Andrew Cyrille, William Parker, Enrico Rava | "2 Blues for Cecil"

2 Blues For Cecil brings together three legends of modern improvised music, drummer Andrew Cyrille, bassist William Parker and flugelhornist Enrico Rava, in a tribute to the late, great pianist and bandleader Cecil Taylor (1929-2018). Although the three played together for the first time as members of this trio, they share a common bond through their separate time spent performing and recording with Taylor. 

Enrico Rava and Andrew Cyrille are among the elders of improvised music with their careers going back to the 1960s. William Parker rose to prominence during New York’s loft jazz era of the 1970s. The three musicians share one major link in their respective careers. Namely, they all have at different times been members of Cecil Taylor Unit or other ensembles of the legendary late pianist and bandleader Cecil Taylor.  

Rava, Parker and Cyrille first performed together as a trio in a tribute to Cecil Taylor, with Taylor himself present, at the Whitney Museum in April 2016 as part of an exhibit/program under the heading “Open Plan: Cecil Taylor.” 2 Blues For Cecil was recorded on February 1 and 2 at Studio Ferber in Paris following the trio’s concert on December 31, 2020 under the heading “Tribute to Cecil Taylor” as part of the Sons d’hiver festival in Paris.

While 2 Blues For Cecil features compositions by all three of its members and even a standard, the emphasis is on improvisation. Four of the ten tracks are extended collective improvisations, including two versions of “Blues for Cecil.” The trio does not seek to emulate Cecil Taylor’s approach to creating music but rather draws on all the experiences, separate and shared, of its members. 

“Cecil was a spokesman for individuality, a musical warrior always operating on a high level,” says Parker. “He was not avant-garde, he was a human being who loves life as music. He would not be boxed in by the music world’s value system that asks artists to conform to their standards.” 

Although Andrew Cyrille was already an accomplished young musician at the time, his international breakthrough came with his membership in the Cecil Taylor Unit, which lasted for over a decade (1964-75), during which he established his position as one of the leading drummers in freely improvised music and participated in some of Taylor’s most legendary recordings. More than five decades later, Cyrille is still considered to be one of the most creative and versatile percussionists in modern jazz, equally at home in a modern mainstream setting as with more avant-garde music. 

Similarly, William Parker first recorded with Frank Lowe, Billy Bang and many others in the 1970s but became internationally recognized when performing with the Cecil Taylor Unit in 1980-91 and participating in more than ten recordings led by Taylor. Parker is now best known for the many groups he has led or co-led over the past four decades. As well as being an improviser, writer and poet, Parker is a prolific composer and has composed everything from operas, oratorios, ballets and film scores to soliloquies for solo instruments. To date, he has participated in approximately 500 recordings with well over 50 albums under his own leadership. 

Enrico Rava began his career in his native Italy in the mid-1960s but his work with saxophonists Gato Barbieri and Steve Lacy led to years spent living in New York City in the late 1960s and early 1970s and working with many of the musicians then active on the New York improvised music scene. Soon, Rava began recording under his own name. With more than 50 recordings as a leader or co leader, he is one of the most internationally known Italian jazz musicians and one of the best known in all of Europe. Although Rava met Cecil Taylor in the late 1960s in New York City, the two performed together for the first time almost two decades later, first in Taylor’s Orchestra Of Two Continents in 1984 and then in the Cecil Taylor European Orchestra in 1988. 

Andrew Cyrille (b. 1939) was born in Brooklyn, New York, into a family with Haitian parents. He was mentored in the art of drumming by the great Philly Joe Jones circa 1958 and began recording and performing with the likes of Walt Dickerson, Coleman Hawkins, Roland Kirk and Mary Lou Williams when barely 20 years of age. However, Cyrille truly made his mark through his membership in the Cecil Taylor Unit, which lasted for over a decade (1964-75), during which time he established his position as one of the leading percussionists in the then emerging freely improvised music. Cyrille soon became one of the most respected drummers in modern jazz through both of his own recordings as a leader and through his collaborations with virtually every important name on the contemporary scene. Since the 1970s, Cyrille has led or co-led a number of ensembles, including Maono, The Group, the percussion quartet Pieces Of Time and Haitian Fascination that pays homage to his Haitian roots. In 1992, Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman and Cyrille founded Trio 3, a cooperative group that has over time become one of the main performing vehicles for all three of its members, recording more than 10 albums with several of the later ones also featuring a visiting pianist. Altogether, Cyrille has released more than 30 recordings as a leader or co-leader and countless others as a sideman. His most recent recordings as a leader are The Declaration Of Musical Independence (with Richard Teitelbaum, guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Ben Street) in 2014, Lebroba (with trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and Bill Frisell) in 2017 and The News (with pianist David Virelles, Bill Frisell and Ben Street) in 2019. In 2020, Cyrille received the Doris Duke Artist Award. 

William Parker (b. 1952) is a composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, writer and poet born in the Bronx in New York City. He entered the music scene during New York´s loft jazz era in the early 1970s and quickly became a much sought-after bassist playing primarily with fellow improvisers, such as Billy Bang, Don Cherry, Milford Graves, Khan Jamal, Frank Lowe, Jemeel Moondoc, Charles Tyler and Frank Wright, among many others. Parker became internationally recognized when playing in the Cecil Taylor Unit from 1980 through 1991. Parker´s key collaborators have also included his spouse, dancer Patricia Nicholson, as well as Roy Brown, Peter Brötzmann, Rob Campbell, Cooper-Moore, Hamid Drake, Charles Gayle, Peter Kowald, Joe Morris, Matthew Shipp and David S. Ware. Since the early 1990s, Parker has increasingly led his own ensembles, including In Order To Survive, The Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra and the William Parker Quartet. Parker’s special projects have featured the music of Duke Ellington, Curtis Mayfield and Fats Waller, among others, and he has released several solo bass recordings as well as several duo recordings with fellow bass players. To date, Parker has participated in approximately 500 recordings, including well over 50 albums under his own leadership. Parker is a prolific composer and has composed everything from operas, oratorios, ballets and film scores to soliloquies for solo instruments. He is also a theorist and the author of several books as well as volumes of poetry. 

Enrico Rava (b. 1939) was born in Trieste, Italy. Rava began playing the trombone in Dixieland bands when he was 15 but switched to the trumpet at 18 after hearing Miles Davis perform in Turin. Soon Rava was participating in local jam sessions and, in 1963, the Argentine saxophonist Gato Barbieri, who was then living in Rome, convinced Rava to join him there. Rava’s first recordings were in the mid-1960s with Gato Barbieri, Giorgio Gaslini and Steve Lacy. After Barbieri moved to Paris, Rava joined Steve Lacy's quartet, which led to extended stays in London, South America and eventually New York City. After moving to New York City in 1967, Rava soon played with many of the local musicians then active on the improvised music scene, such as Carla Bley, Lee Konitz, Jeanne Lee, Paul Motian and Roswell Rudd. Rava traveled back and forth between the United States and Europe and began making records both in New York City and in Europe with increasing frequency. Rava’s first albums as a leader were with the Enrico Rava Quartet in 1972 and 1973. His first album for ECM Records was The Pilgrim And The Stars in 1975 and thus began a relationship that still continues today and has resulted in a total of 15 albums with the most recent being Edizione Speciale in 2021. Rava has also continued to work with many other European improvisers, including concerts and recordings with a number of large ensembles, such as ICP Orchestra, Globe Unity Orchestra and Italian Instabile Orchestra. Altogether, Rava has participated in more than 200 recordings with more than 50 of those as a leader or co-leader.Although Rava met Cecil Taylor in the late 1960s in New York City, the two did not perform together until almost two decades later. Rava participated in the recording of Winged Serpent (Sliding Quadrants) in Milan in 1984 by Taylor’s Orchestra Of Two Continents as well as the European tour that followed. In 1988, Rava was a member of Cecil Taylor’s European Orchestra.  

Avishai Cohen | "Naked Truth"

There is a searching, yearning quality to Naked Truth, and a raw beauty and vulnerability in Avishai Cohen’s trumpet sound throughout. Very much music-of-the moment, found and shaped in the course of a remarkable recording session in the South of France, Naked Truth takes the form of an extemporaneous suite. For most of its length the Israeli trumpeter painstakingly leads the way, closely shadowed by his long-time comrades – pianist Yonathan Avishai, bassist Barak Mori and drummer Ziv Ravitz - who share an intuitive understanding, hyper alert to the music’s subtly-changing emphases. At the album’s conclusion, Cohen recites “Departure”, a poem by Zelda Schneurson Mishkovsky, whose themes of renunciation, acceptance and letting go seem optimally-attuned to the mood of the music. 

Avishai describes the album as the outcome of a “two-year meditation. I had been sitting with the main motif of Naked Truth since the start of Covid. The eight note motif you hear at the start of Part II was the beginning of the whole process. I wouldn’t say the motif has been ‘haunting’ me exactly, but it’s been accompanying me through this whole period and everything that I came to assemble for the album revolved around those eight notes and all the possibilities within them. 

“And as I explored that, a lot of other questions were coming up, as I asked myself what do I want to say in the music, what do I need to say. And the process also came to reflect a personal, emotional journey.” There were two parallel stories unfolding, he elaborates, the search for the compositional framework, and something more existential. 

“With earlier albums, like Into The Silence, the music was very much about the compositions. But with this one, the melodies somehow didn’t want to be written down before the recording. And at the same time, the story is definitely not about the solos…”

Cohen had just one rehearsal and one “mini-concert” with Yonathan Avishai and Barak Mori prior to the session at Studios La Buissonne. “The discussion about what to play and what not to play evolved out of that.” As one reference point, Avishai asked his comrades to listen to recordings of bansuri flute master Harisprasad Chaurasia, “who to me conveys so well the ability to play everything and also to play nothing except the essential.” Avishai also discussed trimming percussive details to a minimum with drummer Ziv Ravitz, more than a matter of simply playing less, this was a call to enter the heightened emotional tone and focus of the music (see Part IV here).

With everything stripped back to emphasize the soul-baring spirit of Naked Truth, small instrumental details have a large impact. When Avishai finally switches from crespuscular walking-on-eggshells muted trumpet to open horn playing in Part III, for instance, it is as if a searchlight is suddenly illuminating the music…

 “Departure”, a poem by Israeli writer Zelda Schneurson Mishkovsky (1914.1984), is a piece set to music and premiered by Avishai in a project with Danilo Pérez and Chris Potter and subsequently explored further in other Cohen group contexts. “When I first read that poem I was blown away by it.” With its reflections on mortality and its almost Buddhistic balancing (Zelda was Orthodox Jewish) of non-attachment and gratitude and wonder it makes an apt conclusion for Naked Truth. In the present realization, a logical ending, musically, too. 

Naked Truth was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in Pernes-les-Fontaines, in September 2021, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Oan Kim Releases Leftfield New Jazz Track 'Mambo'

Mambo is the latest single from Oan Kim’s upcoming album ‘Oan Kim & the Dirty Jazz’. Inspired by the likes of Archie Shepp and Charles Lloyd, Oan’s inimitable jazz saxophone style is neatly entwined in this mysterious and minimal track.

The single follows on from the first release of the album Wong Kar Why, which features French musician Edward Perraud. The album was produced by Oan himself in his home studio in Paris, with Oan playing saxophone and guitar throughout. On Mambo, he explains ‘as with most of this album I wanted to mix different genres. It all started with the guitar and bass line alla Nick Cave or Timber Timbre. This bass line really sets a particular mood of subdued tension, that I wanted to do a jazz saxophone track on.’

Also singing on the track, Oan added ‘the lyrics describe a compulsive liar enjoying the joy and laughter that his lies provoke’. ‘I called it Mambo because it reminds me of music from the Mambo era and I liked the connotations, but it’s clearly not a mambo per se’.

Oan’s compelling sound palette follows from studies at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and the Bill Evans Piano Academy, whilst also being fascinated by contemporary music and the indie scene in which he played for a number of years with electro-rock duo Chinese Army and rock band Film Noir.

Having pursued a career as a filmmaker and photographer in parallel to his music, the multifaceted creative has won awards such as Silver Horn of the Krakow Film Festival, Emerging Documentary Filmmaker at DMZ festival, Swiss Life 4 Hands Award and more, as well as being a co-founding member of one of the foremost photo agencies in France, MYOP Agency.

Bringing together his musical and artistic influences into a melting pot of creativity, Oan’s passion for music and filmmaking is evident with the mesmerizing music video for Mambo. Featuring two contemporary dancers, the video showcases the ‘dynamics of seduction within a dance number’. Inspired by a mix of Pina Bausch and Fred Astaire, the video aims to show ‘where a couple is gaging each other, getting closer, pushing back, pulling closer, embracing, controlling the other, or falling into each other's arms’, whilst also keeping the urban settings of dance similar to in the film Pina by Wim Wenders. 

The dance is based on these ‘push/pull dynamics’, borrowing elements of ballroom dancing that match the retro elements of the music.

Mambo, the second single from the upcoming album ‘Oan Kim & The Dirty Jazz’, is available now on all major platforms.

J. Peter Schwalm and Markus Reuter | "Aufbruch"

Aufbruch, the title of the debut collaboration between electro-acoustic composer J. Peter Schwalm and guitarist Markus Reuter, translates as “departure” or “emergence.” Either definition offers an evocative interpretation of the powerfully immersive soundworld they’ve conjured together, but even more suggestive is the ambiguity between the two meanings. For the music of Aufbruch feels like both an awe-inspiring journey of discovery and a welling up from the murkiest depths of the subconscious.

Begun as a correspondence and fully realized as an in-person collaboration, Aufbruch captures and sustains an imposing air of alluring menace, an atmosphere that feels somber and distressed yet powerfully optimistic. “It seemed like we had the same sort of image in our minds,” Reuter says. “It feels like a dystopian future where the industrialized cityscape of the past has begun growing over with green. Which doesn't really surprise me.”

It’s true that the global conditions in which the album was produced might lend themselves to thoughts of rebuilding after an apocalyptic disaster rather then the somewhat more hopeful idea of preventing such disasters outright. But the Aufbruch, the “emergence” at which the title hints suggests that some remnant of humanity might be able to pull itself free from the wreckage and rebuild, about as cheery a thought as one could discern in these mesmerizingly bleak yet captivatingly rich aural landscapes.

That Reuter and Schwalm created such a vivid and cinematic set on their first meeting suggests the far-reaching imagination and gifts for intensive musical empathy that each man possesses. After trading files back and forth in an initial attempt at long-distance collaboration, the pair eagerly agreed to improvise together in the flesh. “When we met for the first time in my studio and started improvising, it was clear to both of us that a direct exchange was at least ten times more effective,” Schwalm explains. “We laid the foundation for eleven pieces in four hours.”

Reuter instigated the music on his self-developed Touch Guitar, digitally processed and manipulated in real time. Schwalm added his own colors via newly-devised synth sounds and later edited the improvisations into their final forms. On two tracks the duo is joined by the remarkable Belgian-born, Berlin-based vocalist Sophie Tassignon, whose late appearance returns a trace of the human to the stirring machine-made environments.

“Markus is the painter and I am the sculptor,” Schwalm says. “What made it very pleasant working together was that he incorporated so many ideas into the work process and gave me the green light to do what I wanted with them.”“It's a mystery to me how Peter does what he does,” Reuter adds. “I don't really understand the internal process he uses to make his decisions, but any decision he made was perfect for me.”

Both artists can boast a storied history of brilliant collaborations and startling sonic palettes. In 1998 Schwalm’s electro-jazz ensemble Projekt Slop Shop caught the ear of legendary musician/producer Brian Eno, instigating a six-year partnership that included recording the album Drawn From Life, composing the soundtrack to Nicolas Winding Refn’s film Fear X, and the creation of a multi-channel sound installation in the crater of the Volcano del Cuervo on the Spanish island of Lanzarote. Schwalm released Musikain, the first album under his own name, in 2006; since then he’s released four other albums, the last three for RareNoise: The Beauty of Disaster in 2016, How We Fall in 2018, and Neuzeit with Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen last year.

Reuter's work as recording artist, solo performer and collaborator spans (and frequently fuses) electrophonic loop music, contemporary classical music, progressive and art rock, industrial music, world jazz, jazz fusion, pop songs and pure improvisation. Over the course of a two-decade career, he has been a member of multiple bands, ensembles and projects (including centrozoon, Stick Men, Tuner, The Crimson ProjeKct and Europa String Choir) as well as a solo artist. His prolific output bridges genres both within and between projects, and he has worked with a wide swathe of exploratory musicians including Ian Boddy, Robert Rich, Tim Motzer, Mark Wingfield, Asaf Sirkis, Kenny Grohowski and several members of King Crimson.

“Markus didn't come into the studio as a solo guitarist, but as a co-sound designer, co-improviser and co-composer,” says Schwalm. “He is extremely productive, an artist with unlimited creativity and a massive output.”

The swarming distortion of the title track inaugurates the album, growing from void to immense proportions from the emptiness of the ether, shrouding the listener in a swirling, shifting cloud of noise. The calming shimmers of “Von Anbeginn” are undercut by the agitated buzzing underneath, growing ever more insistent until the piece erupts into howling industrial rhythms. Reuter’s reverberant tones float weightlessly at the outset of the mournful “Rückzug,” while “Abbau” suggests images of rainfall spattering the rusted girders of an abandoned factory.

The distorted hiss and skittering, untraceable noises of “Ein Riss” presents the music at its most unsettling, while the spectral march beat of “Der lange Weg” has the haunting feel of a ghostly parade. The sudden appearance of Sophie Tassignon’s ethereal voice on “Lebewohl” is almost shocking in its introduction of a more organic feeling into the proceedings, prompting a more open, airy sensation in the piece. Tassignon also graces the following track, “Losgelöst,” one drone among many that contributes to the sound of a hybrid pipe organ. The album closes with the blissful, somberly soaring “Abschied,” a steely but determined gaze into an uncertain future.

Mike Pride | "I Hate Work"

Mike Pride was not a fan of legendary punk band MDC – a straight-edge hardcore devotee, you could even say he had a chip on his shoulder about this more mainstream, less disciplined form of punk – when he suddenly found himself on a tour of Europe as their drummer sometime in the early ‘00s. Twenty years later, now a longtime fan and friend of the band, Pride unexpectedly turns to the band’s raucous catalogue as a source for jazz standards on his warped new album, I Hate Work.

Out via RareNoiseRecords, I Hate Work draws its material exclusively from MDC’s iconic 1982 debut album, Millions of Dead Cops. Despite his long-established passion for bringing the extremes of hardcore and heavy rock into the jazz and improvised music realm (and vice versa), Pride instead does the unexpected, transforming MDC’s pummeling punk into swinging acoustic jazz. 

For the occasion he enlisted pianist Jamie Saft and bassist Bradley Christopher Jones, both master re-interpreters of a wide swath of pop and rock music, as well as special guests Mick Barr (Ocrilim, Krallice), JG Thirlwell (Foetus), Sam Mickens (The Dead Science) and MDC frontman Dave Dictor.

“I literally didn't know anybody when I moved to New York in 2000,” Pride recalls. “So to go from that to joining MDC, not realizing their history and how famous they were in certain aspects of the music world, was really eye opening. And doing 90-day tours without a day off was a serious ass kicking. In hindsight it was a great experience. I would never do it again, but it was a great experience.”

Pride quit the band in December 2004 after two years of touring and recording the album Magnus Dominus Corpus, though he’s maintained a close relationship with both vocalist Dave Dictor and guitarist/songwriter Ron Posner. Not long after, he began incorporating his experiences in the punk realm and his hardcore roots into “jazz” projects like his bands From Bacteria To Boys and Pulverize the Sound.

“Those projects really reflected my idea of the popular music I was into,” Pride explains. “I was getting to a phase of my musical output where I was trying to reflect the music that surrounds me rather than just following my id. I wanted to take tunes from my musical history and started thinking about ways to incorporate more aggressive music in the same way that certain pop tunes became jazz standards. That led me to think about trying to do something with these MDC tunes.”

The strangeness of the songs on the original Millions of Dead Cops was a product of its unusual recording, a marathon, speed-fueled session in which the entire album was recorded without a break. When he landed the gig two decades later, Pride had to transcribe every dropped beat and missed eighth note; he ended up reading from sheet music for his first year with the band, a definite curiosity in the largely untrained punk world that endeared him to his older bandmates.

That attention to detail paid off when it came time to revisit the songs for I Hate Work. “There’s a lot of meat on the bones of some of these tunes,” Pride says. “Originally I thought we could just play them really fast and blasty, which is probably what people would expect of me anyway. Then I decided it would be even cooler to slow them way down, figure out some chord progressions other than the usual I-IV-V stuff, and reimagine the melodies Dave might sing if everything wasn't happening at a breakneck tempo and he was able to really sing.”

That approach is in direct opposition to Pride’s actual tenure in the band, when the goal was to attempt the fastest possible version of each song on stage. The record came one night in Amsterdam, when this album’s title track, “I Hate Work,” clocked in at a blistering 24 seconds, nearly half the previous record. For its album-closing rendition on the present recording, the song is stretched into an 8-minute nightclub crooner, with Dictor bizarrely channeling his inner Sinatra (albeit Ol’ Blue Eyes in his present condition, disinterred and martini thrust into his decomposed clutches). 

I Hate Work opens with Pride’s chattering cymbal patterns setting the pace for a finger-snapping “Corporate Death Burger,” with Saft eloquently exploring the unearthed melody in much the same way as the eclectic pianist has songs by the likes of ZZ Top or Bob Dylan in his own projects. The serrated shredding of Mick Barr enters as the tune transitions into “Business on Parade,” where the guitarist plays like a death metal Sonny Sharrock. 

Barr’s presence on the album was a must, as the guitarist, along with Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn, was integral in encouraging Pride to join MDC in the first place. He returns for the funhouse mirror cabaret take on “Greedy and Pathetic,” featuring Pride’s frequent collaborator Sam Mickens on vocals. The drummer played with and served as musical director for the ex-Dead Silence singer’s Ecstatic Showband and Revue.

Foetus mastermind JG Thirlwell contributes his rasping purr to “America’s So Straight,” sounding like a showtune for a musical not only off Broadway but deep below it, in some subterranean lair. Saft switches to a calliope-like mellotron for the lilting “Dick for Brains,” trading buoyantly with Pride in the solo section. “Dead Cops” begins with a precision intro before settling into a lurching swing, with Saft essaying another dazzling turn at the keys.

In keeping with a series of threes marking the project – a 3-sided LP, a trio of guest vocalists – Pride also contributes three original compositions to the album, which take the ideas he derived from exploring and expanding the MDC songs into wholly different territory. He plays whispering brushes on the dirge-like “And So You Know,” and propels “Annie Olivia,” named for his young daughter,” with a methodical rumble. Jones’ vehement bowed bass and Saft’s droning mellotron combine in the ominous melody of “She Wants a Partner With a Lust for Life,” dedicated to Pride’s wife.

Family is central to Pride’s philosophy, perhaps helped by his tenure in MDC. I Hate Work is dedicated to bassist Mikey Donaldson, who died of an overdose at the age of 46. “It’s important to me that my family isn’t subjected to a terrible home life because their dad is a musician,” he says. “So I try to always give them some love on the albums.”

As Dictor’s memorable vocal turn implies, the members of MDC have given the project their blessing, which also was important to Pride. “They're very excited about it,” says the drummer, whose nickname during his time in the band was Baby Mongo. “With the generational divide, they definitely feel like proud uncles in some way. I hope it comes off respectful and sheds some light on their music, which is much more interesting than I ever would have assumed previous to joining the band.”

Canadian Smooth Jazz & Folk Chanteuse Catia Dignard Celebrates Starting Again with New Single, “Rather”

Learning from past experiences without reliving them is one of the key ways to win at this game called life, and Canadian jazz singer-songwriter Catia Dignard places us at the beautiful starting line of leaving the past behind with her new single, “Rather”.

“‘Rather’ is about starting love anew once we have lost our innocence,” Dignard explains, adding that it also touches on “carrying the scars of our pasts without them becoming liabilities.”

A torch song about not carrying one, “Rather” atmospherically sets such a stage for renewal with its lovely, interwoven piano and sax intro melody. Dignard’s yearning declaration of “wanted for so long to feel this peacefulness inside on my own” opens a channel to calmer waters after the storm.

“I’d rather be with you here than in the past.”

Weathering her own personal challenges — like going back to grad school, moving to a new city and ending a long-term relationship — provided the impetus for Dignard to release “Rather” now after initially writing and recording the song a few years ago.

“It’s one of these songs just ‘waiting’ for the moment to find its place in the world,” says the Montréal-born, Toronto-based artist. “Life changes and a great deal of soul searching made me revisit it with a new perspective.”

With Acadian heritage and having lived in Latin America and North Africa during her childhood, Dignard draws inspiration from the sea and her travels. As such, “Rather” flows along on a rolling sea of piano, saxophone and percussion with Dignard’s smooth, sultry vocal at the crest of the wave, journeying from one stage of life to the next.

“This song has also travelled quite a bit,” notes Dignard. “It was written in Montréal. Its music [was] composed and charted in Toronto. Then, recorded and performed first under the stars in Havana in December 2019 and finally mixed and mastered in the Eastern Townships, Quebec in the spring of 2020.”

A magical collaboration while visiting Cuba just prior to the first pandemic lockdown provided Dignard with the instrumental foundation for “Rather;” the musicians she met and recorded with in the musical hotbed of Havana helped give this song its wings just before a time during which creative flight has felt nearly impossible for many.

“In the midst of these turbulent times, both on a personal and global level, I found a safe haven musical community of collaborators and friends for this piece to come about,” she shares.

“Rather” was recorded at Manane Records Studios in Playa, Havana and produced by Miguel Ángel Wong Díaz — who also plays guitar on the track. In addition to Díaz are the “incredible team of Havana-based musicians,” Dignard says, including Lendy Fernández (piano), Francisco Spek Silveira (saxophone), Yan Sanabria Betancourt (bass), and Carlos A. Valdés Bastante (drums) — along with Dignard’s “long-time accomplice” and saxophonist David Elias engineering and mastering the track.

Musical and academic education have gone hand in hand for Dignard. While studying vocal jazz under the tutelage of Catherine Bastarache and Marie Vallée and attending multiple workshops and musical camps in Québec and Europe in the early 2000s, Dignard was also pursuing a second university degree. During this time, she also gained performing experience as lead vocalist for jazz guitar virtuoso Mike Gauthier’s combos at Bishop’s University and participated in Kim Richardson’s jazz jams at Montréal’s Dièse Onze club.

These formative years encouraged Dignard to start writing and recording her own compositions with her partner, double bassist Jean-François Martel. That led to collaborations with trumpet player Maxime St-Pierre, guitarist Louis Trudel, Cuban pianist and JUNO Award nominee Rafael Zaldivar and the recording of Dignard’s debut album, Strange Coziness, released in 2018.

Since then, Dignard’s music has found its way to Canadian radio with airplay on CFLX in Sherbrooke, Québec and CIUT in Toronto, as well as international airplay first in Australia, on Banks Radio and Valley FM 89.5, then in the U.K. and the U.S..

Not one to follow a singular path, Dignard also recently collaborated and performed with Toronto-based funk rock and soul band Bad Breed at the Canadian Music Week and Bloom online music festivals. This while pursuing a PhD in Hispanic Studies at the University of Toronto and currently working on more new music for release in early 2022.

For now, though, this rising jazz artist would ‘rather’ put the focus on her music that’s in the moment.

Eugenie Jones | "Players"

“Wide-ranging” takes on a new meaning with the March 11 release of vocalist, Composer, and  lyricist Eugenie Jones’s Players on her own Open Mic Records. Jones’s third album is the result of an odyssey that took her from her Pacific Northwest base (Seattle) to the Deep South (Dallas), the bustling East Coast (New York), the Midwestern Plains (Chicago), and back again, working in the process with a jaw-dropping spectrum of major jazz musicians that includes (among others) bassists Reggie Workman and Lonnie Plaxico, trombonist Julian Priester, keyboardist Shaun Martin, drummer Dan Weiss, and percussionist Bobby Sanabria. 

The multiple settings and ensembles are not incidental; making music in each region of the United States is the double-disc recording’s central concept. “It was way beyond anything I’d ever done,” Jones says, who produced the album and shared A&R duties with Workman. “And while it was a foreboding prospect, once I make up my mind, I’m very tenacious about doing what it takes to achieve my heart’s desire.” 

The diversity of Players extends to its tunes as well. Its Dallas session alone (featuring bassist Lynn Seaton and drummer Quincy Davis along with Martin) includes the Gershwins’ joyous swinger “I Got Rhythm” and two distinctive Jones originals: “There Are Thorns,” an anthem of determination, and the darkly soulful “One More Night to Burn.” Chicago’s output includes two Irving Berlin pieces in contrasting styles; “You Can Have Him” has a late-night lounge feel, while “Blue Skies” has an urgent, funky cast, highlighted in a Fender Rhodes solo by Kevin O’Connell.

In Seattle, Jones explores Billy Strayhorn’s moody ballad “Multicolored Blue,” Nina Simone’s blues-drenched “Do I Move You," and four of her own tunes, using three completely different lineups across the six tracks. Meanwhile, the New York session focuses on Jones’s originals, but these range from a hard-edged Latin groover (“Ultimo Baile En Casa,” featuring Sanabria) to a mellow, Quiet Storm-like ballad (“As Long As”) that trumpeter Marquis Hill underlines in a beautiful solo. 

The common bond, of course, is Jones. Her full alto voice, impeccable delivery, inventive rhythm, and expressive technique form an indelible stamp on songs of every type, across every city and musician. Imbuing her original compositions with remarkable verve and passion, she also breathes startling new life into the standard repertoire, claiming the familiar tunes as completely her own.

Eugenie Jones was born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, in a singing family: Her parents, Eugene and Tommie, were members of the choir at Friendship Baptist Church. Surrounded as she was by music, however, Jones at first had other plans for herself. She earned an MBA and moved to Seattle, where she started both a family and a successful career in marketing communications. 

In 2008, when Tommie passed away, Jones wanted to hold on to a piece of her mother. That drew her back to singing, which in turn drew her to the rich local jazz scene in Seattle. After spending several years honing her craft with the finest musicians in the Pacific Northwest, she recorded Black Lace Blue Tears in 2013. It was greeted with widespread acclaim on release, becoming the first vocal album ever to win the prestigious Earshot Jazz NW Recording of the Year. 2015’s Come Out Swingin’ was similarly celebrated, breaking Jazz Week’s Top 50 and winning Jones another Earshot Jazz award (NW Vocalist of the Year). 

Even as she thrived as an artist, however, Jones brought her considerable skills as a businesswoman to the local music industry. She founded two nonprofits, the education-centered Music Discovery Center (MDC) and the event-producing Music for a Cause. Under the latter auspices, she serves as Executive Producer of the Jackson Street Jazz Walk, an annual block party community event that both commemorates Seattle’s contributions to African American music history and raises funds for local community service organizations. 

This combination of creativity, skill, and resourcefulness leaves no doubt that Jones has the capacity to outdo even the impressive accomplishment of Players. “As a lifelong learner in pursuit of being better today than I was yesterday,” she says, “I will always look to answer that internal question of ‘what’s next.’” 

This winter and spring, Eugenie Jones will be bringing the music of Players to the cities where it was recorded, starting with a hometown show at the Royal Room, Seattle, Sat. 3/12, then cross-country to the Cloakroom, Harlem, NY, Sat. 4/2, and the Jazz Forum, Tarrytown, NY, Sun. 4/3. Additional dates will be announced soon.

Jazz Greats Kirk Whalum, Chris Standring and Jason Rebello Headline New 'Ultimate' Play Along App

London-based UK Music Apps Ltd has launched the 'ultimate play along' app for iPad and iPhone: Jazz300 features over 300 professional jazz, blues, soul, funk and pop backing tracks aimed at practicing and improvising musicians.

Jazz300 music app for iPhone and iPad contains over 300 professional backing tracks performed by 21 of the world's finest musicians including jazz legends Kirk Whalum, Chris Standring and Jason Rebello.

The brand new app offers musicians of all abilities the opportunity to play along to a huge collection of tracks - including over 200 jazz standards - recorded by 21 of the world's finest musicians including twelve-time GRAMMY® nominated Kirk Whalum (Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross), seven-time Billboard #1 Chris Standring and jazz impresario Jason Rebello (Sting, Jeff Beck).

In addition to its huge musical content, Jazz300 takes advantage of the latest advances in mobile audio technology. Users can change the key of the track on the fly and seamlessly speed up or slow down the music with just one touch.

Animated chord charts and crystal clear chord diagrams (for Piano, Guitar and Ukulele) help users learn new chords and improve their skills. There's an option to remove solo instruments - allowing users to play their own solo over the top, and the opportunity to create multiple playlists.

Paul Sissons, Executive Producer said: "Jazz300 offers a unique source of musical accompaniment. Not only is there a huge variety of real musical content which has been performed by world-class musicians, but the degree to which you can tailor each backing track in terms of key and tempo - while maintaining the quality of the audio - really is something new."

The content of Jazz300 is offered to users on a 'royalty-free' basis allowing them to play it anywhere and also use elements of the content in their own musical works - commercially or otherwise. Tracks can easily be exported from the app as stereo files but users who want to remix, rework or further develop Jazz300 tracks have the opportunity to download the multitrack version of any track. This is delivered to them as a GarageBand (Apple) project allowing access to the separate musical parts. This export option is available as a $0.99 (£0.99) in-app purchase.

Jazz300 is available from the Apple App Store at $15.99 (£13.99).

Ann-Margret & Sonny Landreth | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"

It has been awhile since one of Hollywood's brightest lights and star of the film classics such as Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas, Ann-Margret, has gifted the world with new musical recordings. So what better time than Christmas for the woman once dubbed the “female Elvis Presley” to return to the medium that launched her epic career? Ann-Margret is happy to announce the release of her brilliant and vivacious new version of “Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree” today on all digital platforms. With special guest, southern blues icon Sonny Landreth, joining in the fun, these two artists have crafted a vibrant rendition of a holiday favorite that seems tailor-made for Ann-Margret's sultry voice.

The track presages a new full-length album that Ann-Margret has been hard at work on and will be released in 2022. The project will pair her with several stellar guest artists including Bobby Rydell (who co-starred in Bye Bye Birdie), Blondie's Clem Burke, Wrecking Crew member Don Randi, rockabilly superstar Danny B. Harvey and more!

Also, for those in the Los Angeles area, Ann-Margret will be making an appearance at a special private engagement on January 13 at the Montalban Theater with special guest Rydell!

Fred Hersch | "Breath By Breath"

Iconic pianist/composer Fred Hersch was an early adopter of new technologies and new ways forward when the pandemic hit in early 2020. But he’s also been among the most eager to return to live performance and collaboration now that life has begun to resume some semblance of normality. In August he returned to the studio to record one of his most ambitious projects to date: Breath By Breath, his first album ever pairing jazz rhythm section with string quartet. 

“I’ve put all my streaming gear away,” declares Hersch, whose lockdown months started off with daily performances on Facebook and culminated in last year’s solo release Live From Home. “It was great while that was what it was, and now I'm in this place where it's live or nothing.” 

Due out January 7, 2022 via Palmetto Records, Breath By Breath draws inspiration from the pianist’s longtime practice of mindfulness meditation, centered on the new eight-movement “Sati Suite.” But while the album is certainly contemplative and lustrous, it’s far from being merely an ambient backdrop for blissful relaxation – the music on Breath By Breath is as fully engaged and emotionally rich as any that Hersch has made over the course of his remarkable career.

In part that’s due to the musicians Hersch has enlisted for the album. Bassist Drew Gress was a member of the pianist’s first trio and has been an inspiring bandstand partner for more than three decades. Jochen Rueckert is one of the most in-demand drummers on the modern scene, having played with such greats as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mark Turner, Melissa Aldana and Pat Metheny. The Crosby Street String Quartet, named for the NYC address where they first rehearsed with Hersch, combines four of the city’s busiest freelance string players: violinists Joyce Hammann and Laura Seaton, violist Lois Martin, and cellist Jody Redhage Ferber. 

“String quartets have been some of my favorite music to listen to my whole life,” Hersch explains. As he writes in the album’s liner notes, “I grew up listening to string quartets as a very young musician in Cincinnati. My piano teacher was the wife of the cellist in the famous LaSalle Quartet. I used to lie on the rug in their living room as an elementary school student while they rehearsed, quietly following along, hearing how the viola part meshed with the first violin, or the second violin and the cello. And ever since I started studying composition at age eight, almost all of my music has always focused on four melodic parts - so string quartets are a natural musical configuration for me.” 

The string writing on Breath By Breath spotlights the broad scope of Hersch’s compositional imagination. With each piece the quartet seems to take on a new role in relation to the piano trio: a lush background on one tune, an equal partner in dialogue on the next, an abstract instigator on yet another. “It was important to me that we record live with the strings so I could interact with what they were playing,” Hersch says. “I didn't want to lay down the music and then have them come in later and overdub. I felt like the fun of the project was to do it live.”

“Sati” is a Pali word meaning “mindfulness” or “awareness,” an idea that is central to Hersch’s meditation practice – which itself took on an even more profound importance during the pandemic. “It basically saved me,” he says with no hint of exaggeration. “Meditation is not about not emptying your mind; it's about observation. The phrase I like to use is, ‘relax, allow and observe.’ When I meditate it’s about recognizing sensations or thoughts as they come in and out, observing them and realizing that they're just phenomena. The brain thinks, and there's nothing wrong with that.”

The first movement, “Begin Again” references the cycle of renewal that begins fresh with each moment. Other pieces touch on different aspects of the process. “Know That You Are,” the composition that initiated the suite, refers to the foundational instruction, “When you sit, know that you are sitting and when you breath, know that you are breathing.” The often frantic activity of a mind struggling to be at rest is the subject of “Monkey Mind,” while “Mara,” which features a guest appearance by percussionist Rogerio Boccato, is the name of the god who tempted Buddha with wine, women and wealth.

Bringing meditation to the forefront of his music brings Hersch full circle in a sense, as he recognized when he began the practice decades ago. “When I started, I realized that in a way I've been meditating my whole life – but on a piano bench. I close my eyes when I play and I go into in that world. Occasionally I get distracted, but I don't get wrapped up in it. Instead of my breath being an anchor, the anchor is the sound that I get, the tactile feeling of my fingers on the keys, hearing the space around the music, and leaving that space for other musicians to contribute.”

Breath By Breath, then, is a recognition that meditation has been a way for Hersch to align his daily existence with the enlightened state he reaches while playing the piano. With the release of this captivating new recording, the rest of us are fortunate enough to glimpse that place and to feel its life-affirming impact on our own hearts and souls. 

A select member of jazz’s piano pantheon, Fred Hersch is an influential creative force who has shaped the music’s course over more than three decades. A fifteen-time Grammy nominee, Hersch has long set the standard for expressive interpretation and inventive creativity. A revered improviser, composer, educator, bandleader, collaborator and recording artist, Hersch has been proclaimed “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade” by Vanity Fair, “an elegant force of musical invention” by The L.A. Times, and “a living legend” by The New Yorker. For decades Hersch has been firmly entrenched as one of the most acclaimed and captivating pianists in modern jazz, whether through his exquisite solo performances, as the leader of one of jazz’s era-defining trios, or in eloquent dialogue with his deeply attuned duo partners. His brilliant 2017 memoir, Good Things Happen Slowly, was named one of 2017’s Five Best Memoirs by the Washington Post and The New York Times.

Charlie Peacock | "Blue For You"

Grammy® award-winning record producer Charlie Peacock adds another Jazz entry to his discography, an acoustic quintet set titled BLUE FOR YOU. Players are: ERIC HARLAND/drums, JOHN PATITUCCI/upright bass, CHRIS POTTER/tenor saxophone, MARCUS PRINTUP/trumpet, and Peacock on piano. The quintet performs Peacock’s compositions, “Refuge of the Wild”, “Blue For You”, and “Up Jumped Freddie.” 

While Peacock is known for his music production prowess, he has recorded with a long list of prominent jazz artists and musicians. 

Peacock followed his 2005 jazz debut, Love Press Ex-Curio (featuring Ravi Coltrane, James Genus, and Joey Baron) with Arc of the Circle (2008), an improvisational duets record with saxophonist Jeff Coffin featuring contributions from Marc Ribot and Derrek Phillips. Peacock’s solo piano outing, Lemonade, was released in 2014 and peaked at #4 on the Billboard Jazz Chart. All of Peacock’s jazz recordings have charted Top 5 on iTunes and Amazon, including 2018’s When Light Flashes featuring Jeff Coffin, Ben Perowsky, Felix Pastorius, Hilmar Jensson, and Matt White. In 2020, Peacock collaborated with bassist Steve Swallow on the single, “After All These Years” and yMusic Ensemble members, CJ Camerieri and Gabriel Cabezas on “Surprised Me Too.” In 2021, Peacock recorded “Brooklyn Brother Bond” with John Patitucci and Go Light, Go Free with the Turtle Island String Quartet.

Short Bio: Charlie Peacock is a Grammy Award-winning, multi-format performer, composer, and record producer. Peacock's production credits include Americana successes such as The Lone Bellow, Holly Williams, Ben Rector, Brett Dennen and "Misery Chain" for Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell featuring Joy Williams, from the soundtrack to the film, 12 Years A Slave. Peacock composed the title theme to the AMC drama Turn: Washington’s Spies featuring Joy Williams and The National’s Matt Berninger. Peacock founded the Commercial Music Program at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee and served as Director of the School of Music.

Nicholas Payton | "Smoke Sessions (Remixed)"

Though it’s never simple (or advisable) to pin Nicholas Payton down to a particular genre or style, the renowned trumpeter, keyboardist, and composer’s two recent releases for Smoke Sessions Records have found him in relatively traditional acoustic trio mode. He was accompanied by the powerhouse rhythm section of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington on 2019’s live Relaxin’ With Nick, then with the generation spanning trio of drummer Karriem Riggins and legendary bassist Ron Carter on 2021’s acclaimed Smoke Sessions.

But Payton, it turns out, had more transformative intentions in mind for the latter session. On his new EP Smoke Sessions (Remixed), due out March 8 via Smoke Sessions Records, he turns the raw material of four of the album’s tracks over to Riggins and the rising star multi-instrumentalist producer Tomoki Sanders to create remixed versions of the tunes refracted through the lens of the hip hop generation.

This post-modern hybrid approach to what others may view as disparate genres is central to much of Payton’s discography, so it certainly makes sense that he would hear the potential for such electronic reimagining in the music he recorded with Carter and Riggins. “Many of my projects have a remix component built into them already,” he explains. “I felt giving those types of production treatments to an all-live acoustic session would speak more to the times in which we live. It gives the folks a bit of both worlds.”

Riggins, the drummer for the original Smoke Sessions album, puts on his producer hat for three of the four tracks on the remix EP. It’s a role he’s as comfortable playing as the one he essays behind the drumkit – he’s done production work for many of hip hop’s most creative artists, including Common, The Roots, Erykah Badu and Kanye West.

“Production and mixing [are] a significant part of Karriem’s body of work,” Payton says. “I hired him as the drummer on the session with this in mind.”

For his part, Riggins refers to Payton as, “one of those geniuses… He set the bar high and it’s always super inspirational being around him and playing music with him."

The original “Levin’s Lope” already brought inspiration full circle, taking a Ron Carter-inspired bassline from Payton’s “Cyborg Swing” and giving it to the man himself; the oft-sampled Carter now provides robust inspiration for a new Riggins beat and swirling melody. Payton’s Rhodes playing on “Gold Dust Black Magic,” which also featured guitarist Isaiah Sharkey, ripples out into a cosmic dub beat in Riggins’ hands, while guest saxophonist George Coleman’s sultry tenor sound is shrouded in stark, airy new atmospherics until a bold, funky new beat hammers into place.

The EP’s final track is another case of ricocheting inspiration. The young, uncategorizable multi-instrumentalist Tomoki Sanders, who Payton calls, “one of my favorite up and coming musician/producers,” provided a beat that helped inspire the original version of “Hangin’ In and Jivin’;” his remix amplifies and reconstructs the muscular groove at the heart of the tune.

While he insists that, “it’s never my intent to decide what anyone gets from my music,” Payton does hope that Smoke Sessions (Remixed) helps cement in listener’s minds his notion that all music co-exists in a continuum, and that genre classifications are inherently limiting. It’s an argument that on these four tracks he makes through the most enticing and infectious of means.

“I hope it highlights there’s not such a disparity between more traditional styles and current ones,” he says. “It’s all just music.”

Randy Brecker & Eric Marienthal Score Grammy Nomination for "Double Dealin'"

What do you get when you pair two visionaries who happen to be kindred spirits? You get an ace in the hole! Multi Grammy award-winners trumpeter/flugelhornist Randy Brecker and saxophonist Eric Marienthal, join forces for an unforgettable journey on their Shanachie Entertainment debut, Double Dealin'. It’s all aboveboard as Brecker and Marienthal opt not to follow suit, but rather let the spirit of the moment be their guide as they draw some wild cards and beautifully fuse the finer elements of traditional and contemporary jazz. Randy Brecker, who was a key player in numerous ground-breaking fusion bands like Blood, Sweat and Tears and Larry Coryell’s The Eleventh House states, “Duke Ellington said ‘There are only two kinds of music, bad and good' and we both love the latter!” Double Dealin’ marks Brecker and Marienthal’s first co-led recording and unites the dynamic duo with keyboardist and producer George Whitty, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl.

Brecker and Marienthal have built careers being musician’s musicians. Randy Brecker has remained at the forefront of creative music for over six decades, collaborating with everyone from Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, The Brecker Brothers (with his late tenor titan brother, Michael Brecker), Bruce Springsteen, Parliament/Funkadelic and Steely Dan. Saxophonist Eric Marienthal’s equally impressive career has allowed him to captivate audiences alongside everyone from Chick Corea’s Elektric Band, Patti Austin, Lee Ritenour, Elton John, Billy Joel and Stevie Wonder, among others. Longtime comrades on and off the stage, Marienthal and Brecker credit one thing for bringing them together- “Pizza!” exclaims Brecker, who won a Grammy this year for his album with the NDR Big Band. Laughing he adds, “We dig each other's playing and personalities. We also like each other’s families. Eric and I have played together many times throughout the years with different ensembles including Jeff Lorber, The GRP Big Band and always 'clicked' as a section, so we were long overdue in doing a project together.” Marienthel adds, “Yes, definitely pizza! Besides being one of the world’s great musicians and trumpet players, Randy is a very open and cool guy. Getting to play with Randy is like getting to make a pizza with Mario Batali! You just know that no matter what you do it’s going to end up being great.” 

R&B-jazz guitarist Blake Aaron's second Billboard No. 1 hit of the year "Feels So Right"

It sounds like a bright ray of sunshine. Brimful of hope, optimism and positivity, R&B-jazz guitarist Blake Aaron’s “Feels So Right” vaulted into the No. 1 spot on the Billboard singles chart before Thanksgiving, notching the Innervision Records artist’s second No. 1 single of the year. Illumined by a vibrant horn section and swatches of soulful vocal improvs, Aaron’s ebullient electric guitar melodies and rhythmic riffs set an exuberant tone for the smile-inducing tune that he wrote with hitmaking producer and keyboardist Greg Manning.

Aaron last topped the Billboard chart in June when “Sunday Strut” became the third single from his “Color and Passion” album to go No. 1 on the industry bible’s chart. The fretman went right back to work, entering the studio to begin writing and recording his seventh album that will be titled “Love and Rhythm.” “Color and Passion” was completed during last year’s coronavirus quarantine thus the material was purposely injected with upbeat vibes to provide promise and escape. Aaron knows that the struggle continues for so many people and he wanted to wrap the year by writing a melody exuding joyous anticipation for what’s to come.

“The initial inspiration for ‘Feels So Right’ came from the great track sent to me from amazing collaborator and producer Greg Manning, which inspired me to write the melody,” said Aaron, who will include his latest chart-topper on his forthcoming album.

“In this day and age of remote internet collaboration, especially during COVID-19 restrictions, it was rewarding to create ‘Feels So Right’ old school. Greg and I actually sat together in person and collaborated in his studio. I wanted to match the feel-good vibe he already had on the track and with the vocals, composing a melody that would capture the innocence of a woman dancing outside in the sun ‘like nobody is watching,’” said Aaron, explaining the image that adorns the single cover.

The “Feels So Right” rhythm track is anchored by bassist Alex Al and drummer Eric Valentine. David Mann constructed the horn arrangements, playing saxophone alongside trumpeter Trevor Neumann and saxman Jimmy Reid. It’s Ken Turner’s vocal embellishments that provide a soul-powered touch.

Typically, Aaron records and releases a handful of singles before making them the foundation of an album, a practice that he anticipates will continue with “Love and Rhythm.” Expect the collection to be another amalgam of R&B, jazz, pop, Latin, funk, fusion and rock.

This year marked Aaron’s return to the concert stage where he played clubs, theaters and festival dates, including such marquee events as the Berks Jazz Festival and the Mallorca Smooth Jazz Festival. Aaron will end the year by performing a Christmas-themed concert on December 17 at Vibrato in Los Angeles where singers Erin Stevenson and Derek Bordeaux will join him.    

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux --- Grammy Nominated Regional Roots Album

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux's album, Bloodstains & Teardrops has been nominated for a Grammy in the 'Best Regional Roots Album' category. The album, released on May 21, 2021, by Tab Benoit’s Whiskey Bayou Records, was produced by Benoit and Rueben Williams.

The oldest living Mardi Gras Indian Chief, Boudreaux is the elder of elders in a tradition dating back to the 1880s. He is a cultural hero,a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Award, and a well-loved American musical legend. His vast discography includes many records with the Golden Eagles, collaborations with Anders Osborne, Galactic, John Gros and 101 Runners. Nodding to history but clearly thriving in present day, this living legend has performed on Saturday Night Live with Robbie Robertson and has currently been enjoying airplay on Sirius XM's B.B. Kings Bluesville station. 

On Bloodstains & Teardrops, the Caribbean cultures of Jamaica and New Orleans collide. The island and the swamp, both find inspiration from the music of the slaves in New Orleans Congo Square. Chief Monk demonstrates its similarities in lyrical, musical, and cultural content. On his journey from the island​ ​to​ ​the​ ​swamp ​he​ ​is​ ​joined​ b​y an array of musical legends including Tab Benoit, Michael Doucet, and Johnny Sansone as well ​as a host of Jamaican​ ​and​ ​Louisiana​ ​musicians​.​ 

For this project, Monk traveled to Jamaica, finding his Reggae groove with local island musicians. "My manager Rueben Williams suggested we go to Jamaica and make a record, when I got there, I found that Bob Marley had been a fan of mine for many years."

Monk recorded with the reggae band and a toasting-style backup vocalist at Tad’s International Limited studio in Kingston. The six songs he cut, reflected on the inspiration he received from being in Jamaica and seeing the parallels to his New Orleans home. The lines between blues, swamp music and reggae become blurred as Monk developed his songs.

Bloodstains & Teardrops is a beautifully produced album from a near-octogenarian cultural and musical icon. On this recording, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux successfully blurs the lines between blues, swamp music and reggae, imparting wisdom along the way.

The Temptations | "TEMPTATIONS 60"

The Grammy Award®-winning Temptations announce their much-anticipated new album, TEMPTATIONS 60.  Released by UMe, a leading global music company, the new album consists of nearly all-original songs that are both modern and classic in feel and sound. In addition to tracks produced by group members, the album brings the iconic group together again with some of its beloved producers, including the legendary and award-winning Smokey Robinson and Narada Michael Walden. Dr. Otis Williams, the group's founding member and the album's executive producer, said, "Our new album carries with it, our legacy, our love of music and our hope that through our music we can uplift and bring people together. Most of all, we want fans to enjoy it and share it with family and friends around the world. It's a thank you gift from our hearts to all of our fans, past, present and future."

As The Temptations have done throughout their career, their latest album balances love songs with topical tracks, showcasing their enduring strength across the generations. Williams co-produced, with Dennis Nelson and Thomas "TC" Campbell, five of the album's 12 tracks, including the harmony-infused ballad, "Calling Out Your Name" and the up-tempo tracks "You Don't Know Your Woman" and "How Do You Spell Love." Williams also co-produced an updated version of "Come On," a song that had been the first recording by Otis Williams & the Distants, a precursor to the Temptations, in 1959, and features a special monologue about the group's history.

The first single released from the album, "Is It Gonna Be Yes Or No," is written and produced by and features Motown superstar Smokey Robinson. In all the years Robinson has delivered such timeless Temptations' hits "The Way You Do the Things You Do," "My Girl," "Since I Lost My Baby," "Get Ready" and more, the duet marks the only time he and The Temptations have sung lead together, save for a recording of "The Christmas Song" in 1989.

TEMPTATIONS 60 also features two brand-new songs produced by Grammy-Winning Narada Michael Walden, who produced their last platinum-selling album, Phoenix Rising; he delivers the biographical beauty, "When We Were Kings," available now, which sums up the Temptations legacy to this point, and "Breaking My Back," a love song that evokes the classic Tempts' catalog.

Longtime Temptation leading vocalist and songwriter Ron Tyson, and Thomas "TC" Campbell produced two tracks, including "Time For The People," a powerful statement addressing modern issues – a "Ball of Confusion" for the 21st Century – and the island-flavored love song, "I Want It Right Now." Dave Darling, who produced the group's last album, All the Time, brought to the album a stunning cover of the Vintage Trouble song, "My Whole World Stopped Without You."

Reflecting the rich musical influences of the third decade of the 21st Century, the album opens with a uniquely contemporary track "Let it Reign," featuring Queens New York, Hip Hop artist K. Sparks.  Much in the way "Cloud Nine" marked a bold update in the group's sound back in the late 60's, so too does this song, a modern-day shift from the group's vintage roots, that weaves together the powerful fusion of hip-hop, smooth jazz and soulful flavors.

The Temptations are today one of the most iconic, bestselling brands in the entertainment world; Billboard magazine named them "The No. 1 R&B Artist of All Time." With original member Dr. Otis Williams, the group's track record of continuing to sell decades worth of history-making music is breathtaking.

The Temptations are commemorating their 60th Anniversary. The national anniversary campaign launched this summer and will run through 2022, in a celebration befitting one of the most revered and prolific musical institutions of all time. The year-long campaign includes the new album in 2022; a national concert tour through fall of next year, including a trip abroad in fall of 2022; remastering of their music videos, including "Standing on the Top" with Rick James, and their No. 1 hit "Stay;" a new content series; the Imperial Theatre re-opening on October 16, 2021, of the Broadway musical, Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, based on Otis Williams's personal journey that was nominated for 12 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, and won the Tony Award for Best Choreography at the 73rd Tony Awards ceremony in June 2019 and whose UMe cast album was GRAMMY®-nominated; the national launch of the musical's touring company; and celebratory events along the way including Dr. Otis Williams' 80th birthday, which was on October 30, 2021. Their Emmy® Award-Winning Television mini-series, The Temptations, which first aired to rave reviews in 1998, is still on air or streaming every day somewhere in the world. Williams' critically acclaimed autobiography, Temptations, was released as an audiobook edition for the first time in 2020, with a new introduction by Williams.

Reflecting on The Temptations' legacy, and the new album, Dr. Otis Williams said:

"Delivering our 60th anniversary album is a special moment for me. Being back in the studio this time filled me with so many memories of my journey and reminded me of how long and rewarding a journey it has been. I get emotional every time I think about it, because we poured every ounce of our heart and soul into making this album extra special, and only when we were satisfied that it was in keeping with our unique style, did we put our stamp on it. I can proudly say it showcases brand new songs that reflect the best of what's vintage, and modern, in our music. A capstone of my career, this album represents generations of unique melodies, lyrics and songs, distinctly our own. Some of the new songs echo our original ballads and love songs, while others capture current, topical vibes of the 21st Century. It also includes new songs that reflect the times we are living in now.

It brings together again several great producers we have worked with in the past, including Smokey Robinson, Narada Michael Walden, Dennis Nelson and Thomas "TC" Campbell.  Now, as divine grace would have it, we got another chance to collaborate again."

The Temptations presence across multi-media platforms has never been more vivid, and their popularity is ever-increasing. Most recently, adding to their dozens of sampled tracks, their hit "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," was used as the foundation of the Migos smash hit, "Avalanche."

The Temptations rank No. 1 in Billboard magazine's most recent list of Greatest R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of All Time, and the group appears in the magazine's list of 125 Greatest of All Time Artists. Rolling Stone magazine commented that the Temptations are "Indisputably the greatest black vocal group of the Modern Era…," and listed the group's Anthology album among the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The group has five GRAMMY® Awards, including Motown's first-ever statuette, awarded to the Tempts for "Cloud Nine" for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental and a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award. The group's No. 1 hits "My Girl" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" are in the GRAMMY Hall of Fame.  The group has been inducted into the Rock & Roll, National Rhythm & Blues Music, and Vocal Group Halls of Fame, and they have a star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Apollo Theater's Walk of Fame.

The Temptations were among the first African American musical artists to crossover into mainstream America and appear on popular, national mainstream television programs.  In 1968, and 1969, respectively, Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Temptations starred in primetime network television specials "TCB (Taking Care of Business)" and "G.I.T. (Getting It Together) on Broadway." Never before had two contemporary African American groups headlined their own #1 nationally rated television specials, all produced by Motown, an African American owned company. The "TCB" special was named the #1 rated variety show in 1968 and received an Emmy nomination. The original cast soundtrack album, TCB, reached #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. At the time, this was an unparalleled accomplishment for African American entertainers. The Temptations helped change the face of primetime television and fueled the growth in the performing arts and entertainment world for African Americans artists forever.

Throughout the group's evolution, they have released countless gold, platinum and multi-platinum chart hits, many of which are considered American masterpieces. They have 16 No. 1 R&B chart albums, 44 Top 10 R&B chart hits, including, 14 No. 1 R&B singles, plus four No. 1 Hot 100 singles.

Track List

Let It Reign featuring K. Sparks  2:43

When We Were Kings  4:51

Is It Gonna Be Yes Or No featuring Smokey Robinson  4:11

Time For The People  5:25

 Elevator Eyes  4:07

My Whole World Stopped Without You 4:04

You Don't Know Your Woman (Like I Do)  4:00

How Do You Spell Love  4:10

Calling Out Your Name  5:34

I Want It Right Now  4:21

Breaking My Back  4:04

Come On   6:17

Executive Producer: Otis Williams

Track 1: Produced by Dan Bishop & Es-K

Tracks 2, 11: Produced & Arranged by Narada Michael Walden

Track 3: Produced by Smokey Robinson

Tracks 4 and 10: Produced by Ron Tyson & Thomas "TC" Campbell

Tracks 5, 7, 8: Produced by Otis Williams and Dennis Nelson for Left Hand Corner Productions

Track 6: Produced by Dave Darling

Tracks 9, 12: Produced by Otis Williams & Thomas "TC" Campbell

New Music Releases: Muriel Grossmann, Paolo Rustichelli, Tasha, Lyn Stanley With Her Big Band Jazz Mavericks

Muriel Grossmann - Union

Completely stunning music from the marvelous Muriel Grossmann – a saxophonist who's become one of our favorite jazz talents over the course of the past decade – thanks to deeply spiritual work like this! The album's got a Hammond organ, something you're not as always likely to see in a session like this – played by Llorenc Barcelo with these open lines that are filled with mystical currents and colors, and which provide a perfect accompaniment to Grossman's well-crafted solos on tenor and soprano sax! Guitarist Radomir Milojkovic grounds the sound with some slightly straighter lines, but still with a rhythmic pulse to match the modal vibes of the tunes – a quality that's driven forward deeply by the drums of Uros Stamenkovic. If you've not heard the music of Muriel Grossman before, you're in for a treat – and if you have, your collection of really special albums just got one record bigger! Titles include "Happiness", "Traneing In", "Sundown", "African Dance", and "Union". ~ Dusty Groove.

Paolo Rustichelli - Changes

A dynamic force in chillout music who has brought progressive energy to Smooth Jazz since the mid-90s, Italian born, L.A. based keyboard maestro Paolo Rustichelli has mesmerized everyone from Miles Davis and Carlos Santana with his mystical jazz-funk productions. His latest single “Changes” is an infectious, atmospheric urban jazz funk romp whose colorful blend of piano and synth textures – with a fiery touch of sax - is rooted in a fascinating serendipitous jam with fellow synth lover Stevie Wonder. In the late 80s, Rustichelli was testing new synths and amps at a West L.A. store when Stevie heard his funky grooves and began improvising on another amplified keyboard. Decades later, Rustichelli brings that memory to life with the fresh, spontaneous joy he felt in that magic moment. ~ smoothjazz.com

Tasha - Tell Me What You Miss The Most

Tasha hails from Chicago, but she's got a sound that's very much her own – a quality that's instantly personal, and a way of putting over a tune that's a bit unlike anyone else we can think of! Her voice can lilt on high notes, but also has a very down to earth quality too – one that's augmented by the album's strong use of acoustic guitar, which often gets touched up with other light instrumentation, and the occasional more forward-moving rhythm. But throughout it all, the voice is center stage – a striking quality that might remind you of the first time you heard a singer like Tracey Thorn, or Bjork – but very different than either of them too. Titles include "Bed Song", "History", "Perfect Wife", "Sorry's Not Enough", "Love Interlude", "Year From Now", "Burton Island", and "Lake Superior". ~ Dusty Groove

Lyn Stanley With Her Big Band Jazz Mavericks - It's Magic

Does a Christmas-themed album strictly need only holiday-specific songs to make it official?  Novel Noel, A Jingle Cool Jazz Celebration successfully challenges this idea with the wonderful addition of It's Magic. This 1949 Academy Award nominated song by Jules Styne and Sammy Cahn (written in 1947) was popularized by Doris Day in her film debut, Romance on the High Seas.  It was Lyn's thought that special things happen at Christmas time, creating a magical feel to the holiday season.  She and her band broke with traditional delivery as well when they decided this song would be more romantic under a smoldering Latin rhythm - a rumba – aimed at bringing couples closer. Lyn's tender, heartfelt vocal expresses the mystical intimacy and connection that only love can bring. Los Angeles area's KKjz-88.1fm jazz programmer, Saul Levine, proclaimed upon hearing the song, "It's a hit!!"   

Tim Carman Trio | "Blues For Bob"

Boston-based drummer, Tim Carman pays tribute to his first drum teacher, mentor, and legendary drummer Bob Gullotti, in “Blues for Bob.” Carman devised the idea for his latest project, Tim Carman Trio, in 2020 while quarantining in a New Hampshire cabin and revisiting records Gullotti presented him during his formative years as an aspiring jazz drummer. As he went down the rabbit hole and took advantage of time off the road with his primary project GA-20, Carman formulated the idea for the project. Tim Carman Trio is no-frills, timeless, B3 organ jazz Inspired by 60s icons such as Jimmy Smith, Brother Jack McDuff and more. “Blues for Bob” is an original composition and the opening track off of the group’s forthcoming debut LP ‘Key Lime’ coming out worldwide via Color Red in 2022. Eddie Roberts, founder of Color Red and guitarist/bandleader of The New Mastersounds, touts Carman’s songwriting and proclivity to the organ trio format as “soul jazz how it’s supposed to sound.”

Gullotti passed away suddenly in 2020 and was a staple in the Boston jazz scene for over five decades. In addition to being a longtime professor of percussion at the esteemed Berklee College of Music, he was best known for his co-founding the free-spirited jazz trio Fringe in 1972. He toured with the likes of J.J. Johnson, Joe Lovano, and John Patitucci and would make frequent sit-in appearances with Phish over the course of his career. He collaborated with Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio on his free jazz side project Surrender to the Air. Carman enlisted Steve Fell on guitar and Ken Clark on organ to round out his trio and "Blues for Bob" was written in the studio and recorded in one take capturing the spirit of Guilotti.

Key Lime, the group's forthcoming debut LP, will be released in 2022 and harkens back to an age where blues, gospel, jazz, and soul music combined and vigorously simmered in smokey barrooms across the country. 

Based in Boston, MA, Tim is an international touring musician, session drummer, educator, and published author with both Alfred Music and Hudson Music. “One of Boston’s most accomplished percussionists can be found in local Tim Carman,” Andrew Maroney of Vanyaland writes, “…If his name sounds familiar, then you’ve probably seen him on the back-line of a number of tremendous Boston groups the past few years. From GA-20 to Julie Rhodes, Carman leaves his indelible imprint on some of Boston’s most illustrious jazz/blues acts.” Tim’s session work earned him a nomination for “Session Musician of the Year” by the Boston Music Awards in 2020. Tim currently performs and tours with GA-20, an electric blues trio signed to Karma Chief/Colemine records. He also leads two of his own projects: Tim Carman & The Street 45s—a world-groove inspired funk band—and the Tim Carman Trio—a vintage organ jazz trio (à la Jimmy Smith) rounded off by locals Ken Clark and Steve Fell.