Josh and Ray - The Horn Bellows (February 2022)

In the spring of 2021, Ray Larsen and Josh Hou started playing duets on the deck of Josh's house: Josh masked up and Ray sitting in a tiny one-person COVID trumpet tent. Filled with exuberance at the simple pleasure of making music with another human being after a long quarantine, they continued playing deck sessions regularly. Week after week, they played, collecting a series of duets that eventually culminated in this album they're very proud to present: The Horn Bellows.

1. Places We Used to Go 05:12

2. 可惜都係一片霧海 / Too Bad It's All a Sea of Fog 05:51

3. Emily 04:03

4. Long Last 04:39

5. Little Sunflower 07:14

6. Bal Masque 04:09

7. Nica's Pizza 03:59

8. Smile 03:21

Ray Larsen -- trumpet

Josh Hou -- accordion

Ray plays Thane trumpets

Josh plays Petosa accordions

Recorded and mixed by Ray Larsen and Josh Hou at Jason's House

Mastered by Ross Nyberg

Art by Nicole Thayer

Places We Used to Go and Long Last by Ray Larsen

Too Bad It's All a Sea of Fog and Nica's Pizza by Josh Hou

Emily by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer

Little Sunflower by Freddie Hubbard

Bal Masque by Dave Douglas

Smile by Charlie Chaplin

PRE-ORDER

Alex Oliverio's Sunshine Ensemble - Sunshine Ensemble (2018)

This excellent folk-jazz recording is as inviting as a warm smile. Alex Oliverio’s homage to the Phoenix apartment complexes of his youth rolls out thick melodies a mile wide. His acoustic guitar is nicely balanced out by trumpet, saxophones, and bass clarinet. A pedal steel adds a little extra dose of twang, and a Fender Rhodes brings some welcome fuzziness. Of special interest is the way Oliverio’s septet is able to maintain a contemplative quality with music that often keeps to a gallop and expresses itself boldly. Folk-jazz has long since been a curiosity on the modern scene, and it has branched out into all kinds of directions. Want an idea of how Sunshine Ensemble shakes out? Think Kenny Warren’s 2014 recording Laila and Smitty.

1. Tana Lea

2. Silver Oaks

3. La Vita

4. the Mogollon March

Ray Larsen - Trumpet

Levi Gillis - Tenor Saxophone

Neil Welch - Tenor Saxophone / Bass Clarinet

Alex Oliverio - Acoustic Guitar

Cameron Sharif - Fender Rhodes / Synthesizer

Luke Bergman - Bass / Pedal Steel

Thomas Campbell - Drums

Mixed by Luke Bergman

Mastered by Nicholas Wilbur