Michael Weiss | "Persistence"

You can tell a lot about a musician by the company he keeps. The star-studded resume that pianist and composer Michael Weiss has quietly assembled over the past 40 years proves that some of the greatest names in jazz have long considered Weiss one of the best in the business. Heavyweights Johnny Griffin, George Coleman, Charles McPherson, Benny Golson, Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Heath, Art Farmer, Frank Wess, Bill Hardman, Junior Cook, Slide Hampton, and Jon Hendricks have all tapped Weiss for their working bands.

“Michael is very inventive and creative, and he has been for a very long time,” says tenor saxophonist George Coleman. “He’s harmonically adept and has a fantastic right hand. He’s gifted. He deserves more attention.”

Alto saxophonist Charles McPherson puts it this way: “Michael has done his homework. He has a real understanding of the language, has really good taste, and he has a great feel and touch. He’s also got a sense of artistry as well as craft, and he’s got dimension and range. He understands not only the bebop language but other music that grows out of that. He’s comfortable in more than one world, and not everybody is like that.”

Persistence — Weiss’ fifth recording as a leader and first on the Cellar Live label — brings together all the qualities that have made him such a valued member of New York’s jazz community since the 1980s. Deeply swinging and emotionally rewarding, the recording features four vibrant originals by Weiss that are rich with memorable melody, harmonic color, rhythmic vitality, savvy pacing, and expressive detail. Weiss also arranged four standards that reveal his ability to put a thoughtful individual stamp on diverse material by Thelonious Monk, Fats Waller, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Jimmy Van Heusen.

Weiss’ improvisations sparkle. Keeping head and heart in perfect balance, his spontaneous ideas flower organically from the distinctive seeds of each composition and arrangement. When he cedes the spotlight, his attentive accompaniment lights a fire under his bandmates. His first-rate quartet, including the exciting tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, and the cohesive bass-and-drum team of Paul Gill and Pete Van Nostrand, illustrates Weiss’ ability to project a band in his own image. These veterans have worked together for years, and the group sound pulsates with the same brand of authenticity and casual mastery that has earned Weiss the respect of his storied elders. Rooted in the bebop tradition but not limited by it, the music hits the air with the fresh relevance of the morning headlines.

“This recording is a snapshot, like any night on a gig,” says Weiss. “I’m satisfied with the way the band interpreted and contributed to the songs and how everything comes across. It’s one thing to write, arrange, and organize the material, but it’s another thing how it’s all realized.”

For a quick primer on Weiss’ approach, listen to his “Après Vous.” (The title refers to the song’s harmonic foundation, based on the standard “After You’ve Gone.”) The pianist roars out of the gate, improvising fluently for 16 bars with bass and drums right on his tail. Then comes a piano vamp with an animated written bass line and Latin rhythms on the drums. The vamp and bass line continue as Alexander plays Weiss’ instantly hummable melody. The alternating swing and Latin rhythms, counterlines in the bass, alluring harmony, and numerous stop-time rhythm section hits all wink at one of Weiss’ first heroes, pianist-composer Horace Silver. Note, too, the fine detail of Weiss playing some of the melodic breaks in unison with Alexander’s tenor. And don’t miss how the tenor solo comes shooting out of the melody like a canon.

“Michael’s compositions sound totally natural, but they are challenging to play because there’s such a specificity to them and a complexity too,” says Alexander. “It’s hard to sight read a Michael Weiss composition, but it’s easy to listen to a Michael Weiss composition for all the same reasons.”

Each of the tracks on Persistence rewards close listening. The title track scampers along with an enigmatic melody supported by evolving harmonies that grab the ear. “Second Thoughts” is a playful line that unfolds at a relaxed, irresistible medium groove. “Paul and Pete are really in the pocket,” says Weiss. The pianist turns in one of his best solos on the date. Beautifully realized melodies snake through the harmony, snapping with syncopation, swing, and soul. You can hear his affinity for pianists like Bud Powell, Barry Harris, and Sonny Clark, but Weiss never sounds like a copy. He plays himself.

“Only the Lonely” opens a window on the more reflective and vulnerable side of Weiss’ personality as he offers a gorgeous trio version of Jimmy Van Heusen’s beautiful song — one of many that the composer and lyrist Sammy Cahn created for Frank Sinatra. Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz” and Jobim’s “Once I Loved” reinvent familiar songs with savvy plotting. Note how on the latter, Weiss uses the tenor sax only to deliver the vamp that frames the melody. Weiss’ solo builds in waves, winking occasionally at McCoy Tyner, and Alexander gets in a few licks over the concluding fade out. The quartet delivers Monk’s “Epistrophy” with elan, capturing the composer’s jubilant spirit. The finger-popping “Birthday Blues” concludes the recording with freewheeling soloing over one of the fundamental forms of jazz — a fitting coda to an expansive recital.

One additional reason Persistence emits such a glowing warmth is that it was taped at the studio built by legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. This was Weiss’ first trip back to Van Gelder’s studio since the pianist’s debut LP, Presenting Michael Weiss (Criss Cross) in 1987. “There’s a vibe there,” says Weiss. “It’s comforting and inspiring.” 

The striking quality of Persistence brings up a question: Why has it been so long since Weiss’ last recording as a leader, the critically acclaimed Soul Journey (Sintra) in 2003? Weiss turned down multiple opportunities because the terms were not ideal. Cellar Live provided the necessary conditions and creative freedom to showcase his art. The results are worth the wait. 

Since arriving in New York in 1982, pianist and composer Michael Weiss has forged a formidable career working in the bands of jazz legends Johnny Griffin, Art Farmer, Charles McPherson, George Coleman, Jimmy Heath, and Lou Donaldson. He was a longtime member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and toured with the Jazztet and Mingus Epitaph Orchestra. Weiss’ 15-year association with Griffin yielded four recordings and annual tours throughout the USA and around the world. Weiss has also performed with Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Clark Terry, Clifford Jordan, Gary Bartz, Phil Woods, Pepper Adams, Joe Lovano, Nancy Wilson, Randy Brecker, Tom Harrell, Wynton Marsalis, Al Foster, and Pete La Roca Sims. 

Weiss’ previous recordings as a leader are: Presenting Michael Weiss (Criss Cross), Power Station (DIW), Milestones (SteepleChase), and Soul Journey (Sintra). In addition to his recordings with Griffin, Weiss appears as a sideman on recordings by Charles McPherson, Frank Wess, Steve Grossman, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Ronnie Cuber, Louis Smith, Dick Oatts, and others. 

As a bandleader, Weiss has headlined at every major New York jazz venue, including the Village Vanguard, Blue Note, Jazz Standard, Birdland, Bradley’s, Iridium, Sweet Basil, and Smoke. He has also headlined at the Detroit Jazz Festival, Smithsonian Institution, and George Wein’s Kool Jazz Festival in New York. Weiss has toured as a leader throughout America, France, and Italy. Wayne Shorter presented Weiss with the grand prize of the 2000 BMI/Thelonious Monk Institute's International Composition Competition. Weiss was also a 1989 prizewinner in the Thelonious Monk Institute's International Piano Competition. 

New Music Releases: Gregory Porter, Norah Jones, Makaya McCraven, Johnathan Blake

Gregory Porter - Still Rising

A really special sort of collection – one that features a fair bit of new material mixed in with some of the key cuts from the Blue Note years of singer Gregory Porter – an artist who started in jazz, but who's clearly had a huge impact on the world of soul music in recent years too! Porter's got a hell of a voice, and a majestic way of presenting his music – as you'll hear on the wide variety of work included here! The first half of the record features four new tracks, a few new arrangements and covers, and some older Blue Note material – titles that include "Dry Bones", "Illusion", "Real Good Hands", "Love Runs Deeper", "It's Probably Me", "No Love Dying", "1960 What", "Concorde", "If Love Is Overrated", "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad", and "Bad Girl Love". CD2 features duets – some freshly recorded, others that use studio work to add Porter's voice to now-passed singers – a lineup that includes songs with Jamie Cullum, Ella Fitzgerald, Moby, Julie London, Lalah Hathaway, Lizz Wright, Nat King Cole, Lisa Fischer, Dianne Reeves, and Renee Fleming. ~ Dusty Groove

Norah Jones - I Dream Of Christmas

Norah has been a steady voice of warmth and reassurance for nearly 20 years since her cozy 2002 debut album Come Away With Me became a familiar musical companion for millions of people around the world. Now the 9-time GRAMMY-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist has released I Dream Of Christmas, a delightful and comforting collection of timeless seasonal favorites and affecting new originals that explore the complicated emotions of our times and our hopes that this holiday season will be full of joy and togetherness. “When I was trying to figure out which direction to take, the original songs started popping in my head,” Norah says. “They were all about trying to find the joys of Christmas, catching that spark, that feeling of love and inclusion that I was longing for during the rest of the year.” Among the album’s many pleasures are Norah’s playful reinvention of The Chipmunk’s “Christmas Don’t Be Late,” which is given a languid beat and swaggering horns. Other highlights include sublime versions of “White Christmas,” “Blue Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Christmas Time Is Here,” and “Run Rudolph Run.” Norah’s version of “The Christmas Waltz” is also available exclusively on Amazon Music as part of their Amazon Originals series.

Makaya McCraven - Deciphering The Message

A really special album from our hometown hero Makaya McCraven – a set that's the drummer's debut on Blue Note, and which also has him bringing that label some of the magic that he's been cooking up for International Anthem! If you know Makaya's other records, you'll know that he works in a blend of jazz instrumentation and editing – a style that's much more sophisticated than previous "jazz remix" modes – as McCraven always has live jazz instrumentation at the core, but then uses editing to rework ideas after the performance. Here, the music is a blend of older classics from the Blue Note catalog, juxtaposed with contributions from Joel Ross on vibes, Jeff Parker and Matt Gold on guitar, Greg Ward on alto, Marquis Hill on trumpet, and De'Sean Jones on tenor and flute – a really well-chosen array of players who flesh out Makaya's ideas in a beautiful way. Titles include "Wail Bait", "Frank's Tune", "Slice Of The Top", "Sunset", "Ecaroh", "Black Rhythm Happening", "Monaco", and "Mr Jin". ~ Dusty Groove

Johnathan Blake - Homeward Bound

Johnathan Blake—the remarkable Blue Note Records debut by drummer, composer, and bandleader Johnathan Blake—signals shifting tides for a career that’s yet to crest. The album features Blake’s quintet Pentad with alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, keyboardist David Virelles, and bassist Dezron Douglas. Blake has released the third single from the album, “Shakin’ the Biscuits,” a feel-good groove-based tune by Douglas that features a lively dialogue between the five musicians. It follows the previous singles “LLL,” a dedication to drummer Lawrence “Lo” Leathers, and “Homeward Bound (for Ana Grace),” a celebration of the life of Ana Grace Marquez-Greene. Blake assembled Pentad with the intention of composing for a fuller, more chordal sound than his past projects have featured. The result is a wildly intuitive, tight sound that embraces spontaneity and relies on trust. “The name represents us as five individuals coming together for a common cause: trying to make the most honest music as possible,” he says. “I wanted to create a record where people would get inside my head. I want them to see the story I was trying to tell. That’s my hope.”

Michael Mayo | "Bones"

NYC-based rising vocalist, songwriter and instrumentalist Michael Mayo has released his genre-defying, highly personal debut solo album Bones on via Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Records about embracing his truth of being bisexual. Though classically trained, Mayo’s original music is a seamless blend of alternative and neo-soul elements, as evidenced on the album’s introductory singles “The Way” and “You and You,” released in 2020, and recently released single “20/20”.  Each of the songs on Bones represents a learning experience for Mayo, the building blocks (“Bones”) that made him the person he is today.. In many ways, the collection serves as a letter to himself after years of lying to others about who he truly was and felt. Bones affirms you can live authentically, and not be afraid to express it. Having no black bisexual role models growing up, Michael hopes he can be that person for someone now and that one day we won’t have to “come out” but coexist with our differences. 

A diehard New Yorker for the past five years, Mayo was born and raised in Los Angeles surrounded by music, and love, as the son of “first-call” session and touring musicians. His father, Scott Mayo, currently the musical director for Sergio Mendes, was a saxophonist for Earth, Wind & Fire, while his mother, Valerie Pinkston, now a back-up vocalist for Diana Ross, has also sang with Beyonce, Luther Vandross, Ray Charles, Whitney Houston and Morrissey. The final track on Bones, “Hold On,” features his mom, who wrote the lyrics, singing on the first half and his dad providing background vocals, bringing Michael’s life full circle. In addition to his influential parents, Michael also studied at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music and the Thelonious Monk Institute -- now named after Herbie Hancock, who mentored Mayo, helping him discover the link between sound and technology through a looper pedal, while showcasing him as a featured vocalist on a tour of South America in 2018. 

19th Annual Panama Jazz Festival

In 2022, Panama Jazz Festival celebrates its nineteenth edition in a hybrid format. After the challenges the festival faced in 2021 they managed to virtually gather more than 170,000 people from 70 different countries. For the 2022 edition, Panama Jazz Festival returns with hopes to see the public, fans, and students come together during the week of the festival, to continue their mission of inspiring lives.

Unesco Artist for Peace, Cultural Ambassador of Panama, 2021 Doris Duke Artist Award recipient, and Artistic Director of the Panama Jazz Festival, Danilo Perez returns with recharged force to continue demonstrating the teamwork that is imperative for the social change in Panama and the rest of the world.

"The Festival is a cultural project that over 18 years has managed to consolidate creativity, exchange, and talent, with a strong commitment to education and social welfare in Panama. It is the largest cultural event in the region, which has had the participation of thousands of artists and public from all over the world, adding more than 300 thousand attendees in its 18 past editions,” says Danilo Pérez.

The Panama Jazz Festival, now in its nineteenth year, will pay tribute to Panamanian pianist Frank Anderson. Born on January 24, 1929, in Bocas del Toro, Anderson grew up with a solid music education and began to play with many established musicians in Panama. In September of 1948, he made the move to New York where he built a distinguished career performing with some of the best Latin musicians of our times including Marcelino Guerra, Israel “Cachao” López, and Arsenio Rodríguez. He also performed with jazz master Clark Terry, created his own Caribbean Big Band, and recorded with Lena Horne, Mahalia Jackson, Harry Belafonte, Chico O'Farrill, Hubert Laws, Woody Shaw, Kenny Burrell, among many others.

A cornerstone of the Panama Jazz Festival is to honor the legacy of jazz music in Panama. This festival’s edition will celebrate the concept of “Playing the Route”, which highlights the historical connection of our Isthmus with popular American music. This relationship is seen from the construction of the Transoceanic Railroad in 1850, to the development of the Banana industry in the late 1800s, and the construction of the Panama Canal in 1903. All of which allowed for Panama to be linked to the main jazz foci, New York and New Orleans, making our isthmus a protagonist and an essential part of jazz history.

This year features an abundance of renowned artists: Kurt Elling (United States); Borderlands Trio, featuring Canadian Pianist and Composer Kris Davis with Eric McPherson and Stephan Crump; Renowned Alto Saxophonist Antonio Hart (United States); Danilo Perez’s Global Messengers; PZ-533 Global Jazz Womex; among others. From Panama, the talent of great legends to new generations, such as the Panamanian star Solinka, the much-loved Lady of Jazz Idania Dowman, Mayra Hurley and Panama Connections.

A week of enriching clinics and concerts will kick off with the great gala night held at the National Theater. Concurrently, the 10th Latin American Music Therapy Symposium will bring together music therapists from Panama, Chile, the United States, and beyond. The Panama Jazz Festival is also pleased to welcome participating schools: Berklee College of Music through the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, The New England Conservatory, and New York Jazz Academy.

The nineteenth Panama Jazz Festival will have the Ciudad del Saber as its educational venue, and the official hotel is the Wyndham Panama Albrook Mall Hotel & Convention Center. All activities will ensure compliance with all biosecurity measures, including the mandatory use of masks and social distancing between seats, according to the Ministry of Health (MINSA) provisions.

The festival is produced by Panama Jazz Productions to benefit the social programs of the Danilo Pérez Foundation with the help of the Presidency of Panama, Panama's Ministry of Culture, Panama City Mayor Office, City of Knowledge, Copa Airlines, Alamo Rent a Car, Cable and Wireless, and many others.

Sara Serpa | "Intimate Strangers"

There’s no better way to connect with the humanity of a stranger than to hear their stories and to share our own. On their poignant and striking new collaboration, Intimate Strangers, the extraordinary vocalist-composer Sara Serpa and the Nigerian writer Emmanuel Iduma traverse the African continent, sharing the author’s personal journey and collecting the tales of fellow travelers and migrants he meets along the way. Through Iduma’s insightful text and Serpa’s transcendent music, the lens widens to explore the struggles and emotions experienced by anyone who’s left their roots behind to seek the uncertain promise of a distant horizon.

Due out December 3, 2021 on Biophilia Records, Intimate Strangers draws from Iduma’s 2018 book A Stranger’s Pose, which recounts the writer’s travels through more than a dozen African cities, combining travelogue, memoir and meditations on migration and displacement. The album also continues a narrative that Serpa began with her 2020 release Recognition: Music For a Silent Film, which grappled with the legacy of Portuguese colonialism in Africa via her own family’s history. Intimate Strangers is, in a way, the mirror image of that project, gazing back at colonial powers from the vantage point of Africa itself.

“There were a lot of stories in Emmanuel’s book that really resonated with me,” Serpa explains. “While Recognition dealt with my country's past relationships with Africa, I felt like his book presents a much-needed perspective of what borders actually mean. Through his travels and encounters with so many people just trying to cross into Europe, Emmanuel raises all these questions about traveling, migrating and leaving your home behind.”

Commissioned by John Zorn, Intimate Strangers premiered at Brooklyn’s National Sawdust in November 2018 as a multi-media performance combining Serpa’s music, Iduma’s narration, and photographs  from the author’s book. In recorded form, Intimate Strangers remains evocative, conjuring mental images in the listener’s mind as vivid as that projected footage. It helps that Serpa gathered a stellar collection of musicians able to craft such bold imaginary landscapes: she is joined by fellow vocalists Sofía Rei and Aubrey Johnson (Rei is a bandmate from Zorn’s a cappella quartet Mycale; Johnson has been a collaborator since attending NEC with Serpa), along with pianist Matt Mitchell (Tim Berne, Dave Douglas) and modular synth player Qasim Naqvi (Dawn of Midi).

Iduma writes in the liner notes that, “My collaborative performance with Sara brought me closer to understanding how words worked in a pre-literate time, when writing was yet to be invented – when stories were passed from mouth to mouth, from memory to memory… Sara’s composition distills A Stranger’s Pose to its essential groove and vital ballad.”

“I am always inspired by Emmanuel’s insight and his writing,” adds Serpa. “We share a very deep mutual respect for each other's work. Of course, we come from different backgrounds, but we share the same concerns regarding humanity and hospitality. So we thought a lot about how to combine our art to convey this message and honor both our skillsets.”

The two were further bonded by shared grief, as both lost their fathers within a few months of each other. José Luis Serpa, who passed away just three days after the premiere of Intimate Strangers, provided the vibrant collage that graces the album’s cover art.

The album is itself a journey, beginning with Iduma’s self-reflections and continuing close to home with encounters in Nigeria. It soon ventures farther, over the Moroccan border and through the desert in Bamako, Mali. In the Senegalese town of Kidira the writer is reminded of his relatively privileged status when a passport means a world of difference between him and the unnamed stranger whose life briefly becomes linked to his own. The Morocco-based Cameroonian poet Onesiphore Nembe recites a piece in French, about things left behind – a mellifluous echo of past colonialism.

At journey’s end we cast our eyes back to its beginning. “For You I Must Become a Tree” poetically conveys the reflection of the migrant on the loves and home from which they’ve embarked, now far away but always heart-achingly close. “In the mind of the traveler, those who love you don't want you to go. So that person has to become a tree, which means having your roots in one place [with branches reaching far away].”

Serpa weaves a mesmerizing sonic tapestry from the sparse instrumentation and especially the stunning vocal harmonies, which serve at times as gorgeous atmosphere, at others as ethereal storytellers, still others as a lush Greek chorus. “The main character is always Emmanuel,” Serpa describes. “The singing voices are sometimes spirits, sometimes ghosts, sometimes witnesses and sometimes joining him as narrators.”

While Intimate Strangers tells Iduma’s story, and those he gathered along the road, it is no less personal a piece for Serpa. “As a migrant myself,” she says, “albeit a privileged migrant, I recognize the feeling of being a foreigner and a bit of an outsider. As a European and someone who has been following the news of the world’s various refugee crises, I feel that the book offers a human, crucial and urgent side to the stories that continuously happen at every border. That's what attracted me to it.”

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,” and by JazzTimes magazine as “a master of wordless landscapes,” 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 ten albums. The latest is Recognition, an interdisciplinary project that combines film with live music in collaboration with Zeena Parkins, Mark Turner and David Virelles. Serpa was voted  #1 Vocalist of the Year by the 2020 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll, Musician of the Year 2020 by Portuguese magazine Jazz.pt and Female Vocalist-Rising Star 2019 by the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll. She has collaborated with Ingrid Laubrock, Erik Friedlander, John Zorn, Nicole Mitchell, André Matos, Guillermo Klein, Linda May Han Oh, Ben Street,  and Kris Davis, among many others. Serpa currently teaches at The New School, New Jersey City University and is Artist-In-Residence at Park Avenue Armory. She is the recipient of Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant 2019, New Music USA 2019, New York City’s Women’s Fund 2020, USArtists Grant from Mid-Atlantic Foundation for the Arts, and the 2021 Herb Alpert/Ragdale Prize in Composition. Serpa has been active in gender equity in music and is the co-founder (along with fellow musician Jen Shyu) of Mutual Mentorship for Musicians (M³), an organization created to  empower and elevate women and non-binary musicians.  www.saraserpa.com     www.mutualmentorshipformusicians.org

Emmanuel Iduma is the author of A Stranger’s Pose, a book of travel stories which was longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize. His essays and art criticism have been published in The New York Review of Books, Aperture, Artforum, and Art in America. His honors include a Creative Capital/Warhol Foundation grant for arts writing, the inaugural Irving Sandler Award for New Voices in Art Criticism from AICA-USA, the C/O Berlin Talent Prize for Theory, and a Silvers Grant for Work in Progress. I Am Still with You, his memoir on the aftermath of the Nigerian civil war, is forthcoming from Algonquin (US), and William Collins (UK). www.mriduma.com

Keith Oxman / Frank Morelli | "The Ox-Mo Incident"

Jazz and classical music have crossed paths myriad times over the decades, but rarely is the meeting as unconventional yet congenial as this unlikely partnership between Denver-based tenor saxophonist Keith Oxman and bassoon virtuoso Frank Morelli. On their debut release, The Ox-Mo Incident, the two gifted instrumentalists turn the novel conjunction of two strange bedfellows into an intoxicating sound and a charming conversation between like-minded souls.

The pairing is a first for both Oxman and Morelli, and perhaps for jazz itself (if not, it’s beyond doubt a true rarity). The Ox-Mo Incident marks Morelli’s initial venture as a soloist into the world of jazz, a step he takes with swinging grace and agility. It proved challenging for Oxman in different ways, who had to darken his sound to share the frontline with such an unfamiliar partner. The two are expertly accompanied by three of Oxman’s Denver compatriots – pianist Jeff Jenkins, bassist Ken Walker and drummer Todd Reid, who also joined the saxophonist for his 2018 album Glimpses with sax legend Dave Liebman.

The album’s title makes a playful reference to Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s 1940 western novel The Ox-Bow Incident and its cinematic adaptation starring Henry Fonda. But where that dark story finds a pair of drifters meeting a lynch mob in pursuit of suspected cattle rustlers, this chance encounter ends with decidedly happier results. 

While their warm, casual rapport makes Oxman and Morelli seem like old friends, they in fact barely knew each other prior to the 2019 session that yielded The Ox-Mo Incident. The saxophonist’s wife, visual artist Susan Oxman (who provides the album’s liner notes) had studied bassoon with Morelli at the Hartt School and Manhattan School of Music. The two, whose birthdays fall just one week apart, would call each other each year during their respective celebrations. It was during one of these phone conversations that Morelli cracked a half-joking remark about the possibility of recording with her husband.

“Frank is just an unbelievable musician,” Oxman enthuses. “So I was really excited when he suggested this. Even though jazz might not be his musical field, good musicians are good musicians. And when somebody's as good as Frank, there's got to be something there.”

In choosing material for the session, the duo devised a clever way to find middle ground between their respective comfort zones. Many of the tunes selected were penned by songwriters familiar from the jazz repertory – Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe – but the particular pieces represented here were, in many cases, derived from classical compositions. 

For instance: an old favorite, “Baubles, Bangles and Beads,” written by Robert Wright and George Forrest for the 1953 musical Kismet and performed by everyone from Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim to Sarah Vaughan to Gerry Mulligan, is based on a theme from Alexander Borodin’s String Quartet No. 2. The sultry version here borrows the bossa feel from the Sinatra-Jobim rendition. The same source yields the classic “Stranger in Paradise,” its enticing melody essayed by Morelli with stunning charm and dexterity.

“Full Moon and Empty Arms,” best known for Sinatra’s 1945 version but also explored by countless artists from Erroll Garner to Freddie Hubbard to Bob Dylan, is similarly based on a classical composition, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and is given a swooning, romantic treatment by Oxman and Morelli. “Three for Five” is a take on Brahms’ Third Symphony that eloquently showcases Morelli’s expressive suppleness on his instrument as well as Oxman’s emotional range, while “Poor Butterfly” takes flight from Puccini’s opera into smoky noir balladry. Gabriel Fauré’s well-known “Pavane” shines another spotlight on Morelli’s mesmerizing virtuosity, as he flawlessly renders the melancholy melody before yielding to Oxman’s soulful interpretation.

“I think we both had to endure each other's teaching a bit,” says Oxman with a laugh. “I'm not a classical player and Frank didn't see himself as a heavy jazz guy, so between the two of us we were like the blind leading the blind in some ways. But we were both thrilled with the results.”

For the remainder of the non-original material, the pair delved more into the jazz songbook. The album opens with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Happy Talk,” a spirited jaunt that sets the upbeat tone for the project as a whole. The same songwriting team contributes “Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” echoing the classic Miles Davis version. The album closes with the wistful “I Could Have Danced All Night,” which seems to look excitedly forward to another meeting.

Oxman also contributes two original tunes to the setlist. The title track was written for the occasion and makes ideal use of the singular tonal pairing, while “A Wasp in Search of a Hart and Lung” sticks to the jazz-meets-classical theme, albeit in a more tongue-in-cheek fashion. The eyebrow-raising title pays homage to Oxman’s one-time violin teacher, Sarah Hart, and her husband, Eric Lung. “I wasn't a very good violin player, but I practiced every single day,” Oxman explains. “My family endured it, but you can't pick that instrument up in your 50s and do much.” During one lesson, a wasp flew into the studio; Hart called out to her husband for help, who simply responded, “Just tell Keith to start playing – it'll leave!”

With all of the challenges that Oxman and Morelli faced in recording The Ox-Mo Incident, the major factor in their favor was the warm chemistry that they forged together, one that they hope to revisit soon. “The friendship that developed was so special,” Oxman concludes. “I've suddenly got this friend who I feel like I've known my whole life. We worked really hard, but in the end I was just excited to be working with somebody who I admired that much.”

Keith Oxman’s burnished tenor sound is born of a love of classic players like Sonny Stitt and Charles McPherson, with both of whom he’s played, along with greats like Art Blakey, Buddy Rich, Jack McDuff, Phil Woods and Dave Brubeck. Having learned directly from these masters, Oxman passes that torch along to his students at Denver’s East High School. In recent years he’s collaborated with the likes of Curtis Fuller, David Liebman and Houston Person and reunited with his iconic Denver band the Jazz Worms to release the quintet’s first new album in nearly three decades.

Bassoon soloist, chamber musician and teacher Frank Morelli studied at the Manhattan and Juilliard Schools of Music and was the first bassoonist awarded a doctorate by the Juilliard School. A member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the woodwind quintet Windscape, he has also made nine appearances as a soloist in Carnegie Hall. He serves on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, SUNY Stony Brook and was recently named Distinguished Lecturer in Woodwinds at the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, CUNY.

Nick Maclean | "Can You Hear Me?"

This double album, a debut solo piano release from award-winning Toronto pianist Nick Maclean, takes influences from jazz piano greats such as Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Brad Mehldau, as well as that of his two divergent ensembles: Snaggle and Nick Maclean Quartet. Maclean, whose groups have frequently been lauded for the strength of their collective improvisatory vision, continues here in that unconstrained spirit with courageous risk-taking and musical exploration springing from in-the-moment inspiration. Shaped by Maclean's respect and trust in producer Brownman Ali’s impactful, omnipresent guidance, Maclean delivers rich and prismatic interpretations of originals, standards, and other spontaneous contemplations. Thus, this solo pianistic odyssey's completion represents Maclean's most vulnerable, personal, and intimate recordings to date.

Can You Hear Me? - Nick Maclean's debut 18-track, double disk solo album - features 7 Maclean-penned compositions, 8 standards, and 2 spontaneous improvisations, all recorded at the renowned Chalet Studio in Uxbridge, ON. Produced by internationally acclaimed trumpet player and producer Brownman Ali, this new double album was released in Canada on Oct 31, 2021, and will be released internationally on Dec 10, 2021 on Browntasauras Records. This is Maclean's fourth release for Browntasauras, following those by his two award-winning ensembles, Snaggle (The Long Slog & Christmas Tune, 2016) and Nick Maclean Quartet (Rites of Ascension, 2017).

Roddy Ellias Free Spirit Ensemble | "Not This Room"

When music transcends the notes, it connects our inner and our outer lives, and takes us to another place. It’s a place you’ll want to inhabit for a while, and Not This Room will get you there. These nine songs combine the unique melodic artistry of composer and guitarist Roddy Ellias with unforgettable lyrics by Canadian writer Sandra Nicholls. Sung by Juno award- winning vocalist Kellyee Evans, with the help of eight other musicians, the songs are a stirring testament to the power of creativity in the face of isolation, a musical light from the darkest days of the pandemic, a jazz-infused message of hope.

Ellias is a composer whose work defies a simple definition, and his musical journey has taken him from his early roots in pop and R&B bands, to the improvised world of jazz, through African and other world beats all the way to the classical world, even writing an opera, and everything in between. The songs on this latest album move seamlessly through different moods and styles, echoing the shifting experience of the pandemic itself. From the simple folky power of Prayer to the hypnotic beat of The Street, from the haunting, melancholy lyricism of the title track, Not This Room, to the luminous harmonies of Draw Me a Circle, the songs on this album linger on long after you first hear them.

This is not his first collaboration with Nicholls, an award-winning poet and novelist, but they consider it their most important, with songs they hope will connect people in a time of profound disconnection. In addition to Ellias and Evans, the album features New York pianist Marc Copland, Juno-winner Petr Cancura, Richard Page, Pierre-Yves Martel, Guy Pelletier, Justin Orok, Chris Pond and Jose Garcia. It was recorded in the beautiful ambient setting of Mackay United Church in Ottawa.

Not This Room will be released on Friday, December 17th 2021.

New Music Releases: Damien Escobar, Knick Smith, Reza Khan, Marco Albani

Damien Escobar - 25 Days Of Christmas

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without this very special Holiday EP from Emmy-winning, violinist Damien Escobar. The NCAAP Image Award nominee who rebuilt his career from the ground up through grassroots movements fueled by soulful mixtapes, now uses his platform to not only share his music, but to make a difference in the world. 25 Days Of Christmas delivers the famed Dame sonic emotion, with all of the trimmings of the season. Truly one of the most majestic Christmas soundtracks we’ve had the pleasure of hearing, from classical overtones to contemporary beats on beloved Carols make 25 Days Of Christmas Must Play during your Celebration time! ~ smoothjazz.com

Knick Smith - Romance

A former “Tonight Show” bandmember who served as Stanley Clarke’s musical director for ten years, keyboardist composer Knick Smith™ brings a multi-faceted Joe Samplesque piano and keyboard vibe to Romance, his dazzling and soulful, stylistically freewheeling Smooth Jazz debut album that follows several traditional jazz projects. Showcasing his fanciful, grooving originals and jazzing up Prince, and Barry White classics, Smith offers up the perfect fusion of lush sensuality, wildly grooving jams, innovative keyboard musings and sparkling improvisations. Along the way, he vibes passionately with several prominent guest artists, including vocalists Jeff Robinson and Lynne Fiddmont and famed percussionist Munyungo Jackson. ~ smoothjazz.com

Reza Khan - Imaginary Road

A socially conscious force in global jazz fusion for over 10 years, Bangladesh born, NYC based composer/guitarist Reza Khan taps into the exotic-meet-melodic aesthetic of one of his major influences, Pat Metheny in his adventurous approach to blending pop, jazz, soul and world music influences. On his multi-faceted and wildly groove intensive album Imaginary Road, Khan uses a wide array of musical textures to express his emotions about the pandemic and our political culture. Vibing with top genre musicians like Philippe Saisse and Miles Gilderdale (Acoustic Alchemy) as well as fusion great Mark Egan (bass) and trad jazz pianist Matt King, he leads us along an ultimately hopeful path filled with sunshine, sizzling soul, seductive light funk and exquisite free flowing balladry. ~ smoothjazz.com 

Marco Albani - Kallaama

Since launching his solo career in 2006, Rome-born and based composer/acoustic guitarist Marco Albani has shared his expansive global consciousness via demanding works that have fused acoustic jazz with Mediterranean, African, and South American textures and rhythms. The title of his latest collection Kallaama – from a Senegalese idiom meaning “language,” specifically the universal language of music – speaks to the ambitious thematic concept and dynamic, polyrhythmic culturally fluid scope of the project. It’s a wildly spirited, multi-lingual affair (English, French and idioms of Italian, Senegalese and Zambian) pairing Albani’s bright guitarisma with featured saxophonist Javier Girotto and renowned international vocalists Frances Alina Ascione, Kaw Sissoko, Andrea Sanchini, Umberto Vitiello, Clea Scala, Carla Cocco and Velka-Sai. Collectively, they fulfill Albani’s vision to celebrate freedom, love, hope, fearlessness, and the overcoming of challenges. ~ smoothjazz.com

Melba Moore | "So In Love"

The award winning actress and singer just keeps cranking out hits these days! But her proudest and most meaningful release is “So In Love”, the first single from her upcoming album “IMAGINE” on her daughter, Charli Huggins’ new label, The Gallery Entertainment. Written by Chantel Hampton and Rahni Song and produced and arranged by Rahni Song, ” So In Love” brings Melba back to her R&B roots with this smooth, sweet, rhythmic and romantic midtempo love song. As for Melba’s new venture with her daughter she says, “Charli has grown up in the industry. She has diverse interests but one thing that I know for sure is, she has a genuine love and knowledge of music. So we thought, why don’t we do a project together?”

Speaking on the recording of the album “IMAGINE”, Melba states that “this has been a long time coming. I had an opportunity on this album to express many things that I never had a chance to before. We’re living in peculiar times and I felt it was the perfect time for IMAGINE. It was made with love and I’m so looking forward to everyone’s response to it.”

The album “IMAGINE” is produced by Rahni Song, Danny Pickering and Janice Dempsey. Executive produced by Charli Huggins and Beau Huggins.

Lindsey Webster | "You Change"

From the first note, Lindsey Webster captivates listeners. Her rich, soulful voice enchants a dedicated following who connect with the raw emotion she shares with them. As a Soul R&B artist, she combines an admirable natural talent with a genuine, accessible stage presence. Webster considers herself “very, very lucky” to have grown up in Woodstock, NY. With a heavy emphasis on arts and music, her grade school had a progressive music program where Lindsey cultivated a deep love of music by learning the cello. After playing for 10 years, often in first chair, she moved to NYC to attend Fiorello H. LaGuardia School for the Music, Art & Performing Arts. As she grew musically, she transitioned from strings to voice where she heard her calling and found herself. In 2009, Lindsey met her partner,

Keith Slattery, and started performing professionally. Together, with a band of world–class musicians, they’ve performed over 600 shows in venues including Bearsville Theater, Levon Helm Studios, Helsinki Hudson, Daryl’s House, The Falcon, The Lambs Club, Rockwood Music Hall, The Red Lion, and Groove. The success of her first album and winning “Best Acoustic Song” in the Independent Music Awards caught the eye of Brian Hurst from UK’s soulandjazz.com. Hurst brought Webster to Atlanta Records, who signed her to release her second album, You Change. Appropriately titled, You Change shows a real transition and beautiful growth for Webster as an artist. While humbled her voice has been compared to R&B royalty, Sade, Mariah Carey, and Anita Baker, Lindsey looks to bring her distinct style to Soul R&B and continue to make music that resonates with her fans. ~ www. firstexperiencerecords.com

Kenny G | "New Standards"

World-renowned and Grammy-Award winning saxophonist Kenny G, will release his first new album in six-years titled New Standards.  Out December 3rd through Concord Records (with 2-LP set for release on February 11, 2022) the 11-song collection of original compositions takes inspiration from the Jazz Ballads of the 50’s and 60’s.  

“For this album, I wanted to try to recreate those ‘sounds’ but do it my own way, which for me meant that I would have to compose the songs myself. So I set out to compose and perform songs that capture the ‘heart and soul’ of those beloved Jazz Standards and to record them “my way”. It was a wonderful (and painstaking) labor of love and I’m super proud of the end result.”

In support of New Standards, Kenny will return to the road beginning December 2nd with his upcoming “The Miracles Holiday & Hits Tour 2021,” which will open in Waukegan, IL at the Genesee Theatre. Promising to bring Kenny’s signature brand of jazz to the live stage, the multi-city trek will hit a number of major US markets including Nashville, St. Louis, Detroit, and Boston.  

HBO will release the documentary LISTENING TO KENNY G in early December as part of the Music Box series created by Bill Simmons.

Pedway | "Vitalic"

Pedway is a freely improvising alto saxophone, bass, and drums trio featuring Caroline Davis, Matthew Golombisky, and Quin Kirchner. Born in Chicago in 2006 out of a collective love of creating new music in the moment, Pedway explores grooves, varying time signatures, and tonalities completely improvised, but always striving to create a song/tune-like aurora of the piece. Often one or two members start playing while the others follow suit, all while serving the direction of the music.

Caroline, Matthew, and Quin have a long history of playing with one another in various groups, such as Golombisky’s large chamber ensemble, Tomorrow Music Orchestra, electric “punk jazz” collaborative, Zing!, and various ensembles in Chicago. 

The stage was set when Matthew moved to New Orleans after finishing his undergraduate in North Carolina. There, in 2001, he met Quin and the two became inseparable, forming several groups of original music and exploring new ideas, including their freely improvised quartet, QMRplus (who played a week’s worth of shows in Chicago just a few weeks before Hurricane Katrina). After Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, both decided to complete studies elsewhere. Matthew transferred to Northwestern in Chicago, finishing a Masters Degree in Composition, and Quin headed to Manhattan School of Music. During Matthew’s time at Northwestern, though studying “classical music composition”, he was curious about what the jazz program was like and spied on the Friday afternoon jam session. The cats were great, but one person that immediately caught his ear and had him saying, “I have GOT to play with her!” was Caroline Davis’ playing. He approached Caroline after the session and they learned they had a similar love of the free/improvised music scene in Chicago, mentioning Tim Daisy, Ken Vandermark,  and Dave Rempis. Caroline and Matthew immediately began playing in a couple of ensembles together. 

When Quin returned to his hometown of Chicago, more specifically Oak Park, the three started playing in Tomorrow Music Orchestra and Zing!. Later in 2006, they decided to start a brand new project that didn’t require charts, rehearsals, or limitations on what could enter the stage at any given moment. Pedway was born. 

Pedway released an EP, Jar Cell Dirge in 2006; a full-length album, recorded live, Subventure in 2008; and a studio album Passion Ball in 2013. This current record, Vitalic, is set to be released November 2nd, 2021 in digital and vinyl formats. Recorded live in Chicago in two prominent venues in 2017 (The Whistler and Cafe Mustache), the improvised pieces on the album blend their lively raucous sounds, alongside melodic sways and pop-like repeating chordal patterns. Chicago’s live-music recording icon, Dave Zuchowski (Ken Vandermark, Tim Daisy, Dave Rempis, Carol Genetti, Nick Mazzarella), recorded Vitalic with studio-like quality.

G'emma | "Types Of Water"

With the Berlin-based singer G‘emma, a true star is shining in the German soul sky. Just last fall, Emilie Nguimba began studying jazz singing at the Osnabrück University. However, the singer, pianist and producer has been following her own musical path since her earliest childhood when she started taking guitar, piano and vocal lessons. At the age of 15, she finally wrote her first compositions and by 2019 her first single («Roundabout») with accompanying video was released.

In the same year, G‘emma moved to Freiburg, where she met the two producers and musicians Quintin Copper and Dowakee, who soon come to her aid. One produces her second single «Comfort Zone», the other introduces her to his record label Sonar Kollektiv.

«Types Of Water», recorded between Freiburg and Tübingen together with Quintin Copper and Dowakee, has a very direct reference to current hip-hop and neo-soul. Hence G‘emma counts Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse among her most important musical influences. The six tracks of the EP are so different and varied that every facet of the G‘emma musical universe comes to bear.

During the Corona summer of 2020, G‘emma often played mini-concerts in the gardens of friends and acquaintances in Freiburg to alleviate their longing for live music. «Types Of Water» makes this intimate feeling accessible to a wider audience. Most probably you will see G‘emma on much bigger stages very soon anyway because Germany has been waiting for such a voice for a long time!

Benny Barksdale, Jr. | "the Heart & Soul of Benny Barksdale, Jr."

Benny Barksdale, Jr. began his love affair with the saxophone in his native Baltimore, Maryland - studying music since he was a young lad, prompted by his drummer father. He advanced from his Douglas High School band to various groups in the area, eventually forming his own band, which was put on hold when he enlisted in the US Army. Upon his return home from a tour of duty in Vietnam, he was enlisted by Philly soul icons The Dells, which led to extensive studio work as his reputation as a gifted, reliable sax man grew. Over the years he has performed with the late Grover Washington, Jr., Evelyn "Champagne" King, Gloria Gaynor, Phyllis Hyman, jazz organist Jimmy McGriff, The Crests, The Manhattans, Gary U.S. Bonds and others. His association with the renowned "Chops Horns" led him to tour with Alicia Keys, leading to his appearance on the 2002 Grammy Awards Show and his inclusion on Alicia Keys' hit album, Songs In A Minor - Collector's Edition, released in 2011. 

Now a resident of New Jersey, he has frequently worked on legendary Philly Soul producer Butch Ingram's recording sessions which led to Benny being featured on many Society Hill sessions and his own full length Christmas album, plus a live archival release featuring Grover Washington, Jr. Benny has recently penned a tune that is close to his heart, inspired by his love for his wife Fran and her unwavering support of his musical endeavors. The resulting track, "Fran's Theme," is a lush romantic ballad that is mostly instrumental with a few vocal flourishes provided by Benny with background vocals supplied by the impeccable Ingram Brothers. With legendary Philly Soul producer Butch Ingram at the helm and Benny's saxophone front and center, instrumental backing is provided by the Ingram Brothers band with added guests Gary Nelson on guitar and Charles "Clef" Lundy on keyboards. As Benny says: "This is a song dedicated to my wife, Fran, who has been behind me in fulfilling all of my musical ambitions. 

John Armato | "The Drummer Loves Ballads" w/Houston Person

Legendary jazz cornetist Warren Vaché and tenor soul master Houston Person are grand marshals of a parade of guest artists appearing on John Armato's debut album, "The Drummer Loves Ballads." They are featured in a duet on the classic "Don't Worry 'bout Me" by Rube Bloom and Ted Koehler.

The pair is known for their duets. Person appeared on Vaché's "Horn of Plenty" (Muse, 1993) and Vaché returned the favor on Person's "So Nice" (HighNote, 2011) and "Rain or Shine" (HighNote, 2017).

With more than 75 albums as leader and countless more as sideman, Person has come to define the term "soul jazz" with his lush, spare and heartfelt approach to the tenor saxophone. With nearly three dozen dates as leader and innumerable more as sideman, Vaché is a supremely accomplished and versatile cornet (and trumpet and flugelhorn) artist consistently in demand for his burnished tone, lyrical style, and intelligent improvisations.

"A highlight of my years in New York was the many Sundays tenor saxophonist Bob Kindred invited me to sit in at his jazz brunch at Café Loup," said Armato. "Occasionally he called me for other gigs, including a couple with Warren, which made me swoon. I hadn't worked with Houston before, but the night I heard him live at the Iridium was like sitting in front of a warm fireplace on a cold evening. When I decided to record "Don't Worry 'bout Me," I immediately thought of them both."

A decade had passed since those experiences, though, so Armato asked his friend, the singer Anne Phillips, former wife of the late Bob Kindred, if she could help connect the dots to Houston and Warren. She said yes. "And lucky for jazz fans everywhere, so did they," said Armato.

"The Drummer Loves Ballads" was designed to be a new soundtrack for lazy Sunday afternoons, romantic evenings, and melancholy midnights, but it plays like a long-lost jazz favorite. Ballads define the playlist but vary in style and mood, ranging from intimate quartet settings to sweeping orchestral arrangements (by Paul Roberts).

Other featured artists include German jazz violist Steffen Drabek; vocalists Ron Gutierrez, Lisa Henry, Lucy Wijnands, and the late Molly Hammer; woodwind artists Brett Jackson, Doug Talley and Lynn Zimmer; and the late Jeff Lisenby on accordion. Vaché also does a solo turn on the album's opener, "Dreamsville," by Henry Mancini.

The album was produced by John Cushon with primary recording by Justin Wilson (Pete Milrose handled the console for the Person/Vaché session), mixing by Howie Lindeman, and mastering by Greg Calbi of Sterling Sound. It features Armato on drums with Wayne Hawkins on piano, Gerald Spaits on bass, and Rod Fleeman on guitar.

"The Drummer Loves Ballads" is available at the album website, Amazon, and major music platforms.

Grover Washington Jr. | "In The Name Of Love – The Elektra Years 1979 to 1984"

A great run of music from Grover Washington Jr – five full albums, plus lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Paradise – one of those records you see so much it's easy to forget how great it is! Grover's a real genius with the sax on this record – taking a "less is more" cue from Stanley Turrentine's 70s work, and toning down his playing to an even tighter style than on the Kudu albums of earlier years, to a level of ultimate economy that really leaves us breathless. Grover hits a rarified level here that we'd only reserve for a small few – like Steely Dan or The Crusaders, both groups who teeter on the same brink, and make it work perfectly. Titles include "Asia's Theme", "Tell Me About It Now", "Feel It Comin", "Icey", and "The Answer In Your Eyes". 

Winelight is a smooth smooth classic from Grover Washington Jr – a set that has a classy image on the cover, and a classic groove within – a completely sublime blend of jazz, soul, and funk, all given the sort of masterful finish that you might have found on the best records by The Crusaders at the time! The difference, though, is that Washington's the lead soloist throughout – crafting some especially nice lines on his trademark soprano sax – which he used in ways that made him one of the most important mainstream jazz artists of his time – and one of the few to really open the doors of the music to folks who might not have been listening otherwise. Grover's sense of space and timing is wonderful throughout – and titles include the classic debut with Bill Withers on "Just The Two Of Us" –plus "Winelight", "Let It Flow", "In The Name Of Love", "Take Me There", and "Make Me A Memory (Sad Samba)". 

On Come Morning, Grover Washington blows over some great arrangements from William Eaton – full, but lean too – and with the same sort of slinky groove that always worked best for Grover back at Kudu Records! The sound is tight, but never too slick – that magically soulful approach that always made Grover a real standout from his contemporaries – one of the few cats who could smooth out jazz without ever losing its soul – thanks to lots of well-crafted lead lines on soprano sax! Titles include "East River Drive", "Jamming", "Little Black Samba", "Be Mine", and "Reaching Out". 

Best Is Yet To Come is a set that strongly continues the special spirit that Grover Washington brought to his music during the Elektra Records years – as one of the few artists who really found a way to move forward from the style of 70s jazz funk, but not fall into some of the smoother jazz cliches that were about to envelop his contemporaries! Part of the strength of the record lies in Grover's strongly soul-based sense of timing – allowing for just the right amount of space between the notes to remind you that you're listening to a jazz soloist first and foremost, even when a guest like Patti Labelle might step in for a bit of vocals. Titles include "Brazilian Memories", "Mixty Motions", "Can You Dig It", "I'll Be With You", "Things Are Getting Better", and "The Best Is Yet To Come". 

Inside Moves has Washington soaring to the skies on soprano sax – as expressive a voice on the record as any soul singer might be – and maybe even more so on the few spots that do include vocals. Jon Lucien sings a bit on the record – and if you read these pages, you know how much we love him – but Grover's still the giant here, with a sense of timing and phrasing that few of his contemporaries could ever hope to match in a setting like this. Titles include "Jet Stream", "Sassy Stew", "Dawn Song", "Inside Moves", "Watching You Watching Me", and "Secret Stew". 5CD set features 19 more bonus tracks – all the single edits of songs from the albums!  ~ Dusty Groove

New Music Releases: Gary Meek, Manfredo Fest, Dave McMurray, James Francies

Gary Meek - Monterey Groove

With opportunities for live performance and studio work suddenly non-existent due to the pandemic, saxophonist/keyboardist Gary Meek decided to introduce the world to his stellar new band while revisiting a number of original compositions from his rich catalog. The project soon grew beyond his core quartet, which features  guitarist/producer Michael Lent (Barry Manilow, Jeffrey Osborne). along with bassist Robert Wider and drummer Skylar Campbell. With the album by necessity being recorded remotely, opportunities arose for guest appearances by some of Meek’s long-term collaborators, including drummer Dave Weckl, vocalist Flora Purim and percussionist Airto Moreira. The result is the vibrant Monterey Groove, a stunning set of modern fusion that both celebrates the musicianship to be discovered in the Northern California beachside community and draws inspiration from the area’s natural beauty and welcoming population. The album, via Autumn Hill Records, includes tunes from throughout Meek’s 30-year career as a leader, along with songs written to showcase collaborators new and old.

Manfredo Fest - Brazilian Dorian Dream

Manfredo Fest's 1976 turbo-powered, intergalactic elevator ride returns! Legally blind from birth, Brazilian keyboard player, composer and bandleader learnt to read music in braille and began studying classical music at a young age. By 17 Fest had fallen in love with jazz before becoming swept up in Rio’s emergent bossa nova movement in the sixties. Moving to the States in 1967 where he would go on to work with fellow countryman Sergio Mendes, Fest recorded and self-released Brazilian Dorian Dream in 1976, enlisting Thomas Kini (bass), Alejo Poveda (drums, percussion) and Roberta Davis (vocals). 

Dave McMurray - Grateful Deadication

Saxophonist Dave McMurray’s new album Grateful Deadication takes his gritty, soulful Detroit sound and reimagines the songs of the Grateful Dead with an album as vibrant as it is unexpected. McMurray talks about the new album on the latest episode of “First Look” with Don Was. Watch the video for a transcendent version of “Loser” featuring Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir alongside Bettye LaVette and Weir’s Wolf Bros bandmates Was, Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti, and Greg Leisz. McMurray will be touring across the U.S. over the coming months, visit davemcmurray.com to see where he’ll be.

James Francies - Purest Form

James Francies has released his 2nd Blue Note album Purest Form, an expansive opus which finds the pianist, producer, and composer accessing intimate chambers of his artistry across 14 tracks that interpret love, grief, frailty, and fortitude. The album’s core trio of Francies, bassist Burniss Travis, and drummer Jeremy Dutton are joined throughout by alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, guitarist Mike Moreno, and vocalists Elliott Skinner, Peyton, and Bilal. Watch Francies discuss Purest Form on the latest episode of “First Look” with Don Was.

New Music Releases: Ben Lamar Gay, Boom.Diwan feat. Nduzuzo Makhathini, Roscoe Mitchell, Louis Hayes

Ben Lamar Gay - Open Arms To Open Us

Ben Lamar Gay might well be one of the most creatively intense artists on the International Anthem label – and that's saying a lot, given all of the groundbreaking talents who've come to record for the company in recent years! And while Ben's previous record was completely mindblowing, this set really pushes things over the top – and has the artist at the helm of a large assemblage of musicians who provide all these different sonic elements to augment the intensity of his vision – as the leader handles cornet, organ, and a host of other instruments – while singing on most cuts, but in a way that's majestic and very much his own – neither soul, nor jazz – at least in familiar ways. The lineup features voices of many others – and instrumentation that includes Tomeka Reid on cello, Matthew Davis on trombone, Johanna Brock on viola, and Rob Frye on flute – mixed with spoken and sung passages from a number of others, including Angel Bat Dawid. Incredibly beautiful throughout – with titles that include "Hood Rich Happy", "I Once Carried A Blossom", "Slightly Before The Dawn", "Be Loving Me Some Of You", "We Gon Win", "S'Phisticated Lady", "In Tongues & Droves", and "Touch Don't Scroll". ~ Dusty Groove

Boom.Diwan feat. Nduzuzo Makhathini - Minarets

Led by Abu Dhabi-based musician/applied-ethnomusicologist Ghazi Al-Mulaifi, Boom.Diwan is a collaborative jazz ensemble  inspired by the cosmopolitan Kuwaiti pearl diving music of the Indian Ocean trade. Commissioned, premiered, and mixed as a virtual performance by The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi for the 2021 Barzakh festival, Minarets is the result of a collaboration between Boom.Diwan and featured pianist Nduduzo Makhathini (Blue Note). A three-movement suite, the record is the outcome of a series of intimate, trusting, and vulnerable conversations between Ghazi Al-Mulaifi and Nduduzo Makathini.

Roscoe Mitchell - Dots: Pieces For Percussion & Woodwinds

A really great blend of two different sides of the genius Roscoe Mitchell – his ear for composition, and his strong legacy of solo performance too! The "Pieces" in the title of the set might make you think that Roscoe is delivering one of his ensemble creations from more recent years – but the performance on the record is very much a step back to his early work on the late 60s and 70s – those moments when Mitchell was often at his best exploring sonic space on his own – as he does here on a variety of woodwind and percussion instruments, used in varying ways throughout the recording! Titles include "Glide & Run", "Skip", "Hey", "Light Green", "Vast Horizons", "Let's Go There", "Moving Bell", "Click", and "Now The Color Blue". ~ Dusty Groove

Louis Hayes - Crisis

The great Louis Hayes has been giving us incredible records for decades – and this recent set still has the drummer very much at the top of his game – working with a soulful conception that few folks can match, and really getting the best out of the wonderful group he's got on the set! The lineup is fantastic – Steve Nelson on vibes, Abraham Burton on tenor, David Hazeltine on piano, and Dezron Douglas on bass – all artists we love in other settings, but who seem to sparkle even more strongly here under the guidance of Hayes! Camille Thurman sings on two cuts – "Where Are You" and "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" – but the real strength of the album comes from the many instrumental tracks, on titles that include "Crisis", "Arab Arab", "Desert Moonlight", "Creeping Crud", "Roses Poses", and "Oxygen". ~ Dusty Groove

Ilmiliekki Quartet | "Ilmiliekki Quartet"

Ilmiliekki Quartet from Helsinki return with their new self-titled album on We Jazz Records on 11 February 2022.

The group, including Verneri Pohjola (trumpet), Tuomo Prättälä (piano), Antti Lötjönen (bass) and Olavi Louhivuori (drums) is a mainstay in the Finnish scene and the band has been steadily developing their sound for nearly two decades now. It could be said that the group's musicians, each of them a notable solo artist in these days, has grown with and through performing together with this regularly working quartet. Ilmiliekki Quartet's music has a song-like melodic quality, which pairs naturally with their open-minded search for new musical landscapes.

As testament of Ilmiliekki Quartet being a Band with a capital B, the songs on the new album come from each of the four members. As in their 2019’s ‘Land of Real Men’, the band also borrows a tune for a loving rendition, this time tackling ‘Aila’ by the Finnish dream pop group Karina.

All in all, there's a deep, moody element to the music, yet at the same time, their sound flows with remarkable ease and lightness of touch. This brings out a wide range of colours in their music, which is easy to fall in love with.

MPS Records Releases Monty Alexander, Nicola Conte, The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band and Volker Kriegel & The Singers Unlimited

Jazz fans and vinyl record collectors have been treated to a bevy of album reissues from the historic MPS Records catalogue since last summer, making hard-to-find collections by seminal jazz figures available again, some for the first time on vinyl and CD. On Friday, Germany’s first jazz label reissued five more albums, making the total 41 albums reissued since June in North America via Edel Germany in partnership with Bob Frank Entertainment. Friday’s haul includes albums by Monty Alexander, Nicola Conte, The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band and Volker Kriegel reissued in time for holiday gifting along with The Singers Unlimited’s evergreen “Christmas” album.

Alexander’s first ever MPS release, 1971’s “Here Comes The Sun,” launched a fruitful

decadelong chapter in the Jamaica-born pianist’s prolific recording career that spanned a dozen albums for the label. Influenced by labelmate Oscar Peterson, Alexander incorporated sounds from his homeland -reggae, Caribbean, Calypso and blues – into his swinging jazz and bop. Titled for Alexander’s boogeying, Latin-tinged rendition of The Beatles’ classic, “Here Comes The Sun” placed the piano man in a quartet setting accompanied by bassist Eugene Wright, drummer Duffy Jackson and calypso percussionist Montego Joe. Alexander talks about making the album and the artistic freedom he enjoyed at MPS in this video: https://youtu.be/IWcWPsyt4Ow.

Italian DJ, producer, musician and composer Conte did a deep dive into the MPS archives

to curate a collection of “spiritual jazz,” piecing together swatches of music recorded between 1965-1975. “Cosmic Forest” is an imaginative, genre-defying double vinyl LP and CD that spans an enormous palette of sounds, cultures and styles. Conte deftly threads strands of rhythmic acid jazz through sonic tapestries fusing bossa nova and samba grooves, Bollywood dramatics and classic Italian film score theatrics.

A modern and timeless big band that was an intercontinental affair, The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band made sensuous and bluesy music that swung. The 17-piece orchestra with principals from Europe and the United States played urbane arrangements crafted by Boland’s skillful hand. Labelmate and vibraphone great Dave Pike is among the

featured soloists on “All Smiles,” comprised of a set list that includes standards by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and George Gershwin.

All Music says Kriegel’s “Spectrum” “holds up generations later as a true jazz-rock classic.” A prodigious guitar player who played electric and acoustic guitar and sitar on this 1971 release made up of seven of his own compositions, the alchemist audaciously bounded through jazz, rock and world music terrain on his recordings. Emerging on the German jazz-rock scene as a teenager, Kriegel gained notoriety as a member of Dave Pike Set, which led to landing his own recording pact with MPS. “Spectrum” was his sophomore outing.

Led by Gene Puerling, the influential vocal

group The Singers Unlimited was discovered by Peterson who introduced the a cappella quartet to MPS. The outfit would go on to release fifteen albums on the imprint. 1972’s “Christmas” unwraps a treasure trove of seasonal chestnuts along with seven originals showcasing the group’s hallmark vocal harmonies.

Founded in 1968 by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, MPS was the recording home for legendary artists including Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, The Count Basie Orchestra and George Duke.