Season 1 Father's Day Promotion and sneak peek at Lionel Loueke Trio (NEW VELLE RECORDS)

Our First Season

There's still time to get a set of Season One sent before our Spring Promotion expires on June 17th.  We are offering our First Season Box Set at a 15% discount.  We just got back from recording some of Season Four and its quite a feeling to look back at all the great music we've got to witness.   If you know someone who hasn't had a chance to hear Newvelle's first season of records this is a great chance to get them a present they'll never forget.  

Use the offer code FATHERSDAY for your 15% discount off Season One.  

Valid until June 17th

Video Shot by Jim Hoppin and edited by Ben Chace

We're back in the studio recording for Season Four, some surprising music that we can't wait to share with you.  Above is Matt Wilson with Billy Lester and Rufus Reid.  Along with Producer Elan Mehler and Engineer Marc Urselli.

Reid Anderson, came in with Tim Berne, Chris Speed and Dave King for a tribute to Ornette Coleman...

Cellist and composer Hank Roberts came in last week with Jacob Sacks and Vinnie Sperrazza.

Winner of the 2016 Recordings of the Year from the Audio Beat and Reviews from the New York Times, Stereophile, Downbeat and others here

Season One

Our first series of records with artwork by Bernard Plossu and text by Tracy K. Smith. Presented in a beautiful box set designed by Antoine Leroux.

Frank Kimbrough Quintet 

Jack Dejohnette Solo Piano 

Noah Preminger Quartet, featuring Ben Monder, John Patitucci and Billy Hart 

Don Friedman Trio, featuring the music of Booker Little with Phil Palombi on bass and Shinnosuke Takahashi on drums 

Ben Allison Trio, featuring Ted Nash on saxophone and clarinet and Steve Cardenas on guitar 

Leo Genovese Trio, featuring Esperanza Spaldingon bass and vocals and Jack DeJohnette on drums   

"In its focus on vinyl and its distinctive, brand-coherent album art, Newvelle is a kind of throwback to jazz’s midcentury glories. But it’s also timely."

--Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times

Use Offer Code FATHERSDAY for 15% off Season One.  Valid until June 17th.

Limited to 1 Set per member.

Sneak peek of Lionel Loueke's trio record coming in June.  Our third record of our Fourth Season.  This is a bonus track from the session, Coltrane's "Countdown."  Featuring Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland.

Buster Williams - Audacity (SMOKE SESSIONS RECORDS June 15, 2018)

Iconic Bassist Buster Williams Marks New Chapter in

His Career After Decade Long Studio Hiatus with Audacity

Available June 15 on LP, CD, and Digital Formats

Album Features Steve Wilson,

George Colligan, and Lenny White

Audacity. It’s a word that seems ideally suited to the bold and intrepid bassist Buster Williams. Whether supplying eminently tasteful but strong-as-steel backing for singers like Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughan, or venturing into uncharted new territory as a member of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking Mwandishi band, Williams’ playing has always evidenced that fearless willingness to leap without hesitation into the unknown.

With his new recording, Audacity, Williams marks another chapter in that ongoing history. Due out June 15 via Smoke Sessions Records, the album finds Williams stepping into the studio as a leader for the first time since 2004’s Griot Liberte, leading his long-running all-star quartet Something More with saxophonist Steve Wilson, pianist George Colligan and drummer Lenny White. Conceived as the legendary bassist celebrated the milestone of his 75th birthday, Audacity is a mission statement for an artist turning a new corner with the experience of three-quarters of a century behind him.

“You’ve got to have audacity to do what we do,” Williams says of the title. “You have to have audacity to even want to do what we do, to even imagine that it’s all going to work. I was looking for a word that could encapsulate all of my feelings and concepts and, at this moment in time, Audacity is the description of my life.”

Turning 75 compelled Williams to re-enter the recording studio after a decade-long hiatus caused in large part by the seismic shifts in the record industry since the dawn of the new millennium. He was also driven by the continuing evolution of his long-running band, which had developed a fiery and wide-ranging sound that Williams felt needed to be captured. The release of Audacity, he says, will launch him on a new trajectory.

“You could say it’s a new beginning,” he explains. “It’s certainly a new dimension or a new phase of my existence. There’s a new excitement about what I’m doing. I don’t take one note for granted, so I have to really feel that I have something to say or something to offer. Put all that together and I thought that now was the right time.”

In his liner notes, Colligan points to the versatility and artistry displayed by Something More. “We have the ability to play with maturity, with restraint when necessary. But we can also play with the abandon expected from musicians in their 20s. There is a wide variety of tempos, dynamics, moods, and textures in this music. This is not a soundbite. It’s a sound journey… Regardless of whether we are swinging hard, or playing a waltz, or a sensitive ballad, or something with a Latin tinge, we sound like a band.”

It’s rare in this day and age that a band gets the opportunity to develop such a collective voice over the span of a decade and a half. Any observer who pays any degree of attention to the modern jazz landscape will recognize that all four members of Something More are in-demand players in a wide variety of settings. Besides leading his own ensemble Wilsonian’s Grain, Wilson has toured and recorded in recent years with the likes of Chick Corea, the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, and drummer Lewis Nash. Colligan will be releasing his 28th album as a leader in 2018, on top of playing regularly with jazz greats like Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane and Cassandra Wilson. Renowned for his time with the pioneering fusion group Return To Forever, White has also served notable tenures with Stanley Clarke, Geri Allen and Larry Coryell.

The collaboration of Buster Williams and Lenny White is notable in its own right, having anchored not only each other’s bands but groups led by Wallace Roney, Cyrus Chestnut, and a number of others. “It’s been magical,” Williams says of his partnership with the drummer. “When I play with Lenny, I have no real concerns. Whatever he does, the pulse, the beat, the time is always going to be there. It’s 99% pure. I’m free to explore and to do different things that I may not be able to do with other people, and he’s free to do the same. And bottom line, it just swings.”

That interlocking swing and sense of endless possibilities is evident throughout Audacity, not least on the burly post-bop burner of a title tune, which spurs a sharp, probing solo from Colligan and a daring display of grooving elasticity from the leader. But it’s also there straight out of the gate on the opener “Where Giants Dwell,” which wastes no time tearing into Williams’ monumental theme before Wilson launches into a ferocious saxophone run. The tune’s title was inspired by a trip the quartet took through the Austrian Alps, where the grand, snow-capped vistas led Williams to reflect on the giants who have mentored and inspired him throughout his estimable career.

A gripping journey in and of itself, “Song of the Outcasts” is a nod to the Eastern European gypsies whose boundary-free, nomadic lifestyles and music have inspired Williams. Both the lullaby-like lilt of “Ariana Anai” and the tender “Briana” were written with Williams’ granddaughters in mind, his adoration of the girls evident in the moving sentiment of the two pieces. The anthemic “Triumph” boasts the kind of quiet audacity necessary to win small victories over what Williams calls “the vicissitudes of daily living.”

In addition to his own compositions, Williams urged each of his bandmates to contribute new tunes for the session. Wilson is represented by “Sisko,” a muscular swinger that weaves his sinuous alto over a roiling, surging groove. Colligan’s “Lost on 4th Avenue,” with its declamatory opening bass solo, relates the feeling of wandering through a mysterious urban landscape in a raptly narrative fashion, while White’s “Stumblin'” is a joyous romp that draws fleet, agile expression from all four players.

All together, Audacity could serve to define the word itself, thrilling in Williams’ insistence on pushing boldly forward. “If I only do what I know,” he says, “that’s like holding a nickel tightly in my fist: I won’t lose that nickel, but I’ll never have a dime. I’m always looking for something beyond what I know, what I can comprehend and what I understand.”

“Audacity” was produced by Paul Stache and Damon Smith and recorded

live in Brooklyn, New York at Systems Two and mixed to ½” analog tape

using a Studer mastering deck. Available in audiophile HD format.

Buster Williams · Audacity

Smoke Sessions Records · Release Date: June 15, 2018

1 Where Giants Dwell

2 Song of the Outcasts

3 Sisko

4 Ariana Anai

5 Lost on 4th Avenue

6 Stumblin'

7 Triumph

8 Briana

9 Audacity

Mark Soskin - Upper West Side Stories (SteepleChase Productions ApS 2018)

New York-based pianist/composer Mark Soskin, following the successful previous (his first SteepleChase release) trio album “Hearts And Minds”, returns to the studio with his dream rhythm section in pursuit of perfecting the art of piano trio jazz.

“…Here he is on his own ballgame as the leader of a vital, fine interacting trio … Soskin has a beautiful touch, a lyrical temper with unfailing ease. The music feels timeless and fresh as it often does when the recording session starts with the first take in house and completes in three and half hours,” (Ole Matthiessen – Jazz Special on SCCD 31834 “Hearts And Minds”)

“…This is a very mindful session and holds the mind from beginning to end.” 

(Robert D. Rusch – Papatamus on SCCD 31834)

1 I’VE NEVER BEEN IN LOVE BEFORE (Frank Loesser) 6:55

2 GLORIA’S STEP (Scott LaFaro) 5:35

3 REMEMBER (Steve Swallow) 6:10

4 UGLY BEAUTY (Thelonious Monk) 8:06

5 UMMG/UPPER WEST SIDE STROLL (Billy Strayhorn / Mark Soskin) 5:40

6 PEE WEE (Tony Williams) 6:41

7 UN POCO LOCO (Bud Powell) 5:10

8 PENSATIVA (Clare Fischer) 7:28

9 LISTENING ROOM (Mark Soskin) 5:49

10 SOIRÉE (Earl Zindars) 4:12

11 FEE-FI-FO-FUM (Wayne Shorter) 6:14

Mark Soskin piano

Jay Anderson bass

Adam Nussbaum drums

SteepleChase Productions ApS

Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band - West Side Story Reimagined (Jazzheads July 20, 2018)

''Bobby Sanabria is equally adept at the swinging big band sounds of drummers Buddy Rich and Louis Bellson along with another boyhood hero, fusion pioneer Billy Cobham and timbale titan Tito Puente.''

Bill Milkowski --JazzTimes

''... (Mr. Sanabria) expands the possibilities, moving the sound of bands like that of (Puente, Machito), with all the heft and intricacy and clavebased dance rhythm, into the harmonically oriented sophistication of current New York jazz players. It's New York up and down, and back and forth across the last century, from the street to the mambo palaces to the conservatories.''

Ben Ratliff --The New York Times

Hi Bobby Sanabria here! Two years ago I came up with the idea of re-arranging the music from Leonard Bernstein's masterpiece West Side Story and performing it with my Multiverse Big Band, but in a way that has never been done before: a complete Latin jazz reworking of the entire score in celebration of the show's recent 60th anniversary and Maestro Bernstein's centennial. However, besides paying tribute to the composer and the music, I saw this as an opportunity to give back and help my ancestral homeland Puerto Rico.

As most of us know, hurricanes Irma and Maria ravaged the island of Puerto Rico, leaving its residents unable to recover. Puerto Ricans have been American citizens since 1917, and the government's response has been unsatisfactory at best. Six months later, entire communities are still living without food, water, power, and other basic needs we take for granted. I realized the best way I could help was through my music. What better way to portray the struggles and hardships of the people of Puerto Rico than West Side Story? We are dedicating this recording to the musical genius of Leonard Bernstein and donating proceeds from this special commemorative 2 CD set to the Jazz Foundation of America Puerto Rico Relief Fund. This is a cause many of us are passionate about and every bit of generosity helps. Recorded live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in NYC, this exciting new reworking is West Side Story like you've never heard it before, through the exciting lens of the Latin jazz continuum.

This project is being produced with the blessing and support of the Leonard Bernstein Organization. Bernstein's daughter Jamie remarked: ''What I love about Bobby Sanabria's take on ''West Side Story'' music is that it's a kind of rhythm fission: my dad's music is already so drenched in rhythm. Then along comes Bobby and explodes it to an even richer rhythmic level!''

Bobby Sanabria

Disc 1

1. Intro

2. Prologue

3. Intro Jet Song

4. Jet Song

5. Intro America

6. America

7. Gee, Officer Krupke Intro

8. Gee, Officer Krupke

9. Tonight

10. Gym Scene - Blues/Mambo

11. Gym Scene - Cha Cha Cha

Disc 2

1. Maria

2. Intro Cool

3. Cool

4. The Rumble /Rumba

5. One Hand, One Heart

6. Somewhere

7. Intro Epilogue/Finale

8. Epilogue/Finale

9. Outro

BOBBY SANABRIA MULTIVERSE BIG BAND

Trumpets: Kevin Bryan, Shareef Clayton, Max Darchè, Andrew Neesley

Saxophones: David Dejesus (alto, clarinet, soprano, flute), Andrew Gould (alto, soprano, flute), Peter Brainin

(tenor, flute), Jeff Lederer (tenor, flute), Danny Rivera (baritone, bass clarinet)

Trombones: Dave Miller, Tim Sessions, Armando Vergara, Chris Washburne (tuba also)

Flute/Piccolo: Gabrielle Garo

Electric Violin: Ben Sutin

Rhythm: Silvano Monasterios (piano), Leo Traversa (electric bass), Oreste Abrantes (congas), Matthew Gonzalez

(bongó/cencerro, baríl de bomba), Takao Heisho (percussion), Bobby Sanabria (drums)

JD Allen - Love Stone (SAVANT RECORDS June 15, 2018)

Tenor saxophonist JD Allen's output on Savant Records has been steady since his 2012 album The Matador and the Bull, and this beautiful and intensely interesting ballads album is an assured milestone in his career to date. There are patented JD-isms: that almost operatic-like swoon and smear of tone; deconstructed themes full of non-linearity and melodic asides arriving unforeseen. As in all of Allen's recordings, there is also a spare Chopin-like quality, with a shadowy, crepuscular character to much of the material. An album made up entirely of ballads requires a first-rate harmonic foundation and guitarist Liberty Ellman once again proves himself to be the most sensitive of accompanists, alternating between full harmonic richness and skittering, almost pointillistic lines which merely hint at the harmonies. The depth of Allen's timbre and phrasing is such that the absence of a keyboard is not really felt, and his quartet proves again that it is one of the most highly accomplished small groups in contemporary jazz.

1. Stranger in Paradise

2. Until the Real Thing Comes Along

3. Why Was I Born

4. You're My Thrill

5. Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies

6. Put on a Happy Face

7. Prisoner of Love

8. Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)

9. Gone with the Wind

JD Allen, tenor saxophone

Liberty Ellman, guitar

Gregg August, bass

Rudy Royston, drums

Mike LeDonne and the Groover Quartet - From the Heart (SAVANT RECORDS 2018)

Joining Mike LeDonne and his Groover Quartet on 'From the Heart' is the great drummer Mike Clark. After collaborations with Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton and others, Clark has influenced a generation of percussionists and brings his own unmistakable style to two of the tracks.

For three decades Mike LeDonne has been an exceptional avatar of the Hammond B3 organ. Forged by his impressive jazz apprenticeship, with the likes of Milt Jackson, George Coleman and Benny Golson, LeDonne comes from a long and distinguished line of masters of that instrument. And for eighteen years, he's lead the Groover Quartet his formidable foursome consisting of tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Joe Farnsworth.

1 Someday 5:41

2 From the Heart 8:22

3 You'll Never Know What You Mean to Me 6:58

4 Here Comes the Doctor 7:34

5 Come Back Baby 9:04

6 Fun Day 6:29

7 You Send Me 6:06

8 Then Came You 6:24

Mike LeDonne (Hammond B-3 organ)

Eric Alexander (tenor saxophone)

Peter Bernstein (guitar)

Joe Farnsworth (drums)

Mike Clark (drums on "From the Heart" and "Here Comes the Doctor")

Cory Weeds Little Big Band - Explosion (CELLAR LIVE July 6, 2018)

Vancouver jazz impresario Cory Weeds fronts a world class 11 piece "Little Big Band", in an ambitious recording at Bryan Adams' "Warehouse" studio in Vancouver's Gas Town neighbourhood.  

Weeds and his guests speak to the important collaboration between the visiting artists - Gary Smulyan, Joe Magnarelli, Steve Davis and PJ Perry - and the Vancouver players who host them.  

Weeds' prolific activity, in particular pairing top tier New York musicians with local Vancouver players, has helped build Vancouver into a vibrant jazz city, with a deep well of skill.  Although Weeds' live club The Jazz Cellar shuttered years ago, the associated label Cellar Live continues on with a vibrant and regular slate of recordings, and Weeds' work with the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society (managing Frankie's Jazz Club) keeps him at the nexus of all action.  

In this film, we hear some sincere testimony on what Weeds does best - producing a swinging, exciting project that enriches the scene around him.  The symbiosis between artist and producer survives in Weeds' world, with an appreciative nod in both directions.

01 Minor Mishap

02 Soon

03 East Of The Village

04 Park Avenue Petite

05 My Girl Is Just Enough Woman For Me

06 Canadian Sunset

07 KD's Motion

08 Please Send Me Someone To Love

09 Ready And Able

Cory Weeds tenor saxophone

GARY SMULYAN baritone saxophone

STEVE KALDESTAD tenor saxophone

PJ PERRY alto saxophone

JOE MAGNARELLI trumpet

CHRIS DAVIS trumpet

STEVE DAVIS trombon

ROD MURRAY trombone

CHRIS GESTRIN piano

PAUL RUSHKA bass

JESSE CAHLL drums

Antonio Adolfo - Encontros Orquestra Atlantica (AAM Music July 11, 2018)

Pianist, arranger, producer and educator Antonio Adolfo grew up in a musical family in Rio de Janeiro (his mother was a violinist in the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra), and began his studies at the age of seven. At seventeen he was already a professional musician. His teachers include Eumir Deodato and the great Nadia Boulanger in Paris. During the 60's he led his own trio that participated in several Bossa Nova and Jazz shows in Brazil and toured with singers Leny Andrade, Carlos Lyra, Flora Purim, Wilson Simonal, Elis Regina and Milton Nascimento. Adolfo wrote tunes such as Pretty World (original Brazilian title: Sa Marina) that gained great success and have been recorded by such artists as Sergio Mendes, Stevie Wonder, Herb Alpert, Earl Klugh, Dionne Warwick, and others. He won International Song Contests (Rio - Brazil and Athens - Greece) on two occasions. 

As a musician, arranger and record producer he has worked with some of the most representative Brazilian names, besides having released more than 25 albums under his name. As an educator, he has been teaching music, specially Brazilian music, throughout the world and has written several books (see list in the Educator's section of this website). In 1985 Mr. Adolfo created his own school in Rio, Brazil, now with more than 1,300 students. His 2010 CD album, Lá e Cá/Here and There, follows the footsteps of 2007 live recording Antonio Adolfo e Carol Saboya Ao Vivo/ Live. In 2011 his CD Chora Baiao was released and became awarded. Antonio Adolfo's recent CD "Finas Misturas"/Fine Mixtures has been acclaimed with great reviews and Jazz radio airplay.

His recent releases, CD Rio, Choro, Jazz..., as well as his piano solo album O Piano de Antonio Adolfo were nominated for the 2014 Latin Grammy Awards. In 2015, Adolfo had released a CD recorded in New York and Rio, with singer Carol Saboya and harmonicist/vibraphonist Hendrik Meurkes entitled Copa Village and now, the 2015 Latin Grammy Nominee CD Tema, with only original compositions by him. And in 2016, the brand new CD Tropical Infinito being released in May, which has been nominated as Best Latin Jazz album for the 2016 Latin Grammy. In 2017 and 2018, CD Hybrido - From Rio to Wayne Shorter was nominated both, Latin Grammy and Grammy, consecutively.

Antonio Adolfo (piano)

Leo Amuedo (electric guitar)

Nelson Faria and Claudio Jorge (acoustic guitar)

Jorge Helder (double bass)

Rafael Barata (drums)

Jesse Sadoc (trumpet and flugelhorn)

Marcelo Martins (tenor sax and flute)

Dada Costa (percussion)

Ze Renato (vocals)

Plus components of Orquestra Atlantica (a Brazilian 7 horn plus rhythm section group)

Salvo Losappio - Long Story Short (GUT STRING RECORDS 2018)

“This is an excellent little album and a great introduction to Losappio and his talented band”.

— René Bayley, THE ART MUSIC LOUNGE

“It is testament to Italian born saxophonist Salvo Losappio’s dynamic skills as tuneful bebop and swing composer that the original songs on his deeply soulful yet joyfully frenetic debut album Long Story Short fit in cozily among his veteran quartet’s fresh interpretations of classics by several jazz legends”.

— Chris Spector, THE JW VIBE

The hand-picked selection of such musicians has been really made to endow my first album with the beauties of a peculiar tradition which I always loved.  My natural predilection for their playing made clear that these outstanding artists were the perfect choice to debut as leader and collect a formative precious experience.

1. Shaw 'nuff 4:17

2. The End of a Beautiful Friendship 5:57

3. Boerum Hill 6:09

4. Sophisticated Lady 6:01

5. Leo for Two 4:33

6. Avalon 4:40

7. Ghost of a Chance 6:05

Salvo Losappio (tenor saxophone)

Sacha Perry (piano)

Ari Roland (bass)

Phil Stewart (drums)

Recorder Park West Studios (33 E 16th St, Brooklyn, NY, 11226); Recording date: 30th January, 2018

Recording engineer: Jim Clouse; Artwork design: Valeria Parisi; Photographer credits: Yoav Trifma

Hendrik Meurkens & Bill Cunliffe - Cabin in the Sky (June 1, 2018)

Hendrik Meurkens and Bill Cunliffe’s new duo album will be released this month. Stay tuned for more news!

hendrikmeurkens.com

Oytun Ersan - Fusiolicious (June 1, 2018)

Bass player Oytun Ersan is accompanied by some of the most influential jazz improvisers of our century including Dave Weckl, Eric Marienthal, Gary Husband, Gerry Etkins, Dean Brown and Brett Garsed. Produced, mixed and mastered by Ric Fierabracci.

Fusiolicious is Oytun Ersan's second Jazz Fusion Album and it gathers some of the most influential improvisers of our century. Fusiolicious has been produced, mixed and mastered by the great Ric Fierabracci and presents a combination of Funk and Progressive Jazz. A must have for Jazz Fusion lovers!

1. Oh, That Butterfly! 8:05

2. Mysterious Maze 8:37

3. Rise Up 8:31

4. L.A. 7:20

5. Rooms 7:48

6. Ocean 7:04

7. Sacred Solace 2:25

Oytun Ersan (Composer & Bass)

Dave Weckl (Drums)

Eric Marienthal (Sax)

Gary Husband (Keys)

Gerry Etkins (Keys)

Dean Brown (Guitar)

Mike Miller (Guitar)

Okan Ersan (Guitar)

Brett Garsed (Guitar)

Karen Briggs (Violin)

Gökay Gökşen (Trumpet)

Utku Akyol (Trombone)

Aytunc Akdoğu (Vocals)

Simge Akdoğu (Vocals)