Sameer Gupta - A Circle Has No Beginning (2018)

The energy we create is not only a connection on stage. It is a circle that connects the musicians on-stage to the audience as well. That energy returns after being processed by the audience back to the stage, for the musicians to take in and and build upon, then returning back to the listeners, creating a elevated focused cyclical energy around the creative musical moment we share.” (Pianist, Marc Cary) 

Our communities outside of musical experience today are also extensions of circles, connected by moments and influences that inspire us. Their sources offer to quench our thirst for knowledge. We are drawn to the source of these influences; they call to us from within ourselves. These influences and their sources, ultimately, help define us. 

We are in a place now where we often forget to acknowledge, or are indifferent to these influences. But if we reflect on and convey our history, and our influences on each other, we can get closer to these sources and learn how they have evolved us as a connected people. We can find and follow the circle’s path.

A circle’s path must return to where it once was, and when we return and recreate the familiar, we ideally have learned something; elevating ourselves, and working towards what we hope to create in the future. The result of this evolving positive focused energy is what helps hope, peace and compassion bloom. 

The goals and results of this focused cyclical energy can, unfortunately, also be terrifying in their potential for hatred and destruction. The Cree Indian activist-poet-musician Buffy Saint-Marie sings, “Blame the angels, blame the fates, blame the Jews or your sister Kate. Teach your children who to hate, and the big wheel turns around and around.” (Little Wheel Spin and Spin). If we can accept that this moment does not exist in a vacuum, then we realize that our place today is built on the connections to our past. For good or bad, the history and the connections are written, and now we must evolve from this point forward. 

To truly appreciate ourselves we must learn our history, so we can positively affect and contribute towards our collective evolution. Today we often lose sight of these connections and our own history, but as creative minds, we must acknowledge our sources and help the circle of evolution circle back with an elevated and enlightened perspective. Or else, we are giving less than the best of ourselves.

1. Little Wheel Spin and Spin 05:17

2. Taiwa 05:33

3. Innocence in Harlem 06:48

4. Come Take Everything (Intro) 03:37

5. Come Take Everything 06:44

6. Two Faces of the Moon 06:25

7. Tyagaraja Dreams in Brooklyn 07:07

8. With Blessings 08:44

9. Crows at Sunset (Intro) 02:19

10. Crows at Sunset 06:16

11. Run For the Red Fort 03:41

12. Prog-Raag Bhimpalasi 11:21

Sameer Gupta - Drumset, Tabla

Marc Cary - Wurlitzer, Synthesizer, FX

Jay Gandhi - Bansuri Flute

Arun Ramamurthy - Violin

Marika Hughes - Cello

Trina Basu - Violin

Rashaan Carter - Bass, FX

Guest:

Neel Murgai - Sitar (Tracks 5, 7, 11, 12)

Brandee Younger - Harp (Tracks 1, 2)

Pawan Benjamin - (Tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12)

Morley Kamen - Vocal (Track 1)

Eyal Talmudi Quintet - Even If (2018)

One of Israel’s busiest reed players and band leaders in the world/jazz/indie scene, Eyal Talmudi has been touring with Balkan Beat Box, Kutiman Orchestra and Oy Division for the past decade and working with other projects including Malox and Time Groove. Influenced by music including folk, punk and jazz, Talmudi brings his creativity and groove to everything he plays. 

The album recorded in one amazing and creative session at Kichastudios Israel by "MOMO" Uri Barak. Let the music take you to a trip between psychedelic and spiritual jazz to African groove. 

The debut single from the Eyal Talmudi Quintet's debut album 'Even If' is an Afrobeat tune that is both influenced by and dedicated to Fela Kuti, not only one of the most dedicated fighters in the civil rights movement but also a musician who brought the Afrobeat genre to the forefront of world music. 'Fela on My Mind' was written by Eyal Talmudi and Sefi Zisling in the studio along with the rest of the band.

1. Ayalon Zafon 05:48

2. Fela on My Mind 05:36

3. For Smoking 05:31

4. Gili and the Jets 06:16

5. Stam Lo 02:46

6. Even If 03:59

7. If Even 04:16

8. When I Was 17 03:37

9. Lo Stam 10:08

Eyal Talmudi - tenor saxophone

Sefi Zisling - trumpet

Uzi Feinerman - guitar

Gilad Abro - double bass

Aviv Cohen - drums

Peter Bruun's All Too Human - Vernacular Avant​-​garde (AYLER RECORDS March 10, 2018)

‘Less is more’ is a well-known saying. It’s an oxymoron because of its paradoxical nature. Paradoxes take us beyond ingrained patterns of perception, reasoning and action. That’s what is in the expression as coined by the old Greek. 

This newly formed unit’s music is simple without being simple. It sounds vaguely familiar and strange at the same time. It resembles a lot known and nothing known. It has a fairy tale quality and as we know, in fairy tales lots of wondrous things can happen.

Drummer Peter Bruun from Copenhagen has been aware through his musical career of the creative potential and power lurking in paradoxical manoeuvres. In this new unit he has gathered three like-minded musical fellows under the 'All Too Human' flag.

Through the years he undertook a lot of terra incognita expeditions with pianist Simon Toldam, guitarist Marc Ducret and trumpeter Kasper Tranberg. It connected and connects them on deeper levels in their musical interaction.

1. Follow Me 05:45

2. All Too Human

3. Vernacular Avant-garde 07:37

4. Sunshine Superman

5. Extended Mind

6. Is That So Sir Names? 07:20

Kasper Tranberg, trumpet, cornet 

Marc Ducret, guitars (6 & 12-stringed) 

Simon Toldam, moog, juno 60, philicorda 

Peter Bruun, drums, mikrokorg

Recorded in Copenhagen at The Village Studio, April 2017.

All compositions written and produced by Peter Bruun,

except #6 by Peter Bruun and Petter Eldh.

Cover artwork by Stéphane Berland.

Patrick Haesler - The Poetry in a Moment (2018)

This latest album of mine is a collection of works written and recorded over the course of 2017 and early 2018. It shows, quite prominently, my love for both jazz fusion and hip-hop, combining them in various ways to create what I consider to be a benchmark for myself going forward. 

I would like to give a big thank you to my two guests on this album; my dear friends Sophia and Lily on vocals and flute respectively, both are talented musicians who I am grateful to have had lend their talents to this project. Without them, I would not have been able to realise the compositions of which they were a part. I would also like to thank a third friend, Kai Clark (@ayhdorkc on Instagram), for his beautiful album cover. 

Excluding the contributions of my guests, everything you hear on the album was created solely by me; composition, production, all the parts, the works. I don't usually like to brag, but once in a while, it's earned. So much of what I have accomplished on this album wouldn't have been possible even 6 months ago. As much as it is a piece of artistic expression, this album is a testament to my growth as a musician, producer and composer. Here's to whatever comes next.

1. Love Tester 04:26

2. In Life, We Have This 02:51

3. Awaken (feat. Lily Bryant) 04:08

4. The Mahjong Conspiracy 04:37

5. Wanting Love 02:21

6. Life's Changing (Without You) (feat. Sophia Mellink) 04:09

7. Anything You Want 02:37

8. Kirinari Street 03:15

9. Retrospect 04:01

10. Accütamandra 03:39

11. Jedi Mind Meld (2nd Term) 04:13

12. A Night Walk 03:28

Patrick Haesler: Composition, Production, Trumpet, Bass, Keyboards, EWI, Vocoder, Vocals, Percussion and Guitar

Lily Bryant: Flute (Tracks 3 & 12)

Sophia Mellink: Vocals (Track 6)

Kai Clark: Album Cover

Vibraphonist Steve Hobbs Upcoming Live Appearances

Vibraphonist Steve Hobbs

Upcoming Live Appearances

Feb 23-24 7pm-11pm 

The Umstead Hotel

Raleigh's premier 5 star hotel

no cover

100 Woodland Pond Dr

Cary, NC 27513

Steve Hobbs with Drew Lile-guitar and bass

March 15 and March 29

The Red Monkey

4325 Glenwood Ave

Raleigh, NC

(919) 896-7412

Ben Palmer/bass, Todd Proctor/drums,

and special guest tba

New CD

Info

www.stevehobbs.com

The Bamboos Unleash New Track 'Lit Up'

ANNOUNCE EIGHTH STUDIO ALBUM ‘NIGHT TIME PEOPLE’ 

COMING JUNE 8TH VIA PACIFIC THEATRE / BMG

“One mans vision of Soul music's evolving potential” ROLLING STONE

Melbourne nine-piece funk-soul powerhouse The Bamboos return with ‘Lit Up’, the new single taken from their forthcoming album ‘Night Time People’.

Having previously collaborated with the likes of Aloe Blacc and Alice Russell, their latest offering brings to mind the likes of Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones, combining the raw drive of their earliest LPs with their more recent subtly progressive experimentations in the studio. It’s a fresh approach that finds the band wholly reenergised.

‘Lit Up’ is built upon an insanely catchy piano riff and the best use of cowbell since ‘Honky Tonk Women’. In contrast to that, Bamboos vocalist Kylie Auldist sings of trying to hide away from her pain: “When the sun goes down, feel my heart fill up with regret” Accompanied by a stylish high contrast black and white video, the end result is a song with a unique balance of irresistible groove and raw emotion.

The Bamboos are one of the highest profile soul / funk acts in Australia, and have been recognised worldwide as masters of reinventing the genre with modern song writing within classic arrangements & production for over 15 years.

Millions of listeners globally are already familiar with the winning combination of The Bamboo’s guitarist / leader Lance Ferguson and Auldist, thanks to “This Girl” by Kung Vs. Cookin’ On 3 Burners. One of 2016’s biggest hits was a remix of a 2009 track co-written by Ferguson (including that infectious guitar riff) and went on to hit #2 in the UK, #1 in France and Germany, and made the top 30 in 35 countries. It's edging close to half a billion Spotify plays, 300 million Youtube hits, and is the 12th most Shazamed song of all time. All of which proved beyond a doubt that the world was craving pop music with genuine soul.

“Lit Up” was mixed by the legendary Bob Clearmountain, whose studio credits include ‘Born In The U.S.A' and Bowie’s ‘Let's Dance’ to The Cure and The Rolling Stones.

The Bamboos eighth studio album ‘Night Time People’ will be released on June 8th, and is shaping to be the record that capitalises on the runaway success of "This Girl" and brings their infectious and modern take on a timeless sound to a whole new world of listeners.