"O Holy Night!" as a Samba - New Christmas Single from Duo "AS IS" (Stacey & Alan Schulman) December 3, 2021

VOCAL DUO “AS IS” (Stacey & Alan Schulman) RELEASES NEW TWIST ON CLASSIC CHRISTMAS FAVORITE

For decades, the Christmas Classic “O Holy Night” has been a staple of nearly every Holiday playlist. From its origin as a semi-sacred and traditional Christmas Carol, AS IS, the American Duo of Jazz Guitarist Alan Schulman & Vocalist Stacey Schulman have reimagined this iconic Christmas favorite into a bouncing samba-esque arrangement that’s bound to have you up on your feet and swaying to the beat. 

The single, to be released December 3rd, was arranged by the Duo AS IS and produced by former GRAMMY trustee and nominee James McKinney of Infinite Icon Productions.  The single features subtle scatting from jazz song stylist Stacey Schulman. Tasty fills are introduced by jazz guitarist Alan Schulman, while authentic accents are provided by the rhythm section of native Brazilian brothers – Bassist Leonardo Lucini and drummer/percussionist Alejandro Lucini. 

The track was recorded at Blue House Studios in Silver Spring, Maryland, where it was engineered by Jeff Gruber and mixed by Grammy-winning sound engineer Scott Jacoby of Eusonia Studios in NYC.  The single is the first release from the Billboard Charting Duo AS IS since their sophomore release “Here’s to Life” (Night Night the Elephant productions) in 2018.

DETAILS:

O Holy Night by As Is

Release Date:  12/3/21

Run time:  3:07

PERSONNEL:

Alan Schulman - Lead Guitar & Rhythm Guitar

Stacey Schulman – Lead Vocals

Alejandro Lucini – Drums & Percussion

Leonardo Lucini – Upright Bass

James McKinney – Producer, Infinite Icon

Jeff Gruber – Sound Engineer, Blue House Studios, Maryland

Scott Jacoby – Mix Engineer, Eusonia Studios, NYC

Alex Guerink – Mastering Engineer, the Netherlands

www.asisjazz.com

Sam Anning - Oaatchapai (December 3, 2021 Earshift Music)

Melbourne bassist-composer Sam Anning’s fourth album as bandleader ‘Oaatchapai’ showcases his compositional flair with references to indie rock, echoes of Charles Mingus and spoken word soundscapes. The lineup of pianist Andrea Keller, trumpeter Mat Jodrell, saxophonists Carl Mackey and Julien Wilson from the award-winning Across a Field as Vast as One is augmented by guitarist Theo Carbo and drummer Rajiv Jayaweera.

1. Tjurunga

2. Oaatchapai

3. Giant Pebble

4. Stretchroactivities

5. Urkraft

6. Ripples

7. Ochre

8. Saccade

9. Off With The Blades

Mat Jodrell (trumpet)

Carl Mackey (alto saxophone)

Julien Wilson (tenor saxophone & bass clarinet)

Andrea Keller (piano & fender rhodes)

Theo Carbo (guitar)

Sam Anning (double bass & voice)

Rajiv Jayaweera (drums)

PREORDER

Various Artists - Remixes JID010 (December 3, 2021 Jazz Is Dead)

Remixes JID010

As the final chapter in the initial run of Jazz Is Dead releases, Remixes JID010 continues the creative catharsis of an exhilarating new chapter in jazz music. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad tapped nine iconic creators to reimagine their personal favorites from Jazz Is Dead’s catalogue to-date, who created striking new versions of songs by Marcos Valle, Roy Ayers, Gary Bartz, Azymuth, João Donato, Doug Carn, Brian Jackson and The Midnight Hour. Holding the line taut like a bass string, Younge & Muhammad only invited those special musical alchemists who have previously participated in Jazz Is Dead happenings, or those who are slated to share that stage soon: Cut Chemist, DJ Spinna, Georgie Anne Muldrow, Akili, Shigeto, Pink Siiffu, Dibiase, Natureboy Flako, and Kaidi Tathum. It’s a family affair.

The album blasts off with Kaidi Tathum’s reinvention of Marcos Valle’s wistful beachside stroll, transforming “Gotta Love Again” into a strutting, pulsating excursion equally at home in the club and headphones. Building off of Valle’s mellifluous vocalizations, Tathum harnesses the composition’s polyrhythms to build a soulful, jazz-house track that floats over ethereal synths and stutter-steps to a propulsive beat entirely unimaginable, yet true to the spirit of the optimistic and effortless original.

On his remix of Gary Bartz’s “Soulsea” Cut Chemist taps into the big-beat atmospherics of his old running partner, DJ Shadow, to craft a moody, echo-laden, percussive down-tempo saxophone meditation. Creating drama over bombastic beats, Cut Chemist layers Bartz’s searching sax refrains over sparse keyboard bars. 

Brian Jackson’s mellow masterpiece dedicated to the recently departed jazz vocalist, “Nancy Wilson”, receives an epic overhaul by producer Shigeto with help from harpist Ahya Simone and DJ Dez Andres. More than tripling the original’s duration while adding layers of new sounds, Shigeto’s remix weaves in and out of movements that alternately showcase Jackson’s soulful flute work, Simone’s sparkling harp and Andres’ bubbling percussion. Imagine if Dorthy Ashby and Hermeto Pascoal dropped in on Miles’ In A Silent Way sessions...

It might have been a foregone conclusion that Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad would give their Jazz Is Dead series the remix treatment, but that doesn’t mean this is your average remix album. Just like Younge and Muhammad fused their aesthetic with the musical masters they invited to collaborate with for Jazz Is Dead, the DJs, producers and musicians tasked with remixing songs from the catalogue tapped into the same jazz ethos, resulting in imaginative and sometimes radically reimagined versions of the originals.

1. Marcos Valle - Gotta Love Again (Kaidi Tathum Remix)

2. Roy Ayers - Soulful and Unique (Pink Siifu Remix)

3. Gary Bartz - Soulsea (Cut Chemist Remix)

4. João Donato - Desejo De Amor (Akili Remix)

5. Brian Jackson - Nancy Wilson (Shigeto Remix Feat. Ahya Simone & Dez Andrès)

6. Doug Carn - Windfall (Natureboy Flako Remix)

7. Azymuth - Quiet Storm (Akili Remix)

8. The Midnight Hour - Jazz Is Dead (Georgia Anne Muldrow Geemix)

9. João Donato - Liaisons (Dibiase Remix)

10. Azymuth Redor Do Samba (DJ Spinna Remix)

Marcos Valle – Gotto Love Again (Kaidi Tathum Remix)

All Instruments by Kaidi Tatham

Mixed by Eric Lau

Brian Jackson – Nancy Wilson (Shigeto Remix Feat. Ahya Simone & Dez Andrès)

Shigeto: drums, rhodes, synth, percussion

Ahya Simone: harp 

Dez Andrés: congas 

The Midnight Hour - Jazz Is Dead (Georgia Anne Muldrow Geemix)

Remixed by Georgia Anne Muldrow for Epistrophik Peach

João Donato - Liaisons (Dibiase Remix)

Remixed by Dibiase for 10thirty records

Azymuth - Quiet Storm (Akili Remix)

Remixed by Akili for BlackTransit Productions

João Donato - Desejo De Amor (Akili Remix)

Remixed by Akili for BlackTransit Productions

Azymuth Redor Do Samba (DJ Spinna Remix)

Remixed by DJ Spinna for Beyond Real Productions

Drum programming and additional synths  - DJ Spinna

Mixed by DJ Spinna @ The Thingamajig Lab2, Brooklyn NY

Roy Ayers - Soulful and Unique (Pink Siifu Remix)

Produced by iiyefor Pink Siifu with additional harp by Ss.Sylver

Gary Bartz - Soulsea (Cut Chemist Remix)

Remixed by Cut Chemist for A Stable Sound. Recorded at The Stable

Doug Carn - Windfall (Natureboy Flako Remix)

Natureboy Flako Remix recorded and mixed at The Healing Place

PREORDER

Dave Easley - Byways of the Moon (December 3, 2021)

Dave Easley plays the pedal steel guitar, but this is not a “pedal steel guitar” album; it’s an album by a gifted musician at the peak of his career. His phrasing, sense of touch, harmonic sensibilities, and sheer virtuosity put him in a league with greatest musicians of our time. So I won’t go into how difficult an instrument to play the pedal steel guitar can be or the extraordinary coordination and control is takes to play chords with a light touch. I’ll talk about the album and the music.

I had heard about Dave Easley playing with Brian Blade in the early nineties and over the years. Whenever I encountered New Orleans musicians, the first thing they would say to me (a fellow steel guitarist) was always, “Have you heard Dave Easley?”, but I hadn’t. I finally had that opportunity in 2012 at the International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis in a rather sterile environment, a convention and a hotel that had seen better days. I played in the main ballroom where half the audience left during the first song and Dave was playing in a conference room to fifty or sixty rapt steel guitarists hanging on to every note. I walked in just as Dave said, “People say you should play from your roots, but what if your roots are in the sky?” and lit into Roger McGuinn’s “Eight Miles High”. It was a revelation.

The pedal steel guitar, an infant in the family of instruments, is an enigma. Perhaps the last musical instrument borne of the mechanical age before the beeps, blips, and cold comforts of electronic music, it is one of the most expressive instruments on the planet and one of the least understood: a neck of anywhere from 8 to 14 strings, a set of pedals for the feet, knee levers and inside the guitar, a Rube Goldberg contraption, a Mondrian painting, a cluster of rods, levers, cogs, and springs to enable the pedals change the tension and thus the pitch.

Like all instruments, the pedal steel guitar has unlimited musical possibilities, but unlike most other instruments, these possibilities have barely scratched the surface. In the right hands, an instrument leaves an indelible mark on the styles of music it touches. This is what Dave Easley has done for jazz — and for everything else he has played. We came up listening to Buddy Emmons, Curly Chalker, and Joaquin Murphy. Now another name can be added to that pantheon.

There is plenty to love in this album - the lyricism displayed on “My Foolish Heart” and “Ruby My Dear”, a version of “In a Silent Way” that Brian Wilson would love and an interpretation of “In My Room” that I think Miles Davis would have approved of; and, of course, John Coltrane’s formidable composition “Giant Steps”. The deft and tasteful ensemble-like accompaniment of drummer Chad Taylor and double bassist Dave Tranchina. Cathlene Pineda’s piano rhapsodic solo on “Jesus Maria” and more. This is one of the very few albums by a pedal steel guitarist that simply takes my breath away, and I, as surely will you, will treasure this record, returning to it again and again through the years, each time discovering something new. - Susan Alcorn, Baltimore, Maryland 

1. Jesus Maria

2. Giant Steps

3. My Foolish Heart

4. Battle of Evermore

5. Ruby, My Dear

6. In A Silent Way / In My Room

Dave Easley - pedal steel guitar

Cathlene Pineda - Wurlitzer electric piano

Chad Taylor - drums

Dave Tranchina - double bass

Produced Chris Schlarb

Mixed by Chris Schlarb and Devin O’Brien

at BIG EGO, Long Beach, CA.

Recorded January 7, 2016

at All Welcome Records, Inglewood, CA.

Engineered by Devin O'Brien

Assistant engineered by Jeff Lewis and Steve Krolikowski

Mastered by JJ Golden

Cover artwork by M P Landis

Composition Two: for Dave Easley (2021)

Mixed media on paper, 72 x 72”

Cover photograph by Gary Lowell

Back cover photography by Ian Souter

Layout by David J. Woodruff

PREORDER

Andrew Scott Young / Ryan Jewell / Ryley Walker - Post Wook (December 3, 2021 husky pants records)

The sound a craigslist punisher on long island hears as they exhale their last breath in the house their dad built in 1956. goodbye earth. we are post wook.

1. Randee 08:56

2. Pegasus 05:09

3. Guzzardo 07:22

4. Hennessy 04:50

5. Crazy Music 03:36

6. Childers 05:49

7. Allegro 04:07

andrew young- fretless bass/double bass

ryan jewell - drums/percussion

ryley walker - electric guitar/acoustic guitar

cooper crain - mixing

jack callahan - mastering

ariel shafir - engineer

michael vallera - photography/design/layout

PREORDER

Mars Williams Presents An Ayler Xmas Vol. 5 (December 3, 2021 Astral Spirits)

1. The Divine Peacemaker Plays Dreidel In Frightful Weather

2. The Angels Sing With The Old & New Ghosts In The Manger

3. Did You Hear They Found Light In Darkness

Mars Williams - Sax, Suona, Toy Instruments

Josh Berman - Cornet

Jim Baker - Piano, Viola, Arp Synth

Brian Sandstrom - Bass, Guitar, Trumpet

Steve Hunt - Drums

Peter Maunu - Violin

Kent Kessler - Bass (Tracks 1 & 2)

Krzysztof Pablan - Bass (Track 3)

Track 1 & 2 Recorded by: Dave Zuchowski 7/28/21

Track 3 Recorded Live at Constellation Chicago 12/19/20

Mixed & Mastered by: Hermey at Island Of Misfit Toys Studios

Design by Rich Good

TRACK 1 CONTAINS MUSIC WRITTEN BY ALBERT AYLER (BMI) “Divine Peacemaker” (Railroad Town Music / BMI) Additional Songs: “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” By Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne © Imagem Music /Cahn Music and Chappell and Co. / Producers Music Publishing Co.

TRACK 2 CONTAINS MUSIC WRITTEN BY ALBERT AYLER (BMI) “Ghosts” (Railroad Town Music / BMI) “New Ghosts” © Spurt Music (BMI); Railroad Town Music / BMI) Additional Songs: “Feliz Navidad” By: José Feliciano © BMG Gold Songs / J&H Publishing

TRACK 3 CONTAINS MUSIC WRITTEN BY ALBERT AYLER (BMI) “Light In Darkness” (Railroad Town Music / BMI) Additional Songs: “Do You hear what I Hear” By: Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker (Jewel Music Publishing Co. Inc.)

ADDITIONAL HOLIDAY SONGS: PUBLIC DOMAIN MUSIC ARRANGED BY: MARS WILLIAMS (Music From Mars /BMI)

PREORDER

Tubby Hayes Quartet - The Complete Hopbine '69 (December 3, 2021 Jazz In Britain)

The Ron Mathewson Tapes Vol. 7

Previously only issued in fragmented form and long out of print, these recordings catch Hayes in transition. Less than a month after they were taped just before Christmas 1969, he was to collapse on a gig, signaling the beginning of the final phase of his tragically foreshortened career.

But on this night, buoyed and stimulated by his regular working quartet of pianist Mike Pyne, bassist Ron Mathewson and drummer Spike Wells, Hayes wasn't only on form he was on FIRE! Indeed, coming so close to the end of a decade in which his star had burned brighter than those of virtually any other figure on the UK jazz scene, it marks a fitting capstone to his most creatively fecund period.

Remastered direct from the original tapes, unearthed in Ron Mathewson's archive, and issued for the very first time in pristine audio and unedited, this sumptuous double-CD release is packaged with rare photographs and gig memorabilia and an extended booklet essay by Hayes' biographer, saxophonist Simon Spillett which includes the memories of the only surviving member of the Tubby Hayes Quartet, Spike Wells.

Yet another key piece in the jigsaw of understanding this most fabled of Brit-jazz legends legacy, 'Complete Hopbine '69' contains a powerful reminder of the brimming potency of Tubby Hayes' later music, all the more so for being recorded at a juncture in which the noisy fashions of fusion were fast taking hold. - Simon Spillett 

1. For Members Only

2. Off The Wagon

3. Where Am I Going?

4. What Is This Thing Called Love

5. Mainly For The Don

6. For Heaven's Sake

7. Vierd Blues

8. Walkin'

Tubby Hayes - tenor saxophone

Mick Pyne - piano

Ron Mathewson - bass

Spike Wells - drums

The Hopbine, North Wembley, Tuesday December 23rd 1969

From the Ron Mathewson tape archive

Tape Transfer by Matt Parker

Original recording by Ted Lyon

Liner notes by Simon Spillett

Executive producer - John Thurlow

PREORDER

NORI - NORI (record / ​​vinyl) December 3, 2021

Nori To Release Their Self-Titled Album 

on December 3rd

The First Vinyl Release from the Band!

Nori, the genre-bending Neo Jazz band has curated a collection of their favorite songs on their upcoming album. The self-titled release, NORI, showcases their diverse sound and pointed lyrics on the 10-song deep record due out December 3rd. The new album will be available on vinyl with two new singles to be released to streaming platforms along with the songs from previous albums. Pre-order here: https://nori.bandcamp.com/album/nori-record-vinyl

Nori is an Austin, TX based quintet and has been hailed “a five-person gift from Austin, TX” by Festival Peak. The band is comprised of talented professional musicians including Akina Adderley on vocals; Erik Telford on trumpet and alto horn; Nick Litterski on Fender Rhodes, piano, and prepared piano; Aaron Allen on acoustic bass; and Andy Beaudoin on drums and percussion. Together their music is aesthetically and deeply rooted in both American jazz and folk music traditions. The ensemble playfully weaves together a myriad of global influences with current and topical social commentary giving rise to a seamless synthesis of sound that is Nori.

The new album transcends time with a collection of songs written from 2015 – 2021, but yet addresses important topical themes of identity, activism, racial tensions and racism, and love. The band curated the collection from their catalog along with some new material. Included are six songs from their first two albums World Anew and Bruise Blood and also “Tumbao,” a single released in 2017, along with the newly released single “I See You” out this past December. They also masterfully composed a new rendition of Nina Simone’s “Four Women.” The aptly self-titled new release is steeped in observations and personal plight and gracefully highlights the balance of story-telling traditions with wide-open improvisations that echo the transcendent tones of Nina Simone, Bill Frisell, John Coltrane, and Joni Mitchell.

The album opens with a stunning and somber song “The Garden.” The lyrics were written by Akina and are a powerful metaphor for the life cycle of a black child. The song follows as he grows in the womb and transitions into the loving and nurturing arms of his mother – only to have life tragically cut short at the hands of a racist brute. The pointed new arrangement features special guests, the wonderful string trio, Leigh Wallenhaupt on violin, Leah Nelson on viola, and Rylie Harrod-Corral on cello. Another powerful standout is a cover of Nina Simone’s song “Four Women.” Nori says, “Nina Simone has been our guiding inspiration since the conception of the band. She’s an eclectic musician. She’s a master storyteller, and she’s a fierce activist. These are all things Nori aspires to be. We have been incorporating this song in our live set for a number of years and wanted to record it as a way to provide an exclamation mark at the end of the album!” This song is a dedication to Nina Simone.

All the songs on the album were recorded by John Michael Landon at their home base studio, Estuary Recording in Austin. Dave Darlington at Bass Hit Studio (New York, NY) mixed most of the songs with additional mixing by Erik Telford (“The Garden,” “I See You,” and “Four Women”). The new album was mastered for vinyl by Erik Telford.

NORI will be released exclusively and for the first time on vinyl! Reflecting back on the new project, the band comments, “This is our first vinyl release. We wanted to create a document of our young history and make it available for physical release. In many ways, we consider ourselves “old souls,” so vinyl is the perfect format for the occasion.” It is due out on December 3rd.

1. The Garden (With Strings)

2. Wildfire

3. Undertow

4. Waiting to Fall

5. Tumbao

6. The Walk

7. Lullaby

8. Arirang

9. I See You

10. Four Women

The full album is available in its entirety exclusively on vinyl via the merch link.

NORI

Akina Adderley - vocals

Erik Telford - trumpet, alto horn

Nick Litterski - Fender Rhodes, piano, prepared piano

Aaron Allen - acoustic bass

Andy Beaudoin - drums, percussion

SPECIAL GUESTS

Leigh Wallenhaupt - violin

Leah Nelson - viola

Rylie Harrod-Corral - cello

Andrew Noble - viola (Tumbao)

Sara Nelson - cello (Tumbao)

Recorded by John Michael Landon at Estuary Recording

Mixed by Dave Darlington and Erik Telford

Mastered by Erik Telford

Artwork by Dayva Beaudoin & Byoung Sun Lee

Legal Services provided by David Beaudoin

Lyrics by Akina Adderley (A1-5, B1-2, B4)

Music by Andy Beaudoin (A2, A4-5, B2, B4)

Music by Erik Telford (A1, A3, B1)

String Arrangements by Erik Telford

Arirang arranged by Andy Beaudoin

Four Women by Nina Simone

Produced by Andy Beaudoin and Nori

PREORDER

Matthew Halsall - Salute to the Sun / Live at Hallé St. Peter's (December 3, 2021 Gondwana Records)

Salute to the Sun: Live at Hallé St Peter’s documents a very special concert recorded at the iconic Manchester venue during lockdown.

Released in November 2020, Matthew’s Halsall’s Salute to the Sun was the trumpeter’s first album since 2015’s Into Forever and marked the debut of his new band. A hand-picked ensemble featuring some of Manchester’s finest young musicians. The album drew it’s energy from the band’s weekly sessions and was inspired by Halsall’s love of nature. Lush and spiritual it received universal praise, but Halsall and his band were frustrated that they were unable to share their beautiful new sound live with an audience.

On November 25th 2020, Halsall took his band into the iconic Manchester venue, Hallé St Peter’s, for a concert recording in aid of the charity Mind, that was streamed on January 21st 2021 to a global audience in the thousands. The concert was also recorded for posterity.

“When we recorded Salute to the Sun, I wanted to create something playful but also quite earthy and organic that connected to the sounds in nature. It seemed to strike a chord with people and I was blown away by the response to the album. Our concert film, recorded at the height of last winter’s lockdown was a special moment for us all and I feel that the concert recording captured something beautiful that we wanted to share”.

Salute to the Sun: Live at Hallé St Peter’s features Matthew Halsall – trumpet, Matt Cliffe - flute & saxophone, Maddie Herbert – harp, Gavin Barras – bass, Liviu Gheorghe – piano, Alan Taylor – drums and Jack McCarthy - percussion

The recording has been mixed by Matthew Halsall and George Atkins at 80 Hertz and is mastered by Peter Beckmann at Technology Works. The vinyl was cut at Calyx in Berlin and the album is pressed at Optimal in Germany. It is presented in the form of a limited edition 2LP set with artwork by legendary designer Ian Anderson of The Designers Republic.

Spread over three sides of the vinyl LP for maximum fidelity the fourth side of the LP (side D) features an etching of Daniel Halsall’s now iconic artwork for the album Salute to the Sun and copies are strictly limited with just 3000 available in total. The album will also be available for download and on streaming platforms.

All prices shown are “NET of VAT” (Value Added Tax). VAT will be calculated and added at the checkout. You will be charged the appropriate rate which will vary depending on the country.

This release was uploaded at 24 bit / 88.2 kHz and available in FLAC, WAV, AIFF or MP3 and available in FLAC, WAV, AIFF or MP3. 

1. Harmony with Nature (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

2. Joyful Spirits of the Universe (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

3. Canopy & Stars (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

4. Mindfulness Meditations (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

5. Tropical Landscapes (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

6. Salute to the Sun (Live at Hallé St Peter's)

Matthew Halsall – trumpet

Matt Cliffe - flute & saxophone

Maddie Herbert – harp

Gavin Barras – bass

Liviu Gheorghe – piano

Alan Taylor – drums

Jack McCarthy - percussion

PREORDER

Saxophonist Rich Halley releases "Boomslang" (December 3, 2021 Pine Eagle Records)

Saxophonist Rich Halley releases "Boomslang" (December 3, 2021 Pine Eagle Records)

New Release, available December 3, 2021 on Pine Eagle Records, features cornetist

Dan Clucas, bassist Clyde Reed and drummer Carson Halley

Boomslang is the new recording by Rich Halley, featuring a quartet with Los Angeles cornetist Dan Clucas, Canadian bassist Clyde Reed and long time drummer Carson Halley. Recorded in Portland in December 2019, Boomslang features a mix of Halley compositions and spontaneous improvisations that showcase the depth and inventiveness of the group’s playing.

Rich Halley has released 24 recordings as a leader. Boomslang follows Halley’s critically acclaimed recordings The Shape of Things and Terra Incognita (with Matthew Shipp), The Literature, The Outlier, Creating Structure and Crossing the Passes.

“Heartland American jazz of the very highest order.”

Brian Morton, Point of Departure

“Oregon-based saxophonist Rich Halley has been turning out smart, brawny music for a couple of decades.”

James Hale, DownBeat

“Uncluttered, bold and powerful.”

Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

1. Quintuplify 06:37

2. Corroboration 05:59

3. Northern Plains 06:34

4. The Drop Off 07:08

5. Situational 05:09

6. Dispholidus 11:59

7. The Lean 05:04

8. Intermittent 03:21

9. The Converse 07:24

Rich Halley - tenor saxophone

Dan Clucas - cornet

Clyde Reed - bass

Carson Halley - drums

www.richhalley.com

PREORDER

Hunter Diamond + Mike Reed - Nilia (December 3, 2021 Curio Records)

The second release in the Metal and Wood series, Nilia (CUR003) features woodwind artist Hunter Diamond in improvisation with Chicago drummer Mike Reed.

1. Courtside

2. Mine Songs

3. The Back of the Brain

4. Le Feu de Deux

Hunter Diamond - saxophone, clarinet, percussion

Mike Reed - drums

All music by Hunter Diamond (BMI) and Mike Reed (A Happy Medium in Chicago)

Recorded in Chicago on 3.18.21

Mixed and Mastered by Alex Inglizian

Original album artwork by Jacquelyne Collett

Layout and Design by Hunter Diamond and Marine Tempels Black

PRE-ORDER

STR4TA - The Invicta Mixtape Cassette (December 3, 2021 Brownswood Recordings)

Brownswood Recordings are proud to present an extension of the ever-evolving world of STR4TA, the brainchild of long time friends and collaborators Gilles Peterson and Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick. Their debut new wave Jazz Funk album ‘Aspects’ was released in March to a rapturous reception, garnering the attention of tastemakers on a global scale. ‘The Invicta Mixtape’ boasts an array of illustrious producers and polymaths unleashing their respective unique interpretations of STR4TA’s standout tracks. This release is a limited edition cassette tape with only 200 available worldwide and features a continuous mix of the reworked and reimagined music by Gilles Peterson and Sam Bhok (Worldwide FM/Stay Put). A digital version (‘The Invicta Remixes’) with the individual tracks will be released separately.

Opening with a percussive stripped-back, cowbell-driven rework of ‘Dance Desire’ by Steve Conry (Ten Lovers Music) & Japan’s finest cuban-inspired percussionist Takashi Nakazato, orchestrated by Colin Curtis, and a funk-laced ‘Rhythm In Your Mind’ by Ashley Beadle (North Street) plus Glasgow’s Nuovi Fratelli add a cosmic disco flare in the mix. Dave Lee’s rework of ‘After The Rain’ harps back to the classic Brit-Funk era whilst tailoring it to contemporary club culture with this spaced out Dub; conscientiously keeping the essence of that raw magic in the original. ‘Vision 9’ is catapulted to cult underground dancefloor status, reconceived by Melé's rhythmic inventiveness and Delfonic’s virtuoso. The mix also features LA-based experimental techno pioneer, Dave Aju, and the spellbinding Demus Dub originally released on an 12” white label in September 2020. To compliment his massive overview of U.K. Jazz-Funk published in Wax Poetics, DJ veteran Greg Wilson remixed STR4TA’s debut single ‘Aspects’ strictly for the dancers.

At the core of STR4TA is pure party music inspired by the gritty DIY sounds of the cult 80s Brit Funk era, emanating a live, raw & improvised energy, where musicians and dancers alike lay it all out on the dancefloor. The mixtape honours the importance of Radio Invicta, London's very first soul station running from the late-60s to mid-80s. Set up by passionate vinyl collectors Peter St Crispian and Tony Irons from Tony’s bedroom in Mitcham, the station expanded to a studio and from 1978 the station began operating every Sunday for three hours from midday. This innovative pirate station became a rich source of inspiration for Club DJs. Radio Invicta was the one that got there first. It was the first soul station in Europe, one of the first pirates to make the jump to VHF, one of the first to introduce stereo and live broadcasting from a separate studio location, and the first to give a home on the dial to the top club DJs of its day. Invicta set the blueprint for all the dance music stations that followed. (Full article written by amfm.org.uk here). The B-side contains the complete original STR4TA album. 

SIDE A:

Exclusive Cassette-only continuous mix of 'STR4TA - Aspects' remixes compiled by Gilles Peterson and Sam Bhok

SIDE B:

Includes full STR4TA - Aspects Album

1. Aspects

2. Rhythm In Your Mind

3. Dance Desire

4. We Like It

5. Steppers Crusade

6. After The Rain

7. Kinshasa FC

8. Vision 9

PREORDER

IzangoMa - City Lights (December 3, 2021 Brownswood Recordings)

Brownswood Recordings are proud to present brand new music by IzangoMa, a 15 piece ensemble from Pretoria, South Africa, led by vocalist and guitarist Sibusile Xaba and keys player / producer Ashley Kgabo. Their avant-garde debut single ‘City Lights’ is available digitally on Friday 3rd December 2021.

‘City Lights’ is the work of many hands, anchored by surrealist, improvisational sensibilities and playfulness. It begins as an incessant rapture where sound is this explosive light force response to the city’s concrete. It offers us a cathartic moment to return to our breathing, to tend to our roots, to bask in the sentimentality of living, to dance our way against the disintegration and loneliness that modern life reproduces. Instead, integration becomes alive in the high energy and percussive drum palettes, in the free echoing vocal chants, and lyrical layering of the horn section.

IzangoMa’s novel signature and performance brings a beautiful acoustic ecology that cannot be held by genre but reminds us that we are part of a miraculous pattern of the earth’s cycles and life forms through sound. With the predominant meaning being “healer”, Izangoma also, when pronounced or spoken out (when written like this) "iza ngo ma", translates to "it comes from mother."

“May this music awake the mother mind in all of us, may it bring love.”

IzangoMa’s ‘City Lights’ is available digitally worldwide on 3rd December 2021 2021 via Brownswood Recordings.

1. City Lights 08:40

Sibusile Xaba – Vocals & Keys

Ashley Kgabo – Synths, Snare drum & Drum machine

Khanyisile Mtshobile – Vocals

Neo Erasmus – Vocals

Fakazile Nkosi – Vocals

Malusi Masia – Alto & Tenor saxophone

Jack Mcwabe – Trumpet

Mthokozisi Mazibuko – Congas

Yao Agbodohu – Djembe

Soares Bruno – Maraca shaker

Omar Machava – Cow Bell

Virgilio Faruk - Guitars

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Hamburg Spinners - Der Magische Kraken (December 3, 2021 Légère Recordings)

Dear listeners, here's the next episode of the Hamburg Spinners story: “Der Magische Kraken” (“The Magic Octopus”)

This time Hamburg Spinners left their home port for an underwater expedition to the open ocean diving for unheard tunes, finger snappers and floaters. Always in danger of encountering the Magic Octopus, a voracious entity who feeds on harmonies, rhythms and breaks -in a word the whole arsenal any musician is lost without and damned to drown in a sea of deadly silence and endless darkness... Listen yourself, enter a different world and witness how the Hamburg Spinners are getting carried away and drawn into the depths. A 20.000-mile plunge into the sea. Honestly! Had you ever thought that one can sink this low?

"Der Magische Kraken" is the sophomore album of the Hamburg Spinners, a contemporary soul, mod-jazz and R&B outfit based in Hamburg. Their sound blends floating Hammond organ lines, kinetic, driving grooves, funky breaks, and slicing, economic improvisation. The quartet features Carsten Meyer on Hammond B-3, Dennis Rux on guitar, David Nesselhauf on bass, and Lucas Kochbeck on drums. It was cut live on two weekends in April 2021 in Hamburg's Yeah!-Yeah!-Yeah!-Studios. The chemistry was right and in a truly democratic process ideas were fleshed out, arrangements were done on the spot. A will to collective playing whilst always sticking to the rudimentary basics was in the air. Thus the music could spread out like the arms of an octopus. And though there are limits on the sound of the Hammond organ quartet creativity can burst out & find its way to overcome the limits. Reminiscences of down-to-the-bone songs by Timmy Thomas or Phoenix might come to one's mind when listening to the new Hamburg Spinners album.

Never change a winning team: Meyer's soulful organ sound is buoyed by Rux’s warm and gripping guitar sound, Nesselhauf's dynamic bass lines and Kochbeck's tight in-the-pocket drumming. 

1. Der Magische Kraken

2. Windjammer Ahoi!

3. Captain Flamingo

4. Spiegelkugelfisch

5. Die Grosse Flaute

6. Klar Zur Wende

7. Jeanskutter

8. Durchs Meer Der Quallen

9. Die Ledermuränen Kommen!

10. Grottenrallye

11. Tentakel Am Horizont

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Fernando Molinari - Reaching Inside (December 10. 2021)

Regarded as one of the new references for Fusion/Prog Rock. As a solo artist, Molinari won ‘Best Instrumental Artist’ in the 2017 Samsung E-Festival instrumental (The biggest instrumental music contest in Brazil) and has recorded/performed with great artists including; Greg Howe, Marco Minnemann, Kit Tang, Dor Levin Project B, Rio Palmieri, Bjoernar Frantzen, Inner Space and many others.  

1. Focus 05:24

2. Mercurio 04:38

3. Hidden 04:46

4. Internal Sun 05:12

5. Desert Flower 04:46

6. Ocean Wind 03:59

7. Maybe Tomorrow 02:25

8. Control 04:27

Produced by: Fernando Molinari

Fernando Molinari - Bass and Bass Synth.

Marco Minnemann – Drums

Arthur Rezende – Drums (Internal Sun and Desert Flower)

Davi Filho – Guitars (Focus, Mercurio, Hidden and Maybe Tomorrow)

Brunno Henrique – Acoustic and Eletric guitars (Control, Desert Flower and Ocean Wind)

Kit Tang – Guitar (Internal Sun)

Daniel Felix – Eletric piano, Keyboards and Effects

Ruriá Duprat – Keyboards (Hidden)

Herbert Medeiros – Keyboards (Ocean Wind)

Mixed by Marcio Augusto

Mastered by Paulo Anhaia

Art design - Jonathan Canuto

Written by Fernando Molinari

Davi Filho and Fernando Molinari - Focus and Hidden

Stereophonics – Maybe Tomorrow

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Sam Gendel - AE​-​30 (December 8, 2021 LEAVING RECORDS)

AE-30 is both a film and audio album of the 2021 Sam Gendel x Roland AE-30 / Aerophone / Pro Digital Wind Instrument documentary. In August, musician Sam Gendel and filmmaker Marcella Cytrynowicz traveled to Iceland and filmed Gendel performing the instrument in unique locations outdoors around the country - most locations remote and accessed only via their friend Viktor, a search-and-rescue volunteer for Iceland who expertly navigates the country's challenging terrain in his modified Toyota Land Cruiser. The full documentary film and audio companion album will be released December 8th 2021 via Leaving Records.

1. BLKSND

2. 1% BATTERY

3. ÞÓRSMÖRK

4. PIPA 1

5. 3FLUTES

6. VIKTOR’S BLUES

7. SOME MEADOW

8. LANDCRUISELIFE

9. MADE FROM SHEEP

10. UGLY PUDDLE

11. CELLO PERFORMANCE

12. PRESETS

13. SOME DRUM PATCHES

14. ORCHESTRA KIT + SHAKUHACHI

15. NATURE BOY

All sound Sam Gendel

performed on Roland AE-30 Aerophone Pro Digital Wind Instrument

Image Marcella Cytrynowicz

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Dal Sasso Big Band (feat. David El-Malek, Géraldine Laurent & Sophie Alour) - John Coltrane's Africa/​​Brass Revisited (jazz&people)

En 1961, John Coltrane enregistrait son tout premier disque pour le label Impulse et signait, à cette occasion, un album unique dans sa riche discographie car il est le seul que le saxophoniste ait jamais enregistré en big band : « Africa/Brass ».

À la tête d’un orchestre largement dominé par les cuivres (« brass », en anglais), puisant son matériau dans le blues, le folklore, les spirituals et la mémoire des chansons associées à l’esclavage, Coltrane interprétait une série de compositions, arrangées par Eric Dolphy, qui renvoyaient au continent originel — l’Afrique — et, par-delà, faisaient écho à l’expérience afro-américaine dans son ensemble. Soixante ans après, fort du succès de sa relecture de « A Love Supreme », l’arrangeur Christophe Dal Sasso et son Big Band, élu « Groupe de l’année » aux Victoires du Jazz en 2020, ont revisité ce répertoire méconnu pour la première fois sur la scène du festival Jazz à La Villette à Paris.

Croisant les saxophones inspirés et fougueux de Sophie Alour, Géraldine Laurent et David El-Malek, ce véritable all-star du jazz hexagonal restitue au fil de ce double album toute la puissance spirituelle de l’œuvre, fidèle à la portée universelle du message humaniste que John Coltrane avait inscrit au cœur de son disque.

« Les concerts hommage sont rarement aussi exceptionnels que les musiciens qu’ils entendent célébrer. Plus rares encore sont les enregistrements de concerts à la hauteur de l’hommage, surtout quand il s’agit d’une figure aussi imposante que John Coltrane. John Coltrane’s Africa/Brass Revisited est une exception inhabituelle à cette règle » — Ashley Kahn, auteur de A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature (extrait du texte de pochette).

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In 1961, John Coltrane made his very first record for the Impulse label and signed, on this occasion, an album unique in his rich discography because it is the only one that the saxophonist has ever recorded with a big band: "Africa/Brass".

At the head of an orchestra largely dominated by brass, drawing its material from blues, folklore, spirituals and the memory of songs associated with slavery, Coltrane performed a series of compositions arranged by Eric Dolphy, which referred back to the original continent - Africa - and, beyond, echoed the African-American experience as a whole. Half a century later, on the strength of the success of his rereading of “A Love Supreme”, master arranger Christophe Dal Sasso and Big Band, elected “Group of the year” at the Victoires du Jazz in 2020, have revisited this underexplored repertoire which they performed for the first time on the stage of the Jazz à La Villette festival in Paris.

Crossing the inspired and fiery saxophones of Sophie Alour, Géraldine Laurent and David El-Malek, this true all-star of hexagonal jazz restores throughout this double live album all the spiritual power of the work, faithful to the universal scope of the humanist message that John Coltrane had written at the heart of his record.

“Tribute concerts are rarely as exceptional as the musician they mean to celebrate. Rarer still are recordings of concerts that live up to the homage, especially when it’s as towering a figure as John Coltrane. John Coltrane’s Africa/Brass Revisited is an exceptional exception to this rule, a refreshing, and updated surprise”, writes Ashley Kahn, author of A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album, from the liner notes of this release. 

1. Tunji (feat. David El-Malek) 12:03

2. Greensleeves (feat. Sophie Alour) 12:49

3. Blues Minor (feat. Géraldine Laurent) 10:55

4. Africa (feat. David El-Malek) 15:06

5. Liberia (feat. Géraldine Laurent) 10:06

6. You Don't Know What Love Is (feat. Sophie Alour) 06:12

7. Song of the Underground Railroad (feat. David El-Malek) 12:51

8. Naima (feat. David El-Malek) 08:39

Arrangements de Christophe Dal Sasso, sur une idée originale de Vincent Bessières

Julien Alour, Quentin Ghomari, trompette et bugle

Jerry Edwards, Daniel Zimmermann, trombone

Dominique Mandin, saxophone alto et flûte

Géraldine Laurent, saxophone alto

Sophie Alour, saxophone ténor, clarinette et flûte

David El-Malek, saxophone ténor

Thomas Savy, clarinette basse, saxophone baryton

Pierre de Bethmann, piano

Manuel Marches, contrebasse

Karl Jannuska, batterie

Andy Berlad Catelo, tambour gwo-ka

Christophe Dal Sasso, flûte, direction

Enregistrement réalisé par FIP Radio France le 11 septembre 2020 à La Villette - Grande Halle, Paris, dans le cadre du festival Jazz à La Villette, pour l’émission « Live à Fip » du samedi 12 septembre 2020

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Alexis Valet (feat. Ben van Gelder & Bojan Z) - Explorers (jazz&people)

S’affirmant comme une voix passionnante parmi ceux qui font revenir le vibraphone au devant de la scène, Alexis Valet présente un album captivant aux formats variables et aux pistes multiples, marqué par la participation éblouissante de deux figures européennes majeures, le pianiste Bojan Z et le saxophoniste Ben van Gelder. Fidèle à son titre, "Explorers" donne à entendre ce que le jazz contemporain a de plus inspiré lorsqu’il est sublimé par le sens de l’invention et la magie de l’interaction.

"Ce tout nouveau projet est une vraie révélation."

(Jazz'halo)

"Explorers” confirme qu’Alexis Valet est l’un de ceux avec qui il faut compter"

★★★★ (Jazz Magazine)

"La interpretación de Valet suena sincera, con naturalidad y cautivadora, explorando nuevos caminos para este peculiar instrumento."

(La Habitación del Jazz)

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Asserting himself as an exciting voice among those who are bringing vibraphone back to the front of the stage, Alexis Valet presents a captivating album with a shifting format exploring multiple directions, marked by the participation of two major European figures, pianist Bojan Z and saxophonist Ben Van Gelder. True to its title, "Explorers" gives us an idea of what contemporary jazz inspires the most when it’s driven by a sense of invention and the magic of interplay.

1. Casual Polyglot 03:09

2. Plaza de la Alfalfa 05:13

3. L'Ile aux Fleurs (feat. Bojan Z) 06:28

4. Any Sunday with Her (feat. Ben van Gelder) 07:02

5. Dixie's Dilemma 05:06

6. Voyager I 02:49

7. Explorers (feat. Ben van Gelder and Bojan Z) 04:53

8. Fall (feat. Bojan Z) 04:57

9. Dr. Jackle (feat. Ben van Gelder) 05:50

10. Hats and Cards (feat. Ben van Gelder and Bojan Z) 06:41

11. What's Next? (feat. Bojan Z) 04:53

Alexis Valet, vibraphone

Lucca Fattorini, double bass

Antoine Paganotti, drums

+

Ben van Gelder, alto saxophone (on 4, 7, 9, 10, 11)

Bojan Z, piano (on 3, 7, 8, 10, 11)

All compositions by Alexis Valet, otherwise noted.

Recorded at Studio Libretto by Erwan Boulay on January 16-17th 2021.

Mixed by Erwan Boulay.

Mastered by David Darlington.

Add Christelle Raquillet on flute on track 11.

Photography: Audrey Radas

Graphic design: Olivier Linden

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Thomas Curbillon - Place Ste​-​Opportune (jazz&people)

Accompagné par la crème du jazz hexagonal, le guitariste et chanteur Thomas Curbillon dévoile un premier album au charme irrésistible, qui enchaine les paroles heureuses et tendres avec la richesse des solos, dans un disque aux textes malicieux, paré d’arrangements somptueux… Émaillé de clins d’œil à Salvador, Aznavour et Nougaro, « Place Ste-Opportune » réconcilie la chanson française avec le swing.

"Le résultat est enchanteur"

— Jazz News "Indispensable"

“Ses mots ne sonnent jamais creux et vont droit au cœur”

— Jazz Magazine "Révélation"

"Du travail soigné, élégant, gorgé de swing et de sensibilité, propre à séduire fans de jazz et amoureux de la chanson française."

— Les Dernières Nouvelles du jazz

"Charmant, merveilleuse. You can almost taste the Gauloises. Feel the laidback swing in the arranging. Crooning in French, what's not to like from the deftly bruised tones of Thomas Curbillon?"

☆☆☆☆ — Marlbank

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Backed by the best of French jazz (Eric Legnini, Stephane Belmondo ...), guitarist and singer Thomas Curbillon unveils an irresistible first album, which connects happy and tender songs with the richness of solos, in an album with mischievous lyrics, adorned with sumptuous arrangements… With nods to Henri Salvador, Charles Aznavour and Claude Nougaro, “Place Ste-Opportune” reconciles "chanson francaise" with swing. 

1. Léa est lasse 04:32

2. Place Ste-Opportune 03:24

3. Petite Fleur 03:47

4. Et bailler, et dormir 03:19

5. Oxymore 03:15

6. Berçons 04:17

7. La Môme Bling-Bling 06:02

8. Sale gosse 04:17

9. Berceuse à Pépé 03:36

Thomas Curbillon, chant, guitare

Eric Legnini, piano

Thomas Bramerie, contrebasse

Antoine Paganotti, batterie

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Stéphane Belmondo, trompette et bugle sur 2, 3, 6 et 9

Arrangements de Pierre Bertrand sur 1, 3, 5 et 6

Album réalisé par Daniel Yvinec

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The Shuffle Demons - All In

'All In' is the exciting new all-instrumental album from Canada's renowned Shuffle Demons who celebrate 37 years in music with their 10th CD! Featuring compositions by four of the five band members, the music ranges from brilliantly composed contemporary jazz to groovy funk jazz reminiscent of the JB Horns or Average White Band, all played with the inimitable Shuffle Demons style and unique sound. With standout solos and dynamic group playing, this album adds a new instrumental-only twist to the Shuffle Demons repertoire and is one of their best albums to date.

1 All In (5:59) (Mike Downes) • Melodic Contemporary Jazz

2 One Step Ahead (4:37) (Richard Underhill) • Jazz Funk

3 Wait, What? (4:15) (Richard Underhill) • Hard Swinging Jazz

4 Watch Your Step (5:48) (Richard Underhill) • Jazz Funk

5 Five’s Company (5:47) (Matt Lagan) • Contemporary Jazz

6 COVID Blues (3:58) (Stich Wynston) • Hard Swinging Contemporary Jazz

7 Walk the Walk (5:02) (Richard Underhill) • Jazz Funk

8 Strange Days (5:27) (Richard Underhill/) • Doom Jazz

9 Inside Out (6:46) (Richard Underhill) • Jazz Funk

10 Let’s Play (6:37) (Matt Lagan)  • Contemporary Jazz

Recorded and engineered by Jeremy Darby and Julian Decorte at Canterbury Music Company, Toronto, October 2-4, 2020.

Produced, mixed and mastered by Jono Grant at Victory Drive Music 

Cover Art by ‘J.’

Layout and design by Matt Lagan

The cover art was painted by artist ‘J’ who was a camper in Trinity Bellwoods park. To help the homeless in our city, $1 from the sale of each CD will be donated to https://www.sschto.ca/ 

The Shuffle Demons:

Richard Underhill - alto and bari saxes 

Kelly Jefferson - tenor saxophone

Matt Lagan - tenor saxophone

Mike Downes - acoustic bass

Stich Wynston - drums

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