NEW RELEASE: GRAMMY® Nominated Vocalist Catherine Russell's 'Send For Me' is out April 1, 2022 via Dot Time Records

GRAMMY® Nominated Vocalist Catherine Russell to Release New Album,

Send For Me, Out April 1, 2022 via Dot Time Records

Release Tour Kicks off February 4 through May 13

“One of jazz’s most celebrated vocalists…a dogged song sleuth with a vast and varied book of salty blues, swooning ballads, pre World War II pop tunes, and vintage R&B.”

– San Francisco Chronicle

“At a moment when the world can seem out of balance, it’s still possible for a musician to project a groundedness and a joy…a strength, good humour and intelligence…”

– New York Times 

GRAMMY®-nominated vocalist Catherine Russell, when asked to characterize her new album, Send For Me, replied, “I love romance that swings.” Due out on April 1, 2022 via Dot Time Records, Send For Me features a baker’s dozen of newly recorded tunes on her eighth album as a leader, meeting a simple exacting standard. “Songs that inspire or touch me in some way. When I find a song I like, it haunts me until I learn it.” Her mission is finding songs that you might not have heard but deserve attention. 

Russell’s deep connection to her chosen material is part of a calling. As the daughter of pioneering and legendary musicians, pianist/orchestra leader/composer/arranger Luis Russell, and bassist/guitarist/vocalist Carline Ray, Catherine Russell was born into jazz royalty. In culling material for her new album from the likes of Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Luis Russell, Betty Carter, Kay Starr, Joe Liggins, Earl King, Jack Teagarden, Helen Humes, Frank Sinatra, Dakota Staton, Henry Red Allen, and Louis Armstrong, the vocalist swims in familiar waters. She sings a language that comes naturally, furthering a profound legacy.

Send For Me is a follow up to Russell’s 2019 release Alone Together, which received a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and landed on the JazzWeek year-end radio chart as the #1 most played album. “I like to invite the people in,” she says of her new album, which is also her philosophy of performing live. The album is an invitation, welcoming the audience to come along on a journey.

“Send For Me”, the title track, was first recorded by Nat King Cole, and became a crossover hit in 1957, reaching #1 on the U.S. R&B charts, and #6 on the U.S. Pop Chart. “Nobody thinks of Nat King Cole as a blues singer, but he sang some really great blues,” observes Russell.

“At The Swing Cats Ball”  has a strong family connection.  Russell recalls, “My mother had given me sheet music a long time ago, saying, ‘your father co-wrote this tune, and Louis Jordan covered it.’” The song was among the first recordings by Louis Jordan. Luis Russell never recorded his tune, although he performed it on gigs. “We found a live version performed by my dad’s orchestra on a radio broadcast, and we adapted his arrangement. I love the image of people going to a swing dance.”

Another highlight is “Make It Last,” a gorgeous standard written by Dick Haymes and Bill Paxton, made famous by Betty Carter in 1958. “A good friend of mine sent me “Make it Last” and when I heard it I said, ‘wow, this is another great tune with an interesting chord progression, and a Melba Liston horn arrangement.’ Another connection: Russell’s mother worked with trombonist/arranger Liston and a young Russell had seen Betty Carter perform, leaving a great impression. “Make It Last” is about holding onto what’s really important, and hoping it will continue.  “It’s not wanting to lose a beautiful moment, because tomorrow the moment may be gone,” the singer reflects. 

Catherine Russell by Sandrine Lee

“Going Back To New Orleans” was written and originally recorded by Joe Liggins, who shared bills in the late 1940s with both Luis Russell and His Orchestra and The International Sweethearts of Rhythm, including Catherine’s mother, Carline Ray, on guitar and vocals. Interestingly, these intersections happened years before Luis Russell and Carline Ray first met in 1955; Luis was 23 years her senior and they married before Catherine was born in 1956.  

Russell’s professional life began at age 7, when she first took the stage as a dancer with Katherine Dunham’s company for four seasons at The Metropolitan Opera’s production of Aida. After graduating with honors from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she was fortunate to work with David Bowie, Steely Dan, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Michael Feinstein, Levon Helm, Wynton Marsalis, Dr. John, Rosanne Cash, Toshi Reagon, and Carrie Smith, among others. Russell performed extensively as a backup singer, multi-instrumentalist, and lead singer, before launching her solo recording career in 2006. She amassed decades of experience touring and recording with cutting edge songwriters and iconic artists, appearing on over 200 albums.

Co-producers Katherine Miller, Paul Kahn and Catherine Russell, the team behind Russell’s albums, Alone Together (2019) and Harlem On My Mind (2016), both GRAMMY® nominees for Best Jazz Vocal Album, are reunited on Send For Me, their 6th album together. The winning streak began with Inside This Heart of Mine (2010), which reached #1 on iTunes  and Amazon jazz charts. Strictly Romancin’ (2012) was awarded the Prix du Jazz Vocal (Vocal Album of The Year) by the French Jazz Academy and Grand Prix du Hot Club de France. Her fifth solo album, Bring It Back (2014), received a 5 Star Review in Downbeat Magazine. 

Significant film and TV credits include Russell contributing the song, “Crazy Blues,” as a featured artist on the 2012 GRAMMY® winning soundtrack album of the HBO series, Boardwalk Empire.  In 2017, she performed the song on PBS-TV’s Great Performances special, ‘Grammy Salute To Music Legends’. In 2019, she had a cameo in the feature film Bolden, a biopic about jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden, while also contributing lead vocals on two songs to Wynton Marsalis’s soundtrack album.

Russell’s versatility shines through on an array of new recordings released over the past 18 months. She added harmony vocals on albums by Sarah Jarosz (a GRAMMY® Award winner for Best Americana Album in 2021), Brett Eldredge, and Little Feat, while also contributing a song on renowned banjo player Tony Trischka’s new album Shall We Hope. In addition, she appeared as a guest lead vocalist on albums by Andy Farber and His Orchestra (Early Blue Evening), reedman Evan Arntzen (Countermelody), and on Steven Bernstein’s MTO featuring Catherine Russell, Good Time Music, the second album in the four-part Community Music series by trumpet player and arranger, Steven Bernstein. Russell continues to tour with Steely Dan, as recently as in the fall of 2021, and she sings on two new releases including Northeast Corridor Live! and a live version of the acclaimed album by Donald Fagen, The Nightfly Live. 

Sixteen years into her solo career, Catherine Russell is on the move. Her band, including guitarist/musical director Matt Munisteri, pianist Mark Shane, bassist Tal Ronen, and drummer Mark McLean, has performed at major festivals on four continents, while also selling out concert halls from SFJazz Miner Auditorium in San Francisco, to Zankel Carnegie Hall in New York City, to Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow. In addition, Catherine has appeared as a featured vocalist with today’s leading big bands and symphony orchestras including the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, Count Basie Orchestra, Andy Farber and His After Midnight Orchestra, Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Russia; Miami’s New World Symphony, The Philly Pops, and The Pasadena Pops Orchestra. Most recently, Russell joined forces with John Pizzarelli to perform a salute to Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. 

As Catherine sings on the title track of her new album, “Anywhere, Oh Yeah, Send For Me, and I’ll be there.”

1. Did I Remember (Harold Adamson, Walter Donaldson)

2. Send For Me  (Ollie Jones)

3. At The Swing Cats Ball (Luis Russell, William Campbell)

4. Make It Last (Dick Haymes, Bill Saxton)

5. Going Back To New Orleans (Joe Liggins)

6. If I Could Be With You  (James P. Johnson, Henry Creamer)

7. You Can Fly High  (Earl King, John Vincent)

8. East of The Sun (and West of the Moon) (Brooks Bowman)

9. In The Night  (Norman Mapp)

10. You Stepped Out of A Dream (Nacio Herb Brown, Gus Kahn)

11. Blue And Sentimental  (Count Basie, Mack David, Jerry Livingston)

12. Sticks and Stones (Cavanaugh/Razaf/Palmer)

13. Million Dollar Smile  (Porter Roberts, Lionel Hampton)

Upcoming Catherine Russell Tour Dates 2022

Feb 4-5 / The Lift at Cascade Village/ Durango, CO

Feb 14-19/ Birdland / New York, NY

Mar 9-10 / Jazz St. Louis / St. Louis, MO

Mar 15  / Theatre at Renovation Square / Rochester, NY

Mar 16 / Sarasota Jazz Festival / Sarasota, FL

Mar 18-19 / Jazz Forum / Tarrytown, NY

Mar 24 / Carnegie Hall / New York, NY

Mar 26 / Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center / New York, NY

Mar 31 / Jimmy’s / Portsmouth, NY

Apr 1 / Scullers / Boston, MA

Apr 8 / Modlin Center for The Arts / Richmond, VA

Apr 14-17 / Jazz Alley/ Seattle, WA

Apr 19 / Yoshi’s / Oakland, CA

Apr 20  / Kuumbwa Jazz / Santa Cruz, CA

Apr 21 / Irvine Barclay Theatre / Irvine, CA

Apr 29 / Festival Hall / Greensboro, GA

May 6 / Kupferberg Center for The Arts / Queens, NY

May 7 / Kingsborough Community College / Brooklyn, NY

May 13 / Kleinhans Music Hall / Buffalo, NY

Catherine Russell · Send For Me

Dot Time Records · Release Date: April 1, 2022 

For more information on Catherine Russell, please visit: CatherineRussell.net

Dot Time Records

Chiara Izzi (featuring Andrea Rea) - Poinciana (March 11, 2022 Dot Time Records)

Award-winning vocalist Chiara Izzi presents her new live recording project, Live in Bremen, marking her second album release on Dot Time Records. Due out March 11, 2022, Live in Bremen flaunts the New York-based, Italian singer-songwriter’s keen ear and dialectal brilliance as she tells stories in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and English. By employing a piano-and-song format alongside the gifted pianist Andrea Rea, Izzi weaves together a variety of cultural subjects, creating an intimate and universal auditory experience for listeners all over the world.

With a foundation of American, Argentinian and Italian jazz music, Live in Bremen embodies a classical richness that is enhanced by Izzi’s stylistic method of blending her lyrics and languages. Borrowing approaches from her several different musical worlds, Izzi began this project by reimagining familiar standards and allowing each song’s original melodies and harmonies to dictate the language of her own arrangement and lyrics. This tactic is displayed on tracks like “Pavane For Peaceful Times,” where Izzi added English lyrics to the Gabriel Fauré composition.

“Through adding these new flavors to established works I hope to share a meaningful story, building on the authenticity already present in these pieces,” Izzi notes. “I am aiming to joyfully honor jazz and its iterations across borders and time while illustrating how artists continually learn, influence and borrow from one another. Music is a language we all know and share.”

Izzi takes inspiration from Esperanza Spalding’s arrangement of the Johnny Green original, “Cuerpo y Alma” (“Body and Soul”), presenting a slower reimagination of the tune, and offering room for Rea to improvise a playful, bouncing piano solo. 

Paying homage to the Italian jazz repertory on her rendition of the D’Anzi-Bracchi classic “Tu, Musica Divina,” Izzi highlights the similarities between the well-known American songwriters and their unsung Italian counterparts.“Samba in Preludio” is a sonic artifact of the 1970s, resonating both Brazilian and Italian influences in a sulky ballad about a broken heart. “Miradas,” which translates to “look” or “gaze” in English, is a collaboration by Italian composer Nicola Corso and Yanina Lombardi. The longtime friendship between the pair is palpable in the inviting atmosphere of the opening composition.

Izzi’s final track travels close to her homeland. “Terra Nostra,” an Italian folk song from the vocalist’s home region, Molise, is sung in a local dialect. A depiction of Molise’s rich culture, lush landscapes and vibrant young community, “Terra Nostra” is a sentimental tune brimming with possibility.

By uniting a variety of dialects, Chiara Izzi showcases her command of several languages while simultaneously guiding her listeners through an advanced and enriching lesson in anthropology. Her carefully curated standards call upon a wide selection of artists, writers, places and ideas — all that have inspired her insightful, unique career. Live in Bremen offers more than the silken texture of a vocal-piano duo tape, but a rare example of a masterful communicator, a woman who is fluent in languages, art form and their multitudes.  

1. Poinciana

Vocals by Chiara Izzi

Piano by Andrea Rea

Music by Nat Simon

Spanish lyrics by Yanina Lombardi

Recorded Live at the Studio Nord Bremen, Bremen Germany, December 9th, 2018

Editing, Mixing and Mastering by Pascal El Sauaf

Production Director Gregor Hennig

Produced by Johanan Bickhardt

Cover Photography by Kevin Gruetzner

Graphic Design by Dani Mari

PRE-ORDER

Adrienne West - Live in Bremen (April 15, 2022 Dot Time Records)

A native New Yorker, Adrienne is an internationally respected vocalist of many different genres. She has performed at jazz festivals and clubs all throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. Her performance formations range from duo(s) to big band. Adrienne also directs Masterclass Workshops designed for voice and performance.

Past and present, she performs with prominent musicians including: Billy Cobham, Sebastian Altekamp, Enzo Zirilli, Peter Washington, Dado Moroni and more.

Adrienne’s new live recording project, Live in Bremen, (marking her second album release on Dot Time Records) is due out April 15, 2022, and features Sebastian Altekamp on piano, Uli Wentzlaff-Eggebert on acoustic bass and Yonga Sun on Drums and Percussion.

1. Can You Dig It

2. They Call It Jazz

3. Make Someone Happy

4. Pearls

5. Close Your Eyes

6. The View

7. I Love Being Here With You

8. Both Sides Now

Adrienne West - Vocals

Sebastian Altekamp - Piano

Uli Wentzlaff-Eggebert - Bass

Yonga Sun - Drums, Percussion

Johanan Bickhardt - Producer

Pasqual El Sauaf - Mixing Engineer, Sound Engineer

Gregor Hennig - Mixing Engineer, Sound Engineer

PRE-ORDER

Roswell Rudd & Duck Baker - Live (Dot Time Records)

Live is an intimate collaboration between legendary jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd and formidable guitarist Duck Baker. Recorded in two parts nearly two decades ago, Dot Time Records is proud to bring this meeting of musical minds to light for the first time on record. Captured here are two masters at work, each drawing from their own respective pots of experience. Some of it is shared; both Baker and Rudd have ties to traditional music and traditional jazz. Baker, one of the most highly regarded fingerstyle guitarists of his generation, pulls from his varied experiences in blues and folk music, while Rudd's free-wheeling improvisation showcases unparalleled avant mastery. This collection of eight trombone-guitar duets is an exhilarating ride.

I got to know Roswell Rudd’s music as a teenager in the mid-1960s. He was on the very first free jazz record I ever heard, Archie Shepp’s Four For Trane, and shared front line duties on the incredible New York Art Quartet LP on ESP-Disk’. I followed his recording career as closely as I could from then on, sporadic though it was at times. I got to know him personally when I reached out to him for guidance regarding the compositions of Herbie Nichols, while working out ways to arrange the music for guitar in the mid-1990s. I was nervous about calling one the heroes of my youth for help, but Roswell demonstrated endless patience and the willingness to answer countless questions about Nichols, the musician and the man. We finally met in person in 1999, when Roswell came to San Francisco in a quartet with tenor man Rob Scheps, his first visit since Archie Shepp’s legendary run at the Both/And 33 years earlier. Of course I was thrilled when he invited me to visit him and his partner Verna Gillis in New York with the idea of playing music together.

The trombone - guitar combination is naturally a tricky one, but Roswell always regarded any possible difficulty as a challenge. It took a few rehearsals to figure out what we wanted to focus on, apart from some of the music of Herbie Nichols and Thelonious Monk. The fact that my experience included traditional jazz gave us one starting point, since Roswell had always been involved with that style, and he saw my folk/blues background as another thing to draw on. People sometimes forget that Roswell’s interest in all kinds of traditional music was a longstanding thing. He worked for many years with folklorist Alan Lomax, and authored a brilliant article for Downbeat about what we now call world music, back in the 1960s. So we tried to draw on as many things as we could, and ultimately Roswell decided to focus on a kind of collective improvisation that involved quotations from songs that shared a theme. We might incorporate actual arrangements, but most of the references were short quotations. It turned out that Roswell had made such free associating part of his practice routine for years but it was a new idea to me, and it was only when I grasped that it was fine to let the quotes emerge during a freely improvised dialog that I began to be comfortable with the process.

Even when I wrote down a bunch of tune titles to quote and put that on a music stand, it was hard to try and pick something out while also listening to what Ros was doing and trying to maintain an overall flow. Ultimately what happens is similar to something that I experienced when performing some of John Zorn’s game pieces in the late 1970s; the conscious mind is so engaged with negotiating the rules that more of the overall direction is taken over by the unconscious, and you often wind up playing things far removed from your normal vocabulary. The whole process was enormously challenging and exhilarating. I still remember how surprised I was when Roswell told the audience after we played one of our collage pieces that I was the only person who could do this with him. My reaction was

“I can do this?”

I’m still not sure about that, but I was one of many, many younger players who gained invaluable insights working with this great musical spirit. He connected us not only to the beginnings of free jazz but also, though the musicians he had known and worked with himself, to the beginnings of jazz.

-Duck Baker 

1. The Happenings 07:00

2. Buddy Bolden's Blues 03:14

3. A Bouquet For JJ 04:22

4. Melancholy People 07:44

5. Well, You Needn't 05:44

6. Bemsha Swing 05:06

7. Going West 06:48

8. Light Blue 04:54

9. Show 07:08

10. Church 10:07

Roswell Rudd - Trombone

Duck Baker - Guitar

Produced by: Jerry Roche

Graphic Design By: Jaime Ford

Ben Young - Engineer (Tracks 3, 5, 9, 10)

Tonic, New York, NY, January 5, 2002

Steven Schmidt - Engineer (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8)

The Outpost, Albuquerque, NM, March 28, 2004

Digital Download

PRE-ORDER

Dave Liebman - Selflessness (September 3, 2021 Dot Time Records)

NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman has always declared that if he had to name one primary influence and inspiration, it would be John Coltrane. The first time he saw Coltrane at Birdland in February 1962, he was 15 years old. As he recounts in his autobiography, What It Is (as told to yours truly), that was the night he saw the light, though he didn’t realize it for years. “Once you see the light,” he explains, “you can never turn away from it, though you may try. I went to see Coltrane from then on, anytime I could.”

This new tribute is special in many ways: it’s by his working band Expansions, not a group of players brought together just to make an album. All of the pieces are newly arranged and rethought—mostly by Liebman, but also by members of the band. It also marks Dave’s return to an album entirely on soprano saxophone--the instrument with which he is most associated.

It’s beyond evident, as well, that Dave has a unique and recognizable style, a strong musical personality that is in no way an imitation of Trane’s.  Liebman is an NEA Jazz Master for good reason— his fluency, clarity and originality on soprano are mind-boggling.

Selflessness will be released on September 3rd to coincide with Dave Liebman’s 75th birthday the following day.

1. Mr. Day

2. Compassion

3. My Favorite Things

4. Ole

5. Lazy Bird

6. Peace On Earth

7. One Up One Down

8. Selflessness

9. Dear Lord

Dave Liebman - Soprano Sax, Wooden Flute (Track 4)

Matt Vashlishan - Alto Sax, Flute (6, 9) Clarinet (4), Wind Synth (2)

Bobby Avey - Piano, Keyboard/Synth (4, 2, 8, 9)

Tony Marino - Acoustic Bass

Alex Ritz - Drums, Frame Drum (4)

PREORDER

Wolfgang Lackerschmid - Summer Changes (May 14, 2021 Dot Time Records)

Summer Changes is the new album from legendary vibraphonist Wolfgang Lackerschmid. Recorded September 16 & 17, 2018 at the Traumraum Tonstudio, Augsburg, Germany, this new album comes on the heals of several recent Dot Time Records Legends releases that have featured Lackerschmid alongside trumpeter Chet Baker, including the critically acclaimed Quintet Sessions and Ballads For Two. Each track on Summer Changes was written and composed by Lackerschmid, with the exception of “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Poinciana.” The tracklist exhibits a collection of 8 tunes that nod to the unique changing of seasons — the heat of the summer in particular — and a handful of sentimental memories for the artist, including a ballad for his mother.

Lackershmid’s arrangements on Summer Changes embrace feelings of reflection and nostalgia that are ignited by the seasonal change. Yet, the album is as much an homage to the past as it is a motive for the future. The 8 tracks on Summer Changes reveal a glimpse of the artist’s own understanding of time, and specifically, how he has chosen to contextualize his memories and experiences through harmony.

1. Half The Way 03:31

2. Summer Changes 05:11

3. Lemon Moon 06:26

4. Mother's Dream 05:45

5. We Ain't No Magicians 06:12

6. Rosemary's Baby 07:52

7. Poinciana 05:47

8. Stundenwalzer 10:04

Wolfgang Lackerschmid – vibraphone

Mark Soskin – piano

Jay Anderson – bass

Adam Nussbaum – drums

Pre-order

Evan Arntzen - Countermelody (April 16, 2021 Dot Time Records)

Acclaimed Multireedist and Bandleader Evan Arntzen Announces His Jubilant Third Release as a Bandleader, Countermelody, Out April 16 on Dot Time Records

Featuring Special Guest Vocalist Catherine Russell

Dot Time Records is delighted to announce the latest release from multireedist, vocalist and bandleader Evan Arntzen.  Arntzen’s third album as a bandleader, Countermelody is a celebration of the interplay, collective improvisation and soulful counterpoint that played such a big role in Black American Music emanating from New Orleans in the first half of the 20th century.  During a time when convening is all but impossible, Countermelody brings the gaiety of live music to the recorded realm.  Recorded on October 2nd and 3rd, 2020, the group of stellar musicians featured on Countermelody gathered together to create music that will inspire listeners everywhere to get up, share joy and dance.  Arntzen’s superb reed and vocal musings are joined by trombonist Charlie Halloran, trumpeters Jon-Erik Kellso and Mike Davis, guitarist and banjoist Arnt Arntzen, pianist Dalton Ridenhour, bassist Tal Ronen, drummer Mark McLean and very special guest vocalist Catherine Russell.

Countermelody brings early-jazz-exuberance to an eager present in a release which author and Louis Armstrong historian, Ricky Riccardi, calls “the very definition of timeless” in the album’s liner notes.  Arntzen’s Dot Time Records debut features many of his own astounding arrangements of early New Orleans and Chicago jazz compositions written by such luminaries as Kid Ory, King Oliver, Sidney Bechet and Bennie Moten.  The release also features wonderfully innovative compositions by Arntzen, Halloran and Kellso.  Aside from thirteen hi-fidelity tracks, listeners will also be treated to tracks that were recorded to wax cylinder, a medium that actually predates when much of this music was composed.  Producer Scout Opatut notes “the wax cylinder recordings were made possible by the genius Colin Hancock, who engineered them with his Edison phonograph.  Everything you hear in those songs was done acoustically, without any electricity whatsoever.”

The album begins with Arntzen’s arrangement of the Kid Ory classic “Muskrat Ramble”.  The jubilant energy is palpable from the very first notes of the track, and uplifted even further by the powerful and soulful refrains of celebrated vocalist Catherine Russell.  Ricky Riccardi notes “Just seconds into the opening track, the four-horn ensemble tears through a chorus of ‘Muskrat Ramble’, each voice independently masterful on its own, the final product nothing short of miraculous.  Let it wash over you and then listen again and concentrate on a single instrument; in fact, do this for every instrument and you’ll marvel at the individual and collective brilliance of each musician present.”  

Arntzen’s vocals soar on the Sidney Bechet popularized “Georgia Cabin” before the bandleader is featured in a wonderful display of his improvisational facility.  Interestingly, this seems to be the first-ever recording of this composition with its lyrics intact.  Arntzen notes that he learned the lyrics from his 93-year-old grandfather Lloyd Arntzen (a celebrated clarinet player in his own right, who is still performing to this day).  While the song is well-known as an instrumental, Evan’s grandfather credits Mary Karoley for writing the lyrics (she is indeed listed as a co-composer of the song). 

One cannot bypass the musical cohesion of the ensemble on tracks like “Smiles”.  This bright-tempoed classic prominently features Arntzen’s melodic refrains but is supported brilliantly by Halloran’s counterpoint and an elastic rhythm section.  The ensemble welcomes back the esteemed Ms. Russell for the exquisitely nuanced “If You Were Mine”.  Russell’s warmth and zeal breathe life into this timeless composition, first made famous by Billie Holiday, and are complemented perfectly by the strength of the ensemble.

The group brings an exceptional intensity to Benny Green’s “Bu’s March” in which Ridenhour is featured with a powerful solo.  Interestingly, composer Benny Green helped Arntzen to arrange this piece for a larger ensemble.  Of course, Green wrote this song in honor of his former mentor and bandleader Art Blakey, and the vigour of the Jazz Messengers is conjured in Arntzen’s new, 3-horn arrangement.  The sole original composition by Arntzen, “Solitarity”, is a moving comment on the shared solitude of our modern existence. The piece begins with Arntzen’s solo clarinet refrains eventually building into a contrapuntal duet, ending with a raucous second-line ensemble. 

1. Muskrat Ramble

2. 18th Street Strut

3. Camp Meeting Blues

4. Georgia Cabin

5. Put 'Em Down Blues

6. When Erastus Plays His Old Kazoo

7. Smiles

8. If You Were Mine

9. Down by The Riverside

10. Alvita

11. Counter Intuitive

12. Bu's March

13. Solitarity

14. After You've Gone (Wax Cylinder Sessions)

15. Muskrat Ramble (Wax Cylinder Sessions)

Evan Arntzen - clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax, vocals (track 4)

Charlie Halloran - trombone

Jon-Erik Kellso - trumpet

Mike Davis - trumpet

Arnt Arntzen - guitar, banjo

Dalton Ridenhour - piano

Tal Ronen - bass

Mark McLean - drums

Catherine Russell – vocals (tracks 1, 8, 14, 15)

Produced by Scout Opatut, 4/4 Creative

Released by Dot Time Records

Project Manager/Spiritual Advisor: Jerry Roche

Recorded Oct. 2nd & 3rd, 2020, Big Orange Sheep Studios, Brooklyn, NY

Engineered, Mixed & Mastered by Michael Perez-Cisneros

Assistant Engineered by Kevin Thomas

Wax Cylinders Engineered by Colin Hancock, Semper Phonograph Co.

Cylinder Recordings restored & transferred by John Levin using CPS1 Cylinder Playback System with V-Trace Cartridge 

Cover Photo by: B.A. Van Sise

Design by: Jaime Ford

Pre-order Dot Time Records

Pre-order Bandcamp

Evan Arntzen - Countermelody (April 16, 2021 Dot Time Records)

Evan Arntzen, renowned multi-reedist, vocalist and bandleader, presents his third album as a bandleader, Countermelody. This uplifting new release is a celebration of the interplay, collective improvisation and soulful counterpoint that played such a big role in Black American Music emanating from New Orleans in the first half of the 20th century.  During a time when convening is all but impossible, Countermelody brings the gaiety of live music to the recorded realm.

Countermelody brings early-jazz-exuberance to an eager present in a release which author and Louis Armstrong historian, Ricky Riccardi, calls “the very definition of timeless” in the album’s liner notes.  Arntzen’s Dot Time Records debut features many of his own astounding arrangements of early New Orleans and Chicago jazz compositions written by such luminaries as Kid Ory, King Oliver, Sidney Bechet and Bennie Moten. The release also features wonderfully innovative compositions by Arntzen, Halloran and Kellso.  Aside from thirteen hi-fidelity tracks, listeners will also be treated to tracks that were recorded to wax cylinder, a medium that actually predates when much of this music was composed.

1. Muskrat Ramble

2. 18th Street Strut

3. Camp Meeting Blues

4. Georgia Cabin

5. Put 'Em Down Blues

6. When Erastus Plays His Old Kazoo

7. Smiles

8. If You Were Mine

9. Down by The Riverside

10. Alvita

11. Counter Intuitive

12. Bu's March

13. Solitarity

14. After You've Gone (Wax Cylinder Sessions)

15. Muskrat Ramble (Wax Cylinder Sessions)

Evan Arntzen - clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax, vocals (track 4)

Charlie Halloran - trombone

Jon-Erik Kellso - trumpet

Mike Davis - trumpet

Arnt Arntzen - guitar, banjo

Dalton Ridenhour - piano

Tal Ronen - bass

Mark McLean - drums

Catherine Russell – vocals (tracks 1, 8, 14, 15)

Produced by Scout Opatut, 4/4 Creative

Released by Dot Time Records

Project Manager/Spiritual Advisor: Jerry Roche

Recorded Oct. 2nd & 3rd, 2020, Big Orange Sheep Studios, Brooklyn, NY

Engineered, Mixed & Mastered by Michael Perez-Cisneros

Assistant Engineered by Kevin Thomas

Wax Cylinders Engineered by Colin Hancock, Semper Phonograph Co.

Cylinder Recordings restored & transferred by John Levin using CPS1 Cylinder Playback System with V-Trace Cartridge 

Cover Photo by: B.A. Van Sise

Design by: Jaime Ford

Pre-order

Roni Ben-Hur / Stories (March 5, 2021 Dot Time Records)

Stories is the newest recording from renowned guitarist and composer Roni Ben-Hur. On his latest collaboration with some of the finest musicians on the international jazz circuit, the jazz guitar virtuoso shares a fascinating collection of 'stories' from his genre-busting 40-year multicultural musical journey.

"Recording Stories has been a unique and very fulfilling experience, allowing me to incorporate songs I loved since my childhood, and ones that speak to social issues that are important to me, with the exquisite mastery of the artists in this album. Each person on this recording brought their stories to mine, adding beauty and depth that was beyond my imagination, making it a tale I wanted to listen to again, and again. I feel very blessed to be able to share this with the world," shared Ben-Hur.

Roni Ben-Hur is a master in the world of straight-ahead jazz, but his unique style also reflects the Brazilian, Middle Eastern and African musical landscapes that are so much a part of his heritage. This album is a dazzling compilation of great Stories from that rich treasure chest that yearn to be heard again and again.

1. La Serena

2. Something for Kenny

3. But I Had To Say Goodbye

4. Ma'of

5. Ha'omnam

6. After The Morning

7. A Redoblar

8. Melodius Funk

RONI BEN-HUR – Guitar

INGRID JENSEN – Trumpet

GEORGE CABLES – Piano

HARVIE S – BASS

VICTOR LEWIS – Drums

MAGOS HARRERA – Vocals tracks 1 and 7

TAMUZ NISSIM – Vocal Track 5

Pre-order

PLS Trio - Cosmonauts - (2021 Dot Time Records)

Cosmonauts is the exciting follow-up to PLS.trio’s 2015 debut album East River, which was lauded by All About Jazz as “the best in this category in many years”, and was nominated for “Best New Album” at the 2015 NPR Jazz Awards.

With influences spanning from minimal and ambient music to hard-pumping dance music and bombastic rock styles, PLS.trio creates a blend which, while defying easy categorization, is compelling, distinctive, and oddly familiar.  With Cosmonauts, these electronic-driven modern jazz explorers continue this tradition with a first-rate mix of precision, refinement, playfulness and invention.

The tracks of Cosmonauts are adorned with bombastic, epic space-battle beats from drummer Shawn Crowder (Emel Mathlouthi, Sungazer), ferocious improvisational motifs of bandleader Pier Luigi Salami (Emel Mathlouthi, Chris Brown, Amy Vachal), and a breadth and depth of timbres explored by bassist / synth bassist Martin Fowler.  However, while all these components lend gravity to the vast compositional expanses throughout the record, the standout, trademark fixture of all PLS.trio pieces lies in their uncompromising sense of melody.  While so many of today’s improvisational instrumental artists hide behind their complex rhythmic and tonal chops, PLS.trio revels in the power of sweeping, memorable melodies though they certainly maintain the chops to support these melodies and improvisations.

1. Conquering 01:18

2. #stronglion 05:39

3. Look Ahead 05:26

4. Cosmonauts 08:40

5. B.E.C. 05:05

6. Just Before 01:19

7. The Heppicola Aftermath 04:33

8. What For 02:48

9. F0 06:40

10. Nessun Dorma (ft Giorgia Renosto) 05:02

PIER LUIGI SALAMI – Piano, Live Piano FXs, Synths

MARTIN D FOWLER – Electric Bass, Synth Bass

SHAWN CROWDER – Drums, Percussion, Electronic drums/percussion

Pre-order

Wolfgang Lackerschmid & Chet Baker - Quintet Sessions 1979 (Dot Time Records)

‘Quintet Sessions 1979’ is the follow-up to Dot Time’s critically acclaimed re-release of Wolfgang Lackerschmid and Chet Baker’s Ballads For Two. A continuation of Lackerschmid’s great adventure with one of the greatest trumpet players in the history of the art form, the album features the spirited duo of iconic trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker and vibraphonist Wolfgang Lackerschmid alongside a stellar rhythm section made up of jazz luminaries Larry Coryell (guitar), Buster Williams (bass) and Tony Williams (drums).

The archival vaults have been reopened by Dot Time Records after the widespread success of Wolfgang Lackerschmid and Chet Baker’s Ballads For Two. JazzTimes noted “Serenity permeates [Ballads For Two], a serenity born of internal logic that feels both welcome and foreign”. Quintet Sessions offers a distinctly different lens through which to hear these fine musicians coalesce. This material (two tracks of which have never been publicly released before), presented here in a stunning CD package, displays the stunning musicianship and compositional prowess of each of these five leaders of their instrument.

1. Mr. Biko 09:05

2. Balzwaltz 06:46

3. The Latin One 02:24

4. Rue Gregoire Du Tour 06:31

5. Here's That Rainy Day 04:15

6. Toku Du 06:28

7. Balzwaltz Alternate Take 05:19

8. Rue Gregoire Du Tour (Rehearsal Take) 03:58

WOLFGANG LACKERSCHMID – Vibraphone

CHET BAKER – Trumpet, Vocals (2)

LARRY CORYELL – Guitar

BUSTER WILLIAMS – Bass

TONY WILLIAMS – Drums

Pre-order

Marijke Jährling - Spheres Of Monk (DOT TIME RECORDS 2018)

Dutch/German singer Marijke Jaehrling was stuck with Thelonius Sphere Monk’s music from the first time she heard his recordings with John Coltrane as a teen. Now, decades later, she decided to produce a tribute album with her own personal approach to Monk: In fresh vocalized versions these Bebop classics shimmer in contemporary colors. To some of Monk’s compositions Marijke wrote new lyrics, which narrate music and love, recounting the real life of Monk. Marijke and her young group of German talents create a specific and unique atmosphere to express the poetry, humor and tempo of the jazz legend.

Marijke Jährling: vocals, lyrics, arrangements 

Steffen Müller-Kaiser: reeds 

Lukas Moriz: piano 

Rudolf Stenzinger: double bass 

Uli Schiffelholz: drums

1. Round Midnight 09:19

2. Rhythm-A-Ning 03:28

3. Ruby My Dear 06:51

4. Blue Monk 03:40

5. In Walked Bud 03:51

6. Pannonica 05:38

7. Straight No Chaser 02:20

8. Crepiscule With Nellie 05:11

9. Ask Me Now 05:52

10. Well You Needn't 03:59

11. Ugly Beauty 03:37

12. Epistrophy 02:29

Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra - Concerto Peligroso (DOT TIME RECORDS 2018)

Chuck Israels has done it again! This recording features Chuck’s most exquisite composing and arranging to date! Laid out open and bare with intricate harmonies and rhythms, his Nonet ensemble presents these compositions with virtuoso musicianship, soulful solos while creating incredible new environs. With a nod to the past, Chuck is willing to share his wisdom looking toward the future. This is a need to 

hear album. Bravo Chuck!

Charlie Porter, trumpet

John Moak, trombone

John Nastos, alto saxophone, flute

David Evans, tenor saxophone , clarinet

Robert Crowell, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet

Dan Faehnle, guitar

Miles Black, piano

Chuck Israels, bass

Michael Raynor, drums

Jessica Israels, voice

1. Margot's Mood 07:17

2. Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West 08:06

3. Fractal Shadows 05:49

4. Concerto Peligroso 04:47

5. Delicate Balance 07:29

6. All The Pretty Horses 05:53

7. The Sound Of Sonny 06:45

8. Dark Tapestry 04:42

9. Frankie And Johnny 07:04

10. Swingin' For The Fences 07:08

11. Monk's Dream 07:54

Teri Roiger - Ghosts Of Yesterday (DOT TIME RECORDS 2018)

“The multi-faceted brilliance of Billie 

Holiday is served up sizzling hot by the 

multi-talented Teri Roiger – a match 

made in jazz heaven!” Kabir Sehgal, 

author & Grammy-winning producer.

1. Lady Day and John Coltrane 04:23

2. (I Don't Stand A) Ghost Of A Chance 03:41

3. What A Little Moonlight Can Do 03:50

4. You Don't Know What Love Is 07:49

5. Fine and Mellow 05:46

6. Them There Eyes 03:26

7. It's Easy To Remember 05:15

8. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans 05:10

9. Lady Day 04:48

10. Ghost Of Yesterday 05:22

11. These Foolish Things 05:18

12. Lady Sings The Blues 02:48

Ben Webster: Valentines Day 1964! Live (DOT TIME RECORDS 2018)

In 1963 Ben Webster moved to New York with renewed energy. He was sitting in with Duke Ellington on opening night at Basin Street East and becoming the spontaneous pianist for Gerry Mulligan's Concert Band at Birdland. He gigged at the Shalimar, Birdland and the Half Note with a quartet of revolving personnel. This recording captures one such night. Ben's sidemen, Dave Frishberg, Richard Davis and Grady Tate were more than 20 years his junior, but the language they shared was trans-generational. Webster spent the remaining nine years of his life living and playing in Europe. This is one of his last great performances in the USA.

1. Caravan 08:49

2. Ben's Blues 06:43

3. Chelsea Bridge 06:05

4. How Long Has This Been Going On 06:39

5. Cotton Tail 05:03

6. Danny Boy 05:00

7. (Back Home In) Indiana 06:19

8. 52nd Street Theme 05:17

9. Tenderly 02:58

10. Caravan (Slower) 09:13

Louis Armstrong: Sparks, Nevada 1964! (DOT TIME RECORDS 2018)

When the Beatles came to America in 1964 and took over the number one spot on the charts for 14 straight weeks, it must have seemed like their reign would last forever. Surely someone would topple them at some point--but who would it be? Few, if any, would have placed their bets on a 62-year-old legendary trumpeter and vocalist from New Orleans but that’s just what happened when “Hello, Dolly!” improbably became the number one record in the country on May 9, 1964. 

Armstrong sounds positively energized by the popularity of his hit record on this previously unissued set from the Circus Room of the Nugget Casino in Sparks, Nevada in June 1964, the audience particularly in bedlam on the multiple-encore version of “Hello, Dolly!” There’s always been a lament in the jazz world that people who discovered Armstrong when “Dolly” became a hit had no idea that Armstrong was such a staggering musical genius, but as this set makes clear, if you went to see him perform during this period, you got a pretty complete picture of the wide array of Armstrong’s talents: the warmth of “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South” and “Blueberry Hill,” the fiery instrumentals of “Indiana” and “Tiger Rag,” the swinging hit show tunes of “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” and “Hello, Dolly!” each one establishing to all the kiddies in the audience that this fun-loving old entertainer was also a ferociously talented musician.

1. When It's Sleepy Time Down South 03:00

2. Back Home In Indiana 04:08

3. I Got A Lot Of Livin' To Do 02:44

4. Tiger Rag 01:17

5. Hello Dolly 07:05

6. When I Grow To Old To Dream 03:45

7. Blue Berry Hill 03:30

8. How High The Moon 08:03

9. Lover Come Back 02:33

10. Have You Heard About Jerry 04:48

11. When The Saints Go Marching In 03:24