Brodie West Quintet - Meadow Of Dreams (March 25, 2022 Astral Spirits)

1. Entrainment

2. Fortress

3. Inhabit I

4. Grotto

5. Inhabit II

6. Inhabit III

7. Haunt

8. Meadow of Dreams

Evan Cartwright: drums, vibraphone and guitar

Josh Cole: bass

Nick Fraser : drums

Tania Gill: piano

Brodie West: alto saxophone

Recorded by Jeremy Darby and Julian Decorte at Canterbury Music Company on February 29, March 1 and March 2, 2020.

Mixed by Matt Smith

Mastered by Jeff McMurrich.

Produced by the Brodie West Quintet

Co-Produced by Matt Smith.

Photograph by Alex Durlak.

All compositions © B. West

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Kabir Dalawari - Awareness (March 25, 2022)

Nourished by the abundant creative energies of the scene in his native Chicago, drummer and composer Kabir Dalawari has developed a unique musical voice that he is thrilled to share with the world on his vibrant debut album, "Awareness". Dalawari fronts a talent-packed quartet for a set of original pieces brimming with rhythmic animation, melodic richness and bristling interactivity. 

1. A Moment in Time

2. Action Potential

3. Woven, Sought

4. Woven, Found

5. Expedition

6. Onward

7. Awareness

Alto Saxophone, Kyle Brooks

Piano, Eric Arroyo

Bass, Matt Ulery

Drums, Kabir Dalawari

Recorded at Transient Sound Studio, 7/29/21-7/30/21

Engineer, Vijay Tellis-Nayak

Producer, Jon Deitemyer

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Lars Duppler (feat. Denis Gäbel & Jens Düppe) - Unbound (March 25, 2022 Tangible Music)

1. Silk Spectre

2. The Gateway

3. Sleepwalker

4. Tabori

5. Sketch

6. Kigo

7. Rooftop Serenade

8. Glint

9. Twofold

10. Juggernaut

Lars Duppler - Fender Rhodes, Moog Prodigy

Denis Gäbel - Saxophones, Bass Clarinet

Jens Düppe - Drums

Compositions by Lars Duppler

Recorded by Philipp Bardenberg at Salon de Jazz

Mixed by Wolfgang Stach / Maarweegstudio 2

Mastered by Nate Weed at Kerseboom Mastering

Produced by Janning Trumann & Lars Duppler

Cover art by Holger Rosse

Photos by Sandra Stein

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Gustavo Cortiñas - Desafío Candente (March 2021)

Inspired by Eduardo Galeano’s The Open Veins of Latin America

Desafío Candente is inspired by the writings of Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano, in his book “The Open Veins of Latin America”. Featuring collaborations of 21 musicians and 13 guest speakers, from 11 different countries, in a collection of 14 tracks, Desafío Candente takes you on a journey through Latin America and its history of colonialism, imperialism, and neoliberalism. Desafío Candente denounces the power structures that run Latin American and prey on its people to this day, while it also celebrates the resilience, spirit and creativity of its very diverse communities.

Desafío Candente was ranked amongst the top jazz albums of 2021 by Downbeat, Jazziz, 33third and Jazz Critics Polls.

1. I. Overture feat. Artie Black & Gustavo Cortiñas 08:26

2. II. Abya Yala feat. Xavier Quijas Yxayotl & Angelina Suyul 09:50

3. III. Pachacuti 07:27

4. IV. La Fiebre del Oro feat. Javier Red & Artie Black 09:03

5. V. El Jinete y el Caballo feat. Roy Mcgrath, Euan Edmonds & Matt Gold 05:32

6. VI. La Nostalgia Peleadora de Tupac Amaru feat. Drew Hansen & Juan Pastor 07:50

7. VII. Combustible Humano feat. Joaquin Garcia 04:23

8. VIII. La Ruta de Regreso a Guinea esta en el Arcoiris feat. Gros Ngolle Pokossi & Artie Black 06:10

9. IX. Pax Britannica feat. Joaquin Garcia 06:52

10. X. Los Caudillos Campesinos feat. Damian Rivero, Drew Hansen & Jeronimo Gonzalez 05:09

11. XI. El Desarrollo Desarrolla la Desigualdad feat. Luzius Devoun & Matt Gold 07:15

12. XII. La Mano Invisible feat. Victor Goines 06:31

13. XIII. Desafio Candente feat. Euan Edmonds 06:51

14. Un Mundo En Que Quepan Muchos Mundos feat. Xavier Quijas Yxayotl 04:53

Music - Gustavo Cortiñas

Text - Eduardo Galeano (Montevideo, Uruguay)

Except:

*Angelina Suyul

**La Visión de los Vencidos (anónimo) ***lyrics - Subcomandante Marcos ****letter / lyrics - Gustavo Cortiñas

Drew Hansen (Glenview, IL) - trompeta / trumpet

Artie Black (Renfrew, PA) - tenor sax and bass clarinet / sax tenor y clarinete bajo Euan Edmonds (Salt Lake City, UT) - trombón / trombone

Joaquín García (Chicago, IL) - piano

Matt Gold (Queens, NY) - guitarra / guitar - tracks 6, 7, 9 & 12

Kitt Lyles (Greenville, SC) - contrabajo / upright bass

Gustavo Cortiñas (CDMX, MX) - batería y percusión / drum set and percussion

Invitados especiales / Special guests

Xavier Quijas Yxayotl (Guadalajara, Jalisco, México) - flauta e instrumentos ancestrales - flute and ancestral instruments - tracks 2 & 14

Javier Resendiz (CDMX, México) - piano - track 4

Roy McGrath (San Juan, Puerto Rico) - saxofón tenor / tenor sax - track 5

Victor Junito González (Chicago, IL) - percusión / percussion - track 5

Bobby Delgado (Chicago, IL) - percusión / percussion - track 5

Javier Quintana-Ocasio (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) - percusión / percussion - track 5 Juan Pastor (Lima, Perú)- percusión / percussion - track 6

Gros Ngolle Pokossi (Yaoundé, Cameroon) - bajo / bass - track 8

Yuri Hevia (Sewell, Chile) - percusión / percussion - tracks 9 & 13

Damián Rivero (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - voz / vocals - track 10

Jerónimo González (Villahermosa, Tabasco, México) - jarana - track 10

Victor Goines (New Orleans, LA) - clarinete / clarinet - track 11

Luzius Devoun (Ponce, PR) - voz / vocals - track 12

Edward Carpio (Lima, Perú) - coros y huiro / chorus vocals and huiro - track 12

Voz Hablada / Spoken Word

I. Graciela Morales (CDMX, México)

II. Angelina Suyul (Las Ollas, San Juan Chamula, México)

III. Esteban Martínez (Chiatipan Huazalingo, Hidalgo, México)

IV. Mercedes Inez Martinez (El Paso, TX)

V. Omar Torres-Kortright (San Juan, Puerto Rico)

VI. Carlos Robles (CDMX, México)

VII. Maria Allemana (Ribeirão Preto, Brazil)

VIII. Stephanie Woods Machado (Isla de la Juventud, Cuba)

IX. Sebastián Valenzuela (Sewell, Chile)

X. Andrés Cortiñas (CDMX, México)

XI. Daniel Castro (Bogotá, Colombia)

XII. Nancy Pantoja (Pasto, Colombia)

XIII. Gabriela Fouilloux (CDMX, México)

Carmen Chami (CDMX, México) - Portada / Cover Art

Damián Robles (CDMX, México) - Diseño / Graphic Design

Videografía / Videography - Zack Sievers

STUDIOMEDIA RECORDING COMPANY grabado por / recorded by Scott Steinman con asistencia de / assisted by Taylor Hales Electrical Audio, Chicago, IL.

mezclado y masterizado por / mixed and mastered by Scott Steinman

GardenView Sound Studio, Evanston, IL.

instrumentos ancestrales / ancestral instruments

Tomsonic Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA José Carrillo & Tom Manasian

Angelina Suyul

Alpha Digital Studio, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas por / by: Rafael Ayanegui

productor / producer: Otto Anzúrez Dadda

Voz / Spoken word - tracks 1, 6 & 10

Grabados por / Recorded by: Juan Pablo González (CDMX, México).

Spoken word - track 13, & Jarana

Grabados por / recorded by: Jerónimo González Last Jerónimo Music Studios

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Gordoa / Malfon / Edwards / Narvesen - Substantial Myths (2022 Fundacja Słuchaj)

The most promising vibraphone virtuoso Emilio Gordoa collects an excellent quartet with such fantastic young colleagues Dag Magnus Narvesen and Don Malfon and legendary iconic bass player John Edwards. They presented their music first time at the Artacts Festival in St. Johann in Tirol. Now this great performance is available on CD.

1. Old Tannery Part. One 21:21

2. Old Tannery Part Two 26:42

Emilio Gordoa - vibraphone

Don Malfon - alto & baritone saxophone

John Edwards - double bass

Dag Magnus Narvesen - drums

All music by Emilio Gordoa, Don Malfon, John Edwards & Dag Magnus Narvesen.

Recorded by Markus Massinger and Charles Wienand on March 16th, 2019 at Alte Gerberei / Artacts Festival in St. Johann in Tirol, Austria.

Mixed and Mastered by Emilio Gordoa.

Graphic Design: Piotr Biegański

Executive Producer: Maciej Karłowski

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Iori Kimura & Kohei Morita DUO - Common Nostalgia (March 2022 Playwright)

Iori Kimura

A pianist, keyboardist and composer/arranger active in various genres, especially jazz. A diverse artist, Kimura performs in piano trio Primitive Art Orchestra, tours nationally as a solo pianist and collaborates with DJs and dancers in addition to his work with jazz band, bohemianvoodoo. His passionate performances and melodious, emotion-provoking writing are attracting acclaim across Japan and the world.

Kohei Morita

Morita began playing contrabass and electric bass when he was 16. He has released three original albums with Primitive Art Orchestra. Also active as a song writer and arranger, he released "Euphonical Furnitures.2" in 2020. His work emphasizes warm, gentle bass timbres, lilting nostalgic melodies and richly emotional, romantic arrangements.

1. IRO NAKI KAZE

2. My Folk Lore

3. Lavender Night Sky

4. Reflection

5. Blurred Memolies

6. Scene

7. Golden Town

8. Sumdging

9. ZEN

10. Nocturne

11. Portrait

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Harry Skoler - Living In Sound: The Music of Charles Mingus (April 22, 2022 Sunnyside Records)

The righteous and bombastic nature of the great bassist/composer Charles Mingus made him a polarizing personality. His unique personality, combined with his groundbreaking music, were magnetic for open-minded listeners. Clarinetist Harry Skoler discovered Mingus and his music early in life. This discovery would change his entire trajectory as a person and musician, which Skoler celebrates on his new recording, Living In Sound: The Music of Charles Mingus.

Skoler had a challenging adolescence while growing up in Syracuse, New York during the 1960s and early 1970s. While seeking solace from a traumatic event, he discovered the world of Charles Mingus, initially from the bassist’s Mingus Moves LP (Atlantic, 1974). The overwhelming impact on Skoler led him to investigate both Mingus’s legendary musical oeuvre and his autobiography, Beneath the Underdog. Mingus’s words and music resonated with the young musician. It is as though he had found truth in the work of one artist.

It wasn’t long before Skoler was able to experience Mingus in the flesh at Syracuse University’s Jabberwocky student club. The experience was beyond anything that Skoler had experienced up until then. Mingus’s powerful presence and command were larger than life. The experience was imprinted deeply on Skoler and is represented in an original graphic story by Dave Chisholm included with Living In Sound.

Over forty years later, Skoler already had a wonderful career as a working musician and professor at the celebrated Berklee College of Music. In 2018, his life was saved from a ruptured artery; then depression set in. This is when Skoler met saxophonist Walter Smith III. Meeting Smith proved to be the catalyst and spark that Skoler needed. Skoler immediately felt that he needed to record again and asked Smith if he would be willing to produce a new album, to which Smith agreed.

It was the collaborative effort of Skoler and Smith that proposed a project celebrating Mingus with strings. Skoler was excited by the possibilities and the project went forward with Smith suggesting the string quartet, jazz accompanists, and arrangers for the pieces. The producer was able to gather an all-star group, which included pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Christian McBride, drummer Johnathan Blake, trumpeter Nicolas Payton, and vocalist Jazzmeia Horn. A string quartet of violinists Megan Gould and Tomoko Omura, with violist Karen Waltuch and cellist Noah Hoffeld was also commissioned.

The recording features arrangements by some of the brightest compositional minds in jazz, namely Darcy James Argue, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Fabian Almazan. The pieces to be performed were selected ad hoc by the arrangers or by Skoler and Smith. The arrangers were trusted to do whatever they wanted in the arrangements. The pieces were ready in August 2021, when Skoler met the band and string quartet at Sear Sound for two days of recording.

The recording begins with Fabian Almazan’s arrangement of “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” bittersweet strings leading to Skoler’s laid back reading of one of Mingus’s most beloved tunes. Darcy James Argue twists “Peggy’s Blue Skylight” dramatically, as the rhythmic strings bounce intricately off one another and McBride and Barron stretch out on their individual solos. Argue created a perfect showcase for Skoler on “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love,” providing an at times lush, then spare, arrangement allowing the clarinetist to dial into the same wistful feelings of respect and love for Mingus’s hero, Duke Ellington, with the aid of McBride’s supportive bass.

Mingus’s striking “Remember Rockefeller at Attica” is filled by Almazan’s pen with the chilling effect and violence that its namesake event inspired; Skoler’s pained screaming through his clarinet, and Payton’s thoughtful trumpet are highlights of the recording. Akinmusire’s arrangement of Don Pullen’s “Newcomer” is nuanced and deep, the tune being from the Mingus Moves LP that was the origin of Skoler’s Mingus appreciation. Brilliant vocalist Jazzmeia Horn brings Doug Hammond’s “Moves” to life, the subtlety and strength of her voice amplified by the meditative tone poem arranged by Almazan.

Argue chose to tackle “Sue’s Changes” for a thrilling and inventive suite with ever changing emotions and transitions, played masterfully by the ensemble and providing Payton some true solo highlights. “Invisible Lady” is a gorgeous, mysterious piece loved by Skoler; Akinmusire’s arrangement provides languid, noirish tones. Skoler’s original, “Underdog,” was completed under the wire, although the conception was developed over months. The composer wrote the piece just prior to the final recording session as a sketch that provides freedom for all the musicians to express themselves without hindrance.

The music that Harry Skoler, Walter Smith III, and their brilliant cast recorded on Living In Sound captures the many moods of the iconoclastic Charles Mingus. There are shades of tumult, harmonic depth, conceptual depth, and abandon. A perfect tribute to the legend to mark his centennial year. 

1. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat

2. Peggy's Blue Skylight

3. Duke Ellington's Sound of Love

4. Remember Rockefeller at Attica

5. Newcomer

6. Moves

7. Sue's Changes

8. Invisible Lady

9. Underdog

Harry Skoler - clarinet

Kenny Barron - piano

Christian McBride - bass

Johnathan Blake - drums

Jazzmeia Horn - vocals

Nicholas Payton - trumpet

Megan Gould - violin I

Tomoto Omura - violin II

Karen Waltuch - viola

Noah Hoffeld - cello

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Mike Holober & Balancing Act - Don't Let Go (April 15, 2022 Sunnyside Records)

It’s an appropriate name for a Holober-led band; in many ways, Holober’s management of his many musical inspirations is a balancing act. On one hand, much of what he’s best known for is his work with larger ensembles like the WDR Big Band, the HR Big Band, and the Gotham Jazz Orchestra, whose latest work with Holober at the helm, Hiding Out, earned a 2020 GRAMMY® nomination. On the other, there’s the magnetism of even greater self-actualization, of writing for and leading a smaller group.

“After focusing on big band work for so long,” Holober says, “Balancing Act exists to satisfy my needs to write for and lead a smaller group again and make a completely personal statement, where the fruits of the collective are matched with band leadership and personal artistic goals.”

But the balancing isn’t just finding the sweet spot between large groups and small; it’s also about striking the balance between Holober’s classical and jazz impulses. Don’t Let Go is a 14-part song-cycle divided into two sets — one for each of the album’s two discs — recorded in October 2019 at Aaron Davis Hall on the campus of the City College of New York, where Holober has taught since 1995. The work is intended to be heard in the order presented, much like the song-cycles of classical influences like Robert Schumann, Samuel Barber, and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Of course, when the roster of sidemen is composed of Marvin Stamm (trumpet and flugelhorn), Dick Oatts (alto and soprano sax, flute), Jason Rigby (tenor sax, clarinet, bass clarinet), Mark Patterson (trombone), Mike McGuirk (bass), and Dennis Mackrel (drums), one knows there’ll be no scarcity of jazz-rooted improvisation. The presence of Brazilian vocalist Jamile only enhances the group’s expressive palette and dynamic interplay.

Rhapsodic in nature, Don’t Let Go’s structure and presentation will appeal to listeners across the musical spectrum. At times it presents like classical-inspired jazz; at other times like jazz-inspired classical. That’s by design. Holober formed Balancing Act in 2015, with its eponymous premiere recording landing on many jazz critics’ “best of” yearly roundup lists. In 2017, Holober sought (and won) a commission from Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works program to create Don’t Let Go because, as he puts it, he’s drawn to “contrasting elements and ideas, mixing styles, grooves, and influences from diverse jazz and classical languages.”

So then, it’s no surprise he utilizes the talents of vocalist Jamile in a manner slightly unconventional. “Although some of the music contains lyrics,” explains Holober, “Balancing Act is not designed as a singer’s showcase. I employ voice as another frontline instrument, often singing wordless notes.”

This is why Holober describes Balancing Act as “a jazz octet with voice.” Listen to set-one’s “Four-Letter Words,” “Kiss the Ground,” and, especially, “A Summer Midnight’s Dream” and “Morning Hope” to get a sense for the diversity of contexts in which Jamile’s expansive musicality is employed. When she’s not featured out front, bringing Holober-penned lyrics to life, she’s not on break; whether it’s scatting improvisationally or wordlessly vocalizing lines typically not meant for voice, Jamile is utilized as another piece of the octet’s instrumentation, adding texture and color.

Holober says the spiritual impetus for Don’t Let Go was born from his desire to “explore the concept of ‘hope’ in the context of current social, political, and environmental realities.” This hope is manifested in the way he’s chosen to present this program—pieces that are individually self-sufficient but inextricably bound to their musical companions and maximally effective, both emotionally and musically, when presented as a unit. This governing principle applies not just to the whole but to the parts themselves, the individual songs of the cycle.

“Necessary,” the closer of the first set, speaks well to Holober’s commitment to exposing the connection and striking the balance between the individual and the collective, with sparkling individual displays by Rigby and Patterson giving way to section playing of the highest precision.

“I Wonder,” the second set’s opener, continues Holober’s exploration in duality and contrasts, opening with an atmospheric solo piano prologue before showcasing the rhythm section (plus Jamile) as a swaggering quartet punctuated by concentrated bursts of horn support. The horns are foregrounded once more in “You’re a Long Way from Home,” but it’s not necessary to keep score. Whether it’s Holober with a jaunty, bouncy solo (“Touch the Sky”), Oatts piercing through a bossa nova-induced reverie on soprano sax (“Letting Go”), or Jamile and Stamm trading star-turns on a melodic, theatrical ballad (“You Never Know”), every one of these talented musicians gets their just due here.

The title track and closer serves as the spiritual anthem for this concert-length suite. No mere suggestion, this is a musical imperative, at once uplifting and defiantly optimistic. Crafted specifically in these times and for these times and speaking to both head and heart, this song cycle lends credence to Downbeat’s assessment of Holober as “one of the finest modern composer/arrangers of our time.” 

1. Breathe Deep

2. Morning Hope

3. Four-Letter Words

4. Kiss The Ground

5. Burnin' Daylight

6. A Summer Midnight's Dream

7. Necessary

8. I Wonder

9. You're A Long Way From Home

10. You Never Know

11. Smile Slow

12. Letting Go

13. Touch The Sky

14. Don't Let Go

Jamile - voice

Marvin Stamm - trumpet & flugelhorn

Dick Oatts - alto, soprano saxophone, flute

Jason Rigby - tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet

Mark Patterson - trombone

Mike Holober - piano & composer

Mike McGuirk - bass

Dennis Mackrel - drums

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Fergus McCreadie - Forest Floor (April 8, 2022 Edition Records)

Scottish pianist Fergus McCreadie returns with a brand new studio album ‘Forest Floor’ that follows the highly acclaimed Cairn, released in January 2021. Building on the superlative reaction to Cairn, Forest Floor develops similar traits and characteristics but imbued with even greater maturity, interaction and vision. The Scottish folk influences developed in Cairn remain central and define Fergus’ and the trio’s sound.

1. Law Hill

2. The Unfurrowed Field

3. Morning Moon

4. Landslide

5. Forest Floor

6. The Ridge

7. White Water

8. Glade

Fergus McCreadie - Piano

David Bowden - Double Bass

Stephen Henderson - Drums

Produced by Fergus McCreadie

Executive producer Dave Stapleton

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Nat Birchall - AFRO TRANE (May 27, 2022)

Third all-solo outing from Nat Birchall. This time Nat pays homage to the patron saint of the tenor saxophone, John Coltrane. With a balanced programme of original songs and John Coltrane compositions the album focusses on the more Afrocentric aspects of the music.

1. Acknowledgement (A Love Supreme Pt 1)

2. Trane's Garden

3. India

4. Afro Trane

5. Dahomey Dance

6. Folk Song For Trane

Nat Birchall - Tenor & soprano saxophones, bass clarinet, zurna, piano, Korg Minilogue, harmonium, bass, drums, hand drums, mbira, percussion

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Spencer Zahn - Pale Horizon (May 13, 2022 Cascine)

The music of multi-instrumentalist Spencer Zahn is marked by openness: spacious sonic landscapes, rich with contributions from his creative community. Zahn’s newest album, Sunday Painter, is a refined step forward for the New York City-based musician a lush collection of instrumental songs that undulate along waves of jazz, ambient pop, Americana, and neo-classical.

1. In The Days of Slowness

2. Belonging

3. Sadly, Slowly

4. Wake

5. Miss You

6. When I Follow

7. In The Tall Grass

8. Curious Frame

9. Goodnight, Faintly

10. But For You

11. How To Say Goodbye

12. Hana, My Love

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Glass Museum - Reflet (April 29, 2022 Sdban Records)

Belgian instrumentalists Glass Museum have found the perfect balance between piano and drums, where jazz and electronics collide, uniting the surgical precision of the best contemporary jazz, à la Gogo Penguin and Badbadnotgood, with the electronic influences of Jon Hopkins or Floating Points.

In motion since 2016, the duo consisting of keyboardist Antoine Flipo and drummer Martin Grégoire, have a rich history written around a powerful connection to duality. From the initial impact of the ‘Deux’ EP in 2018, to the synthetic and organic textures of the critically acclaimed 2020 album ‘Reykjavik’, Glass Museum has found its balance in symmetry.

Released 29th April via the groove-obsessed Sdban Ultra label, ‘Reflet’ was born out of a desire for freedom, a wish to innovate and travel differently. This new piece stands out as an artistic climax crafted at the crossroads of time and genres, an electronic proposition wrought by two brave hearts, tempered by the organic reflections delivered through computer free melodies. An album which places the human at the core of its compositions and in order to return to a more instinctive and instantaneous means of creation, the duo retreated to a secret location in one of the most remote parts of the Ardennes. It’s there, in the shade of spruces, that the album was first born.

Extremely cinematographic, ‘Reflet’ delivers a panoramic view point: jazz, breakbeat, minimal techno and deep house, collide on neo classical grounds. From the dynamic instrumentation of album opener ‘Caillebotis’ to the absorbing oscillations of ‘Shiitake’ and grand gestures of the album title track, ‘Reflet’ is an odyssey running through troubled times, an ode to night time, to life, dreams and to all rhythms that convey emotions beyond words. Like its immersive creative process, the album offers a counterpoint and, above all, endless perspectives. Elsewhere, the pulsing, melodic ‘Auburn’ and entrancing electronic textures of ‘Opal Sequences’ continue the exploration before the strutting ‘Kendama’ showcases the electronic sensibilities that are buried within their productions. 

1. Caillebotis

2. Shiitake

3. Ellipse

4. Reflet

5. Swimming Trees

6. Auburn

7. Opal Sequences

8. Kendama

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Grossman / Morris-Smith - Curious Music (April 8, 2022 Astral Spirits)

This is a split release with RESEARCH RECORDS in Australia. For Australian customers PLEASE order directly from Research here: researchrecords.bandcamp.com

The music on this album was created using only Electric Guitar *

Using a single instrument - Electric Guitar - As A frame and the studio as the limit.

ie :

The sound of ‘Harp’

The layering of a single, guitar chord.

The sound of ‘Trumpets’ & ‘Saxophone’

Were designed and treated using fuzz / Wah Wah / Pitch Box / Delay & Mic Gate.

The sound of ‘hi hat’ was designed through the scratching of two guitar strings repeatedly

etc.

Thank you for listening

Michael Grossman & Jai Morris-Smith

Curious Music.

*Jai’s watch can be heard as it marks the next hour. Side I ending.

*The last phrase of guitars on side II was recorded and played back using a dictaphone.

1. "Curious Music I" I. Catalogue of Dreams, II. Miles Beneath Antarctica

2. "Curious Music II" I. Shalom (Peace Be With You), II. Silk III. Catalogue Of The Universe /(The Conversation)

Guitar & Treatments - Michael Grossman

Guitar & Treatments - Jai Morris-Smith

All Compositions

Written, Recorded Mixed & Produced by

Michael Grossman // Jai Morris-Smith

2020 - 2021

Mastered By Mikey Young

Artwork By James Coe

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Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake (March 2022 Thrill Jockey Records)

The closest of relationships gives its members space to expand, change, develop, and play. Tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson and drummer Hamid Drake have just that kind of partnership, one that has seen them periodically move apart and work extensively on other fronts – Anderson tending to the recent relocation of his major jazz venue the Velvet Lounge; Drake in a dizzying array of globetrotting ensembles – but always returning to the fold, digging in together and checking out what’s been learned in the interim. Over the course of some three decades, master saxophonist and prodigy percussionist have continued to reconfirm their commitment to their joint project.

Following up on their acclaimed Thrill Jockey 2004 CD Back Together Again, Drake and Anderson set out to show just how much they’d grown, how beautifully their work together has evolved. Drafting an all-star band consisting of fellow-Chicagoans, the twosome entered John McEntire’s Soma Studios and proceeded to record their most relaxed, perfectly balanced date yet. In a discography that has gone from a handful of rare LPs fifteen years ago to a staggering number of discs on various labels today, it may seem hyperbolic to call From the River to the Ocean Fred Anderson’s greatest album yet, but the empathy and cohesiveness of the ensemble, coupled with the saxophonist’s brilliant, searching improvisations, makes it a ringer.

From the River to the Ocean is an especially varied outing, ranging from Anderson’s classic set-closing blues “Strut Time” to the meditative, spiritual, modal track “For Brother Thompson,” dedicated to the late trumpeter Malachi Thompson and featuring bassist Harrison Bankhead on brooding piano and Drake chanting in Arabic. The record’s title track and the closer, “Sakti/Shiva,” find bassist Josh Abrams laying down an astounding bed on guimbri, the three-stringed Moroccan acoustic bass familiar to fans of Gnawa music. Drake knows exactly how to work with guimbri, as evidenced on his CD The Wels Concert (Okka Disk) with guimbri player Mahmoud Gania and saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. Another of the CD’s delights is guitarist Jeff Parker, known to many through his work with Tortoise and Isotope 217 and his prominent place in the current jazz guitar pantheon. Here, Parker displays an immense sensitivity and melodic genius, sharing solo spotlight with Bankhead’s cello on “From the River to the Ocean” and sculpting a stunning array of shapes on the group’s swinging take on Anderson’s “Planet E.”

Underneath is all is Hamid Drake, an intensely creative soul who has continued to challenge himself. Drake’s growth is not measured in how many different instruments he plays – indeed, he’s scaled back his arsenal over the years – but in the depth and musicality of his feeling. On this record he is remarkably light and airy, playing with tremendous delicacy and clarity. It goes to show that you don’t need to muscle your way into someone’s ears. Propulsion can be introduced without a pneumatic drill, and Drake instigates an avalanche of rolling forward momentum on the opening moments, inspiring the two basses and guitarist to move, to make something moving, and in turn to further inspire Fred Anderson to some of his most forceful and imaginative playing yet documented.

If the individual is a small receptacle of expressivity, a mountain spring if you will, then it is in ideal settings like this one that the springs join forces, turning into streams, then bigger and bigger tributaries, finally swelling into rivers that open into the oceanic creative waterways. Thank goodness Anderson and Drake have tapped into that wellspring, drawing directly from the source. 

1. Planet E 14:42

2. Strut Time 21:15

3. For Brother Thompson 07:44

4. From the River to the Ocean 13:35

5. Sakti / Shiva 06:24

FRED ANDERSON Saxophone on all tracks.

HAMID DRAKE Drums on "Planet E," "Strut Time," and "For Brother Thompson." Frame Drum on "From the River to the Ocean."

JEFF PARKER Guitar on "Planet E," "Strut Time," and "From the River to the Ocean."

HARRISON BANKHEAD Cello on "Strut Time," Piano on "For Brother Thompson." Bass on "Planet E" and "From the River to the Ocean."

JOSHUA ABRAMS Bass on "Planet E," "Strut Time," and "For Brother Thompson." Guimbri on "Sakti/Shiva" and "From the River to the Ocean."

Recorded by John McEntire at Soma EMS

Photographs by Jim Newberry

Design by Azita Youssefi and Sheila Sachs

"Planet E" and "Strut Time" written by Fred Anderson.

"For Brother Thompson" written by Harrison Bankhead.

"Sakti/Shiva" written by Fred Anderson, Joshua Abrams with help from Hamid Drake.

"From the River to the Ocean" written by Joshua Abrams and Hamid Drake.

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Véhicule - Grand Dentelé (March 2022 rohs! records)

"One day, my piano (a nice upright Feurich made in Langlau in 1984) was opened because the hammers had to be repaired. The strings were visible and the cylinder was removed. Like this, the piano looked like a boneless animal with his skin removed.

Like the Beef Skinned from Soutine, or an anatomic picture from Vesale. I started tapping on the strings, on the wood case, scratching the keys and the strings, to bring life back to this carcass. It was the beginning of the first track, L’allégorie de la Carcasse. This album is like a reconquest of the keyboards and a tribute as well. Synthesizers, piano, pump organ and even the computer keyboard, are the principal source of the tracks. I tried to keep a pleasure of playing, of improvising, in the spirit of jazz music which I love.

I used other instruments and objects, like shakuhachi and turntable. However, the composition process needs to go back and forth between instruments and computer, analogic and digital, improvisation and editing. Sometimes, the computer and the machines makes you do things that you didn’t expect. It’s the life of the music and the creation. And it’s the dimension that I want to keep with Véhicule: not a dogmatic way of composing, but just a journey, always surprising, in the sounds.." 

1. A1. L'allégorie de la carcasse 05:51

2. A2. Joe Zawinul's sleep 05:36

3. A3. Descente de flics sourds 06:42

4. B1. Notre Dame des Caves 06:04

5. B2. Heidegger's slippers 03:19

6. B3. Vishnu's remorse 08:22

Music: Sylvain Milliot

Mastered by: Andrea Porcu

Record label: Lᴏɴᴛᴀɴᴏ Series

Publisher: ROHS! RECORDS

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Ewan Bleach - Ewan the Night’n the Music (March 2022 Old Style Records)

“Ewan, the Night'n the Music” is a ballads album, a tribute to the poetic side of jazz improvisation and the rich melodic compositions of the old songwriters. Whilst inspired on the most part by the poetic genius of two jazz giants, Sidney Bechet and Lester Young , who Ewan sees respectively as the sun and moon of jazz reed players, he is also seeking an authenticity his improvisations, a sense of timelessness and an appreciation of the “now” whilst conjuring up the old spirits with the nuances of the past. This is meant to be an album for melting into your chair at the end of hard day, mellow and soothing, but not without moments of pathos and passion

1. Body and Soul 04:26

2. Deep Purple 04:09

3. Memories of You 05:12

4. You and the Night and the Music 05:18

5. Prelude to a Kiss 04:50

6. Si Tu Vois Ma Mère 03:44

7. When I Grow Too Old To Dream 03:10

8. The Very Thought of You 04:29

9. The Nearness of You 04:20

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Patrick Shiroishi - 442 (March 2022 Cønjuntø Vacíø)

After many many delays, today we present our first 2022 release, and a very special one for us.

Patrick Shiroishi is a Japanese-American multi-instrumentalist & composer based in Los Angeles.

"This piece was inspired by the 442nd infantry regiment, the most decorated military unit in history and composed of all japanese american soldiers. The piece is presented here in acoustic and electric versions, both being born from the same melody. If you are not familiar with their story, I implore you to take a look". - Patrick Shiroishi

We've been in love with Patrick's music for a long time and it's an honor to have a piece of his work on the label.

The 442 lathe cut 7" is limited to 30 copies. Artwork by Marc Miró.

You can now listen/download the digital version and pre-order the limited 7" version. Orders will start shipping on March 14th.

1. 442 (Acoustic) 05:51

2. 442 (Electric) 04:24

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Survival Unit III - The Art of Flight: For Alvin Fielder (March 2022 Catalytic-Sound)

"To rush at the wind and having caught it, to soar." - Unknown

Astral Spirits and the Instigation Festival are proud to announce the first release on Instigation Records: "The Art of Flight: For Alvin Fielder" by Survival Unit III (Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), Joe McPhee (tenor saxophone, pocket trumpet), Michael Zerang (percussion).

This set finds the trio breaking new ground - Lonberg-Holm going sans electronics for the first time in Survival Unit III's storied discography - while displaying the mastery of sonic shade and deft interplay that's been their hallmark over the past sixteen plus years.

Beautifully recorded at the New Orleans Jazz Museum during the 2018 Instigation Festival, the night was fittingly historic: Survival Unit III performed the middle set of a three act bill featuring Ken Vandermark's Marker (released as Roadwork 1 on Vandermark's Audiographic imprint) and the final performance of McPhee (filling in last minute for an ill Kidd Jordan) with legendary drummer and beloved AACM elder Alvin Fielder to whom this album is dedicated. That set - with James Singleton on bass to round out the trio - will be released on LP in 2023 as the third title on Instigation Records.

With precious few recordings of Survival Unit III, every new release is a cause for celebration, and a perfect encapsulation of the spirit of the festival: honoring the history by crafting the future.

1. Part 1 13:37

2. Part 2 07:15

3. Part 3 10:46

4. Part 4 03:45

5. Part 5 04:23

Joe McPhee - tenor saxophone, pocket trumpet

Fred Lonberg-Holm - cello

Michael Zerang - percussion

Recorded by Danny Kadar and Joe Stolarick at The Mint during The Instigation Festival, New Orleans on January 25, 2018

Mixed and Mastered by Jeff Albert

Produced by The Instigation Festival and Astral Spirits

Desing and cover photo by Federico Peñalva & Band photo by Marc PoKempner.

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Manuel Valera New Cuban Express Big Band - Distancia (March 18, 2022 Greenleaf Music)

Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Manuel Valera (Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, Steve Smith) hails from Cuba and is an integral part of the New York City’s vibrant music scene. ‘Distancia’ is the second album from his New Cuban Express Big Band, a spirited ensemble that fuses the music of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Brazil to forge innovative sounds and textures.

The album draws upon searing personal experiences – going through personal loss, and having to pick up the pieces to move forward. Valera uses the broad palette of the big band to express a wide range of moods and emotions. From the haunting “From Afar,” to the buoyant “Expectativas”, and the fiery “Gemini,” the writing is dynamic and varied and the ensemble brings out the nuances with both grace and gusto.

The band features some of New York’s best creative musicians, including vocalists Camila Meza and Bogna Kicińska as well as standout soloists Charles Pillow, Remy Le Beouf, and Mike Fahie. Produced by Kabir Sehgal (Chucho Valdés, Arturo O'Farrill) and Doug Davis (Brian Lynch, John Daversa), Manuel Valera presents a very personal album of engaging contemporary big band jazz.

1. Expectativas

2. Gemini

3. From Afar

4. Pathways

5. From The Ashes

6. Impressionistic Romance

7. Distancia

8. Remembered

Personnel:

VOICE

Camila Meza, voice (3, 4)

Bogna Kicińska, voice (7)

TRUMPETS

Brian Pareschi (lead)

Michael Rodriguez (3, 5, 6, 8)

Stuart Mack (on all except 5 & 8)

David Smith

Alex Norris (on all except 3 & 6)

SAXES

Michael Thomas, alto sax, soprano sax & flute

Roman Filiu, alto sax & flute (3, 5, 6, 8)

Remy LeBoeuf, alto sax & flute (1, 2, 4, 7)

Joel Frahm, tenor saxophone (3, 5, 6, 8)

Jeremy Powell, tenor saxophone, clarinet (1, 2, 4, 7)

Andrew Gutauskas, baritone saxophone & bass clarinet

TROMBONES

Matt Macdonald (lead)

John Yao (3, 5, 6, 8)

Mike Fahie (1, 2, 4, 7)

Andy Clausen (3, 5, 6, 8)

Sam Blakeslee (1, 2, 4, 7)

Jeff Nelson, bass trombone

RHYTHM SECTION

Manuel Valera, piano

Alex Goodman, guitar

Ricky Rodriguez, bass (3, 5, 6, 8)

Hamish Smith, bass (1, 2, 4, 7)

Jimmy Macbride, drums

Samuel Torres, percussion

Production Credits

Executive Producer: Dave Douglas

Producer: Kabir Sehgal, Doug Davis, & Manuel Valera

Recorded at Orange Sheep Studios on December 8 & 9, 2019 and Oct 1 & 9, 2020

Recording engineer: Chris Berham

Mixing and mastering engineer: Oscar Autie

All compositions by Manuel Valera (ValeraMusic / ASCAP)

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Marquis Hill - New Gospel Revisited (March 18, 2022 Edition Records)

New Gospel Revisited is the new album from the fearless and formidable American composer and trumpeter Marquis Hill. A live recording that revisits and reinterprets his debut 2012 album New Gospel, this time round employing a band of super-heavyweight musicians including Walter Smith III, Joel Ross, James Francies, Kendrick Scott and Harish Raghavan. Marquis Hill’s rise over the last few years has been striking and there’s no letting up. Since winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Composition award he has demonstrated full command of his art and built a reputation for synthesizing what he describes as the essential elements of the Africa-American creative heritage including contemporary and classic jazz, hip-hop, R&B, house and neo-soul. Now, his sights are set even higher. New Gospel Revisited, is an extraordinary live recording that reimagines his debut as a leader with a new band, a new focus and a sharpened ear as a bandleader, composer and performer. The set is breathtakingly good with a band that sounds as inventive and creative as it reads on paper.

“… New Gospel was my debut album and my first completed production. To revisit this music in a fresh way, with a new band has been uniquely invigorating —and hugely rewarding.”

Marquis Hill

1. Intro (Live) 1.44

2. Law & Order (Live) 14.11

3. Walter Speaks (Feat. Walter Smith III) 2.16

4. The Believer (Live) 9.17

5. Oracle (Feat. Kendrick Scott) 2.1

6. New Gospel (Live) 6.04

7. Lullaby (Feat. Joel Ross) 3.21

8. Autumn (Live) 9.44

9. New Paths (Live) 2.24

10. A Portrait Of Fola (Live) 10.42

11. Perpetual (Feat. Harish Raghavan) 1.27

12. The Thump (Live) 8.03

13. Farewell (Feat. James Francies) 4.56

Marquis Hill - Trumpet

Walter Smith III - Tenor Sax

Joel Ross - Vibraphone

James Francies - Piano

Harish Raghavan - Bass

Kendrick Scott -Drums

Music composed by Marquis Hill - ASCAP (MHILLMUSIC)

Recorded live at Constellation, Chicago IL, by Anthony Gravino, 8th December 2019

Mixed by Dave Vettraino, 2019 in Chicago IL

Mastered by David Allen, 2019 in Chicago IL

Album Artwork by Oli Bentley, Split

Portrait Photograph by Chollette

Astrophotography — ‘The Butterfly Nebula’ by Gabe Shaughnessy

James Francies & Joel Ross appear courtesy of Blue Note Records

Produced by Marquis Hill

Executive producers Bryan Farina and Dave Stapleton

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