eager to embark on his own creative path.

 “I always try to make my music interesting in the sense that you can’t figure out where I’m going,” Hayes told Galloway in 1995. “I don’t like people to second guess me. I had no formal training therefore I knew no boundaries. When you break the rules and go outside the box, you become innovative.”

Hayes recorded lead vocals and rhythm tracks in a single eight-hour session, during which he simultaneously served as lead vocalist, keyboardist (on the Hammond organ), and conductor. Performing alongside him at Memphis’ Ardent Studios were bassist James Alexander, drummer Willie Hall, and rhythm guitarist Michael Toles—all members of the recently reformed Bar-Kays—plus pianist Marvell Thomas (son of Rufus). The album, which was produced by Thomas, Al Bell, and Allen Jones, also featured lush orchestration (arranged by Johnny Allen) and soaring backing vocals—all of which were captured during additional sessions in Detroit.

Hot Buttered Soul is comprised of four tracks, split over two sides, beginning with a cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic, “Walk on By.” Originally an airy, three-minute-long hit for Dionne Warwick in 1963, the song was transformed by Hayes, who slowed it down and stretched it out into a psychedelic, 12-minute-long rumination on love and loss. Galloway describes the song as “a robust rhythm and blues roulade, marinated to soak through to the depths of your very soul.”

The mood and the pace pick up with “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic.” Co-written with [Stax president] Al Bell, this funky, swaggering number finds the artist at his most seductive—and, aptly, closes in a lengthy, climactic jam. Side B, meanwhile, opens with the reflective “One Woman.” Written by the married songwriting team of Charles Chalmers and Sandra Rhodes, the shortest track on the album (clocking in at five minutes) finds Hayes taking the point of view of a man caught in a love triangle, as he considers the two women he loves: his wife and his mistress.

The album closes out with one of Hayes’ great masterpieces: a 19-minute-long re-working of Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” Given the framework, Hayes takes his time with the song, offering up an eight-minute-long spoken-word intro (really a sermon, as Galloway points out) before delving into the languid track and making it his own.

Completing the package was a now-iconic cover image, which presented Hayes as the star he was about to become. Shot from above, the photo captures the artist in an introspective moment: his shiny, shaved head in the foreground, followed by his signature gold sunglasses, gold chains, and bare chest. Inside, listeners would find something unlike anything they had heard before.

Released in the summer of 1969, Hot Buttered Soul proved to be an enormous success, despite its unusual format. In addition to spending over a year on the R&B chart (and topping it for ten weeks), the LP peaked at No.8 on the Billboard 200, sold over a million copies, and even crossed over onto the Jazz charts. Initially, Stax didn’t plan to release any singles around the album, but once it was clear that Hot Buttered Soul was a cultural phenomenon, the label issued edited-down versions of “Walk on By” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” as a double A-side

While the album garnered considerable acclaim upon its release, Hot Buttered Soul has only grown in significance over the decades. Among a variety of rankings and retrospectives, Pitchfork declared the album “A revolutionary classic of soul music,” while AllMusic hailed it as “An undeniably seminal record.” In 2020, Rolling Stone included the LP on their Greatest Albums of All Time list, calling it “An orchestral-soul watershed that forecast R&B’s turn toward symphonic excess and plush introspect.”

Along the way, countless others have found inspiration from Hot Buttered Soul, including a younger generation of hip-hop acts. Hayes’ interpretation of “Walk on By,” for instance, has been sampled 118 times by such revered artists as The Notorious B.I.G., Beyoncé, 2Pac, and Alicia Keys. “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic,” meanwhile appeared famously in Public Enemy’s “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” and DJ Quik’s “Born and Raised in Compton,” as well as in classic tracks by Ice Cube, N.W.A, and Tha Dogg Pound.

Hayes, meanwhile, would go on to find even greater success in the ’70s, releasing such best-selling titles as The Isaac Hayes Movement (1970), followed by the GRAMMY-winning Black Moses (1971) and Shaft soundtrack (1971). The groundbreaking score also earned Hayes an Academy Award, making him the first Black recipient of an Oscar® in a non-acting category. Throughout the rest of his life, Hayes continued to push musical and cultural boundaries, maintaining an active career as a recording artist and actor. Among countless honors and awards, Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2004, he was named a BMI Icon for his prolific and influential work as a songwriter, while in 2020, he was celebrated with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy.

 

Halie Loren | "Dreams Lost And Found"

Today, the award-winning Oregon-based jazz singer-songwriter Halie Loren announces her new album Dreams Lost and Found and shares a vibrant rendition of the Mose Allison classic “Stop This World.” Loren’s take on the song feels bold and brash with a rollicking energy that separates itself from the original. Her signature smokey vocals reinvent the melody in a fresh new way.  

Halie explains why she chose to reimagine the song: “The world is growing ever stranger, and ever more estranging, and it can sometimes feel like the whole dang thing is about to break apart. Luckily, Mose Allison wrote a song for this whole situation. When life just feels too precarious to be funny but too ridiculous not to be a joke, and the whole rig feels just a little too reliant on those paper clips and bits of tape holding it all together, ‘Stop This World’ is the song friend I can always turn to for some cathartic commiseration. It’s world-weary, a little bit brassy, plenty sassy, and features an infectiously groovy second-line rhythm and killer solos (by guitarist Sam Kirmayer and pianist Taurey Butler). In short, it’s ‘The Blues for shaking off the blahs.’ 

“Stop This World” follows the silky “For All We Know” which will appear on Halie Loren’s forthcoming album, her first proper album since 2018’s acclaimed LP From the Wild Sky. Dreams Lost and Found is due out April 12th via Nettwerk/Justin Time Records.  

Halie Loren is an international, award-winning jazz singer/songwriter. She brings a fresh and original perspective to time-honored musical paths, channeling her innate understanding of connectedness across musical boundaries to forge bonds with diverse audiences in North America, Asia, and Europe. Her multi-genre and multi-lingual musical blend across her ten albums to-date has earned several national and international awards in multiple genres as well as significant critical and chart success along the way, with her albums consistently reaching #1 on the Billboard Japan, iTunes (Canada and Japan) and Amazon jazz charts.  

An award-winning songwriter since her early teens, Halie began garnering international acclaim as a recording artist when her debut jazz album They Oughta Write a Song was named the Best Vocal Jazz Album of the year at the 2009 JPF Independent Music Awards. She was subsequently signed for distribution in Asia by JVC/Victor Entertainment and in North America with Canadian-based jazz label Justin Time Records. Loren's accolades in more recent years include an Independent Music Award for her original song “Thirsty” in 2011, a Best Vocal Jazz Album 2012 award in Japan’s Jazz Critique Magazine for her album Heart First, (which also reached #1 on Canada’s iTunes Jazz chart), and a total of four Billboard #1 albums on Japan’s jazz charts since 2013. Her video for “Noah”, the 2nd single from her 2018 release From the Wild Sky album produced by UK tour-de-force Troy Miller (Amy Winehouse, Gregory Porter, Diana Ross), won an Emmy in 2019 for Best Music Video as presented by The National Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Southeast Chapter. 

Along with recording and songwriting successes, Halie’s live performances have brought her around the world several times, with performances on 4 continents thus far, including tours across the U.S., Canada, France, the U.K., Japan, Italy, Egypt, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Egypt, and Haiti. Her concerts range from intimate clubs to grand halls to festivals, from solo to classic jazz trio to lush orchestral collaborations. 

Halie is pleased to announce her next record Dreams Lost and Found, recorded in Montreal, Canada in collaboration with fellow artists from the Justin Time Records family, and slated for release on April 12, 2024. Stay tuned for more information and tour dates to follow.