Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Jan Sturiale - In The Life (December 2021)

Jan is an indipendent musician, composer and performing artist and educator. He's one of the most in-demand guitar player for recording sessions and lessons in his area ,he's not easily categorized, since his playing is a creative blend of jazz and rock.

1. In Her Eyes
2. Green Lake
3. Night Expansion
4. A Day In The Life
5. Powder
6. Chelsea
7. Live To Tell
8. Fee Fi Fo Fum
9. Black Hole Sun
10. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat

All music composed and arranged by Jan Sturiale
except for "Black Hole Sun", "A Day In The Life", "Live To Tell", "Fee Fi Fo Fum", "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" composed in order by C.Cornell, Lennon/McCartney, Madonna/P.Leonard, W.Shorter, C.Mingus.

Recorded by Matej Gobec at Cosmosonic Studios, Ljubljana, SLO

Mixed by John Davis at Bunker Studios, Brooklyn, NY, December 2021
Mastered by Alex De Turk at Bunker Studios, Brooklyn, NY, December 2021
Cover artwork by Corinne Sturiale
Produced by Jan Sturiale

Cory Weeds - Just Coolin' (December 2021 Cellar Live)

In the summer of 2021 Cory Weeds put together the quartet on this recording for a gig at Frankie’s Jazz Club in Vancouver, BC. It was one of those nights where everything came together in every aspect. Club was packed with an appreciative and enthusiastic audience, the band was fired up and ready to go and Cory's dear friend and supporter of jazz Yvonne DeTroye was at her usual perch taking in the festivities. When the band was packing up, she approached Cory to tell him how wonderful the band sounded AND that should he ever decide to record she would be more than happy to lend financial support. Around this time, Weeds had just taken the Presidents role at The Fraser MacPherson Jazz Fund and started thinking about how he could use this recording as a fundraiser. After 18 months of a pandemic the fund was basically depleted and needed to increase its fundraising efforts and create some awareness. Yvonne donated to the FMJF to produce this 8 track set and 100% of the proceeds from the sales (in all formats) benefit The Fraser MacPherson Jazz Fund.

Thank you to Will and Norah Johnston for opening up their beautiful home to record in, the FMJF Board of Directors for their patience and for understanding the vision and Sheldon Zaharko for capturing the sound of the band so brilliantly. Special thanks to Tilden, John and Jesse for the incredible musicianship that they always display. It’s such an incredible pleasure to make music with this group. Extra special thanks to Yvonne DeTroye as she continues to make jazz dreams come true for so many of us and there are not enough words to express appreciation for all that you do for the jazz community.

-Cory Weeds
Burnaby, BC
October, 2021

1. Just Coolin' 06:48
2. Beep Durple 06:20
3. Chicken N' Dumplin 06:08
4. Bitter Sweet 06:10
5. We Three 11:01
6. Street Scenes 06:03
7. Vendetta 05:41
8. Night Walk 06:16

Cory Weeds – tenor saxophone
Tilden Webb – piano
John Lee – bass
Jesse Cahill - drums

Executive Producer: Yvonne DeTroye and Cory Weeds
Produced by Cory Weeds and Tidlen Webb
Recorded at Will and Norah’s house in Vancouver, BC, on September 15th, 2021
Engineered, Mixed and Mastered by Sheldon Zaharko
Photography by Cory Weeds, Photo of Cory Weeds by Jesse Cahill
Design and layout John Sellards
Cover art by Fujioka Takao

Gods of Chaos - Gods of Chaos (December 2021)

1. Gods of Chaos 13:01
2. Congregation 10:29
3. Unity 03:38

Recorded direct to tape on August 14, 2019 at Soundpark Studios

GODS OF CHAOS:
Trumpet - Felix Meredith
Tenor Saxophone - Andre Lew
Tenor Saxophone [3] - Lachlan Daff
Trombone - Luke Dema
Piano - Max Teakle
Rhodes/Effects - Jake Amy
Organ, Piano [3] - Angus Gray
Guitar - Daniel Waddingham
Double Bass - Jonah Grant
Bass [3] - Carl Lindeberg
Percussion - Rayan Aridi
Drums - Conor Anderson-Vague

Compositions written by Felix Meredith, improvised by Gods of Chaos

Produced, arranged and mastered by Felix Meredith
"Gods of Chaos" and "Congregation" mixed by Theo Carbo
"Unity" mixed by Felix Meredith

Cover photograph by Clytie Meredith

Shirt Tail Stompers - Walk Right In (December 2021)

The hottest in London's vintage jazz music, prohibition, swing dancing and cabaret

1. 9:20 Special 03:27
2. Walkin Blues 02:43
3. On the Sunny Side of the Street 04:03
4. Bug in a Rug 02:43
5. Just You, Just Me 03:13
6. Your Feets Too Big 02:41
7. Stompin' at the Savoy 03:08
8. It Had to Be You 03:21
9. Sophia 03:01
10. Mary Lou Blues 03:13
11. The Lockdown Lockup 03:18

Trumpet - Steven Coombe (Vocal on 'Just You, Just Me')
Saxophone/Clarinet - Duncan Hemstock (Vocal on 'Your Feets Too Big')
Saxophone - Pete Long (on Stompin' at the Savoy')
Trombone - Callum Au
Piano - Luca Filastro
Guitar - John Kelly, Kourosh Kanani
Double Bass - Spencer Brown, Dave Chamberlain
Drums - Nicholas Ball

Vocal - Sara Oschlag ('Walkin Blues' and 'On the Sunny Side of the Street' and 'Stompin' at the Savoy')

'Lockdown Lockup' composed by Duncan Hemstock

Recorded at Porcupine Studios in 2021

David Liebman Group - New Vista (December 2021 Arkadia Records)

“Critics’ Picks – Top 5 Recording of the year.” – JazzTimes, Chuck Berg and Bret Primack

Arkadia Records recording artist, jazz soprano sax virtuoso Dave Liebman, together with his group and the great Brazilian percussionist Café, breaks new ground in this inspired album, entitled “David Liebman: New Vista”. Mixing Brazilian rhythms with penetrating ballads such as “Estaté”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “Zingaro (Portrait in Black and White)”, this recording is, in the innovative Liebman’s words, his “most upbeat release to date.”

“His effervescent “New Vista”… reflecting the music of Brazil, Liebman sounds unusually comfortable and relaxed, as his fluid, cleanly articulated soprano lines dart, weave and flutter through the shifting grooves… Liebman displays a marvelous lyrical facility, bringing a beautiful, somewhat breathy tone to the seductive rhythms and intoxicating melodies. He adds tremendous warmth and feeling to these tunes… It’s hard to recall a Liebman project as buoyant and immediately appealing as New Vista.” – Downbeat, Jon Andrews

David Liebman’s New Vista is an extraordinary adventure. That, though, is what we have come to expect from Liebman, one of contemporary music’s true innovators. Although having just passed the half century mark, Lieb is playing with an intensity pulsing with youthful energies.
“At the same time, his playing possesses a Solomon-like wisdom. On one level, there’s a brilliant reconfiguring of the past, of Dave’s own considerable legacy, as well as those of Miles (Davis) and Trane (John Coltrane). And yet the music springs from the immediacy of the moment. So while imbued with the spirits of the giants, Dave’s impassioned quests once again push past the present and into the future.

In the aptly titled “New Vista”, arguably Dave’s most assessable project to date, the inspiration comes in large part from Brazil. This, though, is not the Bossa Nova of your father – or mother. Indeed, it’s an electro-Amazonian voyage into an exotic and rhythmically charged neo-musical hyperspace, a magical realm in which myth and dream dance with joyous abandon.

I have no doubt that New Vista will stand as a landmark in Liebman’s already distinguished career. Its appeals are many. Its impact is immediate. Indeed, it’s serious and joyous fun at the summit by one of our great contemporary artists, saxophone extrodinaire, Dave Liebman.” – Dr. Chuck Berg

“Liebman has evolved a persuasively personal voice and a spare approach that not only focuses on the choice notes but the choice timbre to set them off.” – Gary Giddins, The Village Voice

Most well known as a key member of the seminal Miles Davis Quintet in the 1970s, Dave Liebman, along with notable musicians Phil Markowitz, Tony Marino, Jamey Haddad, Vic Juris, and Brazilian percussion master Café, creates this thrilling CD, “David Liebman: New Vista” that fuses Jazz with Brazilian influences; culminating in an exhilarating recording of Dave Liebman’s individual musical vision. 

1. New Vista 06:47
2. Estaté 05:18
3. Real Dreams 07:06
4. So Far, So Close 05:23
5. Christmas Socks 06:03
6. Beauty and the Beast 05:29
7. Jungle Glide 07:00
8. Zingaro (Portrait in Black and White) 05:52
9. The Gross Man 05:58

David Liebman: Soprano sax and tenor sax
Vic Juris: Guitar
Phil Markowitz: Piano and synth
Tony Marino: Bass
Jamey Haddad: Drums and percussion
Café: Percussion

Produced by: Bob Karcy

David Lahm - Jazz Takes on Joni Mitchell (December 2021 Arkadia Records)

“…Lahm’s takes are distinctive enough to create his own thing while underscoring the jazz lines that inform Mitchell’s work. Lahm gets so personal that he becomes a collaborator in his own right. He starts with her heartfelt music and makes some of his own.” – Karl Stark, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Jazz pianist David Lahm and his All-Star guests, Randy Brecker, Thomas Chapin and Lew Tabackin, use Jazz music to re-imagine the songs of Joni Mitchell, one of the century’s greatest musical talents, on this imaginative Arkadia Records album entitled “David Lahm: Jazz Takes on Joni Mitchell”.

“An admirable piece of work with musicians who add eloquence to the compositions. One can only rejoice in the glow of the music.” – Jerry D’Souza, Planet Jazz

The individualistic, esoteric nature of Joni Mitchell’s repertoire bears a natural affinity to Jazz. Now pianist, arranger, and composer David Lahm pays tribute to her in the idiom that has permeated her repertoire: Jazz. This recording represents a new kind of recognition for one of Pop and Folk-Rock’s most endearing song sculptors. Features 19 all-star Jazz musicians including Randy Brecker, Lew Tabackin, Thomas Chapin, and Kenny Washington, “David Lahm: Jazz Takes on Joni Mitchell” proves that Joni Mitchell’s works are Jazz compositions that have a place in the repertoire of that most vital and uncompromising genre of music, mainstream American Jazz.

“Lahm captures the musical and emotional complexity of a range of Mitchell pieces, which cuts straight to the heart!” – Hilarie Grey, JazzTimes

“A strong tribute to Joni by a collection of musicians that understand her compositions. Your ears are in for a treat, and you’ll agree with me when I peg it as HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Joy for the ears.” – Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation 
1. Solid Love 07:03
2. Song for Sharon 06:44
3. Edith and the Kingpin 06:14
4. Coyote 05:56
5. Blue Motel Room 07:19
6. The Blonde in the Bleachers and the Vamp from Hell 07:32
7. The Fiddle and the Drum 05:23
8. Solid Love (alternate version) 06:57
9. Shadows and Light 08:50

All songs composed by Joni Mitchell.

David Lahm: Piano
Randy Brecker: Trumpet
Lew Tabackin: Tenor sax
Thomas Chapin: Alto sax/flute
Mark Feldman: Violin
David Friedman: Vibraphone
William Galison: Harmonica
Roger Rosenberg: Sax/clarinet
Ron Vincent: Drums
Peter Herbert: Bass
Ed Naumeister: Trombone
Mike LeDonne: Organ
Kenny Washington: Drums
Peter Washington: Bass

Kyoto Jazz Massive - Message From A New Dawn (December 2021)

Opening up a new era!
The re-birth of the Kyoto Jazz Massive sound for the future.
‘Message From A New Dawn’ is finally here!!
20 years since the single ‘Eclipse’
19 years since the album ‘Spirit Of The Sun’
The long-awaited second album of Kyoto Jazz Massive
has evolved into a full band sound bringing together elements of
Techno, Jazz, House, Boogie, Soul, Broken beats, Fusion, Afro beat...
KJM are excited to bring you their vision of the ultimate crossover electric jazz fusion album.
Featuring the legend Roy Ayers!
1. Astral Ascension 07:47
2. Primal Echo 06:51
3. Get Up ft.Roy Ayers 05:57
4. Get It Together 07:28
5. This Feeling 06:51
6. Visions Of Tomorrow 07:07
7. The Message 07:08
8. The Mask 05:49
9. Revolution Evolution 10:36
10. Eternal Tide 06:24

Kyoto Jazz Massive are Shuya Okino & Yoshihiro Okino

Recording Member:
Vo : Vanessa Freeman *03, 04, 05, 07, 08
Bass : Kenichi Ikeda (ROOT SOUL)
Ds : Yasushi Fukumori
Keys : Takumi Kaneko (cro-magnon)
Keys : Kaztake Takeuchi (A Hundred Birds)
Per : Takashi Nakazato
Tp : Tabu Zombie (SOIL&”PIMP”SESSIONS) *02, 04, 08
Vibraphone : Roy Ayers *03
Violin Kirill : Kobantschenko *10
SE : Shuya Okino *06

Vocal recorded by Toni Economides
All tracks mixed by Toni Economides
Band recorded by Shinya Matsushita at Studio Dede
Mastered by Neil Pickles

Produced by Shuya Okino
Directed by Shuya Okino & Yoshihiro Okino
Arranged by Shuya Okino & Kenichi Ikeda (ROOT SOUL)

Sun Ra and His Arkestra - Omniverse (December 2021 Sundazed Music / Modern Harmonic)

Recorded in New York in 1979 and released that year on Sun Ra's Saturn label, this is a solid, overlooked set in the vast Ra canon. The tracks aren't so much compositions as excursions, pure jazz, lots of reflective piano in trio, quartet, and sextet settings.

1. The Place Of Five Points 04:17
2. West End Side Of Magic City [Vita No. 5] 05:58
3. Dark Lights In A White Forest 10:42
4. Omniverse 08:33
5. Visitant Of The Ninth Ultimate 09:25
6. Over The Rainbow 02:54
7. The Sound Mirror 09:02