Daniel Garcia Trio - Vía de la Plata (ACT Music)

Madrid-based pianist Daniel Garcia carries within him a deep sense of the history that has made him. This is not least because he was born and grew up in Salamanca, a city steeped in history, with several important archaeological sites. In the centuries ever since the middle ages, student priests have walked in their flowing robes along the Calle Compañia, a street in the centre of the city shadowed by tall baroque buildings. The city was also one of the main stopovers on the Vía de la Plata (‘the silver way’), a Roman route from North to South of the Iberian peninsula.

Clear, thoughtful and self-aware when he speaks, Garcia has both an understanding and a passion for what that ancient silver thread through his country means: the Vía de la Plata gave the peninsula its main artery. It also allowed Spain to come together for the first time, to define itself. Spain exists as a melting pot of different cultures, with influences Celtic and Nordic, from the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa, and from the Americas too. Vía de la Plata is a living symbol of how “all of this melts together in Spain,” as Garcia explains. And that – musically – is what he has achieved here.

The pianist’s awareness of these different cultures which have formed Spain is everywhere in this album: the guest artists on the album represent musical heritages from different points of the compass.

Trumpet star Ibrahim Maalouf, born in Beirut, performs on two tracks, the reflective opener, Manuel de Falla’s “Canción del fuego fatuo” (song of the will-o'-the-wisp), and on “Silk Road”, a tantalising glimpse further East. Charismatic clarinettist Anat Cohen, raised in Israel, now based in the Americas, makes her debut on ACT with this album. She produces wonderful emotion and a flickeringly delicate final cadenza on “Pai Lan”, a tune dedicated to Garcia’s wife, the title of the tune being the name by which she (Belén) was known as when she lived in China.

Daniel Garcia © Diego Garcia

Another guest on the album is fellow Spaniard, guitarist Gerardo Núñez. He and Garcia are equally fascinated by the links between Flamenco and jazz. In this, their first co-operation here they show a natural empathy, notably in “Calima” named after the wind that carries sandstorms from the Sahara. Garcia’s fellow trio members – Reinier Elizarde (bass), Michael Olivera (drums) – are from Cuba. Garcia met them on the scene in Madrid. All three are in their mid-thirties, and are close friends both on and off stage.

Garcia is a passionate advocate for Salamanca's musical heritage. The title track “ Vía de la Plata”, with its intoxicating echoes of both Ravel and the Cameroonian coupé-décalé has Garcia and Anat Cohen trading fragments of melodies from the charrada, a centuries-old Salamancan peasant dance, with everything fitting together miraculously and seamlessly.

It is now a decade since Daniel Garcia won prizes as a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and received teaching and mentoring from Danilo Pérez. Garcia remembers the great Panamanian pianist encouraging him to go deeper into the music of his home country: “You should do the music you feel inside. This is not just what you do, this is YOU!” It is as if that advice has never gone away...

In “Vía de la Plata”, Daniel Garcia has not just dug deep into his heritage as man and musician, and understood truths about it. He has also found ways to express these through the emotions: deeply, convincingly and fully in this very fine album.

1 Canción del fuego fatuo ( Manuel de Falla) 03:15

2 Calle Compañía ( Daniel García Diego) 05:01

3 La leyenda del tiempo ( Federico García Lorca / Ricardo Pachón Capitán) 05:22

4 Spring of Life ( Daniel García Diego) 03:37

5 The Silk Road ( Daniel García Diego) 07:19

6 Pai Lan ( Daniel García Diego) 05:35

7 Volar ( Paco de Lucía) 04:06

8 Vía de la Plata ( Daniel García Diego) 04:58

9 Mar de la tranquilidad ( Daniel García Diego) 04:51

10 Calima ( Gerardo Núñez) 04:53

Daniel García / piano, Fender Rhodes & synths

Reinier Elizarde “El Negrón” / acoustic bass

Michael Olivera / drums

Guests:

Ibrahim Maalouf / trumpet

Gerardo Núñez / guitar

Anat Cohen / clarinet

Produced by the artist

Executive Producer: Siggi Loch

All arrangements by Daniel García except Calima, by Gerardo Núñez

Recorded by Shayan Fathi at Camaleón Music Studio, Madrid, Spain. Ibrahim Maalouf recorded by Oscar Ferran at Studio Diasporas, Ivry-Sur-Seine, France. Anat Cohen recorded at Paraiso Recording Studio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mixed and mastered by Shayan Fathi. Piano technician: David Izquierdo

Cover art by Tal R: Fugl, 1995, by courtesy of Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin

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Nils Landgren Solo - Nature Boy (ACT Music)

The Man with the Red Horn. Nils Landgren’s nickname is apt. It brings to mind the fiery, coruscating energy with which the charismatic, soulful trombonist leads his Funk Unit. And yet there are many other facets to this hugely popular Swedish musician. In the course of a 40-year career, he has taken on many roles, producing albums, directing festivals, leading big bands, teaching in universities...And yet his musical personality also has a very different side, one that is much more delicate and softer. Ithas previously come to the fore in various contexts, notably at the end of the 1990s in his duo with Esbjörn Svensson and their groundbreaking interpretations of Swedish folk music on the albums "Swedish Folk Modern" and "Layers Of Light". He has also increasingly nurtured it as a singer of ballads, with a very appe...

1 Tänk att få vakna / Morning Has Broken ( traditional)02:52

2 Nature Boy ( Eden Ahbez)04:07

3 A Minor ( Nils Landgren)03:33

4 In a Sentimental Mood ( Duke Ellington)04:31

5 Solitude ( Duke Ellington)03:37

6 Värmlandsvisan ( traditional)02:56

7 Allt under himmelens fäste ( traditional)03:19

8 Der Mond ist aufgegangen ( traditional)02:55

9 Nu sjunker bullret ( traditional)03:11

10 Din klara sol går åter opp ( traditional)02:05

11 Som stjärnor små ( Evert Taube)03:17

12 Den blomstertid nu kommer ( traditional)03:23

13 Jag lyfter ögat mot himmelen ( traditional)02:58

14 Sov på min arm ( Evert Taube)02:05

Nils Landgren / trombone

Traditional music arranged by Nils Landgren, except otherwise indicated

Produced by the artist

Recorded by Nils Landgren at Ingelstorps Kyrka, February 4 & 19 and April 5, 2021, assisted by Beatrice Järås Landgren

Edited, mixed and mastered by Klaus Scheuermann, July 7 - 9, 2021

Cover art © Terry Winters, Echo (detail), 2020, ACT Art Collection

Lacquer Disc Cutting by Sidney Claire Meyer at Emil Berliner Studios Berlin

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Simply This Quintet - Stepping Up (October 2021)

"Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic we had not rehearsed or performed together since August 2020. Because of the unique nature of the group consisting of graduate students, we weren't able to focus on this project until the spring academic semester ended. We had a total of eleven days to figure out which eight songs would be on this album. In deciding on those eight songs, we rehearsed brand new music as well as considered music from our library of over 25 original compositions. We rehearsed about 3 hours a day, every day, for those eleven days along with playing two gigs in town to get comfortable performing with each other as we explored this music. Our drummer Frank Kurtz affectionately calls these eleven days together "Jazz Camp". The level of comfort within the ensemble grew by the hour, and we returned each day with new ideas to make this music ours. I believe "Stepping Up" exemplifies the quintet's dedication to the history of jazz as well as the future of jazz, as each member continues to develop their voice within the voice of the ensemble."

- Bandleader, Matthew Storie

1. Aftershock 06:03

2. Impostor Syndrome 07:10

3. Stepping Up 05:46

4. The Wanderer 06:29

5. Taurus 07:49

6. Simply This 05:25

7. Blues for the Village 05:16

8. Synergy 05:43

Recorded at Transient Sound Studio by Vijay Tellis-Nayak

Mix and Mastering Engineer Rich Breen at Dogmatic Sound

Artwork and Design by Lorena Contreras

Photography by Anna Marshall

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Raposa Velha - Raposa Velha (December 1, 2021 Mad About Records)

Raposa Velha was a notable Bahian jazz group, which was part of the wave of great musicians and bands from Bahia during the 1980s, such as Sexteto do Beco, Saul Barbosa and Andréa Daltro. Thus, Raposa Velha released only this album, independently in 1981. Outlined between jazz-fusion and avant-garde jazz, this LP has become a very obscure piece within the Brazilian jazz universe.

1. Vitor 04:53

2. Luiza 09:16

3. Tema da Luz 03:10

4. Passagem 07:48

5. Triunfo da Luz 02:17

6. Vinheta 05:57

Drums – Jorge Brasil

Electric Bass – Carlinhos Marques

Electric Piano, Synthesizer [Arp], Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Zeca Freitas

Guitar – Paulo Brasil

Trombone – Fred Dantas

Cover – Dicinho

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Nicolas Meier World Group / Magnificent - Live - Stories (3 albums bundle) October 2021 MoonJune Records

Nicolas Meier's brand new TRIPLE CD album on his own label MGP Records (UK). Promoted and marketed by MoonJune Music.

Nicolas had the chance to tour the world with guitar legend Jeff Beck, he been busy making 4 albums with jazz guitarist Pete Oxley, record and tour with Indonesian guitarist and composer Dewa Budjana, project which included bassist Jimmy Halsip, producing singer Gabrielle Ducomble, and experimenting in the instrumental metal world with his project (My Dark Side). He also had the chance to record his album “Infinity” with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Jimmy Haslip on bass, worldwide distribution through Favored Nations (Steve Vai's Label) which led to international touring, Europe and USA tours.

All this gave Nicolas new inspirations to continue working and producing the 2nd album of the Nicolas Meier World Goup. Last alum “Peaceful” received great reviews and feedbacks and the group played a 55 dates tour supporting the album. The band includes: percussionist Demi Garcia from Barcelona, violinist Richard Jones from Wales and bassist Kevin Glasgow from Scotland. The new album “Magnificent” is again music taken from many travels, listening to different folk music… Spanish, Turkish, Balkanic, Middle-eastern, north African, South American all in an improvised music. Enjoy the sound of Nicolas’ guitars (glissentar, fretted and fretless nylon strings, 12 strings) all with the sound of the violin, accompanied with a strong rhythm from Demi and Kevin.

The band played a wonderful concert on February 16th 2020 in Colchester Arts Centre Jazz Club, UK. It was filmed and recorded. A new album is out called “LIVE” and videos are being released from this concert. This Live album is included in the 3CDs package of “Magnificent” which also includes the solo guitar albul “Stories”.

1. Mesudiye (Magnificent) 06:40

2. Semur's Bridge (Magnificent) 06:19

3. Hip (Magnificent) 06:20

4. Stories From The Garden (Magnificent) 07:39

5. Sous le ciel de Fribourg (Magnificent) 05:03

6. Villa Olivio (Magnificent) 07:32

7. The Pond (Magnificent) 06:48

8. Under An Olive Tree (Magnificent) 08:25

9. La Vie en Rose (Stories) 03:16

10. Blues for Alice (Stories) 02:31

11. The Godfather (Stories) 03:42

12. Kismet (Stories) 06:04

13. Mona Lisa (Stories) 03:23

14. Goodbye Pork Pie HatBrush with the Blues (Stories) 03:19

15. My Foolish Heart (Stories) 02:27

16. October In Ankara (Stories) 04:51

17. Nothing Else Matters (Stories) 03:43

18. C'est si Bon (Stories) 02:47

19. Sous le Ciel de Fribourg (Stories) 03:27

20. Night & Day (Stories) 03:06

21. Stories From The Garden (Stories) 04:20

22. Esmeralda (Stories) 04:07

23. Manzanita Samba (Live) 08:19

24. Besiktas Cafe (Live) 05:50

25. Caravan Of Anatolia (Live) 09:45

26. City Of Rivers (Live) 09:06

27. Riversides (Live) 08:45

28. Prince's Island (Live) 07:54

29. Water Lillies (Live) 08:19

30.Tales (Live) 06:14

31. Adiguzel (Live) 09:28

NICOLAS MEIER - Acoustic fretless and fretted nylon string string guitars, glissentar and 12 string guitar

DEMI GARCIA – Percussion

KEVIN GLASGOW – Bass

RICHARD JONES - Violin

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WIZ - WIZ (October 13, 2021 Porta-Jazz)

1. Purple Light 06:05

2. Montaneous 02:57

3. Mola 02:58

4. Amor Radical 05:16

5. Modus Novus 04:32

6. Bilogy 08:49

7. Krafla Friđ 03:33

8. Horizontal 04:33

9. Nov 05:05

10. Nostalia 03:22

11. Bachanela 04:04

12. Minor Mode III 02:55

13. La Vieille Guitare 02:52

Compositions:

Iago Fernández — 1, 4, 7, 12

Wilfried Wilde — 2, 6, 10, 11, 13

José Pedro Coelho — 3, 5, 8, 9

Iago Fernández -drums

Wilfried Wilde - guitar

José Pedro Coelho - tenor sax

Òscar Latorre - trumpet [4,7]

Recorded on the 19th, 20th and 21st of September 2020 at Loumi Records, Hüsingen, Germany.

Mixture: Johan Olsson

Master: Mário Barreiros

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Gisela Horat Trio - 2020 (October 2021)

Life is always a challenge, but especially in times when nothing is the way we are used to, and from one day to the next almost all goals fall away. Not to lose creativity completely in such a situation, or to find it again, is fortunate. Our music is a reflection of this time. Sometimes sombre and aimless, impatient, but also wistful and sometimes light-footed and ironic. It expresses the pain and powerlessness that surround us. No easy feelings, but a mirror of life.

1. Leben (part 1) 14:07

2. Angst (part 1) 10:11

3. Warten 06:06

4. Unruhe Ruhe Unruhe 06:53

5. Mit Wehmut 06:21

6. Leben (part 2) 08:49

7. Angst (part 2) 07:41

8. Ohnmacht 06:13

9. Unterdrückte Wut 06:59

Gisela Horat (piano)

Simon Iten (bass)

Samuel Büttiker (drums, percussion)

recorded and mixed by Dominik di Rosa

mastered by Dan Suter, echochamber

graphic design by Anja Wild

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Craig Taborn | Shadow Plays | Available October 8 via ECM

Pianist and Composer Craig

Taborn Returns After a Ten Year Hiatus

with His Release Shadow Plays

Available October 8 via ECM

Ten years have passed since Craig Taborn’s Avenging Angel album was released, bringing strikingly fresh ideas to the solo piano idiom. “It reflects Mr Taborn’s galactically-broad interests,” said the New York Times, “along with his multifaceted technique,” while the Guardian saluted Craig’s “world of whispered, wide-spaced figures, ringing overtones, evaporating echoes and glowering contrapuntal cascades”.

 

In the interim Taborn has appeared in ECM contexts large and small. We’ve heard him in his trio with Thomas Morgan and Gerald Cleaver on Chants and in his Daylight Ghosts quartet with Chris Speed, Chris Lightcap and Dave King. He’s played piano duets with Vijay Iyer on The Transitory Poems, performed Ches Smith’s music on The Bell, contributed to Roscoe Mitchell’s AACM tribute Bells for the South Side, and to Chris Potter’s music for ensemble and strings on Imaginary Cities. Alongside all of these activities, the solo music has continued to gather strength.

 

Over the last decade Taborn has refined and developed his approach, attaining new high ground with Shadow Plays. For Craig the recording is “part of the same continuum as Avenging Angel. Where that was a studio recording, this one is live, but that process of spontaneous composition goes onward.” The new album is a stunning live recital from the Mozart-Saal of the Wiener Konzerthaus, where the programme was headlined Avenging Angel II. In this fully improvised concert, Craig explores sounds and silences, swirling colours, densities and forms, creating new music with both poetic imagination and an iron grip on his material. His control of his craft as he unerringly creates narratives and structures from the hint of a revealed pattern, following where intuition and experience lead him, is extraordinary.

 

“When you improvise,” Taborn told writer Adam Shatz, in a New York Times interview, “you’re observing and creating at the same time. To make the next move, you have to get really close to what’s going on.”

 

“Free improvisation” can mean many things. For Taborn, in this context, this is not a matter of automatic writing or stream-of-consciousness self-expression but of keeping in focus both the larger frame of the concert and the concise statements shaped from the moment-to-moment detail of the music. “A lot of my interests revolve around trying to extend the boundaries you can create in…” Craig Taborn has noted. “Rather than simply free-flowing as I travel from Point A to Point B, I am really trying to construct and to organize the material as it emerges, in real time. And what is created in this way feels different to music using pre-composed elements.”

 

Taborn is a great improviser in any context, and highly regarded for his capacity to get to the heart of the music, whatever the setting. In the solo work connections to ‘jazz’ are not always self-evident, but in the flux of the piece retrospectively called “Conspiracy of Things”, allusions to the history of the music from stride piano onwards seems to flash past at lightning speed. In all pieces, ideas are explored, at multiple levels. Emotions too – tenderness and fierceness co-exist in pieces thoughtfully titled “Discordia Concors” and “Concordia Discors,” concepts that reflect the notion of unity through diversity. “I name the pieces,” Taborn said in a recent interview with Bomb magazine, “after they are finished and in consideration of their programmatic position – in a way the titling is the final stage of composition. And I intend the titles as invitations to extend the musical experience into other areas.” The inclusiveness of his work – subtly informed by music and art of many traditions – invites new associations and open responses.

Born in Detroit in 1970, Craig Taborn studied at the University of Michigan. He first came to wider attention in the groups of saxophonist James Carter. His first ECM appearance was with Roscoe Mitchell’s Note Factory on the album Nine To Get Ready (recorded 1997).

 

Currently on the road in Europe with cellist Tomeka Reid and drummer Ches Smith, Craig Taborn undertakes a solo piano tour in February 2022 with dates including Tampere, Finland (February 1), Live Lab, Helsinki (February 2), Nasjonal Jazzscene Victoria, Oslo (February 3), Musikförening, Vanersborg, Sweden (February 4), Halmstad, Sweden (February 5), Fasching, Stockholm (February 6), Sendesaal, Bremen (February 7), Domicil, Dortmund (February 10), Birdland, Neuburg (February 11), Son d’hiver Festival, Paris (February 12) and Bimhuis, Amsterdam (February 13). More details at www.ecmrecords.com

 

Craig Taborn’s Shadow Plays, produced by Manfred Eicher, was recorded live at the Wiener Konzerthaus on March 2, 2020.

1 BIRD TEMPLARS (Craig Taborn) 17:02

2 DISCORDIA CONCORS (Craig Taborn) 08:57

3 CONSPIRACY OF THINGS (Craig Taborn) 05:50

4 CONCORDIA DISCORS (Craig Taborn) 11:59

5 A CODE WITH SPELLS (Craig Taborn) 08:09

6 SHADOW PLAY (Craig Taborn) 18:37

7 NOW IN HOPE (Craig Taborn) 05:47

Craig Taborn Piano

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CONCERTS

November 07 Craig Taborn Plages Magnétiques Brest France

November 11 Craig Taborn EnjoyJazz Festival, dasHaus Ludwigshafen Germany

November 12 Craig Taborn Jazz d'Or Strasbourg France

November 13 Craig Taborn Flagey Brussels Belgium

November 15 Craig Taborn De Singer Rejkevorsel Belgium

November 16 Craig Taborn Institut Francais Berlin Germany

February 03 Craig Taborn Nasjonal Jazzscene Victoria Oslo Norway

February 04 Craig Taborn Vänersborgs Musikförening Vänersborg Sweden

February 05 Craig Taborn Halmstad Sweden

February 06 Craig Taborn Fasching Stockholm Sweden

February 07 Craig Taborn Sendesaal Bremen Germany

February 10 Craig Taborn Domicil Dortmund Germany

February 11 Craig Taborn Birdland Neuburg Germany

February 12 Craig Taborn Son d Hiver Paris France

February 13 Craig Taborn Bimhuis Amsterdam Netherlands

April 22 Craig Taborn Kaleidophon Ulrichberg Austria

Itai Kriss & Telavana - SUPERMOON (October 8, 2021)

Itai Kriss & Telavana present an offering to humanity and the universe

with new release Supermoon, due out on October 8, 2021

New York Based flutist and composer Itai Kriss is thrilled to announce the October 8, 2021 release of his third album Supermoon with his multicultural ensemble Telavana. A prolific bandleader with a well-earned reputation as an ingenious composer, Kriss is known for his natural skill of combining a broad range of musical styles in an uncontrived fashion – notably that of Middle Eastern and Caribbean sensibilities.  In 2018, Itai Kriss and Telavana released their eponymous sophomore album which was praised for meeting the musical minds of these two spheres in an original and cohesive way. On Supermoon, Kriss continues this tradition of amalgamation with a dynamic program inspired by astrology and heavy philosophical questions. 

“The signs of the Zodiac also represent a connection between us humans here on Earth and the stars; up above and far beyond our reach, ever present, ancient and mysterious. The planets and stars have been there since before we existed and most of them will still be there after we’re gone,” Kriss muses in the liner notes. Each track on Supermoon is named for a Zodiac sign, and sonically reflects each sign’s attributes.

Itai Kriss and Telavana is made up of the formidable trumpeter and flugelhornist Wayne Tucker, powerhouse pianist César Orozco (who also appears on Fender Rhodes), in-demand bassist Tamir Shmerling, the inventive Dan Aran on drums and Marcos López, a fast rising star on percussion. Heavyweight percussionist Keisel Jiménez makes a guest appearance, as do creative vocal forces Malaya Sol and J. Hoard. The brilliant Shai Maestro is featured on keyboards and synths on multiple tracks. 

Photo of Itai Kriss by Justin W. King

Listening to Supermoon is a progressive experience, with each of the tracks taking on a distinctive life of their own as they go on. Selections such as “Gemini” begin with a gentle introduction before slowly transforming into a driving African 12/8 vamp. Horns repeat the refrain, punctuating the groove, and plunge Kriss into one of his most evocative solos on the record. Another highlight, “Virgo” begins as a slow and pensive reflection, before evolving into an exuberant, high-energy celebration featuring the always soulful vocalist J. Hoard. 

Other tracks surprise because of their eclecticism. “Crustacean Vacation”, a crowd pleaser and fan favorite from live performances, is a dancing head bop with clear techno influences while “Taurus” is a rousing Timba featuring the prolific Cuban percussionist Keisel Jiménez, who spins verses as the lead vocalist. The ensemble shines on the brisk “Capricorn”, which features tight horns on the jagged rhythms with acute precision, supported by a rock-solid rhythm section. 

It is no surprise that the fusion of all these musical styles comes off naturally, seeing that Kriss and the core members of this ensemble have been regular fixtures on the dynamic Latin scene in New York City. “I am so grateful to be able to create music with such incredible musicians, hailing from Puerto Rico, Israel, Cuba & New York,” reflects Kriss. “This album is about all of us, our planet, our universe and the most powerful and potent force which helps us make sense of it.”

The concept of Supermoon is one that attempts to grapple with the questions of our existence in the vast universe. “As we track the movements of the celestial bodies across the sky we are inspired to think of things that are bigger than ourselves and  contemplate our lives and problems in the context of eternity and infinity,” Kriss muses. As the album draws to a close with the Middle Eastern-tinged “Pisces” one is inclined to feel they’ve reached the end of a momentous and exhilarating voyage. 

1. The Cusp

2. Aries

3. Taurus

4. Gemini

5. Crustacean Vacation

6. Leo

7. Virgo

8. Libra

9. El Alacrán

10. Sagittarius

11. Capricorn

12. Aquarius

13. Pisces

Itai Kriss – flute

Wayne Tucker – trumpet and flugelhorn

César Orozco – piano & fender rhodes

Tamir Shmerling – bass

Marcos López – percussion

Dan Aran – drums

Special Guests:

Keisel Jimenez - vocals (on #3 Taurus)

Jonathan Hoard – vocals (on #7 Virgo)

Shai Maestro - keyboards and synths (on all tracks except #9 & #13)

Malaya Sol - backing vocals (on #3 Taurus)

All compositions by Itai Kriss

Recorded on February 1& 2 2020 at Big Orange Sheep Studios (NYC) by Michael Perez - Cizneros

Mixed and Mastered by Dave Darlington

Album Art by Carolina Arevalo

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Trumpeter Skyler Floe's Debut Album ABSTRACTION due out October 8th, 2021 via Next Level

Trumpeter Skyler Floe Announces Captivating Debut Album Abstraction,

out October 8th via Next Level

Next Level, an imprint of Outside in Music, is thrilled to announce the October 8, 2021 release of Abstraction, the debut album by rising star trumpeter Skyler Floe. On this nine-track collection of compelling original compositions, the New York-based musician showcases his voice as both a composer and soloist. Floe’s debut release is both a nod to the music of today and a showcase of the artist’s well-versed vocabulary in the history of jazz, calling upon his roots as a native of the greater Seattle area as well as a former resident of Indianapolis. Joining Floe are four of the top musicians on the Indianapolis jazz scene including tenor saxophonist Sean Imboden, pianist Steve Allee, bassist Nick Tucker, drummer Chris Parker and special guests saxophonist Greg Ward and vocalist Samantha Louise. 

Born and raised in Lynnwood, Washington, a suburb north of Seattle, Skyler Floe first began playing music as a child. After picking up the trumpet for the first time at age 10, Floe went on to play in the highly-decorated Mountlake Terrace High School jazz band, and as a senior, participated in the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival, where Wynton Marsalis awarded him the Outstanding Trumpet Soloist Award. He went on to attend Central Washington University, and during this time started to develop a reputation as a star trumpeter in both the jazz and classical realms. After finishing his studies at CWU, Floe spent two years studying at the Institute of Jazz in Graz, Austria under the tutelage of Jim Rotondi. While in Graz, Floe performed and recorded with musicians from all over the world in Austria’s lively jazz scene. He eventually formed his own group with some of these musicians named The Chordless Quartet. Following his time abroad, Floe went on to complete his MM in Jazz Studies at Indiana University, where he is currently an associate instructor at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. In 2019, Floe was one of five trumpet players selected to compete in the prestigious Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition. Floe now resides in New York City. 

The music featured on Abstraction reflects several pivotal moments from Floe’s life – particularly from the past ten years, and notably those that had an impact on how he hears and interprets music. “An abstract is a removal of unnecessary details until only the most important points remain. This album is the result of taking my musical journey through that process. Boiling down my adult life into the moments that forever changed how I hear music,” Floe shared. While the inspiration ranges from a ten year period, the majority of the music on Abstraction was written recently, with the oldest composition dating back only to 2017. “When revisiting some of my older compositions, I realized that what they had been missing all along were arrangements that adequately told the stories that inspired their conception in the first place. Ultimately, that was the focus of this album; to have the composition, arrangement, and performance of each tune be in sync with the story behind it.”

“The album kicks off with “Terrace”, a lyrical homage to the town Floe grew up in, Mountlake Terrace, the place where he remembers falling in love with jazz. “I listened to the albums of trumpet greats Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis, and Maurice Brown non-stop and loved any tune with an odd-meter and groove that made you move. I used to look back at my musical tastes from that time and scoff at how ‘unrefined’ they were. But this composition acts as a revitalized appreciation for the jazz albums that started it all for me. Whether they are timeless or not, they are timeless to me,” reflects Floe. 

The wryly titled “Opinionated (is Putting it Lightly)” is the trumpeter’s oldest composition on the album, written during his time in Graz. During this period, Floe was obsessively consuming the chordless quartet albums of Ornette Coleman and Miles Davis’ second quintet bootlegs, and was enamored by these musicians’ ability to be unapologetically themselves. “These albums helped me realize that if I wanted to make my unique mark on this music, I also had to be comfortable with who I am even when others didn’t dig it,” he reflects. “Opinionated” follows a narrative throughout it’s 7+ minutes: the opening head represents Floe as he is, “opinionated to a fault”, and the trumpet solo that follows represents self-reflection. The new material on the final head-out represents that he has found acceptance. 

Tones shift on the title track, which features the stunning vocals of Samantha Louise, and her original lyrics. Intended at first to be a short lullaby, “Abstraction” evolved into one of the album’s most complex arrangements. Another highlight alongside the gloss of Louise’s voice is bassist Nick Tucker’s impressive solo.

The centerpiece of Abstraction is a three-part suite comprising three dynamic movements: I. A Short Climb in Bare Feet, II. Reason’s Last Pitch, and III. The Plunge. “There have been a few times in my life when I’ve reached a point of no return; where I needed to just jump in and see where the current takes me. Sometimes after making a decision like that, I can’t help but wonder what my life would have been like had I gone down road A instead of B,” reflects Floe. This trio of pieces describes the “self-inflicted turmoil” the artist often endures before making an important decision. 

Photos of Skyler Floe by Anna Powell Denton

Next up is “Odd Chicago”, an homage to the Windy City and its thriving jazz scene. When in Indiana, Floe would often travel to Chicago to check out its music and consequently found himself thrown into unfamiliar musical situations.” These experiences are mirrored on “Odd Chicago”, which is filled with uneven phrase lengths and unconventional harmonic rhythms and forms.

Scorcher “For Real” is an ode to the incomparable Woody Shaw. One of Floe’s favorite trumpeters, the young musician has always found solace when revisiting Shaw’s vast catalogue. This burning blues features fiery solos by the horns, as well as a rapturous drum solo from Chris Parker. Abstraction closes with “The Top Floor”, a musical showcase of the top-notch musicians featured on the record. Very little direction was provided by Floe when this track was recorded, allowing each musician to bring their own musical personalities to the table. “I knew I could trust each of them to follow their ears first and foremost and the end result was something truly original and free of preconceived notions.” 

With the release of Abstraction, Skyler Floe establishes himself as a fresh and innovative new voice on the contemporary jazz scene. This project releases via Next Level and will be available on all platforms on October 8, 2021. 

1 Terrace (5:11)

2 Opinionated (is Putting it Lightly) (7:24)

3 Abstraction (feat. Samantha Louise) (8:04)

4 I. A Short Climb In Bare Feet (3:04)

5 II. Reason’s Last Pitch (5:34)

6 III. The Plunge (3:16)

7 Odd Chicago 6:51

8 For Real (3:44)

9 The Top Floor (10:23)

PREORDER

Charged Particles | "Live at the Baked Potato!" (October 8, 2021 Summit Records)

Charged Particles Pay Tribute

to the Late Tenor Sax Great Michael Brecker

on Live at the Baked Potato!

October 8 Summit Records Release

to Coincide with Biography Ode to a Tenor Titan

by Acclaimed Author Bill Milkowski

On their latest collaboration, Bay Area jazz trio Charged Particles joins forces with powerhouse Bay Area saxophonist Tod Dickow in a heartfelt tribute to iconic tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker. Set for October 8 on Summit Records, the album will be released concurrently with Brecker’s biography, Ode to a Tenor Titan by acclaimed author, Bill Milkowski.

Staggering in its authenticity and collective desire by the participants to get it right, Live at the Baked Potato! is a fitting testament to the late tenor titan’s greatness. No less an authority than Randy Brecker has given his stamp of approval: “Everyone’s at the top of their Mike game here. I found myself pinching my arm to remind myself that Mike is sadly no longer with us,” Randy said.

In tackling Michael Brecker’s imposing oeuvre, the band reveals the genius of his compositional prowess, a side of the multi-faceted musician that was often overshadowed by his legendary chops. Yet there is no attempt here to recreate Michael Brecker’s awesome technique — no transcriptions of his heroic solos, no slavish adherence to every nuance of his classic recordings. Instead, the Bay Area group successfully captures the essence of Michael’s spirit in their faithful renditions of his tunes spanning three decades, rendered with their own signature sound and approach.

The success of the group’s mission to honor Michael is due in no small part to the contributions of veteran San Francisco tenor saxophonist Tod Dickow, whose sheer force and fluent execution of some typically unconventional Breckerian lines seem to lift the entire band throughout this March 17, 2019, performance at the intimate Baked Potato in Los Angeles’ quaint Studio City neighborhood. “I certainly listened to enough of Mike’s music that it’s going to come out in my playing,” said Dickow, who delivers with passionate intensity on classic Brecker tunes like the hard-charging “Peep” (from Brecker’s third Impulse! album, 1990’s Now You See It…(Now You Don’t), “Arc of the Pendulum” (from 1999’s Time Is Of the Essence) and a chops-busting “The Mean Time” (from Michael’s 2007 swan song, Pilgrimage). “But it’s not really like I’ve ever outright tried to imitate him. I just know that some of the devices that he used have become a part of my playing. He’s a model of perfection, and I’ve always looked at his playing as something to strive for,” added Dickow.

The core trio of drummer and founder Jon Krosnick, pianist Murray Low, and bassist Aaron Germain began working together around the Bay Area in 2011. After doing nearly a thousand gigs together as a trio, Krosnick floated the idea of adding a tenor saxophonist in order to do a full-fledged Michael Brecker tribute. “I’m always looking for new projects - something to change things up for us and our listeners, to keep our performances interesting,” said Krosnick. Keyboardist Low knew exactly who to recruit to stand in front of the band for this adventure: “There’s only one guy: Tod,” he said. “Tod has had a passion for getting it right and capturing the Brecker sound. In rehearsals, he guided us through ‘the Michael vision’ – he’s absorbed so much from his listening over the years. It’s really helped us with authenticity,” said Low.

While Dickow’s muscular tenor prowess is a formidable presence throughout Live at the Baked Potato!, kudos must also be given to inventive keyboardist Low, whose nimble segueing from piano to organ to sampled sounds and assorted synths during the set (courtesy of some complicated splits on his keyboard allowing him to cover multiple parts at once) helped capture the richness of the original studio recordings by Brecker’s various bands. Germain’s seamless doubling from electric to upright bass provided the band with much-needed versatility to cover this wide swath of Brecker music. And special commendation goes to Charged Particles drummer Krosnick, who has been the driving force behind this band for nearly 30 years ago. “Mike’s music has been the soundtrack of my life,” he said. “This album is my way of saying thanks to him for so much happiness and inspiration over the years,” says Krosnick.

For more information on Charged Particles, please visit:

ChargedParticles.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Summit Records Website

GRAMMY-Nominated Vocalist Somi's ZENZILE: THE REIMAGINATION OF MIRIAM MAKEBA is due out October 8, 2021 via Salon Africana

Grammy-Nominated, Internationally Acclaimed Vocalist Somi To

Release Zenzile: The Reimagination Of Miriam Makeba on October 8, 2021

New Album Honors Groundbreaking South African Singer, Songwriter,

And Civil Rights Activist Miriam Makeba

Special Guests Include Angelique Kidjo, Gregory Porter, Ladysmith Black

Mambazo, Seun Kuti and more

Musical Theater Production Dreaming Zenzile, Based on Makeba’s Life –

Written by and Starring Somi to Premiere in September

On October 8, 2021, Grammy-nominated vocalist and songwriter Somi will release her new album, Zenzile: The Reimagination Of Miriam Makeba,  a celebration of the late Makeba’s invaluable musical contributions and messages of social justice. The album, which will be released on the artist’s Salon Africana label, features Somi’s renditions of some of Makeba’s best known songs—both Makeba’s own compositions and covers.

Watch the powerful music video for the lead single, “Pata Pata”, HERE.

Also, check out Somi’s fresh take on “Milele”, the second single featuring Seun Kuti and Thandiswa Mazwai, HERE. 

Regarded as one of Africa’s first international superstars, Makeba (whose given name is ‘Zenzile’) elevated the spirit of a continent, including her native South Africa. Her courage, however, was met with three decades of political exile from her homeland followed by blacklisting in the United States after her marriage to civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael. Somi’s lifelong love of Makeba’s music and personal strength led to a record that she hopes will inspire a rediscovery of Makeba’s life and work. Somi adds, “This album is my attempt to honor the unapologetic voice of an African woman who inevitably made room for my own journey and countless other African artists. In short, I owe her. We all do.” 

In recognition of Makeba’s resonance throughout Africa and the diaspora, Somi invited a number of special guests to perform on the record. From South Africa, Grammy-winning male vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, singer-songwriter Msaki, vocalist and activist Thandiswa Mazwai, and jazz pianist-composer Nduduzo Makhathini join Somi for the tribute. Guests also include Grammy-winning American jazz singer Gregory Porter, Nigerian singer-musician Seun Kuti (Fela Kuti’s youngest son), and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and activist, Angelique Kidjo.

To further celebrate the work of Makeba, Somi wrote and will star in Dreaming Zenzile, an original musical theater production based on the life of Makeba under the direction of Obie-award winner Lileanna Blain-Cruz. On September 10, this electrifying portrait of Makeba will kick off the ‘21-’22 theater season at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep). The rolling world premiere production will journey on to the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, to ArtsEmerson in Boston, to an Off-Broadway run in New York City co-produced by the Apollo Theater, National Black Theatre and New York Theatre Workshop, all in partnership with Octopus Theatricals. The soul-stirring production includes a live jazz band playing original music and reinterpretations of Makeba’s remarkable catalog while telling the story of her extraordinary life journey.

In addition to Somi’s upcoming album and theater production, 2021 brought the artist her first Grammy nomination. Holy Room: Live at the Alte Oper, recorded with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, was nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album. The album also won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Vocal Album. 

Recently, Spotify announced its partnership with Somi as the latest African singer to join its EQUAL Music Program. The EQUAL Music Program is a global initiative that Spotify has created to cultivate gender equality in music and support female creators under one brand. In celebration of the partnership and new music, Somi was featured on a billboard in Times Square.

Photos of Somi by Chris Schwagga

In addition, Somi was recently featured in “The Arts Interrupted,” an episode of PBS Great Performances that examined artistic challenges and potential for growth during the Covid shutdown.

Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba Tracklist

1 Umhome

2 House of the Rising Sun

3 Milele feat. Seun Kuti & Thandiswa Mazwai

4 Hapo Zamani 

5 Love Tastes Like Strawberries feat. Gregory Porter

6 Khuluma feat. Msaki

7 Pata Pata 

8 A Piece of Ground

9 Kwedini

10 Lakutshon’ilanga

11 Olili

12 Mbombela

13 Jike’lemaweni feat. Angelique Kidjo

14 Nonqonqo feat. Ladysmith Black Mambazo

15 Malaika

16 Ring Bell, Ring Bell

17 Mabhongo feat. Nduduzo Makhathini

PREORDER

Lena Bloch & Feathery - Rose of Lifta (October 8, 2021 on Fresh Sound New Talent)

Out October 8, 2021 on Fresh Sound New Talent, recording features Bloch, pianist Russ Lossing, bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Billy Mintz in gorgeous original music 

“Most impressive quartet – or rather, four equals perfectly attuned to each other. ‘Collective’ is the key word here, for this is truly musical togetherness, creating a sound all its own.” – Dan Morgenstern

“The stunning thing about every performance here is the delicate blend of composed music and spontaneous invention." – Donald Elfman, New York City Jazz Record

“..unwaveringly cohesive...bone-deep gorgeousness...complex, compelling and beautiful, sounds of the highest quality and inspiration laid down by a premier jazz quartet." –  Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz .”

“I am from there. I am from here. / I am not there and I am not here.” So wrote Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, a guiding inspiration for Russian-born saxophonist Lena Bloch and her quartet Feathery as they release their stunning new album of original music, Rose of Lifta.

Due out October 8, 2021 via Fresh Sound New Talent, Rose of Lifta digs deep into the yearning, soulful, complex sounds and the themes of exile, loss, and home encapsulated by Darwish, and emerges with seven shimmering original tracks. Bloch’s personal story is also closely related to yearning for home, as it traverses Russia, Israel, Holland, Germany, graduate studies, a few years of work, and finally immigration to the United States. Her experience informs the music and gives it a deeply personal angle.

With a remarkably cohesive band featuring pianist Russ Lossing, bassist Cameron Brown, and drummer Billy Mintz, Bloch’s second Feathery recording, a follow up to the acclaimed 2017 Heart Knows, demonstrates once again her three-tier excellence as a saxophonist, composer, and a bandleader whose approach nurtures listening, trust, and musical freedom. “We prefer to not have any particular arrangements of our compositions,” she says. “Jazz doesn’t have to be risk free – on the contrary, I think risk is a great factor! Because we cultivate this feeling, given the professionalism and experience of my fellow ensemble members, risk and challenge only facilitate the result. The less safe we all feel, the better it is for the music.”

With a tone simultaneously delicate, nuanced, and emotionally powerful, Bloch leads her quartet in four Bloch originals and three Lossing originals. As Brian Morton writes in the liner notes, “[Bloch’s] beautiful record is conditioned by and dedicated to the experience of exile. I cheerfully admit that it made me cry – I am no longer young, and have no shame over this – but not because of any political stance or any anecdotal content, but quite simply because her music, and that of Lossing, is so damned beautiful.” 

“Promise of Return,” the opening track by Bloch, begins with Brown’s single bass line, joined by piano, drums, and saxophone melding into cascading, conversant, recurring motifs. A resonant, wistful saxophone solo starts the second track, “Mad Mirror,” another Bloch’s original. Lossing’s searching, emotional piano and compositional acumen are highlighted on “New Home” and “Old Home,” as well as the final track, “Wintry Mix.” Two more pieces by Bloch round out the recording, the  title track “Rose of Lifta,” and “Mahmoud Darwish,” Bloch’s sonic ode to the poet whose art and work inspired the album.

While the tunes on Rose of Lifta arise from dark themes, the music is transcendent. “This isn’t a plangent song of sorrow, but an affirmation of life,” writes Morton. “It is music about life. I hear it as a continuous suite of dances and narratives, the voice of someone telling her and their story, arrestingly and thoughtfully. You cannot ask for more in music.”

Founded in 2014, Feathery Quartet draws its inspiration from diverse musical traditions: jazz, Middle Eastern, Eastern European, 20th and 21st century classical music. It performs original compositions written by Lena Bloch and Russ Lossing. Based on collective improvising, Feathery's musical approach consists of blurring the lines between composition and spontaneous invention, and between written and improvised sections. 

The ensemble's name refers to lightness, flexibility, readiness to drift in the new directions - like a feather in the wind. DownBeat says of Feathery, “rippling energy and sublimely weightless interplay.”

After years of live performances at venues including Cornelia Street Cafe Jazz At Kitano, Puffin Cultural Forum, Baha’i Center NYC, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, Live At The Falcon, the quartet released “Heart Knows” on Fresh Sound Records in 2017, receiving high praise in American and international publications including All About Jazz, New York City Jazz Record, DownBeat Magazine, France Musique and Chamber Music Magazine, to name a few. The album was also recognized by international outlets as a top jazz release, and in the NPR Jazz Critics Poll’s Top 100. 

Lena Bloch is a Russian-born saxophonist, composer and bandleader, based in New York since 2008. She has been leading her own chamber groups, performing original music since 1990, in Israel, Europe and the United States, including Red Sea Jazz Festival (Israel), Leverkusener Jazz Tage and Ingolstaedter Jazz Tage (Germany), Jazz Lent Maribor (Slovenia), Voronezh Jazz Festival (Russia), Washington Women in Jazz Festival, Vermont Jazz Center Festival, and Temple of the Arts Festival (United States). As a saxophonist she worked with Embryo, Steve Reid, Mala Waldron, Roberta Piket, Sumi Tonooka, Vishnu Wood, Harvey Diamond, Sebastien Ammann and many other American and European bandleaders.

Promise Of Return

Mad Mirror

New Home

Climbing Rose Of Lifta

Old Home

Mahmoud Darwish

Wintry Mix

FEATHERY

Lena Bloch (saxophone, composition)

Russ Lossing (piano, composition)

Cameron Brown (bass)

Billy Mintz (drums, percussion)

Recorded July 12, 2019 at Skyline Studios 

Recording engineer mixing and mastering - Paul Wickliffe 

Fresh Sound New Talent – Catalog #621

Levi Dover Sextet - Imaginary Structures (Friday, October 8th 2021 on Three Pines Records)

It is only through the lens of the imagination that we construct the world around us and give it meaning. The real is without intention or significance, appearing as a collage of seemingly unrelated elements. But as we weave together our perceptions, we create an an inner world populated by emotions, stories, dreams, remembered pasts and projected futures. These are the Imaginary Structures in which we live.

Imaginary Structures is the debut album from Montreal based composer and double bassist Levi Dover. This singular recording consists of eight original compositions for sextet, brought to life by an ensemble of musicians with an individualistic and contemporary approach. The album as a whole establishes a stylized vision of improvised music, fusing jazz with elements of progressive rock and 20th century classical music, brought together in a post-bop setting.

The music is set against the backdrop of an impressionistic landscape which at times recalls the influence of composers such as Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, Bobby Hutcherson, and Andrew Hill. The improvisations are tightly woven into the structure of the pieces, giving the musicians the freedom to explore the universe that the compositions reveal. Throughout the album, a dreamy atmosphere and contemplative mood is balanced against a tight rhythmic undercurrent that propels the music forward, creating a narrative that unfolds gradually over the course of these eight pieces, exposing different facets of the composer’s imagination.

1. First Impression 4:14

2. In Hindsight 6:02

3. L’Appel du Vide 4:26

4. MK 6:51

5. Galapagos 7:24

6. How the Light Gets In 5:27

7. The Fox and The Cat 5:46

8. Imaginary Structures 6:14

Lex French - Trumpet

Erik Hove - Alto Saxophone

Olivier Salazar - Vibraphone

Andrew Boudreau - Piano

Levi Dover - Double Bass, Compositions

Kyle Hutchins - Drums

Imaginary Structures will be released worldwide on Friday, October 8th 2021 on Three Pines Records.

Three Pines Records

Miryam Solomon - Romance EP (October 8, 2021 Albert's Favourites)

All voices are unique, but some really stand apart. Whether it be the tone or a person’s phrasing and delivery, sometimes a voice catches you and gets under your skin. Miryam Solomon is one of those people.

A London-based artist, by way of Sweden and Eritrea, her work is underpinned by her love for rhythms, vocal interplay and storytelling, and has been championed by the likes of Jamie Cullum and Moses Boyd.

Romance, her debut EP for the South London label Albert’s Favourites, is at its heart a sonic exploration of storytelling, painting vivid and evocative worlds that are beautiful, playful and intriguing.

Unexpected turns and sounds, interlocking rhythms and voice, weave together a journey through different moods and colours that set the scene for stories to unfold.

There’s a magic and honesty in its simplicity, in working with the dignity of each element, as exemplified by Ben Marc’s production. Repeating rhythms and phrases take on new meaning with each listen, always guided by Solomon’s voice and its offer of intimacy and intricacy.

In her own words:

“Romance is an ode to the small things that have stayed with me.

A few years ago I was listening to a conversation about sampling, and the beauty of hearing something in a track that resonates with you. An idea that you hold with respect and wonder, yet makes you think of new possibilities.

I wanted to hold on to that feeling and piece together these seemingly modest ideas, references, dreams and stories that become portals to how I make sense of the world”.

Miryam has received regular radio play through her recent collaboration with Huw Marc Bennett on his much-loved debut album Tresilian Bay. Plays from Cerys Matthews, Tom Ravenscroft, Gilles Peterson and Stuart Maconie count amongst much international support.

With a talent for unexpected rhythms and vocal lines that demand repeated listening, her beguiling solo work is sure to win many more fans. 

1. Pushing The Tide

2. Romance

3. Fiction On The Web

4. To Say All With Very Little

Ben Marc: Production, cello, guitar, bass, percussion

Miryam Solomon: Voice, percussion

Alina Bzhezhinska: Harp

Mastered by Frank Merritt at Carvery Cuts

Artwork Iman Mahdy

Supported by the MOBO Help Musicians Fund

PREORDER