Florian Arbenz / Hermon Mehari / Nelson Veras - Conversation #1: Condensed (April 23, 2021)

2021 sees the launch of an ambitious project from Swiss drummer Florian Arbenz who is set to release 12 albums (or “conversations”) with 12 radically different groups of musicians.

The 1st of this series, recorded from his studio in Basel and accompanied by a feature-length video of the session, features American trumpeter Hermon Mehari and Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras.

Across a career spanning more than 25 years, drummer and percussionist Florian Arbenz has carved out a reputation as not just a skilled musician, but as a creative collaborator.

Whether with the long-standing trio VEIN who have recorded and toured with Greg Osby & Dave Liebman, or with his own project Convergence which brings together musicians from 4 continents, he is not content to sit still.

In 2021, he launches perhaps his most adventurous collaboration yet: a series of 12 albums - or “conversations” - with 12 different line ups.

The thread that joins them all together is his fascination with bringing visionary musicians together and giving them space to express themselves in his studio. Together, they work through a selection of music curated by Florian to suit the individual musical personalities present.

Conversation #1 - subtitled Condensed - sees Florian joined by American trumpeter Hermon Mehari & Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras.

“I’ve known and played with Nelson for several years and am captivated not only by his highly original and virtuoso playing, but also by his unique character and his great sense of humor. He's a complete player both rhythmically & harmonically so it seemed obvious to get him on board for this series. Hermon, on the other hand, I had never met before our recording session. I had, however, admired his warm tone, open-minded musicality & improvisational skills from afar and am so happy to have finally recorded with him!"

This slightly unusual line up of guitar, trumpet & drums might, at first glance, miss a bass instrument. But despite the challenges, the creativity of the musicians involved, as well as Florian’s addition of custom percussion instruments covering this range, make for a fascinating listen which moves from hard-swinging soloing to dreaming soundscapes. 

1. Boarding The Beat

2. Let's Try This Again 04:57

3. Groove A

4. Olha Maria

5. In Medias Res

6. Vibing With Morton

7. Race Face

8. Dedicated To The Quintessence

9. Circle

Pre-order

Sigmar Matthiasson - Meridian Metaphor (March 12, 2021)

MERIDIAN METAPHOR is the second solo album by Icelandic bassist & composer Sigmar Matthiasson, set for release on March 12th 2021. The record is being released by Reykjavík Record Shop and will be available for sale on vinyl and as a digital download.

The music can be described as modern jazz mixing major influences from Balkan folk music and Arabic world music. The inspiration for the project was Sigmar's collaboration and friendship with two musicians whom he met while studying in New York City - guitarist Taulant Mehmeti from Kosovo and Tunisian percussionist Ayman Boujlida.

Therefore it's possible to hear influences both from East and West, across the Prime Meridian, where the composer (with the help of his bandmates) makes up musical metaphors in each song with various references to people, places and experiences which have shaped him over time.

1. Don

2. Berlin Bacalhau

3. Fordómalausir tímar

4. East River

5. Karthago

6. Nu Rock

7. Stinningskaldi

8. Mehmetaphor

Ásgeir Ásgeirsson - oud & tamboura

Haukur Gröndal - clarinet

Ingi Bjarni Skúlason - piano

Matthías Hemstock - drums

Sigmar Þór Matthíasson - upright bass

Special guests:

Ayman Boujlida - konnakol & percussion on Karthago

Taulant Mehmeti - çifteli on Mehmetaphor

Music composed, arranged and produced by Sigmar Matthiasson - with invaluable input from the band.

Recorded by Birgir Jón Birgisson at Sundlaugin, October 14-16 2020

Mixed by Matti Kallio at Fireland Reykjavik, Iceland

Mastered by Pauli Saastamoinen at Finnvox Studios, Finland

Pre-order

SHIJIN - Theory Of Everything (Full Length) / (February 26, 2021 Alter-Nativ)

The performances by SHIJIN can thus be experienced as a practical application of the "Theory of Everything" in music.

Just like "The Theory of Everything", which is regarded as the Holy Grail of theories and consists of the reconciliation of infinitely large and small, the collegial musical creation by various musicians in different constellations is an exciting and complex principle.

SHIJIN offers 8 interactive pieces, which are first developed as duets, then completed by the other two musicians and finally put together into a complete format that is rarely used in jazz production: the "Concept Album", which combines electrical and acoustic music as well as improvisation and composition. Within this particular conceptual framework, even contemporary music and traditional jazz can be reconciled.

1. Mystery Of A White Dwarf

2. Unexpected Discovery

3. Golden Age

4. Implosion

5. Time Travel

6. Separating Circle

7. You Are Here

8. Curved Wrinkles

Laurent David : Electric Bass, Composition, Production

Stéphane Guillaume : Tenor and Soprano Saxophones, Flutes, Bass Clarinet, Composition

Malcolm Braff : Piano, Rhodes, CP-70, Composition

Stéphane Galland : Drums, Composition

Pre-order

Gabriel Vicéns - The Way We Are Created (2021)

Gabriel Vicéns blends Jazz and Puerto Rican Rhythms in his New Album, “The Way We Are Created”

The guitarist expands his musical expression by mixing bomba and plena rhythms from his native Puerto Rico with his unique brand of Jazz.

“The Way We Are Created,” the third album from the brilliant New York City-based musician Gabriel Vicéns, offers a detailed picture of his multiple talents. It portrays the evolution of his own voice, not only as a guitarist but as a composer and conceptualist as well.

Vicéns has previously released two widely acclaimed albums, “Point In Time” and “Days.” He has blossomed into his signature sound on “The Way We Are Created;” a delicate sound that conveys robust, cleanly-articulated ideas, with solos that add depth to his melodic and thematic compositions.

The album becomes a part of the Inner Circle Music canon, a label established by influential saxophonist Greg Osby, which “provides a forum for some of the next generation’s most provocative composers and stylists.” Also behind the release of the album is the Puerto Rican non-profit organization 71 Associates, which was created by Jochi Dávila to help experimental musicians.

Vicéns’ music has arrived at a complex but sentimental soundscape, as this set of compositions live within the world of bomba and plena, which are folkloric Puerto Rican styles. This album enjoys a natural, organic blend of Jazz with fiery, propulsive rhythms, in his own original compositional style.​ ​The Afro-Puerto Rican percussion instruments barril de bomba and panderos de plena intertwine beautifully within the harmonic and melodic complexity of jazz, while Vicéns’ compositions utilize nostalgic yet challenging Afro-Carribean rhythms.

Thus, the album is an array of bold themes brimming with personality, including “It Doesn't Matter,” “The Upcoming,” and “A City of Many Mysteries,” which employ yubá, sicá, and rulé rhythms from the bomba tradition. “To The Unknown” is an energetic plena, and one of the many pieces on the record that stirs up your mind as well as your feet.

“This project is the result of my own investigation into the worlds of these traditions,” says Vicéns, a distinguished graduate from Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico (BM) and Queens College (MM), currently pursuing his Doctorate in Guitar Performance in New York. “When I begin a composition, I first establish a rhythmic foundation which comes from Afro-Puerto Rican folkloric traditions, and then I build the composition from that underlying structure. The music you’ll hear on this record is authentic to my roots and comes directly from my life.”

“The Way We Are Created” was co-produced by star Puerto Rican saxophonist Miguel Zenón, and confirms Vicéns’ gifts as a skilled bandleader. Several of the finest New York musicians give life to these compositions with Román Filiú on alto sax, Glenn Zaleski on piano, Rick Rosato on bass, E.J. Strickland on drums, and Víctor Pablo on percussion. Their solos shine with a cool, fluid mastery throughout the whole work. Three short interludes work as breathers while reinforcing the album’s coherence as a whole.

“Being able to release this album in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an incredible and challenging experience for me,” explains Vicéns. “There were moments I asked myself if this was the right time, but I arrived at the idea that art is a relieving outlet for people, can build community, and can comfort pain. I feel good about it.”

“The Way We Are Created,”​ i​s an homage to the power of all artistic expressions, including painting. Vicéns is also an accomplished painter, and the cover of the album is a recent work of his. While discussing the thought process behind the album title, Vicéns says that “When I complete a work, sometimes it seems personified. It’s almost like the composition speaks in the first person, and is their own being. If compositions could speak for themselves, maybe they could explain to us how they were created.”

To the listener, it’s a testimony to Gabriel Vicéns’ constant evolution as a musical thinker and leader, able to show new paths of expression for others to follow. Above all, “The Way We Are Created” is a great listen for jazz aficionados, and bomba and plena lovers alike. “When I came up with this title, it had two meanings. It’s a reflection on the way that all living beings are created to be naturally inventive and imaginative. It is a tribute to how we are all born to be creative.”

2. It Doesn't Matter 06:45

3. Caribeño Pensador 01:51 video

4. The Upcoming 06:12

5. A City of Many Mysteries 06:40

6. Fuera de mi Cuerpo 01:38

7. Definite Purpose 05:28

8. To the Unknown 07:24

9. Retorno 01:47

10. The Mystery of S.T. 07:21

Gabriel Vicéns: guitar

Roman Filiú: alto saxophone

Glenn Zaleski: piano

Rick Rosato: bass

E.J. Strickland: drums

Victor Pablo: percussion

Recorded by Chris Benham at Big Orange Sheep, New York, May 2019.

Mixed and Mastered by David Darlington

Editing Engineer: Danilo Pichardo

Produced by Gabriel Vicéns

Co-produced by Miguel Zenón

Associate producer: Greg Osby

Executive producer: Jochi Dávila & 71 Associates

Pre-order

Schapiro 17 - Human Qualities (March 2021 Summit Records)

Human Qualities is the follow-up to the 2020 debut, New Shoes: Kind of Blue at 60.

This recording brings back the 17 members of the progressive New York big band. Unlike New Shoes, which offers a thematic focus on Kind of Blue, Human Qualities features seven Jon Schapiro originals and one arrangement – featuring a powerhouse rhythm section, fiercely swinging ensembles, and sterling solo work.

trumpets: Bryan Davis, Andy Gravish, Eddie Allen, Noyes Bartholomew

trombones: Alex Jeun, Deborah Weisz, Nick Grinder, Walter Harris

saxophones: Rob Wilkerson, Candace DeBartolo, Paul Carlon, Rob Middleton, Matt Hong

piano: Roberta Piket; guitar: Sebastian Noelle; bass: Evan Gregor; drums: Jon Wikan

DOWNBEAT says:  “…ensemble is powered by a first-rate rhythm section…Schapiro’s writing is what really does the trick, fleshing out his ideas through lean, deftly coloristic ensemble passages that manage to convey small-band dynamics with a big-band toolkit…”

The set opens with “Count Me Out”, with roots dug deep into Kansas City, and a destination far from Basie. Rob Middleton, Deborah Weisz, and Roberta Piket handle the solos, maintaining the high energy level. “Tango” is a feature for baritonist Matt Hong, whose work is lyrical and logical. “Hmmm” is close to a shuffle, allowing the band to blow off steam. Andy Gravish and Paul Carlon, on trumpet and tenor respectively, feed off of and contribute to the band’s drive. “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, a Schapiro arrangement, features Eddie Allen, whose bright, lyrical trumpet offsets the darker qualities of the orchestration.

The title track opens as an exercise in counterpoint before giving way to a sharp and crisp alto solo from Rob Wilkerson. Nick Grinder’s subsequent trombone solo is dark and cerebral. Roberta Piket joins the return to a contrapuntal mentality, both dynamic and linear, cutting across the orchestration. “Hallelujah,” a dirge, is abstract and muted. Edgy tenor and guitar work from Carlon and Sebastian Noelle make the track a highlight for listeners who like tension in their music. Drummer Jon Wikan has space to add his own idiosyncratic rhythmic layer. “A Bounce in Her Step” is best categorized as bebop. With no clear tonal center early in the chart, listeners hear the chart’s more bebop-oriented rhythms. Walter Harris and Rob Wilkerson take full advantage of the solo space. Bouncy and funky, “House Money” is a showcase for the Alex Jeun’s forceful and kinetic trombone.

Count on Me

Tango

Hmmm

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Human Qualities

Hallelujah

A Bounce in Her Step

House Money

Pre-order

Rebecca DuMaine and the Dave Miller Trio - Someday, Someday (March 2021 Summit Records)

“REBECCA DUMAINE  & the Dave Miller Trio/Someday, Someday:  Hanging out with her pop again, one of the hippest lawyers we know of, Dumaine serves up some of the tastiest cocktail jazz once again.  With a nicely varied set card that doesn’t stick to just one era, she covers the bases well while hitting it out of the park consistently.  This is a well needed dose of class that comes in handy right about now.  Well done.” -MIDWEST RECORD

“…Deliciously diverse jazz vocals Rebecca DuMaine and the Dave Miller Trio.  I give Rebecca and Dave’s trio a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) score of 4.98…” -Contemporary Fusion

… beautiful tone, clear articulation, ability to dig deep into the meaning of the lyrics and the joy that she displays while singing are unchanged as is Dave Miller’s swinging solos and tasteful accompaniment…many of the songs (even the vintage ones) relate to the pandemic, and the singer contributed two originals.

With the release of Chez Nous in 2019, the future certainly looked bright for singer Rebecca DuMaine and her father pianist Dave Miller. But then the Covid-19 pandemic hit and, as for virtually everyone, their plans and dreams got put on hold.

“2020 has certainly been a dark year,” says Rebecca. “I found myself gravitating more towards singing melancholy songs and I also started writing. We decided to do an album that deviated a little from our typical sunny upbeat and hopeful mood and looked into songs that were a little bit darker but still ultimately hopeful. It was a cathartic experience for us.”

Dave Miller grew up on Long Island, New York and started playing piano when he was just three. Although classically trained, seeing Ahmad Jamal in concert and loving the music of George Shearing resulted in him switching to jazz as a teenager. His group is heard at its best on 2009’s Rapture and their 2019 tribute to George Shearing Just Imagine plus their recordings with his daughter.

Rebecca DuMaine was raised in the San Francisco Bay area and had a successful career as an actress who appeared on stage, in commercials and voice-overs, and is additionally a professor of voice and speech.

She always loved to sing but found that she preferred singing jazz over musical theater. Since moving back to Northern California from New York in 2010, Rebecca has sung regularly with her father’s trio. They have recorded five CDs for Summit prior to 2020.

Just Friends

Alone Again (Naturally)

Samba De Mon Coeur Qui Bat

The Gentleman Is A Dope

Someday, Someday

Both Sides Now

Time To Get Unstuck (Happy Little New Song)

As Long As I Live

On A Clear Day

I Guess I’ll Have To Change My Plan

Cry Me A River

La Vie En Rose/Au Privave

Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams

Sunny

Rebecca DuMaine, vocals

Dave Miller, piano

Chuck Bennett, bass

Bill Belasco, drums

Pre-order

William Hess - Solo Euphonium (February 2021 Summit Records)

William Hess is an internationally renowned euphonium soloist, euphonium professor, and low brass artist who currently resides in his hometown of New Orleans, LA.

Hess studied euphonium performance at the University of Southern Mississippi, the University of Missouri – Kansas City’s Conservatory of Music, and the University of Cincinnati’s Conservatory of Music before becoming the Euphonium Instructor at Montclair State University, and currently the Instructor of Euphonium and Tuba at Loyola University – New Orleans.

Career music performance highlights have seen Hess perform in Carnegie Hall, take four European and two American tours as a soloist, with the Fountain City Brass Band, and with the Twisted Steel Quartet, as well as solo with numerous university and festival bands and orchestras. William has been featured as a Guest Artist at several International Tuba Euphonium Conferences, the US Army Band’s Tuba Euphonium Workshop, and has been invited to lecture at Tuba Euphonium Symposiums across the country. Hess has also won many acclaimed music awards, including winning international solo awards on three different brass instruments (euphonium, trombone, baritone horn), including winning both of the International Tuba Euphonium Conference’s very prestigious Artist Euphonium Solo and Quartet Competition awards when he was nineteen years old.

Caprice no. 24

Cascades

Paritita Veneziana: 1. At Vivaldi's Church

Paritita Veneziana: 2. A Cold Mist over the Cypress Trees

Paritita Veneziana: 3. Trantella: Plaz San Marco

Polar Vortex

Syrinx

Partita in A minor: 1. Allemande

Partita in A minor: 2. Courante

Partita in A minor: 3. Sarabande

Partita in A minor: 4. Bourée

Blue Lake Fantasies: 1. Firefly

Blue Lake Fantasies: 2. Moonlight Across the Water

Blue Lake Fantasies: 3. All that Jazz

Blue Lake Fantasies: 4. Ancient Native Air

Blue Lake Fantasies: 5. Party Antics

Elegy for Mippy II

Fnugg

Pre-order

Music of Daniel Asia - Ivory II (February 2021 Summit Records)

Critically acclaimed Daniel Asia has been heralded by Fanfare Magazine as “…a terrific contemporary American composer…”, “…a composer of fertile imagination…freshness seeps into his scores…”.  On this recording, Asia’s writing covers a time span from 1975- 2017. The pieces presented here cover a broad and evolutionary compositional terrain.  Almost every work includes music of humor and an evanescent lightness as well as music of seriousness that reaches towards transcendence and a place of reverence.

Daniel Asia has been an eclectic and unique composer from the start. He has enjoyed grants from Meet the Composer, a UK Fulbright award, Guggenheim Fellowship, DAAD, MacDowell and Tanglewood fellowships, ASCAP and BMI prizes, Copland Fund grants, Fromm and Barlow Foundation commissions, among numerous others. He was honored with a Music Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. From 1991-1994 he was the Meet the Composer Composer- in Residence of the Phoenix Symphony.

Asia’s five symphonies have received wide acclaim from live performance and their international recordings. The Fifth Symphony, commissioned for the Tucson and Jerusalem symphony orchestras in celebration of Israel’s 60th anniversary, is based on the poetry of the Jewish-American writer Paul Pines, the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai, and Psalms.

His orchestral works have been commissioned or performed by symphony orchestras across the world.

In the chamber music arena, Mr. Asia has written for, and been championed by, the Dorian Wind Quintet, American Brass Quintet, Meadowmount Trio, Cypress Quartet, Andre-Michel Schub (piano), Carter Brey (cello), Alex Klein (oboe), Benjamin Verdery (guitar), John Shirley-Quirk and Sara Watkins (baritone and oboe), Jonathan Shames (piano), among others. Under a Barlow Endowment grant, he completed work for The Czech Nonet, the longest continuously performing chamber ensemble on the planet, founded in 1924.

1. Piano Set I: I. Tensely Energetic

2. Piano Set I: II. Dreamlike, with Much Rubato

3. Piano Set I: III. Exuberante!

4. Piano Set I: IV. Metronomic; Absolutely Steady

5. Piano Set I: V. Nostalgic; Cantabile

6. Piano Set II: I. Aggressive and Antagonistic

7. Piano Set II: II. Askew

8. Piano Set II: III. Playful

9. Piano Set II: IV. Meditative

10. Piano Set II: V. Askew

11. Piano Set II: VI. Dominant-Inferior

12. Piano Set II: VII. Mutually Combative-Energetic

13. Piano Variations: I. Majestic

14. Piano Variations: II. Calm and Placid

15. Piano Variations: III. Lively

16. Piano Variations: IV. Majestic

17. No Time: Ruminative, Pondering

18. Ragflections: A Gentle, Easy Swing

19. Iris: I. Jauntily

20. Iris: II. Slow, Almost Lethargic

21. Iris: III. Impetuously

Daniel Linder performs: Piano Set I, Variations for Piano, No Time, and Ragflections

Daniel Linder/Fanya Lin perform: Piano Set II

Dana Muller/Gary Steigerwalt perform: Iris

Pre-order

Joseph Howell Quartet - Live in Japan (February 2021 Summit Records)

In a world full of musicians, it remains a rare instance when multiple players come together and find they are perfectly suited to each other. The group on this recording feels more like a family than a band. All of the players support and enjoy each other’s playing and company.

1. Serenity

2. Good Bait

3. Nefertiti

4. Jinriksha

5. Mamacita

6. My Foolish Heart

7. Take the A Train

Joseph Howell – clarinet

Keigo Hirakawa – piano

Kenji Shimada – bass

Kenichi Nishio – drums

Pre-order

Hennessy Six + Colorado Springs Youth Symphony - The Road Less Traveled (2021 Summit Records)

Bringing its unique jazz voice to the bandstand as well as the orchestra, the original music of the Hennessy 6 spans the gamut seamlessly through intricate arrangements and orchestrations that showcase the band’s versatility and virtuosity.

Collectively, the band’s members have appeared alongside numerous luminaries of the music world, including Dave Liebman, Maria Schneider, Joe Walsh, Ernie Watts, John Faddis, Wycliffe Gordon, Vince Gill and Amy Grant.

Composer and Trumpeter Sean Schafer Hennessy is one of America’s most gifted composer/ instrumentalists. Since winning major competitions since his twelfth year, he remains a brilliant protege of the renowned Wynton Marsalis. Beginning his trumpet studies at age ten, Sean made his concerto debut three years later with the Colorado Symphony. Sean has performed a solo recital at Carnegie Hall, appeared as a guest soloist at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and moved audiences with his appearance on the Public Radio International’s “From the Top”.

The National Alliance for Excellence Award, conferred on Sean, caps a string of honors, including the International Trumpet Guild Young Artist Award, and winner of the National Trumpet Competition. Sean is also one of the gifted young composers who contributed to Kennedy Center’s Imagination Celebration, providing his Theme for the Mars Millennium Project. Recruited by Maestro Marin Alsop to perform the lead in “Journey Into Jazz” written by Gunther Schueller, Sean dazzled the audience with emotion.

Sean is currently composing in Hollywood.

1. Pneuma

2. Haunted Eyes

3. Funky Winkerbean

4. O & D

5. Desert Fever

6. Dos Mil Uno

7. Stacy's Arabesque

8. The Road Less Traveled

The Hennessy 6:

Sean Schafer Hennessy – Trumpet

Cully Joyce – Tenor Sax / Alto Flute

Colin McAllister – Guitar

Brad Bietry – Piano / Keyboards

Jason Crowe – Acoustic / Electric Bass

Chris Gaona – Drums

* Special Guest Krista Joyce – Vocals (Pneuma, Stacy’s Arabesque)

with the the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony – Gary Nicholson, Conductor

Pre-order

Satoko Fujii - Morning Dream (February 2021 Libra Records)

1. No Stopping Or Standing 06:26

2. Snow Dance 01:52

3. Camellia In The North Wind 07:35

4. Morning Dream 05:33

5. Path Ahead 03:30

6. Sunrise 08:54

7. Westward 07:35

8. I Am With You 08:42

Pre-order

Taiko Saito and Satoko Fujii - Beyond (2021 Libra Records)

You would think that the ever-restless, searching pianist and composer Satoko Fujii would have performed and collaborated in every possible setting by now, but at least once a year there is a new Fujii release that finds her in a construct she hadn’t previously attempted before. Beyond (Libra Records) is Fujii’s first ever one-on-one with a vibraphone.

That vibraphonist is fellow Japanese native Taiko Saito, a young, up-and-comer who’s spent virtually her entire adult life in Germany. This record will likely be a lot of people’s introduction to Saito and they should be prepared to listen without any preconceptions because she doesn’t kowtow to set rules about how a vibraphone should be played. Like Fujii, she is capable of wringing all kinds of interesting sonorities from her instrument, a lot of which are completely foreign to it but are creatively done for the sake of art.

From the very first moment, it’s clear that Saito isn’t your typical vibes player, “Molecular” opens with a comforting, drone-like sound resembling those Tibetan meditation bowls. Fujii very gently eases herself in with a prepared piano that offers up the perfect counterpoint. Saito uses her vibraphone as a percussive instrument “Proliferation” as Fujii rummages around on the lower end of her piano’s range. Saito finally wrings notes from her vibes but even then she hits the bars in ways to get uncommon timbres from them.

Even more alien noises are created during “Todokanai Tegami,” a creaking sound as Fujii strums the strings of her piano and later, notes ring without the sound of mallet strikes as Fujii carries out a pretty melody. Those creaking sounds continue on “Beyond” while Fujii plays a series of chords widely spaced apart, as if to give Taiko the room to breathe.

“On The Road” is the first track where Saito reminds me of another vibes player at all, where there are echoes of Gary Burton. But Burton & Corea never sounded as free as these two do even on this song, and the chemistry between this pair getting together to record in the middle of their first-ever tour together is already comparable to that of the older masters.

“Ame No Ato” is a song of varying intensity and every little modulation in that intensity is done with tight cohesion, evidence that the two are listening very closely to each other. The same is true for “Mobius Loop,” even when it enters a massive, free-form vortex.

The piano/vibraphones duo isn’t exactly a new concept, but Satoko Fujii and Taiko Saito take that concept to places it’s never been before. The exotic places they visit make Beyond a trip well worth taking.

1. Molecular 05:46

2. Proliferation 05:24

3. Todokanai Tegami 08:48

4. Beyond 05:32

5. On The Road 04:52

6. Mizube 05:26

7. Ame No Ato 04:35

8. Mobius Loop 08:01

9. Spectrum 07:42

Recorded at the Oda Community Center “Subaru” Concert Hall in Ichiko, Ehime, Japan on June 26, 2019 by by Toshihiro Toyoshima, Akio Ishiyama, Naofumi Sato and Mitsuru Itani.

Mixed on November 6, 2019 by Mike Marciano, Systems Two, NY.

Pre-order

Satoko Fujii - HAZUKI (2021 Libra Records)

1. Invisible 07:07

2. Quarantined 08:02

3. Cluster 04:18

4. Hoffen 09:04

5. Beginning 02:14

6. Ernesto 06:38

7. Expanding 07:42

8. Twenty Four Degrees 03:12

Pre-order

Thomas Steele - 10TET (February 20, 2021)

Today will mark the release of my second studio album, and my first full-length album with my 10Tet! The album features seven original compositions of contemporary and straight-ahead jazz, performed by Toronto’s most talented young jazz artists.

The album features Thomas Steele (Wind I, Compositions), David Hodgson (Wind II), Jacob Chung (Wind III, Compositions), Alex Manoukas (Wind IV, Compositions), Kaelin Murphy (Trumpet I), Christian Antonacci (Trumpet II), Nick Adema (Trombone I, Compositions), Andrew Gormley (Trombone II), Evan Gratham (Upright Bass), Jacob Slous (Drums) with Dennis Kwok and James Warren Morris (Arrangers).

1. Deja Vu 08:06

2. Push and Shove 05:15

3. Eastbound to Greenwood 08:04

4. Once In A 06:28

5. February Flowers 06:27

6. Sway 07:13

7. Middle Space 08:55

Pre-order

March 2-10: NEC presents 'Grow Your Art' with Maria Schneider

Multi-Grammy Award-winning composer and bandleader Maria Schneider

works with NEC students in Grow Your Art, a collaborative music and business residency and performance

Tuesday, March 2 – Thursday, March 4; concert to air on Wednesday, March 10

New England Conservatory’s Jazz & Entrepreneurial Musicianship programs present Grow Your Art, a week-long music and business residency with groundbreaking multi-Grammy Award winning composer and bandleader Maria Schneider. The residency will include a pitch night, as well as masterclasses, workshops and panel discussions on the music business and entrepreneurship, culminating in a concert with the NEC Jazz Orchestra. Grow Your Art takes place Tuesday, March 2 - Thursday, March 4, with the pre-taped concert video broadcast on Wednesday, March 10. The events are free and open to the public virtually. For information, visit Grow Your Art Residency: Public Events

'Grow Your Art' details

Tues, March 2, 2021 – Pitch Night Competition

7:00–9:00PM

Watch as NEC students and alumni pitch their ventures live for a chance to win up to $7,500 in grant funding plus project guidance from NEC’s Entrepreneurial Musicianship team. Pitch Night offers a chance for students and professionals to learn more about how to craft strong grant proposals, whether on paper or pitched live.  Maria Schneider will adjudicate along with panel of NEC faculty and staff. Visit...

Wed, March 3, 2021 | Music Business Workshop with Maria Schneider, Ken Schaphorst and Andrew Worden

1:00–3:00PM  

Maria discusses how producing and sharing her music has evolved with the music industry. What does it take to produce a recording today? And grow an audience? How do you share your music widely while also protecting yourself? What’s important to spend money on when investing in a record? NEC students can join the virtual discussion which will be streamed to the public via...

Thursday, March 4, 2021 – Music Business Panel Discussion with Maria Schneider, Booking Agent Mike Epstein and Publicist Ann Braithwaite

1:00–3:00PM  

In this panel moderated by Andrew Worden, NEC students and the virtual audience can learn the ins and outs of the business of music. What’s the difference between a manager and an agent?  When do you invest in building out your team? What does it take to share your music in a meaningful way in 2021? NEC students can join the virtual discussion which will be streamed to the public via...

Ann Braithwaite is the owner of Braithwaite & Katz Communications, a full-service public relations firm specializing in promoting the foremost jazz artists and events of our time. She and her team have helped to expand visibility for a myriad of exceptional musicians including Maria Schneider as well as organizations including the Montreal International Jazz Festival and NEC’s Jazz and CI departments.

Mike Epstein is the President of Epstein & Company, an international booking agency representing award-winning artists since 2013. The agency works with artists of all genres and has developed a unique process for helping clients achieve important career goals by taking an entrepreneurial approach to an ever-changing industry.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021 – Concert – Maria Schneider & the NEC Jazz Orchestra

7:30 PM  

Maria Schneider conducts the NEC Jazz Orchestra in a program of her compositions including The Pretty Road, Data Lords, Walking By Flashlight, Gumba Blue, Sputnik and Choro Dancado. The concert will be recorded on March 4 with a video broadcast on March 10.  View concert at this link.

Maria Schneider’s music has been hailed by critics as evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous, imaginative, revelatory, riveting, daring, and beyond categorization. Blurring the lines between genres, her varied commissioners stretch from Jazz at Lincoln Center, to The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, to the American Dance Festival, and include collaboration with David Bowie. She is among a small few to receive Grammys in multiple genres, having received the award in jazz and classical, as well as for her work with David Bowie.

 

With her first recording Evanescence (1994), Schneider began developing her personal way of writing for her 18-member collective made up of many of the finest musicians in jazz today, tailoring her compositions to the uniquely creative voices of the group. They have performed at festivals and concert halls worldwide, and she herself has received numerous commissions and guest-conducting invites, working with over 90 groups in over 30 countries.

 

Unique funding of projects has become a hallmark for Schneider through the trend-setting company, ArtistShare. And, in 2004, Concert in the Garden became historic as the first recording to win a GRAMMY with Internet-only sales. Even more significantly, it blazed the "crowd-funding" trail as ArtistShare’s first release, and was eventually inducted into the 2019 National Recording Registry.

 

Schneider’s many honors also include: 14 Grammy nominations, 5 Grammy Awards, numerous Jazz Journalists Association awards, DownBeat and JazzTimes Critics and Readers Poll awards, an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, the University of Minnesota, ASCAP’s esteemed Concert Music Award (2014), the nation's highest honor in jazz, “NEA Jazz Master” (2019) (NEA Jazz Master Speech found here), and election into the 2020 American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

 

A strong voice for music advocacy, Schneider has testified before the US Congressional Subcommittee on Intellectual Property on digital rights, has given commentary on CNN, participated in roundtables for the United States Copyright Office, has been quoted in numerous publications for her views on Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, Google, digital rights, and music piracy, and has written various white papers and articles on the digital economy as related to music and beyond.

 

Her latest double-album, Data Lords (2020), has melded her advocacy and art: Nate Chinen of NPR writes: “Now it's finally here, in the form of a magnificent double album, Data Lords. . . it parses into thematic halves, ‘The Digital World’ and, as an antidote, ‘The Natural World.’ On the whole and in the details, it amounts to the most daring work of Schneider's career, which sets the bar imposingly high. This is music of extravagant mastery, and it comes imbued with a spirit of risk."

 

David Hajdu for THE NATION writes, “Beyond the dualism in its format, Data Lords is a work of holistic creativity. The music of outrage and critique in the first album has all the emotion and conceptual integrity that the music of melancholy and reverence does in the second. I can’t conceive of anyone else creating this music, unless Delius has been writing with Bowie on the other side.” 

 

NEC’s Jazz Studies Department is one of the top jazz education programs in the world. It was the brainchild of Gunther Schuller, who moved quickly to incorporate jazz into the curriculum when he became president of the Conservatory in 1967. He soon hired saxophonist Carl Atkins as the first department chair, as well as other greats including NEA Jazz Master George Russell, pianist Jaki Byard and Ran Blake. The foundation of its teaching and success begins with the mentor relationship developed in lessons between students and the prominent faculty artists. In addition to its two jazz orchestras, faculty-coached small ensembles reflect NEC’s inclusive approach to music making, with ensembles focused on free jazz, early jazz, gospel music, Brazilian music, and songwriting, as well as more traditional approaches to jazz performance.

 

Students are encouraged to find their own musical voices while making connections and collaborating with a vibrant community of creative musicians, and ultimately to transform the world through the power of music. The program has spawned numerous Grammy-winning composers and performers and has an alumni list that reads like a who's who of jazz, while the faculty has included six MacArthur "genius" grant recipients (three currently teaching) and four NEA Jazz Masters.

 

NEC’s Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department complements the conservatory education with the resources and tools integral to building a life in music: creative and critical thinking, communication, financial management, artistic programming, audience development, and more. EM is available to students through individual advising, experiential learning, career services, and opportunities to incubate new work. 

 

Grow Your Art: A Music and Business Residency was made possible thanks to a generous gift from an NEC supporter.

Feb. 25: NEC's Black Student Union honors Coretta Scott King in livestream event 'Continuation of a Dream: Requiem'

New England Conservatory’s Black Student Union honors legacy of alumna Coretta Scott King and the school’s Black students and faculty with

 

Continuation of a Dream: Requiem 

 

Airing on Thursday, February 25, event includes performance, film and stories

 

The BSU will also present ten streaming events

Coretta Scott King bust

New England Conservatory’s Black Student Union presents Continuation of a Dream: Requiem, its annual celebration of the life and contribution of NEC alumna Coretta Scott King ’54, ’71 hon. DM and of Black students and faculty throughout the conservatory's history. The pre-recorded one-hour event will be streamed at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 25, 2021.

Black History Month events at NEC

The celebration will highlight the stories of students past and present. Requiem, a Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead, creates a space in the conservatory to truly reflect and give power to the Black lives that have been unjustifiably lost over centuries in America. The streamed event includes spoken word, music, dance, digital art, and interviews with featured performers including Lemuel Marc, Naledi Masilo, Zoe Cagan, Joseph Borsellino, Nnamdi Odita-Hannah, Zabriel Rivers, and Caleb Smith. Among the pieces to be performed are Caleb Smith’s “Nostalgia” for saxophone, drums, bass, piano, and guitar; Allison Loggins-Hull’s “Homeland” performed by flutist Zoe Cagan; “Thina Sizwe,” a traditional South African protest song performed by Naledi Masilo; “Fables of Faubus” by Charles Mingus, arranged by Lemuel Marc and performed by NEC students Marc, William Mabuza, Zoe Murphy, and guests; “Breathe Again” by Toni Braxton, performed by Zabriel Rivers; “The Police State” by Joseph Borsellino; “Keep Marching” by Anthony Greene. 

 

All events are organized by the BSU Board, Zoe Cagan (chair), Lemuel Marc (marketing and media chair), Nnamdi Odita-Honnah (community events chair), Naledi Masilo (board partner), and David Norville (board partner), under the guidance of faculty advisors Nedelka Prescod and Jason Moran, and staff advisors Claudia Robaina Winston and Annie Phillips. 

 

“This was a year of mourning and suffering,” says Cagan, “and our Black communities have taken heavy losses. Continuation of a Dream: Requiem reflects on the pain Black people have endured while also giving power to our songs, our stories, and our lives. This month, we dedicate our programming to those who have walked before us. We dedicate our songs to them, and we continue on the path towards realizing a better today and a better tomorrow.”

 

Other events include:

∙ Thursday, February 11, 7 p.m. EST, livestream concert with current NEC student Lemuel Marc and guests featuring “Stolen Moments” by Oliver Nelson and “JuJu” by Wayne Shorter.

 

∙ Thursday, February 18, 7 p.m. EST, livestream concert by Trio Gaia featuring Andrew Barnwell, Grant Houston, Yi-Mei Templeman performing “Five Negro Melodies for Piano Trio.” Geneva Lewis, Maria Ioudenitch, Zhanbo Zheng, and Gabriel Martins will perform Eleanor Alberga’s “String Quartet No. 2.” 

 

∙ Sunday, February 28, Live Stream The Connection: Chains & Change

 

∙ Thursday, March 11, Live Stream The Connection: Chains & Change

 

∙ Friday, February 19, “Black is Canon,” countdown to Coretta Scott King tribute 10-minute Instagram event “Stay on It,” Julius Eastman

 

∙ Saturday, February 20, “Black is Canon,” countdown to Coretta Scott King tribute 10-minute Instagram event “Dismal Swamp,” William Grant Still 

 

∙ Sunday, February 21, “Black is Canon,” countdown to Coretta Scott King tribute 10-minute Instagram event “Symphony No. 1,” Florence Price

 

∙ Monday, February 22, “Black is Canon,” countdown to Coretta Scott King tribute 10-minute Instagram event, “Come Sunday,” Omar Thomas

 

∙ Tuesday, February 23, “Black is Canon,” countdown to Coretta Scott King tribute 10-minute Instagram event, “Portrait of Josephine,” Valerie Coleman

 

∙ Wednesday, February 24, “Black is Canon,” countdown to Coretta Scott King tribute 10-minute Instagram event, “Black, Brown and Beige,” Duke Ellington

Students performing at last year's BSU events

New England Conservatory’s Black Student Union is committed to the fortification and celebration of Black art and culture in the NEC community, the advocation for equal representation and inclusion of all students at NEC. The purpose of the New England Conservatory Black Student Union is to provide an open forum for Black and non-Black students who want to be more involved in the discussion about the Black experience, to create a safe space in order to unify and educate Black students and the greater NEC community about the Black history and culture. Through discussion, performances, and outreach, the BSO finds new ways to implement positive change in the community.

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