Nduduzo Makhathin | uNomkhubulwane

Since making his international debut for Blue Note in 2020 with Modes of Communication: Letters From the Underworlds, the South African pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini has earned widespread acclaim for the genuinely spiritual transcendence of his music. For Makhathini, a Zulu healer and educator who has delved deeply into the histories and traditions of his ancestors, improvised music has never been merely about aesthetics or idioms. As the New York Times put it when naming Modes of Communication one of the Best Jazz Albums of 2020: “In a moment when spiritual jazz has become a dangerously buzzy concept, trust a musician who has truly devoted his life to divination practices.”

But with the three-movement suite uNomkhubulwane, his third release for the venerated jazz label, Makhathini travels beyond any existing notion of music-making to offer his most profound vision of creative mysticism yet. Unlike his previous records, Makhathini explains, “which often expressed intention through composition or some form of conceptual paradigm,” the pianist seeks inspiration on a wholly metaphysical plane — using sound as a way to commune with, as he puts it, “supernatural voices.” To say it another way, rather than relying on the celebrated work of his American and African jazz heroes, or even on the probing research in his academic fields of study, Makhathini opts here to tap into the pure essence of being — an otherworldly effort that involved “listening-hearing-sensing and establishing a relationship with an ‘elsewhere’ through some guidedness.” Throughout uNomkhubulwane, Makhathini acts as both a futurist and an ancient, venturing into the unknown by exploring concepts that return him to the dawn of time.

Remarkably, he has crafted an inviting, immersive listen that should once again impress devotees of John and Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, classic South African jazz, Makhathini’s friend and collaborator Shabaka Hutchings and other intrepid musical voyagers. uNomkhubulwane features the pianist’s trio—an intuitive unit whose extensive touring has spanned the globe over the past year—with Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere, a bassist of South African descent who was born and raised in the U.S.; and the Cuban-born drummer Francisco Mela, a best-of-generation musician recognized for his work with Joe Lovano, Kenny Barron, McCoy Tyner and other lions, and for his own culture-merging work as a bandleader. The rhythm section adds passionate vocal backing, accenting and lifting up Makhathini’s sacred lead-vocal offerings.

Collectively, their touch is precise in its technique yet ethereal in its purpose — and astoundingly clairvoyant in its cohesion. On “Omnyama,” a gracefully hypnotic repeated figure bolsters the leader’s spoken-word — filled with rhythmically compelling contours and bluffs — and rousing sung incantations. The click sounds that Makhathini deploys here and elsewhere in his suite, especially the qa sound common to the Bantu languages, evoke the aural sensation of water droplets; water, at the core of the African creation story, invokes essence, which in turn invokes God.

“Izinkonjana” is an enchanting ballad that delivers the gospelish elegance of such South African greats as Abdullah Ibrahim. Similarly, “Uxolo” comes off as a vintage American jazz standard, beautifully showcasing the ensemble’s shared temperament and keen sense of interplay. Twilit and nostalgic and featuring an outstanding bass solo, “Uxolo” sounds as if it could have been captured at the Village Vanguard in 1961. “KwaKhangelamankengana” is highlighted by its percolating whirlwind of groove, as well as the leader’s speak-sing vocal and hammered chording, which calls to mind McCoy Tyner, one of Makhathini’s guiding lights in finding the continuity between American jazz and the Mother Continent.

So many fascinating evocations, and yet uNomkhubulwane contains a backstory unlike anything in recorded music. To start, Makhathini’s 11-track suite takes its title from the Zulu name of “God’s only daughter and a manifestation of God’s very creation purpose,” the pianist explains. “She is also believed to be a mythical rain goddess, a regulator of nature, light and fertility.” A shapeshifting force, uNomkhubulwane can manifest in the form of an animal, or a hurricane or a rainbow — the lattermost of which, Makhathini says, symbolizes her “kindness and regulation of balance.”

uNomkhubulwane is an essential presence in Zulu life: She lives with the people as a protector and a source of equilibrium that makes “abundance” — a word Makhathini uses often, to signify prosperity — a possibility. Makhathini strives to dissociate the actual abundance of Africa’s past from the shameful reputation forced onto the continent through colonialism. The soul and heritage of Africa is impossibly rich, complex and cultivated, he argues. But colonialism and its continuing repercussions robbed these African communities of their meaning and rightful pride. The African peoples’ sophistication and self-sufficiency went unacknowledged or, more commonly, destroyed, as these attributes were viewed as threats.

This devastation all but defines the lack of infrastructure and the surplus of exploitation — of resources, of culture — that Africa experiences today. Apartheid did a horrifically effective job of making sure the townships failed to thrive while refocusing the blame inward, back onto subjugated South Africans. Today, as Makhathini points out, Africa isn’t part of the global conversation around civilization and progress … and yet Africa invented civilization!

Makhathini’s album is a never-ending exploration of these issues — of the myriad reasons why the African people have struggled to experience the abundance of uNomkhubulwane. In seeking these answers, he uses here an “ongoing rehearsal” concept, in contrast to a performance. To put it tritely, the journey of this suite is in fact the destination — and that destination includes nothing less than “cosmic totality.” “This process,” Makhathini says, “deals with rituals of being as a state of surrender, meditation and prayer.”

The project’s three movements are a kind of pathway to embracing the spirit of uNomkhubulwane — three being a number of monumental power and meaning in Africa. “In Yoruba cosmology,” Makhathini says, “number 3 represents balance and harmony [characteristics of uNomkhubulwane]. Much broader African worldviews associate number 3 with endlessness, immortality and ongoing-ness through a triple state of being; before [ancestors], here [the living] and the future [the not-yet-born].” Three is indicated directly in the music of Makhathini’s new suite — in the trio format of the band, in time signatures, in a delightful triplet feel.

The suite emerged out of a “mother song” afforded to Makhathini during the initiation process he underwent to become a healer. There, he was immersed in water in order to encounter uNomkhubulwane, who gifted him this song. “The first movement ‘Libations,’” he says, “deals with collective black memory inside a state of protest against ongoing oppression[s],” adding that “this movement invokes an eternal state of black mourning that has made us lose our ‘voices,’ and even though we still cry, we do not have tears anymore.” The second movement, ‘Water Spirits,’ deals with vital energy and restoration — a proposal of “cleansing and summoning of essence.” The final movement, “Inner Attainment,” focuses on “freedom, hope and grace,” and the striving toward a transcendence that would bring abundance back to our current time and physical plane.

As always, Makhathini’s message is ultimately one of perpetual optimism for his people, and for all people. “Essentially, this offering is an invitation to humanity to cultivate ways of being that yearn for freedom and balance,” he says. “Here I invite you to a new mode of humanism that is oriented towards singing the songs of uNomkhubulwane.”

~ By Evan Haga

Patrice Rushen | Prelusion

Craft Recordings and Jazz Dispensary celebrate the five-decade-long career of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Patrice Rushen with a reissue of her long-out-of-print debut, Prelusion. While the three-time GRAMMY® nominee became best known as an R&B singer and barrier-breaking musical director, this 1974 album showcases Rushen’s talents as a jazz musician, composer, and improviser and features such esteemed sidemen as Joe Henderson, Oscar Brashear, and George Bohanon. 

Set for release on August 23rd and available for pre-order today, Prelusion marks the latest title in Jazz Dispensary’s album-centric Top Shelf series—which reissues the highest-quality, hand-picked rarities. As with all releases in the series, the LP features all-analog remastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. A tip-on jacket, replicating Prelusion’s original design, completes the package. 

In 1982, Patrice Rushen soared to stratospheric heights with her GRAMMY-nominated album, Straight from the Heart (featuring the enduring hit, “Forget Me Nots”). Yet, while Rushen found international fame as an R&B singer-songwriter, her career was actually rooted in jazz tradition. Just eight years earlier, at the age of 20, she embarked on her musical journey with Prelusion—a spectacular debut that introduced Rushen as a formidable new star on the jazz scene.

A classically trained pianist, Rushen scored her big break at 17, earning a chance to perform at the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival after winning a high school talent competition. Before long, she caught the attention of legendary label Prestige Records (home to such greats as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, and Thelonious Monk), who signed the promising teenager to a three-album deal. 

The first of these recordings was Prelusion, which paired Rushen with some of the era’s top-tier musicians, including Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone), Oscar Brashear (trumpet), Hadley Caliman (Flute), George Bohanon (Trombone), Leon “Ndugu” Chancler (drums), Tony Dumas (bass), and Kenneth Nash (percussion). The album also marked Rushen’s first of many projects with her longtime producer and mentor, Reggie Andrews. 

Rushen not only shines as a musician on the album—where she switches between the piano, electric keyboard, synth, and clavinet—but also as a composer, with five original works. Performing primarily post-bop selections (including the energetic opener, “Shortie’s Portion,” and the jaunty “Traverse”), Rushen also incorporates a variety of unique sonic textures, plus elements of fusion, as heard in the reflective, percussion-heavy “7/73,” the bluesy, Rhodes-driven “Haw-Right Now,” and the cosmic “Puttered Bopcorn.” 

Released in 1974, Prelusion introduced Rushen as one of the genre’s most promising talents and marked the beginning of her long and celebrated career. In retrospective reviews, AllMusic praised that the album gave listeners “every reason to believe that [Rushen] would become a major figure in the jazz world,” adding, “One can only speculate on where her career in jazz might have gone had she not switched to R&B singing.” Downbeat, meanwhile, noted that Rushen’s “enchanting debut… boasted her extraordinary gifts as an improviser, composer and arranger” adding that “Rushen’s “impressionistic harmonies and intricate arrangements revealed a maturity well beyond her 20 years.” 

After releasing two more jazz-focused albums (1975’s Before the Dawn and 1977’s Shout It Out), Rushen successfully transitioned into a career as an R&B singer-songwriter. In the ensuing years, she released such best-selling albums as the aforementioned Straight from the Heart (1982), Now (1984), and the GRAMMY-nominated Signature (1997), while hits like “Forget Me Nots” (1982) would later earn new generations of fans through sampling—most famously in Will Smith’s “Men in Black” (1997) and George Michael’s “Fastlove” (1996). 

Beyond her solo career, Rushen is also an esteemed musical director and prolific composer for film and TV, including scores for Waiting to Exhale, Men in Black, HBO’s America’s Dream, and the theme song to The Steve Harvey Show. Among other accomplishments, Rushen stands as the first woman to serve as Musical Director for the 46th, 47th, and 48th GRAMMY Awards, the first woman to hold the role of Head Composer/Musical Director for the Emmy® Awards, as well as the first female Musical Director of both the NAACP Image Awards and People’s Choice Awards.

 

Meshell Ndegeocello | No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin + Tour Dates Announced

Meshell Ndegeocello has released the inspiriting new single “Love,” the second song to be revealed from her forthcoming Blue Note album No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin, a striking homage to the eminent writer and activist James Baldwin to be released Aug. 2 on his Centennial.

Ndegeocello will be marking the album release with a headline performance at the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival on Aug. 2. Ndegeocello performs songs from the new album on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert as part of their Black Music Month celebration of Black women artists.

Last month saw the release of the album’s opening track “Travel” paired with the searing spoken word piece “Raise The Roof” by poet Staceyann Chin.

No More Water is a visionary work that is at once a musical experience, a church service, a celebration, a testimonial, and a call to action. Ndegeocello has created a prophetic musical odyssey that transcends boundaries and genres, delving headfirst into race, sexuality, religion, and other recurring themes explored in Baldwin’s canon. Following 2023’s The Omnichord Real Book, her acclaimed Blue Note debut which won the inaugural GRAMMY Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album, the multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer renders an immersive and palpable document that is as sagacious, unabashed, and introspective as Baldwin was in life.

Co-produced by Ndegeocello and guitarist Chris Bruce, No More Water features some of the bassist’s frequent collaborators including Bruce, vocalist Justin Hicks, saxophonist (and Omnichord producer) Josh Johnson, keyboardist Jebin Bruni, and drummer Abe Rounds. Also appearing on various songs are vocalist Kenita-Miller Hicks, keyboardists Jake Sherman and Julius Rodriguez, and Executive Director of the NYCPS Arts Office and trumpeter Paul Thompson. The album also showcases powerful spoken word by venerated poet Staceyann Chin and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and critic Hilton Als.

Nearly a decade in the making, the album’s origins began in 2016 during a performance at The Harlem Stage Gatehouse as part of their annual showcase honoring Baldwin. Ndegeocello had delved into Baldwin’s work the year before, including the seminal nonfiction work The Fire Next Time, which she considers “life-changing” and carries with her as a “spiritual text.” Ndegeocello says, “It was just a revelation to me, and it softened my heart in so many ways.”

“Inspired by Baldwin’s most well-known essay, Ndegeocello’s piece—often staged as a church service—employs music, sermon, text, images, and movement, all of which enter into conversation with Baldwin’s monumental and delicate essay about how black bodies were perceived not only by white Americans but by blacks themselves,” writes Als in the album’s liner notes. “The music you hear in No More Water, is Jimmy talking to Meshell and his words meeting the language of her sounds and then coming out again through a multitude of voices, a multitude of sounds and thoughts that bring Jimmy back and give him—finally—his whole and true self, that which he offered up, time and again, if only we knew then how to listen.”

No More Water marks a significant moment of self-discovery for Ndegeocello. She adds that Baldwin entered her life at precisely the right time. “It came when I was ready to look in the mirror. I’ve had to play Plantation Lullabies at a few shows. Looking back, I had an interesting perspective, but the dialogue was limited. It was more like a cathartic experience for a young person of color, whereas now I’m going, ‘How can I get us all to love each other? How can I get us all to see this for what it is?’”

MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO – TOUR DATES:

• July 5 – Love Supreme Festival – East Sussex, United Kingdom
• July 7 – Casa del Jazz – Rome, Italy
• July 8 – Bremen Theater – Copenhagen, Denmark
• July 10 – Marseille Jazz des Cinq Continents – Marseille, France
• July 12-14 – North Sea Jazz Festival “Artist In Residence” – Rotterdam, Netherlands
• July 16 – Jazz a Sete Festival – Sete, France
• July 19 – Festival Jazz en Ville – Vannes, France
• July 21 – Stuttgart Jazz Open Festival – Stuttgart, Germany
• July 23 – Jazz in Marciac – Marciac, France
• Aug. 2 – BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn – Brooklyn, NY
• Aug. 4 – Newport Jazz Festival – Newport, RI
• Aug. 7 – Denver Botanic Gardens – Denver, CO
• Aug. 8 – Ravinia Festival – Highland Park, IL
• Sept. 15 – New Mexico Jazz Festival – Santa Fe, NM
• Sept. 16 – MIM – Phoenix, AZ
• Sept. 20 – The Center for the Arts at the Armory – Somerville, MA
• Sept. 21 – Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center – Albany, NY
• Sept. 22 – Wexner Center for the Arts – Columbus, OH
• Sept. 26 – Infinite Dream Festival – Iowa City, IA
• Sept. 28 – Wisconsin Union Theater – Madison, WI
• Sept. 29 – Door Community Auditorium – Fish Creek, WI
• Oct. 3 – World Café Live – Philadelphia, PA
• Oct. 5 – The Music Center at Strathmore – North Bethesda, MD
• Oct. 6 – New Jersey Performing Arts Center – Newark, NJ
• Oct. 31 – JazzOnze+ Festival Lausanne – Lausanne, Switzerland
• Nov. 1 – Enjoy Jazz-Alte Feuerwache – Mannheim, Germany
• Nov. 3-4 – Stadtgarten Konzertsaal – Cologne, Germany
• Nov. 6-7 – Musikbrauerei – Berlin, Germany
• Nov. 7 – Walter Art Center – Minneapolis, MNNov. 9 – Rockit Festival – Groningen, Netherlands
• Nov. 10 – Le Guess Who? Festival – Utrecht, Netherlands
• Nov. 11 – De Roma – Antwerp, Belgium
• Nov. 12-13 – New Morning – Paris, France
• Nov. 15 – Koko – London, United Kingdom
• Dec. 2-5 – Jazz Alley – Seattle, WA

Discover it here.

Michael Sarian | Live At Cliff Bell's

In his third quartet outing, Toronto-born, Buenos Aires-raised, and Brooklyn-based trumpeter and composer Michael Sarian fulfills a lifelong dream of releasing a live album with Live at Cliff Bell’s. It was a somewhat last-minute endeavor, as Sarian hadn’t planned on recording a live album until engineer Jon Georgievski floated the idea shortly before their performance at the legendary Detroit venue. Recorded during their spring 2023 tour, which saw the quartet perform across the Greater Toronto Area, the Northeast, and the Midwest, this live set features Sarian’s longtime ensemble: pianist Santiago Leibson, bassist Marty Kenney, and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell. They perform tunes from their previous two albums, alongside new compositions that showcase gritty swing, Armenian sensibilities, and ample room for group exploration and interplay. The quartet’s repertoire is inspired by greats such as Enrico Rava, Tomasz Stańko, Kenny Wheeler, and Paul Motian.

Dedicated to his cousin Nick, “Primo” (cousin in Spanish), is arguably the most ‘straight-ahead’ track of the album. The idea for the composition came after getting a copy of Nicolas Slonimsky’s book, Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns. Sarian based the composition on a scale found on just the second page, in the ‘Interpolation of Two Notes’ in the Tritone Progression section. With the flat two, major third, sharp fourth, perfect fifth and flat seventh, the scale has an altered blues feel to it, which was perfect for Sarian’s primo since he has an affinity for the genre. The marking at the top of the chart is “fast + gritty swing” with no chords to be found, just the scale on which the tune is based.

Sarian began writing “Aurora,” the title track from the quartet’s first album in 2020, on February 15, 2019. Although the word literally means dawn, the composition came after hearing of a mass shooting that day in Aurora, Illinois. The alternation between sus2 and sus4 chords throughout the first section, paired with a simple melody, bear a somber mood, a hopelessness which Sarian felt assuming #Aurora was trending because of the 2012 mass shooting there, only to find out there another had taken place.

Pianist Santiago Leibson masterfully transitions from "Aurora" into the tension-filled "The Pilgrim," dedicated to Enrico Rava (after the Italian trumpeter’s 1975 album The Pilgrim and The Stars). The seven sixteenth-note pickup to this melody is what gave the piece its start, after Sarian heard Rava play it in his solo on the tune “Bella.”  Originally released on Sarian’s 2022 album Living at the End of the World, this piece is a crash course in tension, building over nearly 10 minutes, releasing only at the end.

“Yi Ku Ghimetn Chim Kidi” (I Don’t Know Your True Value) is an arrangement of a piece by Sayat Nova, an 18th century Armenian poet and troubadour. There is a sense of longing and melancholy that is practically built into the melody, and just like the melodies of so many great Armenian composers, it shines on its own. The melody remains true to Sayat Nova’s, with Sarian’s arrangement providing harmonic support moving it forward, emphasizing the sorrow and longing in the composition which bleeds into Kenney’s and Sarian’s solos.

Composed shortly before hitting the road on this tour, “Glass Mountains” is a tribute to the Armenian people of Artsakh (also known as Nagorno Karabakh). Forced out of their ancestral homes by Azerbaijan after a decades long conflict, this enclave which has been Armenian majority for centuries now endures an ethnic cleansing by regimes that deny the Armenian Genocide, and this Armenian’s population’s right to self-determination. The title refers to the region’s mountainous terrain, and that even these mountains can be delicate.

After a stunning bass solo, Marty Kenney sets up the next piece, in what Sarian has dubbed his short Armenian Suite. “Portrait of Haile” was composed in honor of Haile Selassie, former Emperor of Ethiopia who adopted the ‘Arba Lijoch’, a brass band of 40 Armenian orphans (and their director Kevork Nalbandian) who had escaped the Armenian Genocide, and took them under his wing.

Finally, this first set closes out with “Living at the End of the World,” the title track from the quartet’s 2022 studio album, inspired by Japanese author Haruki Murakami’s 1985 novel Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, wherein the main character spends half of the novel in a town called ‘The End of the World.’ Reading this during March and April of 2020, a time during which the world seemingly was coming to an end, gave Sarian a different perspective on what the end of the world could be: instead of the world as we know it coming to an end, we could approach it as simply a new, temporary space we are living in. The title track is a bluesy shuffle with a few roadblocks thrown in there, keeping the listener and musicians on their feet.

Live at Cliff Bell’s sees the quartet’s affinity for group interplay paired with the freedom and intensity provided by a live performance. We can hear the closeness of the audience, their feedback, cheering and applause, which admittedly caught Sarian somewhat off guard as the ensemble sometimes veered into more exploration than he would have expected Cliff Bell’s clientele to tolerate. It captures a cohesive, working group in its prime and in the moment.

Live at Cliff Bell’s is out September 13, 2024 on CD and digital.

Joe Taylor | Westside Chill

Guitarist Joe Taylor successfully reentered the contemporary jazz space earlier this year after a seventeen-year absence with the release of his “Westside Chill” album, showcasing his rootsy blend of instrumental jazz, Americana twang and earthy blues. Now the ten-song set that he wrote and was produced by four-time Grammy winner Steve Rosenthal will be released by Moonwatcher Music on vinyl on National Vinyl Record Day, which is August 12.    

“With the release of ‘Westside Chill’ on vinyl, I wanted to take part in the great Vinyl Revival. I’ve always loved the way it sounds and feels when I pull a vinyl record off the shelf, drop the needle, and enjoy the art behind both the music, the cover and the package, experiencing it the way the artist intended. I hope folks will appreciate ‘Westside Chill’ in the same fashion,” said Taylor who is flanked 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. 

Taylor spent decades splitting his time between New York City and the South Carolina Lowcountry with both cultures informing his recordings, including “Westside Chill.” In the mid-80s, he used to walk past the basketball court that bass legend Jaco Pastorius played ball on. That memory inspired the tribute tune “Jaco’s Court,” which drops as a single on September 21, the anniversary of the prodigious Pastorious’s passing. 

“Right down the street from the Blue Note, Jaco used to play pickup basketball on the West Fourth Street Courts. I’d walk by and see him out there balling. That court has now become one of the most important sights in the city for streetball. Perhaps Jaco's spirit lingers there as well," said Taylor who wrote the song with Lingle, who is featured playing lyrical basslines evocative of Pastorious’s style of play on the track. 

Taylor now spends all his time living in the placid Lowcountry along South Carolina’s rural coast. Active in the local community, the guitar player will perform a benefit concert at Sunny Side on Edisto on August 2 accompanied by Franzel, Paul Adamy (bass) and Ray Marchica (drums). The show supports the restoration of the historic Hutchinson House, one of the only Black-owned, Reconstruction era plantations in the South. The following night, the quartet will play at Fox Music in N. Charleston, SC. 

“Westside Chill” and its positive reception have Taylor reinspired and encouraged to build on the momentum. It’s his first album since 2015’s “Sugardust in the Devil Wind” and his first contemporary jazz project since 2007’s “Accidental Sugar.” The New York City-based Franzel, Adamy and Marchica will trek to the Lowcountry ahead of the two South Carolina concert dates to begin recording Taylor’s next collection. Taylor is eager to further explore modern jazz while remaining true to his Southern roots. 

   

The Paul Carlon Quintet | Blues For Vita

Saxophonist and composer PAUL CARLON has been lucky to be surrounded by talented, artistic women throughout his life. His mother was a visual artist who set up large canvases in a workspace she carved out for herself in their home. Her art and her work ethic were huge influences on the young musician. But his late sister, also a visual artist, and his wife, formerly an actor, also embody the artistic spirit that nurtures Carlon’s creativity. 

Carlon is releasing BLUES FOR VITA, his sixth album as a leader. His previous albums have all been Latin-tinged and feature different band configurations. His albums include Tresillo (2017), La Rumba Is a Lovesome Thing: Tribute to Billy Strayhorn (2013), Roots Propaganda (2008), Other Tongues (2006), and Looking Up (1998). The Latin Jazz Network said, “A big man with an expressive face, Mr. Carlon espouses a tone much larger than himself, which is by turn gritty, rapturously lyrical, sparkling and luscious.” 

BLUES FOR VITA features the Paul Carlon Quintet, comprising top New York players who have performed with a Who’s-Who of jazz and Latin jazz stars. The band includes EDDIE ALLEN (trumpet), HARVIE S (bass), HELIO ALVES (piano), and WILLIE MARTINEZ (drums). 

Carlon comes from a musical as well as an artistic family. Two of his older siblings were string players, but Carlon was drawn to the saxophone and decided to follow his own path. Although he earned a degree in English Literature from Cornell University, he chose music as his career and moved to New York City after graduating. He quickly became part of the thriving 90's jazz scene, honing his craft at all-night cutting sessions at Small's Jazz Club. 

Carlon’s playing and composing has been influenced by the greats who came before him. In particular, he cites Woody Shaw, who was known for revolutionizing the technical and harmonic language of modern jazz trumpet playing, and Gene Ammons, a bebop saxophonist who integrated blues and R&B in his music. But Carlon has also been very influenced by Afro-Caribbean music and has performed in various Latin jazz bands.  

Not long after arriving in New York, Carlon became a member of bassist Phil Bowler's band, Pocket Jungle. The band was popular in the 1990’s but stopped performing in 2002. After a 12-year hiatus, the band was reconstituted and recorded a well-received album, which included one of Carlon’s compositions. In the late 90s, Carlon began working with two Afro-Cuban jazz groups, Grupo los Santos and Cuban trombonist Juan Pablo Torres' quintet. He also performs and records with many other groups, including Bronx Conexion (a Latin jazz big band), The McCarron Brothers (a quartet that plays a blend of funk, fusion, and free jazz), Alex Ayala's Afro Puerto Rican Big Band, Schapiro 17 Jazz Orchestra, The Tony Romano Quartet, Earotica (led by bassist John Lang), Goussy Célestin's Ayiti Brass, and Nation Beat, for which he serves as the musical director. 

BLUES FOR VITA comprises five originals by Carlon, two standards, and one off-the-beaten-track composition. Blues, R&B, bebop, and Latin jazz are clearly present in Carlon’s hip sax work. The album opens with “Dee Dot,” the most straight-ahead composition on the album with echoes of Art Blakey’s bands. Carlon composed the tune quickly at a rehearsal and just as quickly came up with the name when he scatted the melody for the band. 

Other Carlon originals include “Colored Paper,” a tune with a driving Latin beat and an Eddie Harris vibe. He named the title track, “Blues for Vita,” for his wife, Lavita, whose image is beautifully rendered on the cover art. Composed with a blues form, the piano plays an ostinato that underpins Carlon’s and Allen’s solos. 

“Unmute” was influenced by Woody Shaw’s driving music. Carlon derived the name from the many Zoom sessions he participated in during the pandemic lockdown. “Zooming into the Void,” the closing track and the last Carlon original on the album, was also named after his pandemic Zoom sessions. The tune is a bossa nova with a darker, moodier vibe. 

The two standards on the album are “Never Will I Marry” and “It Never Entered My Mind.” Carlon’s approach to “Never Will I Marry” was inspired by the iconic Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley version, but the band takes it in new directions with propulsive solos by Carlon and Alves. “It Never Entered My Mind” is a Latin-tinged, slow cha-cha with a menacing feel. 

“Isabel the Liberator,” composed by Larry Willis, is rarely performed, and was notably recorded by Woody Shaw. It was also recorded by Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, one of Carlon’s favorites. Since no lead sheets existed, Carlon transcribed it by ear. 

BLUES FOR VITA is a hip, Latin jazz-inflected album by one of the busiest and most inventive saxophonists on the New York jazz scene. Carlon’s playing is solid and soulful, and many of his compositions are bound to become standards for the jazz cognoscenti. 

Wayne Shorter | Celebration Volume 1

Blue Note Records has announced an August 23 release of Celebration, Volume 1, the first in a series of archival releases that the legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter curated before he passed away in 2023. This thrilling 2014 live recording captured Shorter’s acclaimed quartet with pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade at the Stockholm Jazz Festival in Sweden. The intrepid set includes some of the band’s favorite vehicles of exploration including “Zero Gravity,” “Smilin’ Through,” “Orbits,” “Lotus,” and “She Moves Through The Fair.” The album is introduced today with the single “Edge of the World (End Title),” a theme by composer Arthur B. Rubinstein from the 1983 film WarGames, which is accompanied by a live performance video.

“In the fall of 2022, Rob Griffin started sending a lot of unreleased music for Wayne to sort thru,” writes Carolina Shorter in the album’s liner notes. “He started listening around the clock. I’d be doing something around the house, talking on the phone, doing work and he’d yell ‘Carolina! You’ve got to come and hear this shit! Check out what these guys are doing!’ Wayne made detailed notes – some of them are reprinted on this album jacket.”

“When he heard the Stockholm concert, he said ‘this is the album!,’” she continues. “Then he started listening to more things and, over time, realized that it was going to have to be more than one record. He originally wanted to call the collection Unidentified Flying Objects – thinking of the notes everyone played as being UFOs! In January 2023, when he was hospitalized for the last time, he continued picking tracks and laying out the albums. His ‘Never Give Up’ spirit, which underlines his entire mission, was stronger than ever and he was excited to release more music. It was only in the last 10 days of his life that he realized he was not going to be around to see it to fruition. He started feeling the urgency of celebrating life and decided to change the name of the collection to Celebration. I said ‘Yes Wayne! Let’s celebrate!!! That’s what it should be called. A celebration!’”

Blue Note will also be celebrating Shorter’s legacy with several reissues of his classic albums including a Tone Poet Vinyl Edition of Odyssey of Iska (1970) out July 5, a Classic Vinyl Edition of JuJu (1964) out August 16, and a Blue Note Authorized Dealer exclusive blue vinyl reissue of Speak No Evil (1964) which will be available August 9 at participating independent record stores. Celebration, Volume 1 is available for pre-order now on limited edition Blue Note Store exclusive color vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and digital download.

Jon De Luca |The Brubeck Octet Projecr

Ever curious about the underexplored corners of jazz history, alto saxophonist Jon De Lucia breathes new life into one important such chapter with

The Brubeck Octet Project, dropping July 12 on his own Musæum Clausum Recordings imprint. The album documents De Lucia and his octet’s rediscovery and reconditioning of the arrangements played by the

Dave Brubeck Octet, the innovative 1946-1950 unit with which the iconic West Coast pianist began his career. It will be available in CD and digital formats as well as a limited edition 180g Translucent Red Vinyl release, in the style of the original Fantasy Brubeck records.

De Lucia’s octet predates The Brubeck Octet Project. He formed the band in 2016 for another project at City College of New York (where he then taught), but it quickly became a weekly reading band, leaving the saxophonist constantly in search for new (old) repertoire. It was this quest that led him to the archives at Mills College (Brubeck’s alma mater), where he found many of the Brubeck Octet’s original handwritten charts in the papers of the band’s tenor saxophonist and arranger, Dave Van Kriedt. 

“They were a bit of a mess, full of mistakes and scribbles that made them hard to read,” recalls De Lucia in the album’s liner notes. “I always wanted to take the time to put them into notation software, fix the mistakes, rehearse a band, and record this music anew. Finally, thanks to support from CUNY and the Brubeck and Van Kriedt families, it has happened.” 

Jazz being jazz, however, De Lucia also sought ways to make his own mark on the work—and to allow his collaborators to do the same. He wrote new intros and backgrounds for the arrangements (by Brubeck, Van Kriedt, and baritonist/clarinetist Bill Smith), and, more importantly, expanded their solo spaces, giving his musicians room to have their say.

Listeners get to reap those rewards. From De Lucia’s own muscular alto workout on “I Hear a Rhapsody” to pianist Glenn Zaleski, tenor saxophonist Scott Robinson, and trumpeter Brandon Lee’s gleeful runs on “IPCA” to Robinson and trombonist Becca Patterson’s thoughtful, enigmatic submissions on “What Is This Thing Called Love,” the players offer irresistible interpretations and expressions on the historical arrangements. 

As such, the music both remains a product of its time—an experimental thrill ride of the early bebop era—and crackles with renewed vigor and spontaneity at the hands of De Lucia and his cohorts. “This is the first time in 74 years that this music has been played and recorded again,” the alto saxophonist writes. “I think the results turned out great!” Indeed they have.

Jon De Lucia was born November 26, 1980 in Quincy, Massachusetts—just outside Boston, a garden spot for musical studies (and jazz studies in particular). Studying with Berklee College of Music woodwind professor Dino Govoni since high school, De Lucia headed directly for the Boston conservatory after graduating—where he was quickly diverted from his ambition to write video-game music. 

Instead, he was inspired by the high caliber of classmates like Kendrick Scott and Walter Smith III to live up to their jazz chops. De Lucia added a performance major to his studies, and, in addition to jazz, also studied folkloric musics from around the world. His lens widened yet again after he graduated from Berklee in 2005 and moved to New York, where he played and studied with a variety of jazz masters and also began exploring the world of Baroque music. 

Thus his first recording was a postbop jazz sextet session, Face No Face (2006), but De Lucia’s longest-lived project is his Luce Trio, with guitarist Ryan Ferreira and bassist Chris Tordini, now Tatsuya Sakurai and Aidan O’Donnell, which improvises on the compositions of Bach, Handel, and Dowland as well as Baroque-influenced jazz composers like John Lewis and Jimmy Giuffre. 

It was in pursuit of the lattermost composer that De Lucia formed his Octet in 2016, a vessel for investigating Giuffre’s 1959 octet arrangements for saxophonist Lee Konitz. The Octet turned out to outlast the Giuffre project, and De Lucia’s desire to keep replenishing its repertoire led him to the Van Kriedt and Brubeck arrangements that form the basis of his Brubeck Octet Project.

The Jon De Lucia Octet will perform music from The Brubeck Octet Project at Birdland, 315 W. 44th Street, on Sunday 7/14, 5:30pm.

Wayne Escoffery | Alone

In the summer of 2023, saxophonist and composer Wayne Escoffery found himself alone in a way that he’d never quite experienced before. He was away from home, on sabbatical in Europe with a month to himself between tours. A long-term relationship had just ended, and he was confronted with the loss of friendships that he’d once valued. Worst of all, he’d suffered a broken finger that left him unable to play the saxophone for the first time since he’d picked up the horn in high school. 

“Normally, my coping mechanism would be the saxophone,” Escoffery laments. “But even that wasn't available to me for about nine weeks, so I just had to be alone in my thoughts.” 

He made good use of this alone time, conceptualizing the music that makes up his striking and singular new album, Alone. What emerged from that solitude was an extended mood piece, an album unique in Escoffery’s typically wide-ranging catalogue for its sustained atmosphere of stark melancholy and searching introspection. Due out August 30, 2024, via Smoke Sessions Records, the music is breathtakingly interpreted by an all-star quartet featuring iconic bassist Ron Carter, drummer Carl Allen, and pianist Gerald Clayton. 

Escoffery hails from London, England, and lived a nomadic existence before finding a formative mentor in Jackie McLean, settling in New Haven, Connecticut, and then attending the Hartt School in Hartford to study with the legendary saxophonist. A Grammy Award and DownBeat Critics Poll winner, Escoffery has performed with such revered artists as Herbie Hancock, Abdullah Ibrahim, Al Foster, Tom Harrell, Billy Hart, Eddie Henderson, Ralph Peterson, Wallace Roney, Monty Alexander, and others. He is also a long-time member of the Grammy award-winning Mingus Big Band and one of the band’s musical directors. 

The saxophonist has enjoyed a decades-long relationship with Carter, considering the bass giant a mentor since his days in grad school at the Thelonious Monk Institute, now the Hancock Institute. He’s since recorded as a member of Carter’s Great Big Band, and the two have shared the stage on a number of occasions, but Escoffery was intent on finding the perfect project to feature Carter on an album of his own. 

Finding a drummer to pair with Carter, on the other hand, can prove daunting. The sheer weight of his storied legacy can be intimidating, but Allen shares his own history with the bassist and has also been a longtime mentor for Escoffery. He recorded with the saxophonist on his albums Times Change and If Dreams Come True, making the Alone session something of a reunion after a nearly two-decade hiatus. 

Clayton is more of a peer to Escoffery, but Alone marks the first time the two have had a chance to play substantially together. “We played together on a few occasions when he was living in New York but haven’t connected much in recent years for whatever reason, though I’ve admired his work with the late Roy Hargrove and more recently with Charles Lloyd. I really appreciate Gerald’s comping and his attention to detail. He has great ears and harmonic understanding, and he sounds amazing on this album.” 

The music Escoffery compiled for Alone – a carefully selected blend of original compositions and familiar standards – vividly captures the profound richness and variety of emotion that loneliness can evoke. The repentant, bittersweet “Moments with You” is Escoffery’s most direct reflection on his shattered relationship. There is no vocal on the track, yet Escoffery includes his self-penned lyric for the song anyway, his sentiments bolstering the fragile emotions conveyed by the quartet’s heartrending interpretation. 

There’s sadness, too, in Escoffery’s title track, but also a sense of hope, strength, and inner peace, aided immeasurably by the foundation of Carter’s broad-shouldered bassline. Harold Land’s “Rapture” has been a constant in Escoffery’s repertoire since he was invited to pay tribute to the late hard-bop great at San Diego’s Athenaeum Music & Arts Library last fall, and the tune fits the album’s mood exquisitely. 

The frigid chill coming off of “The Ice Queen” leaves no doubt that it has a particular inspiration in mind – though Escoffery is quick to insist that its subject is not the same as the former flame whose presence looms so large over the rest of the album – but its air of steely regret encompasses the loss of platonic friendships that becomes inevitable with age and maturation. Johnny Mandel’s “The Shadow of Your Smile” seems to dwell in the darkest recesses of that shadow, rendering the tune shrouded and mournful. 

“Blues for D.P.” is a Ron Carter classic, written in tribute to the pianist Duke Pearson and originally recorded less than two months after his death in 1980 for Carter’s album Parfait. It was revived by another of Escoffery’s heroes, Grover Washington Jr., on the legendary saxophonist’s 1988 album Then and Now, in a version with Carter and his Miles Davis Quintet bandmate Herbie Hancock. 

Of the two bonus tracks (available on CD and digital releases only), “Stella by Starlight” is a recollection of a more tender kind, lingering on an entrancing vision from the past, dimming yet still vibrant. Closing the album, Buddy Johnson’s “Since I Fell for You” pares the band down to the duo of Escoffery and Clayton, painting the tune in austere hues of last-call sorrow. 

Alone was conceived during a time of isolation, heartbreak, regret, and reflection, but the experience of the album is far richer even than that. In the end, “I was forced to reflect on life and what was most important to me,” Escoffery concludes. “The concept of this album grew out of that reflection.”

Michael Dease | Grove’s Groove

Michael Dease Pays Tribute to the Late, Legendary Trumpeter Roy Hargrove on his Second Album Replacing his Trombone with Baritone Sax

Grove’s Groove, Due out August 23 via Le Coq Records, Features a Superb Band with Hargrove Alumni and Friends Steve Davis, Rodney Whitaker, Terell Stafford and Ulysses Owens Jr., Joined by Bill Cunliffe and Jocelyn Gould

The legendary trumpeter Roy Hargrove is usually – and justly – depicted as a generation-defining voice and a radiant, troubled genius. What gets lost in that characterization is Hargrove’s equally vital role as a mentor for younger musicians who shared his deeply felt commitment to exploring the full spectrum of jazz and in carrying the blazing torch of tradition determinedly forward. 

Among those whose life and career were touched by Hargrove’s influence is the multi-instrumentalist and composer Michael Dease. With his enthralling new album Grove’s Groove – the second on which the acclaimed trombonist focuses solely on the baritone saxophone – pays tribute, says thanks, and bids farewell to one of modern jazz’s most iconic figures. 

“After Roy passed, I found myself thinking a lot about him and about the enduring impact he made on me,” Dease says. “Roy gave me advice about how to stay away from uninspired playing and how to be authentic. I’m still learning from his life lessons, and I try to impart some of them upon my daughters.” 

Due out August 23 via Le Coq Records, Grove’s Groove convenes a band full of Hargrove alumni, friends and devotees. Dease, trombonist Steve Davis, trumpeter Terell Stafford, bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. player with Hargrove or were close to him. Only pianist Bill Cunliffe and guitarist/vocalist Jocelyn Gould lack a direct connection, though as a former student of Dease’s at Michigan State University Gould represents the next generation in the chain of tutelage passed on from the trumpeter. 

The fact that Dease leaves his trombone in the case once again is just one aspect of his continually evolving career to which Hargrove can claim a degree of credit. Dease is a lifelong saxophonist, having started on alto during middle school before the discovery of Curtis Fuller on John Coltrane’s Blue Train redirected his passions. 

He was discouraged from splitting his attention between multiple instruments early on by elders who claimed it would confuse audiences. But when Hargrove heard Dease’s sax playing he urged the trombonist to share his other talents with the world. Bolstered by the encouragement, Dease took a solo apiece on tenor and soprano on his 2010 album Grace, which also featured Hargrove on three tracks. 

“One of the enduring impacts Roy made on me was to encourage me to work saxophone back into my life,” Dease recalls. “Roy being such a serious and dedicated musician, it really stuck with me that he realized that I wasn't playing saxophone on a whim.” 

The baritone is a more recent development. Dease made his debut on the instrument with three tracks on The Other Shoe, his 2023 album of compositions by Michigan-based composer Gregg Hill. Swing Low followed later that year with a total focus on the low horn. Grove’s Groove arrives to prove that the addition is no novelty. Dease has no intention of foregoing the trombone entirely, and has played both sax and trombone in bands led by David Sanborn and the late Claudio Roditi as well as his own. 

It’s an awe-inspiring addition to the arsenal of a musician who is already regarded as one of the leading voices of his generation. Dease is a collaborator of choice with some of the most acclaimed and influential bandleaders in the music, ranging across generations, including Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Charles Tolliver, Renee Rosnes, Bill Charlap and Lewis Nash, among others. He’s won the DownBeat magazine Critics Poll for “Best Trombonist” three years running, from 2020 through 2023. 

The album opens with the slinky groove of Davis’ title track, which captures the sly soulfulness of its subject and prompts a blustery solo from Dease out of the gate that revels in the baritone’s gut-rumbling range. The classic “Tea for Two” follows, the first of two standards on the album, both of which Hargrove taught Dease after hours at the piano at Smalls. “Never Let Me Go,” which Dease explains was the trumpeter’s favorite ballad, follows later in the program. Both also feature the warm, unadorned vocals of Gould, who has gone on from Dease’s tutelage to become a Juno-winning artist in her own right. 

Mentorship is a recurring theme throughout the album. Whitaker is renowned as a jazz educator as well as a revered bassist with such legends as Wynton Marsalis, Pat Metheny and Hargrove. Dease’s “Father Figure,” the title track of his 2016 album, was originally penned in response to Whitaker’s nurturing of bassist Endea Owens (who played on the album); here the mentor offers his own version, which expands to pay tribute to Hargrove’s guidance as well. 

Cunliffe provides a lovely, introspective opening to “Decisions,” which is reprised from Dease’s 2015 album of the same name. The engaging ballad reflects on a turbulent period when the composer found himself at a crossroads in a romantic relationship; as the tune’s radiant charm suggests, the story has a happy ending, with Dease and his now wife due to celebrate their tenth anniversary this August. 

Dease and Davis trade off the punchy melody to “Broadway,” showcasing the rare opportunity for a trombonist of Dease’s caliber to play alongside one of his contemporaries. “Steve is undoubtedly one of my biggest influences as a trombonist,” Dease raves. “He's a great in his own right, but he's also in the lineage of Slide Hampton, J.J. Johnson and Curtis in the same way that I am. We're brother disciples of that trinity.” 

The first of two tracks adding Stafford to complete a stunning Jazz Messengers-caliber frontline, “Minor Funk” adds the voice of another Hargrove alum, composer/pianist Cyrus Chestnut. Dease’s “Seiko Time” pays homage to the composer’s time in Japan, whose passion for jazz he also discovered via Hargrove. The album ends with Charles McPherson’s fiercely funky “The Viper,” adding organist Jim Alfredson, trombonist Eli Howell and percussionist Alex Acuña to the band. 

“We all loved Roy,” Dease says, confident in speaking for himself and his bandmates. “I think we all feel touched by his genius.”

Discover.

Kat Hawley | X-IX-VIII

Ready to capitalize on the opportunity to step into her own spotlight and make her own musical statement after years of flanking 16-time Billboard No. 1 hitmaker Adam Hawley, R&B-jazz singer-songwriter Kat Hawley released her debut album, “X-IX-VIII” on June 21. She wrote eight of the set’s ten songs with her guitarist husband, Adam, who produced the MBF Entertainment album.

It's been a year since Kat Hawley released her empowering debut single, “Keep On, Keepin’ On,” a churning R&B groove bolstered by guest star Steve Cole’s soul-powered tenor sax affirmations. The single began the yearlong process of recording “X-IX-VIII,” and it served notice that Kat Hawley was more than merely a background singer.

“I wanted my debut single to be a stamp on the scene that left no doubt about my abilities as a vocalist and songwriter. The track sounds very edgy and modern, but I wanted to give my vocals a contrast by making them have a late 80s/early 90s sound,” said Kat Hawley, who performs this weekend with Adam Hawley at the Elkhart Jazz Festival in Indiana on Friday followed by a Saturday night gig at BLU Jazz+ in Akron, Ohio.

Love and romance are frequent muses for Kat Hawley’s songs on “X-IX-VIII.” Sensual vibes permeate “No Chill,” an R&B joint augmented by Judah Sealy’s sultry sax, a tune “about being completely head over heels when you’re in love or lust.” Adam Hawley uses his exquisite nylon guitar play to add ambience to “Love Me Tonight (A Lover’s Duet)” while Kat Hawley’s desirous voice turns up the heat.

“The goal for this song was to create a very seductive and hypnotic sound with the instruments and the vocals to envelope the listener. I really wanted the listener to be drawn in and feel like they were in the room with me seeing and feeling exactly what I was writing and recording so, I made my vocals smooth, very long and stretched out notes so the listener would hang on my every word – seduced and hypnotized,” explained Kat Hawley. 

The tempo picks up on “Can We Dance,” designed for the dance floor. 

“We definitely wanted a dance song, a steppers song that people could really move and groove to. As I was recording the vocals, for some reason I was envisioning myself on a light-filled dance floor with fans blowing my hair and clothes while I’m dancing my heart out. I wanted the listener to experience the same feeling,” Kat Hawley enthused. 

Last January, the second single, “Never Too Busy,” was issued halfway through the album recording process. 

“We live such a busy modern-day lifestyle of never having enough hours in the day. Everyone has to check their calendars in the same household just to see who has what and when, and when we can schedule family time or time with friends. This song is about making time for who and/or what is most important,” said Kat Hawley.  

Adam Hawley’s evocative nylon string guitar illumines “Summer Breeze,” paired gorgeously with Kat Hawley’s impassioned vocals. Her vivid longing lyrics were penned last winter in the midst of a prolonged period of cold and wet weather in Southern California where the couple lives. 

“Lazy Afternoon” was recorded to memorialize the late Cecil Ramirez, a Bay Area pianist and friend of the Hawley’s. Greg Manning plays poignantly in place of Ramirez on this track.  

“Cecil was an amazing musician whom we got to perform with many times at Brian Culbertson’s Napa Valley Jazz Getaway. He brought this song to me to sing on our live internet show that Adam and I did. It was for the three of us to perform together. Initially, I wasn’t too sure or comfortable singing the song, but Cecil reassured me, telling me that I sounded great singing it. We performed it and it was in fact perfect. Sadly, shortly after that live internet performance, Cecil passed away in early 2021 due to cancer. I wanted to remember Cecil and pay tribute to him not only on my record but also in my live shows. This song allows me to carry on his memory as the person and musician that he was,” stated Kat Hawley. 

The third single from the album, “Rather Be,” began collecting radio and Spotify playlist adds on June 24. It’s a devotional pledge from wife to husband. 

“Adam and I are like two peas in a pod. We are literally always together. That may be strange to a lot of people but, we’ve spent so many years with large spans of time being apart because he was out on world concert tours with other artists. We’re simply better together. No matter where we are individually or together, I’d rather be with him,” said Kat Hawley who has been with Adam for sixteen years.   

The album title comes from their son Adam Jr.’s (A.J.) birthday: 10/9/08. Kat Hawley wrote the ethereal “Moonlight” for A.J., which she hopes will serve as a timeless testament to her love for him and the pride she feels in being his mother.

“‘Moonlight’ is not even a fraction of the emotions that I have when I think of A.J. The love for your child can never really be described in words. I wanted the song to have a spacey and eclectic sound that captures these emotions via the sounds, the arrangement of the song and how the lyrics are sung. I wanted to make sure I was writing A.J. a letter rather than a song. Something that after I’m no longer living, he can read and understand and feel my words as if I am speaking directly to him along with the song and music itself. It will be something he can hold and read as well as listen to and experience all the feelings that were made exclusively for him,” conveyed Kat Hawley. 

To close the album, Kat Hawley delivers a stripped-down acoustic version of Adele’s “Chasing Pavements.” The occasion allows her to tap into her roots singing gospel and Christian music in church. 

“X-IX-VIII” includes performances by saxophonist Fabian Chavez, keyboardists Carnell Harrell, Kasey Square and Caleb Middleton; trumpeter Michael Stever, bassist Tim Bailey, drummer Eric Valentine and percussionist Ramon Islas.  

Kat Hawley has sung on all six of Adam Hawley’s albums. She performs with him at festivals, theaters and clubs around the world and has shared the stage with Dave Koz, Marcus Anderson, Julian Vaughn, Jazmin Ghent and Marqueal Jordan, among others.  

Tenor Saxophonist Elias Haslanger and Trumpeter Mike Sailors Join Forces on Elias Haslanger Meets Mike Sailors

Tenor saxophonist Elias Haslanger and trumpeter Mike Sailors are close - not just like-minded musicians who've shared Austin, Texas stages for the past decade, but true friends who have known each for nearly twice as long. The two text each other daily. Haslanger and Sailors are as likely to talk about their golf swings, or parenthood, as they are to revel in their shared affinity for the George Shearing/Nat King Cole duet album from 1962. 

"We definitely have something going on; people tell us that all the time," Haslanger says about their relationship. "But it's more than the music. The two of us have a similar outlook on life." 

This friendship and musical kinship are evident from the first note of "One Hand Clap," the contrafact of Herbie Hancock's "One Finger Snap" that opens Elias Haslanger Meets Mike Sailors, available August 16 via Bandstand Presents. It’s almost as if you can hear the two musicians smiling through the changes throughout the entire album. They appreciate the jazz tradition, and they celebrate each other's talents and tunes. Trumpet makes soul offerings to saxophone's song. Saxophone reflects the beauty of trumpet's song – and aspires to elevate it, in the spirit of the art. 

When Haslanger and Sailors join forces, there's no showing off. This is a classic, straight-ahead quintet album, all the way, oh so modern and at the same time rich with historical reverence. The intricate, joyful twin lines from Haslanger and Sailors, song after song after song, direct our attention to interplay, to the inherent idea of kinship. You’ll feel the sensation of "updraft," a lot, on this record. It's unabashedly free, and free of apprehension. 

Joy happens when Haslanger and Sailors are in the studio or on the bandstand, and there’s a buoyancy. Saxophone meets trumpet, teases trumpet, laughs with trumpet, dances with trumpet, goes deep with trumpet. And trumpet answers: "I feel your spirit, brother." 

Haslanger and Sailors, who both composed songs for the album, have been playing these tunes, refining these arrangements, for years -- in large-band formats as well as in quintets featuring drummer Daniel Dufour, bassist Ryan Hagler, and the three pianists featured on this album: Eddy Hobizal, Ross Margitza and Andy Langham. 

These men know each other's hearts. 

"It was nothing but organic," says Haslanger, recalling the relaxed nature of the recording sessions. "We're humans. We show up at the studio. We try to get sounds. We have lunch. We have a beer. And it just happens. This is the tune; this is the arrangement' - and everything else is instinct and experience. We weren't trying to do anything but do the best we could in the moment... It's definitely about being as egoless as you possibly can to serve the band, the band sound." 

Haslanger, born and raised in Austin, has always been an open-book, nothing-to-hide, big-feeling kind of player. His heart is his greatest musical attribute. Haslanger feels the grit of the blues, inspired by so many late nights in the audience, as teenager, at Antone's blues club. But Haslanger’s big heart also feels spiritual Coltrane, bold Sonny Rollins, and the high-flying Bird. Heart, and breadth. 

Sailors, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, brings refinement, elegance, and muted grace to the mix. A master arranger, he has a scholarly air about him - and plenty of Birdland and Broadway in his pedigree as well as an arranger working with pop and jazz icons including Lady Gaga and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Kenny Dorham and Clifford Brown are major influences for Sailors but you can feel his affection for stately New Orleans legend Leroy Jones, too, especially on Haslanger’s bluesy "That One Time." Look what happens when these two personalities intertwine, when delicacy mingles with gusts of feeling, giving birth to a third voice, the twin voice. 

Haslanger played lead tenor in Maynard Ferguson's big band as a young man in New York and has recorded eight albums as a bandleader over the course of a 30-year career. Yet this is his first recording to feature trumpet on every track, start to finish. For Sailors this album represents his debut as a bandleader. Despite the difference: It's clear that each man sees a bit of himself in the other, brings out the best in the other, with jazz as the binding agent.

Damien Escobar | Gemini

Two-time Emmy-award winning contemporary soul violinist, DAMIEN ESCOBAR is proud to announce the release of his fifth solo studio album, "GEMINI". The aptly titled album is not only in reference to Damien’s astrological sign, but also humorously pays homage to his “Gemini ways” that he has exhibited throughout his twenty year musical career. It encapsulates the ups and down, the pivots and the rollercoaster scenarios brought on by the surprises of life, this 8-track album will take music lovers on an unforgettable journey.

"This album is a fully expressed celebration on what it means to be a Gemini in every facet of the word. There are so many emotions that went into completing this album and I am proud of this body of work," shares Damien Escobar. The first single to be released from the "GEMINI" album, was the Billboard Magazine chart-topping single, "Taboo." The single touched the souls of Jazz afficionados around the world and went on to become a number one Billboard single on the Jazz Charts. Earlier this year, Damien released the follow-up smash, "Deja Vu," featuring renowned Keyboardist, Jeff Lorber. “As we await the arrival of "GEMINI," Damien is eager to showcase the focus track of the album, his instrumental two-step, "Symphony of Romance." The song was produced by Hamilton Harden and written by Darren "J-Dibbs" Jenkins.

Damien Escobar is a worldwide phenom with a host of accolades to his credit including winning two Emmy’s, being nominated for a NAACP Image Award, performing for four presidents and selling millions of records throughout his historic time as a contemporary soul violinist. With a career spanning two decades, Escobar has single handedly

redefined the classical music genre and helped usher in a new breed of violinist along the way. He has also overcome a host of personal trials and tribulations including depression and homelessness to ultimately pivoting during the Covid pandemic to nurturing a career in the advertising industry where he became the Chief Global Music

Officer for advertising giant, HAVAS, the first and only African American to hold such a position.

At one time having completely lost his desire to produce music, then falling back in love with the creation process and developing content, Damien looks at the Gemini album as proof that a person can excel at a multitude of things at once as long as they stand strong in their perseverance and mission for success.

"GEMINI" by DAMIEN ESCOBAR (TRACKLIST):

1. Zodiac
2. Taboo
3. Ascension
4. Mercury Rising
5. Deja Vu
6. Secret Garden (Gemini Remix)
7. Symphony of Romance
8. Prelude

Hailed as one of the most influential and impactful violinists in modern history— two-time Emmy award-winning artist, Damien Escobar, has spent nearly two decades cementing his legacy as the “King of Strings”. He’s inspired listeners, broke barriers, and created a blueprint for other contemporary violinists who aspire to top the charts and make their way onto main stages around the world. And his work is just getting started.

The Jamaica, Queens native who is known for his charisma, sincere humility, and undeniable talent— has always believed the key to his success is rooted in his humble beginnings. It is the main source that keeps him connected to his fans, and cultivates his unending love for performing. And if you’ve heard his story you know that Escobar’s journey after Juilliard (from which he graduated at the age of 12) wasn’t easy! But his passion and vision took him from playing for straphangers on NYC subways to serenading everyone from Oprah to the Obamas while achieving several lifetime goals in between— including an NAACP award nomination, topping the 100 Billboard charts, and selling 1M+ records. In 2022 Escobar sold out venues across the nation with his “Life Out Loud” tour — an inspiring experience intended to affirm audiences to live authentically and unapologetically. And with new ventures, including new music being developed, Escobar is letting it be known that his reign as the King of Strings will not cease.

With the release of the "GEMINI" album, Escobar is on a mission to prove there’s astonishing power in instrumental music and his intention is to motivate listeners and make an impact on mainstream music like never before.

Michael Pallas | Gateway

With the release of his debut album, Gateway, the Phoenix-raised, New York City-based trombonist, composer, and educator Michael Pallas looks to make his mark as a leader to be reckoned with. 

A trombonist inspired by J.J. Johnson. Curtis Fuller, Steve Turre and Papo Vasquez, Pallas is a proud alumnus of the Jackie McLean Institute, founded by legendary alto saxophonist and educator Jackie McLean in Hartford, Connecticut. 

While Pallas has been performing professionally for over 15 years, including stints with legendary jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, mambo big band leader Steve Oquendo, Afrobeat band Antibalas, hip-hop group Soul Science Lab and others, the trombonist was inspired to become a solo artist during the pandemic. 

“I really had a lot of time just to reflect on where my career was at that point,” Pallas says, “and I felt like it was necessary for me to start moving in this direction of really seriously writing my own music, and eventually releasing my own record. So I began to compose tunes that dealt with themes and emotions that I and many artists were facing during the first two years of the decade.” 

Backed by saxophonist Lomar Brown, pianist Yeissonn Villamar, bassist John Benítez, drummer Jonathan Barber, and percussionist Nelson Mathew Gonzalez - with co-producer Alex Meltzer - the 13 Pallas-penned selections on Gateway reflect the myriad inventions and dimensions of 21st century jazz. 

The lead-off number, “Life On Mars,” is an infectious Cubop composition written for the nickname McLean gave to Hartford, and its non-resemblance to McLean’s beloved Big Apple. “One For The City” is a bouncy, upbeat waltz dedicated to New York City, followed by the midtempo backbeats of “Streaming Hope,” inspired by online concerts and jams musicians played during the pandemic. 

“Patient(s)” is a hypnotic, hip-hop flavored interlude, which sets up “Disu’s Dream,” a moving rumba dedicated to memory of Pallas’ friend and fellow trombonist Jason Disu, who passed away in 2021. In contrast, “Counterfeit Blues” features the arresting spoken word artist Ghazi Omair talking about police brutality and the murder of George Floyd, which introduces “The Verdict,” a hard bop comment on the subject. 

“Today And Forever,” is a beautiful Kenny Barron-style ballad. “Next Exit” is another dreamy, hip-hop friendly interlude, followed by the title track; an exuberant, contemporary jazz-style selection in celebration of the return of live music, bookended by Afrofuturistic, neo-soul number “Beyond (The Gateway).” “El Boli” is based on Chick Corea’s “Humpty Dumpty,” and the last track, “Variant,” is a twilight-toned blend of dance beats, psychedelic effects and Afro-Colombian cumbia rhythms. 

Pallas was very specific about how the recording was sequenced. “I was able to tell the story through the songs, and they're all placed in a chronological order,” Pallas remarks. “I thought long and hard about how the tracks should be placed.” 

Gateway is a testament to how versatile a trombonist and composer Pallas is while also showing that he’s fluent in many different genres. “I’m excited to share all these ways of playing and approaching new styles of music on the trombone,” Pallas says. 

Pallas was born in Los Angeles in 1990 to a Dominican immigrant mother and a father of European heritage who was born and raised in New York City. Pallas, who was brought up in Phoenix, started playing piano in the first grade, and took up the trombone at the age of 11. 

“Once I picked it up, I excelled on it pretty rapidly, in comparison to my peers,” Pallas proudly recalls, “and a lot of the reason why was because I'd been studying piano before I even picked up the trombone. So, I really had a strong musical foundation.” 

Pallas played in several local bands, specifically with the Young Sounds of Arizona: a non-profit 501-(c)(3) organization composed of young musicians playing in several jazz bands. Pallas’ major instructors were Robert McAllister, Principal Trombonist for the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, and Milas Yoes, Director of Instrumental Music, Jazz Studies and Humanities at Phoenix College, where Pallas attended. 

Pallas told Yoes that he wanted to attend a conservatory, so he put him in touch with jazz trombonist Steve Davis, who taught at The Jackie McLean Institute at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut. “I went out there and auditioned for Steve,” Pallas says, “and once I arrived there, it changed my life. It showed me that there is a path in music, for people that are serious, and you can really excel and make a living off of it.” Pallas attended McLean’s school and earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 2013 while also collaborating and studying with Rene McLean at the Artists Collective and working frequently with Ed Fast and Conga Bop. 

Pallas moved to New York City in 2014 and went on to gig with several Latin bandleaders including John “Dandy” Rodriguez, Gilberto “Pulpo” Colon, Steven Oquendo, Tito Rodriguez, Jr., Alex Matos, Tito Rojas and Lusito and Roberto Quintero. Pallas also worked with many jazz artists and ensembles including Abdullah Ibrahim, Steve Davis, Rene McLean, Robert Edwards Big Band, the George Gee Orchestra and the Cotton Club Orchestra. In 2021, Pallas began working with the NYC-based hip-hop and multimedia act Soul Science Lab. Between 2022 and 2023 Pallas toured throughout North America, Europe and Africa and recorded with the Grammy-nominated Afrobeat band Antibalas. Pallas has also performed with New York retro soul and R&B group Ernest Ernie and The Sincerities. 

Shortly before the pandemic, and towards the end of Barry Harris’ life, Pallas participated in the legendary pianist’s Orchestra Project. “Although we never performed or recorded it was an invite only workshop that met weekly in Manhattan to rehearse Harris’ compositions and arrangements for large ensemble,” Pallas says. 

Pallas, who received his Master of Music degree from New Jersey City University in 2022, is also a devoted educator. He taught music theory and directed jazz ensembles at the Music Conservatory of Westchester, from 2014 to 2023. Pallas currently teaches with the Harmony Program, which helps New York City children develop healthy habits and life skills through collective music-making, preparing them for long-term success.

Greg Skaff | Re Up

A  reliably swinging presence and facile improviser on the New York scene since the late ‘80s, guitarist Greg Skaff has shared the bandstand with such jazz greats as Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, David “Fathead” Newman and Ralph Peterson Jr., as well current notables like Mike LeDonne, David Hazeltine, Orrin Evans, Ben Allison, Jim Rotondi and Joe Farnsworth. He has also toured and recorded with “Queen of R&B” Ruth Brown and jazz diva Gloria Lynne and recorded seven albums as a leader. 

Skaff’s latest, Re Up, recorded with bassist Ugonna Okegwo and young drumming sensation Jonathan Barber, follows the guitar trio format he explored on 2021’s Polaris, which paired him with iconic bassist Ron Carter and the great drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath. 

“I just like playing guitar trio with no other chord instrument, right now,” said the guitarist, who had

previously worked with an organist on 2017’s groove-oriented Soulmation, 2012’s 116th & Park, 2009’s East Harlem Skyline and 2004’s Ellington Boulevard. And his rhythm tandem of choice since 2017 — stalwart bassist Okegwo and Barber, who follows in the lineage of great melodic drummers like

Brian Blade, Marcus Gilmore and Rudy Royston — more than fills the bill. “This is the first time I’ve recorded with a working trio. And I’m glad I did document the way we play together because I’ve gotten really comfortable playing with them and how they react.” 

Skaff says there’s a certain freedom in the trio format he doesn’t get when playing with an organist. “I’ve gotten comfortable with having more space in the music,” he says. “And I like the openness of playing with a chordless trio and being able to change voicings without clashing with someone.” 

On Re Up, Skaff explores a varied program of swinging originals along with two well-chosen covers by

revered jazz elders (Thelonious Monk’s “Green Chimneys” and Duke Ellington’s “Fleurette Africaine,” rendered as a sublime solo guitar piece). Along with his bluesy meditation, “Southern Pacific,” the buoyant, Ornette Coleman-influenced “No Cover,” the energized swinger “Faith” and the flowing title track, Skaff also performs separate trio and solo renditions of his dreamy “Peace Place.”

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Skaff studied jazz at Wichita State University before moving to New York, where he soon began making an impression with his solidly swinging style, rooted in his jazz guitar heroes Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, Pat Martino, George Benson, Grant Green and Jim Hall as well as more contemporary players like John Scofield, Pat Metheny and John Abercrombie. He held the guitar chair in tenor saxophonist Stanley “Don’t Mess With Mr. T” Turrentine’s band for five years and subsequently worked in bands led by saxophonists Bobby Watson and David “Fathead” Newman as well as in bassist Ron Carter’s big band. Skaff's debut as a leader, Blues and Other News, was recorded in 1994 and released in 1996. His subsequent recordings — 2004’s blues-drenched Ellington Boulevard, 2009’s East Harlem Skyline, 2012’s 116th & Park and 2017’s jazz-rock-tinged Soulmation — found the guitarist working exclusively in an organ group setting. A regular at such NYC jazz clubs as Small’s, Mezzrow,

Birdland, Blue Note and Zinc Bar, Skaff continues to distinguish himself as an outstanding player on the scene.

Bob Baldwin releases two new albums: Songs My Father Would Dig and It’s Okay to Dream

Seminal international recording artist Bob Baldwin has upped the ante on his own bountiful pace of releasing one 12-song album per year. On June 28, the keyboardist known for his contemporary urban-jazz sound will release two new albums from his City Sketches Records distributed by BFD/The Orchard, the 36th and 37th records in the musician, producer, composer and arranger’s vast catalogue. “Songs My Father Would Dig” is a straight-ahead jazz project and “It’s Okay To Dream” is a contemporary jazz outing. The releases mark the first time in 24 years that an artist has dropped two new albums on the same day in two different genres of jazz.

Another unique aspect of Baldwin’s extensive repertoire is that he exclusively owns the rights to all but seven of his albums, which makes him one of a select few recording artists who can make that claim. That places Baldwin in the company of Michael Jackson, Prince, James Brown, Ray Charles and Bob James, each of whom were proponents of artists owning the rights to their own recordings.

Growing up in Mt. Vernon, New York, Baldwin was exposed to the legends of jazz – Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, John Coltrane and other giants – at an early age by his father, who was a pianist and music teacher. Playing an acoustic Steinway piano that is over one hundred years old, Baldwin gathered a trio (drummer Tony Lewis, acoustic bassist Richie Goods and percussionist Café da Silva) in the recording studio last November to record an album to pay homage to his father, who died in 2008. Recorded all in one day, half of the set list is comprised of tunes composed by Coltrane, Davis, Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder. The other half are Baldwin originals with one exception: “To Wisdom, The Prize” was penned by his late cousin, Larry Willis, a gifted pianist who played in the original Blood, Sweat & Tears band and had extended stints alongside Roy Hargrove, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, and South African legend Hugh Masekela.

“The cool jazz era of the 1960's was my father’s era and the backdrop to my own music foundation. This is a lifetime project for me due to the fact that the piano sound and recording had to be on point and picking songs that were my father’s favorites. Jazz of the 1960's was post-bebop and Avant Garde. It had a slight pop feel and was easy for the non-music listener. It was palatable and eventually became the launching pad for contemporary jazz in the 1970's,” said Baldwin who splits his time between Westchester, New York and Atlanta, Georgia. 

Baldwin describes “It’s Okay to Dream” as “a contemporary playlist of thoughts and dreams.” Crafted from a toolbox of R&B, soul, funk, jazz, house music, Latin and South African rhythms and melodies, the album was previewed earlier this year with the invigorating single, “I’m Good (Thanks for Asking).” On June 17, the second single, “Turn Up The Positive,” will begin collecting playlist adds. Baldwin wrote the entire album, revisiting one of his songs from the 1980s, “Get the Love,” and found inspiration from his wife (“That One”) and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (“Dreamin’ the Dream”). He provides authentic South African culture on “Malema” and “Cape Town at Night,” which were cowritten by Mozambique artist Jimmy Dludlu and performed by Dludlu’s bandmembers.  

“Some of the music for the album was written in a dream. My hope is that the playlist takes you to a quiet place where you can hear your beautiful voice beyond the bustling busyness of your own existence. This music is exactly what you need at the perfect time,” said Baldwin who just completed a concert tour through Johannesburg, South Africa.

There is one intensely emotional and poignant song that ends both new albums. “Til We Meet Again,” presented in instrumental and vocal versions on “Songs My Father Would Dig” and instrumentally on “It’s Okay to Dream,” was written for Baldwin’s late brother, William, who died tragically in a 1991 automobile accident at just 19-years-old.

“It's a constant reminder, even 33 years later, that you never forget that day, the moment the phone rings and you hear the pain coming across the phone from my sister, who had a visit from a local police officer delivering that horrific news. I had just seen William twelve hours prior at a family event. That day ripped my heart to shreds. I will never forget him and his spirit. This song is a revisitation of a great man. We always ask, ‘what if’...what if he were alive today?” shared Baldwin.

While jazz and R&B have been constants throughout his solo recording career ever since his 1988 debut album, “Long Way to Go,” Baldwin has also recorded Brazilian jazz albums (“The Brazilian-American Soundtrack” and “Brazil Chill”) as well as entire collections devoted to reimagining the music of The Beatles (“Bob Baldwin presents Abbey Road and the Beatles”), Thom Bell (“Betcha By Golly Wow”), Wonder (“MelloWonder: Songs in the Key of Stevie”), and Jackson (“Never Can Say Goodbye”). As a producer and songwriter, Baldwin has shaped Billboard hits and album cuts by Regina Carter, The Four Tops, Grover Washington Jr., Richard Elliot, Paul Brown, Marion Meadows, Ragan Whiteside, Will Downing and Freddie Jackson. Since 2008, Baldwin has hosted and produced a nationally syndicated radio show titled NewUrbanJazz Radio. He’s also the author of “You Better Ask Somebody! Staying On Top Of Your Career in the Friggin’ Music Business” and is working on the second edition that will address the nuances of music streaming.

“Songs My Father Would Dig” contains the following songs: 

1. “Equinox”
2. “Dolphin Dance”
3. “Nardis”
4. “Overjoyed”
5. “Star Eyes”
6. “The Beginning of Your Dreams”
7. “Blue Soul”
8. “Tell Me A Bedtime Story”
9. “South Beach”
10. “To Wisdom, The Prize”
11. “Til We Meet Again”
12. “Til We Meet Again” with vocals

The “It’s Okay To Dream” album contains the following songs:

1.  “Cape Town at Night”
2. “Turn Up The Positive”
3. “That One”
4. “My Will”
5. “Malema Part 1”
6. “Malema Part 2”
7. “Dreamin’ the Dream”
8. “I’m Good (Thanks for asking)”
9. “Get the Love”
10. “Complicit”
11. “It’s Okay to Dream”
12. “Til We Meet Again” 

Catch Baldwin in concert on the following dates (shows will be added, including a 2025 tour of Trinidad and Tobago):

• June 14 / Juneteenth Festival at Five Points, Rocky Mount, NC
• June 15 / Juneteenth Event, Atlanta, GA
• June 20 / Jazz at The Improv, Raleigh, NC
• August 9 / John E. Lawrence Jazz Series, Ypsilanti, MI
• August 16 & 17 / Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY
• December 5 / St. James Lounge, Atlanta, GA
• December 6 & 7 / Chayz Lounge, Columbia, SC