T.K. Blue - Another Blue (December 2021 Arkadia Records)

In every context, T.K Blue asserts himself as one of the brightest talents in jazz today.” – Geoffrey Hines, The Washington Post

Arkadia Records recording artist, saxophonist and composer T.K. Blue (Talib Kibwe) leads this exhilarating ensemble of 14 Jazz notables, such as Randy Weston & Eddie Henderson, in a special album, entitled T.K. Blue: Another Blue. Full of superb originals and classic standards, the album showcases both Blue’s extraordinary musical chops and the sounds of his impressive band, that includes pianists James Weidman & Michael Cochrane, bassists Santi Debriano & Calvin Hill, drummers Cecil Brooks III & Greg Bufford, percussion master Guilherme Franco, trumpeter Tony Branker, Bob Ferrel on trombone, Lenny Argese on guitar, and special guests pianists Randy Weston and Onaje Allan Gumbs, as well as Eddie Henderson on trumpet

“Blue’s voice on alto is highly distinctive. Whether on his main horn, soprano or flute, he inflects everything he plays with ebullience.” – James Hale, Downbeat Magazine

In this all-acoustic session by the accomplished saxophonist, flutist, composer, and arranger, T.K. Blue presents an exciting program of five of his original compositions, five re-interpretative arrangements of iconic standards, plus a tune by Tony Branker from the Spirit of Life Orchestra. T.K. plays with fire and imagination on his full arsenal of instruments, joined by an impressive collection of Jazz stars with whom he has intersected during his twenty-plus years as an active, vital performer and Musical Director for pianist Randy Weston.

“Saxophone virtuoso T.K. Blue, imbues his playing with so much elation that even classics come to life with new vitality… He has developed an emotional immediacy in his playing that utterly transports an audience…T.K. Blue’s tone is both muscular and malleable. When he improvises, his contoured passages obtain the logic of a Slinky stretched to full length…The saxophonist also has a delightful rhythmic agility that enables his solos to dance.” – John Murph, The Washington Post

Whether playing compositions from Miles Davis, Bud Powell, or Dizzy Gillespie, or TK Blue’s originals that reflect on his West Indian heritage and the longstanding influences of his travels around the world, “T.K. Blue: Another Blue” showcases the impressive young reed player reflecting on the history and future of Jazz music.

“Saxophonist/Flutist/Composer T.K. Blue’s musical exploits, on the bandstand and in the recording studio, shout and scream ‘artist deserving wider recognition’.” – Willard Jenkins, Jazz Times 

1. Chant for Peace Eternal 06:11

2. This is for Albert 05:16

3. Evening Prayer 07:11

4. Hallucinations 03:41

5. Another Blue 05:18

6. You Go to My Head 07:08

7. It’s Really All About Love4:27 04:26

8. Night In Tunisia 05:21

9. Crossings 05:34

10. Pileau 03:53

11. Solar 04:34

T.K. Blue: Saxophones, flutes, and kalimbas

James Weidman: Piano

Santi DeBriano: Bass

Cecil Brooks III: Drums

Guillermo Franco: Percussion

Onaje Allen Gumbs: Piano

Michael Cochrane: Piano

Calvin Hill: Bass

Greg Bufford: Drums

Tony Branker: Trumpet

Bob Ferrel: Trombone

Lenny Argese : Guitar

With special guests:

Eddie Henderson: Trumpet

Randy Weston: Piano

Produced by: T.K. Blue and Bob Karcy

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Santi Debriano - Flash of the Spirit (Truth Revolution Recording Collective 2021)

The Truth Revolution Recording Collective is proud to announce the release of Flash of the Spirit, a new album from bassist, guitarist, and composer Santi Debriano.

Much like his native Panama, which straddles the continental divide and facilitates the union of Pacific and Atlantic, Santi Debriano has become comfortable occupying several worlds at once. But, like the Panama Canal, it’s taken some work—extracurricular work, in Debriano’s case. As an ethnomusicology graduate student at Wesleyan University Debriano read Robert Farris Thompson’s Flash of the Spirit. For Debriano, a Black Panamanian American who’d grown up in New York City after his family emigrated from Panama when he was four, Thompson’s book proved revelatory, asking questions like: To what extent have African traditions and customs been retained by contemporary Black cultures throughout the Americas? “That book describes my ancestral struggle to stay present in the many worlds I live in,” says Debriano, “but also to never forget where I came from.”

It’s a tight rope that Debriano walks, but on his version of Flash of the Spirit, the always intellectually curious bandleader strikes the balance of a Wallenda in his prime. And he’s got plenty of help; his rhythm section’s rounded out by drummer Tommy Campbell, whom Debriano’s known since both were college students in Boston, playing in Stan Strickland’s band, Sundance, and pianist Bill O’Connell, who, like Debriano, performs with consummate fluency regardless of whether the gig’s led by Sonny Rollins or Mongo Santamaria. A small but powerful woodwind section includes alto saxophonist Justin Robinson and flutist Andrea Brachfeld. And complimenting the core quintet are Francisco Mela, a Cuban-born, raised and educated drummer known for collaborations with saxophonist Joe Lovano and pianist Chucho Valdés, Brazilian percussionist Valtinho Anastacio, a veteran of the genre-defying, Debriano-led ensemble Circlechant, and Tim Porter, an indispensable scholar and practitioner of the contemporary jazz mandolin.

There’s a lot here. It’s easy to get distracted—and understandable, because everything that does glitter here is, indeed, gold, from a listening standpoint. Between the reimagined— and sometimes totally reinvented— takes on tunes from Kenny Barron, Kenny Dorham, and Ornette Coleman, as well Debriano’s solo bass take on a standard popularized by Billie Holiday, the temptation might be to overlook Flash of the Spirit’s original compositions; doing so would be a mistake.

1. Awesome Blues 06:32

2. Funky New Dorp 07:30

3. For Heaven's Sake 02:42

4. Beneath The Surface 06:44

5. Toujours Petits 06:57

6. Humpty Dumpty 03:37

7. Natural Causes 08:10

8. Ripty Boom 06:29

9. La Mesha 07:50

10. Voyage 05:51

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