The Michael Leonhart Orchestra presents 'The Normyn Suites', due out March 25, 2022 (Sunnyside Records)

The Michael Leonhart Orchestra presents The Normyn Suites, a new masterwork to be released on March 25, 2022 via Sunnyside Records 

Featuring appearances by Elvis Costello, Bill Frisell, Joshua Redman, JSWISS, Larry Goldings, Nels Cline, Donny McCaslin and more 

Release show at Rizzoli Bookstore on April 10, 2022

‘The Normyn Suites’ is an elegy; to listen is to spend time in that space of loss, reckoning, questioning, and mourning. At the same time, though, with each note, each phrase, we are propelled back into life."

– Alexandra Horowitz, author of Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a Singular Bond 

"Threads the needle between pop and experimental music seamlessly… gorgeous." 

– Forbes

Sunnyside Records is proud to announce the March 25, 2022 release of The Normyn Suites by the Michael Leonhart Orchestra. The Normyn Suites is both a requiem and celebration, inspired by the life and death of the bandleader’s 15-year-old dog, a female mini dachshund named Normyn. The third album by the Michael Leonhart Orchestra features a pair of suites – the first of which is an exploration of the stages of grieving, while the second is a reflection on love and loss. In keeping with the MLO’s eclectic musical palette, the album features several collaborations with Elvis Costello, with contributions by Bill Frisell, Nels Cline, and JSWISS as well as two bonus offerings with Donny McCaslin. The release of The Normyn Suites will be celebrated at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City on April 10. 

“The Normyn Suites is an elegy; to listen is to spend time in that space of loss, reckoning, questioning, and mourning. At the same time, though, with each note, each phrase, we are propelled back into life,” reflects author Alexandra Horowitz in the stirring liner notes. The first part is titled “The Normyn Suite #1: (Soundtrack to the Five Stages of Grieving)”, and was inspired by “The Kübler-Ross Grief Cycle”, a model introduced by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book On Death and Dying. “The Five Stages of Grief” is a critically acclaimed study on how humans handle loss.

For this suite in five parts, Leonhart expands the MLO’s live performance palette of brass, woodwinds and strings to include choir and found percussion over gritty breakbeat drums. 

Leonhart shares, “I wanted “Denial” and “Anger” to have an emotional tension and raw quality, almost a whiplash effect, before the contemplative soloing of Bill Frisell over the peaceful “Catharsis”.” The fourth composition, “Nostalgia” opens with a nod to the main melody of “The Dunes Of Cahoon Hollow” (from “Suite #2), orchestrated for choir and monophonic synths before Jim Pugh (trombone) and Walt Weiskopf (tenor sax) take turns as instrumental narrators. Leonhart’s years with Pugh and Weiskopf as part of the Steely Dan horn section inspired him to choose them specifically for their expressiveness and personal experiences with loss. The final movement of the suite,“Acceptance” starts with Leonhart’s mother Donna singing a wordless melody over chamber strings. Leonhart utilizes gospel harmonies and a written soli over a soulful 6/8 groove to represent the peace and empowerment that come with the true recognition of personal heartbreaking loss. 

“The Normyn Suite #2: (Love & Loss)” is a collection of six pieces Leonhart began composing in the final weeks of Normyn’s life, when she was physically too weak to walk and began to lose her appetite. Leonhart would bring her to the studio where she would rest in her favorite bag on top of the grand piano while he played and composed. The six pieces “May The Young Grow Old” (featuring Larry Goldings), “Waking From Sedation” (featuring Bill Frisell), “Freedom From The Pain”, “Unconditional Love”, “La Preghiera”, and “The Dunes Of Cahoon Hollow” take listeners on an dazzling sonic journey.

Photos of Michael Leonhart by Shervin Lainez

In addition to the two suites, the album features three songs co-written with Elvis Costello during the quarantine. There are two versions of “Shut Him Down” bookending the suites — one with Joshua Redman, playing his late father Dewey’s newly restored tenor saxophone for the first time on record, the other with Chris Potter on bass clarinet. Costello performs spoken word on “Radio is Everything”, featuring legendary guitarists Bill Frisell & Nels Cline who also co-wrote the songs with Leonhart and Costello. The final collaboration is the driving “Newspaper Pane”.

Two bonus tracks, “Kenny Dorham” and “Wayne Shorter”, present the debut recording of Leonhart’s organ quartet featuring Donny McCaslin. These two songs were initially composed as a birthday tribute to each of these jazz legends, two of Leonhart’s favorite small group composers.

The Michael Leonhart Orchestra developed its singular sound over the course of its monthly residencies at Jazz Standard, one of New York’s most prestigious jazz rooms. Pre-pandemic, Leonhart was steadily honing his vision there, with unconventional instrumentation and a shapeshifting community of sought-after players from a variety of cutting-edge scenes and disciplines. Leonhart’s approach to the MLO is informed by his many other activities and wide-ranging credits: he’s a top-level jazz trumpeter and longtime member of Steely Dan; a gifted and distinctive pianist; a singer, songwriter and film composer; a session player with credits including the Bruno Mars/Mark Ronson megahit “Uptown Funk“; an accomplished orchestrator (Nels Cline’s Lovers) and producer (Donald Fagen’s Sunken Condos, Sachal Vasandani’s Slow Motion Miracles). The polyglot musical worldview Leonhart has developed as a result stamps the MLO’s work at every moment. And the joy he gets from it is infectious. 

Hailed as “a blazing hot mess of awesome” by The New York City Jazz Record, the Michael Leonhart Orchestra (MLO) traverses a huge swath of musical terrain, guided by the highly developed ears, ceaselessly omnivorous tastes and playful yet meticulous artistry of its leader, Michael Leonhart.

The Michael Leonhart Orchestra features a who’s-who of today’s contemporary musical talent including Keyon Harrold, Catherine Russell, E.J. Strickland, Freddie Hendrix, Eric Friedlander, Ryan Keberle, and more.

1 Shut Him Down

2 The Normyn Suite #1: Denial

3 The Normyn Suite #1: Anger

4 The Normyn Suite #1: Catharsis

5 The Normyn Suite #1: Nostalgia

6 The Normyn Suite #1: Acceptance

7 Radio Is Everything

8 The Normyn Suite #2: May the Young Grow Old Featuring

9 The Normyn Suite #2: Waking from Sedation

10 The Normyn Suite #2: Freedom from the Pain

11 The Normyn Suite #2: Unconditional Love

12 The Normyn Suite #2: La Preghiera

13 The Normyn Suite #2: The Dunes of Cahoon Hollow

14 Shut Him Down (Video Edit)

15 Newspaper Pane

16 Kenny Dorham

17 Wayne Shorter

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Boris Kozlov - First Things First (January 21, 2022 Posi-Tone Records)

Bassist and bandleader Boris Kozlov defies expectations and redefines what it means to put "First Things First.” Producer Marc Free sends Kozlov out along an ambitious course for his 2022 Posi-Tone debut, and with a steady hand, bassist Kozlov confidently directs a mighty quintet of top notch musicians. Saxophonist Donnie McCaslin, vibraphonist Behn Gillece, keyboardist Art Hirahara and drummer Rudy Royston keep moving freely over the solid harmonic foundation provided by Kozlov’s playing and leadership. While many jazz fans have yet to become acquainted with the music of Kozlov, the time has come to travel together beyond the simply straight ahead and to color outside the lines. We are confident that the music on this album will bring delight to the ears of serious listeners, navigating steadily away from the known and familiar and move swiftly out into the uncharted depths of modern collective improvisation to uncover a new sound in time and space.

1. Page One 06:18

2. Flow 04:01

3. The More Things Change 05:35

4. I.S. Adventure 06:51

5. Aftermath 07:53

6. Second Line Sally 05:49

7. Viscous 05:45

8. Mind Palace 07:13

9. Warm Sand 06:49

10. Once A Fog In Babylon 07:39

11. Eclipse 02:32

Boris Kozlov: acoustic bass; electric bass 2, 6, 8, 10; piccolo bass 6

Donny McCaslin: tenor saxophone; alto flute 2, 8, 10

Art Hirahara: piano; Rhodes 8; B3 6, 10

Behn Gillece: vibraphone (not on 6)

Rudy Royston: drums; percussion 2, 6, 11

Marc Free - producer

Michael Brorby - recording engineer

Nick O’Toole - mixing and mastering engineer

recorded November 14-15, 2020 at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY

mixed & mastered at Woodland Studio, Lake Oswego, OR

photography by Anna Yatskevich

package design by Alex Koehler

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Rachel Eckroth - The Garden (September 3, 2021 Rainy Days Records)

Pianist, composer and singer Rachel Eckroth’s first release on Rainy Days Records unveils fresh sounds from her evolving artistry. Steeped in synth orchestration, The Garden reflects a nuanced exploration of sonic impulses and inquiries alongside Eckroth’s signature layered compositions and glimmers of trance-inducing vocals. With contributions from acclaimed guitarist Nir Felder, saxophonists Donny McCaslin and Andrew Krasilnikov and modular synth master Austin White, and a core band featuring bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Christian Euman, The Garden emerged conceptually while Eckroth was writing new music during the pandemic. “Everything on the album has a different feel to it — different colors and textures,” says the West Coast artist. “It felt like a garden. So we just rolled with it.”

Eckroth revels in new experiences across rich, diverse musical settings. The multifaceted artist continually refines her expression, frequently collaborating as a featured guest with creative visionaries who have included Rufus Wainwright, St. Vincent, KT Tunstall, Donny McCaslin, Tia Fuller and Chris Botti. But composing during the pandemic afforded Eckroth and partner Lefebvre unique opportunities to compose and perform together. From their home in Arizona, they dug in to each other’s expressions and began developing a duo sound. “Especially during Covid, we were making music pretty much every day together,” says Eckroth. When Eugene Petruhanskiy greenlit a possible release from Eckroth for Rainy Days, she and Lefebvre considered what they might create around a synth-forward recording. 

The textural-minded musicians began soundscaping across familiar territory and new domains. Almost immediately, the Prophet 6 emerged as a key element for record’s sound. “It ends up on a lot of my live gigs,” says Eckroth. “I’ve used it on all the tours I’ve played with other people. I’m a pianist, but the record doesn’t have a lot of piano. The Yamaha CP 70 served the ‘meat’ of some of the songs. And the Korg minilogue is an instrument I use really well for some reason; it’s very intuitive.

"Multifaceted artist Rachel Eckroth releases textural, mood-casting new music on Rainy Days Records “Eckroth explores difficult emotions with a deft touch, letting her soul-baring performance and swelling instrumentation form the heartfelt emotional core of the track ”

— Under the Radar

“Breathtaking vocals”

— PopMatters

“[Eckroth and Lefebvre] are two in-demand musicians who elude categorization”

— NPR Music’s Jazz Night in America

1. Dracaena

2. Under a Fig Tree

3. Low Hanging Fruit

4. Dried Up Roots

5. The Garden

6. Black Eyed Susan

7. Vines

8. Oil

Rachel Eckroth - Piano, Voice, Yamaha CP70, Prophet 6, Mellotron

Tim Lefebvre - Electric Bass, Guitar

Christian Euman - Drums

Donny McCaslin - Tenor Saxophone

Andrew Krasilnikov - Soprano Saxophone

Nir Felder - Electric Guitar

Austin White - Modular Synth

Written by Rachel Eckroth

Produced by Tim Lefebvre

Executive producer – Eugene Petrushanskiy

Mixed by Jason Kingsland at Frenchtown Sound

Mastered by Ed Brooks at Resonant

Mastering Recorded at Sonic Ranch - Studio A in Tornillo, TX

Recording engineer - Felipe Castaneda

Additional recording at Big Orange Sheep, Brooklyn, NY by Christopher Benham

Overdubs made at Blackbird Sessions in Tucson, AZ

Additional recording made in Moscow, by Sasha Mashin

Album art – Vika Kogai

Photography by Eugene Petrushanskiy

Video by Eugene Petrushanskiy and Rachel Eckroth

Package design by – Dimitri Komedea, 271dsgn

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Diego Pinera - Odd Wisdom (2021 ACT Music)

Diego Pinera is a unique figure who is genuinely taking music in new directions by juxtaposing the po-lyrhythmic freedom of jazz with other metric systems. As he says, “I studied music in the places where it came from.” He started playing drums as a four-year old in Montevideo. His student years were spent in Havana, Boston (Berklee) and Leipzig.

Based in Berlin since 2003, he has continued to wi-den his musical horizons, immersing himself in the ‘odd’ meters of the title through extensive work with Berlin-based musicians from Greece and Bulgaria.

‘Wisdom’ here refers not just to Pinera’s accretion of wide knowledge and consummate skill, but also to mystery and alchemy: the track “Conversations With My-self” is a hushed, concentrated masterpiece. His ear for fresh colours and timbres is astonishing.

His ACT debut “Despertando” was described as a “treat for the ear,” and “Odd Wisdom” is a kaleidoscope of sonic inventiveness. “Mi Cosmos”, for example, has the rasping sound of a snare over the drum-head. “Robotic Night” features a drum synth pad, played live in the studio.

“Odd Wisdom” is a significant and personal album. “It brings together all of the sounds and rhythms that I have been working on for the past decade.” Pinera gathered a dream team from the New York top flight together for just one day at the Trading 8s studio in New Jersey: Donny McCaslin, Ben Monder and Scott Colley have already made their mark in countless other contexts, and they are on spellbinding form here.

And yet “Odd Wisdom” also has a wonderful ‘lightness’ about it (it is one of Pinera’s favourite words). In these truly capable hands, complex music has a magical fluidity, freedom and flow. Pinera has acquired his wisdom by being watchful. As his evocative lyric for “Space” ex-presses it: “Al mirar arriba, más allá, en el sol.” (I under-stood by looking up, beyond, into the sun.)

01 Clave Tune 8:39

02 Domingo 6:14

03 Conversation With Mysel f 5:09

04 Robotic Night 4:12

05 Mi Cosmos 5:03

06 Space 7:18

07 Away 4:50

08 De Madrugada 5:04

09 Easter in Pugl ia 3:18

10 Blue Monk 7:16

Diego Pinera / drums

Donny McCaslin / saxophone

Ben Monder / guitar

Scott Colley / bass

Music composed by Diego Pinera, except Blue Monk composed

by Thelonious Monk, arranged by Diego Pinera

Recorded and rough mix by Chris Sulit at Trading 8s Recording

Studio, New Jersey (NYC), February 07, 2020

Final mix and mastering by Klaus Scheuermann

Produced by Diego Pinera

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Vivian Sessoms - Life (ROPEADOPE RECORDS November 2, 2018)

Vivian Sessoms was born in Harlem, and was raised between Philly and Harlem as a child with some stops in Newark & Camden NJ. As she likes to say – ‘she lived in all the ‘hoods. Her parents were free thinkers, creatives who were immersed in music and cultural expression. Early on she just knew that one day she would be a singer, and that knowledge became a compelling need that drove her forward. With her parents singing and playing music around her, harmonizing and sharing the essence, the structure of music, there was never another option. The church figured in as well, as her grandmother made sure she was in church most Sundays, and the spirit of gospel music was forever entangled with her destiny. 

Many of us are separated from the realization of our destiny, but this is not so with Vivian. As a young girl she expressed the sense of her presence in history through music, and as she began to seek career opportunities she landed a gig with the great Ryuichi Sakamoto. One can not overstate the challenge of performing as a young vocalist with a music master like Sakamoto; singing in Japanese, Vivian was able to match her Black American roots with the expansive knowledge of an acclaimed ethno-musiciologist. Sakamoto brings a unique perspective: rather than expanding out from the root, he begins from a classical background and adds elements of multicultural styles to his final compositions. It is exactly this approach that brings Vivian’s album – LIFE – into sharp focus. The roots of her musical upbringing (soul, jazz, gospel) are there in powerful form, and yet a diverse and universal aspect is presented in every arrangement and composition. 

And so, prepare yourself for the world of Vivian Sessoms - the versatile singer - songwriter - arranger - producer of LIFE. The album is a trans-generational document that manages to speak directly to this time on earth. All of the ingredients of a worldly mix of styles are present, with the groove and feeling of the church, the popular music of her time, and players that make it fresh. Led by Vivian and co-producer, Chris Parks, LIFE features a diverse cast of musicians, beginning with her persistent collaborations with Saxophonist Casey Benjamin and Pianist Shedrick Mitchell and followed by appearances from Brandee Younger, Keyon Harrold, Donny McCaslin, and Gregoire Maret, among others. 

While there is no shortage of acclaimed musicians included in this project, it is clear LIFE is a labor of love, and not just titles. Ever present in the creation of this record is Chris Parks, Vivian’s long time creative partner. Every recorded album is a document - a testament to life at a certain time, or perhaps in a series of times. It would be easy to state that Vivian Sessoms’ voice is transcendent, but LIFE, the album, takes that voice and takes it higher; the songs on LIFE are for all of us, built of collaboration, of love, and of purpose. 

01. 7th Heaven - Intro ft Freedom Bremner (1:03)

Adi Yeshaya & Vivian Sessoms

Arranged by C. Parks

Adi Yeshaya - string arranger

Charissa “The Violin Diva” Rouse - strings

Freedom Bremner - vox

02. No Greater Love - ft Casey Benjamin & Paradigm (4:27)

Isham Jones & Marty Symes

Arranged by V. Sessoms, C. Parks, D. Archer

Dave Archer - keys

Chris Parks - guitar, bass, keys & drum programming

Eric Brown - drums

Adam Jackson - drums

Casey Benjamin - vocoder

Sherrod Barnes - guitar

03. Under My Skin (feat. Paradigm) (6:32)

Cole Porter 

Arranged by D. Archer, V. Sessoms, C. Parks

T. Lewis Dave Archer - keys

Chris Parks - bass, keys & drum programming

Eric Browns - drums

Meku Yisrael - conga

Adi Yeshaya - string arranger & strings

04. Superwoman (feat. Shedrick Mitchell) (5:12)

Steveland Morris

Arranged by S. Mitchell

Shedrick Mitchell - piano

Chris Parks - bass & keys

Donald Edwards - drums

05. Gabriels Lament (feat. Keyon Harrold) (1:03)

Chris Parks & Keyon Harrold

Arranged by C. Parks

Keyon Harrold - trumpet

Chris Parks - keys

06. Dreaming Of A Boy (feat. Keyon Harrold) (6:38)

Vivian Sessoms & Chris Parks

Arranged by V. Sessoms, C. Parks

Shedrick Mitchell - rhodes

Chris Parks - bass, drum programming

Donald Edwards - drums 

Brandee Younger - harp

Keyon Harrold - trumpet

07. See Lude (1:16)

Chris Parks

Arranged by C. Parks

Meku Yisrael - conga

Chris Parks - keys

08. See Line Woman (feat. Vincent Gardner, Kenyatta Beasley & Donny McCaslin) (5:59)

Unknown

Arranged by M. Baerentzen, V. Sessoms, C. Parks

Mads Baerentzen - piano

Chris Parks - guitar

Carlos Henderson - bass

Eric Brown - drums

Conga - Meku Yisrael

Kenyatta Beasley - trumpet

Vincent Gardner - trombone

Cliff Lyons - saxophone

Donny McCaslin - saxophone solo

09. New Earth (:53)

Chris Parks

Arranged by C. Parks

Chris Parks - guitar, keys & bass

10. People - ft Shedrick Mitchell (4:47)

Linda Creed, Thom Bell

Arranged by R. Angry & S. Mitchell

Shedrick Mitchell - rhodes

Dave Archer - keys

Chris Parks - bass, keys & drum programming

Martin Valihora - drums

Sherrod Barnes - guitar

11. O.O.B.E. (0:41)

Chris Parks

Arranged by C. Parks

Chris Parks - keys & programming

12. Lush Life (For Jenny) (3:20)

Billy Strayhorn

Arranged by S. Mitchell, V. Sessoms

Shedrick Mitchell - rhodes

Chris Parks - bass

Adam Jackson - drums

Gerry Gibbs - additional drums

13. High Life (feat. Charissa “The Violin Diva” Rouse) (1:09)

Chris Parks & Adam Jackson

Arranged by C. Parks

Adam Jackson - drums

Chris Parks - keys & string string arranger

Charissa “The Violin Diva” Rouse - strings

14. Strange Fruit (feat. Shedrick Mitchell) (5:19)

Abel Meerpool

Arranged by V. Sessoms

Shedrick Mitchell - piano

Chris Parks - bass

Donald Edwards - drums

Brandee Younger - harp

Charissa “The Violin Diva” Rouse - strings & string arranger

15. Portal (0:57)

Chris Parks

Arranged by C. Parks

Chris Parks - keys

Donny McCaslin - Blow. (MOTEMA MUSIC October 5, 2018)

As the bandleader on David Bowie's final album Blackstar, saxophonist Donny McCaslin collaborated with the Starman to carry forward his penchant for reinvention. With his upcoming studio album — a daring fusion of vibrant electronica, and bombastic art-rock due this fall — McCaslin applied that mindset to his own work, pushing his music in a bold new direction. Propulsive and improvisational alternative music combines with a heady blend of vocals, saxophone and flute, pianos and Wurlitzer, electric bass and pummeling drums that captures McCaslin's core roots while also bringing in more recent influences such as Radiohead and Bon Iver.

Digital Album

1. What About the Body

2. Club Kidd

3. Break the Bond

4. New Kindness

5. Exactlyfourminutesofimprovisedmusic

6. Tiny Kingdom

7. Great Destroyer

8. The Opener (feat. Sun Kil Moon)

9. Beast

10. Tempest

11. Eye of the Beholder

BLOW. - LIMITED EDITION CLEAR VINYL LP

10/5/18 Release Date - available now for preorder

Limited Edition Clear Vinyl version, (being released simultaneously with CD and Digital versions,) includes full lyrics plus a collectible art-poster featuring cover art designed by David Calderley of Graphic Therapy (Beck, Tall Heights, Imagine Dragons, V2 Music Group…)

El Eco & Guillermo Nojechowicz - Two Worlds (2018)

In 1987, Chilean conceptual artist Alfredo Jaar baffled and angered passerby in Time Square with an installation that showed a map of the United Sates with the words “This is not America.” The computer-animated image then changed to show the word “America” and a map of the whole continent. The point, for Latin Americans at least, was rather obvious, but it had to be made. Similarly, in the 1980s, the late, great Cuban trumpeter and band leader Mario Bauza, who knew a thing of two about jazz, Afro-Cuban and Latin American music, used to baffle and anger many of his lesser every time he said that, with the exception of Paquito D’Rivera, no one was playing Latin jazz. What everybody called Latin jazz, he used to declare with a shrug, as if chagrined for having to state the obvious, was Afro-Cuban jazz. He wasn’t being just a proud Cubano, which of course he was, but calling attention o an overlooked, extraordinary world of rhythms and styles. In the decade since, a new generation of Latin American jazz musicians has emerged with an open, pan-Latin approach to Latin Jazz. Musicians such as Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez, Puerto Rican saxophonist David Sanchez and Venezuelan pianist Ed Simon have been drawing from the roots as well as their experiences in the United States and as a result, in the their music, mejoranas meet Monk, blues take a bomba y plena groove and Venezuelan tonadas take on hard swing. Argentine drummer and composer Guillermo Nojechowicz has been there all along, a practicioner and creator, as well, of this new pan-Latin sound. In compositions that range on this debut CD from the dark Chacarera de Paloma to the lyrical bounce of Samba de Maya, Nojechowicz, who has lived in Boston since 1980, reworks rhythms and styles such as Argentine chacareras, Braziian baiãos and Uruguayan candombes with the vocabulary of blues and bop. If the results sound organic, lived-in, it is because they reflect a life experience that is not just bilingual but bicultural. That’s what’s at the heart of Two Worlds. This is music from a place with blurred boundaries, a place of memories, echoes indeed, and startling newness. Café Opinião, for example, is a glimpse at, and a tribute to, a place in Rio de Janeiro, “a sort of Buena Vista Social Club” where musicians used to hang out and play, says Nojechowicz. Chacarera de Paloma is for a friend of his who became one of the “desaparecidos,” the vanished ones, during the Dirty War in Argentina in the late 70s. Time Lost, an easy-on-the ear ballad, was written after a trip to Buenos Aires to visit to his ill father, painter Noe Nojechowiz, who passed away in 1998. It is a meditation on lost chances, about time passed and things not shared. But this is followed by the bright, hopeful Samba de Maya, dedicatied to his seven-year-old daughter. Musically, Two Worlds stretches from a gentle mocking European tango in the title track and the irresistible groove of candombe, an African-rooted rhythm from the Rio de la Plata to a sober version of Sting’s Fragile and the joyful Afro-Brazilian rhythm of partido alto in Partido Final. This may be music that has its roots a continent away, but Nojechowicz’ writing resonates deeply, not just for the culturally curious. Ricky Ricardo yesterday, Ricky Martin today, the names change but every ten years or so mainstream culture in the United States discovers America – the other America that is. And as it turns out, at this turn of the century, it lives next door. Discover it yourself, here. 

Fernando Gonzalez

1. Two Worlds (feat. Claudio Roditi & Helio Alves) 6:09

2. Partido Final (feat. Dino Govoni) 4:38

3. Time Lost (feat. Romero Lubambo) 5:34

4. Samba de Maya (feat. Kim Nazarian) 4:42

5. Uruguay (feat. Cafe & Helio Alves) 4:32

6. La Bossa Nova de Claudio (feat. Claudio Roditi) 5:21

7. Cafe Opiniao (feat. Romero Lubambo) 5:29

8. Fragile (feat. Kim Nazarian) 4:09

9. Chacarera de Paloma (feat. Donny McCaslin) 5:50

10. Boa Viagem Baiao 4:46

Guillermo Nojechowicz, drums

Kim Nazarian, vocal

Helio Alves, piano

Dino Govoni, saxes

Fernando Huergo, bass

John Allmark, trumpet

Claudio Roditi, trumpet and flugelhorn

Romero Lumbambo, guitar

Cafe, percussion

Nestor Sanchez, background vocals

Donny McCaslin, tenor sax

Brad Hatfield, keyboards

Amaro Laria, congas

Mark Greel, trumpet

Alex Sipiagin / Donny McCaslin / Dave Kikoski / Boris Kozlov / Donald Edwards – Machaut Man and a Superman Hat: Music of Dave Lisik (SKYDECK MUSIC 2017)

Composer/arranger, Dave Lisik can always be relied upon to put together colorful, unpredictable and creative jazz projects. The music on Machaut Man and a Superman Hat is no exception, featuring a world-class quintet interpreting seven of his originals along with an unusual version of “Georgia On My Mind.”

A little background is in order for those who might not be familiar with Dave’s history. Born in Canada, he earned a Master of Music degree in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Northern Iowa in 1998. After working as Director of Bands at Murdoch MacKay Collegiate in Winnipeg, Canada during 1998-2003 (which included recording three CDs and collecting quite a few awards), he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition with a Jazz Emphasis at the University of Memphis, where he taught and directed jazz ensembles. He worked as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, where he created the LeMoyne-Owen Records label and the African Drumming Ensemble. 

Lisik now lives in New Zealand, where he works at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington (teaching jazz composition, arranging, theory and pedagogy), co-directs the New Zealand Youth Jazz Orchestra, founded and produces the NZSM Jazz Festival, and is a trustee of the New Zealand Jazz Foundation. In addition, he has worked as a trumpeter (playing with big bands, his own quintet, and symphony orchestras) and he has written over 400 works.

It has made for quite a busy life, which fortunately includes a regular series of recordings. For Machaut Man and a Superman Hat, Lisik was able to utilize trumpeter Alex Sipiagin’s quintet. “When players of this caliber are willing to share their amazing musicality, it is quite a remarkable experience,” says Lisik. “Alex Sipiagin came to the first New Zealand School of Music Jazz Festival as a guest artist in 2011 and we have worked together numerous times since then.” A superb trumpeter, Sipiagin has recorded with Lisik on his jazz orchestra suite Walkabout – A Place For Visions and on two other projects that will be released in the near future: an electroacoustic album with Seamus Blake (Students In Exile) and a set with a jazz orchestra (Origin Of Species). 

“Donny McCaslin was a featured soloist on my first jazz orchestra recording project, Coming Through Slaughter - The Bolden Legend. He is one of my absolute favorite musicians, and is beautiful to listen to. Dave Kikoski, Boris Kozlov and Donald Edwards are all regular players in the rhythm section of the Mingus Big Band, and in Alex's quintet with Seamus Blake, Opus 5. These are some of the best jazz musicians anywhere. They know each other very well, play together all of the time, and have a real group thing happening.”

Although Lisik’s music is consistently challenging, the five musicians sound relaxed and effortless throughout this set, coming up with interpretations that clearly pleased the composer. The music is as colorful and offbeat as the song titles.

“Steal Bryan’s Laptop” serves as an excellent introduction to the quintet with lengthy and passionate solos by Sipiagin, McCaslin and Kikoski, and tight work by the rhythm section that often seems to think as one. Its unusual title refers to hypothetical pranks that Lisik and members of his college faculty fantasized about playing on the representative from Bryan College. “When a particular Memphis college was facing imminent bankruptcy, other colleges and universities were invited to participate in a recruiting fair of sorts to give students other study options once their dying college was closed. I was with a few colleagues representing my school, and we were set up directly across from the lone, male representative of the small religious, Bryan College. It seemed logical to us that Bryan himself was likely manning the recruiting table. Over the course of a long day, in order to pass the time, we came up with jokes to play on “Bryan” including sabotaging his chair in various ways, having him continuously paged to the central office, slipping something into his beverage and … stealing his computer.”

“Hooptie on the 405” has a melody that recalls early Ornette Coleman. This performance, one of the strongest on the CD, includes a fine solo by Kikoski, a hard-swinging improvisation from Sipiagin, and some raging tenor by McCaslin.

“Au Chien Qui Fume,” named after a Paris restaurant, is a sensitive ballad with a melody in two different keys. McCaslin’s soprano playing, which displays his original voice, is lyrical and beautiful.

“The Disgruntled Plagiarist” has a funky feel reminiscent of Herbie Hancock in the 1960s, warm statements from flugelhorn, tenor and piano, and a prominent role for drummer Donald Edwards. As for its title, Lisik says, “it is either about the moment when a college student realizes that the internet contains a vast amount of information that can easily be copied and pasted into a research document, when a deadline is looming, or the moment, after the paper has been handed in, that the student realizes that finding the plagiarized content is even easier for the person grading the paper than it was to copy and paste it in the first place.”

The up and down scalar piece (and Rolling Stones tribute) “Wet Chihuahua” is catchy, features some powerful trumpet and heated tenor, and has exciting interplay by the two horns at its conclusion.

The menacing strut “Machaut Man and a Superman Hat” has some fairly free ensemble playing, a tempo that accelerates gradually a la Charles Mingus, and plenty of dramatic moments. “Guillaume de Machaut was a French poet and composer of the 1300s who was the subject of one of the hits of the disco era Village People.”

Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia On My Mind” was drastically re-harmonized for this version, and the results sound like a brand new song. The final track of this continually fascinating program is “Katafuzees”, a Lisik original based on John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” The two horns battle it out for a time before the rhythm section eventually joins in. The piano, bass and drums solos are outstanding, bringing this set to a fiery end.

Dave Lisik may be a significant educator in New Zealand but, as this and his previous CDs show, he is obviously a major composer with an original style and conception of his own. All of his recordings are well worth exploring and savoring.

Scott Yanow is the author of 11 books including The Great Jazz Guitarists, The Jazz Singers, Jazz On Film and Jazz On Record 1917-76.

1. Steal Bryan's Laptop 09:52

2. Machaut Man and a Superman Hat 06:50

3. Au Chien Qui Fume 07:27

4. (You Can't Always Get a) Wet Chihuahua 09:42

5. Hooptie on the 405 08:21

6. Georgia On My Mind 11:59

7. The Disgruntled Plagiarist 07:05

8. Katafuzees (Giant Steps) 07:14

Alex Sipiagin (trumpet and flugelhorn)

Donny McCaslin (tenor and soprano saxophones)

Dave Kikoski (acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes)

Boris Kozlov (bass)

Donald Edwards (drums)

YU Ying Hsu (feat. Alex Sipiagin ／ Donny McCaslin ／ Boris Kozlov ／ Donald Edward) - Happenes, Happening 現在 (2017)

New York City, such as Birdland, Sweet Rhythm, and with renowned musicians like legendary jazz drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath, Alex Sipiagin, Michael Philip Mossman, Antonio Hart, Giuseppe Bassi, Gegè Telesforo, and the complete violinist Benjamin Schmid. For this album she is joined with Alex Sipiagin, Donny McCaslin, Donald Edwards and Boris Kozlov.

Her debut album “Untitled” won two Golden Indie Music Awards, which is Taiwan’s version of the Grammy, for “Best Jazz Album” and “Best Jazz Single” in 2011. Two years later, her second album "sentimotional", which featured trumpet virtuoso Alex Sipiagin on three songs, again garnered two Golden Indie Music Awards for "Best Musician" and "Best Jazz Single”. YuYing has a Master of Music degree from Purchase College, State University of New York, and studied with piano masters such as Gerard D'Angelo, Hal Galper, Arturo O'Farrill, Charles Blenzig, and Sam Yahel. Her thesis focused on jazz piano legend Keith Jarrett and his style of improvision in piano trio and solo in the late 1960s and 1970s. Since YuYing relocated back to Taiwan in 2010, she has performed in major music festivals such as Shanghai Jazz Festival, Taichung Jazz Festival, and Summer Jazz Party held by the National Theater Concert Hall. She has also held her own concerts, workshops, and performed at various jazz venues around Taiwan.

An avid listener of jazz music, YuYing seeks to fuse improvisation with her own life experience. She takes inspirations, thoughts of her travels, her love of artists such as Francis Bacon and Yayoi Kusama, and turns them into musical notes that bounce off the pages, as heard in her original, award-winning pieces “Twisted One” and “Anything Can Happen on a Sunny Afternoon.” Through her music, YuYing hopes to share her emotions, passions, and love of life with jazz aficionados around the world, one performance at a time.

01. Ouverture (pour un film)

02. Catching THE Monk

03. Nellie, My Dear

04. You, in the Past

05. One for Jokulsarlon

06. Amsterdam Red Light District

07. Three People on a Trip

08. Landscape Painting

09. Last Minute

10. Red Velvet

許郁瑛 YuYing Hsu／piano, rhodes

Alex Sipiagin／trumpet, flugelhorn

Donny McCaslin／tenor saxophone

Boris Kozlov／bass

Donald Edwards／drums

Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr - Landed in Brooklyn (ACT MUSIC 2017)

For their 5th album, German trumpeter Julian and pianist Roman Wasserfuhr are in Brooklyn. If Brooklyn were not one of the five boroughs of New York City, its 2.6 million inhabitants would make it the 4th largest city in the United States. And the secret is out: Manhattan may have the establishment institutions like Lincoln Center or the Village Vanguard, but the real action is in Brooklyn, with an abundance of creativity being generated by musicians from the Wasserfuhr brothers’ generation, working in apartments, lofts, bars, clubs and studios. 

The rise of the Wasserfuhrs has been meteoric, and “Landed in Brooklyn“ documents another important stage of it. The brothers first came to the attention of producer Siggi Loch when they were 17 and 20 years old, joining the roster of ACT’s “Young German Jazz” series. Their “stunning debut album” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) “Remember Chet” was released in 2006, already showing a distinctive and original sound. “Upgraded in Gothenburg” was released in 2009, with Scandinavian greats Nils Landgren, Lars Danielsson und Magnus Lindgren. “Gravity” from 2011 had a quartet involving Wolfgang Haffner and Lars Danielsson, and told a story of how gravity is defied and overcome. By the time they made “Running” in 2013, the brothers were setting their own pace and direction, composing, recording and producing it themselves.

Julian Wasserfuhr explains the origins of “Landed in Brooklyn: “Siggi Loch called us up last year, and asked if we were interested in making another album for the ACT label. Naturally we agreed – but we admitted that we hadn‘t really given it much thought.” So the idea emerged that the magic of the city of New York, as a force to propel and lift them, should became the concept behind the album. The established musicians they would then meet at the legendary System Two Recording Studios would act as their fountainheads of inspiration.

First and foremost among those inspirers is saxophonist Donny McCaslin, the lynchpin of David Bowie’s last revelatory masterpiece “Blackstar”. Tim Lefebvre, known in Europe for his work with the Michael Wollny Trio, and also a member of Bowie’s last band is equally at home in jazz and in rock contexts. Nate Wood is an in-demand first call drummer and close associate of Donny McCaslin.

Is that enough jazz chops and credibility? Well, there’s more, in the form of a GRAMMY winner, producer Al Pryor whose craft, knowledge and deep experience have brought listeners closer to the musicality and emotion of artists such as Cécile McLorin Salvant, Raul Midón and Christian McBride.

Very little had been agreed or set down in advance when Julian und Roman Wasserfuhr arrived at the studio to meet the top-drawer American players. They had brought the sheet music of some pieces with them, but the guiding principle was to see what would transpire and to let things happen:

“Bernie’s Tune” is a wonderfully optimistic up tempo opener. We’re straight into the ensemble sound that these players achieved without rehearsals, but with big ears and inspired playing. The band is here in its quintet form with guest artist Donnie McCaslin’s saxophone weaving and blending his counter melody with Julian’s trumpet. Julian and Roman’s obvious appreciation of funk and back beats is on display in “Tutto”. Julian’s wicked solo is balanced by Roman’s thoughtful, soulful take on the changes of the song. Nate Wood finds a deep and danceable groove. A power ballad, Tokio Hotel’s “Durch den Monsun”, in a clever arrangement by Julian and Roman, showcases their trademark interweaving of melodic lines. There’s a blistering tenor solo by McCaslin, followed by Julian’s intensely rhythmic triple tongued riffs. Nate Wood closes out the tune with a power drum salvo. On “Tinderly” and “S.N.C.F.” Julian and Donny make their bid for a place among the great front line horn players of jazz calling to mind such combinations as the fire of Freddie Hubbard and the cool of Stanley Turrentine. With Sting’s “Seven Days” Julian and Roman Wasserfuhr own the 5/4 time signature – as jazz musicians do. “Carlo” fuses the energy of this ensemble into the discipline, empathy and majesty that can only be found in a great ballad. 

Roman begins the final performance on the record, “First Rays Of Dawn”, just as he began the first: with a motif expressed in his pianism that allows Julian and the band to slip into a rapid and revelatory up tempo waltz; closing out the recording as they began, and in a manner characteristic of what has become a tradition in Brooklyn and beyond: new ideas and the artists who bring them.

1. Bernie`s Tune ( Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr) 05:50

2. Tutto ( Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr) 05:10

3. Tinderly ( Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr) 07:25

4. Durch den Monsun ( P. Benzner, P. Hoffmann, D. Jost, D. Roth & B. Kaulitz) 08:19

5. Carlo ( Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr) 06:06

6. S.N.C.F. ( Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr) 06:05

7. Ella ( Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr) 04:44

8. Seven Days ( Sting) 05:44

9. First Rays Of Dawn ( Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr) 07:31

Julian Wasserfuhr / trumpet & flugelhorn

Roman Wasserfuhr / piano, marimba, seaboard

Donny McCaslin / tenor saxophone

Tim Lefebvre / electric & double bass

Nate Wood / drums

Music composed by Julian & Roman Wasserfuhr, unless otherwise noted

Produced by Al Pryor

Curated by Siggi Loch

Recorded by Max Ross 

at Systems Two Recording Studios, Brooklyn (NY), August, 13 & 14, 2016

Mixed and mastered by Klaus Scheuermann, September 2016

Art Hirahara - Central Line (POSI-TONE RECORDS 2017)

Pianist and composer Art Hirahara, born and raised in the Bay Area of San Francisco, has worked with vocalists Freddie Cole and Stacey Kent as well as baritone saxophonist Fred Ho and trumpeter Dave Douglas.  “Central Line” is his fourth album as a leader and his third for Posi-Tone Records. The new album changes the focus a bit from his previous two (2011’s “Noble Path” and 2015’s “Libations and Meditations“) in that, sprinkled into the 14 tracks, there are four solo piano performances and four that add tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin to the trio of Linda Oh (bass) and Rudy Royston (drums).

The variety of settings is a big plus in that the program moves from the introspective solo pieces to heartfelt ballads to more uptempo tracks.  McCaslin’s appearances each stand out.  He and Royston stoke the fires on “Kin Ka: Gold Coin“, the hardest-hitting piece, while his full-toned and emotional solo on “Astray” moves from sweet melody to blues to impressionism.  “Entanglement” also moves between lyricism and hard blowing for both the tenor and piano solos, bolstered by the splendid bass work and Royston’s fiery percussion.  McCaslin and Hirahara team up for a playful duet for the first third of “Little Giant” that continues in its buoyant mood as the rhythm section and ratchets up the energy.

The pianist shares the opening melody of the title track with Ms. Oh; their interactions through the high-speed song, punctuated by Royston dances around the drums, is pure delight.  Yes, their playing is technically impressive but the melodic aspects of the piece remain front-and-center. “Drawing With Light” is a perfect title, a ballad with a strong emotional feel that picks up in speed and intensity, the piece culminating in a two-handed piano solo abetted by the flying bass lines and powerful drumming. There’s a similar feel to “Sensitive Animal” but, while the energy certainly picks up in the middle, the piece stays on a lyrical track. Lyricism also stands out on the lovely trio version of Chico Buarque’s “As Minhas Meninas.” Ms. Oh’s fine solo is a melodic treat as is her work on the free-form “Redwood Thaw“, a short piece (1:56) on which the listener feels as if one is intruding on a private moment.

The solo pieces each have a story.  “Kuroda Bushi” is a traditional song from Japan with a stately melody line while “Introspect” is a lovely tone poem, also with a well-drawn melody.  “Tracing The Line” builds slowly, the melody unfolding and opening up  not unlike a Keith Jarrett solo improvisation.  The closing track is the beautiful and soulful “Yuyake Koyake” – composed by Kanichi Shimofusa (1898-1962), its lovely folk melody describes a late afternoon sky and is a perfect close to an impressive program.

“Central Line” deserves your attention. The music that Art Hirahara created for this program gives the listener an insight not only into his fine musicianship but also into his creative mind.  Each song is a story built from his experiences as a pianist, composer, world traveler, accompanist, and human being. Enjoy this journey.

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