Pau Brasil & Ensemble SP & Renato Braz - Villa-Lobos Superstar (STUNT RECORDS 2017)

Villa-Lobos Superstar is a project of the groups Pau Brasil (Nelson Ayres, Rodolfo Stroeter, Paulo Bellinati, Teco Cardoso e Ricardo Mosca); the String Quartet Ensemble SP (violist Marcelo Jaffé, violinists Betina Stegman and Nelson Rios, and cellist Robert Suetholz); and the popular singer Renato Braz.

1. Bachianas Brasileiras nº 4 - Prelúdio (Introdução)

2. Bachianas Brasileiras nº 4 - Ária (Cantiga)

3. A Lenda do Caboclo

4. Cair da Tarde

5. Bachianas Brasileiras nº 5 - Ária (Cantilena)

6. Bachianas Brasileiras nº 5 - Dança (Martelo)

7. Modinha (Na Solidão da Minha Vida)

8. Quarteto de Cordas nº 5 - 4º Movimento (Allegro)

9. Lundu da Marquesa de Santos

10. Sexteto Místico

11. Prelúdio nº3

12. Choro Típico nº 1

Snorre Kirk - Drummer & Composer (STUNT RECORDS 2017)

Once again Snorre Kirk demonstrates his originality. With respectful nods to Ellington and Mingus, his star-stud- ded band plays his wonderful, enthralling tunes and lovely arrangements.

A top-notch sideman with several of Scandinavia’s best acts as well as a handful of prominent international names such as Diane Schuur, Eric Reed and Stephen Riley, drummer and bandleader Snorre Kirk has blossomed as a composer in recent years. In some jazz circles there is an old prejudice against drummers as bandleaders. According to this para- digm they can’t keep a hold on things from behind the drum kit. If there is any truth to this, it certainly does not apply to Snorre Kirk. This young Norwegian resident of Denmark is an extremely flexible drummer with a respectful eye on jazz tradition. He is renowned as a loyal drummer behind voca- lists Sidsel Storm and Malene Mortensen, tenor saxophonist Jesper Thilo, and in trios led by pianist Magnus Hjort and bassist and vocalist Kristin Korb. 

Kirk has put together a band of some of Scandinavia’s finest musicians. His debut CD from 2012, BLUES MODERNISM, was a conceptual album with blues in modern shapes and ang- les – all written by the bandleader. Kirk’s critically acclaimed debut received Jazz Special magazine’s annual award for bestalbum as well as two Danish Music Award nominations. The follow-up, EUROPA, paved the path for an international breakthrough with performances at several of the world’s lea- ding jazz festivals including North Sea Jazz Festival, Art of Swing Festival in Kansas City and Finland’s Pori Jazz Festival.

Once again Snorre Kirk demonstrates his originality. With respectful nods to Ellington and Mingus, his star-studded band plays his wonderful, enthralling tunes and lovely arran- gements on his third release SNORRE KIRK, COMPOSER & DRUMMER. Although Kirk’s music borrows from his heroes, he does not copy. That is one of the fascinating aspects of his timeless and often poetic and elegant compositions and arrangements – they never even come close to copies or pla- giarisms. It is true that he is a traditionalist, but he is also an artist with a solid and true grip on the essence of jazz.

The music on COMPOSER & DRUMMER sounds like something we might recognize, and then again... the nerdy desire to play guessing games swiftly disappears, because the playing is virtuosic, soulful and full of genuine dedication. His marvelous and ego-free devotion to the full musical pic- ture creates the perfect framework in which the soloists may shine. Just as jazz compositions should! This is well defined and transparently swinging jazz music with a huge “J”!

1. Prelude 1:25

2. Heartland 3:22

3. The Main Drag 4:12

4. Pastorale 8:01

5. Port Lights 4:16

6. The Capital Blues 4:11

7. Grace 6:03

8. Swing City Blowout 8:02

9. Postlude 1:46

Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Klas Lindquist

Bass – Lasse Mørck

Cornet – Tobias Wiklund

Drums – Snorre Kirk

Tenor Saxophone – Jan Harbeck

Trombone – Magnus Wiklund

Shalosh - Rules of Oppression (2017)

Shalosh is a New York and Israel based, genre-bending, Acoustic, Progressive, raw Jazz band, that has been turning heads of audiences internationally since the release of their debut album “The Bell Garden”.  Despite the classic Jazz trio format (piano, bass and drums) and the band members' deep root in Jazz and improvised music, Shalosh's music takes its own path across and between genres like Rock, Classical, Electronic, African and Middle Eastern music.

The members of Shalosh have a connection not only through music, but also lifelong friendships. After years of working separately and internationally both as side-men as well as band leaders, the three reunited this year to form a band with its own tight-knit style of their own.

Already in this short time, after producing their debut album, Shalosh has generated a huge buzz around the world. Their music has grabbed attention in Europe, Japan, U.S.A and South America, and has been marked as one of the most prominent promising sounds of years to come.

The band's agenda is to make music that moves its audience in the greatest way possible, in order to break through the barrier created, between the music and the listener, which is often found in intellectual music of this genre. Shalosh places as much emphasis on their collective sound as individual virtuosity.

Shalosh very much stands out from today’s Jazz scene, mainly due to the fact it is not led by a single artist, but co-led by its three members who enjoy an artistic evolution from years of collaborations and friendship. As a result, Shalosh’s music is derived from a deep place of musical friendship and is aimed towards the deepest and purest place within.

Rules of Oppression

Lancaster

Bond Villain

Poem of the Bull

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Video Games

Blue Eyed Tattoed Lady

Interlude

Don't You Want Me

Gadi Stern - Piano

David Michaeli  - Double Bass

Matan Assayag - Drums

Guest Musicans

Tal Ganor - Vocals (3)

Chen Shenhar- Violin, Keren Tannenbaum - Violin

Noam Haimovitz Weinschel - Viola

Yoed Nir - Cello

Yoram Lachih- Oboe

Naama Neuman - Flute

Jonathan Hadas - Clarinet

Mauricio Paez - Bassoon

Itamar Leshem - French Horn

Liron Gulir - Trombone

Itamar Ben Yakir - Trumpet (4)

All songs composed and produced by SHALOSH except:

Video Games (6), by Lana Del Ray (all rights reserved). Don't You Want Me (9) by The Human League (all rights reserved). Orchestral Arrangement in Poem Of The Bull (4) by Yuval Vilner.

Recorded live at Bardo studios in Tel Aviv, January 2016, by Idan Katz

Mixed by Ofer Tiberin

Recorded and mixed by Ori Winokur 

Assistant Engineers: Cermel De Picciotto, Aner Baruch

Mastered by Jonathan Jacobi

Marko Churnchetz: Ruthenia - Retrospective of Russian Composers of the 20th Century (FRESH SOUND NEW TALENT RECORDS 2017)

Ruthenia - Retrospective of Russian Composers of the 20th Century is a new and 4th album release as a leader from a New York City based Slovenian pianist and composer Marko Churnchetz with a 15-piece ensemble, released by Fresh Sound New Talent.

It is a hommage to the 5 great Russian Composers: Igor Stravinsky, Dmitry Shostakovich, Alexander Scriabin, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Dmitry Prokofiev, composed in a 7-movement suite form.

01. Ouverture 7:24

02. Cantabile 5:30

03. Fantasia 5:29

04. Preludium 7:07

05. Nocturne 5:43

06. Valse 6:30

07. Scherzo 7:56

08. Toccata 7:07

Marko Churnchetz (piano)

Mike Moreno (guitar)

Chris Jennings (bass)

Rudy Royston (drums)

+

the Symbolic Orchestra:

Matija Krečič, Dejan Gregorič, Klemen Bračko, Barja Drnovšek, Bojan Cvetrežnik - violins, Urška Demšar, Barbara Grahor - violas, Tamara Gombač - cello

and Mateja Kremljak - flute, Boštjan Lipovšek - French horn & 

Dario Golčič - oboe

Duval Timothy - Brown Loop (Deluxe) 2017

Based on the idea that singular notes are bright and distinct they could naturally be represented by primary colors or simple bright blocks of distinct color. My style of piano playing is structured around playing chords which since I was young I myself and my brother always described as 'brown'. At the time that just came to me naturally but it seems to represent the mixing of these notes or colors until the individual tones combine to create brown in the same way you can mix paints. I guess brown also has something to do with identity as well. And the loop represents how many of the songs start in one place and circle back to finish in the same way they started. It's also a nod to hiphop since I feel my music is part of hiphop as much as any other genre but also they way I think of sampling myself in the creating process to make this quite repetitive songs that build slowly. - Duval Timothy on 'Brown Loop'

01. Through the Night 03:39

02. Old Kent Rd 04:26

03. If You Don't Leave When You Want To 03:19

04. Cold Is Coming 03:05

05. G 03:07

06. Badman 03:01

07. Clouds 02:33

08. Cycling 02:52

09. Blue Borough 02:55

10. Hairs 07:14

11. Villain 01:51

12. Older Than We Used to Be 02:49

13. Pleats 02:55

14. Smoke Alarm 03:36

15. Passing 05:04

Duval Timothy, piano

Guido Di Blasi - New Tango Project (FRESH SOUND NEW TALENT RECORDS 2017)

Guido Di Blasi New Tango Project es tango y jazz mezclado con una pizca de rock. Un grupo que alcanza una identidad propia a través de una sonoridad moderna y sin alejarse de la esencia musical de los géneros que inspiran su música.

Con una formación "atípica", el grupo revisa los orígenes del tango desde otra perspectiva, más fresca y renovadora, en combinación con el jazz. Una conjunción equilibrada que da como resultado un repertorio original y orgánico. Se trata, en definitiva, de una propuesta enfocada a la música instrumental planteada con una estética musical innovadora.

Gracias a Guido Di Blasi y sus acompañantes, descubrirás que el tango y el jazz son géneros compatibles y complementarios. Una combinación perfecta que cautiva a todo tipo de públicos y que despertará en ti una gran sensibilidad musical.

01. Preludio

02. Milonga

03. New Song

04. Diez días sin Luz

05. Newton Orleans

06. Tango Final

07. Zerepinad

08. Intro a Polo 11

09. A Polo 11

10. Pasajes de Guitarra

All compositions & arrangements by Guido Di Blasi, except track 10, written by Francisco Rivero transcribed by Guido Di Blasi

Guido Di Blasi (guitar, arr)

Darío Polonara (bandoneón)

Xavi Castillo (bass)

Ramiro Rosa (drums)