Michael Dease - Give It All You Got (February 26, 2021 Posi-Tones Records)

Poll-winning trombonist Michael Dease shows us just what it means to "Give It All You Got" on his eighth release for Posi-Tone. All the pieces fit together perfectly as Dease provides remarkable clarity of vision for enlisting the able assistance of Jim Alfredson on organ, Greg Tardy on saxophone, Anthony Stanco on trumpet, Gwendolyn Dease on percussion, and Ulysses Owens Jr. on drums.

This remarkable collection of hard hitting performances also features special guest appearances from saxophonist Sharel Cassity and guitarist Randy Napoleon that are seamlessly woven into the mix as the bandleader shines brightly with inspiration across a wide spectrum of styles and sounds! 

Critical ears and casual listeners will be delighted as Michael Dease continues to entertain and astonish, while walking the talk of his charitable message to "Give It All You Got."

1. A Sliver Of Silver 05:47

2. Climb The Mountain 07:04

3. Dave's Boogie-Down 05:58

4. Lake Toxaway Getaway 04:56

5. Parker's Fancy 04:57

6. Ritmo De Brevard 06:08

7. The Next Level 05:18

8. Transylvania County Funk Parade 06:08

9. Word To The Wise 05:23

10. Zanderfied 05:58

Michael Dease - trombone

Anthony Stanco - trumpet, flugelhorn 6

Gregory Tardy - tenor saxophone

Jim Alfredson - organ

Ulysses Owens Jr. - drums

Gwendolyn Dease - congas 1, 4, 6, 8, 10; triangle 5, 6

Brooklyn Dease - percussion 6

Luther Allison - drums 3, 9

Sharel Cassity - alto saxophone 5

Randy Napoleon - guitar 8

produced by Marc Free

engineered by Nick O'Toole

recorded September 22, 2019 at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY

mixed & mastered at Woodland Studio, Lake Oswego, OR

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Out To Dinner - Play On (February 2021 Posi-Tone Records)

Get ready for a second helping of auditory delights from the Out To Dinner ensemble, as they keep the kitchen open after hours and “Play On.” Featuring a musical menu of inspired selections, Posi-Tone producer Marc Free has assembled this volume of performances to prompt listeners to expand their sonic palettes with an adventurous exploration of the jazz genre. This engaging quintet date is highlighted by front line performances from vibraphonist Behn Gillece, trumpet prodigy Giveton Gelin and rising star tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, all moving freely together over the solid harmonic foundation of bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Donald Edwards, both established jazz veterans.

We are confident that the collaborative journey of Out To Dinner will encourage our faithful audience to follow the melodies as they navigate steadily from the known and familiar into the uncharted realms of modern collective improvisation.

1. Play On 04:36

2. Random 03:55

3. Asami's Playland 05:59

4. Rebecca's Dance 05:34

5. Into The Shadows 04:50

6. Abe Duct 05:22

7. Armageddon 04:39

8. Something From Nothing 04:34

9. The Essential Passion 05:33

10. Visions 03:44

11. Lew's Loose 04:28

12. The Dream 06:27

13. Short Count 04:56

Giveton Gelin - trumpet

Nicole Glover - tenor saxophone

Behn Gillece - vibraphone

Boris Kozlov - bass

Donald Edwards - drums

Patrick Cornelius - alto saxophone 5, 6, 13

produced by Marc Free

engineered by Nick O'Toole

recorded June 9, 2019 at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY

mixed & mastered at Woodland Studio, Lake Oswego, OR

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Oportet - Scandala (February 2021 Auand Records)

“Scandala” and the music outcome of human connections

in Stefano Costanzo’s Oportet new EP

Back with his band, the Italian drummer joins forces with

Marco Fiorenzano (piano), Umberto Lepore (double bass)

and Davide Maria Viola on cello

Recorded live in studio, back when welcoming people to a music performance was still an option, “Scandala” is Italian drummer Stefano Costanzo’s Oportet new EP (currently available as digital release only on Auand Records), featuring Marco Fiorenzano (piano) and Umberto Lepore (double bass), plus Davide Maria Viola on cello.

The entire work is an effort to focus on the essential, as Costanzo explains: «This album was recorded in a studio, in front of students who listened and witnessed how to record on tape with no second take. Mistakes are allowed – they can always open a new door – but you must guard against anything unnecessary, such as a solo as intended in the jazz world. Instead, we wanted to make room (and time) for what is essential in the very moment of recording out of instinct.»

Nevertheless, time and instinct came only after a painstaking, almost obsessive work on countless details for each of the four tracks. «The EP was born after a very long gestation – Costanzo adds – with raving rehearsals on every single section of every track. It also went through intense sharing moments of human interactions, besides the music.»

These are the key elements in Scandala: human connections and bonds:  «Oportet was formed eight years ago because of human connections. I can’t write music for people I don’t know personally. I’ve noticed that when I compose music with some specific people in mind, the result is not only a very fluid interplay, but also that genuineness that comes from trust and empathy.»

1 Una ex septem

2 Roccocó

3 Trapaniana

4 Michelangelo Viscusi

Marco Fiorenzano piano

Umberto Lepore double bass, bells, objects

Stefano Costanzo drums, bells, bow and objects

Davide Maria Viola cello (on tracks 1 and 4)

All tracks are composed and arranged by Stefano Costanzo

Recorded live at Godfather Studio (Napoli, Italia) on a Studer ATR by Massimiliano Pone during a record lesson

Exectuive producer: Marco Valente

Mixed by Umberto Lepore

Mastered by Giovanni Roma at "L'arte dei rumori" (Marano, Napoli)

Cover paint by Emanuele Pacini (photo by Alberto Pezzuti)

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Dario Piccioni - Carpet Stories (February 2021 Auand Records)

Auand releases Dario Piccioni’s “Carpet Stories”

The Italian double bass player leads a trio featuring Vittorio Solimene on piano and Michele Santoleri on drums, plus Veronica Marini’s guest vocals

A piano trio focused on double bass. Upside down structures. Mediterranean flavours. Italian double bass player Dario Piccioni’s new trio album “Carpet Stories” is the first he records on Auand label. Even if the band (with Vittorio Solimene on piano, and Michele Santoleri on drums) might look like the usual piano trio, Piccioni mixes things up by giving his instrument the leading role: «I like to contaminate jazz with specific elements recently: importance of double bass, rhythmic research, structure overturning, aggressive percussion. And also unisons, progressive hints, Mediterranean sounds, fusion. Everything is put in a dreamy frame, and enriched with interplay and improvisation.»

These choices shape the entire narrative of his “Carpet Stories”, rooted in his childhood memories. He used to play on his grandparents’ carpet «and I remember the feeling: it was like watching a movie, or playing a video game. But nothing was moving: it was only a motif, possibly a chivalric illustration with some decorations. It was like a Stendhal syndrome that lasted quite long. In the end, everyday objects like a carpet also had that purpose: transmitting stories, like movies do today. But I had an active role in that moment: I was able to create multiple stories, using and mixing the recurring elements.»

Two trusted musicians fully support him: Vittorio Solimene has been on stage with Piccioni since the pianist was18 years old. They also toured Europe, influencing each other. «He is highly contributing to the sound of this project – the leader adds – As for Michele Santoleri, we have a deep spiritual connection. We both keep ourselves away from purism. I feel free to experiment when I play with him.»

The trio also features a special appearance by singer Veronica Marini – her lively and dreamy vocals on “A New Ceiba” and on title track “Carpet Stories” strengthen the melodic and emotional message.

Piccioni’s writing method is now solid. «It’s like following the same path – he says – stepping in the same footprints we left in the past. Only, the path is never the same. Our look on the landscape has changed, as well as our footprints. Everything flows. The artist grows up by listening to himself and the others. And he finds deeper meanings even when analysing the same structure or form for years.»

1. Kinsoma 04:25

2. Tower Of Silence 04:13

3. Migala 02:56

4. Dounia 05:00

5. Canto di Restanza #1 02:02

6. Canto di Restanza #2 02:21

7. A New Ceiba 05:46

8. Black Narcissus 05:31

9. Carpet Stories 06:19

Dario Piccioni - double bass, acoustic bass

Vittorio Solimene - piano

Michele Santoleri - drums

Veronica Marini voice on #7, 9

All compositions by Dario Piccioni (ed. mus. Jazz Engine) except #8 by Joe Henderson

Produced by Dario Piccioni

Exectuive producer: Marco Valente

Recorded at Extrabeat Studio - Roma

Mixed and mastered by Eugenio Vatta

Cover photo by Valentina Smeraldi/Fabio Baudo

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Ananasnna - Veloci come in 500 (2021 Auand Records)

Unfiltered, curious, bold: it’s Ananasnna

An unusual double duo plus electric bass

fighting formalities in “Veloci come in 500”

Led by Italian composer Stefano Risso, the band features

two alto sax players (Simone Garino and Davide Pignata)

and two drummers (Michele Bussone and Nicholas Remondino)

Stefano Risso

By picking the glorious Fiat Cinquecento as their cover image, Ananasnna kick off their game of references that mixes vintage and futuristic approaches. With the sharp dexterity of an artisan – one that rejects ready-to-use solutions – “Veloci come in 500” (“Fast as in a Cinquecento”) is Ananasnna’s debut album released by Auand Records. The Italian quintet actually identifies as a double duo plus one – the “one” being bass player and composer Stefano Risso, who penned all eight tracks for his four young aides: Simone Garino and Davide Pignata, both on alto sax, and Michele Bussone and Nicholas Remondino, both on drums.

Among the many stories of this record, the place of honor is for the spark that made it happen: a “recording jam” with Piedmont-based musicians suggested by Studio Rubedo’s Manuel Volpe. What started as a trio (sax, bass, and drums) quickly evolved into a double duo plus one. «Doubling an instrument in an ensemble – Stefano Risso recalls – is something I always find very interesting. It’s a sort of auditory illusion. It may not sound like you’re listening to two musicians on the same instrument. Instead, it might feel like a sort of four-armed “music Shiva”!»

Risso wanted this project to involve several creative challenges – he never meets the rest of the band. «Luckily everyone understood my intention. They are young and talented, with strong identities. They played along.» He listened to them online. They would only meet for one rehearsal, and then at the recording session. After five hours, a record was born.

Risso’s brave approach highlighted the qualities in the band. Drummers Michele Bussone e Nicholas Remondino «are interested in researching on timbers – he says – though in different directions. This creates more depth in the music, enriched by simple polyrhythms on different meters. Simone Garino is always in the frontline when more energy is needed. Davide Pignata loves afro beat and African groove. Not having a harmonic instrument partially conceals the texture: counterpoints arise. I think it’s music based on groove and at the same time it’s solid. Looking closer at the details can reveal many surprises.»

The band as a whole is key in all tracks (especially “Scatta il rosso”, “Peso a valle” and the only song in the album, “Arearitroso”). «When you find yourself in a recording session – Risso adds – and you don’t know much of the others, it’s likely that everyone’s ego tries to dominate, forgetting that music is only possible when playing together. This is why I tried to provide, as much as possible, structures that forced everyone to stay focused on the entire group. If I think of Ananasnna, words like unfiltered occur to me. That feeling of meeting someone for the first time and immediately wanting to uncover all of their traits, digging deep, and being amazed.»

1. Scatta il rosso 05:57

2. Peso a valle 04:06

3. Spariglio 05:36

4. Tu di là io DC Comics 05:54

5. ZeroCalorie 03:35

6. Il Gran San Bernardo 05:46

7. Le assurdiSio 04:34

8. Arearitroso 02:27

9. XXXNem_o 16:35

Ananasnna is:

Stefano Risso EKO 995 violin electric bass

Simone Garino alto sax

Davide Pignata alto sax

Michele Bussone drums

Nicholas Remondino drums

all compositions by Stefano Risso published by Jazz Engine

Produced by Stefano Risso

Exectuive producer: Marco Valente

Recorded at Rubedo Recordings, Torino, Italy

Mixed and mastered by Manuel Volpe

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Luca Sguera - CTB, few hypotheses (2021 Auand Records)

"What might have been and what has been

point to one end, which is always present"

(T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets)

"CTB, few hypotheses" is a collaborative project between AKA and several sound/video artists.

Its purpose is to unfold the sonic and visual possibilities that emerge when one piece of art is opened up, reset to its fundemental particles, its crackles being put together from scratch, in different times, spaces and contexts.

At the same time, the project is an attempt to overcome our natural tendency to read one specific meaning in the reality that surrounds us and it is also a treatment for trustfulness.

Several questions led to the project: what is the meaning behind an improvised track? Is a piece of art necessarily owned by the artist itself? Does any new meaning appear when it becomes an object to be seen - and reimagined - from different angles? What does putting together these different perspectives mean?

The improvised track "CTB" was released as a bonus track of our first album and from that time it has been remixed, reworked, reimagined by several musicians active in different music contexts.

The results, mastered by sound master Renato Grieco, were forced to co-exist together in this album and were given a visual substance by Lorenzo Picarazzi, from Red Lights Video (except the video for California Technical Bulletin, made by The B-Roll himself). 

1. Luiz Vinoza - Come Tulipani Bianchi 00:53

2. blackHole unLTD. - Cipher Type Byte 03:30

3. Bienoise - Composite Triple Beat 08:10

4. Alessio Riccio - Cease to Breathe 08:12 video

5. The B-Roll - California Technical Bulletin 07:15 video

6. Giuseppe Pisano - Create This Book 07:16

7. Malstrom - Combat Trauma Bag 03:58 video

8. Lyn (HateLimbs) - Change the Business 03:54

9. Edoardo Bellucci - Color Temperature Blue 07:46

10. Manlio Maresca - Cut-Throat Bitch 04:46

11. Cristiano Bocci - Clear to Build 06:12 video

12. Delta Machina - Central Tape Bus 03:46 video

13. Perfect Cluster - Computerized Tomography Brain 06:36

14. Luca Sguera AKA - CTB 04:48

AKA is (and will always be)

Luca Sguera - piano

Francesco Panconesi - tenor sax

Alessandro Mazzieri - bass/electronics

Carmine Casciello - drums

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Ivo Perelman / Nate Wooley - Polarity (February 2021 Burning Ambulance Music)

Burning Ambulance Music is proud to announce Polarity, a collection of improvised but deeply considered duo encounters between tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman and trumpeter Nate Wooley.

Perelman, a saxophonist, painter and jewelry designer, is as committed to the art and craft of improvisation as anyone alive. Over a 30-year career, he has released more than 100 CDs, building creative relationships with players from all corners of the free music world. His intensity and devotion to spontaneous music-making is virtually without equal, and he has developed a unique and highly recognizable language on the horn, while always remaining open to hearing what his bandmates have to say.

Wooley is an open-eared and innovative improviser, composer, and all-around creative spirit who has worked extensively with Anthony Braxton, John Zorn, Ingrid Laubrock, Ken Vandermark, and many others, and has built up a vast and fascinating discography of his own, encompassing everything from solo work to recordings and performances with groups of all sizes.

This is the fifth encounter between Perelman and Wooley, but their first duo recording. They played together with pianist Matthew Shipp on Philosopher’s Stone and with bassist Brandon Lopez and drummer Gerald Cleaver on Octagon, both released in 2017, and reunited for Strings 3 with violist Mat Maneri and Strings 4 with Maneri and Shipp, from 2019.

The ten pieces on Polarity are intimate and beautiful, yet also rigorous and challenging. As Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg writes in the liner notes, “The rewards of their improvising method, their sensitivity and skills are offering us constant variations and extensions of forms, feelings and sounds…Their duo was not planned, but responded to an existential need to create beauty and surprise.”

 1. Four 06:51

2. Two B 03:31

3. Seven A 05:07

4. Three A 03:16

5. Five A 02:55

6. Eight 02:56

7. Two A 02:23

8. One A 01:58

9. Nine Short 01:27

10. Six 10:49

Ivo Perelman - tenor saxophone

Nate Wooley - trumpet

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Jim Clouse at Park West Studios, Brooklyn, NY, February 2020

Album mastered by Marlon Wolterink at White Noise Studios, November 2020

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Senyawa - Alkisah (February 2021 Burning Ambulance Music)

Senyawa are a duo from Jogjakarta, Indonesia. Vocalist Rully Shabara and instrumentalist Wukir Suryadi make some of the most profound and thrilling experimental/ traditional music anywhere in the world, combining Indonesian folkloric ideas with modern sounds. Senyawa's music is like no other sound you'll ever hear.

1. Kekuasaan 00:40

2. Alkisah I 09:02

3. Menuju Muara 03:06

4. Istana 06:55

5. Kabau 05:42

6. Fasih 03:56

7. Alkisah II 06:33

8. Kiamat 01:16

Wukir Suryadi – custom instruments

Rully Shabara – lyrics, vocals

Recorded and mixed by Iwan Karak at Eloprogo Arthouse

Soundscape of Eloprogo recorded by tesaran

Minang proverbs on “Kabau” compiled by Taufik Adam

Mastered by Marlon Wolterink, White Noise Studio

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Kaktus Einarsson - Kick The Ladder (May 21, 2021 Oli Records)

Kaktus Einarsson of Fufanu announces debut solo album 'Kick The Ladder'

“A revelatory live experience, Kaktus Einarrson wields the kind of swagger and attitude all too uncommon in this kind of music” – Stereogum

‘Kick The Ladder’ the anticipated debut album from Icelandic composer and songwriter Kaktus Einarsson, frontman of post-punk outfit Fufanu, will be released by One Little Independent on May 21st. It was produced by Kaktus, alongside Swiss electronic composer Kurt Uenala aka Null & Void (who’s production credits include Depeche Mode, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Kills, Dave Gahan/Soulsavers and Moby), and finished in New York City.

Having just become a parent for the first time himself, childhood and naivety is something at the forefront of Kaktus’s mind. Across the album he sings about optimistic dreams and memories, how as we age we lose sight of what we want from life, as well as the recent deportation of immigrants and their children from Iceland, some of whom have lived there all their lives.

Einarsson (b. 1992) has led a remarkable musical life. Born and raised in Reykjavík, he was playing as part of experimental electronic act Ghostigital at the tender age of ten. In Fufanu, he opened hometown shows for Radiohead and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The band also supported Blur in Hyde Park, and stormed the festival circuit, appearing at the likes of Primavera Sound, Rock Werchter, Musilac and Down The Rabbit Hole.

Now aged 28, Kaktus is beginning a new chapter with ‘Kick The Ladder’. Having honed his understanding of songwriting, recording, and production, the LP is the culmination of his experience in contemporary classical and pop music, and bridges the two sides of his work.

Kaktus wrote the album in Iceland, then developed its sound in Copenhagen in collaboration with French prepared piano experimentalist Thibault Gomez. “I was using my knowledge of extended playing techniques and the contemporary repertoire, and getting them into my pop music,” he says. “We replaced synths with acoustic sounds that are familiar, but unfamiliar in many ways. It’s all organic, there are no artificial effects: we created all the effects with this one instrument, the grand piano. We tried it for every situation. To build up tension and suspension in songs and sounds we would scratch, e-bow and regular bowing the strings inside of the piano for example, and even play with brooms on the belly of the grand piano. Used it even as a drum machine!”

The result is a profound, melodic record with an expansive and innovative sound. The album also sees Kaktus evolve as a vocalist and lyricist. “Every song on this album is a love letter to my environment, and my surroundings,” he says. “Some of the songs are a dialogue between two people, others might be written to nature, and what is happening to our planet.”

1. Kick The Ladder

2. Ocean’s Heart

3. Hypnotized

4. No Runaway

5. Daydream Echo

6. Gone To Bed

7. My Driver

8. 45rpm

9. Story Of Charms

10. One Of Those

11. Space Soul

12. Chimes

One Little Independent Records (OLI)

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