NEW RELEASES: JOSE MAURO - OBNOXIOUS; JACK TEMPCHIN – ONE MORE SONG; NINA SIMONE – WHAT HAPPENED, MS. SIMONE? (DVD+CD)

JOSE MAURO - OBNOXIOUS

Today, very little is known about Jose Mauro and as a result those searching for some kind of insight on the man behind the music must attempt to glean what they can from the music itself. One rumour claims he died in a car accident shortly before the album’s release, a fact that could have lent his brief musical career a touch of mythology were it not for how scant the details concerning any other aspects of his life are. The political turmoil from which the album emerged is significant also; recorded during an era of oppressive state censorship, the album, like all the Quartin catalogue, is the result of steadfast defiance in the face of a crushing military dictatorship. While many musicians of the era fled the country, preferring their prospects in the affluent, liberated USA, rebellious, young musicians like Mauro chose to stay and reflect their anger at the authorities through thinly veiled protest songs such as the stirring ‘Apocalipse’. Herein lies the basis for a more dramatic theory; that Mauro was in fact abducted by the military! Whatever the truth, the mystery remains unsolved, and all that remains is his bewitching music. 

Today, Obnoxious retains its strange, otherworldly appeal – A firm favourite amongst a small circle of deep diggers including Madlib, Gilles Peterson and Floating Points. Jose Mauro’s mournful and melancholic vocals create a dark, brooding atmosphere that stands in contrast to the usual joyfulness and high-spirited rhythm of the more prominent Brazilian music of the era. Despite this air of foreboding, Mauro’s confident baritones, chord patterns and sumptuous arrangements have the ability to induce in the listener an almost trance-like state of ecstasy. Mauro’s long hidden masterpiece, a complex and uniquely stunning work is being offered the chance to be heard by the wider audience it has always deserved. A second Jose Mauro release, A Viagem Des Horas, compiling more incredible tracks unreleased in Mauro’s lifetime, will follow, alongside other unreleased jewels from the Quartin catalogue, from the likes of Piri and Victor Assis Brasil.

JACK TEMPCHIN – ONE MORE SONG

Jack Tempchin is known for penning some of the most durable tunes in American music, including hits with such artists as the Eagles (“Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Almost Gone”), George Jones, Glenn Frey, Glen Campbell, and many others. “The threads that weave through Tempchin’s earlier work and his newer material are the quality office narrative storytelling and the crystalline musical sound of every one of the songs.” - No Depression – Includes: Slow Dancing; Singing In The Streets; Old River; Around Midnight; Circle Ties That Bind; So Long My Friend; Still Looking For A Way To Say Goodbye; Streets Of Midnight; I Got Her Right Where She Wants Me; Song For You; and Tumbleweed.

NINA SIMONE – WHAT HAPPENED, MS. SIMONE? (DVD+CD)

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary at the 2016 Oscars, Best Music Film at the 2016 Grammy Awards, and winning Best Documentary at the American Film Institute Awards in 2016, documentary film What Happened, Miss Simone? connected with critics and fans alike with its deep examination of the legendary Nina Simone. Available as a DVD+CD, Blu-ray+CD, and on Digital Formats, with additional bonus interviews not included in the main film. CD includes: I Loves You Porgy; Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood; I Put A Spell On You; Strange Fruit; Sinnerman; Mississippi Goddam; Little Girl Blue; Don't Smoke In Bed; My Baby Just Cares For Me; Lilac Wine; Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair; Night Song; Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out; Feeling Good; and Ne Me Quitte Pas.     

      

Vocalist Sara Serpa and Guitarist André Matos Release All the Dreams, an Album Rich in Melody and Luminous Atmosphere

The reception for Primavera - the first album by the duo of vocalist Sara Serpa and guitarist André Matos - was rapturous, with reviews for the 2014 release using such apt descriptors as "enchanting" (The New Yorker), "breathtaking" (JazzTimes) and "spellbinding" (All About Jazz). The New York Times praised Primavera at length, calling the album "calmly stunning" while adding that the pair's music "capitalizes on their many affinities: as limber improvisers, as thoughtful composers, as selfless ensemble players, and as internationalists hailing originally from Portugal (by way of Boston and New York)Š Primavera is gemlike in its beauty and precision." Now, Serpa & Matos present their second duo album, the gorgeous All the Dreams, to be released September 16, 2016, via Sunnyside Records.

As with Primavera - which All About Jazz lauded for being "sonically lustrous," with an "intricate melodic sense" - the new All the Dreams glimmers with luminous melodicism and magical atmosphere, the music again casting a spell. The sound of All the Dreams mixes the organic and the electronic seamlessly, with Serpa and Matos playing multiple acoustic and electric instruments along with using the studio as an instrument; several tracks also feature Billy Mintz on drums and Pete Rende on ambient, Eno/Budd-like synthesizers. Along with Serpa's signature wordless vocalese and the duo's own lyrics, there are songs that draw on words of great poets, both Portuguese and English. Atmosphere and image, poetry and melody - this is the stuff of which All the Dreams is made.

The title of the album comes from its lovely song "Nada," which features universalist lines by the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa (via his heteronym Álvaro de Campos): "I am nothing, I shall never be anything / I cannot even wish to be anything. / Despite all that, I have within me all the dreams of the world." The title phrase also appears in the poetry of Walt Whitman, a key influence on Pessoa: "I dream in my dream all the dreams of the other dreamers / And I become the other dreamers." These words mirror the feelings of creative reverie Serpa and Matos had while composing the music for the album. The singer says: "We felt that this music was making us dream and disconnect somehow from the reality of the outside world - and that seemed to be a positive feeling. For us, to be able to work in this dreamlike state of mind is fundamental to staying creative and happy." 

About the leap from Primavera to the even more accomplished All the Dreams, Matos says: "Primavera planted a seed for us. Our duo identity developed throughout the making of that first album, and with the new one, we knew more about how to use the studio to our advantage. We wanted to pay even more attention to detail - sound, texture, words. We didn't hesitate to depart from a 'duo sound' and do whatever it took to get the right feel for each song, whether through sonically multiplying ourselves or developing the sounds we produced. The mixing and post-production process was more intensive this time, and we did things like reverse the vocals on 'amlaC.' Pete Rende played such an important role in this, not only adding synthesizers to a few tracks but mixing the album, too. It's hard to imagine the album without his contribution."

As for the contribution of veteran drummer Billy Mintz, Matos adds: "We met Billy a few years ago, and he has become an important musician for me. He was super-meticulous in the studio, and the results are amazing, like pure gold. His dedication to music is inspiring, and his playing gives the record a nice contour. With Billy, there's a search for a primal beat, playing almost like a child in the sense of being free. But at the same, he has all this knowledge and experience to apply. He is a master."

Serpa and Matos make for a kindred-spirit duo, even beyond being husband and wife. Her fresh, subtly virtuosic singing blends beautifully with his gleaming, flowing guitar playing. "We do complement each other as performers easily, with most of the songs being reducible to just voice and guitar," Matos says. "In the studio, we're able to guide each other to the best performances possible, with sometimes even the best arrangements coming after the first take. Our tunes tend to have slightly different vibes, with Sara's a bit more intricate and mine less dense, simpler. It creates a nice balance, we hope."

In addition to those of Pessoa/Campos, the songs of All the Dreams include words by his fellow Portuguese writer Luis Amaro, Brazilian poet Clarice Lispector and the great Englishman William Blake, as well as lyrics by Serpa and Matos. There are songs about night, dreams and the imagination, about accepting sadness and offering forgiveness, about identity and empathy, about love and memory. Even the songs without words impart a sense of mystery and romance, with Serpa singing vocalese on such gems as the opening "Calma." One of the album's other, lyrical highlights is "Lisboa," Serpa's tune-rich paean to the ancient capital of Portugal. "The words stem from something a taxi driver once told me about Lisbon having 14,000 streets, alleys and staircases - and all those reflecting so many memories, for me, for everyone who has lived there," Serpa says. "Because I live in America now, the city is distant from me, but somehow it remains so close to my heart. Every time I return to Lisbon, the memories come flooding back, the sense of place and time so strong. And music can evoke feelings of time and place - of memory - like little else in art."

JazzTimes has called Serpa "a rising star," while All About Jazz has said: "Her unique style of vocalese allows her to utilize the full range of her exquisite and clear voice with the agility of an instrumentalist, standing out of the crowd as a sublime interpreter and a bold improviser." The New York Times has described Matos as a guitarist who "advances a pointedly contemporary air." Both born and bred in Portugal but based in New York City for nearly a decade, Serpa and Matos met through music in Boston, where they both studied at the Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory. 

Serpa and Matos each have long associations with some of the most important musicians in jazz. Serpa studied with iconic pianist Ran Blake, with whom she has recorded two albums, Camera Obscura (2010) and Kitano Noir (2015). Serpa joined saxophonist Greg Osby's band right out of school in 2008, performing with the group at such hallowed venues as the Village Vanguard and contributing to his album 9 Levels. Osby's Inner Circle Music label also released Serpa's debut album as a leader, Praia (2008), and her quintet album Mobile (2011), along with Camera Obscura. Inner Circle released Matos's third album, Quare (2010), and Osby also contributed sax to their duo debut, Primavera. Individually and together, Serpa and Matos have performed with such prominent musicians as John Zorn, Danilo Perez, Guillermo Klein, Tyshawn Sorey, Dan Weiss, Leo Genovese and Thomas Morgan, among others. Beyond their duo together, Serpa leads such projects as her vocal group City Fragments, while Matos leads a trio featuring saxophonist Tony Malaby and drummer Billy Mintz.

Sara Serpa & André Matos: All the Dreams

1. "Calma" (Matos)

2. "A La Montagne" (Serpa)

3. "Estado De Graça" (Matos)

4. "Story Of A Horse" (Matos)

5. "Programa" (Serpa/Amaro)

6. "Água" (Matos)

7. "Nada" (Matos/Campos)

8. "Night" (Matos/Blake)

9. "Hino" (Matos)

10. "Lisboa" (Serpa)

11. "Espelho" (Matos)

12. "Os Outros" (Serpa/Lispector)

13. "Postlude" (Matos)

14. "amlaC" (Matos/Rende)

Sara Serpa: voice, piano (5, 9, 10), Fender Rhodes (4, 7)

André Matos: guitar, electric bass (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11), percussion (11)

Pete Rende: synthesizer (1, 4, 14)

Billy Mintz: drums and percussion (1, 3, 6, 10)

Produced by Sara Serpa & André Matos

Recorded at The Bunker Studio (Todd and Andy), Estúdios Valentim de Carvalho (by Nélson Carvalho) and Eastside Sound (Marc Urselli); mixed by Pete Rende; mastered by Nate Wood

www.serpamatos.com

MILI BERMEJO AND DAN GREENSPAN CONFIRM THEIR MASTERY IN ARTE DEL DUO

Since first joining forces over a quarter-century ago, vocalist Mili Bermejo and bassist Dan Greenspan have created a recorded library of timeless music with a number of cherished partners.  For those fortunate enough to experience them in live performance, however, the lingering memory of this brilliantly skilled and totally compatible couple is likely to be the moments when they stand alone.  "We have always wanted to make pure music," Greenspan explains, "and have always included duo tunes in our sets."  On October 7, 2016 the pair releases their first all-duo program in two decades, Arte de Duo, on Ediciones Pentagrama.

Bermejo, born in Buenos Aires, raised in Mexico City and a professor at Berklee College of Music since 1984, and Greenspan, a New Haven native and classically trained cellist who became one of the Boston area's leading freelance bassists, have created a unique body of music that applies jazz improvisation to original songs and music from throughout the Americas.  Themes of political liberation, environmental responsibility and interpersonal commitment have defined both their music and their career and led them to a major life decison.  "The business changed so much post-9/11 that we had to decide whether we should reinvent ourselves," Bermejo notes.  This led to what Greenspan describes as "an entire creative undertaking of another kind" - a move to New Hampshire, where the couple built their own house.

"We decided to live the right way," Bermejo says of their relocation to a nature reserve.  "It has brought us closer and closer to `do it yourself,' including growing as much of our own food and making as many of our own clothes as possible.  It has purified us, and removed many of our frustrations."  But, Greenspan adds, "For a while, the move replaced music.  Finding opportunities to rehearse in Boston when everyone we worked with had so many other gigs became hell."  The bassist also turned his attention to baking and has built a growing reputation with his Dan's Brick Oven Bread, while a construction accident also left him unable to play for several months.  The future of their performing partnership became unclear.

"But Mili insisted that we couldn't let the music go," Greenspan stresses, and the result is a new focus on the intimate artistry that had previously only been showcased on their 1997 album Duo which was released on Gunther Schuller's GM Records.  "It got us back to the essence of art," he says, "and provides the best opportunity to use all of the classical information that we have."  Yet the new music, developed over a series of monthly gigs at the Lilypad in Cambridge, Massachusetts, takes the pair beyond their previous achievements.  "We didn't want to repeat ourselves," Bermejo adds.  "Now we reduce.  I think of the music like my garden, as being all about beauty after years of work.  And nobody told me how to do it."

The influence of life in New Hampshire is clear in the Bermejo originals "La Casa del Arbol" ("The Tree House"), about "a secret refugeŠamong trees and stars" and "Cosecha" ("Harvest"); but she also contributes two new titles in her string of beautiful love songs, "Los que se Aman" ("Those Who Love") and "No Dejo de Quererte" ("I Don't Stop Loving You").  The duo also links Bermejo's "Décima Muerte I" from their first duo disc and "Décima Muerte II" by the Mexican poet and playwright Xavier Villarrutiga in a medley linked by a powerful Greenspan solo.

Greenspan's bass also launches "Las Orillas del Mar" ("At the Edge of the Sea"), a 13th Century feminist poem with music by Hafez Modirzadeh, the composer-saxophonist who featured Bermejo extensively on his acclaimed 2011 album In Convergence Liberation (Pi Recordings).  "Working with Hafez is the most challenging thing I've done," she notes, "and it has opened both of our minds.  Now I'm improvising more, though not `taking a chorus' in the traditional sense."  This new improvisational freedom is joyously displayed on "Tres Veces Heroica" ("Three Times Heroic"), written by Mexican composer Charlie Dríguez and previously heard on the 2006 live recording De Tierra (Of Earth) (Ediciones Pentagrama), and "End of the Beginning," written for the duo by the Armenian-born pianist and composer Vardan Ovsepian.  "Windmills of Your Mind," by French composer Michel Legrand with Spanish lyrics by Manuel Gurria, was also arranged by Ovsepian.  "Vardan's arrangement got Dan back in shape after his injury," Bermejo notes, adding with a laugh, "it also made me get back in shape."

Two works from Argentina are included, "Equipaje" ("Luggage") by Juan Quintero and "Cambalache" ("Pawn Shop") by E. Santos Discépolo.  The latter, a classic tango, gives Greenspan the opportunity to display his skill with the bow. "Candombe para Gardel" ("Candombe for Gardel"), a tribute to Argentinian tango master Carlos Gardel from the Afro-Uruguayan perspective of Rubén Rada, completes the program.

Arte del Duo is Bermejo's fifth release on Mexico's Ediciones Pentagrama label, which recently received the Independence Award from the Fundación Mediterránea Mar y Tierra in Tarragona, Spain.  "We've stayed faithful to the vision of [label founder] Modesto López: Independence and 35 years of support to Latin American artists dedicated to progressive social change," she notes.

The album will be released at the Lilypad on Sunday afternoon, October 23, where a new audio system created especially for the duo by sound engineer Art Steele will enhance the performance.  "I asked Art for a minimal system, with just two small speakers, Greenspan explains.  "Now my hands are free, just like my mother's were when she sang," Bermejo adds.

Creativity, and the magic that ensues, remain at the heart of Mili Bermejo's and Dan Greenspan's music; and Arte del Duo is their most creative and magical statement to date.

New album from RESOLUTION 88 - AFTERGLOW

You can hear it right from the first notes of the opening track. It’s instantly clear that Resolution 88 have really made these last two years count, since making waves with their début album. There’s the same energy, freshness and warm, analog soundscape of the first album but now there’s even more power and maturity to their music.

Afterglow will have existing Resolution 88 fans grinning from ear to ear, whilst it will appeal to many new music lovers too. There’s the same gritty jazz funk sound, elements of broken beat and hip hop and the whole record is drenched in the unmistakable sound of Tom O’Grady’s suitcase Rhodes. Comparisons have been made with Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Weather Report, Jeff Lorber Fusion and many other bands. It’s easy to hear why, and there’s more - Resolution 88’s music has a fresh quality that hails their new perspective as well as paying their dues. There’s definitely a crossover with groundbreaking modern bands such as Haitus Kaiyote.

Each band member gets their moments to shine in this album, which features the band leader and composer Tom O’Grady on keys, Tiago Coimbra on bass, Alex Hitchcock on reeds (saxophones and bass clarinet) and Ric Elsworth on drums and percussion. That’s not all; the music was captured, mixed and mastered by exactly the same team as usual. Chris Taylor and Andy Ramsay engineered the recording sessions, Dan ‘JD73’ Goldman (ex-Morcheeba) mixed the music and Bob Power (The Roots, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu etc) mastered the music. Their inimitable skills and characteristic sounds imprints a cinematic quality on the whole record - this album is a beautiful experience to savor, from start to finish.

“An album that is beautifully crafted and captivating listening throughout!” - Bluey (Incognito).

Guitar Legend And Singer Robert Randolph Signs To Sony Music Masterworks

Sony Music Masterworks signs Robert Randolph & The Family Band, led by pedal steel guitar legend, Robert Randolph. One of the biggest funk, rock and soul bands of the past decade will return with a powerful new record in early 2017. The album will feature guest artists Darius Rucker, Anthony Hamilton and Cory Henry. This is their first album in three years and will be supported by a national tour.

Robert Randolph & The Family Band first gained national attention with the release of their debut album, Live at the Wetlands in 2002. The band followed with three studio recordings over the next eight years; Unclassified, Colorblind, and We Walk This Road; which, together with tireless touring and unforgettable performances at such festivals as Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, won them a very passionate fan base. Randolph's unprecedented prowess on his instrument garnered him a spot on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list, and also gained the attention of artists like Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, The Roots, and Jack White, who have since collaborated with Randolph on stage and in the studio.

Monterey Jazz Festival 2016 Brings the Late Thomas Chapin Full Circle Through Documentary Film from 'Olena Media, Chapin Finally "Plays" 20 Years after Canceling Due to Illness

The significance of performing at the Monterey Jazz Festival can not be understated. The longest-running jazz festival in the world features the best of jazz through performance and education. It hosts unparalleled world talent and legends and stands as a legacy to this musical genre, and  impacts future generations of jazz musicians and afficionados alike.

Thomas Chapin Film at the Monterey Jazz Festival

It would have been a momentous milestone for the career of saxophonist-flutist and composer Thomas Chapin and an unforgettable, exhilarating ride for the audience if he had been able to play with his Trio back in 1997. At the peak of his form, he was booked to play for the festival's 40th anniversary.

After standout appearances on other big world jazz stages in New York, Newport, Europe, Japan, and Canada, the Thomas Chapin Trio was ready to play Monterey in the fall of 1997. Regrettably Chapin was forced to cancel after he was diagnosed with leukemia. Thomas Chapin died months later on February 13, 1998 after he cancelled the booking. He was about to turn 41. His star was gaining altitude, rising to the pinnacle of the Monterey Jazz Festival, which would have skyrocketed him into a household name in jazz. Now, 20 years later and through the award-winning film, THOMAS CHAPIN, NIGHT BIRD SONG, this unknown jazz virtuoso will finally come full circle and "play" Monterey.

For his two decades of performing, Chapin was a force, a player with "massive chops," whose sound was sui generis. He had an uncanny gift of melding all forms of jazz into a single body of music. His pathway of moving sound was so multi-directional, yet singular, so original, yet steeped in tradition, that the jazz community struggled to categorize him.   

Peter Watrous of the New York Times captured his extraordinary power and versatility when he described Chapin's performance in 1995: "Chapin … is a virtuoso … also one of the more schooled musicians in jazz, both technically and historically, and for his set he dug into the styles of everyone from Benny Carter to the 60's avant-gardists, screeching and howling and huffing as if this were 1964 and he was breaking the rules of jazz into pieces." 

Aidan Levy, who knew of Chapin and reviewed the film this year for JazzTimes Magazine, wrote that Chapin was "considered by some to have fundamentally expanded the boundaries of the jazz discourse."

Dan Melnick, a concert producer in the 90's with George Wein's Festival Productions and its Newport Jazz Festival spinoffs that the Thomas Chapin Trio performed for, said, "For me and many others, Thomas stood at the center of numerous disparate worlds of jazz at that time. He was a master of all forms of jazz and maybe proved that these 'schools' or 'styles' weren't so different at all."

MONTEREY FILM SCREENING

THOMAS CAPIN, NIGHT BIRD SONG, a 150-minute epic tale of this brilliant and extraordinary jazz master, will be screened at the Monterey Jazz Festival on September 18, 2016, at 4:30 pm in the Jazz Theater.

Emmy-winning filmmaker Stephanie J. Castillo's documentary tells Chapin's story using the intimate details and captivating storytelling of 45 featured musicians, promoters, music critics, friends and family. The film, which has received high acclaim from reviewers and viewers, reveals Chapin's music formation, including his six-year stint as Lionel Hampton's music director and lead alto sax. It goes on to detail Chapin's emergence as a musical force in the late 1980s in the New York downtown jazz scene. Using archival performance film and video footage, the film shows how Chapin's distinct and inimitable style helped move the music forward in the 1990s. 

The film also clearly establishes Chapin as one of the few artists of his generation to exist in both the New York City's downtown experimentalist scene and in the uptown world of traditional jazz. Fearless in his pursuit of creating an edgy, engaging, cutting-edge sound that pushed jazz forward, he was also tireless and passionate in showing his classical and mainstream influences.

Thomas Chapin was an artist who "was his own man," a "free musician," but whose music resonated loudly with the work of reed giants from an earlier age. He met his life's end way too soon, while his dreams still burned bright and his audiences yearned for more. Today, new listeners and young players seeking inspiration are discovering and playing his music. Thanks to the film, Chapin will no longer be a footnote in jazz. His indelible mark will be known for all time. 

In May 2016 in Nice, France, NIGHT BIRD SONG received the Nice International Filmmakers Festival award for Best Story. It was also nominated for Best Director of a Feature Documentary and Best Documentary at the New York City International Film Festival.

To view the film's trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvWHsVSoPME 

Guitarist & Composer Marcus Corbett To Release New Album “Every Little Spirit” October 2016

Much to the anticipation of music aficionados worldwide, music artist Marcus Corbett will be releasing his new album “Every Little Spirit” in October 2016! Marcus is an acoustic guitarist, singer and composer based between Marlborough, UK and Pune, Maharashtra, India. Gradually, during repeated expeditions in India over the last decade or more, having immersed himself in the fundaments of North Indian classical music Marcus has begun to reap the rewards of his involvement in the musical life of Pune, Maharashtra and Gadag in North Karnataka.

The result is a generous spirited cultural collaboration that allows his music to come to life while paying homage to the tradition he loves. Here there is ambition as two violins are at work, and as he says, “One violin may be a line drawing but two become cinema – and with the risk associated with such potential drama no one performance is the same as the last. The beautiful challenge in this search is to keep the individual cultural charm, to make the bell ring true. And to maintain the power and integrity of the music.”

“With his deep affinity with Indian classical music and his expertise in soulfully conveying its essence on the humble acoustic guitar. …where other guitar maestros have dipped their toes…. he's taken the integration a stage further and his collaboration with tabla virtuosos Nitin Gaikwad and Sharanappa Guttaragi on this disc is both fiery and rewarding.” - Fatea

On the subject of his musical influences, aside from his times in India, Marcus states, “I've been affected by John Martyn, Nick Drake, Roy Harper - anybody that makes the guitar sing or speak. John McLaughlin with the early Mahavishnu Orchestra and Shakti was a revelation as has been Jerry Garcia's soulful musicality. Recently Frank Yamma has got under my skin”.

Acclaimed producer and composer Sam Williams (Supergrass/The Go Team!) has co-produced the first track on the album, “Strung Deep” – a remix of Castanets from Marcus' previous EP release of the same name. Marcus explains how this unlikely-seeming collaboration came about:

“While mixing 'Castanets' for the last record (Strung Deep) I discovered a heartbeat in the rhythmic cycle that expressed something quintessential and more about the track. It has a breezy optimism that continues from where the album 'Strung Deep' left off. I needed a different approach, someone outside of the Indian classical world who could the sense the potential and produce it. A chance meeting with Sam Williams during which I heard some of his recent work was the catalyst to our working together. Sam has created a great rhythm led track to fit the varying time signatures and give the looping swirl a kick. He also found some words to go with the emerging vibe while keeping some essential ingredients of the original. It is a remix which contemporizes the song in a way which keeps the flavour of the original and casts new light on what I do”.

Recorded with Abhijit Saraf at Musical Stars Studio in Pune, Maharashtra; and in Gadag, Karnataka and in Oxford (UK), Corbett is accompanied for “Every Little Spirit” by tabla players Nitin Gaikwad and Sharanappa Guttaragi. The seductive vocal of renowned classical singer Saylee Talwalkar takes us into his world. The storyline unfolds amidst the masterful weave of bansuri flute player Milind Date, and is carried further by the cinematic violins of Anjali Singde-Rao, Sanjay Upadhye and Sachin Ingale with a cameo appearance by celebrated Oxford-based virtuoso Bruno Guastalla on cello.

Comprised of eight tracks spread across 59 minutes, “Every Little Spirit” is lyrically themed and is a reflection upon how our roots entwine with all life; how our joy and sorrow is shared; that while life is a gift, for which acknowledgment and thanks are due, no one said the living of it was easy and how we instinctively seek release, to “get set free” from the emotional and physical turmoil of existence. “This could be you, this could be me….”.

“Perfect Sunday morning music... I really enjoyed listening through it - it is a very well paced and interesting listen” - Nigel House at Rough Trade

Having toured successfully in Germany and Holland, played around the UK, and gained press attention from all over the world for his previous releases, Marcus' reputation for his skillful combining of the worlds of Indian Classical and British folk music, while being ambitious and yet aware of the limitations, will inevitably continue to grow and grow, and his status as one of the great explorers of these musical borderlands will continue to be celebrated.

www.marcuscorbett.com

www.facebook.com/marcus.corbett.music

@marcuscorbettji

SCOTT BRADLEE’S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX RECORDS PARTNERS WITH CONCORD RECORDS TO PRESENT THE BEST OF ITS WILDLY POPULAR VINTAGE-POP MASH-UPS

Imagine wandering into a nightclub somewhere on the outskirts of time. A classic jukebox in the corner plays timeless music with oddly familiar modern lyrics, incongruously marrying the 21st-century party vibe of Miley Cyrus or the minimalist angst of Radiohead with the crackly warmth of a vintage 78 or the plunger-muted barrelhouse howl of a forgotten Kansas City jazzman. The dance floor is full of revelers twerking in poodle skirts, while at the bar, well-heeled hipsters balance a martini in one hand with a smartphone in the other.

If such a place actually exists, no doubt the soundtrack is Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Founded by pianist and arranger Scott Bradlee in 2009, the ensemble reimagines contemporary pop, rock and R&B hits in the style of various yesteryears, from swing to doo-wop, ragtime to Motown – or, as Bradlee himself puts it, “pop music in a time machine.” The band parlayed a series of YouTube videos shot in Bradlee’s Queens living room into massive success, accruing more than 450 million YouTube views and over 2 million subscribers, an appearance on Good Morning America, and performances at packed houses across the globe.

The Essentials, set for release on September 30 via Concord Records and Postmodern Jukebox Records, collects 18 favorites from Postmodern Jukebox’s weekly postings. Both the songs and the styles span decades – it just happens that the decades in question are separated by about half a century. Bradlee’s choice of material ranges from the ’80s hard rock of Guns N’ Roses to hits as recent as last year’s Justin Bieber plea “Sorry.” They’re rendered by a rotating cast of musicians and singers in fashions that date back to a time when Axl, Slash and Bieber’s parents had yet to be born – a time of street corner harmonies and torch singers, blues belters and golden-voiced crooners.

In his liner notes Bradlee writes, “It’s my hope that this collection will lead you to discover a world of nostalgia for the music of the past ─ regardless of when you were born ─ and welcome you warmly into our community of amazing live performers, creative artists, and music lovers that are dedicated to keeping #RealMusic alive.”

If that hashtag denotes a modern-day mission statement, that’s no accident. Bradlee conceived Postmodern Jukebox as a tonic for the auto-tuned vocals and programmed beats that populate today’s radio soundscape. Postmodern Jukebox combines a genuine appreciation for the melodies and songcraft of these recent hits with a passion for talented musicians playing real instruments.

“I just wanted to make music in the classic styles of ragtime, blues, swing, doo wop, and Motown that I loved as a kid,” Bradlee writes. The album, he continues, includes “breathtaking vocal performances, raucous horn solos, infectious dance rhythms, and nostalgic melodies – all captured the way music was recorded in the Golden Age of the record industry: with everyone together, in the same room.”

In the early days, that room was in the rather cramped confines of Bradlee’s small apartment in Queens, NY, at a time when he was one of countless struggling musicians in the city. The backdrop has grown along with the ensemble’s success, but the spirit remains the same – a collective of musicians dedicated to the timelessness of music, performing songs vibrantly and without a trace of irony. And the media has taken notice: Entertainment Weekly wrote, “Scott Bradlee’s group is known for retro-fying modern hit songs into viral success,” while Yahoo! Music added, “if you’ve been on YouTube in the last couple of years, then you’re familiar with the everything-new-is-old-again brilliance of the viral phenomenon known as Postmodern Jukebox.”

In its seven years of existence, Postmodern Jukebox has recorded literally hundreds of songs, but this release compiles the best of them, the tunes that Bradlee himself calls “most essential to the PMJ universe.” That includes the song that put the band on the map, a vaudevillian distressing of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” fronted by Robyn Adele Anderson that garnered more than a million views within a week of being posted. The pin-up styled singer returned for the album’s opener, their ’50s doo-wop version of Miley Cyrus’ celebration of an inhibition-shedding spree “We Can’t Stop,” which garnered more than 19.5 million views and was named one of the “9 Best Viral Cover Videos of 2015” by People magazine.

Maroon 5’s “Maps” flashes forward a couple of decades for a horn-laden ’70s soul sound featuring the powerhouse voice of Morgan James, while American Idol alum Haley Reinhart wrings the emotion from Radiohead’s breakthrough hit “Creep” as a torch singer worthy of Julie London. And while Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” referred to the singer’s curves, Kate Davis takes it to another level with a smoking upright bass performance to augment a coy vocal redolent of Billie Holiday.

Heavy metal and New Orleans jazz may seem to have little in common, but Bradlee finds the thread connecting the two, rendering both “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses and the Darkness’ “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” as gutbucket Bourbon Street blues numbers featuring the stirring voices of Maiya Sykes and Miche Braden. Mykal Kilgore, meanwhile, rescues “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic schmaltz to Jackie Wilson-style R&B.

Similarly revelatory transformations mark every song on the album, which also includes favorites by Beyoncé, the White Stripes, OutKast and Lorde, who praised PMJ’s cover of her hit “Royals” as a favorite. That’s not even the most notable thing about the song, which is sung in the gorgeous baritone of Puddles, the “Sad Clown with the Golden Voice,” a performer in full face paint and ruffles that Bradlee describes as a cross between Andy Kaufman and Tom Jones.

Postmodern Jukebox is certainly a rebuke to the contention that “they don’t make ’em like they used to.” The Essentials is an engaging and vivacious album that bridges generations with a unique spin of its own. To echo Bradlee’s own invitation, “Dust off the turntable, fix yourself a stiff drink, and get comfy. Welcome to the world of Postmodern Jukebox.”

TRACK LIST:

1.         We Can’t Stop starring Robyn Adele Anderson & The Tee Tones (3:59)

2.         Maps starring Morgan James (3:43)

3.         Creep starring Haley Reinhart (4:43)

4.         All About That Bass starring Kate Davis (3:38)

5.         No Diggity starring Ariana Savalas (3:16)

6.         I Believe in a Thing Called Love starring Maiya Sykes (3:36)

7.         My Heart Will Go On starring Mykal Kilgore (3:22)

8.         Royals starring Puddles Pity Party (3:37)

9.         Stacy’s Mom starring Casey Abrams (2:59)

10.       Rude starring Von Smith (4:06)

11.       Sweet Child O’Mine starring Miche Braden (4:10)

12.       Thrift Shop starring Robyn Adele Anderson (3:00)

13.       Burn starring Cristina Gatti, Robyn Adele Anderson and Ashley Stroud (3:53)

14.       Seven Nation Army starring Haley Reinhart (4:06)

15.       Sorry starring Shoshana Bean (3:56)

16.       Halo starring LaVance Colley (4:08)

17.       Hey Ya! starring Sara Niemietz (3:23)

18.       Such Great Heights starring Kiah Victoria (4:03)

POSTMODERN JUKEBOX TOUR DATES

2016 AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND DATES

Aug 29 - Christchurch, New Zealand; Isaac Theatre Royal

Aug 30 - Dunedin, New Zealand; Dunedin Town Hall

Sep 1 - Invercargill, New Zealand; Civic Theatre

Sep 2 - Wellington, New Zealand; Shed 6

Sep 3 - Palmerston North, New Zealand; Palmerston North

Sep 4 - Napier, New Zealand; Civic Theatre

Sep 5 - Auckland, New Zealand; ASB Theatre

Sep 8 - Sydney, Australia; Enmore Theatre

Sep 9 - Wollongong, Australia; Anitas

Sep 10 - Canberra, Australia; Llewlyn Centre

Sep 11 - Melbourne, Australia; Palais Theatre

Sep 12 - Bendigo, Australia; Capital Theatre

Sep 15 - Hobart, Australia; Wrest Point

Sep 16 - Brisbane, Australia; Plaza Ballroom

Sep 17 - Adelaide, Australia; The Barton

Sep 20 - Perth, Australia; Concert Hall

2016 NORTH AMERICAN DATES

Sep 29 - Providence, RI; The VETS

Sep 30 - Albany, NY; Palace Theatre

Oct 01 - Hartford, CT; The Bushnell

Oct 03 - Glenside, PA; Keswick Theatre

Oct 04 - Baltimore, MD; The Lyric

Oct 05 - Redbank, NJ; Count Basie Theatre

Oct 06 - Boston, MA; Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre

Oct 07 - New York, NY; Radio City Music Hall

Oct 08 - Montreal, QC; Place Des Arts

Oct 11 - Toronto, ON; Sony Centre for the Performing Arts

Oct 12 - Buffalo, NY; UB Center For The Arts

Oct 13 - Washington, DC; DAR Constitution Hall

Oct 14 - Raleigh, NC; Duke Energy Center

Oct 15 - Atlanta, GA; Fox Theatre

Oct 16 - Jacksonville, FL: Florida Theatre

Oct 18 - Orlando, FL; Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Oct 21 - Clearwater, FL; Ruth Eckerd Hall

Oct 22 - Birmingham, AL; Alabama Theatre

Oct 23 - New Orleans, LA; Orpheum Theater

Oct 25 - Nashville, TN; Andrew Jackson Hall

Oct 26 - Louisville, KY; Louisville Palace Theatre

Oct 27 - Detroit, MI: Masonic Temple Theatre

Oct 28 - Indianapolis, IN; Clowes Memorial Hall

Oct 29 - Rosemont, IL; Rosemont Theatre

Oct 30 - Milwaukee, WI; Riverside Theater

Nov 01 - Minneapolis, MN; Northrop Auditorium

Nov 02 - Kansas City, MO; Arvest Bank Theatre - at The Midland

Nov 03 - St. Louis, MO; Peabody Opera House

Nov 05 - Grand Prairie, TX; Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie

Nov 06 - Austin, TX; Austin City Limits Live at Moody Theater

Nov 07 - Austin, TX; Austin City Limits Live at Moody Theater

Nov 08 - San Antonio, TX; Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

Nov 09 - Houston, TX; Sarofim Hall

Nov 12 - Broomfield, CO; 1STBANK Center

Nov 15 - Boise, ID; Morrison Center for the Performing Arts

Nov 16 - Spokane, WA; Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox

Nov 17 - Portland, OR; Theatre of The Clouds

Nov 18 - Seattle, WA; Paramount Theatre

Nov 19 - Redding, CA; Redding Civic Auditorium

Nov 20 - Sacramento, CA; Community Center Theater

Nov 22 - Santa Rosa, CA; Luther Burbank Center for the Arts

Nov 23 - San Jose, CA; Event Center at San Jose State University

Nov 25 - Los Angeles, CA; Microsoft Theater

Nov 26 - Las Vegas, NV; The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Nov 27 - Mesa, AZ; Mesa Arts Center

NEW RELEASES: MAGNUS BAKKEN QUARTET – CYCLES FEATURING GEORGE GARZONE; ANTHONY JOSEPH – CARIBBEAN ROOTS; FEDERICO BONIFAZI – YOU’LL SEE

MAGNUS BAKKEN QUARTET – CYCLES FEATURING GEORGE GARZONE

Brilliant twin saxophones here – the tenor of George Garzone, and tenor and soprano of leader Magnus Bakken – who really grabs our ears with his music on the set! The tunes are all originals penned and arranged by Mangus – and have this beautifully flowing vibe – angular and leaping forward on the upbeat numbers, sinuously moving at mellower points – all given these great shapes and structures by the work of Jorn Oien on piano, Christian Meaas Svendsen on bass, and Jon Audun Baar on drums! We've never heard Bakken as a leader before, but the record really moves us – and it's the kind that you'd overhear, then finding yourself sitting up to take notice to find out who it is. Titles include "Cycles", "The Composer", "Through The Snow", "The Charles", "Titanomachy", and "Straight Forward". ~ Dusty Groove

ANTHONY JOSEPH – CARIBBEAN ROOTS

Anthony Joseph just keeps on getting better and better, and even more interesting with each new record – to a point where the already-hip singer is really blowing our mind with music like this! The songs are longer, richer, and more deeply put together than some of Joseph's earlier work – in a spirit that definitely lives up to the promise of the title, but which also shows a lot of post-colonial diaspora elements, too – the kind of qualities you might expect from Anthony's role in the contemporary Parisian scene! Joseph has an even more majestic quality than before – and stands perfectly at the helm of a diverse group of musicians who provide shifting currents of jazz and percussion in support of his vocal passages – which are both spoken and sung. Titles include "The Kora", "Mano A Mano", "Brother Davis", "Neckbone", "Drum Song", "Our History", "Powerful Peace", "Caribbean Roots", and "Jimmy Upon That Bridge". ~ Dusty Groove

FEDERICO BONIFAZI – YOU’LL SEE

A fantastic record from Italian pianist Federico Bonifazi – one that comes out of time recently spent in New York city, where he developed a fast friendship with bassist John Webber – whose work on the set really sounds tremendous! At some level, the record might be thought of as one of Webber's records with tenorist Eric Alexander – as Alexander makes a wonderful presence here, alongside drummer Jimmy Cobb, who completes the group – but there's also a very special relationship between Webber and Bonifazi, one that has the bassist's strong lines finding a new sense of color and life amidst Federico's great piano lines and original compositions – music that flows beautifully, and seems to give Alexander a different sort of voice as well. That's not to say that the American players aren't every bit as compelling as ever – because they are – just to say that Bonifazi's leadership helps the group flower into something new, and very special. Titles include "Steps House", "Sadness For You", "Suspended In The Air", "Escape", and "The Chicken".  ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: KRISTEN LEE SERGEANT – INSIDE/OUT; FELIX CAVAIERE – CASTLES IN THE AIR; LAURIN TALESE – GORGEOUS CHAOS

KRISTEN LEE SERGEANT – INSIDE/OUT

With Inside/Out, Kristen Lee Sergeant emerges onto the crowded scene of jazz vocalists with a fresh, distinctive voice full of soul, authenticity and the gift of great storytelling.  The title reflects the uality of each song’s lyrics and placement, creating a cycle of emotions ranging from rapture to introspection to reality, bringing what is inside, out. Fun and fearlessness pervade this debut release as Kristen also turns 80s pop classics into adventurous jazz romps with the promise of even more exciting things to come.  The restless, creative spirit that inspires her is evident on this recording and deeply impacts the music and her listeners. Radio host, Jay Edwards of WCLK-FM’s “Jazz Tones,” calls her “an effervescent spirit whose superb vocals and phrasing inject the lyrics with new life.”  Illustrating how influences from early on-stage work palpably serve this recording.  Inspired by Carmen McRae, Shirley Horn and Rosemary Clooney, Sergeant finds the swing and intimacy of each tine in every context.  This release is a portrait of an artist coalescing all her influences, and those of her musicians, to a nuanced reinvention of standards and pop classics under the jazz canopy of swing and contemporary music.

FELIX CAVALIERE – CASTLES IN THE AIR

Felix Cavaliere may be best known to some for his work in the Rascals – but years later, he stepped out as a solo act on his own – with a sound that nicely drew from all of his early work on Atlantic Records! The sound here is kind of a late 70s update of the blue-eyed mode that Felix had with his earlier group – given a bit more of an AOR spin in the production, through use of a top-shelf array of jazz fusion players in the backings. Despite the pianos on the cover, Cavaliere mostly plays Fender Rhodes and organ next to his vocals – on titles that include "Only A Lonely Heart Sees", "All Or Nothing", "People Got To Be Free", "Outside Your Window", "Love Is The First Day Of Spring", "You Turned Me Around", and "Good To Have Love Back". (Part of the great AOR City series from Japan!) ~ Dusty Groove

LAURIN TALESE – GORGEOUS CHAOS

A jazz vocalist with a great blend of classic roots and contemporary soul – working here in a mix of her own original tunes and some well-chosen standards! Laurin's sense of lyric is very personal – spun out with a richness that's immediately apparent, and underscored by some warm acoustic jazz currents – but with energy that's very electric in the way the instrumentation comes together! Some tunes have a gentle glow, others have a more contemporary crackle – but the instrumentation throughout is very classic – and includes some especially nice tones and colors from the horns. Robert Glasper guests on one track, singer Vivian Green is on another, and Christan McBride plays bass on a few more tracks. Titles include "This Love", "My Husband", "Trenchcoat", "Love Poems", "Same Mistakes", "Forgive & Forget", "Kissing A Fool", and "Tick Tock". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: CHUCK LOEB - UNSPOKEN; THE FRIGHTNRS – NOTHING MORE TO SAY; TIM RAY TRIO – WINDOWS

CHUCK LOEB - UNSPOKEN

Loeb's new CD "Unspoken" is coming out September 30th and the 1st single "Cotton Club" is out and climbing the charts quickly. The CD of 10 new original compositions features some of the finest musicians in the world, and I am blessed to call them some of my dearest friends & family: Nathan East, Will Lee, Brian Culbertson, Everette Harp, Jeff Lorber, Eric Marienthal, Andy Snitzer, Till Brönner, Carmen Cuesta, Lizzy Cuesta & Christina Loeb, Mitchel Forman, Michael Thompson, Ron 'Buttercup' Jenkins, Tom Kennedy, Pat Bianchi, Brian Dunne, Gary Novak, Joel Rosenblatt, David Mann, Mike Davis, Tony Kadleck and mixed by the amazing Phil Magnotti. The CD will be premiered on www.smoothjazz.com a week or so before the release date.

T

THE FRIGHTNRS – NOTHING MORE TO SAY

The Frightnrs have plenty more to say here – and they say it in a really sharp-edged approximation of older rocksteady modes! The group are contemporary, but like the best acts on Daptone, they've got an instantly classic feel – thanks to instrumentation and production that take us right back to late 60s Kingston, but with some of the sharper funky currents we've come to expect from the label! And while The Frightnrs may pitch themselves as an old school reggae act, they're also one that have a heavy dose of soul – almost a late night New Jersey current to their music at times – as if the All Platinum/Stang label put out their own version of Jamaican soul. The approach is great, and very unique – and titles include "Hey Brother", "Gotta Find A Way", "What Have I Done", "Nothing More To Say", "All My Tears", "Purple", "Dispute", and "Till Then". ~ Dusty Groove

TIM RAY TRIO – WINDOWS

McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Duke Ellington and Horace Silver are but a handful of the geniuses that pianist Tim Ray (Lyle Lovett, Gary Burton) pays loving tribute to on Windows, a marvelous collection of trio music featuring John Lockwood (bass) and Mark Walker (drums).  And the list goes on: Monk, Jarrett, Hancock…Ray is clearly beholden to his heroes, but also brave enough to step outside he homage to make his own way, as evidenced by a couple of originals he includes here, written with Lockwood.  Ray handles all the arrangements, and all are beautifully improvised and artfully interplayed, as you would expect from such a talented bunch.  Ray, Lockwood, and Walker have logged some miles together, not to mention ample studio sessions.  Most recently, the trio can be heard on Greg Abate’s Motif and Kindred Spirits, by Abate and featuring the late Phil Woods.  A tip of the fedora to these inimitable artists.  Windows is a fitting tribute to transcendent, piano-forged material.  Ray knows the way well enough to drive around a bit, test the roads, and open it up on a straightaway.  All we can do then is enjoy the ride.