CRAFT RECORDINGS CELEBRATES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STAX “SOUL EXPLOSION”

1969 marked a year that was full of both trepidation and excitement for Stax Records. Just one year before, the Memphis soul outlet ended its relationship with musical giant Atlantic Records, effectively leaving the label as an independent entity, without a music catalog (which had previously included a formidable collection of hits by Otis Redding, Carla Thomasand Sam & Dave, among others). Under the guidance of co-owner Al Bell, the label proceeded to rebuild and release an impressive collection of 27 albums and 30 singles in just a handful of months—a period known as “Soul Explosion.” The gamble paid off, and at the 1969 Stax sales summit—themed “Getting It All Together”—the label reaffirmed its place as a soul powerhouse. Craft Recordingscelebrates the 50th anniversary of this prolific, make-or-break moment for Stax—and its enduring legacy—with a wide selection of physical and digital reissues. Additionally, Craft will pay tribute to the label throughout the year with a series of playlists, original content, contests and more. 

The rebuilding of the Stax catalog was an immense undertaking—deemed impossible by many peers in the music industry. Ms. Deanie Parker, who was head of Stax’s publicity at the time, recalls that “Day and night, we planned marketing and sales efforts, and produced powerhouse songs.  For weeks we worked 24/7—molding and refining both raw and veteran artists’ recording material. . . . We worked our way to the top of our game with the Soul Explosion created at Stax Records.” Al Bell remembers how the summit was ahead of its time: “We were multimedia before multimedia was even a thing! During that one weekend in Memphis, we had large projections on the walls the size of movie theater screens and we had video interspersed with live performances by all of our top acts: Carla Thomas, Booker T. & the MGs, William Bell, Albert King, the Bar-Kays,Isaac Hayessolo and Isaac Hayes andDavid Porterdoing Sam & Dave songs. And the energy during that weekend was like nothing the music industry had seen before.”

Bell set about building a roster that reflected the changing musical landscape—signing new artists such as theEmotionsand theSoul Children; meanwhile, existing Stax artists, including the Staple Singers, were busy recording some of their biggest hits to date. Johnnie Tayloremerged as a breakout star with the single “Who’s Making Love,” the label’s first big post-Atlantic hit; while in-house songwriter and producer Isaac Hayes released his breakthrough second LP, Hot Buttered Soul, which peaked on the Billboard Top 10 and catapulted him into stardom. In Robert Gordon’s 2013 book Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion, the author writes, “It was a huge and glorious effort, interweaving the grand themes of salesmanship, civic responsibility, and the recording arts.” Bell went on to declare that the industry “began to forget that we didn’t have a catalog . . . We [were now] a viable independent record company. It accelerated from that point forward.” 

Craft recently kicked off the Soul Explosion campaign with three vinyl reissues exclusive for Record Store Day, held on April 13th: Albert King’s Born Under A Bad Sign, the duets collection Boy Meets Girl: Classic Stax Duetsand the compilation Stax Does The Beatles. Originally released in 1967, King’s Stax debut is widely recognized as one of the most influential albums, heralding in the era of modern blues. Inducted into the GRAMMY®Hall of Fame in 1999, and included in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list, this special edition marks the very first mono reissueof the title. Boy Meets Girl: Classic Stax Duetsisback on vinyl for the first time to mark the 50th anniversary of its original release. This 2-LP set pairs the label’s biggest male and female stars together for a collection of engaging duets. Finally, we have the vinyl debutof Stax Does The Beatles. Originally released in 2008, this 2-LP set compiles the best Beatles covers recorded throughout the ’60s and ’70s by Stax artists. 

On May 31st, soul connoisseurs can get their hands on the Soul Explosionalbum, back on vinyl for the first time since 1969. As part of the label’s “Made in Memphis” reissue campaign, the lacquers for the 2-LP set were cut by Memphis-based engineer Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl and pressed locally at Memphis Record Pressing (MRP). Soul Explosion offers a sampling of the label’s biggest hits and stars of the day, with Eddie Floyd, the Mad Lads, the Staple Singers, Albert King and more. The second disc of the set includes a selection of rare tracks, many of which are exclusive to this collection. These include the Bar-Kays’ “Hot Hips,” Ollie & The Nightingales’ “Heartache Mountain” and Eddie Floyd’s “It’s Wrong To Be Loving You.” Soul Explosionwill also be released digitally for the first time and will include hi-res 96/24 and 192/24 formats. Starting today, the hit song “Who’s Making Love” by Johnnie Taylor is available as an instant grat single with all digital album pre-orders. 

In June, to commemorate Black Music Month, Craft will also reissue 30 titles to digital platforms—marking the very first digital release of these albums. The titles, which will be released one per day throughout the month, include the 1971 concept album Victim Of The Joke? An Operafrom acclaimed songwriter and producer David Porter; 1973’s Estelle, Myrna & Sylviafrom girl-group theSweet Inspirations(who backed such acts as Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield and Aretha Franklin); and A Dramatic Experience,the sophomore album by R&B Music Hall of Fame inductee theDramatics. Eleven of these titles (from the likes of the Soul Children, Johnnie Taylor and the Mad Lads) are results of the 1969 Soul Explosion sessions.

Throughout the remainder of 2019, fans can look forward to several curated playlists, contests and additional releases.

  

One of the most popular soul labels of all time, Stax has become synonymous with its gritty, Southern sounds. Originally known as Satellite Records, the Memphis imprint was founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart. Over the course of two decades, Stax released more than 800 singles and nearly 300 LPs, picking up eight GRAMMYS® and an Academy Award along the way. In all, Stax placed more than 167 hit songs in the Top 100 pop charts, and a staggering 243 hits in the Top 100 R&B charts.

  

Black Music Month Digital Releases

Artist: Booker T. & The MGs

Album Title: Soul Limbo

Release Date: 6/1/19

Artist: Various

Album Title: Boy Meets Girl

Release Date: 6/2/19

Artist: Johnnie Taylor

Album Title: Rare Stamps

Release Date: 6/3/19

Artist: Soul Children

Album Title: Soul Children

Release Date: 6/4/19

Artist: Carla Thomas

Album Title: Memphis Queen

Release Date: 6/5/19

Artist: Ollie & The Nightingales

Album Title: Ollie & The Nightingales

Release Date: 6/6/19

Artist: Johnnie Taylor

Album Title: The Johnnie Taylor Philosophy Continues

Release Date: 6/7/19

Artist: The Mar-Keys

Album Title: Damifiknow

Release Date: 6/8/19

Artist: JJ Barnes & Steve Mancha

Album Title: Rare Stamps

Release Date: 6/9/19

Artist: The Mad Lads

Album Title: The Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Lads

Release Date: 6/10/19

Artist: The Goodees

Album Title: Candy Coated Goodees

Release Date: 6/11/19

Artist: The Knowbody Else

Album Title: The Knowbody Else

Release Date: 6/12/19

Artist: Eddie Floyd

Album Title: California Girl

Release Date: 6/13/19

Artist: Rufus Thomas

Album Title: Crown Prince Of Dance

Release Date: 6/14/19

Artist: Mel & Tim

Album Title: Starting All Over Again

Release Date: 6/15/19

Artist: William Bell

Album Title: Phases Of Reality

Release Date: 6/16/19

Artist: The Sweet Inspirations

Album Title: Estelle, Myrna & Sylvia

Release Date: 6/17/19

Artist: The Dramatics

Album Title: A Dramatic Experience

Format: Digital album

Artist: John KaSandra

Album Title: Color Me Human

Release Date: 6/19/19

Artist: The Bar-Kays

Album Title: Do You See What I See?

Release Date: 6/20/19

Artist: David Porter

Album Title: Victim Of The Joke? An Opera

Release Date: 6/21/19

Artist: The Rance Allen Group

Album Title: A Soulful Experience

Release Date: 6/22/19

Artist: The Temprees

Album Title: Love Maze

Release Date: 6/23/19

Artist: Frederick Knight

Title: I’ve Been Lonely For So Long

Release Date: 6/24/19

Artist: Barbara Lewis

Title: The Many Grooves Of

Release Date: 6/25/19

Artist: Little Milton

Album Title: Waiting For Little Milton

Release Date: 6/26/19

Artist: Inez Foxx

Album Title: At Memphis

Release Date: 6/27/19

Artist: Melvin Van Peebles

Album Title: Don’t Play Us Cheap

Release Date: 6/28/19

Artist: Kim Weston

Album Title: Kim Kim Kim

Release Date: 6/28/19

Artist: Various

Album Title: Wattstax

Release Date: 6/30/19

GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING BLUES LEGEND KEB’ MO’ SET TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM, OKLAHOMA, JUNE 14

"I'm more interested in pleasing myself, and making records that make me feel proud and make me feel like I've done my best. And if other people like it, that's gravy.”states Keb' Mo', assessing his new release Oklahoma, set for release June 14, 2019 on Concord Records. 

Indeed, in his quarter-century as a recording artist, the charismatic singer/guitarist/ songwriter and four-time GRAMMY Award winner has consistently made music that reflects his own passions and interests. In the process, he's earned a reputation for his ability to draw upon his bottomless roots-music expertise to make deeply expressive, highly personal music. 

That's the case throughout Oklahoma, whose expansive creative vistas reflect the eponymous state's wide-open spaces. With noted musical veteran Colin Linden (The Band, Bruce Cockburn) heading up production duties, the album's 10 tracks encompass Keb' Mo's diverse talents, with the artist delivering some of the most adventurous and personal work of his career. 

"When you are in a certain part of your life, the concept of an album is woven into the process," he says. "All of these songs stemmed from important issues and topics worldwide that really resonated with me during the time we were recording the project." 

The inspiration for the title track "Oklahoma" started with a visit to the state in 2013 for a benefit show with Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Keb' witnessed first-hand the aftermath of a destructive tornado. "I thought about what it must be like to live in Oklahoma and all the great people that have come from Oklahoma," he recalls. With just a melody in his head for a song about Oklahoma and little personal connection to the state, the title track was almost never conceived. That is until the hands of fate led him to the meeting of, and songwriting session with Dara Tucker, an Oklahoma native. Together, they set about to portray the complicated depth of American history played out in her home state. Native American connection and tragedy, natural and man-made disasters, incredible musicians and the Tulsa Sound, and western ruggedness and fortitude are all themes. Notable is the mention of Greenwood/Archer and Pine, known as “Black Wall Street” which was infamously destroyed in 1921 in one of the most devastating massacres in the history of US race relations. 

Making a cameo appearance, Robert Randolph, masterfully adds a haunting air with his lap steel. "We chose to make the song sound light-hearted and ultimately about resilience," Keb' says. "Then Robert came in and added some musical flavor. The result was beautiful, and I thought it had to be on the record, and ultimately, what I chose to be the album's title." 

Having already established his adventurous taste in musical collaborators, Keb' has assembled an appropriately impressive cast for Oklahoma. Rosanne Cash lends her powerful voice and uncompromising presence to the timely feminist anthem "Put A Woman In Charge." 

"That was supposed to be a stand-alone single, but I loved the way it turned out, so I had to put it on the album," Keb' notes. "I'd never worked with Rosanne before, but somebody suggested that she might like it. She said yes, and she put down her part, and it was just so badass." 

Keb' says of the song. "It's about putting some nurturing feminine energy into how our country operates." 

Meanwhile, Christian/Latin-pop star Jaci Velasquez lends stirring background vocals on "This Is My Home," a heartfelt tribute to the struggles of immigrants that effortlessly humanizes an often divisive issue. 

Elsewhere on Oklahoma, legendary roots-music icon Taj Mahal, who previously collaborated with Keb' on their GRAMMY Award-winning 2017 album TajMo, reconnects for the moving environmental anthem "Don't Throw It Away," and "The Way I" poignantly tackles the subject of depression. The breathtakingly intimate love song "Beautiful Music" features a memorable duet performance by the artist and his wife, Robbie Brooks Moore. 

Overall, Oklahoma—which Keb' has dedicated to his late mother, Lauvella Cole, who passed away in September 2018 at the age of 91—maintains an impressive level of emotional engagement throughout, making it one of his most compelling collections. "I'd been working on a lot of records for other people, so I worried that it might be a weak record because I didn't have my eye on the ball and was spreading myself too thin. But when all was said and done, we found the songs and we got the feeling right, and now I feel really, really proud of it." 

Indeed, since arriving on the scene in the early 1990s, Kevin Roosevelt Moore (rechristened Keb' Mo' around 1994) has earned a reputation for his mastery of multiple blues styles, his ability to combine traditional approaches with a contemporary attitude, and for his timeless storytelling sensibility. In addition to releasing a series of acclaimed albums, he's lent his talents to a variety of theater and film projects, and collaborated with a wide range of prominent musicians from various genres, as well as having his songs covered by a broad array of notable artists. He's also a vocal advocate for the preservation of the blues, and is active in charities that support music education. 

Keb's guitar playing has garnered him his third invite to Eric Clapton's prestigious Crossroads Festival and has inspired leading instrument makers, Gibson Brands, to issue the Keb' Mo' Signature Bluesmaster and Bluesmaster Royale acoustic guitars and Martin Guitars to issue the HD-28KM Keb' Mo' Limited Edition Signature model. He has been featured in TV and film, playing Robert Johnson in the 1998 documentary Can't You Hear the Wind Howl,appeared three times on the television series Touched By An Angel, played a leading role on Hallmark’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Higher Ground, and performed for President Obama at the White House. 

"At some point, I began to realize that it's not just about writing a good song with a good hook and good lyrics, but it's also about writing songs that had something going on inside," asserts Keb', who, 9 years ago, moved his family from Los Angeles to Tennessee. "So I started spending a lot of time rewriting lyrics, recording, rerecording, and really working hard at it. I got to a place where I understood the anatomy of how lyrics can work, and how I can use them to put some substance into the song. It's like jelly donuts. I don't even likejelly donuts, but you know that every time you bite into one, there's gonna be something inside. At some point, I realized that you have to tell a story in some way, shape or form, and this record is a continuation of that realization."

    

Oklahoma Track Listing:

1.“I Remember You”

2.“Oklahoma”

3.“Put A Woman In Charge” (Featuring Rosanne Cash)

4.‘This Is My Home”

5.“Don’t Throw It Away”

6.“The Way I”

7.“Ridin’ on a Train”

8.“I Should’ve”

9.“Cold Outside”

10.“Beautiful Music” (Featuring Robbie Brooks Moore)

Concord Jazz Festival w/Dave Koz, Esperanza Spalding, Chick Corea, Patti Austin, Poncho Sanchez and many others

Concord Jazz and Live Nation are proud to present the 50th Anniversary Concord Jazz Festival, to be held on Saturday, August 3rd at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California. 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the festival, which began at a city park in 1969 and gave birth to the venerable Concord Jazz label. Concord Jazz continues its commitment to presenting the finest jazz and live music with this year’s line-up. 

Featured artists for the 50th Anniversary Concord Jazz Festival will include Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns, Esperanza Spalding, Chick Corea Spanish Heart Band, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra featuring Patti Austin, Jamison Ross, Carmen Bradford and special guests in a special Celebrating Ella set, Poncho Sanchez & his Latin Jazz Band, and many more to be announced soon. Doors for the festival will open at 2pm with the main stage beginning at 4pm. 

“The Concord Jazz Festival was a cornerstone of the Concord Pavilion concert season for years and we’re thrilled to bring this iconic event back for the 50th Anniversary celebration.” said Aaron Siuda, Senior Vice President of Live Nation Northern California. “In conjunction with Concord Jazz, we’ve put together a stellar lineup that showcases many of the great artists that Concord Jazz represents.”

  

"The creation of this festival by visionary Carl Jefferson in 1969 led directly to his formation of the Concord Jazz label just a few years later,” said Concord Records President John Burk. “Therefore, we at Concord Jazz owe a great debt to Jefferson and the City of Concord, and we are thrilled to partner with Live Nation in bringing the Festival back home for its 50th Anniversary."

  

An exclusive commemorative album of music by the featured artists will be included with every pair of tickets purchased for the 50th Anniversary Concord Jazz Festival.

Grammy-Nominated saxophonist Dave Koz scored the #1 Contemporary Jazz album in the country last year with his latest project Summer Horns II From A To Z. Released June 22nd, 2018 via Concord Records, the album is a stunning showcase of 11 reimagined classics, including “More Today Than Yesterday” from the Spiral Staircase, a medley of Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1976 smash “Getaway” and the KC and the Sunshine Band dance staple “That’s the Way I Like It,” and The Crusaders’ “Keep That Same Old Feeling.” Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns features Gerald Albright (alto saxophone), Rick Braun (trumpet), R&B star Kenny Lattimore (vocals) and Aubrey Logan (trombone and vocals).

Esperanza Spalding’s “truly intoxicating” (The New York Times) 12 Little Spells was released on vinyl and CD on May 10th, 2019 via Concord Records. A cutting-edge creator, the four-time Grammy-winning composer, bassist, and lyricist released a song a day to her fans last October, which subsequently appeared on a number of Best of 2018 lists, including The New York Times, Rolling Stoneand Billboard. The physical version of the album comes with an additional four new songs. 12 Little Spells was first penned by Spalding at a castle in Italy – inspired by the healing properties of art, how music and the body interact, and her interest in Reiki. 

  

In 1976, Chick Corea released My Spanish Heart, one of his most successful recordings. A compositional and intellectual high-water mark, the album combined jazz fusion pieces with more traditional Latin music. On June 28th, 2019, over 50 years later, the 77-year-old keyboard virtuoso revisits this classic project with a long-waited follow-up, Spanish Heart Band – Antidote, featuring with an extraordinary new ensemble and some of his most inspired writing ever. The Chick Corea Spanish Heart Band includes bassist Carlitos Del Puerto and drummer Marcus Gilmore.

  

Directed by veteran trumpeter Scotty Barnhart, the 18-piece Legendary Count Basie Orchestra includes a peerless array of instrumentalists with combined credentials that have topped the upper echelons of the international jazz world for decades. From Billie Holiday to Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra to Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan to Ella Fitzgerald, the Legendary Count Basie Orchestrahas provided the supremely distinctive sound and swing behind some of the greatest singers of the modern age. Coming off a Grammy Nomination for their 2018 album All About that Basie, the iconic big band will perform material from their newest recording Ella 100, a special tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, set for release on August 2nd, 2019 via Concord Jazz.

Performing with the Count Basie Orchestra will be Grammy Award-winning singer Patti Austin, Carmen Bradford, Jamison Ross and special guests. Austin has released more than two dozen albums during her career, and her record Avant Gershwin won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2008. She is featured on several tracks on the Basie Orchestra’s upcoming Ella Fitzgerald tribute recording, scheduled for release this year on Concord Jazz. Jamison Ross is the winner of the 2012 Thelonious Monk Competition. The multi-talented drummer and vocalist’s debut album Jamison garnered a GRAMMY nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and he was named Rising Star – Male Vocalist in the 2018 Downbeat Critics poll.

  

Given all the ups and downs the music industry has experienced in the past three decades, it’s remarkable to find anyone who still retains a sense of allegiance or loyalty. Master conguero, band leader and Latin jazz legend Poncho Sanchez is the exception. In 1982, his close friend, multi-instrumentalist jazz icon Cal Tjader recommended he sign with Carl Jefferson’s Concord Records. Tjader told him that Jefferson was looking for new talent and he highly recommended Sanchez. Jefferson gave Poncho a one record deal and the rest is Latin Jazz history. Poncho Sanchez & his Latin Jazz Band, whose next recording is scheduled for release on August 2nd, 2019 via Concord Jazz, celebrate the release of his 27th album and his own 37th anniversary with Concord Jazz, the longest of any artist on the label.

In addition to the main show, this year’s 50th Anniversary Concord Jazz Festival will feature performances of live music emerging jazz artists, an Art & Wine Expo, and an array of vendors on the grounds of the 12,500-seat Concord Pavilion, one of the premier outdoor music venues in Northern California. 

Concord Jazz has a rich history since its beginning in 1973. Well established as one of the premier and most active jazz imprints in the world, the label continues its dedication to the art form and its artists, presenting such legendary acts as Chick Corea, Poncho Sanchez, one of the best-selling saxophonists of all time Dave Koz, a special tribute honoring both Basie and Ella, and much, much more to be announced.

CHICK COREA EXPLORES HIS SPANISH, LATIN AND FLAMENCO INFLUENCES WITH THE DEBUT ALBUM BY HIS NEW SPANISH HEART BAND

The Spanish Heart Band – Antidote, due out June 28 on Concord Jazz, revisits songs from Corea’s classic albums My Spanish Heart andTouchstone with a multi-cultural octet, plus new compositions and guest appearances by vocalists Rubén Blades, Gayle Moran Corea, and Maria Bianca

For Immediate Release –Throughout his storied career, iconic pianist/keyboardist Chick Corea has explored a wealth of music from across borders both geographical and stylistic. Time and again over the decades he’s returned to what he calls his “Spanish Heart” – the Spanish, Latin and flamenco traditions that have indelibly shaped his unmistakable sound. Now, with his new album Antidote, recorded with his brand-new Spanish Heart Band, Corea once again delves deeply into the Latin side of his musical heritage with a stunning collection of musicians from Spain, Cuba, Venezuela and the U.S.

Corea’s debut release with the Spanish Heart Band revisits classic pieces from two of the bandleader’s most beloved albums, My Spanish Heart and Touchstone, along with new compositions and favorites by revered composers like Antônio Carlos Jobim, Paco de Lucía and Igor Stravinsky.

Due out June 28, 2019 from Concord Jazz, Antidote is just that – a musical cure for a turbulent time, bringing together artists from diverse cultures to make harmonious music together. In addition to this stellar new ensemble, the recording features guest appearances by the acclaimed Panamanian vocalist Rubén Blades and gifted singersGayle Moran Corea and Maria Bianca. 

“My genetics are Italian,” Corea says, “but my heart is Spanish. I grew up with that music. This new band is a mix of all the wonderful and various aspects of my love and lifetime experience with these rhythms that have been such a big part of my musical heritage.”

To embark on this vibrant exploration, the 77-year-old keyboard virtuoso has assembled a brilliant eight-piece band: Flamenco guitarist Niño Josele and saxophonist/flutist Jorge Pardo both hail from Spain and have both worked with the late flamenco master Paco de Lucía. Bassist Carlitos Del Puerto was born in Havana, Cuba and played on Chinese Butterfly, Corea’s 2017 collaboration with legendary drummer Steve Gadd – as did Venezuelan percussionist Luisito Quintero.

Trumpeter Michael Rodriguez and trombonist Steve Davisform an unstoppable horn front line, while Marcus Gilmore follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, the great Roy Haynes, as a master drummer (and close collaborator with Corea). The band is augmented by the fiery footwork of rising star flamenco dancer Nino de los Reyes.

   

“Continuing along the lines of his landmark recordings, Touchstoneand My Spanish Heart,” says John Burk, Concord Records President, “Chick applies his creative genius to further explorations of Spanish and Afro-Cuban styles with an exceptional cast of musicians, to produce some of the most thrilling, dynamic, and deeply musical work of his entire career.”

  

With a band of incredibly versatile musicians and his usual wide horizons, Corea composed a set of music that draws from a wealth of sources – jazz and Latin music, naturally, but also classical, funk and fusion elements. “This is the mixer,” he says, pointing to his head. “I drink in the culture around me, which is rich in ideas. I’m excited about this record because there are a lot of influences that come through in it.”

  

There has been a Latin tinge to Corea’s music almost as long as he’s been performing. His first gig upon arriving in New York City in 1960 was with the influential Cuban-born percussionist Mongo Santamaría at Birdland. As he recalls, “Four doors up from Birdland on Broadway was the Palladium, where you could hear people like Tito Puente, Machito, Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri. I used to jump out of my gig [during breaks] and go stand in front of the bandstand at the Palladium. So the jazz scene that I came up in was very much a part of what I call my ‘Spanish Heart.’”

   

Corea has made no secret for his love of Spanish, Latin and flamenco music. In 1972 he debuted perhaps his most well-known composition, “Spain,” inspired by Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. The piece has been recorded countless times since, including versions by de Lucía and Tito Puente. In 1976 he released My Spanish Heart, an innovative session combining jazz fusion with traditional Latin music; it went on to become one of Corea’s most successful albums and is universally considered a classic. 16 years later, he visited similar terrain on the even more expansive Touchstone, which spotlights his collaboration with de Lucía.

  

Corea revisits songs from both classic albums on Antidote. The title song from My Spanish Heart opens with a lush, moving vocal choir recorded by Corea’s longtime musical and life partner, Gayle Moran Corea. Stark piano chords lead into the familiar song, rendered here with an emotionally stirring vocal by Rubén Blades. The band then breaks into the electrifying dance of “Armando’s Rhumba,” a song penned by Corea in tribute to his father from the same album.

  

From Touchstone, Corea first offers an atmospheric rendition of “Duende,” with an evocative palette featuring Pardo’s soaring flute and thrilling interplay between the eloquent horns of Davis and Rodriguez. Quintero’s percussion dialogues with the rapid-fire patter of Nino de los Reyes’ dancing feet to open “Yellow Nimbus,” originally written as a duet for Corea and de Lucía. Here the pianist’s flurries are joined by the flamenco master’s virtuosic protégé, Niño Josele.

  

De Lucía composed “Zyryab,” named for the Persian-African poet and musician from 9th-century Spain who was credited with introducing the lute to the Spanish court, destined to evolve into the flamenco guitar. Corea recorded the original version with the guitarist in 1990 and revisits its blend of Spanish and Middle Eastern influences in intriguing fashion here.

  

Another blend of disparate genres shines through on “Pas de Deux,” a piece from Stravinsky’s ballet “The Fairy’s Kiss.” Corea’s solo piano arrangement weaves into his original piece “Admiration,” celebrating the feeling the bandleader has towards not only his inspirations but the remarkable ensemble that navigate his tricky stylistic mergers. The final composition Corea chooses to explore is Jobim’s classic “Desafinado,” which features the soulful vocals of Maria Bianca relating the tale of a love affair gone slightly out of tune. 

   

The album opens with the title track, “Antidote,” a heartfelt entreaty written by Corea for Blades. The pianist’s lyric is a mission statement, defying the divisive issues we face with the fact that, “Music, musicians and all artists are the antidote to man’s inhumanity to man.” The music on Antidote captures that feeling with healing camaraderie, with the added spirit that Corea embraces in his lyric for “My Spanish Heart.”

New Music Releases: Joyce, Nana Vasconcelos & Mauricio Maestro - Visions of Dawn; Aberdeen - Downpour; Doug Carn And His West Coast Band - Free For All

Joyce, Nana Vasconcelos & Mauricio Maestro - Visions of Dawn

Recorded in Paris, in 1976, Visions of Dawn is the stunning ‘lost’ Brazilian acid-folk album by Joyce, Nana Vasconcelos and Mauricio Maestro. First uncovered and released in 2009, the record transfixed Brazilian music lovers and fans of otherworldly psych-folk alike. Led by the sharp lyrics and gorgeous voice of a young Joyce Moreno, the trio is completed by the late great Brazilian percussion legend Nana Vasconcelos, and master arranger, producer and bassist Mauricio Maestro. Having been out of print for years, Visions of Dawn is getting a much deserved vinyl repress. When the album was repressed a few years ago, it sold out immediately. So be sure to grab one from the Far Out Shop | Bandcamp to avoid missing out this time.

Aberdeen - Downpour

With its massive, one-of-a-kind sound, Aberdeen is proud to announce the release of its debut album Downpour. It is Aberdeen’s brand of jazz with pop inflections that contributed to their selection in the U.S. State Department’s American Music Abroad program — in this case a tour to Central Asia — where Aberdeen will perform and teach. Downpour features GRAMMY® Award-winning saxophonist Bob Reynolds (John Mayer, Snarky Puppy) and bassist Adam Neely, who hosts a 650,000+ subscriber music channel on YouTube. 

Aberdeen features a brass section with jazz elements, paired with production and songwriting influences of the from pop music of today. Downpour is produced by Aberdeen’s alto saxophonist Brian Plautz. The band's sold-out album release performance at the renowned Rockwood Music Hall in New York City featured 20 musicians spilling off of the stage into the audience — and a similarly large ensemble is featured on the album. Aberdeen’s music is about community; a large collective of musicians with the hope of sharing its music to audiences throughout the world.

Doug Carn And His West Coast Band - Free For All

Fantastic work from jazz organ genius Doug Carn – a player who's been off most folks' radar for a few decades, but has continued to make some really wonderful music of his own! This set's got Doug in tighter, sharper formation than on his 70s classics for the Black Jazz label – working with a quartet that features really searing work on tenor from Howard Riley and Teodross Avery – paired up and soaring to the skies with the bold, modal lines that flow from Carn's fingers with effortless ease! There's no bass at all on the record – Doug handles all of that with the foot pedals – and drummer Deszon Claiborne really gets the groove right, with a mix of complexity and swing that really echoes Doug's best impulses on the Hammond. Titles include "Bad Attitude", "Search For Peace", "Beyond All Limits", "Free For All", "Spiritual Sunrise Spiritual Sunset", and a great version of "Little B's Poem" – different than the style Doug used on the tune in the 70s. ~ Dusty Groove

Pianist Nick Sanders Looks to the Future - of Jazz and the World in General - with Dark Humor and Eclectic Imagination on Playtime 2050

On Playtime 2050, the third release by his inventive trio, pianist/composer Nick Sanders looks to the future with a unique combination of imaginative complexity and dark humor. Released via Sunnyside, the album presents the latest evolution of Sanders' singular voice which blends influences from a wide swath of jazz history with concepts from contemporary classical music and the composer's offbeat perspective.

Once again, Sanders is joined by bassist Henry Fraser and drummer Connor Baker. Where earlier outings supplemented Sanders' distinctive compositions with aptly-chosen pieces by such heavily influential composers as Herbie Nichols, Thelonious Monk and Ornette Coleman, Playtime 2050 consists entirely of originals, a diverse repertoire ranging from entirely through-composed pieces to free improvisations, solo piano meditations to raucous swing tunes, tender ballads to prepared piano explosions.

"I like working with different extremes," Sanders says. "When I reflect on the spirit of jazz or improvised music, the greatest musicians always pushed the music forward, looked in a forward direction. A lot of modern jazz is very much stuck in the past, so I'm trying to draw on my experiences and do something different."

To set the mood, Sanders returned to the work of New Mexico-based artist Leah Saulnier, the self-described "Painting Maniac" whose painting of a sideshow contortionist also graced the cover of the trio's last release, You Are a Creature (2014). Her unsettling "Playtime 2050," which gave the album its name, depicts an adorable dystopia, with a young girl in pigtails and gasmasks cuddling a similarly accoutered stuffed bunny.

"When I first saw the image," Sanders recalls, "I found it really interesting and weird, not to mention starkly different from any artwork I've seen in the jazz world. I liked its tongue in cheek look at the state of the world today, with the silver lining being that it's clearly about surviving."

That notion resonated not just with Sanders' own views on the modern socio-political reality, but with his forward-looking take on jazz. It also runs parallel to an optimistic view of the place of art in the world. No matter how dark things get, it seems to suggest, there's always the escape of play - whether that means spending time with a favorite toy or taking the stage with close collaborators.

The painting's dark humor also captures a key element of Sanders' own music, a thread that can be traced back to the wry, puckish playfulness of the iconic Thelonious Monk. The sharp, jaunty angles of album opener "Live Normal" bear traces of Monk's influence, while the title comes from a line spoken by Steven Avery, the subject of the hit docuseries Making a Murderer. While Sanders' own story is far from that of Avery's, the desire to "live normal" is one that every outcast might feel at some point in their life.

The frenetic "Manic Maniac," with its blistering intensity and disorienting shifts in time, shows the influence of greats like Ornette Coleman and Jason Moran, the latter one of Sanders' mentors at NEC. It's followed by the title tune, a slightly skewed swing tune that laces its buoyant melody with a few eccentric touches, perfectly suited for that disturbing cover image. The moody "Prepared for the Blues," meanwhile, is the first of two pieces for prepared piano, here used subtly on slow, noir-ish blues, with just a pair of notes effected by finishing nails placed between the strings. The second prepared piano piece, the freely improvised "Prepared for the Accident," is much more audacious in its use of percussive sounds and unidentifiable noises. The inspiration for preparing the piano comes from legendary composer John Cage, whose work Sanders has studied.

The meditative "Still Considering" is an elegant, through-composed ballad, revealing Sanders' classical music background in its delicate construction and chamber music feel. The piece draws on the pianist's stint at a Buddhist monastery in California's Redwood Valley. That sense is disrupted by the feverish "The Number 3," which evokes the insistent and unpredictable music of avant-garde saxophonist/composer Anthony Braxton in its aggressive repetitions and passages of sparse minimalism opening into fierce improvisation.

"Interlude for S.L.B." is a solo tribute to Sanders' late mother, who introduced him to a wealth of diverse music during his youth in New Orleans, from the sounds of her native Cuba to a range of other traditions that helped instill his love of music. "Endless" is built on the close relationship between Sanders and Baker, showcasing the close interaction between the piano and drums while Fraser provides the essential glue that binds them together. "It's Like This" provides another brief respite with its serene, spiraling melody, while "Hungry Ghost" turns dark, with hard-hitting, rock-inflected moments interspersed with uneasy segments of lurking tension.

"RPD" is reprised from Janus, Sanders' duo album with saxophonist Logan Strosahl, its unnerving wistfulness reflecting the themes of its source, the zombie apocalypse video game series Resident Evil. Finally, the reverent "2 Longfellow Park" ends the album on a spiritual note, its title taken from the address of an old church near Boston.

Representing a rich variety of moods, inspirations and approaches, Playtime 2050 feels like a culmination of the trio's tenure together and of Sanders' always expanding compositional palette. "I explored a lot of new territory on this album," Sanders concludes. "This is my contribution to the idea of pushing the music forward, which I think is extremely crucial in keeping the music alive and culturally important."

Pianist Nick Sanders is a truly fresh musical voice, wholly original yet clearly shaped by the masters he has studied and embraced. Sanders' New Orleans upbringing ensured an eclectic ear and musical sensibility. He began playing music before the age of four and was a quick study on the drums, able to almost instantly learn the second-line beat. He tackled the piano in second grade and began to show remarkable promise as a classical performer, winning numerous regional and national competitions. Sanders studied classical piano at the famed New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) before moving to the jazz program after encouragement from pianists Michael Pellera and Danilo Perez. In 2006 Sanders earned a full scholarship to the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Perez, Jason Moran, John McNeil, Ran Blake, Cecil McBee and Fred Hersch, who produced Nameless Neighbors, Sanders' critically acclaimed debut recording for Sunnyside Records, as well as its follow-up, You Are A Creature.

nicksandersmusic.com

     

Drummer Dr. Mark Lomax, II Presents a 12-Album Cycle Honoring the 400th Anniversary of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

In 1619, a Dutch ship carrying 20 enslaved Africans landed off the coast of the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia, marking the foundation of slavery in America. To honor those four centuries of struggle, triumph, tragedy and community, drummer, composer, activist and educator Dr. Mark Lomax, II will unveil his monumental new project, 400: An Afrikan Epic on January 23, 2019 via CFG Multimedia.

The stunning 12-album cycle traces the epic history of Black America, not only during the 400 years from the beginning of the Transatlantic slave trade but back through thousands of years of history on the African continent and into an optimistic future for the African diaspora. Telling the story in settings as fundamental as the drum, through the visceral improvisation of jazz interplay and the bracing architecture of modern classical composition, the music celebrates the resilience, brilliance, strength, genius, and creativity of a people who continue to endure while offering an inspired view of the future.

400: An Afrikan Epic is the culmination of a lifetime of musical and historical study for Dr. Lomax. By his early teens Lomax was establishing himself as a gifted drummer on the jazz scene in his native Columbus, Ohio, while being introduced to an Afrocentric view of American history via the work of his father, the renowned pastor and educator Dr. Mark A. "Ogunwale" Lomax. Early in his career, Lomax envisioned a melding of the two pursuits, leading to an ambitious, wide-ranging composition that offers an educational opportunity as well as a breathtaking listening experience.

The release date coincides with Dr. Lomax's 40th birthday and the 12-album collection brings his discography as a leader to a remarkable 40 albums, a prodigious output especially when considered in parallel with the challenging pursuit of his Doctorate in Music Arts at Ohio State University. It was during those studies that Lomax discovered the path his music would take, inspired by Béla Bartók's embrace of the folk music of his own Hungarian heritage as well as the ground-breaking work of early 20th-century American composer and bandleader James Reese Europe.

"We have our own racial feeling," Europe notably said, "and if we try to copy whites we will make bad copies." Lomax eagerly took that pronouncement to heart. "I started to use the music I grew up with, spirituals and the blues, as source material." He drew on his upbringing in the church, his experience touring with jazz artists like Delfeayo Marsalis, Marlon Jordan and Azar Lawrence, and his exploration of African folk traditions.

That decision met with resistance from some of Lomax's professors, who deemed his incorporation of gospel and blues influences as unworthy of the western classical tradition. At the same time, his innovative arrangements of gospel tunes for symphony orchestra were embraced by such esteemed ensembles as the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C., and the Czech National Symphony.

The composition of 400: An Afrikan Epic was a passion project undertaken after he experienced resistance to his concepts in college. The seeds for the project had been sown 20 years earlier, with the writing of his first commissioned piece, "Tales of the Black Experience." An overview of the horrors of slavery, a reimagined version of that work makes up one piece of 400.

The 12-album cycle comprises three suites. The first four albums make up "Alkebulan: The Beginning of Us," which spans the thousands of years that civilization and music had developed in Africa prior to the encroachment of colonialism. Titled for the original Arabic name for the continent, "Alkebulan" begins with "First Ankhcestor," featuring a gathering of master percussionists, and continues with "Song of the Dogon," a tribute to the West African people credited with establishing ancient Nubia and Kemet (the original name of Egypt). "Dance of the Orishas" is inspired by the religion, culture and art of the Yoruba people, while "The Coming" introduces the onset of the slave trade via the words of Daniel Black's novel of the same name, read by the author.

The bulk of "Alkebulan" features Lomax's longstanding Quartet, featuring saxophonist Eddie Bayard, pianist William Menefield, and bassist Dean Hulett. Those same collaborators recombine in various trio and duo combinations throughout 400, reflecting the deep relationship they've forged over more than 15 years together. "These are the musicians I trust most with my compositions." Lomax says. "We've developed a music and a language that have made me a better musician, and I'm grateful to have them a part of this project."

The second suite, "Ma'afa: Great Tragedy," focuses on the 400 years from that fateful day in 1619 until the present moment. The first piece, "Ma'afa," is envisioned as a ballet that takes place during the 90-day voyage of a slave ship. "I was intrigued by the idea of a ballet set in a place where you're physically confined but spiritually free," Lomax says. That piece features the composer's large group, The Urban Art Ensemble, which teams a traditional string quartet with an improvising trio.

"Up South: Conversations on American Idealism" consists of two extended pieces examining the North's economically-driven, complicity in southern slavery, before Lomax narrows his lens to focus on individual icons. "Four Women," written for UCelli: The Columbus Cello Quartet, pays tribute to Queen Nzinga, the 17th-century leader of Angola who used a combination of hard and soft power to resist Portuguese colonization; Ida B. Wells, the pioneering journalist and early Civil Rights leader; Angela Davis, the fierce 1960s counterculture activist; and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the modern-day Nigerian novelist. "Blues in August," meanwhile, is inspired by playwright August Wilson's century-spanning Pittsburgh Cycle.

The final suite, "Afro-Futurism: The Return to Uhuru," envisions the healing and thriving of Black America, and all of humanity, over the next 400 years. "The last stage points to where humanity is headed," Lomax explains. "It's about what it means to be a fully optimized human being, collectively as well as with regards to Africans in America who have slavery in their lineage and Africans on the continent who are still dealing with the ramifications of colonialism." The overwhelming history ends as it began, with the unaccompanied drum.

In embracing the story of the African diaspora, Dr. Lomax has not only created a landmark composition but a living, breathing work of musical storytelling that will continue to grow and evolve. He has adapted the full work into a more compact suite for performance, and has created a curriculum to present the story in classrooms through performance and lectures. He also plans to launch a website called "The 400 Years Project," which will promote artists throughout the African diaspora who are using their creative abilities to tell this story.

"My research gave me a cultural and historical context," he explains, "and the music started to come from the research. This has become my life's work."

Critically acclaimed composer, recording artist, drummer, activist, and educator Dr. Mark Lomax, II is a Wexner Center for the Arts at the Ohio State University Artist Residency 2018 Award recipient. Dr. Lomax holds a Doctor of Music Arts degree in composition from The Ohio State University. His myriad experiences have allowed him to create a unique blend of styles in his music. Whether he's interpreting the Negro Spiritual through jazz, arranging gospel music for a symphony orchestra, or performing his original works, his music is relevant, probing, and inspiring. Heavily influenced by his father, a pastor, and mother, a composer of gospel music, Lomax was introduced to gospel and jazz at an early age, continuing his study of gospel music with Dr. Raymond Wise, founder of the Center for the Gospel Arts. Besides performing with gospel choirs around the country, Lomax has toured with the Delfeayo Marsalis Sextet and worked with notable artists such as Clark Terry, Marlon Jordan, Azar Lawrence, Bennie Maupin, Billy Harper, Ellis Marsalis, and Wessel Anderson, among others A highly sought-after lecturer, Lomax specializes in the socio-political and spiritual aspects of African-American art, music, race, and the usage of the arts to build community. These ideas are documented in his TED Talk "Activating The Transformative Power Of Trust."

marklomaxii.com

 

Vocalist Peter Eldridge and pianist Kenny Werner soothe the soul with a sumptuous album of ballads featuring a lush string orchestra

The realization of a long-cherished dream for both vocalist Peter Eldridge and pianist Kenny Werner, their breathtaking new album Somewhere marries timeless romanticism with contemporary attitudes and harmonic sophistication. Swathing Eldridge's rich baritone and Werner's keen piano mastery in lush orchestral strings, the album harkens back to swooning favorites by Frank Sinatra and Nat "King" Cole while offering a decidedly modern take on starry-eyed sentiment.

Somewhere (due out July 5, 2019 on Rosebud Records) takes its yearning title from the West Side Story classic penned by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim; the song is here paired with the Johnny Mandel/Paul Francis Webster standard A Time For Love. Together, they suggest a place of togetherness and romance far removed from the tempestuous rancor of today, offering a dreamy escape from political discord and social media sniping.

Werner's sumptuous string arrangements provide the perfect complement for Eldridge's candlelit crooning, which reveals an exquisite new side to the singer's already diverse artistry. Audiences are already familiar with his vibrant harmonizing as a founding member of the revered New York Voices and the adventurous vocal quintet MOSS. The urbane wit of his own songs can be heard on several albums that smartly bridge the singer-songwriter and jazz realms; later in 2019 he'll release My Museum, a collection of previously unrecorded tunes spanning more than 20 years. When not in the studio or on the road with these wide-ranging projects, he can be found in the classroom as a member of the voice faculty at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Berklee furnished the connections that proved key to finally bringing Somewhere to fruition. Eldridge and Werner are colleagues at the renowned institution along with cellist Eugene Friesen, who conducts the gorgeous 20-piece string orchestra on Somewhere, its members largely culled from the gifted ranks of the Berklee World Strings. Drummer Yoron Israel, who joins in-demand bassist Matt Aronoff in the ensemble's rhythm section, is a professor of percussion at the college, while longtime faculty member George Garzone brings his inimitable tenor sax voice to Werner's angular ode to John Coltrane, "Ballad for Trane."

The idea for Somewhere was born nearly a decade ago, when Werner invited Eldridge into the studio for a library music recording session. Eldridge arrived expecting a simple voice and piano set-up; upon entering the studio he was suddenly confronted by a 40-piece orchestra. "At that point," Eldridge says, "you could either get overwhelmed and freak out, or you could just have the most fun you could possibly have singing in front of an orchestra. Why not do the second one?"

The collaboration worked so well that the two determined to explore an orchestral project on more personal terms. "On that session," Werner recalls, "Peter reminded me of Johnny Hartman, which brought to mind the beautiful treatments that Johnny Hartman could do. But I knew Peter was capable of a lot of different things, so I thought it would be incredible to do a whole album with that kind of musical and emotional relationship: no-nonsense, beautiful, lush, romantic songs with strings."

Eldridge agreed immediately, realizing what a bucket list opportunity the project would be. He instantly called to mind favorite singer-arranger partnerships, including Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle, or Nat "King" Cole and George Shearing - even, though it doesn't include strings, Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane. "It's one of those Top Five thrills of life, to get to stand in front of an orchestra and sing," he says. "Kenny's string writing is so strong and nuanced. We were going for an old school approach but slightly to the left. Instead of just doing a bunch of standards and having it sound like 1964, we wanted to mix it up with different feelings to the music, but under the umbrella of this big, rich, symphonic, warm collection of tunes."

For Werner, the project offered a chance to indulge in his long-held love of opulent string writing, updated with his advanced approach to harmony. "I was influenced as a kid by Mantovani and Muzak strings coming out of the Magnavox stereo in the middle of the living room," the pianist recalls. "That stuff was incredible; it was elevator music, but it was incredibly elegant and lush. I wanted to explore that style, but with a lot more interesting harmony than might have been exhibited at that time."

The album begins at its most traditional, with an achingly beautiful version of the classic "You Don't Know Me." Eldridge wrings every ounce of heartrending emotion from the song, punctuated with Werner's bittersweet interjections. The pianist opens his own "I'm So Glad You're Mine" with a lovely solo statement that perfectly sets the intimate mood. Eldridge next reprises his stunning ode to life's great mysteries, "That Which Can't Be Explained," which he originally recorded on 2000's Fool No More.

With music by Werner and lyrics by Eldridge, "Autumn in 3" is the collaborators' contribution to the seasonal songbook, vividly conjuring the flutter of falling leaves and the first chill in the air. "Minds of Their Own," written by Eldridge with music by the great Brazilian composer Ivan Lins, was previously recorded by the iconic Nancy Wilson, while "Less Than Lovers" is the debut of an Eldridge original with lyrics by one of his mentors, poet and educator Douglas Worth, who also provided words for Werner's "Ballad for Trane."

Friesen's swirling string arrangement gives an off-kilter dizziness to Eldridge's "Difficult," original recorded on Decorum (2005), just right for the song's disorienting infatuation. Werner penned both lyrics and music for the melancholy "Untitled Lament," which begins with Eldridge backed by just the deft jazz trio before the strings finally enter with their longing refrain. One of Eldridge's songwriting students, Mitchell Proctor, co-wrote the tender "Day Is Done (Prayer for Diego)."

Most importantly, Eldridge stresses, Somewhere looks not to a place but to a state of mind, one that allows listeners to abandon themselves to an imaginary world of luxurious romanticism. "It's a bit of a prayer that there will be peace one day soon, that things won't remain as desperate as they are now," Eldridge concludes. We're living in an incredibly strange time, so this music is trying to offset that and help people feel a few moments of hope. We hope it offers a balm for the spirit."

For years Peter Eldridge has remained at the forefront of both the singer-songwriter and jazz realms as a vocalist, pianist, composer, and arranger. He is also a founding member of internationally acclaimed vocal group New York Voices, which continues to tour internationally and has performed in some of the world's most preeminent venues and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Kennedy Center, and has been involved in two Grammy-award winning projects with Paquito D'Rivera and the Count Basie Orchestra. Some of Eldridge's notable collaborations include Bobby McFerrin, Fred Hersch, Becca Stevens, Chanticleer, George Benson, Michael Brecker, David Byrne, Jonatha Brooke, Kurt Elling, the New West Guitar Trio, Jane Monheit, the Swingles, Anat Cohen, Betty Buckley, Janis Siegel, Paula Cole, Jon Hendricks, and Mark Murphy. Peter's music is featured in Zach Galifianakis' recorded stand-up performance Live at the Purple Onion, and his original songs or collaborations have been covered by artists such as Nancy Wilson, Paquito D'Rivera, and Jane Monheit.  He collaborated with playwright Cheryl Coons to co-write The Kiss, a musical about the life and loves of Gustav Klimt. In addition, Peter was head of the Manhattan School of Music's jazz voice department for 18 years and is now part of the voice faculty at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Kenny Werner has been a world-class pianist and composer for over 40 years. His prolific output of compositions, recordings and publications continue to impact audiences around the world. In 1996 he wrote his landmark book, Effortless Mastery, Liberating The Master Musician Within. Werner has since created videos, lectured world-wide and authored many articles on how musicians, artists or even business people can allow their "master creator" within to lift their performance to it's highest level, showing us how to be spontaneous, fearless, joyful and disciplined in our work and in our life. Kenny was awarded the 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship Award for his seminal work, No Beginning No End, a musical journey exploring tragedy and loss, death and transition, and the path from one lifetime to the next.

petereldridge.com

kennywerner.com

Bassist Mark Dresser startles and delights with Ain't Nothing But a Cyber Coup & You

Bassist Mark Dresser has always made music at once serious, compelling, and playful, prioritizing creativity while addressing larger questions of the day. So it is with Ain't Nothing But a Cyber Coup & You (May 10, 2019, Clean Feed), the sophomore release by the Mark Dresser Seven, a worthy follow-up to the ensemble's highly acclaimed 2016 Clean Feed debut Sedimental You.

Ain't Nothing But a Cyber Coup & You showcases new music and improvisations by the seven-piece band that "has the punch of a small group and the detail of an orchestra" (Kevin LeGendre, Jazzwise). Dresser and flutist Nicole Mitchell, multi-reed player Marty Ehrlich, trombonist Michael Dessen, pianist Joshua White, drummer Jim Black, and new addition Keir GoGwilt on violin explore multiple jazz traditions in six new compositions that include pieces for fallen friends and irreverent political commentary, as well as some with purely musical agendas. Between the composed works are brief solo bass interludes improvised on the McLagan Tines, a set of seven graduated steel rods invented by luthier Kent McLagan.

"Black Arthur's Bounce," dedicated to the alto saxophone giant Arthur Blythe, opens the album and features Marty Ehrlich who (along with Dresser) played with Blythe. In the tradition of Charles Mingus, both the title tune, "Ain't Nothing But A Cyber Coup & You" and "Let Them Eat Paper Towels" (the latter initially inspired by the headline of a Paul Krugman column written in response to President Trump's post-Hurricane Maria visit to Puerto Rico), engage with what Dresser describes as our current "reality-horror-show of corruption, malice, xenophobia and class warfare." In contrast, the parametric waltz "Gloaming" uses multiple levels of polyrhythm which expand and contract within shifting meters of lyricism, while "Butch's Balm" pays tribute to Dresser's dear friend, the late pianist and teacher Butch Lacy. "Embodied in Seoul," first conceived for the 2018 telematic concert Interconnections For Peace between ensembles in New York City, San Diego, and Seoul, is

reworked into a smaller, tighter version stemming from a single melody and culminating with the convergence of the entire ensemble in a harmolodic whole.

With Ain't Nothing But a Cyber Coup & You, Mark Dresser continues to prove himself "a giant of the avant-garde jazz scene" (Felipe Freitas, Jazz Trail), exploring new ideas in jazz through vibrant compositions and celebrating the solo power of this ensemble of virtuoso improvisers. The final result is magnificent, as you would expect from this pathfinder.

Mark Dresser is a Grammy nominated, internationally renowned bass player, composer, and interdisciplinary collaborator. He has recorded over one hundred forty CDs including nine CDs as composer/bandleader, three solo CDs, one solo LP and a DVD. From 1985 to 1994, he was a member of Anthony Braxton's Quartet, which recorded nine CDs and was the subject of Graham Locke's book Forces in Motion (Da Capo). He has also performed and recorded with Ray Anderson, Jane Ira Bloom, Tim Berne, Anthony Davis, Dave Douglas, Osvaldo Golijov, Gerry Hemingway, Bob Ostertag, Joe Lovano, Roger Reynolds, Henry Threadgill, Dawn Upshaw, John Zorn. Since 2007 he has been deeply involved in "telematic music performance," which explores the musical, technical, and social dimensions of live performance between multiple geographical locations through high speed Internet. He was a co-coordinator, composer and performer of Deep Tones for Peace, a 2009 performance including thirteen internationally renowned bassists collaborating live between Jerusalem and New York City. He also collaborated with other renowned improvisers in three different cities and spread across the West Coast, East Coast and Europe on The Virtual Tour: A Reduced-Carbon Footprint Concert Series. He was awarded a 2015 Doris Duke Impact Award as well as 2015 and 2018 Shifting Foundation Award. He is Professor of Music at University of California, San Diego.

www.mark-dresser.com

Australian pianist Alister Spence and Satoko Fujii's Orchestra Kobe Create a Big Band Masterpiece - Imagine Meeting You Here

Imagine Meeting You Here pairs two of the world's most adventurous composer-improvisers in a performance of a ground-breaking work for jazz orchestra. Pianist-composer Alister Spence, one of the leading voices in Australian new music, teams up with the Satoko Fujii Orchestra Kobe, one of several cutting-edge large ensembles helmed by prolific Japanese pianist-composer Satoko Fujii, on Spence's riveting five-part composition for improvising orchestra. Fine craftsmanship and resourceful imagination meet wild spontaneity and instrumental virtuosity in a disciplined yet liberating CD that is both accessible and boundlessly creative.  The album was released via Alister Spence Music.

"The project developed as part of my doctoral PhD in creative practice (music composition)," Spence says. "I decided to write a large-scale work for improvising ensemble and approached Satoko Fujii and the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra and offered to write this work for them: the same work, called 'Imagine Meeting You Here.' Both Satoko and GIO were very keen about the idea and straight away suggested performances in Japan and Scotland. In February 2016 the work was performed by three of Satoko Fujii's Orchestras in Nagoya, Kobe, and Tokyo, and in November Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra included the work in their annual festival, GioFestIX."

During a return trip to Japan in September 2017, Orchestra Kobe recorded the piece live at the Big Apple jazz club. Besides playing in the orchestra, Fujii handled most of the complex logistics for this international project. "Satoko performed so many tasks in this project!" Spence enthuses.

"I was trying to create what I considered to be a balanced work in terms of energies and weight, tempo, rhythm, my ideas versus the ensembles ideas," says Spence. "And I also was seeking to create different improvisational contexts for solos, duos, trios, and larger ensembles from within the orchestra. Sometimes these were designed as an exploration of textural elements such as breath or key click sounds, and sometimes were more tonal."

Imagine Meeting You Here does indeed strike an artful balance among a wealth of musical elements while blending composition and improvisation. "Part 1" showcases Spence's sure handling of melody and orchestration as it unfolds over a hypnotic heart-beat rhythm. The slowly building tension finally explodes in fiery solos from tenor saxophonist Eiichiro Arasaki and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura. The opening trio for Arasaki on shakuhachi, alto saxophonist Yasuhisa Mizutani, and guitarist Takumi Seino blurs the distinction between composed and improvised by specifying notes to play while leaving register, tempo, and time up to the performers.

Spence - Imagine Meeting You Here "Part 2" offers contrast as contrapuntal melodies are layered over an odd-meter 5/4 beat and collective improvisations alternate with fully scored passages. Spence again erases boundaries in this movement, this time by specifying a rhythm for the nonsense vocalizing at the beginning while leaving all other elements up to the players. Then as the group switches to their instruments, they transition from random note choices to specific pitches on a given rhythm. The seamless merger of written and spontaneous is a tribute to how attuned composer and performers are. In "Part 3," the full ensemble is divided into four autonomous units, each with its own conductor-performer, that overlap group entries and exits until they all come back together at the end.

After the fluid interactions and out of tempo interplay of "Part 3," Spence again aims for variety with bold themes and propulsive drums in "Part 4." As melodies and countermelodies intertwine, wailing improvisations by trumpeter Rabito Arimoto and tenor saxophonist Tsutomu Takei sail over the band. When drummer Yoshikazu Isaki drops out, the full ensemble improvises, maintaining the intensity and drive. The final movement is a slow, serene postscript in which sustained melodic passages overlap with collective textural and then modal improvisation, a lush and lyrical example of how composer and orchestra work together to create a fully collaborative, organic piece of music.

"I always felt very welcome with SFO Kobe. We had quite a lot of fun getting this project together, in spite of innumerable hair-raising moments due to my complicated composition!" says Spence. "I am so grateful for the interest, energy, and application of all the members of the orchestra. It is such a wonderful band, full of brilliant, distinctive, dedicated improvisers. I count myself very lucky to have this opportunity to work with them."

Pianist-composer Alister Spence is recognized as one of Australia's most original and distinctive jazz pianist-composers. With a career spanning more than 25 years, his wide-ranging talents have led him to work with some of the world's most respected artists in the areas of contemporary music, improvisation, film, and theatre. For the past 20 years, he has devoted much of his energy to the Alister Spence Trio featuring bassist Lloyd Swanton and drummer Toby Hall. This celebrated group has recorded six acclaimed CDs and has a growing international reputation. The Australian called their most recent CD, Not Everything But Enough, "Music bordering on a jazz masterpiece." Their previous album, Alister Spence Trio: Live, recorded at the Sound Lounge, Sydney, in 2015, received a 4-star review in Jazzwise Magazine. The online jazz newsletter salt peanuts* has praised the group for its "brilliant musicianship, masterful playing, and imaginative improvisation skills."

Spence has also forged bonds with musicians around the world. Since 2008, he has collaborated with pianist-composer Satoko Fujii, appearing on two of her twelve 2018 kanreki year releases-intelsat, a duet on which he plays electric keyboards, and Bright Force by Kira Kira, a quartet including Fujii, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura and drummer Ittetsu Takemura. Karl Ackermann in AllAboutJazz called the two pianist-composers, "kindred spirits in terms of boundless musical interests..." Spence's discography also includes several releases with Glasgow-based saxophonist Raymond MacDonald, including two duet CDs; an album with the trio, Sensaround. He holds a doctorate from University of New South Wales, where he is a lecturer in music.

  

www.alisterspence.com

Frank Kimbrough Quartet Monk's Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk

The genius of pianist and composer Thelonious Monk is unassailable. Since his death in 1982, he has become recognized as one of the greatest composers of jazz - and of the wider world of music. The year 2017 was the centennial of Monk's birth, and brought scores of tributes, including a well-received stay of pianist Frank Kimbrough's quartet at the Jazz Standard club in New York City.

Like many jazz pianists, Kimbrough found Monk's music a revelation when he first heard it. From the outset of his career, Kimbrough has returned time and again to Monk's compositions. After nearly four decades of study, reflection, and performance, Kimbrough has established a relationship with these pieces and found a way to express himself through the prism of Monk.

When the Standard approached Kimbrough to put together a quartet to play Monk's music, he picked the brilliant rhythm section of bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Billy Drummond. His choice for lead horn voice was the multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson, with whom he has played for many years and in many combinations, most notably with the Maria Schneider Orchestra.

After the first set of the October 17th, 2017 performance at the Standard Kimbrough's friend Mait Jones urged that the group record Monk's entire oeuvre, a feat that Kimbrough had never considered. A jazz fan and co-presenter of his own Princeton series JazzNights Jones began a lifelong appreciation of Monk when he heard the master live at the Five Spot in New York City in 1957.

Over the next few days, Jones doubled down on his intent to make the project reach fruition, bringing in his friend and fellow jazz head, Dr. Dorothy Lieberman, to help co-produce the effort.

The musicians began the intensive work such a project demands. Finally, in April of 2018 Kimbrough led a trio and then the quartet at Jazz at the Kitano, polishing 30 new tunes on the way to the full Monk catalog of 70 pieces.

For the recording, Matt Balitsaris provided his renowned Maggie's Farm studios and an optimistic plan of recording a disc's worth of material each day for six days. The musicians recorded each day from 11 to 5 or 6 in two three-day intervals broken up by a three-day respite. Miraculously this ambitious plan succeeded, with most tunes needing only one or two takes. Robinson picked his axe of choice on the spot, from the standard (tenor sax and trumpet) to the exotic (bass saxophone, echo cornet, bass clarinet, and contrabass sarrusophone). The resultant tracks are fresh, varied, and inspired.

Highlights of the group's takes on these classic pieces include Robinson's juggling of trumpet and tenor sax on "Thelonious" and the ensemble's free-wheeling energy on "Skippy." "Locomotive" is the picture of peaceful beauty, whereas "Jackie-ing" is all jumps and starts. Reid and Robinson play beautifully on "Reflections" and a lovely solo performance of  "Crepuscule with Nellie" showcases Kimbrough's command of the piano and Monk's language.

The recordings form a fantastically diverse collection.  On the six-CD set, titled Monk's Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk, Monk's compositions are played in various configurations, most by the quartet, but others in smaller combinations, even solo piano. The package also includes beautifully penned liner notes from Nate Chinen (New York Times, WBGO and NPR) along with notes from members of the ensemble and the producers of the album.