Frank Kimbrough - Ancestors (September 10, 2021 Sunnyside Records)

It is hard to listen to a posthumous released recording without reflecting on what the world has lost in their absence. Pianist and composer Frank Kimbrough was an individual who was beloved by all who knew him. A true musician’s musician and mentor to many, Kimbrough’s legacy lives on in his work and the lives that he touched. His passing in 2020 has left a hole in the heart of the jazz world.

Kimbrough’s Ancestors is a recording that encompasses much of the leader’s personality, depth, and approach to music making. Assembling a drummer-less trio with cornetist Kirk Knuffke and bassist Masa Kamaguchi, Kimbrough brought his spontaneity and introspection to the fore on a collection of original compositions and improvisations.

The trio had been a favorite ensemble for Kimbrough over the years, the format being able to balance form and freedom of expression. The leader’s appreciation for the free-wheeling, drummer-less trio of woodwind iconoclast Jimmy Giuffre is apparent in Kimbrough’s choice to eschew the restrictive pulse of a drummer in favor of horn, piano, and bass. Kimbrough’s choice of trio mates was sublime.

Pianist and cornetist were introduced by their mutual friend and collaborator, drummer Matt Wilson. A rapport was quickly established with regular gigs with Wilson, Ben Allison, and Jay Anderson. Kimbrough and Knuffke’s friendship blossomed as they began to hang more and more at Kimbrough and partner Maryanne de Prophetis’s Queens home. When Kimbrough proposed recording this trio album, Knuffke had never played with Kamaguchi. The bassist’s flexible, physical style was perfect for the interplay that Kimbrough was after for the recording.

True to form, Kimbrough strayed from rehearsing the ensemble in an effort to maintain a freshness in their interplay. The group came together without playing a prior note at the Samurai Hotel Recording Studio in Astoria on June 3, 2017. Kimbrough brought a number of original tunes for the session and provided space for improvised duos between the three members.

The recording begins with Kimbrough’s rhapsodic blues, “Waiting in Santander,” a piece he wrote while waiting, with great frustration, for a piano for a gig in the Spanish city. The three voices of the instrumentalists seem to float by on “Air,” while the trio plays Kimbrough’s sedate “November” in cool retrospection. The title tune is a warm and humble rumination on Kimbrough’s southern roots, while “Eyes” is an expressive improvisation between the stuttering cornet of Knuffke and Kimbrough’s piano percussion.

The melancholy “Jimmy G” is a tribute to Giuffre, one of the true innovators in small group improvisation, with an off kilter but familiar piano harmony with a freely played cornet and wandering bass. “Beginning” is a noir tinted piece with an optimistic feel provided by Kimbrough’s bright chords, Kamaguchi’s spry bass, and Knuffke’s lilting cornet. Beginning as a subtle back and forth, “Union Square” is a resonant duo between the bassist and cornetist.

Kamaguchi’s insistent strumming introduces Kimbrough’s “Over,” a playful tune in the melodic realm of Monk and Paul Motian. Otherworldly piano overtones are met with Knuffke’s strained call on the duo improv, “Solid.” The program concludes with Maryanne de Prophetis’s “All These Years,” a tune she wrote in memory of her father who passed in 2003. Kimbrough loved her father and the tune, playing it frequently in his programs. It now makes a beautiful finale to this haunting recording.

Kimbrough and de Prophetis spent a lot of time with the recording after it was done. They both loved it very much but had not honed it into a manageable recording. Kimbrough had given pieces of Ancestors to Knuffke and Kamaguchi, praising their performances and hoping for eventual release. After Kimbrough’s passing, de Prophetis and Knuffke listened back and discussed how best to release, deciding to keep most everything they laid down that day, and mainly first takes, at that.

The world is just beginning to miss Frank Kimbrough and his gifts, both personal and musical. It is a consolation that he left listeners with so much and that now he has joined the ancestors. 

1. Waiting In Santander

2. Air

3. November

4. Ancestors

5. Eyes

6. Jimmy G

7. Beginning

8. Union Square

9. Over

10. Solid

11. All These Years

Frank Kimbrough - piano

Masa Kamaguchi - bass

Kirk Knuffke - cornet

Pre-order

Michael Bisio / Kirk Knuffke / Fred Lonberg-Holm - The Art Spirit (2021 ESP - Disk')

This music is inspired by Robert Henri (June 24, 1865 - July 12, 1929) artist, teacher, writer and an organizer of the group known as "The Eight," a loose association of artists who protested the restrictive exhibition practices of the powerful, conservative National Academy of Design.

1. Not a Souvenir of Yesterday 05:10

2. r. henri 07:49

3. Both Keys Belong to You 11:17

4. Use Them 06:51

5. Orange Moon Yellow Field 05:35

6. Things Hum 05:03

7. Like Your Work As Much As 11:01

8. A Dog Likes to Gnaw a Bone 09:08

Michael Bisio: bass

Kirk Knuffke: cornet and soprano cornet

Fred Lonberg-Holm : cello/electronics

Recorded 24 September 2018 by Eli Winograd at Lone Pine Road, Kingston NY

“r. henri,” “Orange Moon Yellow Field,” and “Things Hum” composed by Michael Bisio, AMB Music ASCAP. All other compositions by Michael Bisio, AMB Music ASCAP; Kirk Knuffke, BMI; Fred Lonberg-Holm, BMI.

Band photo by Peter Gannuskin.

PREORDER

Lilly (feat. Gilad Hekselman & Kirk Knuffke) - The Song is You (March 2021 Challenge Records)

Interpreting the standards from the Great American Songbook is considered by many to be the supreme discipline in jazz. Anyone who dares to sing songs like “My Foolish Heart” by Victor Young and Ned Washington, “It Might As Well Be Spring” by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein or “Prelude to a Kiss” by Duke Ellington automatically exposes himself or herself to the comparison with hundreds of performers who have already sung them.

For the Danish jazz singer Lilly – full name Lilly-Ann Hertzman – they also are part of her musical DNA. “I love these songs; they speak to me,” she said with enthusiasm. “I have been listening to and singing jazz since I was a teenager, so I am very familiar with these songs. I mostly only sang my own songs on my first three albums. But it was completely natural for me to sing these other songs now.”

She already did this on her previous album “Tenderly”, in a duet with the Israeli-American guitarist Gilad Hekselman. The album received euphoric reactions. For Lilly, this was a reason to dare something similar without repeating herself. This time, Kirk Knuffke joined the tried-and-tested duet of singer and guitarist. The American cornet player brings an additional tone quality into play.

“The entire album was recorded in New York on one day; it was very spontaneous,” the singer stated with obvious pleasure. “Of course, I was very happy to be able to record with Gilad and Kirk.”

Three years ago, she had a joint performance with the trumpeter at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and has kept him and his special tone in mind since then. Lilly also finds enthusiastic words for her other musical partner, who is so much more than just a companion, but instead a creator on equal terms.

“Gilad is a wonderful person and also one of the best musicians I have ever played with," she stated. “He makes everything so easy for me. He is very open-minded, but has both feet on the ground. “Let's see what happens” is his attitude, and I share it. He makes me sing better because I can relax with him.”

In addition to nine standards, Lilly's own song “Five Wild Geese” made it onto the album, about whose title and title track the singer was particularly concerned. It is not without reason at the end of the album. “I tried to find a common framework for the songs that made it onto the album,” Lilly said, “and then I decided on the album title 'The Song Is You’. It expresses the spirit of that day for me.”

The song by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein is of course a love song. “To show your love to another person requires courage,” Lilly said. “That's my interpretation of the song.”

But she also finds other levels of interpretation of this song, which has been close to her heart for quite some time. “At the same time, you can also emphasize the ‘You’ from ‘The Song Is You’,” Lilly explained. “It's not about ego, but about following your heart and dreams. You also have to love yourself and be honest if you really want to love.”

And finally, the song expresses something a lot deeper for Lilly. “The title ‘The Song Is You’ is also about what musicians and singers do when they interpret a song,” the singer explained. “The moment you sing or play a song, you become that song. At least that's what I'm interested in. I want to interpret a story and make it my own. I completely blank out who else recorded this song.”

The sensitive and sometimes surprising interpretations that Lilly and her two companions have succeeded in creating here would easily withstand some comparison, but that wouldn’t be something that Lilly considers important. For her, something completely different is in the foreground. “We were very relaxed in the studio and had fun,” she said with pleasure, “and that's what it's all about. Be yourself!”

1. If You Could See Me Now 03:23

2. Up Jumped Spring 06:15

3. My Foolish Heart 04:31

4. Five Wild Geese 04:14

5. Prelude to a Kiss 04:56

6. It Might As Well Be Spring 04:39

7. Scarborough Fair 07:44

8. Lonely Woman 04:20

9. That Old Feeling 04:22

10. The Song is You 04:44

Lilly - vocal

Gilad Hekselman - guitars, percussion (4) & bodypercussion (2 & 4)

Kirk Knuffke - cornet

Pre-order

Michael Bisio / Kirk Knuffke / Fred Lonberg-Holm - Requiem for a New York Slice (March 2021 Iluso Records)

"This recording is dedicated to Mike Panico (August 30,1965 - October 2, 2018), co-owner and producer at Relative Pitch Records, he was also a wonderful friend. I met Mike through his volunteer work a both the Vision Festival and The Stone. He was open, friendly and had a deep respect/love for this music. When he started RP he invited me to be on the label. From 2011 - 2018 Mike produced a half dozen recordings that I took part in either as leader or collaborator. As a producer Mike showed the same love and respect for the process that he did for all things ...people included. 

As our friendship grew I learned Mike's enormous ability to love extended to pizza! Whether it was after a gig or an arranged daytime adventure the search for the best slice was often the central theme, man o' man Mike knew where to find that slice! 

His untimely departure is a great loss. This music, recorded three days after his death, is a tribute to his life." Big Love, Michael Bisio

Iluso records presents Requiem for a New York Slice by Michael Bisio (bass), Kirk Knuffke (cornet) and Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello).

Comprising five spontaneously composed pieces, Requiem for a New York Slice is a yearning and deeply emotive homage to the life of the late Mike Panico. From heart-wrenching anguish to joyous exaltation this trio of master improvisers open their hearts with a performance that is ethereal and transcending, traversing the breadth of human emotion with prolonged moments of intense and introspective solitude interspersed by episodes of shimmering buoyancy, boundless joy and humour.

Equally exhilarating and reflective, Requiem for a New York Slice is a truly breathtaking and transcending statement by a group of improvisers at the forefront of the creative music world.

Michael Bisio is one of the world’s most virtuosic and imaginative performers on the double bass. He has over eighty-five recordings in his discography, including most notably his collaborations with modern piano icon Matthew Shipp and the great Joe McPhee. Nate Chinen in the New York Times writes, "The physicality of Mr. Bisio's bass playing puts him in touch with numerous predecessors in the avant-garde, but his expressive touch is distinctive..." Bisio has performed with Charles Gayle, Connie Crothers, Whit Dickey, Ivo Perelman, Barbara Donald, Newman Taylor Baker, Rob Brown, Sonny Simmons and Sabir Mateen.

Cornetist Kirk Knuffke has been described as “one of modern jazz’s most skilled navigators of the divide between inside and outside, freedom and swing." Accolades for Knuffke include NPR’s Best Jazz Album of the Year for 2017’s Cherryco (SteepleChase) and winner of DownBeat Magazine’s “Rising Star” critics poll in 2015. Described by the New York Times as “one of New York City’s busiest musicians,” Knuffke has released 18 recordings as leader or co-leader and is featured as a sideman on over 50 recordings with leaders Matt Wilson, Allison Miller, Butch Morris, Uri Caine, Pierre Dorge and Michael Formanek. He has performed with Roswell Rudd, William Parker, Myra Melford, Steve Swell, Marshall Allen, Tootie Health and Billie Hart.

Cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm is one of the most acclaimed and prolific musicians in the new music world. A former student of Anthony Braxton, Morton Feldman, Bunita Marcus and Pauline Oliveros, his primary projects are his Valentine Trio and The Lightbox Orchestra.  He also currently plays in groups led by Joe McPhee (Survival Unit III),  Peter Brotzmann (Chicago 10tet) and Ken Vandermark (Vandermark 5, Frame 4tet, Territory Ensemble).   Fred has perfomed with Jim Baker, John Butcher,  Mats Gustafsson, Peter Kowald, Nicole Mitchell, Jim O'Rourke, Jeff Parker and rock groups Califone, Freakwater, God-is-my-co-pilot and Wilco.

 1. Introit et Kyrie 12:36

2. Sanctus 10:22

3. Pie Jesu 18:12

4. Agnus Dei 07:49

5. In Paradisum 09:38

Michael Bisio · contrabass

Kirk Knuffke · cornet

Fred Lonberg-Holm · cello

Recorded (5 October 2018), Mixed and Mastered by Jim Clouse at Park West Studios, Brooklyn, NY

All music composed by Michael Bisio AMB Music ASCAP, Kirk Knuffke BMI, Fred Lonberg-Holm BMI, except Agnus Dei, Michael Bisio AMB Music ASCAP

Pre-order

Gunter Gruner - Summertime (2021)

The light-winged tunes were written for Max Weissberg's romantic drama "Summertime", thereby aired at the First Time Film Fest in NYC, where the movie won "best screenplay". The music was recorded in 2010 in Brooklyn with notable performers. duration: 31:58

1. Summertime Theme 06:56

2. Sunny Moon 03:59

3. We Wee Hours 05:28

4. Rebound 06:07

5. Drum Solo 04:58

6. Vamping Out 04:30

Gunter Gruner - drums, composition, production

Kirk Knuffke - trumpet

Emilio Teubal - piano

Keith Witty - double bass

Pre-order

Gunter Gruner - The Invisible Landscape (2021)

Recorded on 05/06/2007 in Harlem, The Invisible Landscape is a trippy journey through a modern jazz related jungle. With its line-up, a striking brass section, featuring two acclaimed saxophonists, the display isn`t short of adroit surprises. The group performed at the Vision Series, NYC and its product was used in film, thereby screened at Anthology Film Archives and other theaters. duration: 43'58''

1. Permanent Vacation 05:53

2. Another World Is Possible 05:20

3. Spinning the Clouds 04:14

4. Nova Express 04:48

5. A Time 04:16

6. Monolith 05:47

7. Fused Take Over 05:04

8. The Invisible Landscape 05:34

9. Colors of Light 03:02

Gunter Gruner - drums, composition

Kirk Knuffke - trumpet

Daniel Carter - alto saxophone, trumpet

Salim Washington - tenor saxophone, flute

Yusuke Yamamoto - vibraphone, electronic effects

Nicolas Letman-Burtinovic - double bass

Pre-order

James Brandon Lewis / Red Lily Quintet - Jesup Wagon (May 7, 2021 Tao Forms / Aum Fidelity)

TAO Forms is =very= excited to [soon!] present the entirety of this astonishing new work from the fertile creative mind of tenor saxophonist–composer James Brandon Lewis. Performed by the Red Lily Quintet, an exceptional & singular inter-generational ensemble, this album speaks to the forever-evolving continuum of the jazz tradition.

Voted Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist in the 2020 DownBeat Magazine International Critic’s Poll, James Brandon Lewis supercharges his remarkable evolution with Jesup Wagon, a brilliant and evocative appreciation of the life and legacy of turn-of-the-19th century African-American renaissance man George Washington Carver. The album – to be released on May 7, 2021 – consists of seven pieces that create a portrait of stunning clarity and depth.

There is so much special about this recording, James’ 9th, starting with [on the way in] the lavish artwork, including a reproduction on the cover of Carver’s own tantalizing drawing of the Jesup Agricultural Wagon, which is shown in a photograph on the back cover, rendering a dialogue of representation and abstraction that Lewis models in the music. And while liner notes are generally more relied upon than celebrated, Jesup Wagon’s are delivered by the great UCLA American historian Robin D.G. Kelley, who in 2009 released the definitive Thelonious Monk biography 'Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original'. His notes, printed lovingly on an ochre background, contain much historical detail about Carver, particularly as they relate to the tunes. The fact that Kelley was willing to write them tells you something about the power of the music on the album, which Kelley calls “a revelation.”

If “revelation” is a word commonly used to describe master saxophonists like John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders and Dewey Redman, then it fits easily in the horn of James Brandon Lewis, who is a keen student of those and many other elders. But while boundless energy characterizes his playing, it is also grounded by a deep sense of narrative, which is why he is attracted to histories, like Carver’s, or to theories like his own Molecular Systematic Music, used on his superb previous 2020 Intakt album, 'Molecular', or to artistic genres such as surrealism, modeled by Lewis on the stunning 'An UnRuly Manifesto' from 2019.

Helping James get it all out on Jesup Wagon is the Red Lily Quintet, anchored by the tectonic rhythm section of bassist William Parker and drummer Chad Taylor, and rounded out by cornetist Kirk Knuffke and cellist Chris Hoffman. Parker, who James says “has looked out for me ever since I arrived in New York City,” is a genius of the stand-up bass who performed with grand-master Cecil Taylor for 11 years straight. He is also a renaissance man in his own right. Chad Taylor, “one of the most melodic drummers I’ve ever played with,” James says, is a Chicagoan who has gifted to New York some of the energy and drama the windy city is known for. Kirk Knuffke is one of New York’s rare cornet players, using that instrument’s impish tone to explosive effect on dozens of records by New York jazz heavies. Chris Hoffman made his bones playing Henry Threadgill’s demanding music in a few of the great alto saxophonist’s bands, and has worked with artists as diverse as Yoko Ono, Marc Ribot and Marianne Faithful.

James grew up in Buffalo, which he calls a “groove town” of “hard workers” like Grover Washington Jr., Charles Gayle, Rick James, and Ani DiFranco, among them. Starting out on clarinet when he was 9, James moved to alto sax at 12 then tenor at 15. He attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he studied jazz fundamentals, then enrolled at Cal Arts in Southern California, working with greats like Wadada Leo Smith, Charlie Haden, and Joe LaBarbara. Notching his MFA there, he did a residency at the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music where he worked with trumpeter Dave Douglas, pianist Angelica Sanchez and saxophonist Tony Malaby, among others. It was in Banff where he dove into the world of free jazz, continuing in that vein at an Atlantic Center for the Arts residency led by iconic New York City pianist Matthew Shipp.

Shipp and a few others lured him to New York City in 2012, where he quickly fell in with the cutting-edge artists, including drummer Gerald Cleaver and William Parker, that populate the jazz scene there. His second album, 'Divine Travels', released in 2014, featured the latter two musicians. Two albums he made in duets with Chad Taylor – 'Radiant Imprints' (2018) and 'Live in Willisau' (2020) – demonstrated that James had no hesitation dancing on the same wild turf that John Coltrane entered with his latter-day records featuring Rashied Ali on drums, although James says the inspiration was more Dewey Redman and Ed Blackwell’s duet, 'Red and Black in Willisau', recorded live in 1980. “Chad and I bonded over that one,” James says. Either way, it’s heady company.

Lewis also has an affinity for the spoken word, demonstrated on Jesup Wagon by a few timely placed short recitations. “Music is enough. But the older I get it’s important for me to have the listener hear my speaking voice,” he says. “Makes it more organic. I like to tell a story with an album.”

Poetry is just one of Lewis’ many obsessions, which also include painting, hip-hop and philosophy. “All of the people I admire have that kind of depth,” Lewis says. “William Parker, Oliver Lake, Yusef Lateef, all these amazing artists. George Washington Carver was a musician, a painter, a prolific writer, in addition to what most people know about him. Having a broad range just makes the cast iron skillet more seasoned.”

And now, in our pandemic era, James soon delivers Jesup Wagon, essentially a collection of tone poems – or, as Duke Ellington might have called them, “tone parallels” – Duke being the instigator of this type of programmatic jazz.

Poetry in music is what we get in this new masterpiece from James Brandon Lewis, who may well be crowned a master himself in the not-too-far future.

1. Jesup Wagon

2. Lowlands of Sorrow

3. Arachis

4. Fallen Flowers

5. Experiment Station

6. Seer

7. Chemurgy 09:52

James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone, composition

Kirk Knuffke: cornet

William Parker: bass, gimbri (on tracks 2 & 7)

Chris Hoffman: cello

Chad Taylor: drums, mbira (on track 6)

Pre-order

Kirk Knuffke - Witness (SteepleChase Productions ApS 2018)

Two extraordinary talents from the two totally independent discipline of art forms are meeting here to create a genuinely unique musical experience for us.

Kirk Knuffke one of the most prominent of jazz cornetist and New York’s up and coming operatic baritone singer Steven Herring present here, to quote the liner-note author Neil Tesser, “an album that juxtaposes conservatory and nightclub, improvisation and spoken word, the sacred and the secular, into one of the most unusual and inventive projects of Knuffke’s career”

Knuffke’s previous release “Cherryco” SCCD 31832 was awarded National Public Radio (USA)’s Jazz Album of the Year 2017.

KIRK KNUFFKE cornet

STEVEN HERRING baritone

BEN GOLDBERG contra alto clarinet, clarinet

RUSS LOSSING piano

1 WITNESS (traditional) 6:34

2 LUSH LIFE (Billy Strayhorn) 9:30

3 RIDE ON, KING JESUS (traditional) 4:58

4 THE SATELLITES ARE SPINNING (Sun Ra) 4:15

5 IAGO’S CREDO (Guiseppe Verdi) 5:54

6 SUBWAY (Kirk Knuffke / Carl Sandburg) 2:34

7 ARIA MUSTAFA (Gioachino Rossini) 6:21

8 CHARADE (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) 7:50

9 STORM (Kirk Knuffke / Kirby Congdon) 3:40

10 THE VOICE (Ellen Mandel /Thomas Hardy) 4:51

11 QUESTO AMOR (Giacomo Puccini) 5:10

12 A CITY CALLED HEAVEN (traditional) 4:50

Pierre Dørge - Soundscapes (SteepleChase Productions ApS 2018)

To say “Pierre Dørge” and not to follow it with “& New Jungle Orchestra” is almost impossible.

Dørge created that small big band in 1980, which became a successful and stable vehicle for his adventurous music. They toured all over the world and built an impressive discography along the way.

The guitarist/composer/bandleader, however, has never neglected to seek new palette to draw his music in smaller ensembles.

Following highly acclaimed quartet release “Blui” of 2016, Dørge surrounds himself with all American colleagues who have deep understanding of Pierre Dørge’s unique soundscapes.

“It’s an inspired collection of musicians and all serve the material well, eight songs written by Dørge …. When people think of Dørge, they tend to gravitate toward the NJO releases but his small-group recordings provide an excellent alternative and a more expansive picture of this unique guitarist.”

(Robert Iannapollo – NYC Jazz Record on SCCD 31797 “Blui”)

1 MINGUS’ BIRTHDAY PARTY 6:07

2 LULLABY FOR SUN RA 8:10

3 ENIGMATIC TWILIGHT 6:09

4 ALLIGATOR IN PARADISE 5:07

5 BAMBLA JOLIFANTI 6:59

6 AFRIKAA MBIZO DYANI 8:51

7 A ROSE FOR LAURENT 5:15

8 MIRJAM’S DADA DANCE 6:53

9 SIM SIM BA 8:04

Composed by Pierre Dørge

PIERRE DØRGE guitar

KIRK KNUFFKE cornet

STEPHEN RILEY tenor saxophone

CONRAD HERWIG trombone

JAY ANDERSON bass

ADAM NUSSBAUM drums

Kirk Knuffke / Ben Goldberg - Uncompahgre (RELATIVE PITCH RECORDS 2018)

Uncompahgre (Relative Pitch 1064; USA) Featuring Kirk Knuffke on cornet and Ben Goldberg on clarinet. East (NYC) meets West (Bay area)? Over the past few years, both of these musicians have been very prolific: With ongoing and one-off projects, many disc and live sets. Singular cornetist, Kirk Knuffke, has recorded several great duos: Jesse Stacken, Michael Bisio and Karl Berger, as well as trios (Mary Halvorson & Matt Wilson, Jamie Saft & Hamid Drake). Not to forget his own quartets, Ideal Bread and a great quartet with Bisio, Art Bailey & Michael Wimberley. Bay area clarinet hero, Ben Goldberg, is a restless traveler and music explorer. With more than thirty recordings over the past two decades, Mr. Ben Goldberg, keeps sending us new projects/CD’s with varying personnel several times a year. Mr. Goldberg has done a few great duo discs with Myra Melford, Kenny Wolleson & Michael Coleman (aka Practioner), but he excels in the trio situation. Last year (2017) Mr. Goldberg asked to do a residency here at DMG for our free weekly in-store series. And he did five Sundays in the fall-to-winter with a number of heavy hitters: Nels Cline, Ingrid Laubrock & Tom Rainey, Tony Malaby & Billy Mintz. All great sets I am proud to say. Mr. Goldberg will be doing this again this Summer here on June 17, July 1st & August 12th.

This duo was recorded in a studio in Brooklyn in June of 2014. Cornet and clarinet duos are relatively rare (Duology with Ted Daniel & Michael Marcus is one). This duo seems to drawing on the long history of jazz and free/improv. They start out most modestly, with a calm sense of restraint, laid back, yet most inventive without pushing too hard yet. Both of these musicians have studied and are inspired by Steve Lacy, Mr. Kuffke with the quartet Ideal Bread (who play exclusively Lacy’s music) and Mr. Goldberg once took a lesson from Mr. Lacy, his most recent CD is a duo called Practioner, which was inspired by one particular Lacy album. Hence, I do hear the playful/serious essence of Mr. Lacy throughout this disc. I love the way these two invent structures, sometimes bending their lines around one another, tossing ideas back and forth in effortless abandon. They often sounds like they are challenging each other, try this or try that, question and answer, occasionally ending up on the same note or phrase. One of the things that makes this duo so special is that this disc is thoughtfully produced, warm and clean, completely acoustic. This seems like a modest effort yet somehow it captures the magic of superb, perfectly balanced duo. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG

Saguache 4:33

Basalt 3:10

Blue River 4:11

La Junta 2:53

Ouray 2:32

Gypsum 1:22

Rocky Ford 4:34

Leadville 2:59

Granby 5:29

De Beque 1:44

Paonia 1:16

Fairplay 2:05

Carbondale 4:46

Cortez 0:54

Kirk Knuffke - cornet

Ben Goldberg - clarinet

Michael Musillami Trio +2 - Life Anthem (PLAYSCAPE RECORDINGS 2018)

Playscape Recordings is proud to release Life Anthem (PSR#091717), featuring veteran guitarist/composer Michael Musillami with his flagship trio. Life Anthem is Musillami's ninth Playscape Recordings release with the trio, featuring bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller. As he has done in the past, for this latest release Musillami augmented the trio with the addition of cornetist Kirk Knuffke and Jason Robinson on saxophones and flute.

"The MM Trio as been creating music since 2002, with our first release, Beijing being released in 2003," writes Musillami in his liner notes. "It has been, and continues to be, a wonderful journey filled with multiple tours to Canada and Europe, as well as our home in America. Life Anthem offers the trio in full bloom, fearless and on fire. The addition of Jason Robinson and Kirk Knuffke punctuates our message in all CAPS!!!”

Life Anthem documents Musillami's journey back from sudden illness followed by a months-long recovery during which this music was composed. On June 8th, 2016 Musillami woke up with what he termed as a "crashing headache." After waiting two days with what he thought was a migraine, he found himself in a life or death situation after an ambulance ride to the ER followed by a flurry of tests which revealed not only a brain hemorrhage, but (oddly) an unrelated brain tumor.

"I opened and closed this record with the title tune Life Anthem, because it is an optimistic melody," writes Musillami. "For the opening track I asked each player to play this melody alone, their own way, as they think it should be played. All renditions were beautiful. The simplicity and warm tone Kirk achieved on his horn made for a perfect opener. The most beautiful things in life can be the most simple. We closed the set out with the full ensemble in a spirited, open and free reading of the melody, Life Anthem."

"The music contained on this CD was written during late June, July and August of 2016 as I slowly recovered from my ordeal," writes Musillami. "I am happy to report that I am fine and better than ever."

1. Life Anthem (solo cornet)

2. I Hear Sirens In The Distance

3. MRI Countdown

4. Slow Bleed

5. Dr. Mohamad Khaled, Neurosurgeon

6. I'm Beginning To Feel Life's Pulse Again

7. June Recovery

8. Nurse Roe

9. ICU Blues

10. Visions

11. Night Walker

12. Renewed Focus

13. Family

14. Think Of Something Beautiful

15. Life Anthem (full ensemble)

Michael Musillami- guitar, composer

George Schuller- drums, bells

Joe Fonda- bass

Jason Robinson- tenor sax, soprano sax, alto flute

Kirk Knuffke- cornet

Greg Cordez - Last Things Last (2018)

The second album and follow up to the acclaimed 'Paper Crane'. Recorded mid winter in Brooklyn, and featuring a stellar cast of improvising musicians. 'Last Things Last' explores the themes of coincidence, optimism, and the slow dissolution of a personal relationship.

1. Chekov's Gun 04:30

2. Cherry v Des Moines 04:28

3. Figlock 03:39

4. Last Things Last 05:33

5. Low Winter Sun 03:15

6. All That Is 04:46

7. Clementine 03:45

8. Junebug 02:43

Kirk Knuffke, cornet

Michael Blake, saxophones

Steve Cardenas, guitar

Greg Cordez, bass

Allison Miller, drums

Produced by Ben Allison

Engineered and Mixed at Bunker Studios with Aaron Nevezie

Mastered by Alex De Turk

Album Artwork and Design, Jamie Ellul

Front Cover Photo, Dare Dukes

Shakers n' Bakers - Heart Love (February 14, 2018)

In 1968, after years of being one of the most charismatic and controversial characters in the free jazz movement of the 1960’s, the saxophonist Albert Ayler made a recording called “New Grass”, comprised of songs that he had created along with his musical and life partner Mary Maria Parks. These new songs spoke with the directness of the language of R n’ B and Soul music and were produced with a slick sound by Bob Thiele for the Impulse label. This music expresses Albert and Mary Maria’s beautiful vision of a world filled with happiness and universal love. While Albert’s own playing on the record shows the same fire and freedom he exhibited throughout his entire recording career, the album was a departure from the less structured sound of his previously recorded music. This music used the familiar forms of popular music forms to express an ecstatic millennial vision of Heaven on Earth. 

Upon it’s release, the album “New Grass” was subjected to great criticism, most pointedly by some of the people who had championed Albert in his early career and raised him up as a hero of the new jazz. In the magazine “Cricket”, Amiri Baraka and his editors accused Albert of being a “sell-out” who had appeased Impulse Records by making an album that was intended to broaden his appeal to a wider audience. Albert made one more album for Impulse, but within 3 years of the release of “New Grass” he was suddenly gone, the victim of a tragic drowning in the East River. 

The album’s utopian vision and millennial fervor resonate deeply and I have felt for a long time that my group Shakers n’ Bakers was the perfect ensemble to re-visit the rarely heard songs on this recording. In addition to these joyful and visionary songs you will hear some traditional Spiritual songs included here that Albert had previously recorded as well. I have made my case for the connections between the “Vision Songs” of the Shaker religious sect and the music of Albert Ayler in the previous two Shakers n’ Bakers recordings - here I focus only on the second part of that equation, although in the opening recitation you will hear a Shaker text that I uncovered in original manuscript form while doing research in 2013 as a NEH “Summer Scholar” at the NY State Archives in Albany. The opening words of this recording have not been uttered since the mid-19th Century and speak to the power of revelation of the divine through human expression that connects the Shakers and Albert. 

1. Message from Mother Ann

2. Everybody's Movin'

3. Oh Love of Life!

4. Deep River

5. Music is the Healing Force of the Universe

6. A Man is Like a Tree

7. Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen

8. New Generation

9. Swing Low Sweet Chariot

10. Goin' Home

11. Heart Love 05:08

Shakers n’ Bakers: 

Mary LaRose / Miles Griffith – vocals 

Jeff Lederer – Tenor Saxophone, flute 

Jamie Saft – piano, organ, Baldwin electric harpsichord 

Chris Lightcap – bass 

Allison Miller – drums 

With: 

Steven Bernstein – trumpet, slide trumpet 

Kirk Knuffke – cornet 

Joe Fiedler – trombone 

Lisa Parrott – baritone saxophone 

Special guest on #7 and #9 

Matt Wilson – drums 

And the “Heart Love Singers”: 

Amy Cervini, Mary LaRose, Melissa Stylliano, Toni Seawright, Chelsea McClauren. 

All arrangements by Jeff Lederer ç ledrose music (bmi) 

Recorded May 1 and 2 at Systems Two, Brooklyn NY 

Engineered by Mike Marciano 

Mixed by Jamie Saft at Potterville International Sound. 

Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Sound. 

Shaker “Gift Hearts” created by the women of the Shakers community graciously provided by the Hancock Shaker Village. 

Designed by Guillermo Prado, Eight Point Two studio.

Kirk Knuffke - Cherryco (SteepleChase Productions ApS 2017)

KIRK KNUFFKE cornet

JAY ANDERSON bass

ADAM NUSSBAUM drums

1 ROLAND ALPHONSO (Don Cherry) 5:58

2 THE SPHINX (Ornette Coleman) 5:53

3 ART DECO (Don Cherry) 7:21

4 REMEMBRANCE (Don Cherry) 4:58

5 GOLDEN HEART (Don Cherry) 4:12

6 LONELY WOMAN (Ornette Coleman) 2:55

7 JAYNE (Ornette Coleman) 6:58

8 SONG IN D (Don Cherry) 7:44

9 PARIS AMBULANCE SONG (Don Cherry) 4:28

10 ANGEL VOICE (Ornette Coleman) 5:15

11 MIND AND TIME (Ornette Coleman) 3:46

12 CHERRYCO (Don Cherry) 4:00

Allegra Levy - Cities Between Us (SteepleChase Records 2017)

Burgeoning vocalist/composer/lyricist Allegra Levy grabbed attention of critics and public with her 2014 debut album “Lonely City” SCCD 33118.

Allen Morrison of Downbeat remarked, “Allegra Levy has a pleasing alto, a sultry delivery and a propensity to swing. Her debut album, Lonely City, is consistently engaging.”

“Discovering a fresh, dynamic jazz voice is always a delight. When the singer proves an equally gifted songwriter, the pleasure is squared. Allegra Levy is one such double-barreled talent.” (Christopher Loudon – JazzTimes)

Here on her new album, Allegra teamed-up with a powerhouse quintet tells her stories in both contemporary and timeless fashion.

1. Cherry Blossom Song 6:38

2. Lullaby of the Orient 5:13

3. I Shouldn't Tell You 5:24

4. Misery Makes the Music 4:12

5. Yesterdays 5:07

6. Dear Friend 5:14

7. Sleepwalk with Me (In Sek Tong Tsui) 5:28

8. Soy Califa 4:37

9. Leaving Today 8:40

10.Down Sunday 6:18

11. Cities Between Us

Allegra Levy vocal

Kirk Knuffke cornet

Stephen Riley tenor saxophone

Carmen Staaf piano

Jay Anderson bass

Billy Drummond drums

Kirk Knuffke Trio - Little Cross (SteepleChase Productions ApS 2016)

The leader of this new album Kirk Knuffke has just been voted “Rising Star (trumpet)” of 2015 by the prestigious DownBeat Magazine’s Critics Poll.

Kirk moved to NYC just 10 years ago and he has firmly established as one of the most sought after cornetist / composer on the scene.

Kirk chose for this his 6th leader/co-leader album somewhat special material (music that relates to spirituality of passing (=funeral)) and executed beautifully with superb support from B-3 organ player Jamie Saft and legendary drummer Hamid Drake.

KIRK KNUFFKE cornet

JAMIE SAFT Hammond B3, syntheziser

HAMID DRAKE drums

1 OH LOVELY APPEARANCE OF DEATH (Traditional) 5:13

2 CITY CALLED HEAVEN (Dwight Bigler) 6:05

3 CHINA TOWN SUITE (Kirk Knuffke) 12:21

4 LITTLE CROSS (Kirk Knuffke) 5:12

5 ELEPHANT BOAT (Kenny Wollesen) 5:03

6 FARMER ALFALFA (Henry Grimes) 5:12

7 POEM (Kirk Knuffke) 5:17

8 BLUES FOR FRED (Kirk Knuffke) 7:20

9 JULY HYMN (to Don Cherry) (Matt Wilson) 2:48

10 DONALD’S WAKE (Kirk Knuffke) 6:50

Total Playing Time 61:44

Kirk Knuffke & Jesse Stacken - Satie (2016) SteepleChase Productions ApS

The music of the early 20th century French Avant-gardist Erik Satie for a jazz album makes perfect sense when its interpreters/performers are cornetist Kirk Knuffke and his long-time partner pianist Jesse Stacken. They both share their musical background in unconventional new/free jazz as well as classical training.

The Knuffke/Stacken duo has released a series of highly acclaimed albums with music by renowned composers of jazz.

1 SIX GNOSSIENNES No. 1 Lent 4:32

2 TROIS GYMNOPÉDIES No. 3 Lent et grave 4:35

3 VEXATIONS 1 2:40

4 PETITE OUVERTURE À DANSER 7:17

5 SIX GNOSSIENNES No. 2 Avec étonnement 9:50

6 TROIS GYMNOPÉDIES No. 2 Lent et triste 6:01

7 VEXATIONS 2 1:17

8 PIÈCES FROIDES 2, Danse de travers En y regardant à deux fois / Passer / Encore 7:05

9 SIX GNOSSIENNES No. 3 Lent 8:11

10 BONJOUR BIQUI, BONJOUR! 2:22

11 SARABANDE No. 1 F minor 5:04

12 SIX GNOSSIENNES No. 4 Lent 2:51

13 VEXATIONS 3 1:22

14 TROIS GYMNOPÉDIES No. 1 Lent et douloureux 4:28

Total Playing Time 67:39

All compositions by Erik Satie

KIRK KNUFFKE cornet

JESSE STACKEN piano

Recorded May 2015