Alex Sipiagin - Upstream (May 2021 Posi-Tone Records)

Trumpet sensation Alex Sipiagin conducts his attention and intention "Upstream" directing the energetic empathy of his music towards engaging the hearts and minds of jazz fans on his first release for Posi-Tone. Exuding confidence with effortless virtuosity, Sipiagin performs with a compelling and emotional voice on his instrument that clearly elevates and distinguishes him from his able contemporaries. Joining Sipiagin on this musical journey is Posi-Tone's steadily serviceable and reliably inventive rhythm section of pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston.

With elegant lyricism, Sipiagin leads the group steadily straight forward to explore harmonic wonderlands that clearly reflect his modern melodic non-diatonic jazz sensibility. With a thoughtful program of original compositions and arrangements, Alex Sipiagin clearly attenuates his focus "Upstream" and successfully provides jazz fans everywhere with an astonishing array of captivating currents and bright moments to cherish and enjoy.

1. Call 05:22

2. Echo Canyon 05:30

3. Sight 05:21

4. SipaTham 06:20

5. Magic Square 05:44

6. Rain 07:10

7. Shura 06:46

8. Miyako 05:00

9. Upstream 07:37

Alex Sipiagin - trumpet, flugelhorn

Art Hirahara - piano

Boris Kozlov - bass

Rudy Royston - drums & percussion

Marc Free - producer

Nick O’Toole - mixing & mastering engineer

Michael Brorby - recording engineer

recorded October 24-25, 2020 at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY

mixed & mastered at Woodland Studio, Lake Oswego, OR

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Bogdan Khomenko - Ancient Craft (2021)

1. Modal Coral 05:08

2. Kickoff 09:20

3. Green Wing 04:53

4. FAbE 05:03

5. Ey, Ukhnem! 04:35

6. Cycle of Cycle 02:57

7. Beat Rain 07:23

Trombone - Bogdan Khomenko (Ukraine)

Saxophones, flute - Miloš Kostár (Slovakia)

Piano - Tamás Papp (Hungary)

Bass - Hrvoje Kralj (Croatia)

Drums - Sebastian Baumgartner (Germany)

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John Fumo - Dutz Fumo Green 3io (May 2021)

1. Never doubt what everyone is sure about 04:18

2. A shirt - for eating 07:56

3. For when the pig gets tired 06:58

4. Psalm for singing 05:29

5. The beaten beach 04:48

6. Molecular hi-jinks 04:55

7. Not sure - does it swing? 02:08

8. You will perish. If you don’t move on !!!! 02:47

9. Threeio 06:45

10. One minus harmony 08:02

A jam session at Tony Green's studio turned into this music. April 2021

Brad Dutz - drums and things

John Fumo - Trumpet and Flugelhorn

Tony Green - bass mixing recording and mastering

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Brandon Coleman Quartet - Live at Troy​-Hayner Cultural Center (May 2021)

Based in Cincinnati, OH, Brandon Coleman is an on-the-rise and in-demand performer in the world of creative guitar playing.

Coleman performs and composes music that is intricate, personal, and cinematic, inspired by his musical idols and his roots in the Appalachian mountains. 

1. midnight bell 09:50

2. dreaming awake 08:01

3. winter lantern 09:24

4. apex (ben tweedt) 06:05

5. ghost house 13:21

Brandon Coleman - guitar, compositions

Ben Tweedt - piano, composition (apex)

Matt Wiles - bass

Jeff Mellott - drums

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Athletic Progression - cloud high in dreams, but heavy in the air (June 11, 2021 Touching Bass)

Touching Bass continue to prise open a distinct, exciting lane for themselves as a label home for forward-thinking, soulful music with the progressive second album (and third project) from Danish/Tanzanian trio, Athletic Progression — Jonas Cook (keys), Jonathan J. Ludvigsen (drums) and Justo Gambula (bass).

'cloud high in dreams, but heavy in the air' sees the Aarhus-based band dive deeper into their intricately fused world of experimental, groove-based music. Written over the course of two years, mixed by Eric Lau (KOKOROKO, Yussef Dayes, Mansur Brown) and recorded in under a week, it celebrates freedom and spontaneity at its core, beautifully capturing those playful moments where jams become songs. The title (which comes from Brother Portrait’s verse on “Extended Technique”) echoes that playfulness, while also contemplating on the realities of life and its important decisions.

Sonic touchpoints include the space-leaning electronics of Brainfeeder’s Flying Lotus and Thundercat, the glowing dexterity of JD Beck & Domi and BadBadNotGood and jazz-fusion’s boundless nature, with rapper/poet Brother Portrait supplying the feels of London.

Like all of our favourites they’re a band best experienced live, blessed with an uncanny ability to make three instruments sound fuller than most. As a result, they’re already familiar faces on Danish national television, have sold out multiple shows both at home and in Europe (supporting Moses Boyd and Alfa Mist) as well as receiving two Danish Music Awards and one Critic Award for ‘Best Musician’ between them.

Outside of their own music, they’ve also played alongside talented contemporaries including Kaidi Tatham, Charlie Stacey, Erika de Casier and Taylor McFerrin in New York.

With this album, a 20+ date European tour and a number of other exciting projects ahead of them, Athletic Progression are on the cusp of growing beyond their native Denmark and onto the global stage. 

1. Bella Sky

2. JUNGELEN

3. safran.baby

4. mortal kombat

5. OSAKA

6. Officer Jimmy I

7. ndion farr

8. Officer Jimmy II

9. DEBRA

10. Cooked Ones, Pt. II

11. #15 Carmelo

12. MOUSSAS FINEST

13. #301 Call

14. Extended Technique (feat. Brother Portrait)

15. Justo's Waltz

16. THE EXAM

All compositions written and performed by Jonas Cook (keys), Jonathan J. Ludvigsen (drums) and Justo Gambula (bass); vocals on “Extended Technique” by Hadiru Mahdi

Mixing Engineer: Eric Lau

Mastering Engineer: Barry Grint (Air Studios)

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Jan Bang, Erik Honoré, Eivind Aarset & Arve Henriksen - Towards Language Live at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm (May 2021)

Towards Language was originally released

on Rune Grammofon in 2017. Towards Language - Live at Punkt was released digitally on Arve Music in 2018, and later in 2019 presented by Rune Grammofon in the 4vinyl/LP box set The Timeless Nowhere.

1. Preface 08:11

2. Groundswell II 04:58

3. Liquid language 03:25

4. Literaturm 03:22

5. Word factory 03:42

6. Demarcations 04:35

7. Patient One 01:51

8. Conversations 03:00

9. Hibernal hybrid 05:06

10. Traces of words II 08:21

11. Postscript 06:09

Arve Henriksen trumpets, vocal & electronics

Eivind Aarset guitars & electronics

Jan Bang live electronics & samples

Erik Honoré live electronics & synthesizer

Recorded at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm

in Frankfurt 18th of October 2019

Sound FOH & recording engineer Christian Ulbrich

Composed & performed by Bang, Honoré, Aarset & Henriksen

Mastering Helge Sten at Audio Virus Lab

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Jorrit Dijkstra - Dijkstra ​/​ Epps​ /​ Caloia ​/​ Hollenbeck in Montreal (2021)

1. Dijkstra​/​Epps​/​Caloia​/​Hollenbeck in Montreal 40:00

Live registration of a fully improvised set at the Casa del Popolo in Montreal.

Jorrit Dijkstra, alto saxophone, lyricon, analog electronics

Ellwood Epps, trumpet

Nicolas Caloia, bass

John Hollenbeck, drums

Recorded by Ellwood Epps

February 19 2019 at Casa del Popolo, Montréal as part of the Mardi Spaghetti series.

Mastered by Nicolas Caloia.

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