Keith Oxman with Dave Liebman in Glimpses, Sept. 21 on CAPRI RECORDS

Tenor saxophonist Keith Oxman partners with legendary sax man David Liebman for new Capri Records release Glimpses

Oxman's working trio with pianist Jeff Jenkins, bassist Ken Walker, and drummer Todd Reid backs the Coltrane-inspired saxophonists in standards and originals

"Keith Oxman is a young man of great consequence. He has learned to function with one foot in the present and the other in the future, while leaning quite heavily in the direction of the future."

- Benny Golson

"Keith Oxman's abilities as a writer make him a force to be reckoned with."

- Ken Dryden, AllMusic

"OxmanŠleans towards bop, but he also throws in a bit of funk and knows how to swing." His tone on the tenor breathes a warm, coaxing fire that he molds into each composition with flair and imagination."

- Jerry D'Souza, All About Jazz

When acclaimed Denver saxophonist Keith Oxman joined forces with the legendary David Liebman, magic happened. Glimpses, out September 21, 2018 on Capri Records, offers listeners more than just a few quick looks at the musical partnership between the two saxophonists. On eight meaty tracks the pair demonstrates virtuosic technique, remarkable musicality, and an astonishing camaraderie.

For more than four decades Oxman listened to and transcribed solos from many jazz greats like Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. Among his first transcriptions was one of Liebman's recordings. Through a former student he was able to connect with Liebman's daughter, then the man himself. The two developed a mutual respect, rapport, and friendship that shines brightly on Glimpses. With Oxman on tenor sax and Liebman on soprano and tenor, the artists approach the music with intelligence, sensitivity, and joy. They are ably backed throughout by Oxman's working band with pianist Jeff Jenkins, bassist Ken Walker, and drummer Todd Reid.

Both Oxman and Liebman are devotees of the late, great John Coltrane, a connection which cements their combined sound. "I really enjoyed Keith's compositions that have challenging and interesting harmonic twists and turns, always framed with lyrical, melodic content." says Liebman.

The conversational, musically sensitive relationship between Oxman and Liebman is established on the record's opening track, Oxman's "Shai," in which the horns interact with solo licks and unison statements before breaking off in hard swinging solos. The exquisite ballad "Lenny," another Oxman original, follows with Liebman's smoky soprano saxophone joined by Oxman's sweet tenor. Oxman's "Trane's Pal" pays homage to the inspirational John Coltrane with a punchy head followed by wailing, bop-inspired solos.

Liebman takes the reins on the Ellington classic "In a Sentimental Mood," showing off his masterful musicianship and sense of fun in a duet with pianist Jenkins, whose wistful, extended piano solo leads into Liebman's expressive, searching rendition of the time-honored melody. "Afreaka" by Cedar Walton has Oxman and Liebman trading eights and grooving to a world beat. On Oxman's upbeat "Louminus," the pair exploit the range of their instruments with guttural low notes and wailing altissimo. Oxman alone is featured on the deep catalogue standard "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" by Leon Rene, and his expressive horn sings on the gorgeous melody. The album closes with the title track "Glimpses," a Liebman original that delivers a powerful double-barreled saxophone tour de force.

Glimpses is a remarkable achievement, bringing together one saxophonist and his trio with a horn legend who remains as receptive to and excited about the music as ever. "I love this process and the ensuing bond that develops so quickly when jazz musicians interact," says Liebman. That bond is evident all over Glimpses, which brims with lyrical melodies, surprising harmonics, fantastic solos, and masterful horn playing.

From the tender age of 12 when he first picked up a tenor sax given to him by a cousin, Denver native Keith Oxman spent his musical career studying jazz greats like Sonny Stitt, Mel Torme, Louis Bellson, Phil Woods, Buddy Rich, Tom Harrell, Jack McDuff, Joe Bonner, and many others. This is Keith's 10th album on the Capri over the last 24 years.

NEA Jazz Master David Liebman is considered a renaissance man in contemporary music with a career stretching nearly fifty years. He has played with masters including Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, McCoy Tyner, and others, authored books and instructional DVDs which are acknowledged as classics in the jazz field, and recorded as a leader in styles ranging from classical to rock and free jazz.  He has performed on over 500 recordings with over 200 as a leader/co-leader featuring several hundred original compositions.

caprirecords.com

Mark Masters with Andrew Cyrille, Oliver Lake, Tim Hagans, Mark Turner and more - Sept. 21 on CAPRI RECORDS

Composer and arranger Mark Masters paints compelling jazz landscapes for eight original works on new Capri Records release Our Métíer

With Andrew Cyrille, Oliver Lake, Mark Turner, Tim Hagans, Gary Foster,

Dave Woodley, Putter Smith, Anna Mjoll and more

"Masters' arrangements allow the freedom for solos that are creative in the extreme."

- Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

"Masters' arrangements are, no pun intended, masterful."

- Scott Albin, JazzTimes

With his Capri release Our Métíer (September 21, 2018), Mark Masters applies his prodigious talent for painting brilliant, complex, and satisfying jazz landscapes.  The eight Masters compositions featured on the album showcase some of the most adventurous creative improvising musicians in jazz today: Andrew Cyrille, Mark Turner, Oliver Lake, Tim Hagans, Gary Foster, Dave Woodley and Putter Smith. In addition, Masters incorporates the unique voice of Anna Mjoll as an orchestral color, mixing with the instrumental waves in wordless swirls of sound. 

The ensemble that supports these improvisers includes Scott Englebright and Les Lovitt (trumpet), Stephanie O'Keefe (French horn), Les Benedict and Ryan Dragon (trombone), Jerry Pinter, Kirsten Edkins and Bob Carr (woodwinds), Ed Czach (piano), and Craig Fundyga (vibes). The group's big band sound is augmented by bass clarinet and vibes giving the project, at times, an ethereal personality.

In his ten previous projects for Capri Records, Masters has reimagined the music of Lee Konitz, Gary McFarland, Dewey Redman, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker (Steely Dan), Grachan Moncur III and Clifford Brown.

With Our Métíer, Masters has produced a classic "free-bop" large ensemble statement.  One key to the success of the recording is the combination of improvisers completely simpatico with the compositions. In fact, the music was conceived and written specifically for these soloists. The music itself is an artist's canvas filled with all the hues and textures that flow from Masters' creative core.

The opening track "Borne Towards the Stars," inspired by the conclusion of Malcolm Lowry's novel "Under the Volcano," shimmers with atmospheric gravity and features explosive solos by Lake and Hagans.  In "51 West 51st Street," drummer Cyrille establishes the groove after an opening steeped in funk featuring Mjoll and Carr's bass clarinet.  When Hagans and Foster boogaloo into the musical space you can close your eyes and imagine being in Toots Shor's legendary New York City bar.  "Lift" is an understated blues featuring Mjoll's exquisite voice and solid solo work from Mjoll, Lake, Smith and Fundyga.  The harmonically engaging "Ingvild's Dance" with Foster and Turner brings to mind the classic pairing of Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh. "A Précis of Dialogue" is the first of two collective improvisations demonstrating clear textures and sparkling musical interplay with Turner, Foster, Cyrille and Smith.  Foster, Smith, Woodley, and Turner deliver emotionally charged solo statements on the heartbreakingly gorgeous ballad "Dispositions of the Heart."  "Obituary" is Masters' tribute to friends and teachers no longer living.  Far from a dirge, the composition is an up- tempo, celebratory romp that shows off the ensemble in top form.  From the haunting opening and trombone clusters aided by Mjoll to the sophisticated tenor sax and trumpet solos that follow, "Luminescence" brings you the blues in an entirely different way. "In Our Time," the second of two collective improvisations is wildly exploratory, conversational and always compelling.  The title track closes the recording with a powerful, quintessential "free-bop" statement.

Mark Masters Biography

Mark Masters (b. 1957) has earned wide acclaim as an inventive and prolific composer and arranger. All About Jazz calls him "one of the great jazz arrangers of the late 20th and 21st centuries."  Born in 1957 in Gary, Indiana, Masters studied jazz at California State in LA. He organized his first ensemble in 1982 and has never looked back.

"A strikingly creative spirit," (Jim Santella, All About Jazz), Masters has led numerous recording sessions, almost all for Capri Records. Among them are Priestess (Capri, 1990) that Masters wrote to feature Billy Harper and Jimmy Knepper.  A subsequent recording with Knepper, The Jimmy Knepper Songbook (Focus, 1993), featured arrangements by Masters of Knepper's compositions.

Masters' most recent recording Blue Skylight (Capri, 2017), features his innovative ensemble writing and unique approach to the music of Gerry Mulligan and Charles Mingus.  Farewell Walter Dewey Redman (Capri, 2008) features Masters' "in and out" approach and re-casts Dewey Redman's music while retaining its substance.  The project features Oliver Lake, Tim Hagans, Dave Carpenter, and Peter Erskine. Other recordings include Wish Me Well (Capri, 2005) with Steve Kuhn, Gary Smulyan, Gary Foster, and Tim Hagans, Exploration (Capri, 2004) with Grachan Moncur III's octet arranged by Masters, One Day With Lee (Capri, 2004) featuring alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, and The Clifford Brown Project (Capri, 2003) featuring Jack Montrose, Gary Smulyan, Tim Hagans, Cecilia Coleman, and Joe La Barbera. In addition, in 2013 Capri released two recordings, Ellington Saxophone Encounters and Everything You Did: The Music of Walter Becker & Donald Fagen.

Masters' 2005 recording Porgy and BessŠRedefined! (Capri) is a more harmonically adventurous approach to Gershwin's classic folk opera than what has come before.  John Kelman, writing for All About Jazz said "ŠMasters' score is the real star here.  From the opening fanfare he introduces two contrasting elements that, to a large part, define the approach to the whole suite-vibrant swing and some surprisingly free passages.  He clearly proves that it's possible to take a piece that has been approached from a variety of angles and still find a new way in."

Since 1998, Masters has been president of The American Jazz Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to the enrichment and enhancement of the appreciation of jazz. Under Masters' direction, the AJI supports activities that educate and expose the public to jazz through live performance and an oral history project, as well as by supporting charitable endeavors that advance jazz music. One such endeavor is the AJI's Find Your Own Voice mentoring program that takes professional musicians to middle and upper school campuses to present clinics and master classes to student musicians. 

Masters served as a guest lecturer at Claremont McKenna College (1999 - 2006) where he was involved with the History of Jazz class, overseeing an oral history project, and writing for and producing a series of concerts that brought such notable artists to the college as Billy Harper, Billy Hart, Bennie Maupin, Rufus Reid, Sam Rivers, Andrew Cyrille, Mark Turner, Gary Foster, Lee Konitz, Jack Montrose, John La Porta, Tim Hagans, Gary Smulyan, Ray Drummond, Steve Kuhn, Peter Erskine, Joe La Barbera, Ted Brown, Grachan Moncur III, Henry Grimes, and Dewey Redman.

Masters has been named a Rising Star Arranger in DownBeat Magazine's Annual Critics Poll multiple times.

caprirecords.com

Danny Bacher - Still Happy (WHALING CITY SOUND RECORDS September 28, 2018) + Album Release Event

Danny Bacher and his All-Star Band: Album Release Event Still Happy

The Cutting Room

44 E. 32nd St. New York, NY

Sun, September 30, 2018

Doors: 6:00 pm / Show: 7:00 pm

$25.00 - $35.00

TICKETS

A new voice in jazz-steps out-and man, does he swing!

(Get ready to shake your tuchas!)

Still Happy

“The secret of serious fun is not to take it too seriously, especially if it involves playing jazz. 

That attitude is something that the easygoing singer and saxophonist Danny Bacher, knows in his bones.”

– The New York Times

Singer-Saxophonist, Danny Bacher is a fresh new face on the jazz landscape. His clean, crisp delivery is reminiscent of the true greats in entertainment. An engaging stage presence, a smooth-as-silk voice, and the gift of a storyteller all come together to complete his new recording, Still Happy.

This swinging album features a compelling marriage of uplifting tunes and performances, delivered with the style and polish of a seasoned pro. “The way I like to connect to my audience is through humor, lightness and a positive message” says Danny. “I like to convey a positive message.” Offered without irony, these sentiments serve as the baseline philosophy behind Still Happy.

The album features arrangements by Danny and Allen Farnham, crafted to energize Danny’s indefatigable spirit; a rhythm section plus horns plus percussion galvanized tight by purpose and desire; Danny’s own “In Spite of All This, I’m Still Happy,” and “Joie de Vivre,” each complementing perfectly the project’s theme and variations; and signature moments of musicality and wit.

There is a wry yet reverential send-up of “Hooray for Hollywood,” a peek behind the dream factory curtain, replete with Danny’s original, happy-making lyrics (“You’ll be splurgin’ to see a surgeon/He’ll make your tuchas look good…”) “Hollywood” proves to be a touchstone, a contrast to the album’s final track, “Cloudy/Nuages.” Together they reveal the yin and yang of Danny’s personality. The former is exuberant, bracing, filled with vivacity; the latter, ruminative, introspective, private.

Danny looks to the heart (and feet) by endowing these tracks – and all others – with sophisticated subtlety. One hears traces of calypso (“Get Happy”), and doo-wop (“Shaking The Blues Away”), and pure Billie Holiday (“Getting Some Fun Out of Life”).

With both words and deeds, Still Happy reflects Danny’s North Star mandate: he aims to please. He is a pure soul, a humanist at heart, whose creativity aligns perfectly with a desire to spread joy. This album is the latest installment in his vision of a sing-along, bouncing-ball world. It is a simple reminder: in the hands of a master storyteller, music is magic.

Danny Bacher Vocals, Soprano Saxophone

Allen Farnham Piano

Dean Johnson Bass

Alvester Garnett Drums

Harry Allen Tenor Saxophone

Charles Caranicas Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Rolando Morales-Matos Percussion

Co-arrangements by Danny Bacher and Allen Farnham

Produced by: Jeff Levenson

dannybachermusic.com

Ishmael Ensemble - Severn Songs 2 (October 26, 2018)

“Hints of the late '90s 'Bristol sound', a hypnotic rhythm section and an almost pastoral feel” Complex

“Absolutely gorgeous” Tom Ravenscroft, BBC6 Music

“Beautiful music” Dan Snaith, Caribou

“Unfolds like a shimmering stone skipping across a lake. Gorgeous” XLR8R

“These guys  just  get  better  with  every  release”  Gilles  Peterson, BBC6  Music

“Fantastic  stuff  from  Bristol” Thristian, WorldWide FM

“An incredibly exciting project” BBC Introducing

“Super tunes!”  Antal, Rush Hour Records

“Celestial” The Vinyl Factory

“Approaches jazz in a forward-thinking manner, seamlessly incorporating electronics and resamples” Music Is My Sanctuary

Pete Cunningham

On 26th October multi-instrumentalist/DJ Pete Cunningham and cohorts AKA Ishmael Ensemble, present ‘Severn Songs 2’ – the second in a 7” vinyl trilogy inspired by Bristol, its surrounding regions and, as the title suggests, the River Severn.

‘Severn Songs 2’ follows media praise, radio airplay and DJ support for ‘Severn Songs 1’ from the likes  of  Dan  Snaith (Caribou),  Gilles Peterson, Tom Ravenscroft, The Vinyl Factory  and  XLR8R. Prior to that, 2017  saw  Ishmael  Ensemble’s  first  EP ‘Songs  for  Knotty’ released on Banoffee Pies,  followed  by  a  remix  of  Carl  Craig’s ‘The Melody’.

The ‘Severn Songs’  series  marks  the  most  full-bodied  and  ambitious  project  yet  from  Pete  Cunningham, who prior to evolving into this varying collective of musicians recorded and released solo, as simply Ishmael. Promising beginnings under that initial guise saw releases on Wolf  Music, West Friends  and  Church,  alongside contemporaries  Seb  Wildblood,  Medlar  and Frits  Wentink. 

‘Severn Songs 2’ sees Cunningham slip into  a  nostalgic  haze, throwing back  to  his  formative years  in  Bristol’s  late  noughties scene,  but  cast  through  a  prism  of  jazzwise  electronica;  surely  the furthest  apple  of  influence  to  fall  from  the  Hessle-Hotflush  tree.

‘Tunnels’ begins with a flurry of  drums  before  being  enveloped  by  sub-bass  pressure,  like stepping  directly  into  a  basement  club  in  full  flow.  As  the  track  climaxes,  saxophones  sweep the  air  like  green-spoked  lasers  overhead,  creating  a  contrast  of  pinpoint  clarity  against  the background  atmosphere.  Though  sonically  well  outside  Bristol’s  dubstep  legacy,  it  accurately portrays  the  smudged  perception  of  a  peak  time  rave. 

On  the  flip,  we  find  the  more  introverted 'First  Light',  wherein  the  group  downshift  from  the  buzz  of  a  bustling  room  to  the  hum  of  one’s head  as  dawn  breaks.  It’s  a  moment  of  spacious  solitude  shared  only,  as  Cunningham pictures  it,  with  “swans  fighting  over  polystyrene  chip  boxes”  in  the  canal  below.

Never  one  to  miss  a  beat  in  either  sense  of  the  phrase,  Cunningham  has  once  again  littered canny  references  to  compliment  the  reverential  music.  The  sleeve  art  captures  birds  through an  obscured  lens,  nodding  to  the  river  Avon  and  overall  milieu  that  inspired  ‘First  Light’;  and for  native  Bristolians  especially,  the  A-side  will  evoke  a  fertile  period,  full  of  vital  music, communal  escapism,  and  the  maze  of  basements  and  tunnels  where  it  blossomed. 

Overall, Pete’s ability  to  thread  this  thematic  needle  gives  a  descriptive  tenor  to  the  group’s wordless  sound,  elevating  the  music  at  once  to  something  more  personal  and  more  resonant  – and  leaving  soon-to-be-answered  questions  about  where  ‘Severn  Songs’  will  flow  to  next.

Pete Cunningham: sax, keys, synths, production

Stephen Mullins: guitar

Fred Brooks: guitar

Rory O'Gorman: drums

Jake Spurgeon: modular synth

Jackson Lapes: percussion

ishmaelensemble.com

Ishmael Ensemble - Severn Songs 1 (2018)

Following last year’s evolution from solo Ishmael to the expanded Ensemble, the Severn Songs series marks the most full-bodied and ambitious project yet from Pete Cunningham. The collection of 7”s will branch out like tributaries from the main concept across the year, as Cunningham pays loving tribute to his hometown of Bristol and the surrounding region. “Severn Songs 01” kicks off the run with two rich cuts that sound quintessentially Ishmaelian, but simultaneously an expansion of his palette. 

“The Chapel” starts as a glimmer on the horizon, yet develops to a war cry, a clarion call of grace and impact. Cosmic synth gurgles fill the initially sparse atmosphere, before being subsumed by overlapping sax lines; by the end, only a ghostly imprint of squall lingers in the air. On the flip, “Full Circle” brings us down from the sky to the earth. Busy, clipped drums are encircled by synthetic flurries, culminating in a climatic release. As a whole, the release keeps these two divergent approaches to jazzwise electronica rotating in tandem. It’s an approach that is due to be explored with more collaborators on later instalments. 

“The Chapel” comes with a video by Amie Nowlan - who also took the aesthetic lead for Ishmael’s live Boiler Room performance in 2016 - which matches the colour and fluidity of the Ensemble’s playing. With Nowlan’s involvement, the assembling of a crack team of talented friends to flesh out the vision on record, a nostalgic name, and even sleeve art provided by his father, Severn Songs is a new path for Cunningham - but one that ultimately loops back home. 

Gabriel Szatan

Pete Cunningham: Saxophone, Synthesizers, Keys

Chris Hillier: Keys

Holly Wellington: Piano

Stephen Mullins: Guitar

Jake Spurgeon: Bass

Rory O'Gorman: Drums

Jackson Lapes: Percussion

New album ''Ruby'' by Macy Gray! (CHALLENGE RECORDS 2018)

Rubies hold a special place amongst the world’s rarest natural treasures. The most sought-after of the corundum family, the gemstone’s crimson hue instantly catches attention—as if extracting passion from the earth itself and crystallizing it in mineral form. Similarly, Macy Gray occupies a rare space in the canon of modern music.

That unmistakable rasp, unshakable grasp on soul, and funky spirit ensured her status as a 21st century icon since her arrival with the triple-platinum How Life Is in 1999. Selling over 25 million total albums globally, winning a GRAMMY® Award and two BRIT Awards, collaborating with everyone from Ariana Grande to Galactic, and enchanting fans all over the world, her voice has consistently resounded throughout pop culture. Eternally enamored and enthralled with her voice and presence, a devout fan base that transcends genres, generations, and creeds celebrates her work—album after album and tour after tour.

Most recently, 2016’s Stripped earmarked a creative high point, garnering unanimous acclaim from Vogue, Vice, and many more. At the same time, she remains a force of nature on tour, selling out venues in nearly every corner of the globe two decades into her storied career. Macy’s talents resound beyond music as well. She starred in Tyler Perry’s Black Reel Award-winning For Colored Girls and would grace the screen everywhere from Brotherly Love and Cardboard Boxer to NETFLIX’s hit Fuller House. Moreover, she made a now legendary appearance in Training Day alongside Academy® Award winner Denzel Washington—one of many on-screen hallmarks.

Now, her tenth full-length album, RUBY [Artistry Music/Mack Avenue], reaffirms and reasserts that signature rarity millions continue to treasure.

“I love the gem ruby,” she explains. “It’s so regal. I really wanted a title that would stick. The stone is also red of course, which is my favorite color. It’s rich and has history. It’s classic—and so is this album.”

Channeling the spirit of the “grimy” R&B and smoky jazz closest to her heart, Macy made a leap forward by looking back to formative inspirations. However, she updated those elements with enriched, entrancing, and enigmatic soundscapes brought to life by producers Johan Carlsson [Michael Bublé, Maroon 5], Tommy Brown [Jennifer Lopez, Fifth Harmony, Travis Scott], and Tommy Parker Lumpkins [Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber].

Ruby

Macy Gray

Ruby (Limited Edition Red Vinyl)

Macy Gray

Ruby (Black Vinyl)

Macy Gray

© 2018 - NewArts International / Challenge Records Int.

Macy Gray tourdates Europe:

30 OCT – Astra - Berlin, Germany

01 NOV – Mojo Club - Hamburg, Germany

02 NOVEMBER – La Madeleine - Brussels, Belguim

03 NOVEMBER – Theater der Künste - @JAZZ NO JAZZ - Zurich, Switzerland

05 NOVEMBER – PAARD - Den Haag, Netherlands

06 NOVEMBER – TivoliVredenburg - Utrecht, Holland

07 NOVEMBER – Salle Pleyel - Paris, France

09 NOVEMBER – Ronnie Scott’s - London, UK

10 NOVEMBER – Ronnie Scott’s - London, UK

Benoît Delbecq / Jorrit Dijkstra / John Hollenbeck - Linger (DRIFF RECORDS October 1, 2018)

Dijkstra and Hollenbeck have been collaborating as a duo since the mid-nineties. Recorded as a follow-up on their well-received album Sequence (Trytone Records, 2005), Linger adds French prepared piano master Benoît Delbecq to the mix. Dijkstra and Delbecq met at the Banff Jazz Workshop in 1990 and have collaborated occasionally over the years. As on Sequence, the same process of instant composition was used in the studio: to establish some textures and atmospheres first, then record a few takes per texture, and choose the best takes afterwards without further editing. The titles of the ten tracks all reflect movement of some sort, represented by the multi-layered rhythms, the dense microtonal textures, and the lyrical, lingering melodic interactions of Dijkstra and Delbecq.

Delbecq’s mumbling bass synth lines, Dijkstra’s analog synth and processed saxophone sounds, and Hollenbeck’s hard-hitting grooves and almost electronic-sounding percussions give the album a unique sound that defies categories.

Benoît Delbecq - prepared piano, bass synth

Jorrit Dijkstra - alto saxophone, lyricon, analog electronics

John Hollenbeck – drums, percussion

1. Place 05:23

2. Relay 06:21

3. Linger 04:08

4. Stir 03:46

5. Hold 08:54

6. Stalk 05:37

7. Push 04:19

8. Poke 03:50

9. Dwell 04:58

10. Edge 04:57

All improvisations by Benoît Delbecq (SACEM), Jorrit Dijkstra (Buma/Stemra) and John Hollenbeck (ASCAP/GEMA).

Recorded by Eric Kilburn at Wellspring Studio, Acton MA on January 24, 2016. Mixed by Benoît Delbecq and Steve Argüelles at PlushSpace, Paris. Mastered by Myles Boisen at Headless Buddha Mastering Lab, Oakland CA. Cover art by Raoul van der Weide. Design by Hidde Dijkstra.

Photography by Valérie Archeno.

Pandelis Karayorgis Trio (Nate McBride / Luther Gray) - Pools (DRIFF RECORDS October 1, 2018)

Pools brings together three long-time musical collaborators into a new trio. Karayorgis has worked in other piano trios with McBride (with Randy Peterson and Curt Newton) and Gray (with Jef Charland) before, but here they play off of an expanded conception of restrained intensity and three-way dialogue that adds a new chapter to this thread. The three have forged a strong musical bond over the years by playing together in many different formations and are currently playing frequently as the rhythm section of the quintet Cutout (along with trombonist Jeb Bishop and saxophonist Jorrit Dijkstra).

For this set, made in July 2018 during an informal house recording session, they get a chance to stretch out as a trio, playing mostly original pieces by Karayorgis along with a free improvisation and a blues.

Pandelis Karayorgis, piano

Nate McBride, bass

Luther Gray, drums

1. Roil 07:54

2. Last One 07:47

3. How Daisies Jiggle 06:45

4. Entanglement 06:59

5. allbyitself 07:32

6. Blues 06:43

7. Neumes 05:31

8. Slack Tide 06:43

All compositions (except tracks 2 & 6) by Pandelis Karayorgis: © Stray Line Publishing, ASCAP. Recorded in Cambridge, Mass., July 18, 2018. Recording, mixing, and cover art by Pandelis Karayorgis. Graphic layout by Hidde Dijkstra.

Pandelis Karayorgis Trio (Damon Smith / Eric Rosenthal) - Cliff (DRIFF RECORDS October 1, 2018)

Cliff explores density, pulse and texture in four extended trio improvisations. Karayorgis and Rosenthal share a long musical relationship dating back to the early nineties. For this session they are joined by bassist Damon Smith who has recently relocated to the Boston area and has played with both several times over the past couple of years.

This CD captures their first encounter as a trio in June 2018 during an informal house recording session.

Pandelis Karayorgis, piano

Damon Smith, bass

Eric Rosenthal, drums

1. Trio 1 11:21

2. Trio 2 12:17

3. Trio 3 18:56

4. Trio 4 09:05

Recorded in Cambridge, Mass., July 18, 2018. Recording, mixing and cover art by Pandelis Karayorgis. Graphic layout by Hidde Dijkstra.

Dan Karlsberg / JD Allen / Tom Buckley - Tales from the Winter Solstice (2018)

"Tales from the Winter Solstice" is Dan Karlsberg's 4th release as a leader. It is his first album featuring the instrumentation of piano/saxophone/drums. All music on the album is written by Karlsberg, and is a delicate mix of fully written out music and improvisation coexisting together in an unorthodox way. "Tales" features beautiful melodies juxtaposed with powerful, sometimes dissonant improvisations. It is also an opportunity to hear the great saxophonist JD Allen perform in a context you wont hear elsewhere.

JD Allen - tenor sax

Dan Karlsberg - piano

Tom Buckley - drums

1. Movement II for Two Violins 07:40

2. Death of a Balloon 03:15

3. Conflict 05:05

4. The First Snowfall 05:44

5. Epic of Arushi, and Her Younger Brother Ansh 07:59

6. Chorale for Bud Powell 07:55

7. How the West was Lost 03:51

Dan Karlsberg

Cincinnati, Ohio

From Cincinnati, Dan Karlsberg is an active performer, composer, and teacher. He currently has 4 albums under his own name, and has worked with such artists as Donald Harrison, Tim Warfield, JD Allen, Ignacio Berroa, Carl Allen, among many others. Karlsberg is currently an adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music.