“BAM!” Guitarist H Allan kicks up his “Heels” again on new EP

H Allan is a guitar player who likes to shred yet his career has always been closely tied to the saxophone thus it’s natural that the title track to his EP that drops Friday, “BAM!” was written by and for a sax player. Allan’s rocking rendition of the pumped up, horn-powered original penned by Horace-Alexander Young, who appears on Allan’s version, began collecting playlist adds on Monday. Allan produced the EP and four of the five tracks were mixed and mastered by Robert Martin (Frank Zappa).  

Allan’s first job after college was as the artist rep for LA Sax Company and he often traveled with saxophonists to various music education conferences. He brought his guitar with him and after being on the floor all day, he and the artists would head to a local nightclub to sit in with local musicians. During one impromptu jam session in San Antonio with Allan, Young wrote “BAM!” and it was recorded and released on an LA Sax Company compilation CD in 1995 that was distributed to music stores as an instrument demo and was sent to radio stations. 

“We had a great time at these spontaneous jam sessions. One night at a river walk bar, we played with a group and Horace wrote this song. I've loved the song and since it was originally done on sax, I thought it should be done on guitar with an all-star cast of the best players,” said Allan, who was joined on the track by Young, drummer Eric Valentine, keyboardist Ron Reinhardt, Keith Vivens (bass and vocal line) and trumpeter-trombonist Steve Jankowski (Nile Rodgers and Chic).  

Another saxophonist, Derrick Edmondson (Jody Watley, Chaka Khan), helmed the second tune on the EP, “Rise,” the Herb Alpert gem. Atop a rocksteady groove anchored by Valentine and bassist Darryl Williams, Allan shines on funky rhythm guitar and cool electric lead guitar.

“I wanted to do a song by a trumpet player and there's no more iconic song on trumpet. I thought it would sound cool on guitar in a lower octave: kind of new and hip. I thought it would be a great opportunity to work with Derrick Edmondson, who I met at LA Sax. I tried to be authentic to the melody and harmony, but still push it out of bounds a bit for fun. Derrick's arrangement totally fit the bill,” said the Chicago-based Allan who was named H by his parents at birth.

Allan revels in his rock roots on a mashup of “All Along The Watch Tower” and “Stairway To Heaven,” presented on the “BAM!” EP as a chill contemporary jazz medley.    

Allan said, “I heard the similarities between these two rock ‘n’ roll classics while playing ‘Watchtower’ at a show and at the end of it, I transposed and went into the guitar solo from ‘Stairway To Heaven’ because it sounded similar. This medley is more rock than jazz so it's straddling the line musically - sort of like me.”

The EP contains two bonus tracks. The first is a rocked-out version of Allan’s debut single, “Stiletto Heels,” a reboot of the original written and recorded by saxophone heavyweight Richard Elliot with whom Allan worked at LA Sax Company. Allan’s version tied as the most added new single on the Billboard BDS chart when it was released in August 2017.

“This is the rock guitar version that I recorded before the smoother, more R&B version that I released. Its drum beat is the same as the original and I played the keyboard solo on the guitar as well. The lead guitar on this version is more of a heavier rock sound,” said Allan. 

Sweetly, Allan gathers his family - kids Zoey, Henry and Ellie, and sister Stacey - to sing on the second bonus cut, “Love Is A Rose,” a Neil Young song that Allan originally recorded for his mother. The guitar slinger surprises by singing and playing banjo on the track.

https://www.hallan.info

Brazilian jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar I Live In Rio

Brazil is leading the world per capita in coronavirus cases making it unlikely that people will be cramming into a concert venue anytime soon to hear live music. Then there is the recent unrest that erupted in response to civil injustices in the US that bodes to spark meaningful change around the world. These are the events that inspired contemporary jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar to release a new version of the Milton Nascimento classic “Nothing Will Be As It Was (Nada Sera Como Antes)” as a single ahead of the release of his “Live in Rio (Ao Vivo No Rio)” album, which drops August 21 from Bacelar Productions.   

“‘Nothing Will Be As It Was’ summarizes the existential questions raised globally by the coronavirus pandemic. Add to it the civil injustice and unrest that has surfaced over the last couple of weeks with Black Lives Matter, which is an especially important movement. We’re talking about the subject here in Brazil, too. We have a lot of problems with racism here, but our people have not yet taken the streets to protest and have social demonstrations. The world is watching the United States and people are talking about these issues everywhere,” said Bacelar who produced the 11-song “Live in Rio” collection. 

Bacelar’s 2018 album, “Sebastiana,” contains a very different version of “Nothing Will Be As It Was,” which was sung in English by American singer Maye Osorio and accompanied by an animated video that suited the pop-electronic rendition of the song. The new live version has a different arrangement and features Bacelar dueting with Brazilian vocalist-pianist Delia Fischer in Portuguese backed by a jazz band.   

“I chose to release this single thinking about this moment and the lyrics of the song. The lyrics are like a photograph of the moment. It’s a very famous song in Brazil that was originally recorded in 1976 when we were under a military dictatorship. The lyrics say ‘I know that tomorrow nothing will be like before, What news of my friends will they give me? What news of you will they give me?’ People were disappearing at the hands of the dictatorial military regime. And now people are disappearing – dying – because of the virus. Everyone in Brazil, the United States and all over the world have lost friends due to the virus,” said Bacelar. 

“Live in Rio” was recorded in May 2018 at The Blue Note in Rio while Bacelar was promoting “Sebastiana.” He trimmed the 17-song set to the eleven tunes that appear on the live record feeling that the selected song list on the disc represents a balanced sampling of his repertoire and body of work. The outing includes tunes penned by Brazilian icons Nascimento, Tom Jobim, Gilberto Gil and Flora Purim along with American greats Benny Golson, Horace Silver, Pat Metheny and Chick Corea. Also included is a composition that Bacelar wrote with producer Cesar Lemos (Ricky Martin, Paulina Rubio) titled “Sernambetiba, 1992” from “Sebastiana.”                                                        

“I love the sound of the album because you can hear the energy of the live performance and the sound of playing in a jazz club. The Blue Note isn’t a big place – about 300 people – so you can hear the ambiance of playing in a small club. The microphone on the piano picked up the other instruments like the drums and saxophone because it’s a small place. The sound is very different than what you get in the studio where the sound is more clean,” said Bacelar who was accompanied by guitarist João Castilho, saxophonist-flutist Danilo Sina, double bassist Alexandre Katatau, drummer Renato Endrigo and percussionist André Siqueira.    

The idea of dropping the live album now began earlier in quarantine when Bacelar sat to record a solo piano piece for his social media. It made him think about the isolation people were feeling and the role live music plays and the unique energy it possesses.

“The time in isolation is accompanied by multiple experiences and music is a fundamental vehicle for perception, connection and the formation of perspectives that bring meaning to the events on personal, spiritual and emotional levels. I wanted to remind people of the sound of live music. People need the warm sound and feelings of live music as opposed to the electronic stuff we hear on studio recordings. By listening to this live album, you can embrace the warm sound from the safety and comfort of your home.”  

As an artist, Bacelar wants “Live in Rio” to be viewed as more than just a live recording. He wants the album to have impact, to say something, which is clearly reflected in his choice of the first single.  

“The album is not only about the songs. Without art and abstraction, life is meaningless. Artists have to have a position, make a statement about something and have a voice – not just sing and play piano. The album is a concept – with the arrangements, the cover, the lyrics. It’s important to me to send an important message.”

http://ricardobacelar.com.br.

Funk Legend Maceo Parker Releases 'Soul Food - Cooking with Maceo’

Funk legend Maceo Parker has just released ‘Soul Food - Cooking with Maceo,' his first studio album in eight years, via Mascot Label Group's new imprint, The Funk Garage. Described by American Songwriter as "ten sizzling selections that haul buckets of funk," the album finds Parker's signature punchy saxophone sound partnering with New Orleans funk royalty to cook up a fresh selection of soul and funk classics, as well as Parker originals. The album was recorded at New Orleans House of 1000hz with Andrew “Goat” Gilchrist and producer Eli Wolf (Norah Jones, Madlib, Al Green).

‘Soul Food - Cooking with Maceo’ blends raw, old school funk with the flavors of New Orleans, featuring collaborations with Ivan Neville, Nikki Glaspie, Tony Hall, and a host of local musicians. The funky flavor of the city weaves its way through the album, as Maceo and the band take on iconic songs from Mississippi masters like Dr. John ("Right Place, Wrong Time") The Meters ("Just Kissed My Baby") and Allen Toussaint ("Yes, We Can Can), as well as Aretha Franklin’s "Rock Steady," Prince’s "The Other Side of the Pillow" and David "Fathead" Newman's "Hard Times." We also get funky workouts from Parker's own back catalogue on ‘M A C E O’ and ‘Cross The Track," the staple song of Giles Peterson's iconic WAG Club in Soho, London in the 1980s.

It is almost impossible to separate which came first - Maceo or the Funk. He has played with each and every leader in the funk genre, starting with James Brown in the 1960s before jumping aboard the Mothership Connection with Parliament-Funkadelic, and later spending a decade collaborating with Prince.

Maceo’s career as a band leader began in 1970, and since embarking on a second solo career in 1990 he has released a catalogue of stunningly evocative releases from Maceo and All The King’s Men ‘Doing Their Own Thing’ (1972) all the way to 2012s ‘Soul Classics.’ This is not to mention working with titans of the music world such as Keith Richards, Bryan Ferry, Living Color, Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction and De La Soul. He has also been sampled by hip hop icons including the Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac and Busta Rhymes.

In the 1994 documentary ‘My First Name is Maceo,' George Clinton said, ”You just transcend things and just be energy and beautiful, that’s where Maceo can play and sing, to me, that’s where I really enjoy Maceo the most.”

“One of the things that I have enjoyed about being an artist is that sooner or later it’s time to record new material. Somehow, this time around, we decided to cover some tunes. So, that’s what this album is all about. In the studio, you have the luxury of recording songs by groups that you have enjoyed throughout the years.

Once you become a recording artist, there’s a satisfaction that you are now part of the collective group of artists that you admire.

Maceo & All the King’s Men was the first band I formed after leaving James Brown’s group. There is a sense of pride when, as a musician, you reach a level where your own material is in stores and being played on the air. It’s almost like graduating from local musician to world-renown artist. So it was fun to revisit two songs from that period.

I’ve always been inspired by everyone, simply everyone who has worked with Ray Charles, including the Raelettes and Hank Crawford, so it’s especially nice to have included a David “Fathead” Newman tune on the album. I’ve worked with the Meters, with Dr John and Aretha Franklin over the course my rather long career, so it’s a pleasure to include some of their songs.

More than anything I miss Prince. He was a genius, so it was special to re-record a song he and I had once toyed with idea of releasing and give it that special New Orleans feel while also referencing the person I most admired growing up, the Genius Mr Ray Charles.” - Maceo Parker

'Soul Food Cooking With Maceo' Track List

1. Cross The Track

2. Just Kissed My Baby

3. Yes We Can Can

4. M A C E O

5. Hard Times

6. Rock Steady

7. Compared To What

8. Right Place Wrong Time

9. Other Side of the Pillow

10. Grazing In The Grass

GRAMMY WINNING GUITARIST NORMAN BROWN RELEASES HEART TO HEART

“I wrote and recorded Heart To Heart as a message to my fellow Beings to remember that the essential quality of our nature was made divine, as one race, governed by one world. We must abandon the perception that we are made to exist independently, therefore, not unified, divided by selfishness, creating greed to fulfill our quest for survival,” explains the multi-platinum selling, chart-topping and Grammy award-winning guitarist Norman Brown. 

Norman whose love affair with the guitar began at age eight was dubbed by George Benson as “one of the greatest and most articulate guitarists out there.” Brown’s charisma and versatility has afforded him the opportunity to collaborate with a cross-section of Jazz and R&B stars including George Benson, Brian McKnight, Kirk Whalum, Jeff Lorber, Miki Howard, Gerald Albright, Rick Braun, Peabo Bryson, and Chanté Moore, to name a few. JazzTimes Magazine touts that the Shreveport, LA born and Kansas City, KS raised guitarist is “a culmination of Jimi Hendrix and George Benson with some of Wes Montgomery thrown in.” AllMusic raves that Brown is one of “contemporary jazz’s brightest lights…a master player and improviser.” 

Udiscover Music named Norman Brown in the top “50 Best Jazz Guitarists of All Time.” At a time where there is so much divisiveness, Norman Brown asks each of us to search within to recognize our own divine light and to receive the divine wisdom that surrounds us every day. “All of us are made from the same source making us interconnected, interrelated and therefore interdependent,” shares the Atlanta based musician. “We have to exchange love, Heart To Heart in order to achieve world salvation and loving peace on earth.” At the core of Brown’s work based on the principles of universal law, wisdom from the Ancient Egyptian Spiritual System "The Paut Neteru Of Anu," The Tree of Life which focuses on peace, truth, balance, order, harmony, morality and justice. Brown’s spiritual way of being is undoubtedly an attribute that has endeared him to an ever-growing and devoted fan-base. He affectionately calls his fans Normantics!

On August 7, 2020, Shanachie Entertainment will release Heart To Heart, Norman Brown’s 12th recording as a leader and third for the label. Shanachie Entertainment VP of Jazz A&R, Danny Weiss, states, “At the risk of being blasphemous, Norman is the true successor to Wes Montgomery and George Benson. Like them, he's a jazz musician of the highest order, but you hardly notice because you're having so much fun listening to him.” Heart To Heart is a gorgeous collection of originals composed by Brown and various album personnel, that fuse the best elements of Jazz, R&B, Pop, Blues and beyond. It is a soul-stirring and heart-warming journey fitting for this time of uncertainly. The introspective guitarist says, “We have been given the golden opportunity of having the Earth stop. We all have wanted to stop the grind and catch our breath, refresh our thoughts and learn something new. This halting of everything is really the silver lining and an opportunity to find our ‘Master Key’ to the rich quality this life blesses us to experience.”

Heart to Heart is an all-star affair that affirms the adoration and respect that Norman Brown holds amongst his peers. Great bandleaders are like chemists. They go into the laboratory and utilize all the right elements in order achieve the desired outcome. It is knowledge and cooperation working in the highest order. With this dynamic in mind, Brown assembled an enviable collective of creative spirits to bring to life Heart To Heart. Brown’s special formula follows the golden rule. “What I do to you, I in turn do to myself,” explains Norman. “Let’s take care of each other through the acknowledgement that we must treat one another in joyful peace and with acts of giving unconditional love.” Heart To Heart joins Brown with guitarists Peter White and Paul Brown, keyboardists Jeff Lorber, Chris “Big Dog” Davis, Gregg Karukus, Phil Davis, Lew Laing and Jeff Carruthers, bassist Roberto Vally, Tres Gilbert, Lee Thornberg, Sean Michael Ray and Nate Kearny, drummers Lil’ John Roberts, Gary Novak, Sonny Emory and Teddy Campbell, saxophonists David Mann and Greg Vail and percussionist Lenny Castro. Brown shares that each individual played a significant role in bringing the album to fruition. “It was an honor and pleasure to be joined by all of these divine beings who nourished the music and brought the perfect seasoning to this album.”    

Heart to Heart opens with the recording’s first single “Heading Wes,” a tribute to Brown’s father as well as the iconic guitar hero Wes Montgomery, who transformed the language of guitar harmonically, melodically and technically. “My Dad loved Wes and inspired me to learn that style by allowing me to have the car on Saturday night if I learned his favorite Wes tunes like ‘Bumping On Sunset’ and ‘Down Here On The Ground,’ recalls Norman. “Frankly I would have learned them based on my own love of his playing. His technique, beautiful chord soloing and his signature octave expression was wonderfully original and innovative.” The intoxicating sway and melodic beauty of the album’s title track features fellow guitarist Peter White, who Brown refers to as “a joyously gentle journeyman.” Brown shifts gears for the euphoric up-tempo and smoking “Unconditional,” highlighting and penned by keyboardist Jeff Lorber whose energetic creativity Brown says is “perpetually gifting us timeless ideas.” Another standout on the album is the moving and devotional gem “Amen” co-written with hit making producers Vassel Bedford and Chris “Big Dog” Davis (who is featured on keys). Norman by the way returns the favor and appears on Davis’ new Shanachie release Focus.

Heart To Heart showcases the genius and flair that has landed Norman Brown at the top of the charts time and time again on the finger snapping “Just Groovin.” Norman wrote the song with fellow guitarists Paul Brown and Jeff Caruthers, who both join him on the composition. The beautiful “Brighter My Light Shines,” co-written with keyboardist Phil Davis, is the perfect example of the timeless anthems Brown is known for. He wrote the latter with keyboardist Phil Davis who is also showcased on the memorable tune. The radiant grace and sweetness of this song kisses you every note. David Mann offers a gritty horn arrangement to the funky “She’s Mine” which shines a spotlight on Brown’s agile blues chops and sharp-witted hooks. Brown’s crisp articulation and funk-laced lines take center stage on “I Miss Your Groove,” offering another view of the blues that will have you saying “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!” Norman conjures up a dipping bronze sun, disappearing behind a crimson sunset while the salted air gently caress your cheeks on “Ocean Breeze,” co written by Jeff Lorber. The guitarist also urges us to “Keep The Faith” with the forward momentum groove of his stunning original. “Faith is the substance of things not yet seen but the evidence of things to come. Part of this energy aids in the law of attraction,” declares the guitarist. A reward to taking the journey on Heart To Heart is the surprise ethereal and rock-tinged track “Outside The Norm,” featuring the keys of Phil Davis and drums of Lil’ John Roberts. But then again, not a surprise from a man who can play it all!

Watching his older brother play, Norman was stopped by the energy radiating from the musical sound of what he now calls his “Spirit Catcher,” the stings on his guitar. Waiting for his brother “Popsicle” to leave, Norman couldn’t wait to get his hands on his brother’s six string carefully stored in the closet. Influenced early on by Jimi Hendrix and the Isley Brothers, it was not long before Brown was drawn in by one of his father’s favorite guitarists, Wes Montgomery. A graduate of the Musician’s Institute in North Hollywood, where Brown would go on to teach, the guitarist landed his first deal, as the flagship artist debuting his career and launching Motown’s Mojazz label. In 1992, he recorded the albums Just Between Us, the Gold selling, Soul Train award winning After The Storm and Better Days Ahead. Having recorded a string of successful albums including 1999’s Celebration (in which he teamed up with Paul Brown), 2002’s Just Chillin’ (featuring vocalists Michael McDonald, Miki Howard and Chanté Moore) scored a Grammy win. The same year, Brown joined forces with saxophonist Kirk Whalum and trumpeter Rick Braun forming the group BWB, recording their debut album Groovin’. In 2013 they released Human Nature, a tribute album to Michael Jackson, that was followed by their third collaboration BWB in 2016.  Brown continued a trail of critically heralded albums including West Coast Coolin’ (2004), Stay With Me (2007), Sending My Love (2010) and Grammy nominated 24/7 with saxophonist Gerald Albright. 2017 saw the release of Norman Brown’s anticipated and well-received Shanachie debut, Let It Go and The Highest Act Of Love followed in 2019.

Brown concludes, “Heart To Heart is the greatest power we can harness. This dialogue empowers each person in the entire world to win! It’s all about the power generated from learning the lessons of spiritual growth that helps us to achieve the goal of evolution which is the enjoyment of life.” Brown’s new recording is vital listening for our current times. Its message rings loud and clear and is a reminder that even though we may be “socially distance” we are indeed together and need one another now more than ever.

Frank Sinatra | "Nice 'n' Easy" 60th Anniversary

Capitol/UMe and Frank Sinatra Enterprises celebrate the 60th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s Nice ’n’ Easy, another iconic album in a series of collaborations between Sinatra and arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle with a special anniversary edition.

Originally released on Capitol Records in July 1960, the Nice ’n' Easy album topped the charts at #1 for nine weeks. The album was nominated for multiple GRAMMYs, including Album of the Year, Best Male Vocal Performance, and Best Arrangement (Nelson Riddle). Since its original release, Sinatra’s body of work still resonates with fans and critics today.

“By curating his albums with songs that told a story he wanted to tell, and by singing each word as if he wrote it, Sinatra introduced a level of personal expression to the recording process that reached literary heights.” – The New Yorker

“Frank would ad-lib something each time he got to the tag line. Remember, the song was new to him at the time; the last take was terrific. Frank got that tune into the American songbook for us. Years later we wrote a second chorus that other singers recorded but, to us, Frank’s version is definitive.” – Alan & Marilyn Bergman

Recorded during the Nelson Riddle session at the Capitol Studios, Room A, “The Nearness of You” was initially intended to be the title track of the planned album. Once “Nice ’n’ Easy” was delivered, the album title changed, and the track did not appear on the original LP.

Now, the original master of “The Nearness of You” (2020 mix) will be made available for the first time on the CD and digital versions of the album for which it was intended. The CD and digital formats add the new stereo mix “The Nearness of You” (2020 mix) and sought-after bonus tracks: previously unreleased session takes of “I’ve Got A Crush on You and “Nice ’n’ Easy.”

The vinyl LP is a faithful production of the original Capitol Records ‘Full Dimensional Stereo’ sleeve and features the original 12 songs.

The CD packaging features liner notes with quotes from Frank Sinatra, who offers, “Nelson is the greatest arranger in the world…I have the greatest respect for him,” as well as quotes from Nelson Riddle, Sinatra’s longtime pianist Bill Miller, and others.

Vocalist Sara Serpa releases Recognition: Music For a Silent Film

Widely acclaimed as one of the premier vocalists of her generation and recently crowned the #1 Rising Star Female Vocalist in the 2019 DownBeat Critics Poll, Sara Serpa pushes headfirst into innovative musical territory with her tenth album, Recognition: Music For a Silent Film. A collection of Serpa’s original pieces set to moving images, the album features her singing and performing spoken word alongside some of the most recognizable and distinctive artists in jazz and improvised music: saxophonist Mark Turner (Billy Hart, Tom Harrell), pianist David Virelles (Chris Potter, Henry Threadgill) and harpist Zeena Parkins (Björk, John Zorn).  Due out June 5, 2020 on Biophilia Records, Recognition will be available in BiopholioTM or digital download with code for film screening.

Recognition is a singular multi-disciplinary work that traces the historical legacy of Portuguese colonialism in Africa through moving image and sound. From her family’s archives, Serpa adapted Super 8 footage of various scenes under Portuguese colonial rule in 1960s Angola into an experimental documentary in the format of a silent film, and she alone composed its musical counterpart as well, a rare and massive undertaking. Far more than accompaniment, Serpa’s mesmerizing feature-length score to the film is as immersive and compelling as the extraordinary images it reflects. This is a testament to both her captivating musical vision and compositional acumen, showing precisely why JazzTimes called her “a master of wordless landscapes.” 

Serpa uses her voice as both an ensemble instrument and a focal point for narrative during passages of spoken word, which came out of Serpa’s intensive, self-directed research into the period. More than solely an achievement in music, Recognition addresses thematic concerns that are relevant and significant in the present day. As Serpa eloquently summarizes: “Talking about Angola and Portugal is like talking about Brazil, United States and Europe. The Western world shares a collective shameful past of occupation, exploitation, slave trade, oppression, racism, segregation, violence and abuse.”

Several motivations animated her work on this project, including the desire “to highlight the power of music as a tool for social evolution, reflection and education,” and “to break the silence about Portuguese colonialism and institutional racism.” 

With the assistance of film director Bruno Soares, Serpa organized the material into an hour-long silent film intercut with text by Amílcar Cabral, a key figure of African anti-colonial resistance. During the course of the project, Serpa explored the legacy of that difficult historical moment as well as her family’s silence surrounding it, providing a visual and sonic narrative encouraging individual reflection.

“There was a traumatic situation because when the colonies became independent, suddenly Portuguese had to flee, leaving everything behind. They had to adapt to a country that most of them had never been to and that rejected them, so there’s a kind of silence, and not many people in my family have talked openly about this. Perhaps this is the work of the following generations, to digest and process the past,” Serpa says. 

“There is also institutional silence. In schools you’re not taught about it, and because of that I felt the need to educate myself. So there was this personal need, but also a need to expose something that has not been talked about, discussed enough and recognized enough.”

Across the dozen tracks on the album, Serpa employs the diverse talents of her powerhouse ensemble, which boasts a unique configuration of instrumental voices. Turner, arguably the most influential tenor saxophonist of his generation, assumes multiple roles in the quartet, variously mirroring Serpa’s ethereal voice, sustaining ongoing accompaniment and contributing immaculate solo improvisations.

Pianist Virelles, whose versatility and blending of the futuristic and folkloric has made him a first-call musician for everyone from Chris Potter to Henry Threadgill, is no less brilliant. As a foil to the other ensemble members, Virelles improvises vital, startling counterpoint across every register of the piano. 

Parkins is a pioneer of contemporary harp who resides in the highest echelon of avant-garde musicians. She delivers characteristically powerful and supportive playing as both a soloist and ensemble member. On tracks such as “Beautiful Gardens,” she and Virelles conjure thrillingly abrupt waves of dissonance cascading alongside shocking spoken-word depictions of violence.

The astuteness of Serpa’s bold decision to assemble these collaborators, who hadn’t previously performed together as a group, is proven by their fresh and inspired chemistry. The free-improvised “Queen Nzinga” is a case in point, featuring a spirited, grooving trio improvisation that effervesces alongside Serpa’s spoken word.

On tracks like “Lei do Indigenato, 1914” and “Free Labour,” Serpa directs the ensemble toward meaningful restraint and space. She fearlessly embraces dissonance and post-tonal complexity when it suits the musical and filmic narrative, as in the flowing arpeggios of “Occupation” and the broodingly abstract “Control and Oppression.” 

Despite its challenging subject matter, Recognition also contains in ample measure the trademark lyricism and purity of melodic design that Serpa’s collaborators, such as legendary pianist Ran Blake, have so prized in working with her. On tracks such as “Mercy and Caprice,” Serpa’s gorgeous voice seems to float in space without losing any measure of intimacy or directness.

As music to silent film, atmosphere and mood are primary considerations that Serpa handles with aplomb. Her mastery of counterpoint and orchestration is apparent on tracks like “Absolute Confidence,” where she creates a chorale of moving voices before unfurling a breathtakingly dramatic solo improvisation. On “Propaganda,” the album’s penultimate track, unrelenting and virtuosic counterlines raise the tension to a fever pitch as Virelles pushes and pulls against voice and saxophone. 

Recognition ends on an ambivalent but rallying note with “Struggle and Unity,” a resistance song setting Cabral’s words to music. The song’s otherworldly melody and attendant harmony has a lingering quality, resonating in the ear and mind long after the album concludes.  

Lisbon, Portugal native Sara Serpa is a vocalist-composer and improviser who implements a unique instrumental approach to her vocal style.  Recognized for her distinctive wordless singing, Serpa has been immersed in the field of jazz, improvised and experimental music since first arriving in New York in 2008. Described by the New York Times as "a singer of silvery poise and cosmopolitan outlook," Serpa started her career with jazz luminaries such as Grammy-nominated pianist Danilo Perez, and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow pianist Ran Blake. As a leader, she has produced and released nine albums; the latest being Recognition, an interdisciplinary project that combines film with live music, in collaboration with Zeena Parkins (harp), Mark Turner ( saxophone) and David Virelles (piano). Serpa is  a member of the We Have Voice Collective, comprised of 14 musicians, scholars and thinkers, determined to promote gender equity in the performing arts. Sara has performed with John Zorn, Nicole Mittchel, Ingrid Laubrock, André Matos, Guillermo Klein, Okkyung Lee, Guillermo Klein, Linda May Han Oh, Kris Davis,  among many others. Serpa was voted #1 Rising Star - Female Vocalist 2019 by the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll, and she currently teaches at The New School and at New Jersey City University.

www.saraserpa.com/

Santana keyboardist David K. Mathews' "The Fantasy Vocal Sessions, Vol. 2"

THE FANTASY VOCAL SESSIONS VOL 2, the newest project by Santana keyboard player DAVID K. MATHEWS, is a tribute to the San Francisco Bay Area where he grew up and still resides, and to the iconic FANTASY STUDIOS where he recorded most of the project. Mathews has had a long and eclectic career performing with some of the biggest names in music. He toured with Tower Of Power for two years, and then spent 20 years accompanying Etta James, right up to her last performances. Since 2010 he has been touring the world as a member of Santana. 

Over the years, he has also performed and/or recorded with a Who’s Who of diverse artists, such as Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, Toots Thielemans, Ruben Blades, Gloria Estefan, and many more. THE FANTASY VOCAL SESSIONS VOL.2  is the second release of a projected five album series. The name Fantasy Sessions is a double-entendre, referring to both Mathews’ fantasy to put out a series of recordings with some of his favorite singers and musicians, and to the famous studio where a host of artists, from Sonny Rollins and Charlie Mingus to Aerosmith and Green Day, recorded their music.

The Fantasy Vocal Sessions Vol. 1 featured straight-ahead jazz standards in an acoustic setting. Vol. 2  features jazz arrangements of soul, pop, and R&B tunes in a more expansive setting as befits the style of the music. Mathews is planning subsequent volumes in the series. Vol.3 will focus on the blues and Vol. 4 on Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music. Unfortunately, the studio closed in 2018, and future recordings will have to be made elsewhere. With its top-notch musicianship, first-class improvisatory chops by both the instrumentalists and vocalists, and Mathews’ hip arrangements, THE FANTASY VOCAL SESSIONS VOL. 2 is a love letter to one of the most diverse, creative, and inclusive musical milieus anywhere on the planet.

Personnel
All Keyboards  David K. Mathews

Guitar Jim Nichols, Ray Obiedo, Bruce Conte  

Electric Bass Dewayne Pate, Marc van Wageningen

Acoustic Bass Peter Barshay, John Wiitala
Drums Billy Johnson, Akira Tana, Brian Collier, Deszon Claiborne, Vince Lateano, Kevin Hayes
Featuring Carl Lockett, Chris Cain, Wayne de Silva, Marc Russo
Vocals Tony Lindsay, Lady Bianca, Steve Miller, Amikaeyla, Funky Fred Ross, Glenn Walters, Kenny Washington, Alex Ligertwood

Tracks
1. For the Love of You 7:04
2. You Had to Know  5:58
3. One Mint Julep (Space Cowboy Mash-up)  5:03
4. Superwoman  10:04
5. So Sweetly  5:21
6. I Got You (I Feel Good)  4:28
7. Giving Up  7:03
8. Going Out of My Head  5:01
9. Wichita Lineman  5:32
10. I Love You More Thank You’ll Ever Know  6:14
11. Yesterday (extended mix) 11:30

Chicago Avant-Jazz Trio Threadbare Announce New CD Silver Dollar On NoBusiness Records

Jason Stein has spent the last fifteen years injecting audiences’ ears with such a singularly unique approach on the bass clarinet that Eric Dolphy may finally find himself denied as the go-to reference for the instrument. Currently Stein leads two bands, Locksmith Isidore and the Jason Stein Quartet, and co-leads Hearts & Minds and Nature Work (with Paul Giallorenzo and Greg Ward respectively). Stein's work with Threadbare, his latest project, places him beside two gifted young Oberlin College graduates and recent Chicago transplants. 

Composers Ben Cruz (guitar) and Emerson Hunton (drums) lock in perfectly as a rhythm section, carefully walking a wire between jazz and rock (they also play together in the indie band Moontype). Cruz is an amazingly versatile guitarist, balancing power chords and intricate jazz runs all over the neck. Both he and Hunton are simple and basic when necessary, but can become absolutely astonishing when appropriate without being showy. Perfect for Stein.

All three members of Threadbare grew up on rock 'n 'roll and their version of it is as thrilling as it is fierce. Cruz’ “Silver Dollar” sounds like he watched the Dead Cs “Armed” writhing on the floor for 25 minutes until he finally proposed the question “Hey, what if we help this thing get up and walk?” To hear Cruz and Stein trade off energy wheezing over Hunton's leg-stomp thudding is a sheer joy. 

So how is Threadbare's jazz game? Well, they have Jason freaking Stein – plus you can go watch a clip of Cruz playing “If I Were A Bell” with a trad bassist and drummer on his website. Check out “And When Circumstances Arrive”, which features a broken melodic structure not unlike the tunes Mary Halvorson composes before flying off into the stratosphere with an especially out solo from Stein. And there's “Funny Thing Is,” which features a lightning fast hard-bop head played in unison by Stein and Cruz before erupting in frenzied bass clarinet spray over abstract jazz guitar block chords and Hunton's out-but-in groove. 

To hear Cruz and Stein trade off on this album is an absolute thrill. The icing on top is the sound of Hunton elevating everything brilliantly. Around the time of The Bells, Lou Reed said something along the lines of “If you can't play jazz and you can't play rock, you put them together and you really have something.” True enough. But what if you can play both fluidly? What if you have a rock 'n' roll heart and a jazz brain and the instincts, chops, and intelligence to pull it all off and make it fly like freedom? You're Threadbare, that's what.

Marcin Wasilewski Trio Recruits Tenor Saxophonist Joe Lovano for Arctic Riff

The first-time creative teaming of Poland’s Marcin Wasilewski Trio and US tenorist Joe Lovano brings forth special music of concentrated, deep feeling, in which lyricism and strength seem ideally balanced. The alliance plays tunes by Wasilewski and by Lovano, as well as Carla Bley’s classic “Vashkar,” plus collective improvisations with strong input from all four players. Produced by Manfred Eicher, Arctic Riff was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the south of France in August 2019.

The album opens with Wasilewski’s rubato ballad “Glimmer of Hope” which, the composer explains, is “based mainly on one motive moving through some tonalities. I was very curious to hear how it would sound with Joe’s tone.” The piano gently prepares for the saxophone’s entry, and Lovano’s very first phrase – underpinned by Michal Miskiewicz’s soulful brushwork – establishes the sensitive atmosphere of intense listening that characterizes the session. 

Carla Bley’s “Vashkar” follows, a tune interpreted in many different ways over the last half-century. Wasilewski, who first heard it on the album Footloose by the Paul Bley Trio with Steve Swallow and Pete LaRoca, finds new possibilities inside the world that Carla Bley's theme opens up: “I really like Carla’s compositions, and I wanted to play 'Vashkar'’s beautiful melody with Joe.” Lovano bears down authoritatively on that melody before the Polish trio unravel some of its implications. The tenorist had performed Carla Bley’s music as a member of her band in 1983 and, in 1986, with Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, but the present recording marks a first encounter as player with “Vashkar.” 

“Cadenza” is the first, and at nine minutes the longest, of the collective pieces shaped in the moment on Arctic Riff. “On each of our recordings we’ve tried to explore musical areas that we haven’t documented before. There was no preconceived plan at all for the improvised pieces, but just as we were concluding a musical statement together on ‘Cadenza,’ I had the feeling that it might be good to take it a little further. In that second, I heard Manfred saying through the headphones, ‘Marcin, please continue.’ That was a special moment, and helped to make the whole thing, spontaneously, a better piece of art.”

Wasilewski’s elegant ballad “Fading Sorrow” finds ways to keep the music fresh inside the song format. Slawomir Kurkiewicz’s bass feature here, soloing against Wasilewski's subtle chording and discreet drums, is a highlight. Kurkiewicz is also to the fore in the free piece “Arco” which, as its title implies, takes off from his bowed bass entry. “Free improvisation is a very rewarding experience based on mutual trust and openness,” says Kurkiewicz. “As a working trio we’ve played freely many times and It was so touching to see Joe jumping right in there with such directness and clarity. It is great to hear his voice in such a context.” Lovano’s strengths as a player include his enthusiastic capacity to embrace all the things that jazz has been, including its traditional, modern and experimental expressions.
Lovano's sly, jaunty tenor sets up “Stray Cat Walk,” soon joined on its nocturnal prowl by Kurkiewicz's bass and Miskiewicz’s drums. Miskiewicz: “The beauty of Joe’s melodies and his amazing rhythmical flow encourage you as a musician to be more creative and spontaneous.”

“L’amour fou” is a piece Wasilewski wrote to showcase Lovano’s skills in a fast tempo context; the working title was “Crazy for Lovo.” The tune’s author has a bright sparkling solo here, too, after which Lovano takes flight, buoyed by the spirited rhythm section, and Miskiewicz also has a brief, adroit solo.

“A Glimpse” is a kaleidoscopic free miniature of shifting focus, highly alert throughout. Miskiewicz: “From my point of view it's necessary to be deeply concentrated on each single note, and to predict somehow what may happen in the next second, few seconds or sometimes imagine the whole sequence.”

A second version of “Vashkar” grants more of the solo space to Lovano. Lovano: “’Vashkar’ is a beautiful, expressive piece of music. Each of the two versions has its own feeling, structure and exploration. I’m glad Manfred decided to include both takes. Carla’s music is inspired and inspiring – and I would say the same for the music we created on Arctic Riff.”
Lovano wrote “On the Other Side” for the session, “as a contrast to Marcin’s compositions.” It’s a swinging free flowing piece with a specific sequence of events to be followed: “The drums set up the theme which is a question-and-answer exchange between the tenor and drums and the piano trio. A piano and drums duo follows, then adding bass into a trio moment without piano. Piano then re-enters, leading to the final theme with embellishments. The outcome was just what I was hoping for. “

And, finally, there is Wasilewski's “Old Hat,” a moving ballad in classic jazz style, with tender solos from both Wasilewski and Lovano, its title referencing both the nostalgic flair of the piece and Joe’s penchant for vintage headgear. 

The Wasilewski Trio’s members have been playing together since high school days in Koszalin, Poland; the present line-up was established in 1993. Marcin Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz and Michal Miskiewicz first recorded for ECM as members of Tomasz Stanko’s quartet on the album Soul of Things in 2001, soon followed by Suspended Night and Lontano. Previous ECM albums in trio format are Trio (2004), January (2007), Faithful(2011), and Live (recorded 2016, released in 2018). For Spark of Life (2014), the trio was joined by Swedish saxophonist Joakim Milder. Wasilewski, Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz also appear on Norwegian guitarist Jacob Young’s album Forever Young (2013).

Joe Lovano made his ECM debut in 1981 with Paul Motian’s Psalm. Further recordings with the Motian/Lovano/Frisell are It Should have Happened A Long Time Ago, I Have The Room Above Her, and Time And Time Again. Lovano has also recorded for ECM with John Abercrombie (Open Land, Within A Song), Marc Johnson (Shades of Jade, Swept Away), and Steve Kuhn (Mostly Coltrane). 2019 saw the release of two critically-acclaimed recordings with Lovano – Trio Tapestry, introducing Joe’s trio with Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi, and Roma, a live album with Enrico Rava, Giovanni Guidi, Dezron Douglas and Gerald Cleaver.

Drummer Rajiv Jayaweera Presents Pistils

Pistils is the debut recording from Sri Lankan and Australian jazz drummer and composer, Rajiv Jayaweera. The album features eight compelling, thoughtful originals, which draw inspiration from Sri Lanka. Jayaweera’s compositions feature strong melodies and beauty, coupled with intricate bass lines and rhythmic interplay. His band of Chris Cheek (soprano & tenor saxophones), Aaron Parks (piano), Hugh Stuckey (guitar) and Sam Anning (double bass), truly display why they are amongst the most revered and sought-after musicians on the scene today. 

The album is bookended by two different versions of the title track, Pistils. The first is sparse and free of time, with the profoundly emotive vocals of special guest, Lara Bello, who sings the melody in an improvised language. It closes with a stripped back trio take with guitar, saxophone and drums playing the “Pistils” theme, with the style of the great Paul Motian trio in mind. The melody of Pistils is a monumental achievement, and the centerpiece of this wonderful debut from an artist overflowing with potential and possibilities. One of the most special characteristics in Sri Lanka is the variety of flowers that exist there. In trying to get to the essence of these flowers, you find the seed-bearing organs, collectively known as “pistils.” Jayaweera was drawn to the word pistils because it took him to the heart of these flowers. 

Ellstandissa, featuring the relatively unknown Thammattama drum (also known as a temple drum), a two-headed traditional drum played with a pair of fascinating curly wooden sticks and most commonly used in cultural ceremonies, incorporates rhythms from a Sri Lankan dance entitled Gajaga Wannama, or dance of the elephant, in 7/8 time. The main melody of the song is circular and haunting, and is played over a counter melody that superimposes a polyrhythmic figure. Ellstandissa is a made up word combining the names of the composer’s grandparents. 

It’s fitting that the next track is Welikadawatte, translating to Welikada Gardens in Sinhalese. It is an area in central Colombo (the commercial capital and largest city in Sri Lanka), originally home to many large cinnamon and coconut plantations. For over forty years this was where Rajiv’s grandparents lived and a place he would visit each year. Musically, this piece is reminiscent of Ahmad Jamal’s famous tune, Poinciana. 

The Elephant, once again incorporating the Thammattama drum, conjures up the image of an elephant walking through the jungle. 

Hirimbura is Rajiv’s Grandfather’s hometown in the south of Sri Lanka. The piece has ‘stompy’ Charles Mingus-esque feel that is simultaneously modern and traditional in nature. The strong quarter-note pulse instinctively makes you want to tap your foot or click your fingers along to it. 

A Malkoha Bird is a tropical bird endemic to Sri Lanka with a long graduated tail. This is the only song on the album where saxophonist Chris Cheek switches from tenor to soprano, singing the melody like a bird.

Jayaweera is truly a global citizen, a fact that permeates and weaves its way into his playing and composing. He was born in London, grew up in Melbourne, is of Sri Lankan heritage and is currently based in New York City. He completed his Bachelor of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2000, and Masters in Jazz Studies at SUNY Purchase, New York in 2013.  

In Australia he was a highly sought after drummer, touring and recording with the country’s finest musicians and ensembles including The Joe Chindamo Trio, The Bennett’s Lane Big Band, The Sam Anning Quintet, Bopstretch and The Australian Art Orchestra’s Crossing Roper Bar Project. 

Since moving to New York City, Jayaweera has performed at the legendary jazz clubs, Smalls, The Blue Note, Bar Next Door, Dizzy’s (J@LC), Birdland, and others. He has been awarded grants from The Australia Council for the Arts, The Ian Potter Cultural Trust, The American-Australian Foundation, and was a finalist for the prestigious Freedman Jazz Fellowship, performing at the Sydney Opera House in 2013. 

Jayaweera has toured extensively around the world, performing at Jazz at Lincoln Centre, Doha, The Cotton Club, Tokyo, The London Jazz Festival, The Montreux Jazz Festival, The Copenhagen Jazz Festival, among many others. His quintet was featured as “artists in residence”, and a headline act, at the Thailand International Jazz Conference in 2020. 
This year, he will release his debut album made up of his original compositions entitled Pistils. The album features Chris Cheek, Aaron Parks, Sam Anning, Hugh Stuckey and Lara Bello and will be released on Outside in Music (USA) and Earshift Music (Australia). 

The Jerry Granelli Trio Plays Vince Guaraldi & Mose Allison

Over the course of a career spanning six decades, drummer Jerry Granelli has worked with many of the greatest artists across the full spectrum of jazz and beyond. On The Jerry Granelli Trio Plays Vince Guaraldi and Mose Allison, his rapturous new album for RareNoise, Granelli revisits two of his most indelible collaborations from the vantage point of the exploratory now. 

Released June 26, 2020, The Jerry Granelli Trio Plays Vince Guaraldi and Mose Allison starts from the foundation of two singular composers: the elegant, lyrical pieces of pianist Vince Guaraldi, with whom Granelli played for three busy years early in his career - including the landmark Peanuts television specials; and the eccentric singer/pianist Mose Allison, whose wry twists on the blues Granelli had the pleasure of accompanying for nearly 40 years. 

Never one to dwell on the past, Granelli has long eschewed tribute projects or reprises of past glories. Two factors combined to change his mind on this remarkable occasion: the joy of delving into these extraordinary compositions with a modern urgency untouched by nostalgia; and his collaborators, both of whom share his expansive approach: pianist Jamie Saft and bassist Bradley Christopher Jones. 

"We've all had experiences playing so many different things," Granelli says. "We all love the blues, whether we play them all the time or not, and we all love great songs - and these are really great songs. I don't think material gets old; what gets old is when people try to recapture a stale version of the past. We were able to bring a really fresh feeling to this music, and that's important to me. We didn't try to recreate anything."

Granelli's tenure with Vince Guaraldi dates back to the early 60s, when he was just 21. The young drummer had just returned to his native San Francisco following his first national tour, and discovered that Guaraldi had recently parted ways with his trio. The pianist had just scored a hit with his tune "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," so a hectic schedule awaited.  
"It's hard to get that kind of training," Granelli says. "We got paid to play six or seven nights a week, then go out after hours to places like Bop City in San Francisco to sit in at jam sessions till 6 in the morning. This record reflects those times."

On top of a grueling performance schedule, the period included Guaraldi's acclaimed recordings with the Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete and the Peanuts soundtracks that are still rerun every year over half a century later. Granelli's exquisite, whispering brushwork graces A Charlie Brown Christmas, which has become a holiday tradition and introduced generations of children to the sound of jazz. 

After leaving Guaraldi's employ in 1965, Granelli refused to revisit his music for decades. There were new sounds to be explored - he'd soon join the renowned Denny Zeitlin Trio alongside bass legend Charlie Haden, and in later years would work with a pantheon of his peers: Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Lee Konitz, Kenny Garrett, Ralph Towner, Jay Clayton, Gary Peacock and countless others. In recent years, however, Granelli began touring a show called Tales of A Charlie Brown Christmas with his trio in Canada, where he's lived in Nova Scotia since the 90s. 

Pitfalls abound in bringing an avant-gardist's perspective to such graceful music. "I didn't want to try to make it weird," Granelli insists, "and I didn't want to imitate the originals. In all honesty I resisted it because I didn't have a way in. But now I can appreciate it being such a part of the culture. It's amazing to me; it's phenomenal." 

The immortal "Christmas Time Is Here" almost inevitably closes the album, imbued with a heartbreaking tenderness that feels utterly immediate. The lushness of the rendition may seem surprising given the experimental credentials of Saft and Jones, but it's exactly that attentiveness to the moment - which they share with the drummer - that makes these renditions so stunning.  

Granelli refers to the title of Nowness, his 2015 album with Saft, to explain the feeling of the trio. "You're letting go of the past, you're letting go of the present, and you're just in the music. That's the place you want to play from at all times. Then your whole vast experience is available to you and you can discover something new you've never played before. This record is a wonderful celebration of that coming together of now." 

The same applies to Guaraldi's other contributions to the album, "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" and "Star Song." Granelli recalls the latter piece as a favorite of Miles Davis, who would come to hear the Guaraldi trio night after night while they worked in Los Angeles. 
Granelli joined Mose Allison's trio in the mid-70s, in time to record the classic album Your Mind Is On Vacation. They would continue to work together intermittently until Allison's death in 2016. "We were great friends," Granelli says fondly. "Mose was like the Charles Ives of the blues. He would take the blues as far out as he could, and he became one of the great influences in American songwriting." 

The title track of Your Mind Is On Vacation comes in for a raucous dissection here, with a pair of drum/bass duo preludes interspersed throughout the album, each a stellar standalone piece on its own. The trio reimagines "Parchman Farm" through a Herbie Hancock soul-jazz lens, refracted into the raw power of the primal blues. Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go" spotlights the burly muscularity of Jones' bass, while the satirical sting of "Everybody's Cryin' Mercy" resonates even without a word being sung. 

"Once music gets into my genetic system, I can remember exactly charts I played 50 years ago," Granelli explains. "Mose's words are incredible and I hear the lyrics, I hear the poetry, in my head as I play. That's part of the jazz tradition: how do you play the same piece of music every night and make it fresh?"

That freshness is shot through every note on The Jerry Granelli Trio Plays Vince Guaraldi and Mose Allison, whether it was written on sheet music decades earlier or invented on the spot as these three inventive musicians came together. It's the spirit that drives Granelli as he approaches his 80th birthday at the end of the year, the same way that it drove him to help create much of this music earlier in his life, and to find new details and sparks within it night after night throughout a truly incredible career. 

Pianist RAN BLAKE & Vocalist CHRISTINE CORREA "When Soft Rains Fall"

Brooklyn-based Red Piano Records have announced the forthcoming release of When Soft Rains Fall from pianist Ran Blake and vocalist Christine Correa. This recording is the latest yield from Blake and Correa’s remarkable 40-year friendship and singular musical collaboration.

Lady in Satin was Billie Holiday’s penultimate recording, released in 1959, the year of her passing. Although the repertoire is derived from the Great American Songbook, Lady in Satin is unlike any of Holiday’s previous recordings as she specifically chose to be accompanied by the lush orchestral arrangements of Ray Ellis, and personally hand picked each song based on its lyrics.

On When Soft Rains Fall, Blake and Correa pay tribute to the great Billie Holiday, 60-some years after the release of her Lady in Satin recording through an intimate recording of the songs from that classic album. In contrast to the grand orchestral arrangements of the original album, Correa and Blake interpret the music in a duo setting probing deep into the songs and exploring Lady Day’s emotional palette of hushed innuendos, loss, lamentation and unrequited love.

Billie Holiday holds a special place in the hearts and souls of these artists; a place where her music, her sound and her aesthetic resonates deeply. On When Soft Rains Fall Correa captures the raw emotion, drama and the intimacy that is associated with Holiday, quite present in the way she bends and slurs her notes, her rhythmic phrasing and the liberty she takes in her interpretations. In addition to the twelve songs from the Holiday album, Correa and Blake include, “The Day Lady Died,” a Blake composition that has the great Frank O’Hara poem superimposed over it as well as a solo piano version of “Big Stuff” (from Holiday’s Decca period) and a vocal solo version of Herbie Nichols’ “Lady Sings the Blues” (Verve). Together they capture an intensity in their interpretation of, “I’m a Fool to Want You,” and “You’ve Changed,” and lightness and frivolity in, “The End of a Love Affair,” and I’ll Be Around”.

Blake and Correa are a united force in presenting this material. There exists between these two incomparable artists an uncanny, imaginative rapport, a sense of inevitability in their interpretations, which emboldens and challenges their audiences’ sonic imaginations. 

With When Soft Rains Fall, their seventh recording, Blake and Correa reach new heights in terms of artistry, vision and expressiveness. Kudos goes to Red Piano Records for documenting this important, and historical partnership.

In a career that now spans five decades, pianist Ran Blake has created a unique niche in improvised music as an artist and educator. With a characteristic mix of spontaneous solos, modern classical tonalities, the great American blues and gospel traditions and themes from classic Film Noir, Blake’s singular sound has earned him a dedicated following around the world. In the tradition of two of his idols, Ellington and Monk, Blake has incorporated and synthesized several otherwise divergent styles and influences into a single innovative and cohesive style of his own, ranking him among the geniuses of the genre. Ran Blake is a recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” grant. He was the founder and long-time chairperson of the Third Stream Department (currently called Contemporary Improvisation Department) at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA.

Christine Correa, originally from Bombay, India, has been involved in a variety of improvisational contexts and is currently on the faculty of The Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program at Columbia University in New York City. She has been widely recognized as a leading interpreter of the works of a range of modern American and European poets as set to music by some of today’s most innovative jazz composers, such as Frank Carlberg, Nicholas Urie, Sam Sadigursky and Steve Grover, among others. Correa has also recorded and/or performed with artists such as Steve Lacy and John LaPorta and appeared at numerous festivals, concert halls and clubs in the US, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America and India. Correa is a long-time resident of Brooklyn, NY.

Release is scheduled for September 2020.

Guitarist Henry Robinett's "Jazz Standards, Vol. 1: Then" Finally Released After 20 Years on the Shelf

HENRY ROBINETT is a guitarist, composer, bandleader and recording engineer who has released five albums since 1986 to stellar reviews. His first release, The Henry Robinett Group, received a 4-Star review in DownBeat Magazine. JazzTimes said about his 2016 release, I Have Known Mountains, “The dozen pieces that appear here make it plainly clear that Robinett is a man who places a high premium on clarity. His well-thought-out messages, be they focused on tragedy, love, or life's winding road(s), manage to appeal to the ear. If jazz has an accessibility problem, nobody bothered to tell Henry Robinett.” He is finally releasing an album he recorded 20 years ago.

JAZZ STANDARDS, VOLUME 1: THEN is unlike his other releases. Known for his modern, eclectic sound that melds world music with electric jazz, Robinett recorded Jazz Standards as an homage to the musicians whom he admires and who have shaped his music. “Honestly, I don’t know why I left it on the shelf for so long,” says Robinett. “I grew up listening to bebop, and the great bebop players had enormous influence on me. When I wrote and performed my own music, though, I naturally incorporated the wide range of music styles I had played with other bands. I think the Jazz Standards album was just too different from my other work, which made me hesitant to release it. But after listening to it again after so many years, I like it. I think it stands up well and shows another side to my playing.”

The album is resplendent with Robinett’s tasty grooves. His guitar work is swinging and accessible, and he approaches a tune not unlike a singer, emphasizing the melody while adding colors through his phrasing and harmonic choices. Jazz Standards, Volume 1: Then shows a more traditional side of Robinett’s artistry while still retaining his highly appealing style.

Pianist & Composer Jordan Seigel's "Beyond Images"

While Jordan Seigel emerged from Berklee College of Music a decade ago as a promising young jazz pianist, you’re more likely to have heard his music on the big screen than in a jazz club over the intervening years. Since returning to his native Los Angeles in 2010, Seigel has accumulated a host of impressive credits as a composer and orchestrator for film and television, including work on such high-profile projects as The Twilight Zone, Ant-Man and the Wasp, The LEGO Movie 2, and Empire.

On his vibrant debut album, Beyond Images, he brings his musical worlds together in a vibrant and eclectic collection of original pieces inspired by cinema’s greatest composers. Due out July 17, Beyond Images combines the inventiveness and interplay of jazz with the transportive emotional power of the best film scores, crafting an evocative soundtrack for imaginary scenes possessing the spine-tingling suspense of a Hitchcock thriller or the heartbreaking sweep of a doomed romance.

Beyond Images features bassist Alex Boneham (Billy Childs, Sara Gazarek) and drummer Christian Euman (Jacob Collier, Kurt Elling) who use their shared experience at the Monk Institute to piece together the vigorous rhythm section. Saxophonist/flutist Natsuki Sugiyama, a frequent collaborator on Seigel’s film scores, completes the core quartet. But the diversity of the compositions flourish through Seigel’s orchestral imagination, which employs a woodwind quintet and a string quartet, vibraphone, guitar, mandolin and percussion in varying, kaleidoscopic combinations.

“I wanted to create music that transports people to another place, the same way that a great movie can do,” Seigel explains. “Film scores have that power; a beautiful song at the right moment can make an entire audience cry or jolt them with an adrenaline rush during a chase scene. I hope to bring that type of emotional reaction to my own music.”

Each of the eleven new compositions on Beyond Images is dedicated to and inspired by one of Seigel’s favorite film composers, a list that includes some of the medium’s most iconic names. The pieces hint at the pianist’s inspirations in inventive and clever ways, maintaining his own unique voice while paying tribute to the great composers who have influenced him in distinctive ways. The results maintain the emotional impact and evocative colors of his movie work, conjuring rather than accompanying vivid cinematic moments. “I spend most of my time as a film composer and orchestrator, so I wanted to bring that aspect of what I do – making music for visual media – to a different audience,” explains Seigel.
The album opens with “Departure,” a wistful piece dedicated to Jon Brion, whose work has been heard in the singular films of Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love) and Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Synecdoche New York). “Departure,” though, also reveals one of Seigel’s most indelible jazz influences, pianist Brad Mehldau; he and Brion collaborated on the landmark album Largo, whose traces emerge vividly in this track.

The sly "Something's Up" carries a dedication to iconic composer John Williams, spotlighting Seigel's gift for distilling his influences without slavishly emulating them. It's in these moments and many more on the album where you can see the dynamic nature of melding jazz and writing for screen. "When I'm writing music for picture, it often starts simply with improvising on a piano while watching the video. As jazz musicians, we spend so much time improvising that it is quite a rewarding experience to try and combine the two. Composing almost becomes like a puzzle; the goal is to stay creative and write something satisfying, while making sure the music hits all of the correct story points and adds a necessary element to the picture."

Immediately eliciting images of sepia-toned flashbacks and magic hour vistas, “The Lake House” uncannily channels the filmic voice of Randy Newman. Jonny Greenwood of the pioneering band Radiohead, another key Paul Thomas Anderson collaborator, is the source for “No Chance.” The piece features a mesmerizing vocal performance by singer-songwriter Keeley Bumford. Seigel co-wrote the lyrics with multi-platinum songwriter/producer John Ryan, whose credits include work with One Direction, Pitbull and Maroon 5.

“The Woods” is Seigel’s attempt to create “the jazz Hitchcock score you never heard.” In its dizzying strings and enigmatic shadows, the piece succeeds in evoking the music of the great Bernard Herrmann, while carrying the listener through a compelling narrative in its shifting sections – even dissolving into a string-swathed dream sequence courtesy of the Vertigo String Quartet. Penned after a trip to London, “The Baker Street Caper” is equally effective at suggesting a Henry Mancini-scored heist picture.

Another unexpected turn comes with “Song for Porter,” which avoids the overwrought clichés that are abundant in tipping the hat to Ennio Morricone. The piece (named for Seigel’s beloved dog) takes its cues from the Italian composer’s swooning lyricism in films like “The Mission.” Jerry Goldsmith’s angular percussiveness fuels “Monkey in the Wilderness,” whose title suggests that Seigel had spent some time studying up on Planet of the Apes. The album concludes with “The Abyss,” whose harmonic richness credits the impact of Thomas Newman’s innovations on the modern cinema soundscape.

In addition to his scoring work, Seigel has maintained an active role on the L.A. jazz scene, playing with such acclaimed artists as Peter Erskine, Jeff Hamilton, Graham Dechter and the Bill Holman Big Band. He’s also crafted arrangements for the National Symphony Orchestra’s concerts at the Kennedy Center with superstars like Common and Babyface, showcasing another side of his estimable versatility.

It’s his wide-angle vision that has garnered Seigel such success and accolades in his scoring work. After studying with such jazz greats as Danilo Pérez, Fred Hersch, and Aaron Goldberg, he began working on television in an on-screen role on shows including Glee and The X Factor. Since then he has orchestrated and composed additional music for numerous films and shows and is currently at work scoring his first studio feature film. He is also the featured pianist for the Apple TV+ animated series Snoopy In Space, which finds him following in the venerable footsteps of legendary pianist Vince Guaraldi.