Chucho Valdés Academy

Cuban Pianist and Composer Chucho Valdés

Opens his Online Music Academy

Before devoting himself entirely to a career in music as a pianist and composer, Chucho Valdés studied to become a teacher. His admiration for his uncle Emilio’s vocation, who was an important educator in Cuba, led him to attend teacher training school with the goal of becoming an educator. However, Valdés chose to play piano in the orchestra led by his father, the legendary Bebo Valdés, catapulting him into an influential career spanning more than six decades.

Years after taking those teaching classes, Chucho Valdés returns to his old passion for teaching.

Beginning March 15th, Valdés inaugurates his virtual music school, the Chucho Valdés Academy. He will offer piano and improvisation courses, as well as lectures filmed at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, on Cuban Music and Afro-Cuban Jazz. 

The first course offered by the Chucho Valdés Academy are pre-recorded lectures in which Valdés, in his casual, informal style, explains the history of modern Cuban piano and the art of improvisation. This initial course contains 14 lectures between 5 and 8 minutes each. The first 100 registrants will have the opportunity to participate in a talk via Zoom with Valdés, in groups of 10.

"For years, students and fans have been asking me to give classes and talks, but with touring and recording there was never time. I think the circumstances we live in, and the stage I am at in my career and life make this a great time to share my years of experience in music. I was fortunate to have one of the great masters of Cuban music, my father Bebo, who was a great pianist, composer and orchestra conductor, and since I was a child I had a privileged place to listen and learn this music directly from its best creators.” says Valdés.

Valdés continues "It's going to be a pleasure to be able to pass on not only what I learned with teachers like my beloved Zenaida Romeu or some of the great musicians with whom I have had the good fortune to share stages and recording studios, but also the lessons that I have been learning in all these years of playing and listening. Now I hope that those who come to the Academy will enjoy and learn as much by listening to these talks as I have enjoyed and learned preparing them."

Johann Zietsman, President and Executive Director of Arsht Center, celebrates the opening by emphasizing “Chucho is undoubtedly a globally impactful, living legend who carries the torch of Afro-Cuban music and has done so throughout his career. Chucho shares the Arsht Center’s commitment to connecting communities more profoundly through the arts and arts education Zietsman said.. We feel lucky and extremely proud to continue to collaborate with him for the launch of the Chucho Valdes Academy and many projects to come,”

To register visit www.chuchovaldesacademy.com

Chucho Valdés Academy

Registration Open: February 25, 2021

For more information, please visit:

chuchovaldesacademy.com | Facebook | Instagram

Simon Nabatov Quintet - Plain (February 2021)

Let's be clear from the start. There's nothing "plain" about the new recording by Simon Nabatov, if by plain you mean "not attractive" or "undistinguished". Nabatov clarifies: "in Plain I was consciously looking for that minimum of compositional conditions which would provide an interesting work frame. I mean "plain" as in simple, understandable, approachable - not as primitive or boring, and hoped to walk this thin dividing line (hopefully on the right side)." Be assured he has succeeded magnificently. Unsurprising really when you consider his background. Since leaving the Soviet Union in 1979 aged 20, Nabatov has brought a breathtaking finesse to a staggering range of styles, equally at home in modern jazz, free improvisation, the canons of Thelonious Monk and Herbie Nichols, and Brazilian music, as well as his own works which defy easy classification.

Plain is the second in an ongoing series of recordings (after 2019's excellent Last Minute Theory) in which Nabatov reconnects with the NYC scene after some 30 years, enthused by the increasing profile there for challenging music. He's recruited some of the city's finest talents for this session. Having worked twice with Chris Speed in the past he knew he wanted the reedman on board. "I’ve been a big fan for a long time. Love his clarinet sound, love this instrument." And of course it recalls Nabatov's first significant gig with the late clarinetist Perry Robinson. Alongside him is trumpeter Herb Robertson, a consummate player who's made a career out of avoiding the obvious, who appeared on Nabatov's The Master And Margarita (Leo, 2001).

"He is definitely one of the unsung heroes of this music." Anchoring the band is the formidable tandem of Tom Rainey and John Hébert, a staple from the bands of Kris Davis and Ingrid Laubrock. While Nabatov's alliance with Rainey is longstanding, he's never performed with Hébert before. That fits the template: "The idea is to have on board at least one or two I never played with, but enjoyed their musicianship for some time."

That push-pull between familiarity and the unknown finds its echo in the material which mixes mood-morphing pieces with others where a narrative is more easily discerned. But whatever the conception, the outcome is thrilling. The mutable title track begins with a coolly elegant duet between Nabatov and Speed, on that clarinet, before becoming by turns portentous, rhapsodic, choppy and sparkling. Like all the charts here it contains more than enough leeway for the starry cast to lean into, and their sensitivity, commitment and exceptional prowess prove a continual pleasure as they ease gracefully between unfettered expression and precise notation.

Each number is its own world, often embracing similar juxtapositions. That's evident on "Copy That" where the tightly coiled theme is set amid lightly plotted interplay which includes a bristling tenor/trumpet exchange, and on "Cry From Hell" where the jaunty melody is bookended by inspired ensemble give and take. If you detect a Brazilian flavour here you would not be wrong. Nabatov is a mad keen fan of the country's popular music, and visits regularly. "The core tune is written in the genre "Choro" - a very popular instrumental genre born in Rio de Janeiro in the 1870s. The Portuguese word "choro" means a cry. And since it’s not exactly a clean authentic reading of the music - why not a somewhat ironic title?"

"Rambling On", the only improv on the date, envelops a text by Robertson, delivered through a bullhorn. "I felt its harsh nature would be a good contrast to the rest of the program. It has the compelling nature of a passionate (political?) statement, reflecting something of the zeitgeist of today." Nabatov rounds off the album with an urbane rendition of Herbie Nichols' "House Party Starting". As he explains, "It displays my take on "plain" perfectly - no hip arrangement, an unadorned, soothing conclusion."

What better way to finish. John Sharpe

1. Plain 12:00

2. Copy That 08:38

3. Cry From Hell 06:50

4. Break 07:42

5. Ramblin' On 03:03

6. Slow Thinker 10:29

7. House Party Starting 07:30

Chris Speed - tenor saxophone, clarinet

Herb Robertson - trumpet, cornet, voice

Simon Nabatov - piano

John Hébert - bass

Tom Rainey - drums

all music by Simon Nabatov (GEMA)

except track 5 (collective improv on the text of Herb Robertson)

and track 7 by Herbie Nichols

recorded June 1 2019 at the Trading8s Studio, New Jersey

recorded by Christopher Sulit, mixed and mastered by Stefan Deistler

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Simon Nabatov Quintet - Last Minute Theory (February 2021)

Simon Nabatov spent the better part of the 1980s in New York City, finishing his studies while simultaneously working as a freelance musician primarily in jazz as well as wherever else his versatility would take him. It was certainly quite an adventure for a recent émigré from the Soviet Union. Following this fertile period in New York, he began a new chapter in his musical path with a move to Cologne, Germany in 1989 where he remains to this day. Many well-documented projects and collaborations unfolded since that move, often (but not only) with musicians based in Europe.

In September of 2018 Nabatov, after many years of exploring predominantly free improvised music, went to New York City with a desire to explore a more traditional jazz setting with a hand-picked group of master musicians; colleagues with whom he shares musical sensibilities and tastes. Some of them he has known for a long time, but never played a note together before, like saxophonist Tony Malaby, with some of them he already shared the stage on a number of occasions, like the drummer Gerald Cleaver. Completing this formidable band is guitarist Brandon Seabrook, and bassist Michael Formanek. It can be easily said of all four musicians that they participate for many years now in writing the history of jazz from the New York perspective.

The album opens with the nostalgic stroll „Old Fashioned“. The band gets right away into a leisurely stride, with a few odd bars in the tune to assure a slight stumbling effect along the way. The overall modus operandi is hinted at, with Malaby’s robust melodic voice propelling the story, Seabrook’s unique method of blending seemingly incongruous elements into one marvel, and the rhythm section providing a solid and supple feel.

„Slow Move“ appears to suspend the time, with an austere atmosphere driven by spiky chords. The piece travels through a series of mysterious episodes, Malaby’s soaring soprano sax is well-matched with Seabrook’s breath-of-dragon effects – before returning briefly to the initial material.

„Rickety“ starts as a relatively sparse and light premise, but promptly develops into a rambunctious all-in collective dance, groovy and ecstatic, with twirling lines atop charged by Montuno-like piano figures.

Nabatov admits that the political moods in his former residence made their way into his mind, hence the „Marching Right Along“, a piece reflecting the resolve of people who raise their voices for the common good. Gerald Cleaver invites us into this feeling with his succinct introduction.

„Translated“ evokes the dreamy feel of the musical worlds of the great late drummer Paul Motian, with whom Nabatov recorded the „Circle The Line“ album back in 1985. Tony Malaby, a veteran of Motian’s band, brings that authentic experience to this flowing ballad.

Piano is featured in the first part of „Good Pedigree“, initially as a duo with bass, later joined by drums. The rest of the band eventually joins for a stretch of joyous interjections, before a calming glide towards a full stop.

The closing piece, „Afterwards“, starts with an intense collective improvisation, full of energy and exuberance, followed by Michael Formanek’s melodic and pensive solo.

The tune and the whole album come to a conclusion with Brandon Seabrook’s quirky solo over the repeated peaceful song-like phrases.

„Last Minute Theory“ offers a collection of original works celebrating the city that remains Simon Nabatov’s other musical home. Combining a straight-forward approach with intricate details, both joyful and melancholic, this album brings Nabatov’s diverse musical abilities into a new light offering a new perspective to this remarkable and prolific musician.

1. Old Fashioned 08:33

2. Slow Move 07:46

3. Rickety 05:38

4. Marching Right Along 05:59

5. Translated 07:12

6. Good Pedigree 08:03

7. Afterwards 07:44

Tony Malaby - tenor and soprano saxophones

Brandon Seabrook - guitar

Simon Nabatov - piano

Michael Formanek - bass

Gerald Cleaver - drums

all music by Simon Nabatov (GEMA)

recorded September 29 2019 by Nolan Thies

at the Bunker Studio, Brooklyn NY

mixed and mastered by Srefan Deistler

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Brandon Seabrook / Simon Nabatov - Voluptuaries (2021)

Brandon Seabrook and Simon Nabatov meet in the imaginary garden of sensual pleasures of music-making. With a sheer joy of the shared sensibilities, they traverse diverse landscapes, opulent and glowing, or brooding and suspenseful at times. Both are capable of quirky actions, often offset by the equally unexpected lyricism.

The exchange of scratchy stabs, melodic runs, entangled textures, luscious chords, dramatic outbursts or whispers of angelic voices - all of the elements find their place in the flowing yet coherent story-telling of this fabulous duo.

1. Daggers 05:15

2. Who Never Dies 04:52

3. Dust Storms 04:58

4. Fresnel Lenses 04:38

5. Squalid Simplicities 02:56

6. Foam 02:26

7. Grosbeak 04:32

8. Spirit Of The Staircase 05:02

9. Diamonds and Dust 02:22

10. Vex Me 03:02

11. La Femme Makita 03:45

12. Voluptuaries 04:01

Brandon Seabrook - guitar

Simon Nabatov - piano

all music by Brandon Seabrook (BMI) 

and Simon Nabatov (GEMA)

recorded in LOFT Cologne November 4 2019 

recorded, mixed and mastered by Stefan Deistler

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Simon Nabatov - Live in Matsuyama (2021)

‘Live in Matsuyama’ is a result of circumstance. The performance was not intended as a recording, but occurrences arranged themselves to produce this fortuitous outcome. The rhythm section of pianist Simon Nabatov, bassist Takashi Seo and drummer Darren Moore were set to engage in a nine-city Japan tour with saxophonist Akira Sakata in early December 2019, but Sakata missed the first three shows due to unforeseen circumstances. ’Live in Matsuyama’ documents the third and final trio performance, which is marked by intuitive communication that wheels from state to state with restless motion. Nabatov, Seo and Moore move as if a single entity producing murmurations of sound; darting fluid formations that arise and dissipate with virtuosic agility.

1. One Down 19:15

2. Deliverance 10:55

3. Turbid Medium 05:23

Simon Nabatov - piano

Takashi Seo - bass

Darren Moore - drums

recorded at Monk Jazz Club, Matsuyama, Japan on December 3 2019

recorded by Toshihiro Toyoshima, Mitsuru Itani and Naofumi Sato

mixed by Mitsuru Itani

mastered by Stefan Deistler

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Rob Frye - Exoplanet (April 23, 2021 Astral Spirits)

On Exoplanet, Rob Frye generates an atmosphere in which drummers and improvisers orbit synthesizers, inhabiting a Goldilocks zone of electronic and biotic components. Some of the tracks were created spontaneously or composed of strict loops, but two of the arrangements are melodic adaptations of the song of Musician Wren. After working as a field biologist with the Institute for Bird Populations in California from 2012-2016, Frye began to slow down and transcribe birdsong, eventually developing a performative lecture called Hearing Hidden Melodies. "XC175020" and "XC222182" are not potential earth-like planets in another solar system, indeed they are individual birds recorded by Peter Boesman in the Amazon. This bird, known as Uirapuru in Brazil and La Flautista in Peru, reminds us of the mysterious sonic knowledge threatened on our very own home planet.

On this, his first album for Astral Spirits and his first as a leader, Rob played woodwinds and synthesizers and directed a specialized crew, recruiting Bitchin' Bajas (Drag City) bandmates Cooper Crain and Dan Quinlivan on engineering and electronics. Ben Lamar Gay's cornet (International Anthem) and Macie Stewart's violin (OHMME) pitch and roll, fueled by the dual propulsion of drummers Quin Kirchner (Astral Spirits) and Tommaso Moretti (Amalgam), while Nick Ciontea (brownshoesonly) consults on modular synthesizer. Like the Uirapuru, Edbrass Brasil (Sê-Lo!) also searches through fallen leaves in some of his own work, though for sound not insects. On "Innercosmos" we he hear his unconventional wind tubes, and on "XC222182" his voice calling as instruments gather, playing the bird's melody.

1. Sunrise on Pruhina

2. XC175020 06:14

3. Innercosmos

4. Jupiter Control

5. XC222182 (feat. Edbrass Brasil)

6. Lightship Sgr A Star

7. Goldilocks

8. Sunset on Jgelu

ROB FRYE - compositions, woodwinds, synthesizers

COOPER CRAIN - electric organ, synthesizers

DANIEL QUINLIVAN - synthesizer, electronics, wurlitzer

BEN LAMAR GAY - cornet and wurlitzer

TOMMASO MORETTI - drums (right channel)

QUIN KIRCHNER - drums (left channel)

MACIE STEWART - violin on tracks 2, 5, and 7

NICK CIONTEA - synthesizer on tracks 3 and 4

EDBRASS BRASIL - wind instruments and voice track 3 and 5

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Wadada Leo Smith / Douglas R. Ewart / Mike Reed - Sun Beans of Shimmering Light (April 16, 2021 Astral Spirits)

Thrilled to announce the upcoming release of "Sun Beans of Shimmering Light" from the trio of Wadada Leo Smith, Douglas R. Ewart & Mike Reed!. The album is out on Vinyl & CD on April 16th.

1. Constellations and Conjunctional Spaces

2. Sun Beans of Shimmering Light

3. Super Moon Rising 10:21

4. Unknown Forces

5. Dark Tango

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[Ahmed] - Nights on Saturn (communication) / March 26, 2021 Astral Spirits

"The journey of self-discovery, communing with the eternal sound. A musician steeped in multiple worlds; oceans apart yet closely connected in ancestral memory. Musicians such as Ahmed Abdul-Malik were able to experience the global community of sound warriors, drawing inspiration from ancient cultures to support personal investigation. The connection was made clear, the music of Africa would certainly influence the African in America despite the atrocities of the Middle Passage, chattel slavery, and continued racist violence that sought to sever any connection to the continent. The beauty of Malik’s investigation is this original fusion of new music (Jazz) of the African in America with ancient music of Africa. It is a shining example of collaboration in culture, where the music is allowed to shine for itself. This is the inspiration that is being tapped, being explored in this collaboration where rhythm is the basis for the sound. Just like Malik, they allow the spirit of the collective push the sound as the music develops into exalted chaos. Joy Be Upon Us!" - Luke Stewart

1. Nights on Saturn (communication)

2. Nights on Saturn (communication) SAMPLE

Pat Thomas - Piano

Joel Grip - Bass

Antonin Gerbal - Drums

Seymour Wright - Alto saxophone

Arranged by [AHMED]

Recorded live at Cafe OTO, London, December 5th, 2019

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Kuzu - The Glass Delusion (March 5, 2021 Astral Spirits)

KUZU is a hard-charging but patient trio that came together in the fall of 2017, after saxophonist Dave Rempis, a stalwart of the Chicago improvised music scene, worked with both Tashi Dorji (guitar) and Tyler Damon (drums) individually as part of a lengthy solo tour of the U.S. that he undertook in the spring of that year.  Dorji and Damon’s work as a guitar/percussion duo has become well-known, a highly refined and specific language developed through relentless touring and recording over the last few years, with a sound that straddles improvised music, rock, and any number of as-yet-undefined territories.  These two provide an incredibly fresh take on the possibilities inherent to spontaneous composition.  Superimposing Rempis into this mix was a logical next step after the relationships they’d forged individually.  The trio’s debut record Hiljaisuus (“silence” in Finnish…) was released on LP by the well-known label Astral Spirits in summer 2018, and on cd by Aerophonic Records in January 2019.  Their sophomore release Purple Dark Opal came out on Aerophonic Records in February 2020, and the band finished their second full-length US Tour in mid-March as the COVID crisis descended on the world.  Their fall 2020 debut tour of Europe was postponed until fall 2021, but their next LP release The Glass Delusion is anticipated on Astral Spirits in early 2021.

Musically, these three create a highly focused pallet of sounds. At times, spacious gestures carve up the canvas with the austerity of a calligrapher, while at others those sparse gestures build into an unstoppable tsunami of energy. Those waves are never impulsive or impetuous though, they ebb and flow logically and patiently out of simple and clearly defined sources. Rempis’ penchant for pentatonic melodies and rough and tumble timbres combines seamlessly with Dorji’s thick, raw sound and singular approach to intonation, buttressed by Damon’s rapid-fire yet powerful stickwork, to produce a music that’s exquisitely detailed at any one point in time, yet carries the narrative arc of their often set-length explorations without ever losing its coordinates. In this music you can hear the many hours together in a van roaming the hills of Tennessee and Pennsylvania, the plains of Texas and Illinois, and the forests of North Carolina and New England, trading playlists ranging from jazz icons like Pharaoh Sanders and Yusef Lateef to Scandinavian black metal bands like Craft and Darkthrone. While this isn’t a new thing in creative music – broad ears are a trademark of musicians in this world - what makes the pairing so unique is the truly organic way in which they string these influences together into a coherent sound. 

This isn’t a Frankenstein pastiche of bits and pieces held together with duct tape and glue, and a paper-thin conception. This is an emotionally deep and sincere effort to join genuinely disparate influences arrived at only through patient toil. When we ask if Rempis is channeling Coltrane, or a Turkish clarinet player; does Dorji sound like a Delta bluesman, or a southeast Asian rocker from the 70’s; is that Art Blakey or John Bonham rolling out through Damon’s toms; the answer is undoubtedly all of the above. And yet, despite the breadth of the trio’s inspirations, their music never collapses under the weight of its aspirations, fearlessly carving out a new corner in the broader sonic landscape.

1. It Simply Becomes Jammed Part 1

2. It Simply Becomes Jammed Part 2

3. Gnash

Dave Rempis - alto/tenor/baritone saxophones

Tashi Dorji- guitar

Tyler Damon - drums

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Roscoe Mitchell & Mike Reed - the Ritual and the Dance (February 2021 Astral Spirits)

The free jazz genre is graced by the dynamic duo of multireedist Roscoe Mitchell, an unapologetic nonconformist, and drummer Mike Reed, an artisan of the rhythm. The sophomore release of these AACM artists is called The Ritual and the Dance and was recorded live in 2015 during their European tour. It consists of a nearly 37-minute uninterrupted storytelling with no idle moments.

The high-pitched soprano laments delivered by Mitchell take the form of piercing indigenous chants blown vertiginously with circular breathing and patterned stimuli. The dry rat-a-tat of the snare drum makes a beautiful tonal contrast with the deep bass drum kicks, establishing an intense, sedulous workout routine that will put you in a state of bemused fascination.

The impressive versatility of Reed surfaces not only when he seats behind the drumset, but also when he operates electronics with subtle sensitivity. At some point, his adept pulses are transformed into droning backgrounds, whose dark tones allow the saxophone to reflect brightly. Reed then resumes the stomping cadence but keeps changing its colors. 

The turbulent environment is refrained at the minute 20, when Mitchell switches to tenor, seeking folk melodies and exploring some long notes that oscillate in pitch. His beefy, occasionally raucous tone is unadorned, if slower, here, but he switches horns again for a stimulating final stretch.

Adventurous jazz listeners will be struck by the force of this music, certainly wishing that Mitchell and Reed can collaborate again soon.

1. the Ritual and the Dance 36:43

2. the Dance SAMPLE 16:08

Roscoe Mitchell: reeds

Mike Reed: drums, electronics

Recorded by Michael Huon at the Oorstof concert series

Zuiderpershuis, Antwerp, Belgium, October 22, 2015

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Jeremiah Cymerman / Charlie Looker - A Horizon Made Of Canvas (February 2021 Astral Spirits)

A Horizon Made of Canvas is a bleak marvel, a journey through the creeping sensation that something new and unexplainable is around the corner. Sharing its name with the first chapter of a book by neo-reactionary writer Mencius Moldbug, the album presents sounds like a fog: dense yet sparse, seemingly unmovable and yet always in motion, a contradictory mass whose insides are empty. I felt nervous while listening to it, a strange bodily alert that was telling me I was somehow about to fall; A Horizon draws full attention through its slight, quiet tone and subtle instrumental dialogues, like a dread mystery unfolding, making it easy to lose oneself amidst the volumes spoken by its silences. It made me want to know where it was taking me, the clarinet’s voice a jeweled allure leading only deeper inside the fog, every step a nudge in paranoiac impulses – in the end, the place where it was taking me was simply nowhere.

To be on the verge of an image of the world and finding its spiteful artificial nature is the gist of Moldbug’s chapter, but like with many an exploratory US writer, the failing of his text is that the world is the global mental projection of American society. His reductive, elaborately obtuse writing necessarily folds upon itself, its feeble attempts at describing something other than the image of his native country rapidly leading to the appearance of a revelation beholden to the replacement of an American hegemony with another of a different order. “We are left with pure confusion”, Moldbug states at the end, in what is presumably to be continued by rational illumination, but then only further entrenches within a haze of bullet-speed historical reductions that put new clothes on the Third-Positionist emperor.

The cracks in the text are like the silences in the album: they are pure nothingness, an oasis of thought for the nihilism-inclined, a warm call to live without – even beyond – illusions. But once the, it is impossible not to see that this dark refuge of desire and reason is yet another illusion itself: the music slithers on, as music, as expressionist hell, as something only seeming to be on the edge of intelligibility. For all its paranoid evocations, that no-place is still resolutely the world and its inescapable image.

Jeremiah Cymerman & Charlie Looker are masters of their craft each, having made careers out of consistently severe and challenging work. This is perhaps both artists’ heaviest project to date, which is saying something. The slow-burning realization of desires unfulfilled, of the failure of the nihilist outlook, of the powerful sensation of being at the edge of something truly new whittling away into nerve-wracking deception – every call and every response sums up into a great everything whose initially imposing size is ultimately revealed to be insignificant after a simple shift in perspective. This is the other great dimension in the album, a mournful constant that underlies the music’s allures. It ends without any sense of having ended, but unlike ambient or drone works that seem to continue on as a lingering register somewhere in our consciousness, A Horizon Made of Canvas cuts all pretenses of continuity away. Its distortions and modernist klezmer-like riffs do not stay, they do not welcome the listener into any sort of fold.

When I thought I’d finally know where we were going, they just turned away, and left me reeling. I smiled, but it was a smile without mirth. No wonder the album starts with a track called “The Ecstasy of Betrayal”, perhaps a reference to Jean Genet’s Prisoner of Love. Paradoxically, for Genet, it is only in that passionate moment being betrayed when clarity arrives, when true goodness, true connection with others, becomes possible. My nervousness passed, and in the mournfulness for having being deceived I let it all go.

If you’ve ever been attracted by the end of the world, this is for you. Let its spark tempt you, let the nothingness feel like home – the end is one more image, and it will turn its back on you, too. By the time its alienating, bleak music suddenly falls quiet, it will let you return to others, it will let you appreciate the joy of belonging. After all, it is the canvas that is made of horizons, not the other way around. (David Murrieta Flores)

1. The Ecstasy of Betrayal 09:34

2. Speaking of Dust 10:33

3. I'll Show You What You Are 03:17

4. A Horizon Made of Canvas 13:04

5. Samson 07:31

Jeremiah Cymerman: clarinets, pedals

Charlie Looker, guitars, piano

Recorded by Chris Schlarb at BIG EGO Studios, Long Beach CA, January 10th, 2020

Mixed by Jeremiah Cymerman

Mastered by James Plotkin

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Michael Dease - Give It All You Got (February 26, 2021 Posi-Tones Records)

Poll-winning trombonist Michael Dease shows us just what it means to "Give It All You Got" on his eighth release for Posi-Tone. All the pieces fit together perfectly as Dease provides remarkable clarity of vision for enlisting the able assistance of Jim Alfredson on organ, Greg Tardy on saxophone, Anthony Stanco on trumpet, Gwendolyn Dease on percussion, and Ulysses Owens Jr. on drums.

This remarkable collection of hard hitting performances also features special guest appearances from saxophonist Sharel Cassity and guitarist Randy Napoleon that are seamlessly woven into the mix as the bandleader shines brightly with inspiration across a wide spectrum of styles and sounds! 

Critical ears and casual listeners will be delighted as Michael Dease continues to entertain and astonish, while walking the talk of his charitable message to "Give It All You Got."

1. A Sliver Of Silver 05:47

2. Climb The Mountain 07:04

3. Dave's Boogie-Down 05:58

4. Lake Toxaway Getaway 04:56

5. Parker's Fancy 04:57

6. Ritmo De Brevard 06:08

7. The Next Level 05:18

8. Transylvania County Funk Parade 06:08

9. Word To The Wise 05:23

10. Zanderfied 05:58

Michael Dease - trombone

Anthony Stanco - trumpet, flugelhorn 6

Gregory Tardy - tenor saxophone

Jim Alfredson - organ

Ulysses Owens Jr. - drums

Gwendolyn Dease - congas 1, 4, 6, 8, 10; triangle 5, 6

Brooklyn Dease - percussion 6

Luther Allison - drums 3, 9

Sharel Cassity - alto saxophone 5

Randy Napoleon - guitar 8

produced by Marc Free

engineered by Nick O'Toole

recorded September 22, 2019 at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY

mixed & mastered at Woodland Studio, Lake Oswego, OR

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Out To Dinner - Play On (February 2021 Posi-Tone Records)

Get ready for a second helping of auditory delights from the Out To Dinner ensemble, as they keep the kitchen open after hours and “Play On.” Featuring a musical menu of inspired selections, Posi-Tone producer Marc Free has assembled this volume of performances to prompt listeners to expand their sonic palettes with an adventurous exploration of the jazz genre. This engaging quintet date is highlighted by front line performances from vibraphonist Behn Gillece, trumpet prodigy Giveton Gelin and rising star tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, all moving freely together over the solid harmonic foundation of bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Donald Edwards, both established jazz veterans.

We are confident that the collaborative journey of Out To Dinner will encourage our faithful audience to follow the melodies as they navigate steadily from the known and familiar into the uncharted realms of modern collective improvisation.

1. Play On 04:36

2. Random 03:55

3. Asami's Playland 05:59

4. Rebecca's Dance 05:34

5. Into The Shadows 04:50

6. Abe Duct 05:22

7. Armageddon 04:39

8. Something From Nothing 04:34

9. The Essential Passion 05:33

10. Visions 03:44

11. Lew's Loose 04:28

12. The Dream 06:27

13. Short Count 04:56

Giveton Gelin - trumpet

Nicole Glover - tenor saxophone

Behn Gillece - vibraphone

Boris Kozlov - bass

Donald Edwards - drums

Patrick Cornelius - alto saxophone 5, 6, 13

produced by Marc Free

engineered by Nick O'Toole

recorded June 9, 2019 at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY

mixed & mastered at Woodland Studio, Lake Oswego, OR

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Oportet - Scandala (February 2021 Auand Records)

“Scandala” and the music outcome of human connections

in Stefano Costanzo’s Oportet new EP

Back with his band, the Italian drummer joins forces with

Marco Fiorenzano (piano), Umberto Lepore (double bass)

and Davide Maria Viola on cello

Recorded live in studio, back when welcoming people to a music performance was still an option, “Scandala” is Italian drummer Stefano Costanzo’s Oportet new EP (currently available as digital release only on Auand Records), featuring Marco Fiorenzano (piano) and Umberto Lepore (double bass), plus Davide Maria Viola on cello.

The entire work is an effort to focus on the essential, as Costanzo explains: «This album was recorded in a studio, in front of students who listened and witnessed how to record on tape with no second take. Mistakes are allowed – they can always open a new door – but you must guard against anything unnecessary, such as a solo as intended in the jazz world. Instead, we wanted to make room (and time) for what is essential in the very moment of recording out of instinct.»

Nevertheless, time and instinct came only after a painstaking, almost obsessive work on countless details for each of the four tracks. «The EP was born after a very long gestation – Costanzo adds – with raving rehearsals on every single section of every track. It also went through intense sharing moments of human interactions, besides the music.»

These are the key elements in Scandala: human connections and bonds:  «Oportet was formed eight years ago because of human connections. I can’t write music for people I don’t know personally. I’ve noticed that when I compose music with some specific people in mind, the result is not only a very fluid interplay, but also that genuineness that comes from trust and empathy.»

1 Una ex septem

2 Roccocó

3 Trapaniana

4 Michelangelo Viscusi

Marco Fiorenzano piano

Umberto Lepore double bass, bells, objects

Stefano Costanzo drums, bells, bow and objects

Davide Maria Viola cello (on tracks 1 and 4)

All tracks are composed and arranged by Stefano Costanzo

Recorded live at Godfather Studio (Napoli, Italia) on a Studer ATR by Massimiliano Pone during a record lesson

Exectuive producer: Marco Valente

Mixed by Umberto Lepore

Mastered by Giovanni Roma at "L'arte dei rumori" (Marano, Napoli)

Cover paint by Emanuele Pacini (photo by Alberto Pezzuti)

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Dario Piccioni - Carpet Stories (February 2021 Auand Records)

Auand releases Dario Piccioni’s “Carpet Stories”

The Italian double bass player leads a trio featuring Vittorio Solimene on piano and Michele Santoleri on drums, plus Veronica Marini’s guest vocals

A piano trio focused on double bass. Upside down structures. Mediterranean flavours. Italian double bass player Dario Piccioni’s new trio album “Carpet Stories” is the first he records on Auand label. Even if the band (with Vittorio Solimene on piano, and Michele Santoleri on drums) might look like the usual piano trio, Piccioni mixes things up by giving his instrument the leading role: «I like to contaminate jazz with specific elements recently: importance of double bass, rhythmic research, structure overturning, aggressive percussion. And also unisons, progressive hints, Mediterranean sounds, fusion. Everything is put in a dreamy frame, and enriched with interplay and improvisation.»

These choices shape the entire narrative of his “Carpet Stories”, rooted in his childhood memories. He used to play on his grandparents’ carpet «and I remember the feeling: it was like watching a movie, or playing a video game. But nothing was moving: it was only a motif, possibly a chivalric illustration with some decorations. It was like a Stendhal syndrome that lasted quite long. In the end, everyday objects like a carpet also had that purpose: transmitting stories, like movies do today. But I had an active role in that moment: I was able to create multiple stories, using and mixing the recurring elements.»

Two trusted musicians fully support him: Vittorio Solimene has been on stage with Piccioni since the pianist was18 years old. They also toured Europe, influencing each other. «He is highly contributing to the sound of this project – the leader adds – As for Michele Santoleri, we have a deep spiritual connection. We both keep ourselves away from purism. I feel free to experiment when I play with him.»

The trio also features a special appearance by singer Veronica Marini – her lively and dreamy vocals on “A New Ceiba” and on title track “Carpet Stories” strengthen the melodic and emotional message.

Piccioni’s writing method is now solid. «It’s like following the same path – he says – stepping in the same footprints we left in the past. Only, the path is never the same. Our look on the landscape has changed, as well as our footprints. Everything flows. The artist grows up by listening to himself and the others. And he finds deeper meanings even when analysing the same structure or form for years.»

1. Kinsoma 04:25

2. Tower Of Silence 04:13

3. Migala 02:56

4. Dounia 05:00

5. Canto di Restanza #1 02:02

6. Canto di Restanza #2 02:21

7. A New Ceiba 05:46

8. Black Narcissus 05:31

9. Carpet Stories 06:19

Dario Piccioni - double bass, acoustic bass

Vittorio Solimene - piano

Michele Santoleri - drums

Veronica Marini voice on #7, 9

All compositions by Dario Piccioni (ed. mus. Jazz Engine) except #8 by Joe Henderson

Produced by Dario Piccioni

Exectuive producer: Marco Valente

Recorded at Extrabeat Studio - Roma

Mixed and mastered by Eugenio Vatta

Cover photo by Valentina Smeraldi/Fabio Baudo

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Ananasnna - Veloci come in 500 (2021 Auand Records)

Unfiltered, curious, bold: it’s Ananasnna

An unusual double duo plus electric bass

fighting formalities in “Veloci come in 500”

Led by Italian composer Stefano Risso, the band features

two alto sax players (Simone Garino and Davide Pignata)

and two drummers (Michele Bussone and Nicholas Remondino)

Stefano Risso

By picking the glorious Fiat Cinquecento as their cover image, Ananasnna kick off their game of references that mixes vintage and futuristic approaches. With the sharp dexterity of an artisan – one that rejects ready-to-use solutions – “Veloci come in 500” (“Fast as in a Cinquecento”) is Ananasnna’s debut album released by Auand Records. The Italian quintet actually identifies as a double duo plus one – the “one” being bass player and composer Stefano Risso, who penned all eight tracks for his four young aides: Simone Garino and Davide Pignata, both on alto sax, and Michele Bussone and Nicholas Remondino, both on drums.

Among the many stories of this record, the place of honor is for the spark that made it happen: a “recording jam” with Piedmont-based musicians suggested by Studio Rubedo’s Manuel Volpe. What started as a trio (sax, bass, and drums) quickly evolved into a double duo plus one. «Doubling an instrument in an ensemble – Stefano Risso recalls – is something I always find very interesting. It’s a sort of auditory illusion. It may not sound like you’re listening to two musicians on the same instrument. Instead, it might feel like a sort of four-armed “music Shiva”!»

Risso wanted this project to involve several creative challenges – he never meets the rest of the band. «Luckily everyone understood my intention. They are young and talented, with strong identities. They played along.» He listened to them online. They would only meet for one rehearsal, and then at the recording session. After five hours, a record was born.

Risso’s brave approach highlighted the qualities in the band. Drummers Michele Bussone e Nicholas Remondino «are interested in researching on timbers – he says – though in different directions. This creates more depth in the music, enriched by simple polyrhythms on different meters. Simone Garino is always in the frontline when more energy is needed. Davide Pignata loves afro beat and African groove. Not having a harmonic instrument partially conceals the texture: counterpoints arise. I think it’s music based on groove and at the same time it’s solid. Looking closer at the details can reveal many surprises.»

The band as a whole is key in all tracks (especially “Scatta il rosso”, “Peso a valle” and the only song in the album, “Arearitroso”). «When you find yourself in a recording session – Risso adds – and you don’t know much of the others, it’s likely that everyone’s ego tries to dominate, forgetting that music is only possible when playing together. This is why I tried to provide, as much as possible, structures that forced everyone to stay focused on the entire group. If I think of Ananasnna, words like unfiltered occur to me. That feeling of meeting someone for the first time and immediately wanting to uncover all of their traits, digging deep, and being amazed.»

1. Scatta il rosso 05:57

2. Peso a valle 04:06

3. Spariglio 05:36

4. Tu di là io DC Comics 05:54

5. ZeroCalorie 03:35

6. Il Gran San Bernardo 05:46

7. Le assurdiSio 04:34

8. Arearitroso 02:27

9. XXXNem_o 16:35

Ananasnna is:

Stefano Risso EKO 995 violin electric bass

Simone Garino alto sax

Davide Pignata alto sax

Michele Bussone drums

Nicholas Remondino drums

all compositions by Stefano Risso published by Jazz Engine

Produced by Stefano Risso

Exectuive producer: Marco Valente

Recorded at Rubedo Recordings, Torino, Italy

Mixed and mastered by Manuel Volpe

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Luca Sguera - CTB, few hypotheses (2021 Auand Records)

"What might have been and what has been

point to one end, which is always present"

(T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets)

"CTB, few hypotheses" is a collaborative project between AKA and several sound/video artists.

Its purpose is to unfold the sonic and visual possibilities that emerge when one piece of art is opened up, reset to its fundemental particles, its crackles being put together from scratch, in different times, spaces and contexts.

At the same time, the project is an attempt to overcome our natural tendency to read one specific meaning in the reality that surrounds us and it is also a treatment for trustfulness.

Several questions led to the project: what is the meaning behind an improvised track? Is a piece of art necessarily owned by the artist itself? Does any new meaning appear when it becomes an object to be seen - and reimagined - from different angles? What does putting together these different perspectives mean?

The improvised track "CTB" was released as a bonus track of our first album and from that time it has been remixed, reworked, reimagined by several musicians active in different music contexts.

The results, mastered by sound master Renato Grieco, were forced to co-exist together in this album and were given a visual substance by Lorenzo Picarazzi, from Red Lights Video (except the video for California Technical Bulletin, made by The B-Roll himself). 

1. Luiz Vinoza - Come Tulipani Bianchi 00:53

2. blackHole unLTD. - Cipher Type Byte 03:30

3. Bienoise - Composite Triple Beat 08:10

4. Alessio Riccio - Cease to Breathe 08:12 video

5. The B-Roll - California Technical Bulletin 07:15 video

6. Giuseppe Pisano - Create This Book 07:16

7. Malstrom - Combat Trauma Bag 03:58 video

8. Lyn (HateLimbs) - Change the Business 03:54

9. Edoardo Bellucci - Color Temperature Blue 07:46

10. Manlio Maresca - Cut-Throat Bitch 04:46

11. Cristiano Bocci - Clear to Build 06:12 video

12. Delta Machina - Central Tape Bus 03:46 video

13. Perfect Cluster - Computerized Tomography Brain 06:36

14. Luca Sguera AKA - CTB 04:48

AKA is (and will always be)

Luca Sguera - piano

Francesco Panconesi - tenor sax

Alessandro Mazzieri - bass/electronics

Carmine Casciello - drums

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Ivo Perelman / Nate Wooley - Polarity (February 2021 Burning Ambulance Music)

Burning Ambulance Music is proud to announce Polarity, a collection of improvised but deeply considered duo encounters between tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman and trumpeter Nate Wooley.

Perelman, a saxophonist, painter and jewelry designer, is as committed to the art and craft of improvisation as anyone alive. Over a 30-year career, he has released more than 100 CDs, building creative relationships with players from all corners of the free music world. His intensity and devotion to spontaneous music-making is virtually without equal, and he has developed a unique and highly recognizable language on the horn, while always remaining open to hearing what his bandmates have to say.

Wooley is an open-eared and innovative improviser, composer, and all-around creative spirit who has worked extensively with Anthony Braxton, John Zorn, Ingrid Laubrock, Ken Vandermark, and many others, and has built up a vast and fascinating discography of his own, encompassing everything from solo work to recordings and performances with groups of all sizes.

This is the fifth encounter between Perelman and Wooley, but their first duo recording. They played together with pianist Matthew Shipp on Philosopher’s Stone and with bassist Brandon Lopez and drummer Gerald Cleaver on Octagon, both released in 2017, and reunited for Strings 3 with violist Mat Maneri and Strings 4 with Maneri and Shipp, from 2019.

The ten pieces on Polarity are intimate and beautiful, yet also rigorous and challenging. As Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg writes in the liner notes, “The rewards of their improvising method, their sensitivity and skills are offering us constant variations and extensions of forms, feelings and sounds…Their duo was not planned, but responded to an existential need to create beauty and surprise.”

 1. Four 06:51

2. Two B 03:31

3. Seven A 05:07

4. Three A 03:16

5. Five A 02:55

6. Eight 02:56

7. Two A 02:23

8. One A 01:58

9. Nine Short 01:27

10. Six 10:49

Ivo Perelman - tenor saxophone

Nate Wooley - trumpet

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Jim Clouse at Park West Studios, Brooklyn, NY, February 2020

Album mastered by Marlon Wolterink at White Noise Studios, November 2020

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Senyawa - Alkisah (February 2021 Burning Ambulance Music)

Senyawa are a duo from Jogjakarta, Indonesia. Vocalist Rully Shabara and instrumentalist Wukir Suryadi make some of the most profound and thrilling experimental/ traditional music anywhere in the world, combining Indonesian folkloric ideas with modern sounds. Senyawa's music is like no other sound you'll ever hear.

1. Kekuasaan 00:40

2. Alkisah I 09:02

3. Menuju Muara 03:06

4. Istana 06:55

5. Kabau 05:42

6. Fasih 03:56

7. Alkisah II 06:33

8. Kiamat 01:16

Wukir Suryadi – custom instruments

Rully Shabara – lyrics, vocals

Recorded and mixed by Iwan Karak at Eloprogo Arthouse

Soundscape of Eloprogo recorded by tesaran

Minang proverbs on “Kabau” compiled by Taufik Adam

Mastered by Marlon Wolterink, White Noise Studio

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