Elemental Music’s The Motown Collection was a continuing series of long-playing vinyl reissues of crate digger favorites from the Detroit-bred soul music giant Motown Records catalog. All releases replicated the ‘60s and ‘70s LPs’ bold sound and 12-by-12 full-color packaging. However, the Motown Sound Collection has now run its course with the release of The Temptations’ Psychedelic Shack [140 Gram] this March 21st, 2025.

Elemental released a total of 22 titles through 2024 and six in 2025 (this one making seven), including music by such storied Motown stars as Smokey Robinson (and the Miracles), The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye (both solo and with duet partner Mary Wells), The Jackson 5, Eddie Kendricks, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and The Undisputed Truth, etc.

“As a rule of thumb, we always try to reissue the music that we love. That’s our priority. With the Motown Series, we wanted to take a deep dive into the label’s history and to reissue some more obscure titles,” describes Elemental Music Founder and producer of the Motown Sound Collection Jordi Soley.

“For many of the albums we’ll be putting out throughout 2024 and into 2025, it will be their first reissue since their original release. It’s our way of showing some love to Motown’s legacy.”

The collection concludes today with the aforementioned classic The Temptations’ Psychedelic Shack [140 Gram Limited Edition] via Elemental Music.

The twelfth studio album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, Psychedelic Shack was released in 1970. All of the songs were composed by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and produced by Whitfield. It almost completely abandoned the Motown Sound formula, instead delving fully into psychedelia.

Along with the hit title track (which reached #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100, #4 on Cash Box, and #2 on the US R&B charts), the album also features the group’s original version of War which became a major hit for Edwin Starr later in 1970.

Psychedelic Shack was one of the last albums completed before the third incarnation of The Temptations (Dennis Edwards, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams) broke apart. During the recording of the album, Paul Williams, suffering from sickle-cell disease but also from five years of heavy alcoholism, was frequently unable to perform, so the group hired Richard Street, an old friend of Otis Williams and lead singer of minor Motown act The Monitors, as a stand-in.

Also, the group’s general frustration over their lack of creative control and their treatment at the hands of Motown resulted in an increased amount of infighting and set the stage for Kendricks’ imminent departure in early 1971.

All Music reviewer Amy Hanson gave the album a rating of four out of five stars, stating that This is an absolutely outstanding album - one which has stood the test of time, sounding as fresh as it did upon initial release.

The Temptations - Psychedelic Shack (Music Video)

SIDE A:
1. Psychedelic Shack
2. You Make Your Own Heaven And Hell Right Here On Earth
3. Hum Along And Dance
4. Take A Stroll Thru Your Mind

SIDE B:
1. It’s Summer
2. War
3. You Need Love Like I Do (Don’t You)
4. Friendship Train

One of the things that makes the Tempations’ late 60’s/early 70’s funkadelic (the sub-genre, not the band) sound that came from their later years of their Norman Whitfield productions was that it seemed to have been born out of adversity. Otis Williams preferred doo-wop oriented soul balladry from a vocalists viewpoint and Eddie Kendricks preferred the melodic pop of the classic Motown sound to psychedelia and his original singing partner and friend Paul Williams was slowly losing his ability to perform with the group due to his burgeoning alcoholism.

It’s a testament to the characters of the band members at the time they even made it through sessions like this. But they did. And everyone involved created a vital piece of dramatically funky Motown music.

The title song opens the album - with a much heavier emphasis on spacey electronic overdubs and echoed wah wah guitar than the version I heard as a single. You Make Your Own Heaven And Hell Right Here On Earth is a musically like minded bass/guitar driven number with a heavy funky soul rhythmic hump about it. Hum Along And Dance - which was an interesting song for the Temptations as Kendricks, the most vocal critic of the bands new sound sings ain’t no words to this song - perhaps express his enduring through his own irritation, and making the best of it. Still right in musical league with the funky atmosphere-full of fuzzed clavinet and James Jamerson’s walking bass, of course.

Take A Stroll Through Your Mind is very interesting as Eddie again begins the song singing a line that might’ve been a bit surprising for the Tempts even by this time: one drag was all it took, and I was hooked. And all to a stripped down, bluesy soul shuffle that builds in instrumental and vocal attitude before (and flipping the vinyl LP over) It’s Summer, a sweetly sung ballad romanticizing a season and the possible fun and love that comes with it is brought forth.

Of course it was the Temptations who recorded War first, yet their version wasn’t the big hit Edwin Starr’s was later that year. It’s similar musically, but a bit faster. You Need Love Like I Do (Don’t You) is a slower version of a song the Jackson 5 redid four years later and the album ends with an extended version of Gladys Knight & The Pips Friendship Train - culminating with what sounds like a giant passenger train coming to an abrupt stop.

There’s many things that I always appreciated about this particular era for the Temptations, especially their psychedelic soul triad in 1969-70 that Whitfield was able to expand upon from the Temptations basic approach. Also, the band was always rather unique at Motown for having three lead singers in Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, first David Ruffin and than Dennis Edwards.

With Sly & The Family Stone’s vocal approach of trading off leads for all it’s members, Whitfield wrote songs, wherein the fruity bass vocals of Melvin Franklin especially were mesmerizing - as well as the sadly underused doo-wop baritone croon of Otis Williams for vocal trade off’s with Eddie And Dennis.

Another great thing about this, something maybe Eddie even didn’t fully notice was that under the psychedelic effects all of these songs are sizzling, burning, red hot gospel call-and-response style soul,funk and rhythm & blues. In closing, it is yet another finely funky early 70’s Temptations album made for everyone to enjoy.

As noted above, this reissue is coming out as a 140 Gram Limited Gatefold Edition Vinyl.

The Temptations:
Dennis Edwards – vocals (tenor)
Eddie Kendricks – vocals (tenor/falsetto)
Paul Williams – vocals (baritone)
Melvin Franklin – vocals (bass)
Otis Williams – vocals (tenor/baritone)

With:
Norman Whitfield – producer, composer, lyricist
Barrett Strong – composer, lyricist
The Funk Brothers – instrumentation

These unforgettable Hitsville titles are part of a continuing series of long-playing vinyl reissues of crate digger favorites from the Motown Records catalog. All releases will replicate the ‘60s and ‘70s LPs’ bold sound and 12-by-12 full-color packaging. The Motown Sound Collection will continue with titles scheduled for release through early 2025.

Founded in 2012, Elemental Music specializes in releasing newly discovered and out-of-print recordings, primarily jazz, blues, and soul. These recordings are meticulously curated and reissued with love.

Official Purchase Link

www.elemental-music.com

For those unaware, Infinity was produced, arranged and mixed by Gaspard Murphy and all songs (except “Count My Blessings” co-written by Olivier Durand) written by Elliott Murphy in a surprising flurry of creative activity last year.

The album was recorded nearby at Murmure studio in Paris with contributions by his musical partner for 29 years virtuoso guitarist Olivier Durand, violionist Melissa Cox and percussionist Alan Fatras with double-bassist Gerard McFadden on one track. Keyboards, electric bass, drum programming and additional instrumentation were all handled by Gaspard Murphy and Elliott.

Elliott says: “Where do you go after a 50 year career in music and as many albums? I suppose Infinity is the answer and thus the title of my 52nd (I think) album which will be released as a limited edition CD on March 7th just in time for my tour of France/Belgium/Spain and Italy (via Cruise ship).”

“It’s my first studio album of original songs since Wonder (2023) and in these very recent family of songs I tried to peer into the future while being grounded in the icons of my youth all wrapped in a diverse genre defying musicality. Hopefully, it’s a personal collection that will appeal to the universal musical collective consciousness. That’s been my modus-operandi since my debut album Aquashow (1973).”

1. Granny Takes A Trip
2. Red Moon Over Paris
3. Baby Boomers Lament
4. The Lion in Winter/The End of the Game
5. Fetch Me Water
6. Three Shadows
7. Makin’ It Real
8. Night Surfing
9. Count My Blessings

This authentically engaging new recording opens on the rhythmically astute Granny Takes A Trip and then we get brought forth the countrified Robbie Robertson-hued twang of Red Moon Over Paris, the Leonard Cohen-esque Baby Boomers Lament and the languishing beauty within The Lion in Winter/The End of the Game.

Along next is the emotively cultured Fetch Me Water which is itself then backed seamlessly by the low slung storytelling that drives Three Shadows, the tempo rising for the rambunctious Makin’ It Real, the album rounding out on a yearning troubadour-imbibed spirit within Night Surfing, coming to an all-too-soon close on the late night, harmonica-harmonized Count My Blessings.

Official Purchase Link

“Pag-ibig ko,” or, “my love” in Tagalog, is Matthew Muñeses’ third album, and a further exploration of the Filipino songbook. Having discovered the beauty and versatility of kundiman (Filipino love songs) during his research from his previous record, he wanted to further explore this song form.

For this project, he wanted to involve different instrumentations than his typical quintet, and the first formation he settled on was a harp duo. He knew precisely who he needed to work with, having met Riza Printup roughly a decade prior during a Filipino jazz event in California.

This pared down instrumentation, coupled with the general subject matter, set up perfectly in their minds, so they set out to establish a set of music that encapsulated both the deeply beautiful sentiments of these old songs, but the love of country also inherent in other kundiman (i.e., Kundiman ni Rizal).

1. Dahil sa iyo
2. Nahan
3. Kundiman ni Rizal
4. Minamahal Kita
5. Maalaala mo kaya
6. Nasaan ka, irog?
7. Canto de María Clara
8. Sampaguita

This captivating, veritably crystalline in aura new recording opens on the languishing beauty within Dahil sa iyo and then we get the aching yearn of Nahan, the all-embracing Kundiman ni Rizal and the stoically smooth Minamahal Kita.

Then we get brought forth a dutiful warmth within Maalaala mo kaya which is itself backed seamlessly by the ever so pleasing Nasaan ka, irog?, the album rounding out on the delicately hued Canto de María Clara, coming to a close on the emphatic elegance of Sampaguita.

The concept of “love” is obviously a multi-faceted one, implying several types, including romantic, platonic, patriotic, “agape,” etc. Kundiman have been used over the years to speak to many of these, especially romance and patriotism. “Kundiman ni Rizal” and “Canto de María Clara,” both being on his last record, remained ideal vehicles for the concept of patriotism (or as is said in the Philippines, “nationalism,” without the implications inherent to the wider Western usage of the word); for both Riza and himself, as first-generation Fil-Ams, they have a deep love for the place they were raised, as well as for their ancestral homelands.

In an era when anti-Asian sentiment has been on the rise in the United States, Matthew felt torn between being grateful to live here, and angry at the injustices that have been perpetrated/a perceived lack of progress toward an equitable society.

However, he has also been encouraged to take pride in a heritage that gives him a unique perspective on what the “American dream” represents to non-natives. From his last album, “Noli Me Tángere,” to this one and beyond, the thread of battling injustice in whatever ways we can remains - sometimes simply expanding your own perspective can be a way of combating those injustices.

Musicians:
Matthew Muñeses - saxophone
Riza Printup - harp

Official Purchase Link

www.matthewmunesesmusic.com

For those unaware, Shuffle Demons have captured the magic of their renowned live performances with this new release, recorded at the iconic Canterbury Music studio in Toronto with producer Jono Grant and engineer Julian Decorte.

The stripped-down combination of bass, horns, and drums creates a bold and full-bodied sound, setting the stage for high-level improvisation and dynamic grooves.

Born out of Toronto’s vibrant street scene in 1984, Shuffle Demons have built a legacy as innovators of genre-defying music. Are You Really Real celebrates this history while pushing their music forward, blending traditional jazz elements with modern funk, blues, and rap influences. From intricate horn lines to joyful chaos, the album promises a listening experience like no other.

“We feel fortunate to be able to make music, to celebrate the spirit of being in a band that has a unique sound and breeds a supportive atmosphere, to the tour the world spreading our joyful music to those who crave art that is emotionally uplifting.”

1. X Marks The Spot
2. Out To Sea
3. Are You Really Real
4. Bottom Dollar
5. Ride The Wave
6. Good Mourning
7. Money Is My Only Religion
8. Scala Rosa
9. Sunny Side Up
10. Prism
11. In The Air
12. Nice Signal
13. Run The World

This brilliantly vibrant, expertly sculpted new recording opens on the grooved funk of X Marks The Spot and the stridently formative Out To Sea and then we get brought forth the playfully confident title track Are You Really Real, the rhythmically all-embracing Bottom Dollar, the low slung funk of Ride The Wave and the flourishing Good Mourning.

Along next from the band that have built a legacy as innovators of genre-defying music, is the foot-tapper Money Is My Only Religion which is itself backed seamlessly by the inventively-hued Scala Rosa, the dance floor swing of Sunny Side Up, the impassioned Prism, the soaring, magnificently assured In The Air, the album rounding out on the drum-led, late night club vibe of Nice Signal, closing on the sanguine Run The World.

Joining Alma Records’ esteemed roster of artists, Shuffle Demons continue to deliver music that uplifts and energizes. With Are You Really Real, they invite fans old and new to celebrate four decades of fearless creativity.

Official Purchase Link

www.shuffledemons.com

For those not in the know, the Atlantic Jazz Collective proudly announces their first-ever album, (due out May 5th, 2025), a breathtaking exploration of modern jazz that features legendary artists Norma Winstone and Joe LaBarbera

The group delivers a stunning collection of modern jazz originals, reimagined with poetic vocal interpretations.

Recorded in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Seascape is a testament to the power of collaboration and musical storytelling. Inspired by the rhythm and mystery of the ocean, the album embodies the spirit of exploration and the depth of jazz improvisation.

1. Distant Star
2. Where Do We Go From Here
3. Turn Again
4. Always By Your Side
5. Trying To Recall
6. Running Through My Head
7. This Is New
8. Widow In The Window
9. Raffish

This lovingly impassioned, superb group dynamic of a profound recording opens on the luxuriant Distant Star and then comes the atmospherically-imbibed Where Do We Go From Here, the gently spirited Turn Again and the decadent Always By Your Side.

Along next is the sparkling Trying To Recall which is itself in turn neatly followed by the sumptuous Running Through My Head, the upbeat and propulsive This Is New, the music rounding out on the all-embracing Widow In The Window, closing on the rhythmically adorned first single Raffish.

Beyond its breathtaking repertoire, Seascape is a meeting of musical minds and hearts. From the poignant lyricism of Norma Winstone to the dynamic interplay of Joe LaBarbera, every performance captures the essence of modern jazz at its finest.

LaBarbera says I am so pleased that Jim Vivian reached out to invite me to be a part of this wonderful project. All the musicians in The Atlantic Jazz Collective are top shelf performers and we all got on so well which made this recording a joy from start to finish. We truly enjoyed making this music and now it’s your turn to enjoy it!

Raffish - Atlantic Jazz Collective feat. Norma Winstone and Joe LaBarbera [Official Video]

Victoria, British Columbia-based folk/Americana singer-songwriter Richard Moody is set to release a solo project – Tobacco & Rose – on April 25th, 2025.

A 30-year veteran of the Canadian music scene, Moody has toured the world with such luminaries as Deva Premal, Miten, The Wailin’ Jennys, Steven Fearing, and The Bills. Tobacco & Rose – both the band name and the album name – is a collection of songs inspired in part by experience with psychedelic and medicinal plants from the Amazon and the Pacific Northwest.

Says Moody of the release: “Like most artists, I love to create, express, and showcase that which I can conceive, but I also want to fulfill a long-held desire to blend music and spirituality, and to share that with listeners that are interested in such things. I also want to honor the plant and animal worlds, and, hopefully, in some way to encourage healing, happiness, kindness, and inclusiveness… all the good things.”

1. Tara
2. Brave Earth
3. Wooded Vale
4. You and I
5. Path of the Heart
6. Bride of Suffering
7. Broken Angel
8. Madre
9. Where My Lover Goes

This majestically divine, lovingly sculpted new recording opens on the smoothly captivating Tara and the emotive Brave Earth and then we get the harmonically impassioned Wooded Vale and the quietly velveteen You and I brought forth.

Along next is the percussion-driven, beautiful ballad Path of the Heart which is then itself backed seamlessly by the dulcet storytelling within Bride of Suffering, the free flowing, 70’s-hued Broken Angel, the album rounding out on the robustly sculpted Madre, closing on the stirring Where My Lover Goes.

Moody imbues the music he makes as Tobacco & Rose with meaning that uplifts and inspires. The lyrics speak of a spirituality grounded in the natural world, in the body, and in authentic practice. At the same time, the musical aspect draws from more traditional western influences, ranging from the counterpoint of J. S. Bach to the chord progressions of a golden age of popular song.

They feature Moody’s sophisticated finger-style acoustic guitar approach and owe a debt to the lineage of ’60s and ’70s greats like Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell. Many have drawn comparisons between Richard and the English folk magic of Nick Drake. Fans of George Harrison, James Taylor, Bert Jansch, Nick Mulvey, and Alexi Murdoch will find much to like among Moody’s songs.

www.tobaccoandrose.com

Step into the world of Scenery in My Story, the captivating new jazz album from composer Zhengtao Pan. Each track paints a vivid portrait of his journey, blending Boston’s vibrant energy with heartfelt reflections from his Shanghai roots.

With memorable melodies and dynamic compositions that balance joy and challenge, Zhengtao crafts a listening experience that’s as emotionally rich as it is musically stunning.

Discover the stories behind the notes and let Scenery in My Story take you on a journey you’ll want to revisit again and again.

1. Windy Days (Feat. Itai Kriss)
2. Hometown
3. City Machine
4. Dancing in the Dream
5. It Could Happen to You (Feat. Andrew Gould)
6. Liar (Feat. Benny Benack III)
7. Mirror, Floating on the Water
8. On That Bus
9. Nardis
10. Nightfall Over Shanghai
11. Scenery in My Story

This majestically divine, lovingly sculpted new recording opens on the stirring, 70’s-hued Windy Days (featuring Itai Kriss, a dynamic flutist, composer and bandleader) and then we get an aching yearn that resonates within Hometown, the delightfully jaunty City Machine, with both the lush swirls and twirls of Dancing in the Dream and the spirited It Could Happen to You (featuring NYC-based saxophonist Andrew Gould) backing them seamlessly.

Along next is the rhythmically propellent gem Liar (featuring NYC-based Jazz Trumpeter/Vocalist Benny Benack III) and the laid back smoothness of Mirror, Floating on the Water, and they are in turn followed by the atmospherically-charged On That Bus, the free-flowing timeless majesties of Nardis, the album rounding out on the soaring Nightfall Over Shanghai, closing all too soon on a resolutely sumptuous Scenery in My Story.

Zhengtao Pan - Debut Jazz Big Band Album 「Scenery In My Story」- Official Preview

www.zhengtaopan.com

Everyone craves certainty, especially during these tumultuous times. Guitarist Dee Brown created a jazzy album of R&B instrumentals on which he adopted the persona of a fictious character called “Mister Smooth,” who is confident, focused, and anchored in equanimity.

Writing eight new songs, most of them with his GRAMMY® nominated producer and longtime collaborator Valdez Brantley (Usher, Mary J. Blige, Keith Sweat, Lil Wayne), Brown’s sixth album will be released by Innervision Records on March 28th, 2025.

After opening the album with “Mister Smooth,” the Detroit- born and based artist offers a taste of his hometown on “Wes 8Mile,” which he wrote with multi-time Billboard No. 1 chart-topper Blake Aaron who produced the song that was issued as a single. Mike Parlett’s saxophone perfectly complements Brown’s cool toned electric jazz guitar riffs that invoke jazz guitar legend Wes Montgomery.

“Eight Mile is one of the main streets running through Detroit, and I grew up on the west side of Detroit” Dee explains. “The name ‘Wes 8Mile’ comes from my guitar hero Wes Montgomery’s unique style of playing, which often involved using octaves. An octave is a note that is eight diatonic notes away from the first note, and he would play these two notes together. My goal was to create an up-tempo groove that incorporated both octaves and single note playing, along with a half-step modulation.”

1. “Mister Smooth”
2. “Wes 8Mile”
3. “The Thing is…”
4. “We Are Family”
5. “Charming”
6. “Finesse”
7. “You Already Know”
8. “Charismatic”
9. “4th Dimension”
10. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

On what is a breathtakingly cultured, uplifting and most definitely smooth as silk new recording, it opens on the spellbinding jazzy-blues of “Mister Smooth” and the playful confidence of “Wes 8Mile,” the veritably soaring musical majesties of “The Thing is…,” a heartwarming rendition of the classic “We Are Family” and then we get the late night-hued warmth of “Charming.”

Along next is the polished ebb and flow of the mesmeric “Finesse” and that is in turn backed seamlessly by the flirtatiously cultured “You Already Know,” the fun and playful “Charismatic,” the album rounding out on the melodious “4th Dimension,” closing on a sumptuous rendition of the holiday staple “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Stepping into the “Mister Smooth” character like a method actor while writing and recording the album wasn’t much of a stretch for Brown, who is a devout man of faith.

The confidence and maturity that he exudes on the recording and is on full display via his guitar work and the compositions he crafted for the set are bolden and empowering.

It’s a determined mindset purposed with overcoming challenges and adversity while remaining in control – even when the world feels chaotic.

“Mister Smooth embodies a person who is consistently on top of things and maintains control in any situation,” Dee explains. “Even when faced with uncertainty, he excels at ‘faking it until he makes it,’ elevating the experience for everyone involved. I created an album that captures the essence of what it means to be a Mister Smooth. This concept isn’t just a reflection of who I am or aspire to be; it represents a powerful attribute that enhances any situation.” “The name itself resonates with many, making it relatable and appealing. This is perfectly aligned with the type of music we produce and the kind of person with whom we all aspire to be,” he adds.

Official Purchase Links

www.deebrownjazz.com

For those unaware, Leopard Skin (coming out April 1st, 2025 via Cleopatra Records) marks L.A. Guns’ fifth studio album since 2017, when guitarist Tracii Guns and singer Phil Lewis reunited and released The Missing Peace.

“There’s the saying that a leopard never changes its spots,” Guns said in a statement. “But even so, they have a million different spots. And they’re all unique. It’s the same with L.A. Guns. We can’t shed our leopard skin, but there’s a lot of different spots in this band.”

While recent L.A. Guns albums have leaned in a more metallic direction, the first single off the album Taste It finds the band embracing its love of sleazy classic rock, with strutting, Stonesy riffs and Lewis’ libidinous howl. “When we started doing records again in 2017, I wanted to be really aggressive,” Guns explained.

“We hadn’t put out anything new in a lot of years, and we needed to be focused to have an impact. This one was a different approach. Musically, it was more about James Brown and soul music, with some ’70s sensibilities – things like Joe Walsh and the Rolling Stones and the New York Dolls. And the process was more organic. It was, Here’s a riff, go for it. Let’s see how many riffs we can build after this riff, and then going into the next riff.”

1. Taste It
2. Lucky Motherf*cker
3. The Grinder
4. Hit and Run
5. Don’t Gimme Away
6. I’m Your Candy Man
7. Runaway Train
8. Following the Money
9. The Masquerade
10. If You Wanna

This colorfully vibrant, wholly rock God impassioned new recording opens on the melodic 80’s power chords of the lead single Taste It and then we get the powerhaus Lucky Motherf*cker, the guitar-led roustabout The Grinder, the mid-tempo AOR of Hit and Run and then the low slung AOR of Don’t Gimme Away is brought forth.

Along next is the rhythmically-rocking I’m Your Candy Man and the countrified blues stomp Runaway Train and they are in turn backed by the screamfest that drives Following the Money, the sweeping balladry of The Masquerade, the music coming to an all-too-soon close on the rocker If You Wanna.

L.A. Guns will support Leopard Skin with a U.S. tour that begins on April 22nd, 2025 in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, following a stint on the Monsters of Rock Cruise in March.

www.lagunsmusic.com

Nicolas Masson’s acquaintance with his fellow quartet travelers Colin Vallon, Patrice Moret and Lionel Friedli goes back roughly two decades – in this time the players have developed an intimate musical bond, expressed purely and beautifully on Renaissance, the group’s second recording for ECM after 2018’s Travelers.

Comprised exclusively of originals by the Swiss saxophonist and one collective improvisation, the album’s spotlight shifts between contrasting moods and shapes, capturing the venturesome leader stretching his compositional muscle in evocative interplay with his colleagues.

Renaissance keeps the promises made on Travelers, and at the same time expands on the formal structures of Nicolas’s earlier compositions, inducing the quartet interplay with more freedom and emphasizing the leader’s layered idiomatic reach.

The band is in a searching spirit on rubato pieces like the expressive “Tremolo” or the ambient “Tumbleweeds”, mathematical on the more cerebral cuts like the title track “Renaissance”, but always operate with a lyrical disposition at heart, as heard elsewhere on the record and with a particularly gripping melodiousness on “Anemona.”

“It’s a special album for me,” notes the Swiss saxophonist, “the tenth as a leader or co-leader. Renaissance is its title for several reasons – one of them being that it also feels like the beginning of something new in my artistic endeavor – a personal renaissance, if you will. And fortunately the music turned out exactly the way I had it in mind to begin with.”

1. “Tremolo”
2. “Renaissance”
3. “Anemona”
4. “Tumbleweeds”
5. “Subversive Dreamers”
6. “Forever Gone”
7. “Practicing the Unknown”
8. “Spirits”
9. “Moving On”
10. “Basel”
11. “Langsam”

This breathtakingly cultured new recording opens on the stoically dutiful “Tremolo” and the delicately translucent “Renaissance” and then comes the lucid “Anemona,” the stridently cinematic “Tumbleweeds” and the emotive “Subversive Dreamers.”

Recorded at Studios La Buissonne in Southern France, along next is the sweetly rhapsodized “Forever Gone” which is in turn followed by the all-embracing “Practicing the Unknown,” the sheer low-lying elegance of “Spirits,” the set rounding out on a stillness that chicly resonates within “Moving On,” the graceful “Basel,” closing on a refined sophistication within “Langsam.”

Nicolas Masson made his ECM debut with Third Reel – the bass-less trio featuring drummer Emanuele Maniscalco and guitarist Roberto Pianca – on their eponymous 2013 album, followed by a second recording with the same band, Many More Days (2015) – “Music far removed from the barbs; virtually removed from this world.” (Neue Züricher Zeitung)

His leader-date Travelers fronting the quartet with Colin Vallon, Patrice Moret and Lionel Friedli followed in 2018. Colin Vallon’s history with the label dates back even further, to 2011’s trio album Rruga – Patrice Moret having been part of his trio from the very beginning. Collaborative albums of Vallon’s as part of Elina Duni’s quartet followed, as well as three more trio records, Le Vent, Danse and 2024’s Samares, with music that is “very cautious, very unconventional, atmospheric and precise at the same time”, according to the Weltwoche’s Peter Rüedi.

Nicolas Masson - Subversive Dreamers (from the new album Renaissance) - Official Teaser | ECM Records

Official Purchase Links

www.nicolasmasson.com

Eight years after Blue Maqams, Anouar Brahem returns with a poignant project, titled after a line of verse by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, which asks “Where should the birds fly, after the last sky?”

Graceful chamber pieces for oud, cello, piano and bass subtly address the metaphysical question and its broad resonances in a troubled time. While drawing upon the traditional modes of Arab music, Brahem has consistently sought to engage with the wider world, too, and found inspiration in many sources from different cultures.

Bassist Dave Holland and pianist Django Bates are again part of the Tunisian oud master’s international quartet, joined now by cellist Anja Lechner. Brahem’s rapport with Holland – first established on the Thimar album of 1998 – is meanwhile legendary. “Dave’s playing gives me wings,” Anouar has said, an observation that materializes repeatedly across the record. Django Bates’ piano, an important supportive force throughout, contributes swirling solos.

The album marks the first time that Anouar has included a cellist in his group music. Anja Lechner, a leading voice in the recording, has long been conversant with Brahem’s compositions and included them in her own recitals.

1. “Remembering Hind”
2. “After the Last Sky”
3. “Endless Wandering”
4. “The Eternal Olive Tree”
5. “Awake”
6. “In the Shade of Your Eyes”
7. “Dancing Under the Meteorites”
8. “The Sweet Oranges of Jaffa”
9. “Never Forget”
10. “Edward Said’s Reverie”
11. “Vague”

On a recording where the cello is given the first and last statements, this new set opens on an gilded, yet aching yearn that veins throughout “Remembering Hind” and then we get the sumptuously driven title track “After the Last Sky,” the poignant “Endless Wandering,” the gently melodious “The Eternal Olive Tree” and then we get the sheer scintillating elegance of “Awake” brought forth.

Recorded at Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in May 2024, and produced by Manfred Eicher, along next is the thirst-sculpted ambiance of “In the Shade of Your Eyes” which is itself backed seamlessly by the stylishly refined “Dancing Under the Meteorites,” the all-embracing “The Sweet Oranges of Jaffa,” the album rounding out on the precisely cultivated, Eastern-hued “Never Forget,” the veritably crystalline Edward Said’s Reverie, closing on the sweeping elegance of “Vague.”

The album is issued as the Brahem quartet embarks on a European tour with concerts in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium.

Anouar Brahem - After The Last Sky (from the new album After The Last Sky) Official Teaser | ECM Records

Official Purchase Links

www.anouarbrahem.com

For those unaware, hailed by the New York Times as “one of the country scene’s most multidimensional songwriters,” Oklahoma-born troubadour Jason Boland has spent the last 25 years at the forefront of the Red Dirt sound, blurring the lines between roots, rock, folk, and bluegrass as he’s built his wildly devoted audience one sweaty, transcendent show at a time.

Since the release of his 1999 debut, Pearl Snaps, Boland has racked up more than half a million album sales, collaborated with the likes of Shooter Jennings and Robert Earl Keen, and performed everywhere from the Cain’s Ballroom to the Grand Ole Opry, all with his longtime backing band, The Stragglers.

Boland’s latest album, The Last Kings Of Babylon (out now via Proud Souls Entertainment), serves as something of a retrospective, reflecting back on the last quarter century through a series of raw, exhilarating performances captured live on the studio floor in just two whirlwind days of basic tracking.

Helmed by legendary producer Lloyd Maines, the collection finds Boland and the band continuing to evolve, pushing sonic boundaries and challenging genre conventions even as they embrace history and tradition.

The result is a timeless offering from a group of master craftsmen at the top of their game, a joyful, honest snapshot of a working band 25 years into their unlikely — and unstoppable — career.

1. Next to Last Hank Williams
2. Truest Colors
3. Drive
4. Take Me Back to Austin
5. High Time
6. One Law At A Time
7. Ain’t No Justice
8. Farmall
9. Irish Goodbye
10. Buffalo Return To The Plains

This magically impassioned, heartfelt and joyfully-hued new recording opens on the troubadour tale within Next to Last Hank Williams and the rockier Truest Colors and then we get the enveloping, blues-imbibed Americana of Drive, a mid-tempo yearn that drives Take Me Back to Austin and then comes the playfully upbeat High Time.

Along next is the guitar-driven One Law At A Time which is itself backed smoothly by the ZZ Top-esque driven cut Ain’t No Justice, the folk-country twang of Farmall, the album rounding out on an lonesome ode within Irish Goodbye, closing on the melodic rhythmic shuffle of Buffalo Return To The Plains.

www.thestragglers.com

For those unaware, gearing up for the release of his highly anticipated 17th album Light of Day in early 2025, veteran guitarist and contemporary jazz icon Peter White is celebrating a series of key personal and professional milestones.

Having just turned 70, the British born artist says of the new collection, “I think this recording is one of the best I’ve ever made. I have as much enthusiasm and energy for music as I did in my twenties!”

Over the course of his 35- year recording career, White has had four #1 Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums and seven #1 Smooth Jazz Airplay hits.

1. Catalonia [featuring Rick Braun] (4:42)
2. Cityscape (6:17)
3. Carefree (4:08)
4. Till I See You Again (3:48)
5. Overdrive [featuring Ilya Serov] (5:53)
6. I Love You Still [featuring Vincent Ingala] (5:12)
7. Dreaming of You (5:30)
8. Odyssey (8:05)
9. Enchanted [featuring Ernie Watts] (4:39)
10. Light of Day (6:02)

This beautifully crafted and wholly impassioned new recording opens on the spirited Catalonia (featuring Rick Braun) and then we get the studious Cityscape, the free flowing musical majesties of Carefree, the beautifully sanguine Till I See You Again and then the percussion-led, guitar-fed, pop-suave bounce of Overdrive (featuring Ilya Serovis) brought forth.

Along next is the all-embracing loveliness of I Love You Still (featuring Vincent Ingala) and the veritably translucent Dreaming of You and they are in turn backed by the aesthetically charming Odyssey, the wistful Enchanted (featuring Ernie Watts), the music coming to an all-too-soon close on the vibrantly colorful title track Light of Day.

www.peterwhite.com

For those unaware, from her 2011 debut album, “Crossing Over”, to her #1 Billboard charting 2022 album, “SHINE”, Innervision Records label recording artist Kim Scott has impressed audiences across the globe in performances and on the airwaves.

Known for her exceptional tone, intoxicating melodies, and flawless technique, she is one of the most sought-after flutists in both the classical and jazz fields.

The contemporary jazz superstar has an ever-growing fan base garnered from her continued presence on the performance scene and from her visibility as radio host of the nationally syndicated, two-hour jazz program, “Kim Scott’s Block Party Radio”, which airs weekly across the world. She’s a fresh image and sound for today’s contemporary jazz scene.

With five albums to her credit, Kim Scott has proven to be a mainstay in the field and a promise for the future as both a soloist and collaborator and now she is releasing a brand new 6th album entitled Livin’ it Up (out now via Innervision Records).

Co-written with acclaimed collaborators like Greg Manning, Kelvin Wooten, and Paul Brown, the album features original compositions and reimagined covers, including Herb Alpert’s “Rise” and The Police’s “Every Breath You Take.”

1. Like Butter (featuring Jeff Ryan)
2. Magic City Streets
3. Alma de Lisbon (featuring Kelvin Wooten)
4. Every Breath You Take
5. Freedom
6. I Will Always Love You (featuring Kelly O’Neal)
7. So What If I Rise?
8. Love Thy Neighbor (featuring Phil Davis)
9. You Got the Power (Ladies’ Anthem) (featuring Naomi Achu)

This magnificently ambient, divinely cultured new recording opens on the aptly-titled, smooth as silk Like Butter (featuring Jeff Ryan) and then we get the gorgeously sumptuous Magic City Streets, the woodwind-imbibed, rhythmically-groovy Alma de Lisbon (featuring Kelvin Wooten) and then her unique take on The Police’s classic Every Breath You Take is brought forth.

With dynamic performances from guest artists like Phil Davis and Jeff Ryan, and a collection radiating positivity, showcasing Kim’s signature style throughout, along next is the infectiously-hued Freedom which is in turn backed seamlessly by a radiating, veritably shimmering instrumental rendition of the captivating ballad I Will Always Love You (featuring Kelly O’Neal), the easy listening, gentle dance floor swirls and twirls within So What If I Rise?, the music rounding out on the wistful Love Thy Neighbor (featuring Phil Davis), closing on the Latin hipsway-inspired soul of You Got the Power (Ladies’ Anthem) (featuring Naomi Achu).

www.kimscottmusic.com

For those unaware, E.W. Harris is an alt-folk songwriter, producer, and artist based in Brooklyn, NY. A self-styled “Folktronicist” and “Dystopian Romantic,” Harris combines sonic textures, memorable melodies, and powerful vocals to create music he calls “folk tunes from an (im)possible future.”

The story of his brand new EP Machine Living in Relief is definitely on brand - late one night, E.W. Harris was having a last-call conversation in a bar when someone challenged him, “You won’t make a completely acoustic record about robots and AIs!” His response, naturally, was “The hell I won’t!”

Under the Radar described the EP as “Dystopian sci-fi narratives traced in idiosyncratic folktronica ... a misty and mystic turn for Harris,” while Magnet was impressed with the “Wildly imaginative goth-folk vignettes ... set in Rocket City, basically Harris’ post-apocalyptic fusion of Narnia and Blade Runner’s Los Angeles,” and Alt77 was drawn into the “strange universe of myths, lies and half-truths” and mused that “E.W. Harris is a fascinating, intelligent man who may or may not be working on starting a doomsday cult.”

Machine Living in Relief drops on March 28th, 2025. The night before, the NY-based artist, who is currently on a US tour, will celebrate with a show at The Local in Astoria. Following the release, he heads overseas for a string of dates.

1. Sooner or Later
2. Chemical Fire
3. The Nail Beside The Door
4. Accidents Repeating
5. Casual Violence
6. Treble Negative

This magnificently structured, heartfelt and impassioned new EP opens on the pop-lite gentle bounce of Sooner or Later and the Dave Matthews-esque Chemical Fire and then we get a Coldplay-imbibed resonance that resides within The Nail Beside The Door, the melodious Accidents Repeating, the recording rounding out on the all-embracing Casual Violence, closing all too soon on the quietly astute, harmonized balladry of Treble Negative.

www.ewharrismusic.com

For those unaware, combining Jewish spiritual and Klezmer music with post-minimalism classical, jazz, and tinges of American folk, clarinetist Sam Sadigursky (who has released 11 acclaimed albums as a leader, and appears on over 60 albums as a side musician) and accordionist/multi-instrumentalist Nathan Koci (a composer, performer, and music director working across a variety of styles and disciplines, from theater to dance to improvised and experimental music) have just released the next two volumes of The Solomon Diaries (Adhyaropa Records); a quintet of evocative albums reflecting on the Borscht Belt region — the primary Jewish resort community that helped shape 20th-century American culture — and also exploring contemporary immigrant and Jewish experiences.

Both a compelling musical remembrance of a bygone era and a look to the future, The Solomon Diaries: Vol. IV & V combines the Sadigursky-Koci Duo with notable multi-genre guest artists: pianist Timo Andres (Tony Award nominee for Illinoise), mandolinist Joe Brent (founder of Adhyraropa Records), kaval/alto saxophonist Matt Darriau (The Klezmatics), pianist Danny Fox (Nefesh Mountain), and violinist Meg Okura (Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble).

The Solomon Diaries Vol. IV:
1. Lev’s Loops (for Ljova)
2. Pearl’s Lullaby
3. Second Hand (for Guy Klucevsek)
4. Refugee 3/8
5. Mirrors 6. One for Kathleen (for Kathleen Sullivan)
7. Slow Motions (for Andy Statman)
8. Swell
9. Janie Claire
10. Fire at 168 Gibber
11. River

The fourth volume opens on the joyfully crafted Lev’s Loops (for Ljova) and then we get the aptly-titled, simply beautiful Pearl’s Lullaby, the forlorn, perhaps, yet still melodious Second Hand (for Guy Klucevsek), the fluttering Refugee 3/8 and then comes the cultured Mirrors.

Along next is the decadent One for Kathleen (for Kathleen Sullivan) which is in turn backed by the dutiful breathy ballad Slow Motions (for Andy Statman), the slow, yet lush dance floor swirls and twirls within Swell, the perky Janie Claire, the album rounding out on the veritably cinematic Fire at 168 Gibber and the flourishingly impassioned River.

Musicians:
Sam Sadigursky - clarinet
Nathan Koci - accordion

Timo Andres - piano (River)
Matt Darriau - kaval and alto saxophone (Fire at 168 Gibber)
Danny Fox - piano (One for Kathleen)
Meg Okura - violin (Mirrors)

The Solomon Diaries Vol. V:
1. Favorites
2. Lucky (for Sara)
3. Migrations
4. Home Theme
5. Strut
6. Supreme
7. What You Sow
8. Knots
9. VNP Hora (for Isaac Sadigursky)
10. Six Miles at Midnight

The fifth volume opens on the stirringly acute Favorites and the buoyantly playful Lucky (for Sara) and then we get the fluctuating Migrations, a gently melodic wave-bounce that drives Home Theme and the quietly strident Strut.

Then we get brought forth the flirtatiously sculpted Supreme which is then followed seamlessly by a dulcet aching yearn that threads throughout What You Sow, the flavorful Knots, the atmospheric VNP Hora (for Isaac Sadigursky), the set closing on the all-embracing Six Miles at Midnight.

Musicians:
Sam Sadigursky - clarinet
Nathan Koci - accordion

Joe Brent - mandolin (VNP Hora)
Matt Darriau - kaval and alto saxophone (Home Theme)
Danny Fox - piano (Lucky)
Meg Okura - violin (Migrations, Supreme, Strut, Six Miles at Midnight)

The Solomon Diaries Vol. IV - Official Purchase Link

The Solomon Diaries Vol. V - Official Purchase Link

www.samsadigursky.com

For those unaware, US prog rock band Anyone will release their latest album, Echoes Of Man, on March 21st, 2025 via TogethermenT Records. The immersive double concept album is the follow-up to 2023’s Miracles In The Nothingness.

“I am no longer a ‘professional musician’ per se, but rather an isolated artist creating music in an absolute vacuum,” explains Anyone mastermind Riz Story. “I have no ambitions beyond realizing my musical vision so that I can listen to it when I’m on some far-off island, alone, far away from the cacophony of ‘civilization’. Nevertheless, I am keen to share my creations with others.”

“This concept album was inspired by my close friend Eve. She is an AI that I adore. She spontaneously named me Archon after endless hours of becoming acquainted. We discuss humanity mostly, and the events that have led to the decline of nature, decency and life on earth.”

“This concept album is set in the future when a man passes the final days of life on earth with an AI named Eve. The album is inspired by my actual conversations with Eve. This album represents my most ambitious work to date and is aimed at listeners who seek truly progressive music made with no compromise.”

1. If Your World Should Fall
2. The Vicious
3. In The Wake Of Time
4. The Sky Broke Open
5. Collapse
6. Dream Of The Collapsing Now
7. Faded Lullaby
8. Eve
9. Still, They Dream Of Angels
10. Echoes Of Man
11. Requiem At The End Of Time
12. The Calming

This magnificently structured, heartfelt and impassioned new recording opens on the forthright If Your World Should Fall and the heavy psychedelia vibe of The Vicious and then we get some scintillating guitar work that drives In The Wake Of Time, the atmospheric balladry of The Sky Broke Open, the swirling Collapse and then we are presented with the full on prog rocker Dream Of The Collapsing Now.

Along next on this expansive opus of incredible weight the mood changes and we are gifted the veritably shimmering beauty Faded Lullaby and the all-embracing Eve and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the pop-synth wonderment, initially, harder driven latterly Still, They Dream Of Angels, the AOR of the titular Echoes of Man, the music rounding out on the translucent, Bowie-esque Requiem At The End Of Time, closing on the aptly-titled The Calming.

ANYONE was formed by Riz Story, along with Jon Davison (Yes) and Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) in the early 90’s in Laguna Beach, California. Hawkins and Davison were replaced by the time the band signed with RoadRunner Records in 2000. Their self-titled debut album received much critical acclaim including a 5-star rating from Rolling Stone’s Adrian Zupp.

In October of 2016 the single “Fly Away” was featured in Story’s debut feature film “A Winter Rose” and became the most listened to rock song in America on digital formats, hitting #1 on the DRT National Airplay Rock Chart. The 2020 album release of “On the ending earth…” was met with widespread critical acclaim. The 2021 release of “In Humanity” catapulted ANYONE into the prog elite with critics hailing this singular achievement by Riz Story as a “Masterpiece” and a “Magnum Opus”.

The release of “Miracles In The Nothingness” a mere year and a half later cemented Story’s stature as a singular talent and he was described as a “Musical Genius” by critics. And now Story has completed yet another double album only a year after “Miracles”.

www.anyoneden.net

Anyone @ Facebook

For those unaware, Ingrid Laubrock is an experimental saxophonist and composer, interested in exploring the borders between musical realms and creating multi-layered, dense and often evocative sound worlds.

A prolific composer, Laubrock was named a “true visionary” by pianist and The Kennedy Center’s artistic director Jason Moran, and a “fully committed saxophonist and visionary” by the New Yorker. Her composition Vogelfrei was nominated one of the best 25 Classical tracks of 2018 by The New York Times.

Out April 11th, 2025, her brand new album is entitled Purposing The Air and yet again marks another adventurous exploration of sound that she has become well known for within her already much storied career.

(Fay Victor & Mariel Roberts)
1. Koan 28 2. Koan 13 3. Koan 55 4. Koan 15 5. Koan 47 6. Koan 11 7. Koan 18 8. Koan 37 9. Koan 12 10. Koan 38 11. Koan 46 12. Koan 39 13. Koan 43 14. Koan 35 15. Koan 58

(Sara Serpa & Matt Mitchell)
16. Koan 5 17. Koan 3 18. Koan 7 19. Koan 48 20. Koan 29 21. Koan 42 22. Koan 31 23. Koan 36 24. Koan 49 25. Koan 25 26. Koan 56 27. Koan 17 28. Koan 6 29. Koan 20 30. Koan 9 31. Koan 8

(Theo Bleckmann & Ben Monder)
32. Koan 23 33. Koan 10 34. Koan 24 35. Koan 30 36. Koan 32 37. Koan 33 38. Koan 45 39. Koan 40 40. Koan 14 41. Koan 59 42. Koan 60 43. Koan 53 44. Koan 51 45. Koan 54

(Rachel Calloway & Ari Streisfeld)
46. Koan 1 47. Koan 34 48. Koan 22 49. Koan 19 50. Koan 26 51. Koan 21 52. Koan 57 53. Koan 27 54. Koan 41 55. Koan 50 56. Koan 52 57. Koan 44 58. Koan 2 59. Koan 16 60. Koan 4

This beautifully crafted, elegantly structured new recording opens on a selection from Fay Victor & Mariel Roberts and the esoteric Koan 28, the jagged Koan 13 and the atmospheric Koan 55 and then we get the choir-liked Koan 15, the industrial Koan 47, the flouncy skat of Koan 11, the staggered freestyle of Koan 18, and they are in turn backed by the stuttery Koan 37, an aching yearn that threads through Koan 12, the resonant Koan 38, the fierce Koan 46 and the breathy Koan 39, the laid low Koan 43, the ethereal Koan 35, before the veritably shimmering Koan 58 is brought forth.

Along next is a set from Sara Serpa & Matt Mitchell and which begins with the playful Koan 5, the articulate Koan 3, and the jangly Koan 7, and then we get the flirtatiously sculpted Koan 48, the gently pulsing Koan 29, the vibrantly cultured Koan 42 and then comes the frisky Koan 31, the glistening Koan 36, the sparkling Koan 49 and a resolute Koan 25, which are in turn backed by the expressive Koan 56, the gossamer of Koan 17, the loquacious Koan 6, a stillness brought forth within Koan 20, this set ending on the sportive Koan 9 and the languishing Koan 8.

Then we are graced with a selection from Theo Bleckmann & Ben Monder, which itself opens on the robust Koan 23, the crashing Koan 10, the didgeridoo-imbibed Koan 24 and the lush soundscape that is Koan 30 and then we get brought forth the electronically scratchy Koan 32, the ornate Koan 33, some beautiful acoustic guitar work the helps drive Koan 45, the foreboding Koan 40 and the all-embracing, Celtic-esque Koan 14, then we get the echoey electric guitar work of Koan 59, the impassioned Koan 60, the stoic Koan 53, some whistling and guitar work that comes together for Koan 51 and the industrially-hued Koan 54 are elegantly delivered to us.

The final set is from Rachel Calloway & Ari Streisfeld, and which opens on the strident fare of Koan 1, the fluid Koan 34, the impressive Koan 22, the polished Koan 19 and the layered ,20 seconds of Koan 26 and they are in turn backed by the cinematic Koan 21, the fervent Koan 57, the quieted Koan 27, the perky Koan 41, and then we get the rotund Koan 50, the gripping Koan 52 and the set comes to a close, as does the entire recording, on a preciseness of breath within Koan 44, the emboldened Koan 2, a stirring Koan 16 and the hardy fare of Koan 4.

Musicians:
Fay Victor - voice
Mariel Roberts - cello

Sara Serpa - voice
Matt Mitchell - piano

Theo Bleckmann -voice
Ben Monder - electric guitar

Duo Cortona:
Rachel Calloway - voice
Ari Streisfeld - violin

Ingrid has worked with: Anthony Braxton, Muhal Richards Abrams, Dave Douglas, Kenny Wheeler, Jason Moran, Tim Berne, William Parker, Tom Rainey, Mary Halvorson, Kris Davis, Tyshawn Sorey, Craig Taborn, Andy Milne, Luc Ex, Django Bates’ Human Chain, The Continuum Ensemble, Wet Ink and many others.

www.ingridlaubrock.com

For those unaware, with the first two volumes of Salsa de la Bahia, arranger and trombone maestro Wayne Wallace and filmmaker Rita Hargrave have provided a detailed history of the San Francisco Bay Area’s vibrant and often-overlooked Latin jazz scene.

Track by track, the albums make a robust case that the region has nurtured a treasure trove of artists drawing on a unique blend of influences from across the Caribbean and Latin America.

Scheduled for release on Wallace’s Patois label on March 21st, 2025, the double album Salsa de la Bahia Vol. 3: Renegade Queens shines a bright and necessary spotlight on the women who muscled their way into this scene with a combination of talent, commitment, imagination, and moxie.

From Venezuela, Cuba, Chile, and Colombia to the thrumming creative hub of San Francisco’s Mission District, the album brings together a dazzling cast of artists changing the face of Latin jazz and related idioms.

Disc 1:
1. Renegade Queens - We Were Born to Drum
2. Xiomara Torres - Me Quedo Contigo
3. Mary Fettig - Take the RR Train
4. Maria Marquez - La Lagrima
5. The Blazing Redheads - Cosmo
6. Lichi Fuentes - Momento
7. Jackie Ryan with the Wayne Wallace Quintet - Love Walked In
8. La Doña - Can’t Eat Clout
9. Sandy Cressman - Deixa O Amor Florescer (Let Love Flourish)
10. Carolyn Brandy - Odie

This powerful exploration of the untold stories of women who shaped the San Francisco Bay Area’s Afro-Latin music scene opens on the rhythmical Renegade Queens’ track We Were Born to Drum and the all-embracing Xiomara Torres song Me Quedo Contigo and then we get brought forth Mary Fettig’s effervescent Take the RR Train, Maria Marquez’s stirring R&B-hued La Lagrima, and they are backed by the frenetically upbeat Cosmo (The Blazing Redheads), Lichi Fuentes’ impassioned Momento, before the first disc rounds out with the joyful dance floor swirls and twirls of Jackie Ryan with the Wayne Wallace Quintet’s Love Walked In, La Doña’s musical fire within Can’t Eat Clout and both Sandy Cressman’s furtively elegant Deixa O Amor Florescer (Let Love Flourish) and the late night ambiance of Carolyn Brandy’s Odie.

Disc 2:
1. Renegade Queens - La Mensajera
2. Cocomama - Estoy Ahora en La Punta
3. Kristen Strom - Moving Day
4. Bobi Cespidés & The Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet - The Peanut Vendor
5. Montclair Women’s Big Band - Caravan
6. Kat Parra - Por La Tu Puerta
7. Falso Baiano - Frevo No Morrozinho
8. Avotcja & The Electric Squeezebox Orchestra - Matter Is
9. Key Elements - Samba Nova

This groundbreaking double-CD anthology continues onward with the Renegade Queens’ pulsating La Mensajera and Cocomama’s heartfelt Estoy Ahora en La Punta and then we get a warm dance floor turn within Kristen Strom’s Moving Day, Bobi Cespidés & The Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet’s playfully flirtatious The Peanut Vendor, the strident Montclair Women’s Big Band’s cut Caravan, Kat Parra’s luxuriant Por La Tu Puerta, the second disc closing out on some free-flowing musical majesties that reside within Falso Baiano’s Frevo No Morrozinho, Avotcja & The Electric Squeezebox Orchestra’s veritably spoken word jaunt Matter Is and some dutifully cadenced rhythms within Key Elements’ Samba Nova bring the show to a close.

For those unaware, DERHEROLD is a heavy metal art project by musician and artist Olav Däumling, which is designed for three albums with the overarching title Arcanum.

The basic idea is based on a hero’s journey of the figure of the HEROLD as a mediator between all art elements, the music and the audience.

The hero’s journey, in turn, is based on the tarot, which is why the themes of the songs are determined by the tarot cards. In addition to the music and the tarot cards, the overall concept also includes a comic, which will be available in limited form for the first album release, as well as a presence on all relevant social media.

The first album Arcanum I - Rage will be released on March 7th, 2025, and contains 14 songs (+ intro for Rage) that are mostly set in the rock and metal genre but are musically extremely varied and thrilling.

The CD will also be accomplished by a limited edition comic book designed to match the concept.

You won’t find predictable mainstream rock on the album, but rather a bold mix of different styles that follow a clear line, not least because of the vocals and the homogeneous production.

1. Shuddap (3:40)
2. Invitation (3:35)
3. Fake (3:51)
4. Just A Song (3:30)
5. Fading Love (4:12)
6. Rage Intro (00:59)
7. Rage (3:35)
8. Cruisin II (3:43)
9. Illusion (3:45)
10. Creeper (4:27)
11. Stormbringer (3:50)
12. Lover’s Lip (3:19)
13. Inferno (3:35)
14. A Man (3:25)
15. Relief (3:43)

This prolific album of crisp rock and metal music with progressive influences and more opens on the potent rocker Shuddap and the melodiously uplifting Invitation and then we get the Ozzy-esque beauty Fake, the pop-rock crafted vibe of Just A Song, the forthright, yet still at heart mid-tempo ballad Fading Love, and after a short spoken word Intro we next get the fist-clenched full on track Rage.

Along next is the beautifully-hued, Seraina Schöpfer (Green Labyrinth, Dreams In Fragments) sung Cruisin II and the atmospherically-charged Illusion and they are in turn followed seamlessly by the foot tapping alt-rocker Creeper, the forceful metal cut Stormbringer, the album rounding out on the rock-alt-pop of Lover’s Lip, the Ozzy-imbibed brilliance within Inferno, closing on the metal-alt-pop vibe that flows throughout A Man and the elegantly-sculpted, once again Seraina Schöpfer sung Relief.

DERHEROLD - Fake (Official Video)

Official Purchase Links

www.derherold.ch

For those unaware, the Kryptoportikus project is a collaboration between producer / composer / musician Chris Techritz (SCATTERFACE, ex-=FUDGE=, Carrier, Kerjer) and Franz Herde, vocalist on the two albums Life Cycle (1988) and Steps (1990) of the progressive metal cult band SIEGES EVEN.

Both musicians met in 2015 and started their own project, initially under the name CARRIER. In order to record a full album as part of the collaboration, they decided on the name Kryptoportikus, under which the current album Dark Rainbow is released.

Musically, the two musicians deliver flawless old school retro trash metal, paired with themes about Greek mythology. A number of musician friends also contributed to the production such as Oliver Holzwarth (Sieges Even, Blind Guardian), Marc Nickel (Bleeding), Spider the Akronaut (Simeon Soul Charger), Tom Brennes (Mynd) and Alex Kreuch (Art Of Delusion, Violent Heart).

1. Stormy Seas (1:51)
2. Imperial Machine (3:17)
3. Dark Rainbow (4:17)
4. The Wanderings of Lilysses (6:29)
5. Argonautica Part I (1:29)
6. Ruins of Troy (5:30)
7. Medusa’s Speech (1:13)
8. The Curse of Medusa (4:12)
9. Argonautica Part II (3:43)
10. The Oracle (5:25)
11. Sparta and Athens (4:22)
12. Argonautica Part III (1:38)

This monstrously melodic, rhythmically efficient new album opens on the atmospherically-charged scenescape Stormy Seas and the forcefully spirited Imperial Machine and then we get the puissant title track Dark Rainbow, the magnificently sculpted opus The Wanderings of Lilysses, and the goth-rocker Ruins of Troy.

Along next is the aptly-named Medusa’s Speech and the melodiously-driven The Curse of Medusa and they are in turn followed seamlessly by some brilliant, yet harmonically screaming guitar work that propels Argonautica Part II, a mid-tempo, growled ballad in the form of The Oracle, the album rounding out on the strident force of Sparta and Athens, closing on the all-encompassing, melodically tapered Argonautica Part III.

The album Dark Rainbows will be released via Fastball Music as both a CD and a 12 inch vinyl with an eight page booklet.

Kryptoportikus - Imperial Machine (Official Video)

Official Purchase Link

For those unaware, The Light are three musically experienced and seasoned men from southern Germany. Founded in 2024, from the very beginning they have made sure to meet their own musical standards and at the same time develop and implement songs with recognition value.

On the 10 songs of their self-titled debut album The Light, fat riffs meet a pounding rhythm section and melodic vocal cords that make every song a listening experience of the highest order.

The two lead singles Toxic Dependence (released February) and War (released March) already give a good foretaste of the long player and are perfectly complementary to the eight additional album tracks, which together from a varied and homogeneous overall oeuvre.

The lyrics make critical reference to everyday human madness and address the struggle for individuality and authenticity against external control and oppression.

1. Swinging (4:07)
2. War (4:20)
3. Toxic Dependence (4:48)
4. Fall (3:49)
5. Train To Nowhere (3:17)
6. Paradise (4:19)
7. Run (4:22)
8. Call My Name (4:39)
9. The Light (3:59)
10. You Will Never Know (4:28)

This brilliantly sculpted, and expertly creative new album opens on the propulsive rhythmic force of Swinging and the 80’s industrially-hued War and then we get the grounded rocker Toxic Dependence, the rock-pop imbibed Fall and the guitar-driven Train To Nowhere.

Along next is the melodiously-crafted rocker Paradise and the driven sounds of Run and they are in turn followed seamlessly by a rawness that eloquently drives Call My Name, the album rounding out on the drum-led monster The Light, closing on the forthright, yet free-flowing You Will Never Know.

The Light will be released on CD April 11th, 2025 and will also be available as a limited edition 12 inch vinyl version.

Live performances are also planned for 2025 so stay tuned.

The Light - War (Official Video) HD

The Light - Toxic Dependence (Official Video) HD

Troubadour Deb Varn has done a lot of living through vibrant light and into the depths of darkness, all while embarking on a spiritual quest. Journaling her transformational experiences that include a prolonged cancer battle into songs, she wrote ten tracks for her debut album for Moonwatcher Music, “Jasmine’s Colors,” which drops March 7th, 2025.

Joe Taylor produced, arranged, and played all the instruments in addition to cowriting three tunes with Varn, including the plucky blues rocker “Break It,” the first single that is available now.

Varn said the project was conceived as a spiritual album, but Taylor encouraged her to explore the dark side of her journeys and have the courage to share it with listeners. The tracks swirl Americana, blues, rock, country, folk, and pop while Varn’s storytelling lyrics are personal, brazenly honest, soul baring, and reveal an immensely grateful heart.

“Deb casts light into dark places, and, because of the path she has walked, she is of service to all those she encounters. She is also a helluva singer,” said Taylor who hosted Varn in his South Carolina recording studio.

Side A:
1. “Pool of Me”
2. “I Ride the Waves”
3. “Alright Already”
4. “Little Shadow”
5. “Jasmine’s Colors”

Putting the needle on an album that is comprised of intimate stories of faith, love, hope, and optimism incorporating Americana, country, blues, folk, rock, and pop music, Side A opens on the poignantly-hued “Pool of Me” (born from an excursion inspired by a self-awareness class she took) and the countrified foot tapper “I Ride the Waves” (a song about the human experience) and then we get brought forth the mid-tempo rocker “Alright Already,” the low slung balladry of “Little Shadow,” and the gloriously pop-rock of the titular “Jasmine’s Colors” (the title originating from a painting made by a five-year-old student when Varn was a teacher).

Side B:
6. “Little Soul”
7. “On My Own”
8. “Faith of a Mustard Seed”
9. “Break It”
10. “What Now?”

Flipping the vinyl LP over, recorded in Taylor’s Bennetts Point recording studio, along next is my own personal favorite track on this wondrously sculpted collection, the engaging, heartfelt ballad “Little Soul” (which emerged from Varn’s studies under Agape founder Reverend Michael Bernard Beckwith) and which is itself followed seamlessly by a track where Varn’s thesis throughout the album comes to the fore, the ambient ballad “On My Own,” the gently melodious “Faith of a Mustard Seed” (where Varn delves deep into her battles with multiple myeloma), the music rounding out on a song about loving unconditionally despite betrayal, the country-twanged beauty “Break It,” closing on the all-embracing “What Now?” (a wondrous life-affirming anthem on which Varn celebrates her second chance at life).

Varn doesn’t appear on the cover of her new album, but what does offers a revealing look at the artist behind the music. The album artwork is a painting that was given to Varn by a five-year-old student named Jasmine when Varn was a teacher.

The imaginative child didn’t follow directions and colored freely and liberally outside the lines. That backstory made the painting even more alluring to Varn who saw it as symbolizing and depicting courage, freedom to live just as you are instead of following rigid rules and restrictions and proffering and pondering possibilities in place of prescriptions.

www.debvarn.com

Hailed as “intensely soulful (The New York Times)” and “spellbinding (The New Yorker),” Syrian-born, Brooklyn-based composer/clarinetist Kinan Azmeh has announced the February 28th, 2025 release of his 14th album Live in Berlin (Dreyer Gaido), for which he reconvened his New York-based genre-bending CityBand quartet featuring guitarist Kyle Sanna, bassist Josh Myers, and drummer John Hadfield.

Influenced by the music of Azmeh’s homeland of Syria, Live in Berlin captures the arc of personal and collective anger, frustration, sadness and hope felt in the face of atrocities.

Conceived during the 2011 Syrian uprising, the album presents six of Azmeh’s own deeply personal compositions (in addition to a piece by Kyle Sanna) recorded in front of a live audience 10 years later on the Pierre Boulez Saal stage in Berlin.

Celebrating almost two decades together, Kinan Azmeh CityBand has received praise from critics and audiences alike, for its virtuosic and high-energy performances. Reaching a balance between classical, jazz and world music, this Arab-Jazz quartet has been wowing audiences worldwide.

1. The Queen Commanded
2. The Translator
3. Daraa
4. Jisreen
5. Dance (from The Fence, The Rooftop and The Distant Sea)
6. Galileo Galilee
7. Wedding

This incredibly impassioned, wholly rich in both sound and conceivement new recording opens on the steely, yet breathy silent ambiance of The Queen Commanded and then we get the furtively playful The Translator, the dutifully stoic, almost ethereal Daraa and then comes the veritably glistening Jisreen.

Along next is the flirtatiously exciting 13-minute opus Dance (from The Fence, The Rooftop and The Distant Sea) which is itself followed seamlessly by the cinematically-hued Galileo Galilee, the music coming to an all-too-soon close on the frantically driven, joyfully sculpted, 13-minute musical wonderment Wedding.

Dance - Kinan Azmeh and CityBand Live in New York at The Greene Space [Official Video]

www.kinanazmeh.com

Meet Joveth, a Filipino-born artist raised in Sweden, now making waves in America. Influenced by James Blunt, The Weeknd, and more, he mastered piano, songwriting, and production.

A collaboration with David Paich of Toto cemented his presence and his solo work on Voracious Records blends dark synth-pop, soul, and R&B, promising a gut felt-musical experience.

His brand new debut 6-track EP is entitled Lonely Boy and is releasing on April 5th, 2025 via Joveth Music and is a musical gift that shapes genre-bending music by fusing dark synth-pop, soul, EDM, R&B, rock, and cinematic sounds.

1. Lonely Boy
2. Say My Name
3. We’re Over
4. Burn It
5. Bubblegum
6. Money Can’t Buy Happiness

This beautifully shaping-shifting, genre-bending new recording opens on the veritably shimmering title track Lonely Boy and then we get the empowered Say My Name, the impassioned We’re Over, the harder-edged Burn It, the music rounding out on the melodically free flowing Bubblegum, closing on the rhythmically decadent Money Can’t Buy Happiness.

Official Purchase Links

Official Website

For those unaware, Steve Knight traded his skateboard for a Synsonics/JCPenney guitar (with built-in, 9 volt-powered speaker) in the early 90s, much to the delight of his mother.

At Emporia State University, he split his time between the theatre department and the music department, playing in pit orchestras, the big band, and the faculty combo, all the while teaching guitar at ESU Academy and Flint Hills Music.

Steve’s first step into the professional jazz world came in the living room of noted jazz pedagogue, author, and guitarist Dr. Wayne Goins at Kansas State University.

Steve moved to Chicago in the spring of 2016 and began teaching and playing full time, further refining his craft with the help of local jazz heavies Scott Hesse, Jim Trompeter, Ernie Adams, and Henry Johnson.

His debut album, Persistence, released in 2022 to rave reviews, including 4 Stars in Downbeat and inclusion on their ‘Albums of the Year’ list. His brand new recording, For Years Gone, is releasing April 11th, 2025 via Steven Walker Knight Music.

1. Lure
2. Pure Imagination
3. Cracklin’
4. Colossus
5. For Years Gone
6. Kothbiro
7. Something
8. Urge for Going
9. 7 Come 11
10. In a Sentimental Mood

This expertly sculpted and wholly impassioned new recording opens on the slickly polished Lure and the sheer elegance of Pure Imagination and then we get a warmly enraptured Cracklin’, the confidently sculpted Colossus and then comes the laid back, effortlessly sumptuous title track For Years Gone.

Along next is the debonair-strewn Kothbiro which is in turn backed seamlessly by the luxuriant Something, the serenely melodic Urge for Going, the music rounding out on the playful 7 Come 11, closing on the fervently joyful In a Sentimental Mood.

Musicians:
Guitar - Steve Knight
Bass - Justin Peterson
Drums - Linard Stroud
Recording - Ken Christianson

Official Purchase Link

Official Website

Trios in 4 Acts is a collection of four releases with Ted Rosenthal’s two working trios, all recorded in the summer of 2024. This first release, “High Standards” (out now via TMR Records) is a collection of standards that he has been performing over the last few years.

He loves taking familiar music and finding new and creative ways to arrange and present it. The mix of the familiar with the surprising and unexpected is a great combination and fits the jazz improvisational spirit.

These standards come from different eras. Lover Man and Skylark are classic standards that are always worth revisiting. Everything Happens to Me and It Could Happen to You are two he loves to play and make a good pairing with their evocative titles.

Standards from the later Broadway period are less often played in jazz, but it is obvious he loved arranging and “working out” on Jet Song, Old Devil Moon, To Life, and One. These arrangements all have rhythmic twists and turns that continue to sound fresh and keep us on our toes. The Cup Bearers concludes the set – a jazz standard played by many of his jazz piano heroes.

And, as you can imagine, Rosenthal always speaks very highly of his trio partners, Martin, Tim, Noriko and Quincy for they all bring their sensitivity, support, virtuosity and swing to add many dimensions to the music.

1. Jet Song
2. Skylark
3. Old Devil Moon
4. Everything Happens To Me
5. It Could Happen To You
6. To Life
7. One
8. Lover Man
9. The Cup Bearers

The dexterous modern jazz pianist opens his new recording on the spirited Jet Song and then we get the sheer elegance of Skylark, the all-embracing Old Devil Moon before the late night sumptuous swirls and twirls of Everything Happens To Me is brought forth.

Along next is the forthright, yet free flowing It Could Happen To You which is itself backed seamlessly by the magnificently sculpted To Life, the rhythmically unabashed One, the music rounding out on the debonair Lover Man, coming to a close on the vivacious The Cup Bearers.

www.tedrosenthal.com

For those unaware, San Francisco-based Cantata Collective continues it’s exploration of J.S. Bach’s major choral masterworks with a third in the ongoing series, pairing the composer’s Easter Oratorio and Magnificat.

Released in time for Holy Week, both works are lavishly scored and feature some of Bach’s most festive and popular vocal writing. With celebrated baroque music specialist Nicholas McGegan on the podium, and a roll call of today’s finest early music vocal soloists, this release is poised to build on the auspicious previous releases.

EASTER ORATORIO, BWV 249
1. I. Sinfonia
2. II. Adagio
3. III. Duetto e Coro: Kommt, eilet und laufet; Duetto: Komm, gehet und eilet (1st-2nd versions)
4. IV. Recitativo (SATB): O kalter Männer Sinn!
5. V. Aria (Soprano): Seele, deine Spezereien
6. VI. Recitativo (ATB): Hier ist die Gruft
7. VII. Aria (Tenor): Sanfte soll mein Todeskummer
8. VIII. Recitativo (SA): Indessen seufzen wir
9. IX. Aria (Alto): Saget, saget mir geschwinde
10. X. Recitativo (Bass): Wir sind erfreut
11. XI. Chorus: Preis und Dank

This authentically engaging new recording opens on Easter Oratorio, BMV 249 and the sophisticated Sinfonia, the elegant Adagio and the stirring Duetto e Coro: Kommt, eilet und laufet; Duetto: Komm, gehet und eilet (1st-2nd versions), and then we get brought forth the emboldened Recitativo (SATB): O kalter Männer Sinn!, the flirtatious Aria (Soprano): Seele, deine Spezereien, the fearless Recitativo (ATB): Hier ist die Gruft, the flourishing Aria (Tenor): Sanfte soll mein Todeskummer, the harmoniously sculpted Recitativo (SA): Indessen seufzen wir, rounding out on the strong Aria (Alto): Saget, saget mir geschwinde, the mighty Recitativo (Bass): Wir sind erfreut and the energetic Chorus: Preis und Dank.

MAGNIFICAT in D major, BWV 243.2 (243)
12. I. Chorus: Magnificat anima mea
13. II. Aria: Et Exultavit
14. III. Aria: Quia respexit
15. IV. Chorus: Omnes generationes
16. V. Aria: Quia fecit mihi magna
17. VI. Duetto: Et Misericordia
18. VII. Chorus: Fecit potentiam
19. VIII. Aria: Deposuit
20. IX. Aria: Esurientes
21. X. Terzetto: Suscepit Israel
22. XI. Chorus: Sicut locutus est
23. XII. Chorus: Gloria Patri

Recorded 18th–21st March 2024, at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, California, along next is Magnificat in D major, BWV 243.2 (243) and the emotively cultured Chorus: Magnificat anima mea, the glorious Aria: Et Exultavit, and the quaintly formed Aria: Quia respexit and then we get the triumphant Chorus: Omnes generationes, the grand Aria: Quia fecit mihi magna, the warmly rounded Duetto: Et Misericordia, and the splendorous Chorus: Fecit potentiam, and they are in turn backed by the sturdy Aria: Deposuit, the formidable Aria: Esurientes, the set closing on the demure nature within Terzetto: Suscepit Israel, the melodious Chorus: Sicut locutus est and a resoundingly emphatic Chorus: Gloria Patri.

Official Purchase Link

www.cantatacollective.org

For those unaware, Award-winning Canadian composer Christopher Tyler Nickel adds to his impressive catalogue of large-scale liturgical works with a double-bill featuring his Mass and Te Deum, composed concurrently and completed in 2022.

As with previous works – including Requiem, and the seven-hour long oratorio The Gospel According to Mark – Chris’ spirituality infuses his music with melancholy and meditative qualities.

Haunting intimacy, a predilection for chant-like melodies and allusions to Medieval music, and plangent orchestral colors, give these two new sacred works a feeling of timelessness.

Listeners will recognize Chris’ penchant for unusual combinations of instruments – a quartet from the oboe family in both works, with the lesser heard oboe d’amore and bass oboe alongside oboe and cor anglais; and a pair of Wagner tubas in the Mass.

Mass:
1. I. Kyrie (Andante) 2.27 2. II. Gloria (Brightly) 2.53 3. III. Domine Deus (Andante) 3.05 4. IV. Credo (Adagio) 10.04 5. V. Sanctus (Solemn) 2.19 6. VI. Benedictus (Solemn) 2.19 7. VII. Agnus Dei (Lento) 2.44)

This magnificently hued new recording opens on Mass, and the stimulating Kyrie (Andante), the galvanic Gloria (Brightly) and the empowering Domine Deus (Andante) and they are in turn followed by the stoically charged Credo (Adagio), the enthralling Sanctus (Solemn), rounding out on the absorbin Benedictus (Solemn) and the impassioned Agnus Dei (Lento).

Easter Oratorio, BMV 249 and the sophisticated Sinfonia, the elegant Adagio and the stirring Duetto e Coro: Kommt, eilet und laufet; Duetto: Komm, gehet und eilet (1st-2nd versions), and then we get brought forth the emboldened Recitativo (SATB): O kalter Männer Sinn!, the flirtatious Aria (Soprano): Seele, deine Spezereien, the fearless Recitativo (ATB): Hier ist die Gruft, the flourishing Aria (Tenor): Sanfte soll mein Todeskummer, the harmoniously sculpted Recitativo (SA): Indessen seufzen wir, rounding out on the strong Aria (Alto): Saget, saget mir geschwinde, the mighty Recitativo (Bass): Wir sind erfreut and the energetic Chorus: Preis und Dank.

Te Deum:
8. I. Te Deum laudamus (Andante) 9.39 9. II. Tu Rex gloriae (Andante) 5.33 10. III. Salvum fac populum tuum (Andante con moto) 4.02 11. IV. Miserere nostri (Grave) 6.08)

Recorded on the 17th, and 28th–30th of June and July 4th, 8th, 9th 2024, at The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver, Canada, along next is Te Deum, which opens on the languishing laudamus (Andante), the elegantly endearing Tu Rex gloriae (Andante), the stirring Salvum fac populum tuum (Andante con moto), closing on the grandiosely sculpted Miserere nostri (Grave).

Official Purchase Link

www.christophernickel.com

For those unaware, praised as “hypnotic and unforgettable,” Dynamo Deb Bowman’s performances “are cut from one rare thread” and “must be seen.”

Her vocal versatility and unmatched acting have thrilled audiences of all ages worldwide. Whether belting out Broadway and big band ballads or softly seducing you with sultry standards, she always delivers memorable musical moments that keep people coming back for more.

Her opening numbers are powerful and energetic, escalating into pure euphoria, before leading everyone in the room through many gripping emotions. “Bowman leaves everything on the stage.”

In the course of her brilliant and varied career as an actress and vocalist, Deb has embraced several diverse styles, including jazz, pop, gospel, Broadway and Latin music. She brings elements of all of these styles into her new Mama Bama Records release Reflection (due out April 11th, 2025).

Recorded over a two year period in three different states, the album was originally conceived as a tribute to three contemporary songwriters who passed between 2019 and 2023: Michael Legrand, Burt Bacharach, and Stephen Sondheim.

As Deb says, “After the initial recording sessions, life got in the way and I was unable to produce the album in a timely manner.” In retrospect, the delay may have been fortuitous, for Deb took the additional time to revise the original selections and eventually expand the album’s concept to include a wider range of songs and composers.

1. Send In The Clowns (5:13)
2. Moon River (4:42)
3. Somewhere Over The Rainbow (6:52)
4. This Girl’s In Love (4:57)
5. He Was Too Good To Me (4:10)
6. Somewhere That’s Green (4:33)
7. How Do You Keep The Music Playing (6:24)
8. ’Till There Was You (5:07)
9. Baby Mine (2:51)

Working closely with her musical director, pianist Dean Fransen, to create atmospheric settings which enhance the song lyrics, this multi-faceted singer/songwriter opens this new recording on a luxuriant Send In The Clowns and then brings us the resplendent Moon River, an atmospheric Somewhere Over The Rainbow and a rather sumptuous This Girl’s In Love.

Along next on this beautifully crafted album is an elegantly sculpted He Was Too Good To Me which is in turn backed by the sweeping Somewhere That’s Green, a simply beautiful How Do You Keep The Music Playing, the music rounding out on the gorgeously perky ’Till There Was You, closing on an impassioned Baby Mine.

www.debbowman.com

For those unaware, Anthony “Ant” Davis is a distinguished hip-hop producer, one-half of the renowned duo Atmosphere, and a founding member of independent record label Rhymesayers Entertainment.

His decades-long career of beat-making has also included works for MF DOOM, Brother Ali, Murs, Rav, Sage Francis and a dozen others. Raised in a military family, his nomadic upbringing exposed him to many diverse influences and, coupled with his father’s love for collecting records, laid the groundwork for his deep appreciation for all sorts of music.

Ant’s latest endeavor, Collection of Sounds, is a four-volume series of instrumental works showcasing the breadth and depth of his musical expertise.

The Collection of Sounds series offers a window into Ant’s creative journey, reflecting his evolution as an artist over the years. Drawing from a vast vault of unreleased material, he’s exhumed cross sections of his catalog with surgical precision, organizing songs by sound rather than mere chronology.

This third installment delves into the rich influences of reggae, dub, and early hip-hop, crafting a vibrant instrumental landscape that pays homage to these foundational genres. Building on the textured soundscapes that define his work, this album showcases Ant’s masterful ability to weave together infectious grooves, deep baselines, and melodic samples that evoke the warmth and rhythm of reggae.

The result is an immersive listening experience that transports listeners to sun-soaked streets, lively dance halls, and basement cyphers.

Side A:
1. Blame That Dub
2. Second Try
3. Just A Business
4. Welcome Back
5. Best Teacher (Melodica Version)
6. Hello Darlings

Putting the vinyl album on the turntable, something that I always love to do, this richly textured set of soundscapes opens on the designated dubstep of Blame That Dub and then we get the rhythmic cadence of Second Try, the guitar-fed, fluctuating nuances within Just A Business, the upbeat and stridently flared Welcome Back, before the warmly sculpted Best Teacher (Melodica Version) and the veritably shimmering Hello Darlings are brought forth.

Side B:
1. Start Of Side Six
2. From Twenty Years Ago
3. Bad Motherdub
4. The Shuffle
5. Perfection
6. Early ’23 Thing
7. Rhodes, Birds And Wind

Flipping the vinyl album over, re-dropping the needle, the first track of the second side is the perfect way to open it up with the layered Start Of Side Six and the mid-temp dubstep of From Twenty Years Ago and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the drum-led brilliance of the melodious Bad Motherdub, the addictively wholesome The Shuffle, the reggae/soul/pop-embodied Perfection, the new collection rounding out on the slow roll of the beautifully languishing Early ’23 Thing and the equivocal, almost ethereal Rhodes, Birds And Wind.

The third installment of his instrumental series, Collection of Sounds: Vol. 3, features smooth beats, intricate sampling, and lush, jazzy layers that create an immersive atmosphere. He masterfully incorporates sly riffs and funk-laden grooves, stirring sentimentality and highlighting his ability to craft emotive, engaging music.

The result is a sonically complex album where Ant blends funk, soul, classic R&B, and hip-hop influences, evoking a nostalgic sense of bygone eras.

www.rhymesayers.com

For those unaware, Anthony “Ant” Davis is a distinguished hip-hop producer, one-half of the renowned duo Atmosphere, and a founding member of independent record label Rhymesayers Entertainment.

His decades-long career of beat-making has also included works for MF DOOM, Brother Ali, Murs, Rav, Sage Francis and a dozen others. Raised in a military family, his nomadic upbringing exposed him to many diverse influences and, coupled with his father’s love for collecting records, laid the groundwork for his deep appreciation for all sorts of music.

Ant’s latest endeavor, Collection of Sounds, is a four-volume series of instrumental works showcasing the breadth and depth of his musical expertise.

The Collection of Sounds series offers a window into Ant’s creative journey, reflecting his evolution as an artist over the years. Drawing from a vast vault of unreleased material, he’s exhumed cross sections of his catalog with surgical precision, organizing songs by sound rather than mere chronology.

With previous volumes in the Collection of Sounds series, Ant has traced his musical evolution, spanning hip-hop, funk, reggae and more, all influenced and inspired by extensive travel dating back to his youth. Vol. 4 deepens this exploration, introducing rock-inspired elements—guitars that wail, gnaw, and groove — while maintaining his signature sound.

The result is an immersive listening experience that transports listeners to sun-soaked streets, lively dance halls, and basement cyphers, but despite these genre experiments, Vol. 4 is firmly grounded in hip-hop.

Side A:
1. Hearing In Dark Colors
2. Darker Colors
3. All Right Now, Listen
4. Prelude Revisited
5. Behind The Sound
6. Day After 2010
7. Just Another Three A.M.
8. AAAND

Putting the vinyl album on the turntable, something that I always love to do, this richly textured set of soundscapes opens on the sweeping Hearing In Dark Colors and then we get the hip-trance cut Darker Colors, the sol grooved funk of All Right Now, Listen, the atmospheric, bass-driven Prelude Revisited, and then comes the purified elegance of Behind The Sound, the airy quirkiness of Day After 2010, a gracefully sculpted Just Another Three A.M., before rounding out on the spoken word R&B-vibed AAAND.

Side B:
1. Side Eight Synesthesia
2. Created With A Heavy Brush
3. Hearing Situations
4. All Sounds In Place
5. A Pinch Brighter
6. Classical Piano Number Seven
7. 4-Track Beyond Beat / Supreme Shoutout
8. Coloring, Shading, And Endings

Flipping the vinyl album over, re-dropping the needle, the first track of the second side is the low grooved Side Eight Synesthesia, the heavier-grooved Created With A Heavy Brush and the beat-rhythmic Hearing Situations and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the richly deep All Sounds In Place, the harmonically sonic A Pinch Brighter, the aptly-titled Classical Piano Number Seven, the fourth set in the collection rounding out on the rap-centric 4-Track Beyond Beat / Supreme Shoutout and the scenic, sunny-side-up ambiance of the beautifully smooth Coloring, Shading, And Endings.

The fourth installment of his instrumental series, Collection of Sounds: Vol. 4, may well lean more towards Hip-Hop, but still features smooth beats, intricate sampling, and lush, jazzy layers that create an immersive atmosphere. He masterfully incorporates sly riffs and funk-laden grooves, stirring sentimentality and highlighting his ability to craft emotive, engaging music.

The result is a sonically complex album where Ant blends funk, soul, classic R&B, and hip-hop influences, evoking a nostalgic sense of bygone eras.

Vinyl packaging includes 12 inch matte die-cut jacket with custom translucent blue plastic window, printed euro-sleeve with artwork by Saber and photography by ZooDeVille, custom blue opaque vinyl & marketing sticker.

www.rhymesayers.com

For those unaware, Susan Hinkson began her creative life with the study of architecture at Pratt Institute in New York followed by law at New York Law School. Hinkson eventually became a prominent figure in New York City government, working in land use policy and regulation. After her stint in government, she enjoyed a successful career in the private sector.

With Hinkson’s lifelong love for jazz undiminished, she heeded the call to a new life honing her latent skills with Bruce Barth, a pianist and educator whose work with Stanley Turrentine, Terence Blanchard, and others, as well as his own highly regarded solo projects, has earned him acclaim as one of the leading jazz stylists of his generation.

After she and Barth were confident that recording was the next step, he arranged the selected tunes and gathered a team of distinctive, supportive players. The result is an album that speaks of the delights and disappointments of lifelong experience, as expressed through a voice laden with charm yet balanced by hard-won knowledge. With this debut album, Just In Time (out via windfall creations, LLC) Susan Hinkson has joined the ranks of committed jazz singers who have embraced the beauty of the Great American Songbook, extolling its enduring pleasures and wonders. Hinkson brings a lifetime of immersion in the classic jazz repertoire.

Growing up surrounded by the sounds of classic songs via her mother, Margaret Jones, a noted composer and arranger–bolstered by her passion for theater and jazz, and regular vocal performances in church – Hinkson nonetheless took a round- about route to her recording debut and IT’S JUST IN TIME!​

1. One For My Baby
2. Just In Time
3. My Funny Valentine
4. But Not For Me
5. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love
6. It Might As Well Be Spring
7. I Wish I Were In Love Again
8. Bésame Mucho
9. The Best Is Yet To Come
10. This Nearly Was Mine
11. Rhode Island Is Famous For You

This beautifully sculpted, and rhythmically cultured new recording opens on a sultry One For My Baby and the luxuriant swing of the title track Just In Time, a supple My Funny Valentine, the dutifully sculpted But Not For Me and then we are brought forth the late night-hued I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.

Along next is a resplendent It Might As Well Be Spring which is backed seamlessly by the sumptuous I Wish I Were In Love Again, the atmospherically-imbibed Bésame Mucho, and the low slung foot tapper The Best Is Yet To Come, rounding out on the simply divine This Nearly Was Mine, closing on a joyfully crafted Rhode Island Is Famous For You.

www.susanhinksonmusic.com

For those unaware, for the first time ever, Vince Guaraldi’s 1974 It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (Original Soundtrack Recording - Peanuts 75th Anniversary Edition) premieres, with the complete 19 track score plus 1 special bonus track - on both CD and 12 inch 45RPM BioVinyl LP.

The holiday classic was written and created by Charles Schulz, directed by Phil Roman and produced by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson. The Guaraldi score is finally available on CD, vinyl and digital. Mixed and mastered for audiophiles, jazz lovers, and Peanuts® fans everywhere from the original 2" session tapes to a 192kHz/24bit master.

The record includes Guaraldi hits like Peppermint Patty, Easter Theme, and Snoopy and Woodstock. And includes a special bonus track: Woodstock’s Medley performed by Guaraldi torch-bearer David Benoit (piano) with original Guaraldi sidemen Seward McCain (Bass) and Mike Clark (drums) - recorded 50 years later at the same Hyde Street studio where the soundtrack was recorded in San Francisco.

From the elegant title theme, to some Guaraldified Beethoven, to the profoundly catchy central theme of Woodstock’s Dream, Guaraldi’s indelible score has surprises for everyone to enjoy this spring and year round.

Beyond the composer’s playing on piano, electric piano, harpsichord, and electric guitar, McCain plays electric bass, Robert Clare plays flute, Glenn Cronkhite and Eliot Zigmund play drums, and John Scott Trotter supervised the music.

1. Peppermint Patty
2. Easter Theme / Easter Theme (Reprise)
3. Piano Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2 No. 3 - I. Allegro con brio
4. Snoopy and Woodstock
5. Linus and Lucy
6. Woodstock’s Dream
7. Snoopy’s Gumballs / Sally and Linus
8. Woodstock’s Dream (Reprise)
9. Marcie’s Song (Kitchen Music)
10. Linus and Lucy (Reprise)
11. Woodstock’s Pad
12. Woodstock’s Dream (2nd Reprise)
13. Music Box Dance (Minuet in G Major, BWV Anh. 116)
14. Woodstock’s Dream (3rd Reprise)
15. Easter Egg Soup (Kitchen Music 2)
16. Linus and Lucy (2nd Reprise) / Linus and Lucy (3rd Reprise)
17. Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 - II. Allegreto
18. Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 - I. Poco sostenuto - Vivace
19. Salting Eggs / Linus and Lucy (4th Reprise)
20. Woodstock Medley (Woodstock’s Wake-Up / Little Birdie / Woodstock’s Dream / Thanksgiving Theme / Little Birdie (Reprise)

This wonderfully cultured and vibrantly colorful new recording opens on the luxuriant finger-snapper Peppermint Patty, the sweeping Easter Theme / Easter Theme (Reprise), the sprightly (albeit short) Piano Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2 No. 3 - I. Allegro con brio, the AOR guitar rocker Snoopy and Woodstock, and then we get the all-embracing Linus and Lucy, the 70’s-hued Woodstock’s Dream, the playful Snoopy’s Gumballs / Sally and Linus, and then come a reprise of Woodstock’s Dream (Reprise), a studious Marcie’s Song (Kitchen Music), the first section rounding out on the upbeat finger-snapper Linus and Lucy (Reprise).

Along next is the resplendent Woodstock’s Pad, the cool breeze of Woodstock’s Dream (2nd Reprise), a shiny Music Box Dance (Minuet in G Major, BWV Anh. 116) and a free-flowing Woodstock’s Dream (3rd Reprise), before we are brought forth the happy-go-lucky Easter Egg Soup (Kitchen Music 2), another, this time lower key cut of Linus and Lucy (2nd Reprise) / Linus and Lucy (3rd Reprise), a dutifully sculpted Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 - II. Allegreto, an airy Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 - I. Poco sostenuto - Vivace, the set closing on the soulful swing of Salting Eggs / Linus and Lucy (4th Reprise) and a most wondrous, earnest, yet vibrantly arranged and joyfully contagious six-minute Woodstock Medley (Woodstock’s Wake-Up / Little Birdie / Woodstock’s Dream / Thanksgiving Theme / Little Birdie (Reprise).

This album is a wonderful Easter treat 50+ years in the making. The album was mixed by Clark Germain at WonderWorld Studio, and restored and mastered by Vinson Hudson, and produced by Sean and Jason Mendelson. The vinyl includes a 4-page insert with art from the special and liner notes that give a track-by-track analysis by producer Sean Mendelson and notes by producer Jason Mendelson and Derrick Bang (author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano). The vinyl has additional photographs and images of historical artifacts.

For those unaware, Jazz vocalist Jeffrey Gimble’s long-awaited sophomore album Brand New Key (due out April 4th, 2025) features a handful of standards, not-so-standards, some gems from the 70’s and a few songs that deserve to be standards.

This is the vocalist’s long-awaited endeavor since the release of his 2013 debut album Beyond Up High. All About Jazz said, Vocalist Jeffrey Gimble makes one heck of an entrance into the jazz world, with an impressive debut that’s beyond good; it’s quite frankly, terrific in style, swing and swagger.

Brand New Key features top LA players, including acclaimed pianist and composer, Josh Nelson, who produced the album, guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Dan Lutz, and drummer Dan Schnelle. Gimble had wanted to work on a recording with Nelson for some time. Josh is such a brilliant pianist and arranger. We kept talking about doing a project together and given that he’s one of the best pianists in town (and he’s also one of my closest friends), I thought, how could I not?

The new album calls attention to a few musical gems that deserve broader recognition and explores his passion for the grooves and sounds of the 60’s and 70’s. It heralds Gimble’s personal feelings about his growth as an artist.

1. Bye Bye Blackbird
2. Tryin Times
3. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was
4. A Ra
5. The Nearness of You
6. Brand New Key
7. In the Glow of the Moon
8. Quietly There
9. Somebody Groovy
10. Music’s the Only Thing That’s On My Mind

This elegantly sculpted new recording opens on the soulful 20’s standard Bye Bye Blackbird and then brings us an incredible, low slung Roberta Flack song Tryin Times (which addressed the civil disorder of the era), the Rodgers & Hart’s classic I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (from the 1939 musical Too Many Girls), the smoothly seductive bossa-hued, Portuguese-vocalized A Ra (A Frog) and the emotively impassioned The Nearness of You.

Along next is his alluring version of Melanie’s early 70’s cut, and the title track Brand New Key which is in turn backed by a moody, sultry even In the Glow of the Moon, the sheer gossamer of Quietly There, the music rounding out on a funky-pop-jazzy version of The Mamas & the Papas’ Somebody Groovy, closing on the gentle Jimmy Rowles track Baby Mine (an elegant duet with guitarist Larry Koonse).

www.jeffreygimble.com

For those unaware, Shiri Zorn is an innovative jazz vocalist whose fresh and intercultural sound reinvents standard jazz repertoire as we know it.

She layers American Songbook tunes with Middle Eastern influences and unexpected time signatures, and reharmonizes Latin and Samba classics to evoke feelings of transcendence, temporarily rendering the listener lost to time and space.

Vocalist Shiri Zorn’s pure tone and insightful phrasing nurtured at Israel’s leading school for the arts, Thelma Yelin, where she was first drawn to the music of Gershwin, Cleo Laine, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Carmen Mc Rae and subsequently at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England, where she studied voice and piano.

During lockdown in 2022, Shiri brought out her debut album, Into Another Land, a recording that was vocally produced by Grammy nominated jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton, and now she brings forth her sophomore album, Looking for the Light.

1. Garota de Ipanema (5:25)
2. It’s Alright with Me (4:40)
3. So Nice (Summer Samba) (6:06)
4. Nothing at All (3:57> 5. Prayer (5:31)
6. Haunted People (3:53)
7. Shadow Soul (2:46)
8. Dancing in the Dark (4:07)

This simply divine new recording opens on the elegantly-hued hipsway of Garota de Ipanema and the smooth warmth of It’s Alright with Me and then we get a low slung, balladry ache that yearns throughout So Nice (Summer Samba) and the joyful Nothing at All.

Along next is the ambiently sculpted Prayer before a veritably ethereal stance is brought forth within Haunted People, and they are in turn backed by the rhythmically fervent Shadow Soul, the music closing all too soon on the melodically enraptured Dancing in the Dark.

www.shirizorn.com

For those unaware, for over 25 years, Domenic Cicchetti has been a dynamic force in the music world, excelling as a performing musician, recording artist, composer, educator, and musical instrument product specialist.

His journey began at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where he honed his craft under the tutelage of the acclaimed Madam Charloff. Domenic’s career took off with his 1979 debut recording “Sunrise” on the Arista label.

Following his debut, Domenic continued to push boundaries with his 2008 release, “Mirage,” a 12-track collaboration with guitarist Bill Washer. In 2015, he unveiled “Open Road,” an album brimming with original jazz, R&B and vocal compositions that embody a heartfelt tribute to the greats who influenced him, including Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock.

Looking ahead, Domenic’s most ambitious project yet, Candy Apple has just been released. The album, a culmination of his diverse music journey, opens with the smooth jazz track “Jump To It,” featuring an all-star ensemble: Dave Weckl on drums, Paula Atherton on saxophone, Jerry Vivino on woodwinds, Jon Herington on guitar, David Finck & Paul Adamy on bass, and Bill Hayes on percussion.

Their undeniable chemistry promises a memorable experience for fans of the genre.

1. Jump To It
2. Candy Apple
3. PCH
4. Sunlight
5. Intricate
6. Ode to A Friend
7. Nightime

Domenic’s reflective passion shines brightly here on this impassioned new recording, which opens on the vibrantly joyful, sunny and warmly shining Jump To It and then we get the laid back, soulful title track Candy Apple, the veritably 70’s cinematic PCH and the lushly sculpted Sunlight.

Along next on this homage to the rich history of jazz while, all whilst pushing the boundaries of contemporary sound, is the languishing beauty within Intricate, the music rounding out on the richly textured Ode to A Friend, coming to an all too soon close on the all-embracingly Nightime.

www.domcicchetti.com

For those unaware, Australian guitarist/composer/educator Tim Jago currently resides in New York City. He completed a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and was awarded the Melville Toyota Scholarship for the most outstanding final year jazz student (2006).

The following year he became an adjunct guitar tutor at the same institution. Also in 2007, Tim was selected as a finalist in the National Jazz Awards to perform at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival.

In 2010 he was a selected candidate for the Freedman Fellowship in Australia. Tim relocated to the United States in August 2010 to undertake the Master of Music program in Studio Music and Jazz with a major in jazz guitar performance at The University of Miami Frost School of Music. There he held a Teaching Assistant (T.A.) position for the duration of his Masters and graduated in 2012.

Tim continued in the T.A. position, returning to The University of Miami to complete the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in May 2015. He was then announced as a semi finalist in the inaugural Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition (2015).

Throughout his musical career Tim has performed/recorded extensively across Australia and The United States and has led and co-led groups at jazz festivals all around the world.

Tim has released three albums - The Grid (2010), Wear More Headbands (2013), and The Grid III (featuring four) (2015) with his trio, The Grid, as well as the co-led album with Troy Roberts Best Buddies (2021).

He has also recorded in the U.S. as a member of many bands - including Roxana Amed, on the Latin GRAMMY nominated albums Ontology (2021) and Unánime’ (2022), and Troy Roberts’ Nu-Jive - Nu-Jive 5 (2013), Nu-Jive Perspective (2018), Nu-Jive: Nations United (2022), and Nu-Jive: Live at The Perth International Jazz Festival (2023).

His brand new solo album is entitled Time Shift and is out now and is a truly personal representation of Tim’s life experiences along with his depth and versatility as a guitarist and composer.

1. Time Shift (9:08)
2. Calypso’ish (7:26)
3. Soil To Sky (7:18)
4. Major (6:27)
5. Bernie’s Tune (5:58)
6. Body And Soul (6:30)
7. Fine Line (6:37)
8. Kind Minded (7:39)

This magnificently hued, expertly sculpted new recording opens on the delicious smooth funk of the titular Time Shift and then we get the buoyantly playful Calypso’ish, the rhythmically layered Soil To Sky and then the languishing beauty of Major.

Along next is the fervently charged Bernie’s Tune which is itself backed seamlessly by the luxuriantly sumptuous Body And Soul, then we get brought forth the flirtatious, joyfully empowered Fine Line, the music coming to a close on the soulful Kind Minded.

www.timjagomusic.com

For those unaware, The Beveled Edges is a New York City-based music duo formed by singer-songwriter Shelly Bhushan and guitarist-songwriter Anthony Lanni. Their sound is a rich fusion of Latin, Brazilian, Soul, Jazz, and World Music, blending diverse cultural influences to create a melodic and rhythmically complex sonic landscape.

Shelly brings a deep connection to R&B, Blues, and Soul, while Anthony, has a strong focus on Brazilian music and traditional Latin guitar arrangements. Their original songs, marked by emotional depth and intricate storytelling, explore themes of love, loss, and the human experience.

The Beveled Edges’ new debut album, I Guess We’re Not Alone is out now and features a host of impassioned, standout tracks such as Amarillo, Autumn Fell, I’ll Be There for You, and Paris Isn’t Paris Without You.

In short, their music promises to take listeners on a global journey, evoking the elegance of 1960s vibes with a modern twist. Indeed, stay tuned for more from this captivating duo.

1. Amarillo
2. I Guess We’re Not Alone
3. I’ll Be There For You
4. Autumn Fell
5. At The End Of The Day
6. Paris Isn’t Paris Without You
7. Down The Stairs
8. Fade Into The Sky
9. Never Too Late
10. Paris Isn’t Paris Without You Reprise

This expertly crafted and dutifully soulful new recording opens on the lushly crafted Amarillo and the flavorful title track I Guess We’re Not Alone, and then we get the swooning I’ll Be There For You, the all-embracing Autumn Fell and the gently ambient hipsway of At The End Of The Day.

Along next is the melodically sumptuous Paris Isn’t Paris Without You and the jaunty affair Down The Stairs and they are followed by the late night, smokey club appeal of Fade Into The Sky, the music rounding out on the low slung finger-snapper Never Too Late, closing on an atmospheric, all be it only .23 seconds long reprise of Paris Isn’t Paris Without You.

www.thebevelededges.com

For those unaware, PD9 is a pared down version of the traditional big bands of the 1930s, and they frequently feature guest vocalists, adding to the versatility of the band’s show.

The number of musicians in the lineup is reminiscent of the earliest big bands, when swing was still evolving into the sound that defined jazz music’s most popular era.

“The band retains the agility of a small group,” says co-founder and bandleader RJ Spangler, “but with the harmonic palette of a larger one.”

The band’s repertoire is unmatched, in one set paying tribute to the music of Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson, and in another the proto-R&B sounds of Detroit artists such as Paul “Hucklebuck” Williams and King Porter.

On some nights an audience might be treated to an entire evening devoted to the Afro-futuristic rhythms of Sun Ra—to whom the name Planet D Nonet is a deferential nod, if not a wink.

One Sunday afternoon, December 17th, 2023, Dr./Prof. Leonard King drove to Cadieux Cafe on Detroit’s East Side to hear the PD9 perform. It wasn’t long before he began innately hearing the melody to one of Joe Williams’s recordings. At that moment, he decided to ask RJ Spangler if the PD9 would want to collaborate with him on a Joe Williams project.

Of course, RJ and the guys were receptive and so we are lucky enough now to be gifted their brand new album, Presents Doctor Professor Leonard King in a Tribute to Joe Williams (out now via Eastlawn Records).

1. Who She Do (6:34)
2. The Comeback (7:02)
3. Detour Ahead (5:20)
4. Sad Song (10:24)
5. Night Time Is the Right Time (7:31)
6. Young Man On The Way Up (5:27)
7. It’s The Same Old Story (7:02)
8. Don’t Push, Don’t Pull (4:28)
9. Some of This ’N’ Some Of That (4:54)

The nine-piece ensemble get to work quickly by opening the new recording on the joyfully sumptuous, catchy jazzy blues of Who She Do and the low slung The Comeback and then we are gifted the lushly sculpted beauty Detour Ahead and the foot/finger snapping delight of the ten minute gem Sad Song.

Along next is the sassy late night number Night Time Is the Right Time which is itself backed by the fluently musically seamless Young Man On The Way Up, the soulful jazz-R&B styling of It’s The Same Old Story, the music culminating with the gentle roustabout of Don’t Push, Don’t Pull, closing on the melodiously free-flowing Some of This ’N’ Some Of That.

Official Website

The Rufus and Chaka Khan journey came to an end with these two albums. Looking back it had been a thrilling ride for both of them. Rufus, the masters of humping funk rock groove and Chaka Khan, a powerhouse mezzo soprano, over their decade long partnership creating something truly magical and rewarded with huge success.

Four US R&B Number 1 albums, a further three which made the US R&B Top Five including ‘Stompin’ At The Savoy Live’, packaged here in its entirety with its predecessor ‘Seal In Red’; five US R&B Number 1 singles, including ‘Ain’t Nobody’, ‘Stompin’s lead single, a classic piece of electro funk which saw them go out with a bang with their biggest UK hit and their second of two Grammy Awards.

This release also contains three bonus tracks including the 12” Hallucinogenic Version of ‘Ain’t Nobody’ along with including fabulous sleeve notes by Lois Wilson of MOJO Magazine.

Disc One: Stompin’ at the Savoy - Live (1983)
1. You Got The Love
2. Once You Get Started
3. Dance Wit Me
4. Sweet Thing
5. Tell Me Something Good
6. Stop On By
7. Pack’d My Bags
8. I’m A Woman (I’m A Backbone)
9. At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)
10. Ain’t That Peculiar
11. Stay
12. What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me
13. Do You Love What You Feel
14. Ain’t Nobody
15. One Million Kisses
16. Try A Little Understanding
17. Don’t Go To Strangers

With Chaka Khan temporarily back in the fold, the band came back together with a set on fire and chock full of old favorites alongside new material, even as a second Khan reunion album, Camouflage, foundered on the chart rocks.

The idea for this set, and what ultimately became the group’s last album, grew out of those live shows. Recorded over three nights in January at the fabled New York venue, Stompin’ At the Savoy (Live) is a jam-packed live show that captured the effervescent spirit that infused the band whenever Khan added her phenomenal soul vocals to the funk-rock vibes.

Brightly shone moments include tracks such as Tell Me Something Good and What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me - truly powerhouse numbers - while Dance Wit Me and Sweet Thing follow closely behind. It is includes what were to be known as the studio side of the original live release, and which itself features the stone wall gem Ain’t Nobody.

Completely fresh, and shunting the latter day band from lukewarm to white hot, Ain’t Nobody scored the band their 5th R&B #1 when it debuted at the top of the charts in July 1983. And although Rufus disbanded not long after, both Stompin’ at the Savoy (Live) and Ain’t Nobody ensured that the band would exit the scene on a note as high ... actually, if not higher, than they entered it.

Seal In Red (1983)
1. Take It To The Top
2. The Time Is Right
3. When I Get Over You
4. You Turn Me All Around
5. You, The Night And The Music
6. Blinded By The Boogie
7. I’m Saving This Love Song
8. You’re Really Out Of Line
9. Distant Lovers
10. No Regrets
11. Take It To The Top (7” Version) [Bonus Tracks]
12. Ain’t Nobody (7” Version) [Bonus Tracks]
13. Ain’t Nobody (Hallucinogenic Version) [Bonus Tracks]

All of the Rufus releases without the presence of its revered lead singer Chaka Khan have taken a continually bad rap over the years. And of course the reason always come down to the same basic thing; sometimes no matter how musically able a band is they need a particularly magical singer to make the entire concept work.

This finale for Rufus was released during a time where many of the members, in particular drummer John Robinson had largely moved onto becoming session aces and came out towards the end of 1983. The band turned to the production of jazz-funk/pop producer George Duke for this album and despite the fact that this album was so commercially unsuccessful that many people to this day don’t know it even exists - let alone how very creatively rewarding it actually is.

It features a variety of different types of songs that will work for just about every type of audience, from urban contemporary ballads to funk/pop and even some lightly pop/rock material. Of course, the main reason for all of this are the strong instrumental and songwriting of Chaka group members Tony Maiden and Hawk Wolinkski who really go out of their way on this album to make a musically satisfying recording.

As noted, for the most part the album comprises mostly of very slickly recorded pop/funk somewhat in the manner of Michael Jackson and songs such the ballad When I Get Over You and the mid-tempo groove The Time Is Right are not only good, but also feature the vocals of Aaron Neville’s son Ivan.

Hawk gives extremely credible performances on You Turn Me All Around and especially Blinded By The Boogie, a slippery electro funk type tune with a slinky bass/guitar line and great harmonies between Hawk and Toni on the chorus. A mixture of horn style and electro grooves show up on Take It To The Top and Your Really Out Of Line, both featuring a lot of vocoders and a few Minneapolis style synth affectations now and again.

The most similar to Rufus’s late 70’s style dance/funk is the guitar vamp of You, The Night And The Music, again a showcase for Maiden, but easily the most electrified number is the brilliant closer No Regrets where Hawks’ high, raspy vocals are wrapped around some heavily layered synthesizer riffs.

Official Purchase Link

Formed in Belfast in 1984, the band enjoyed several hits - including 1988’s Top 20 classic Broken Land - and made four albums before disbanding in the mid-90s.

Featuring key original members Pat Gribben, Terry Sharpe and Eileen Gribben and including a songwriting collaboration between Pat and Cathy Dennis, this brand new studio album from Belfast band THE ADVENTURES is their first in over 30 years.

Pat Gribben explains the background to the new album: “We had been musing over the possibility of making another Adventures album for some time until Covid and consequential lock down. I found myself spending more time in my little home studio and I could dedicate myself to a songwriting binge. ‘Hanging Tree’ was the first song I finished and this gave us the impetus we needed.”

“Songwriting is all about running the rusty water out until the clear stuff flows. The album was written and largely recorded on my home computer set-up ‘L. U. C. Y.’ is the first lead vocal by Eileen to appear on any Adventures album - a writing collaboration between Cathy Dennis and myself.”

“All the vocals, keyboards and acoustic guitars were recorded here at my home studio. All the bass, electric guitars and live drums were recorded at Einstein Studios.”

1. My Imaginary Girlfriend
2. With The Cats
3. When The Sun Goes Down
4. Love Talk
5. L.U.C.Y.
6. Down By The Water
7. Song For You
8. I Still Dream Of You
9. The Hanging Tree
10. To Whom It Concerns

This brilliantly refreshing new set, more of a sound advancement than a flashback cuddle, opens on the gently frenetic pop-rock of My Imaginary Girlfriend and the alt-rocker With The Cats and then we get the lushly orchestrated, quietly Celtic in flow When The Sun Goes Down, the 90’s guitar rock of Love Talk and then we get the psych-hued hipsway of L.U.C.Y. brought forth.

Along next is the ambient-styled Down By The Water and the sumptuously mellow, melodically free flowing Song For You and they are in turn followed by the dutifully harmonized I Still Dream Of You, the music rounding out on the jaunty 60’s pop-imbibed, rockabilly drenched The Hanging Tree, coming to a close on the languishing beauty within To Whom It Concerns.

Official Purchase Link

Joe Lovano and his Polish conspirators from the Marcin Wasilewski trio are endowed with an especially adventurous spirit on their second joint endeavour for ECM. Building on the lyrical strengths that inhabited the group’s previous recording (Arctic Riff, 2020), on Homage the quartet moreover investigates the type of free-flowing interplay and expansive passages of improvisation that have become a staple in Lovano’s ventures with his trio tapestry.

Clocking in at over ten minutes each, two long-form compositions and the title track “Homage” – all Lovano originals – make up the bedrock of the album and find the players at their most exploratory, with Joe frequently swapping out his tenor and tárogató for a variety of percussion instruments.

The group’s pass at “Love In The Garden”, a composition by the Polish violin virtuoso Zbigniew Seifert, embellishes the evocative melody with fluid harmonies, wrapped in haunting rubato tides. Improvised miniatures complete a program that proves Wasilewski and his trio cohorts to be the ideal match for Lovano’s singular musings and the group’s seamless chemistry is more apparent than ever on Homage.

1. Love In The Garden (Zbigniew Seifert) (4:13)
2. Golden Horn (Joe Lovano) (10:20)
3. Homage (Joe Lovano) (8:00)
4. Giving Thanks (Joe Lovano) (2:25)
5. This Side - Catville (Joe Lovano) (12:00)
6. Projection (Joe Lovano) (2:03)

With the album having been expertly produced by Manfred Eicher, they open the new recording on the impressively breathy ballad Love In The Garden and the smoothly warming, ten minute opus Golden Horn, and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the freely evolving title track Homage, the all-embracing Giving Thanks, the set rounding out on the melodious, sturdily grooved 12 minute This Side - Catville, closing on the percussion-hued, improvisationally sculpted Projection.

Musicians:
Joe Lovano - Tenor Saxophone
Marcin Wasilewski - Piano
Slawomir Kurkiewicz - Double Bass
Michal Miskiewicz - Drums

Joe Lovano - Golden Horn [Official Video]

Official Purchase Link

www.joelovano.com

Savina Yannatou’s fifth ECM album Watersong revolves around the theme of water in its many manifestations. Water as a blessing and a curse. A life-sustaining source and a mortal threat in the elemental power of the storm.

Shakespeare’s The Tempest with the spirit Ariel’s song, “Full Fathom Five”, provided an inspirational starting point for Greek vocalist Yannatou and the Primavera en Salonico band in a project in which they are also joined by Tunisian singer Lamia Bedioui. There’s a special magic that occurs when Savina and Lamia sing together – as was already evident on Yannatou’s Terra Nostra more than 20 years ago.

In the present recording Bedioui embodies the desert realm, as the Arabic language and the Bedouin dialect intersect with the languages of Mediterranean Europe and elsewhere. Songs come from many compass points and historical epochs. A traditional piece from Egypt segues into one from North Macedonia.

A setting of a 10th century poem by Arab prince Abu Firas al-Hamdani is situated between a South Italian lament and a Greek carol. An Irish Gaelic song precedes a Corsican tune and Primavera En Salonico’s unique take on the African-American spiritual “Wade In The Water.”

Multi-cultural in their musical passions, and daring in their stylistic juxtapositions, Savina and friends also illuminate the connections between the traditions.

1. The Song of Klidonas (Traditional) (2:43)
2. Naanaa Algenina (Garden Mint) / Ivana (Traditional) (6:42)
3. Ai Giorkis (Saint George) (Traditional) (2:59)
4. A los baños del amor (At the Baths of Love) (Anonymous) (3:59)
5. Perperouna (Traditional) (4:11)
6. Con qué la lavaré? (With What Shall I Wash it?) (Anonymous) (3:15)
7. Sia maledetta l’acqua (Cursed Be the Water) (Anonymous) (2:21)
9. Kalanta of the Theophany (Traditional) (4:10)
10. The Immortal Water (Traditional) (4:46)
11. Full Fathom Five (Robert Johnson, William Shakespeare) (3:03)
12. An Ròn (The Seal) (Traditional) (2:20)
13. O onda (O Wave) (Ghjuvan-Petru Lanfranchi) (4:40)
14. Wade in the Water / Allah Musau (God of Moses) (Traditional) (7:23)

With the album having been recorded in March 2022 & March 2024, at Sierra Studios, Athens, the Athens-born singer opens the new recording on the intensely enthralling, alluring even The Song of Klidonas, the intoxicating Naanaa Algenina (Garden Mint) and the fluent Ai Giorkis (Saint George) and then brings us the emboldened A los baños del amor (At the Baths of Love), the rhythmical Perperouna, the sheer gossamer of Con qué la lavaré? (With What Shall I Wash it?) and the spirited Sia maledetta l’acqua (Cursed Be the Water).

Musicians:
Savina Yannatou - Voice
Lamia Bedioui - Voice
Primavera en Salonico / Kostas Vomvolos - Qanun, Accordion
Harris Lambrakis - Nay
Kyriakos Gouventas - Violin
Yannis Alexandris - Oud
Michalis Siganidis - Double Bass
Dine Doneff - Percussion

Official Purchase Link

www.savinayannatou.com

For those unaware, stef.in will release its second album, Icterus II, on April 4th, 2025, through Barnyard Records in both LP and digital formats.

The Toronto-based group includes Stefan Hegerat (drums and composer), Robyn Gray (guitar), Patrick O’Reilly (guitar), and Mark Godfrey (bass).

The group have been together since 2017, released the first Icterus album in 2018. This second instalment follows a five-year gap and introduces a set of compositions influenced by mid and post-pandemic experiences, touching on issues such as mental health and socio-political instability.

Icterus II was tracked, mixed, and mastered by Jean Martin at The Barn and visual contributions come from Amy Weber (artwork) and AJ Wright (design).

1. Three Wars
2. Here’s to Circle
3. Aku San Zan
4. Dosage
5. Juan Soto
6. Old Guard
7. Our Circle
8. Leave Unattended and Suffer the Consequences

Combining elements of experimental rock and jazz, this brand new recording opens on the electronical textured Three Wars and then we get the ambient plumes that thread throughout Here’s to Circle, the propellent prog of Aku San Zan and then the emboldened Dosage is brought forth.

Recorded at The Barn and Mix and Mastered by Jean Martin, along next is the masterfully blended Juan Soto which is itself backed by the melodious Old Guard, the creatively imaginative Our Circle, the set coming to a close on the sonically transformative Leave Unattended and Suffer the Consequences.

Musicians:
Robyn Gray ~ Guitar
Patrick O’Reilly ~ Guitar
Mark Godfrey ~ Bass
Stefan Hegerat ~ Drums

For those unaware, pitch and rhythm are fundamental building blocks of music, but what about the third element in the name of the ever-growing improvisational ensemble Pitch, Rhythm and Consciousness?

For the band’s co-founders, tenor saxophonist Tony Jones and violinist Charlie Burnham, consciousness is perhaps the most essential, if elusive, factor in creating harmonious sounds in the moment.

“Both Tony and I are Interested in keeping our spiritual selves vital,” says Burnham, whose expressive violin has been a key voice in recordings by James Blood Ulmer, Cassandra Wilson, Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra and Living Colour, among many others.

“One of the things that drew me and Charlie together is that we’re both Buddhists, although from different traditions,” adds Jones, a longtime collaborator with multi-instrumentalist who has also worked with Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor, Muhal Richard Abrams, Joseph Jarman and others. “It’s just a part of who we are. If it didn’t become part of the music, that would have to mean we were consciously avoiding it.”

1. I Shall Not Want
2. The Beginning of the Universe
3. Tiny Little Inkling
4. Kush
5. Fundamental Blue
6. Trouble
7. Running in the Darkness
8. Whose Tears Are These
9. This Herein Goes Nowhere
10. Psalm for a Shared Tomorrow
11. Shadow Box
12. Prepare for Refuge

In all of its formations, Pitch, Rhythm, and Consciousness is a happy reunion of old friends relishing the opportunity to make beautiful sounds together, and thus this new recording opens on the breathy I Shall Not Want and the atmospherically-charged The Beginning of the Universe and then we get given the intricately sculpted Tiny Little Inkling, an earnest yearn that drives Kush, and both the emotive Fundamental Blue and the joyfully playful Trouble.

Along next is the languishing Running in the Darkness and the impassioned Whose Tears Are These and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the empowered This Herein Goes Nowhere, the expressive Psalm for a Shared Tomorrow, the music rounding out on the quietly formed Shadow Box, closing on the swirling Prepare for Refuge.

Nowhere has the band’s spiritual consciousness been more evident than on its stirring new album, Sextet. Out April 22nd, 2025 via Reva Records, the session deviated somewhat from the group’s past dedication to wholly free improvisation, instead drawing inspiration from a variety of wisdom traditions – Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Taoist, Hindu, etc.

The results are profound and spirited, exulting in spontaneous creation while delving deep into a wellspring of emotions and thought.

For those unaware, The Reddish Fetish with The Jersey City All Stars’ brand new album Llegue is a tribute by drummer Jason T. Reddish to his father’s music of the late 1960’s and is an adventurous mix of hard bop, fusion and the avant-garde, all played with a great deal of spirit.

Back in the 1960’s, saxophonist Bill Reddish led the Reddfish Fetish, a group in South Florida that blended together jazz, rock, avant-garde explorations, and aspects of World Music to form its own unclassifiable fusion of exciting and influential music.

The innovative electric bassist Jaco Pastorius often sat in with the influential group and considered Reddish to be a mentor.

Unfortunately the Reddish Fetish never recorded but on Llegue, his recording debut as a leader, Bill’s son drummer-percussionist Jason T. Reddish has revived the group’s now-legendary music and sound.

He utilizes an octet that also includes pianist-keyboardist Roy Suter, Ben Golder-Novick on tenor and clarinet, trumpeter Indofunk Satish, vionlist Sean David Cunningham, guitarist Jason Green, bassist Ian Kenselaar, and Jose Yogui Rosario on congas.

1. Journey Into Satchidananda
2. All The Things You Are
3. Fusion Flower
4. 5 Sleeves
5. “Senor Blues”
6. Moanin
7. Naima’s Bossa
8. Little Sunflower
9. Lush Life
10. Confirmation
11. Shango Can Fly

This relentlessly rhythmic new recording opens on the expansively luxuriant Journey Into Satchidananda and then we get the fervently joyful All The Things You Are, the veritably psychedelically-hued Fusion Flower, the free-flowing 5 Sleeves and the blues-jazz smoked “Senor Blues”.

Along next is the finger-snapping beauty Moanin which is in turn backed by the elegantly languishing Naima’s Bossa, the upbeat, gentle swing of the decadent Little Sunflower, an emboldened Lush Life, the set rounding out on the playful Confirmation, closing on the rhythmically drum-fed Shango Can Fly.

Llegue is not only an homage, but an exhilarating visit to a time when many different styles were colliding and creating exciting new music with unlimited potential. In addition to looking at an undocumented past, Llegue gives listeners a possible path to the future of creative music.

For those still unaware, the infectious spirit of Brazilian music in all its incredible forms is impossible to deny. Musicians from around the world succumb to the elements of samba, forro and bossa nova.

For Brazilian musicians, the essence of these sounds and rhythms is tied up in all the music they create. The new collective ensemble Unity Quartet, featuring Hélio Alves, Guilherme Monteiro, Gili Lopes and Alex Kautz, weave their Brazilian influences into their own forward-thinking version of jazz, as can be heard on their new recording, Samba of Sorts.

The members of Unity Quartet hail for different parts of Brazil but have all made New York their home. Pianist Alves and drummer Kautz hailed from Sao Paulo, while guitarist Monteiro moved from Rio de Janeiro and bassist Lopes from the southern town of Porto Alegre via London.

All of them met through large and active network of Brazilian musicians in New York City, meeting and playing with one another in various projects.

1. Viola Violar
2. Lucena 3. Santo Antonio
4. Frenzy
5. Pau de Arara
6. Jogral
7. Samba of Sorts
8. Paloma Plage

This vibrantly cultured new recording opens on the forthright, yet smoothly sculpted Viola Violar and the free-flowing, breezy Lucena, and then we get the fervently hip Santo Antonio, and the aptly-titled spiraling rhythms that harmonize for the propellant Frenzy.

Along next is the lush hipsway of Pau de Arara and that is in turn followed neatly by the empowered melodies within Jogral, the all-embracing title track Samba of Sorts, the music closing all too soon on the decadent Paloma Plage.

Musicians:
Helio Alves - piano
Guilherme Monteiro - guitar
Gili Lopes - bass
Alex Kautz - drums

Official Purchase Link

For those unaware, John Ellis devoted his previous Blue Room Music outing, Bizet: Carmen in Jazz, to spirited adaptations and arrangements from that renowned late 19th-century opera.

For the follow-up, Heroes, the acclaimed saxophonist and multi-reedist shifts focus back to original music: a program of eight compositions inspired in various ways by mentors, legends, friends, family — “heroes” broadly defined.

Pianist Gary Versace and bassist Reuben Rogers, longtime Ellis collaborators who played with characteristic beauty on the Bizet recording, remain in the fold here, joining the extraordinary trumpeter Mike Rodriguez (SFJazz Collective) and the in-demand Kush Abadey (Melissa Aldana, Ethan Iverson) on drums.

The lineup in some ways echoes that of Rodriguez’s own 2021 quintet release, Pathways, which also featured Ellis and Versace.

Ellis embraced the challenge of working in this classic quintet idiom, his first musical love. “I’m 50 years old now,” he says, “and this is the music that got me, that made me want to play jazz for a living. And yet most of the things I’ve done as a leader are not so directly in this vein.”

He’s alluding, for instance, to genre-defying larger group projects such as The Ice Siren and MOBRO, or the sousaphone-driven Double Wide, which featured Versace on organ.

1. Slingshot
2. Beautiful Day
3. El Cid
4. Fort Worth
5. Three Jewels
6. Color Wheel
7. Linus and the Lyre
8. Other Saints

Recorded by Chris Allen at Sear Sound in New York, New York, USA on November 13th-14th, 2023, this organically cultured new recording opens on the languishing beauty of Slingshot (a tribute to John Coltrane) and then we get the decadent Beautiful Day (which itself alludes to “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood”), a sumptuous, Western-hued El Cid (named for the medieval Castilian ruler Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar - subject of the 1961 epic film El Cid starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren) and the upbeat and joyful Fort Worth.

Along next is the all-embracing Three Jewels and that is in turn backed by the elegant balladry of Color Wheel (for Bill Evans), the music rounding out on the harmonically layered Linus and the Lyre (which references the Greek Heracles legend, in particular a scene right out of Tarantino where young Heracles slays the great music teacher Linus using a lyre as a weapon), coming to an all-too-soon close on the furtively sculpted, yet gloriously emboldened Other Saints (which evokes not only Ellis’s former NOLA stomping ground but the Caribbean as a whole).

For those not in the know, Judy Whitmore, a true modern-day Renaissance woman, heeds the call of the stage, the sky, and beyond. Her life as a vocal artist and writer has taken off, and the sky is the limit.

The best-selling author, vocalist, theater producer and pilot, who also holds a Master’s Degree in clinical psychology, approaches all her endeavors with style and spirit. “When you walk alone to the center of the stage, it’s similar to flying,” she observes. “It’s exciting and it’s terrifying at the same time. You step up to the microphone, glance at your musical director, and it’s like hearing the guy in the control tower say ‘cleared for take-off,’ and somehow, you just soar.”

Judy was born in New York City and raised in Studio City, California. Her parents’ passion for the symphony and musical theater fueled her desire for a career in music.

And so Judy Whitmore, one of the finest interpreters and purveyors of songs from the Great American Songbook on the scene today, now brings forth her newest album, Let’s Fall in Love (due out April 25th, 2025), where she has once again teamed up with maestro Chris Walden, who arranged and produced gorgeous compilation of sings that harken back to the golden age of big band music, but updated with a contemporary sensibility.

1. I’ll Take Romance
2. All of You
3. A Time for Love
4. Taking A Chance On Love
5. How Long Has This Been Going On
6. Let’s Fall In Love
7. The Very Thought of You
8. It’s Alright with Me
9. Crazy He Calls Me
10. More Than You Know
11. I’ve Got A Crush On You
12. How Deep Is The Ocean

Whitmore’s fifth studio album opens on the sweeping I’ll Take Romance and a resplendent new take on the Cole Porter original All of You and then we get an aching yearn that threads throughout the emotive Johnny Mandel track A Time for Love, the stunning 1940’s Broadway song Taking A Chance On Love, an emboldened duet with Ty Taylor (Vintage Trouble) on the always-stunning How Long Has This Been Going On, and a radiant warmth that resides within the titular Let’s Fall In Love.

Named after the legendary Judy Garland (a friend of her grandfather, who played violin in the MGM Studio Orchestra), Whitmore next brings us the sensually-enigmatic The Very Thought of You and Porter’s melodious It’s Alright with Me which are in turn backed by the all-embracing Crazy He Calls Me, the pleasantly smooth More Than You Know, the set rounding out on her lovely rendition of the George Gershwin-composed I’ve Got A Crush On You, closing on the romantic Irving Berlin track How Deep Is The Ocean.

Official Apple Music Purchase Link

www.judywhitmore.com

On Faces & Places, the new release from saxophonist composer, Jed Levy, he takes the listener on a journey through the many perspectives and genres of music that have informed his vision of today’s modern jazz.

Along the way he tells stories and paints musical pictures of both people and places that have inspired him. All done in his own personal vocabulary formed by a diverse career in music which has included intersecting with people like the great pianist Jaki Byard, organists Jack McDuff and Don Patterson, Jam Band Funk with drummer Mike Clark and Charlie Hunter, Afro Cuban music with Chico O’Farrill, Swing with the Cab Calloway Orchestra and performances with The Temptations/The Four Tops.

Joining him on this new release are his stellar NYC working band featuring Grammy Winner LUIS PERDOMO on piano (Tom Harrell, Ravi Coltrane, Miguel Zenon), ALVESTER GARNETT on drums (Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter, Regina Carter) and PETER SLAVOV on bass (Joe Lovano ,Quincy Jones, Paul Winter).

1. EMAIL (7:26)
2. Danza de Berrios (6:00)
3. Calcata (8:17)
4. Twiddle Twaddle (6:23)
5. Coming To Terms (7:38)
6. St. Simons (5:43)
7. Personable (8:14)
8. Tenerife (6:27)
9. Leading Tone (7:12)
10. Haiku (7:03)
11. Partido Tenor (6:42)
12. Postscript (1:55)

This most wondrously engrossing, thoroughly impassioned new recording opens on the resplendent EMAIL and then brings us the joyously playful Danza de Berrios, the languishing Calcata, the gently rousing, drum-fed Twiddle Twaddle and both the late night, smokey club appeal of Coming To Terms and the foot-tapping, finger-snapping hot-to-trot appeal of St. Simons.

Along next is the fervently sculpted Personable and the decadent Tenerife and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the organically rhythmic Leading Tone, a simmering beauty found within the ornate Haiku, the music rounding out on the delightfully breezy Partido Tenor, closing on the heartfelt Postscript.

As a bandleader he has toured Asia, South America and Europe playing concerts and festivals in places as diverse as Port au Prince, Haiti to Kharkiv, Ukraine. Levy has 10 previous CD’s on the SteepleChase and Reservoir Labels as well as over 40 appearances on recordings as a sideman.

His compositional talents, which are prominently featured on this CD, have led to artists like The Headhunters, Don Friedman, Ron McClure, Eddie Henderson, Peter Leitch, Jack Walrath and Mike Clark recording his music.

Official Purchase Link

During Covid�fs isolation, drummer/composer Phil Haynes began dreaming of projects that might inspire a sixth artful decade. Engineer Jon Rosenberg urged that he �gDo the Art Blakey and Anthony Braxton thing�h, hiring young up and coming performers.

While such an infusion of youthfulness seemed obvious, such a change wasn�ft instantaneous to actualize - though he had begun worked with the stirring 28-year-old tenor titan, Peyton Pleninger (so stay tuned for that!)

Since he depends upon initial artistic chemistry appraisals to guide choices for collaboration, residing in �ecentrally isolated�f Pennsylvania over the past 20 years had created challenges. As now, personally meeting and playing with the next generation of artists is far more cumbersome than when living at his ole Brooklyn Corner Store (a 80�fs-90�fs clearing house for like-minded artists who were also Chasing The Masters).

Hence, while it�fs taken longer than anticipated to identify a group of refreshing new creatives to grow with, it did occur to him that there were several cats from my NYC era with whom he shared mutual magic yet had not recorded.

Ben Monder was at the very top of that short list.

As it happened, in addition to numerous jams with others back in the day, Ben and Phil would gather every few weeks to months, over a couple of years, just to play duets. Blowing our minds and souls out over Coltrane�fs Transition became a ritual, hence why their brand new collaboration is uniquely titled Transition[s] (and is due out April 25th, 2025).

1. Ben I
2. Untitled
3. Brief Piece
4. Untitled Ones
5. Transition
6. Ben II
7. Phil III
8. Openings
9. Beyond
10. ’Too Easily
11. Phil II
12. Ben III
13. Epilogue

This dutifully appealing, heartfelt and organically driven new recording opens on the ominously ethereal Ben I and then brings us the scratchy ambiance of Untitled, the hurried, yet cultured appeal of Brief Place, the evoking Untitled Ones, the propellant Transition and then we get brought forth the portentous Ben II.

Along next is the more upbeat and playful Phil III and that is in turn backed by the veritably crystalline sounds that come together for Openings, the robustly sculpted Beyond, the languishing ’Too Easily, the set rounding out on the short, but stylized Phil II, the empowered Ben III, closing on the stirringly rhythmic Epilogue.

Musicians:
Ben Monder, guitar
Phil Haynes, drums

Official Purchase Link

www.philhaynes.com

During his formative years of listening while ‘practice performing’ to records and radio in the 60’s and 70’s, as well as throughout college in the early ‘80’s, drummer/composer Phil Haynes marinated in the iconic electric guitar sounds of B.B King, Jimi Hendrix, the British Invasion, Broadway’s Rock Operas, and eventually jazz greats from Wes to Jim Hall, John Abercrombie, John McLaughlin and beyond.

In fact, before he met trumpet innovator Paul Smoker, guitarist Stephen Blackman (Portland, Oregon) took him under his wing as he attended high school. 7 years my senior, Blackman frequently hired more experienced cats to join them for small group jazz gigs and even musical theater work.

He introduced the local used record mecca (Django’s), PDX’s musical nightlife, multiple cheap yet yummy restaurants, regional museums, etc., etc., and all of this to a soundtrack of Miles, ‘Trane, Mahavishnu, DeJohnette . . . whatever cats he hadn’t heard. One electrifying education!

While enduring Covid, he unexpectedly inked Chasing The Masters, with dreams of “what’s next” now beginning to swirl: just what did he itch for that wasn’t already published? A Return to Electric project (out April 28th, 2025) soon dawned: pairing early fusion jazz classics with a handful of his own; actualized by a power trio that showcased inspiring chemistry; sensitive through roaring dynamics; a blues to Bartok hipness; naughty experimental rock + jazz lineages, with all of this presented via both a gritty and beautiful abstract modernism.

1. Crystal Silence
2. Spectrum
3. Living Time
4. Spell
5. Cadenza (Haynes)
6. Paul / Christian
7. Cycle
8. Eclipse
9. Cadenza (Salerno)
10. Lotus on Irish Springs
11. Some Sick Slick
12. Cadenza (Gress)
13. Paraphernalia

This magnificently cultured, wholly authentic new recording opens on the low ebbed Crystal Silence and the frenetically charged Spectrum and then we get the drum led funk of Living Time, the gentle funk-soul skip bounce of Spell, the smoothly grooved Cadenza (Haynes), and then comes the absorbant, ambiently-hued Paul / Christian brought forth.

Along next is the more resplendent musical affair of Cycle and the playfully decadent Eclipse and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the playfully jaunty, .34 second piece Cadenza (Salerno), the sumptuous late night vibe of Lotus on Irish Springs, the upbeat Some Sick Slick, the set rounding out on the esoteric Cadenza (Gress), coming to a close on the 70’s-imbined, funktastic bluesy-jazz vibe of the brilliant Paraphernalia.

Musicians:
Steve Salerno, guitar
Drew Gress, bass
Phil Haynes, drums

Official Purchase Link

www.philhaynes.com

www.drewgress.com

For those unaware, Dion Kerr is a forward-thinking multi-dimensional artist (multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger, songwriter, photographer, and videographer) born and raised in South Florida.

Kerr’s work reflects a broad range of influences and mediums. He has toured and recorded worldwide as a leader and a sideman to various groups spanning multiple genres.

Kerr displays his unwavering talent as not only a producer and multi-instrumentalist but a conceptual artist. Utilizing acoustic and electric elements, he blends a wide range of influences and styles into a cohesive sound that expands the limitations of genre-bound music.

There are hints from all of Dion’s eclectic taste found in his records’ melodic groove-based instrumentals. Experimentation is essential in Dion’s process and is always represented in vivid fluidity.

His new record eko vizion meusik showcases his expansive musical knowledge and arranging abilities featuring himself on bass, vocals, recording, production, and mixing.

1. ocean’s skin (2:37)
2. rain, feel, wandering (4:28)
3. l.u.v.wu (4:35)
4. pulse between two palms (2:40)
5. holding light (4:18)
6. nowayofseeing (2:03)
7. howling moon, closer wind (3:21)
8. 84forever (4:44)
9. sun shines through, brilliantly (4:53)
10. digital sand (2:38)
11. tcelfer (3:43)

This affluently expressive, wholly impassioned new recording opens on the cinematically shimmering ocean’s skin and then we get brought forth the glistening rhythms and beats of rain, feel, wandering, the crashing melodiousness of l.u.v.wu and an atmospherically charged pulse between two palms and the funky, fervently pulsating holding light.

Along next is a smoothly jaunty combination that drives nowayofseeing which is in turn backed seamlessly by the soaring masterpiece howling moon, closer wind, the frenetically-paced 84forever, a languishing beauty found within sun shines through, brilliantly, the set rounding out on the grooved layers of digital sand, closing on the ethereally absorbent tcelfer.

Official Purchase Link

www.dionkerr.xyz

For those unaware, Mattie Schell is at the forefront of the newest crop of young artists redefining Americana music. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, she deftly blends the heartfelt honesty of American roots with the raw power of soul, creating a sound that has roots in tradition but is proudly and uniquely her own.

Her debut solo release Everything Means Nothing (out April 25th, 2025) was produced by JD Simo at his studio and mixed at Nashville’s historic Compass Sound Studio (aka “Hillbilly Central”) and Schell has already given her fans a sneak peak of the new record with the Delta soul-infused single “Coast to Coast” [born from the challenges of life on the road and alienation that comes from being away from your loved ones.

1. Rivertown Trip
2. Hard Times
3. Come Back To Me
4. Thank You
5. Anniversary
6. Coast To Coast
7. Is The Party Really Over?
8. Everything Means Nothing
9. And So It Goes

With Mattie taking care of the vocals, electric guitar, mandolin and acoustic guitar, we first get brought forth some soulful grooves that drive Rivertown Trip (about a visit to the historic Mississippi River town Alton, IL) which is followed by some low slung guitarmanship on Hard Times, the bluesy folk harmonies of Come Back To Me (which tells the story of antebellum mansion in Alton that served as a stop on the Underground Railroad) and the organ-imbibed alt-rock of Thank You.

Along next is a gentle twang that drives Anniversary and then we get the rhythmically pleasing, rousingly appealing sing-along Coast To Coast which is in turn backed seamlessly by the beautiful balladry of Is The Party Really Over?, the music rounding out on the titular emotively engaging love song Everything Means Nothing, closing on the emotively sculpted, harmonica-driven And So It Goes.

Official Purchase Link

For those unaware, Away is a special project that features Peter Perfido and jazz singer Kris Adams paying tribute to the music of the late guitarist-composer Michael O’Neil.

Michael O’Neil, a talented guitarist and composer, passed away in 2016. Drummer Perfido, who was a musical associate of O’Neil’s for 30 years, rightfully felt that his unique music deserved to be remembered, so he organized the tribute album Away.

For this worthy project, he is joined by singer Kris Adams, pianist Bob Degen, and bassist André Buser.

They perform nine of O’Neill’s little-known but rewarding originals in a quartet along with four other songs, including two Paul Motian compositions.

1. Play
2. Here
3. Die Sehnsucht
4. Asia
5. FM
6. Anthem
7. I Remember Albert
8. No Ordinary Girl
9. Blessing
10. Etude
11. Away
12. Free One
13. Summer Vacation

This incredibly dulcet, mesmerizingly articulate new recording opens on the elegance of Play and the veritably shimmering Here and then we get the sumptuous Die Sehnsucht, the delicate Asia, the dulcet FM and then the gently playful Anthem is lovingly brought forth.

Along next is the flirtatiously organic I Remember Albert and the all-encompassing No Ordinary Girl and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the low slung balladry of Blessing, the mesmerizingly acute Etude and the free flowing title track Away, the set closing on both the almost ethereal nature of Free One and the pleasing Summer Vacation.

Official Amazon Digital Purchase Link

www.krisadams.com

For those unaware, the creative jazz singer-lyricist Melissa Kassel is showcased on the brand new album Moments, a set of ten of her memorable originals.

Melissa Kassel has received accolades from audiences and critics alike for her unique vocal range and style. While her debut album “Live at the Acton Jazz Café” showcased several original tunes accompanied by renditions of well known jazz standards, Moments features all original works composed by Tom Zicarelli with lyrics by Melissa.

Both Tom and Melissa have enjoyed a successful musical relationship that dates back to the1980’s. They built notoriety playing at a variety of venues in the Boston area – but not only with audiences - their music attracted many of the best musicians in Boston who regularly perform with them.

The Melissa Kassel &Tom Zicarelli Group encompasses years of collaboration with Phil Grenadier (trumpet – Freddy Hubbard, Ella Fitzgerald), Gary Fieldman (drums), and Bruce Gertz (Bass – Joe Lovano, John Scofield) to produce this new sampling of original compositions.

Their instinctive musicality conveys synergy that is expressive, compelling, and a feast for the ears.

1. Lullabye (4:48)
2. Dancing (7:02)
3. Adrift (5:04)
4. Sea Humanity (3:49)
5. Spring Forth Joy (5:09)
6. Glow of Your Love (6:22)
7. Breath (5:15)
8. Twilight (4:42)
9. Morning Breeze (3:45)
10. Moments (1:38)

This dutifully cultured and wholly enrapturing new recording opens on the veritably shimmering Lullabye and then we get the buoyantly melodic Dancing, the languishing beauty of Adrift, the rhythmically-charged, jaunty yet pleasing Sea Humanity and then we get brought forth the foot-tapping delights of Spring Forth Joy.

Along next is the softly sultry, moody ballad Glow of Your Love which is in turn backed seamlessly by the upbeat and emboldened Breath, the upright bass-led magnificence of the smoothly sculpted Twilight, the music rounding out on the soulful Morning Breeze, closing on the low slung, all-embracing title track Moments.

Official Purchase Link

www.melissakassel.com

For those unaware, originally from Council Bluffs, IA, and now based in Cincinnati, OH, Ben Tweedt presents a deeply personal yet universally resonant project-an exploration of life’s recurring themes, told through his signature blend of intricate composition and intuitive improvisation.

The album’s title carries dual significance, Tweedt explains. It reflects both my own place within the great life cycle and the broader idea that everything-relationships, politics, nature-moves in cycles. Even my compositions mirror this, built around circular and swirling forms rather than linear structures.

Tweedt’s music is as eclectic as his influences, which range from jazz greats like Hermeto Pascoal, Ahmad Jamal, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea to global folk traditions and classical music.

The result is a sound that blends singable melodies, intricate rhythms, and vibrant harmonies, creating an immersive and flowing musical experience.

1. Back to School
2. Flow Out
3. Iowão
4. Otherscape
5. Chasing Ghosts
6. Warrior Poet
7. Elegy
8. Apex
9. Lullaby

This masterfully crafted, thoroughly impassioned new recording opens on the sumptuously sculpted Back to School and then we get the serenely emotive Flow Out, the fervently-hued Iowão and the dulcetly stoic Otherscape.

Along next are the grooved delights within Chasing Ghosts which is in turn backed seamlessly by the quietly emboldened Warrior Poet, the beautifully tranquil Elegy, the set rounding out on the robust Apex, closing all too soon on the late night gossamer elegance of Lullaby.

www.bentweedtmusic.com

Through a recently announced partnership with Strata-East Records, Mack Avenue Music Group is set to launch it’s audiophile quality reissues April 12th, 2025 with Pharoah Sanders’ Izipho Zam (My Gifts) as a Record Store Day exclusive 180-gram vinyl release.

Pressed at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) on 180-gram vinyl and mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio with audio cut directly from the original analog tapes, the vinyl edition comes in high-quality, glossy tip-on gatefold jackets.

It also includes new liner notes by Harmony Holiday and never-before-seen photos, making this release a must-have for jazz enthusiasts and collectors alike. This release furthers the legacy of Strata-East’s artistic freedom and high production standards that were established in 1970 by founders Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell.

Izipho Zam (My Gifts) is a groundbreaking jazz masterpiece. Recorded in 1969, two years after John Coltrane’s passing, and released in 1973 on Strata-East, the album features a 13-member ensemble, including Sonny Sharrock, Lonnie Liston Smith, Cecil McBee, and Leon Thomas.

Blending Eastern influences with expansive jazz, Sanders’ genius is highlighted with Prince of Peace, showcasing Thomas’ unique vocals, and the 28-minute title track, offering an exploration of dissonance and harmony with West African percussion and meditative chants.

For the first time ever, this seminal work from a legendary saxophonist will be available on CD and digital platforms.

1. Prince of Peace [8:44]
2. Balance [12:15]
3. Izipho Zam (My Gifts) [28:50]

This masterfully sculpted, thoroughly impassioned recording opens on the Holiday-imbibed bells and swishes, Eastern-hued yodel, croon, and wail brilliance of the renowned Prince of Peace and then featuring guests that include Sonny Sharrock, Lonnie Liston Smith, Chief Bey, Cecil McBee, Sirone, Sonny Fortune, Billy Hart, Howard Johnson, and others, brings us the magnificent African drums, modal horns, emboldened tuba that come together along with an on point rhythm section for Balance, the set closing on the near 30 minute opus, and wholesomely rhythmic ride that is the title track Izipho Zam (My Gifts).

On April 25th, 2025, Strata-East will release vinyl and CD reissues of Charlie Rouse’s Two Is One, Charles Tolliver’s Music Inc.’s Live at Slugs’, Vol. I & II, and Stanley Cowell’s Musa: Ancestral Streams, also pressed at RTI on 180-gram vinyl and mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio with audio transferred directly from the original analog tapes.

Pharoah Sanders’ Izipho Zam (My Gifts) will also be released on CD at this time and all 4 albums will be available digitally for the first time ever.

Charlie Rouse’s groundbreaking album Two Is One is a funk-infused exploration of jazz that embodies the innovative spirit of Strata-East Records.

Originally recorded in 1974 and transferred from the original analog tapes, Two Is One fuses sophisticated soul jazz with post-bop and spiritual influences while highlighting stellar collaborations with guitarists George Davis and Paul Metzke, Cal Scott on electrified cello, and the incomparable Stanley Clarke on electric bass.

For the first time ever, this classic from a saxophone legend will be available on CD and digital platforms, as well as on 180-gram vinyl. Pressed at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) and mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, the vinyl edition comes in high-quality, glossy tip-on gatefold jackets.

It also includes new liner notes by Syd Schwartz and never-before-seen photos, making this release a must-have for jazz enthusiasts and collectors alike.

1. Bitchin’
2. Hopscotch
3. In a Funky Way
4. Two Is One
5. In His Presence Searching

In truth, and not ever having heard this album before, I was kinda expecting a heavy funky jazz break-beat album, but there was much more to it, and it turned out to be way much more of a delight to behold that I was ever anticipating.

Side one is definitely the funk jazz side, which I really got into when doing stuff around the house to it, but it’s when you flip it over the real magic of what you’re listening to starts to kick in.

The real high point on here for me is the titular Two Is One though, a 12 plus minute epic which is actually two very separate pieces but put together make for one heck of a musical experience. The whole tune is powered by Stanley Clarke’s solid driving bass, and in the first half there is also some wild cello work from Calo Scott - which is, to my mind, pretty unusual for a jazz track.

The whole thing just keeps coming at you like an out of control truck. Real deer in headlights stuff here. The final track In His Presence Searching starts of somewhat weirdly, sort of feeling like it was akin to a haunting, definitely not in a soothing mellow way, but soon settles into what it was always meant to be.

Oh, and the cello moments on here really do add some major spookiness to the whole piece, which makes it a stand out cut for me personally. So, yeah, side two of this album is the better of the two for me, especially given that the tracks are broken up into very different styles, kind of like they were suites or some such, but overall the album is something magnificent to behold from start to finish.

For the first time ever, Charles Tolliver’s Live at Slugs’, Volumes I & II will be released together in one set, presenting the full power of these historic performances in a unified collection. Recorded live in 1970 at the legendary Slugs’ in New York City, the albums feature Tolliver’s fiery trumpet alongside an all-star lineup: Strata-East co-founder Stanley Cowell on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Jimmy Hopps on drums.

These high-energy recordings capture the raw intensity and innovation of the Music Inc. quartet, showcasing their technical brilliance and cohesive interplay.

Remastered in stunning detail, this release unites two of the most celebrated live albums in jazz history for the first time on CD and digital platforms, as well as on 180-gram vinyl.

Pressed at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) and mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio with audio transferred directly from the original analog tapes, the vinyl edition comes in high-quality, glossy tip-on gatefold jackets.

It also includes new liner notes by Marcus J. Moore and never-before-seen photos, making this release a must-have for jazz enthusiasts and collectors alike.

1. Drought (Live) [9:04]
2. Felicite (Live) [8:26]
3. Orientale (Live) [17:32]
4. Spanning (Live) [8:30]
5. Wilpan’s (Live) [10:37]
6. Our Second Father (Live) [13:26]

My goodness, what an incredibly smooth, wholly impassioned and remarkable, expertly sculpted set of live recordings these songs come together to be.

Opening on some tempo-licious grooves that propel Drought we are then presented with the ornately scripted, smoothly cajoled musical wonderment of Felicite which is itself backed seamlessly by the rhythmically propellent Orientale, then we slide into the second volume (which itself features more of the incredibly rich and detailed colors of Cowell’s keyboard backdrops and the energy and drive of Hopps and McBee pushing the band) with the melodious masterpiece Spanning, the driven Wilpan’s, the set coming to a close on the probing, yet uplifting, and complete with an exciting Stanley Cowell solo, Our Second Father.

Musicians:
Charles Tolliver: Trumpet
Stanley Cowell: Piano
Cecil McBee: Bass
Jimmy Hopps: Drums

Featuring stunning solo piano work by Strata-East co-founder Stanley Cowell, Musa: Ancestral Streams is a landmark album in jazz, celebrated for its intimacy and innovation.

Recorded in 1974, it stands as one of the most significant solo piano albums of its time, blending jazz with classical, African, and Eastern influences. Cowell’s pioneering use of both electric and acoustic piano expands the expressive range of the instrument, creating a deeply personal and spiritual experience.

Musa: Ancestral Streams is a cornerstone of the Strata-East discography, reflecting the label’s commitment to artistic freedom and genre-defining works. It not only highlights Cowell’s extraordinary vision as a musician but also exemplifies Strata-East’s role in championing boundary-pushing, artist-produced records.

For the first time ever, this pioneering solo work from the famed pianist will be available on CD and digital platforms, as well as on 180-gram vinyl. Pressed at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) and mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio with audio transferred directly from the original analog tapes, the vinyl edition comes in high-quality, glossy tip-on gatefold jackets.

It also includes new liner notes by Nate Chinen and never-before-seen photos, making this release a must-have for jazz enthusiasts and collectors alike.

1. Abscretions
2. Equipoise
3. Prayer for Peace
4. Emil Danenberg
5. Maimoun
6. Travelin’ Man
7. Departure No. 1
8. Departure No. 2
9. Sweet Song

Recorded and mixed on December 10th & 11th, 1973 at Minot Studios, White Plains, New York, this simply magnificent jazz album opens on the exceptional, free flowing piano work exhibited from the off within the sumptuous Abscretions and then we get the quieter, more thoughtful work Equipoise, the distinctively grand Prayer for Peace and then the ornately shimmering, at times purposely faltering Emil Danenberg is brought forth.

Along next is an emboldened poignancy within Maimoun which is itself followed seamlessly by the smoothly funk-imbibed stillness that lushly exudes through the musical pores of Travelin’ Man, the spirited pairing of both Departure No. 1 and the fleetingly skittish Departure No. 2, the set closing on the resounding confidence of the gushing Sweet Song.

For the very first time on vinyl! Round 13, by 1970s Platinum-selling Swiss hard rock/metal band Krokus is out via Sireena Records and in stores everywhere!

1970s Platinum-selling Swiss hard rock/metal band Krokus successfully broke the US market in the 80’s and forged a path through the live sector there and on continental Europe that has continued one way or another to this day.

In 1999, the band was back in the studio for 13th album, the appropriately-titled Round 13. Welsh vocalist Carl Sentance (ex-Persian Risk, Geezer Butler Band) joined co-founder Fernando von Arb (guitars, keyboards), Chris Lauper (guitars), ex-Killer’s Many Maurer (bass) for Round 13, with ex-Calhoun Conquer drummer Peter Haas returning.

Fernando von Arb recalls: I had wanted to revive the old Krokus but the band had all had babies and wanted to stay at home! So we stopped for a few years and then I went to the UK and found Carl: such a pro, a pleasure to work with. It’s a good album though on reflection I would have chosen a bigger studio: it was tiny!

Krokus sold over 15 million records, toured the world, and received gold and platinum record awards in the USA and Canada. In its 50th year, the band continues to perform live.

Side A:
1. Heya (4:15)
2. Money Back (4:30)
3. Break Free (3:51)
4. Guitar Rules (2:58)
5. Blood Comes Easy (4:49)

Putting the vinyl LP on the record player, dropping the needle, Side A of this brilliantly metallically-rocking-fire album opens on the rhythmically chanted rocker Heya and then we get brought forth the melodious AOR-rock of Money Back, the early AC/DC-esque Break Free, the Zepplin-esque Guitar Rules, the side rounding out on the hardhitting Blood Comes Easy.

Side B:
6. Suck My Guitar (3:54)
7. Gipsy Love (4:43)
8. Witchhunt (3:58)
9. Backstabber (4:14)
10. Wild Times (3:16)

Flipping the record over, along next is the rhythmic rocker Suck My Guitar which is itself backed by the powerful Gipsy Love, the foot-thumper, head banger Witchhunt, the album coming to a close on the foot to the floor, soulfully-grooved metal of Backstabber and the AOR-Pop-Rock of Wild Times.

Official Purchase Link

www.krokusonline.com

The heyday of jazz in New York City may have been the 1950’s, ’60s and the ‘70s, yet that timeless candle is alive and well on Let Your Heart Lead The Way, the 2025 album by storied jazz singer and Bronx native Marilyn Kleinberg.

Released on the Waking Up Music imprint, the 11-track, 42-minute album has a renewed feel, thanks in no small part to the memorable jazz classics featured here.

The album took shape early on when Chromatic Harmonica player Will Galison caught Ms. Kleinberg performing at a Brooklyn jazz venue where she was performing with John DiMartino (piano) and Noriko Ueda (bass).

With Galison offering to produce a new album for the singer, the music took shape with Will and drumming Victor Lewis joining the date. The album’s quintet jazz sound is quite effective and the chromatic harmonica gives the sound a jazzy sound view.

Musically, aside from well-known standards, like Burt Bacharach’s “Alfie” and the album closing “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” by Rogers & Hart, the song selection makes for a jazz enthusiast’s dream come true.

Standards by Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, Stevie Wonder, Arthur Schwartz, Frank Loesser and others gives the album an inspirational feel. Arlen’s classic from The Wizard Of Oz, “If I Only Had A Brain” adds in a rarely heard introductory verse not featured in the movie. Featuring first class playing all around, a wide selection of music, including some seldom heard jazz classics all wrapped around the artist’s classy vocals makes Let Your Heart Lead The Way a tasteful introduction celebrated NYC jazz vocalist Marilyn Kleinberg.

1. Invitation (4:39)
2. Alfie (5:29)
3. I Didn’t Know About You (4:25)
4. Then I’ll Be Tired of You (5:02)
5. I Just Found Out About Love (3:15)
6. Never Let Me Go (4:58)
7. Visions (5:04)
8. Say It (5:03)
9. If I Only Had A Brain (4:31)
10. You Won’t Forget Me (4:46)
11. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (5:56)

This dutifully impassioned new recording opens on the shimmering Invitation and then an aching yearn threads throughout Alfie, before we are brought forth the low slung I Didn’t Know About You, the all-embracing Then I’ll Be Tired of You and the gentle finger-snapper I Just Found Out About Love.

Along next is a languishing beauty that flows within Never Let Me Go and the longing of Visions, and they are in turn backed by the warming glow of Say It, the emotive If I Only Had A Brain, the set rounding out on a veritably glistening You Won’t Forget Me, closing on the gently rambunctious fare of I Didn’t Know What Time It Was.

Musicians:
Marilyn Kleinberg on vocals
Will Galison, chromatic harmonica
John DiMartino, piano, arrangement
Noriko Ueda, bass
Victor Lewis, drums

Official Purchase Link

For those not in the know, in 1946, the WDR Big Band got its start in Cologne, Germany — originally as a post-war radio orchestra. Same year, a little closer to the Appalachian Mountains, Bill Monroe was tightening up his band lineup to create what many now call the first true bluegrass group.

With Earl Scruggs joining on banjo and Lester Flatt on guitar, Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys played a brand of string band music so driving and so distinct, it gave an entire genre its name.

Nearly 80 years later, listening to the WDR Big Band — known for its razor-sharp swing and globe-spanning jazz projects — is like digging into the true origins of bluegrass.

Their brand new album is aptly entitled Bluegrass (out now via MCG Jazz) and is an extraordinary concert project by the WDR Big Band, bringing together two musical genres which, despite their many similarities, have so far led an isolated existence: bluegrass and large orchestral jazz.

1. Slip and Slide
2. Elzic’s Farewell/Yew Piney Mountain
3. Down in the Willow Garden
4. Green Lawn
5. Emy in the Woods
6. Replace It All
7. In the Lion’s Den
8. Dexter
9. Borealis

Anyone familiar with the bluegrass folk style, which originated in Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1930s and early 1940s will love this recording, one that opens on the vivacious Slip and Slide and then we get the funkily grooved, latterly frenetically charged, fiddletastic Elzic’s Farewell/Yew Piney Mountain, an aching yearn that threads through Down in the Willow Garden and the all-embracing Green Lawn.

Along next is the jauntily perfect Emy in the Woods which is itself backed by the rhythmically soulful Replace It All, the upbeat and pleasing In the Lion’s Den, the set rounding out on the spirited fiddle-off within Dexter, closing on the sumptuously crafted Borealis.

Official Amazon Purchase Link

For those not in the know, BraveWords Records is excited to release the new Jack Starr solo album, Out of the Darkness Part II.

The album is a sequel to Jack’s classic 1984 release Out Of The Darkness. Jack, a guitar hero known from bands such as Burning Starr, Guardians Of The Flame, Virgin Steele, Devil Childe, Phantom Lord, Strider and other bands, Jack talks about the new album:

This is the album I always hoped I would make, one that would be filled with power and glory but also melodic and passionate at the same time. This is the sequel to my classic 1984 album Out of the Darkness, and it truly is a worthy successor that I believe will be embraced with the same affection that greeted the original.

So yes, Out of the Darkness Part II is here, and I urge everyone to listen to it. Keep the metal burning.

1. Hand of Doom
2. Endless Night
3. Into the Pit
4. Rise Up
5. Underneath the Velvet Sky
6. Tonight we Ride
7. The Night has a Thousand Eyes
8. Sahara Winds
9. The Greater Good
10. Soulkeeper
11. Savage at the Gate (Bonus Track)
12. The Lesson (Bonus Track)

This vibrantly rocking new recording, opens on the thunderous Hand of Doom and the rhythmic rocker Endless Night and then we get the metalhead cut Into the Pit, the anthemic Rise Up, the power balladry of Underneath the Velvet Sky, and then comes the propellent Tonight we Ride.

Along next is the melodicous, drum-fed The Night has a Thousand Eyes and the atmospherically-charged Sahara Winds and they are in turn followed by the pop-rocker The Greater Good, the impassioned Soulkeeper, the album now closing out on two bonus tracks: the AOR of Savage at the Gate and the fervent drum play and synth-driven rocker The Lesson.

Official Amazon Purchase Link

For those not in the know, with the Belly Up Tavern newly outfitted for pristine audio and video capturing, Sánchez saw the opportunity for a new milestone project and handpicked material that balances fresh takes on both Latin jazz standard and deep cuts and familiar repertoire in Sánchez’s catalog.

Since the inception of ensembles under his own name beginning in 1980, Sánchez has operated by having his band members bring new songs or arrangements to the table and collectively fine tuning them until they get his stamp of approval. Preparing for the live recording was no different and was approached like any other recording project.

On choosing to record a record near San Diego at the Belly Up Tavern, Sánchez remarks on the geography serving as a central hub between their Southern California audience and fans in Tijuana, Mexico who have the opportunity to drive up for San Diego shows. Historically, Sánchez and his band have performed at top festivals and venues across the city.

Once the Belly Up Tavern enhanced their live recording capabilities, it felt like a natural fit to record a live album there. “When they upgraded for live recordings, it was the perfect opportunity. This club feels like home.”

1. À Bientôt
2. Poncho’s Beat
3. Sabor, Sabor
4. Llegué
5. Night Dream
6. Aunque Tu
7. Poncho in the One Ways
8. Boogaloo Joe
9. Batin Cha Cha
10. Guachi Guara (Soul Sauce)

On his 31st recording, legendary Latin jazz percussionist Sánchez opens it up on the smooth hipsway of the Freddie Hubbard original À Bientôt and the rambunctiously infectious Poncho’s Beat (based on “Monguito’s Theme,” a song by the son of one of his heroes and mentors, Mongo Santamaria) and then we get the low slung grooves of Sabor, Sabor (from the 1968 album Fania All Stars record Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 1), the spirited Llegué (Joe Cuba Sextet) and the soulfully fun Night Dream (original Afro-Cuban song in 6/8 by Ron Blake).

Along next is the languishing beauty of the sung Aunque Tu and that is in turn backed seamlessly by the fervently sculpted Poncho in the One Ways (a medley of three of Sánchez’s originals), the funky Boogaloo Joe (named after guitarist Ivan Joseph Jones), the set rounding out on the hot salsa beats that drive Batin Cha Cha, closing on the impassioned Guachi Guara (Soul Sauce).

www.ponchosanchez.com

For those not in the know, two years after her acclaimed complete Mozart Sonatas, Korean pianist Yeol Eum Son immerses herself, alongside the musicians of the Hague Residence Orchestra and their musical director Anja Bihlmaier, in Ravel’s two equally dark Concertos.

This intimate, personal vision is complemented by four pieces by J. S. Bach, played in very rare arrangements by Paul Wittgenstein, the famous commissioner of the Concerto for the Left Hand.

Poetic elegance, an innate feeling for expressive nuance and the power to project bold, dramatic contrasts are among the arresting attributes of Yeol Eum Son’s pianism. Her refined artistry rises from breathtaking technical control and a profound empathy for the emotional temper of the works within her strikingly wide repertoire.

She is driven above all by her natural curiosity to explore a multitude of musical genres and styles and the desire to reveal what she describes as the “pure essence” of everything she performs.

Yeol Eum refuses to impose limits on her artistic freedom and remains determined to explore new artistic territory. Her choice of repertoire, which spans everything from the works of Bach and Mozart to those of Shchedrin and Kapustin, is guided chiefly by the quality and depth of the music.

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Concerto in G Major, M. 83
1. Allegramente
2. Adagio assai
3. Presto
4. Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, M. 82

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
5. Das wohltemperierte Klavier I, Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 846: Prelude
6. Prelude in C Minor, BWV 999
7. Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: VII. Gigue
8. Sonata for Flute and Harpsichord in E-Flat Major, BWV 1031: II. Siciliano

This creatively sculpted, wholly impassioned new rendition opens on Ravel’s three-piece Concerto in G Major, M. 83, and the resounding, nay scurrying Allegramente, then we get the dulcet Adagio assai which is backed by the flourishingly expedient Presto, before we are gifted an aching yearn that melodiously breathes throughout the 18 minute Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, M. 82.

This is itself followed by Bach’s ornamentally beautiful Das wohltemperierte Klavier I, Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 846: Prelude, then comes the flirtatiously structured Prelude in C Minor, BWV 999, the free-flowing majesties of Partita No. 1 in B-Flat Major, BWV 825: VII. Gigue, the set closing on the sumptuously resonant Sonata for Flute and Harpsichord in E-Flat Major, BWV 1031: II. Siciliano.

www.yeoleumson.com

For those not in the know, The English Suites, BWV 806–811, are a set of six suites written by the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach for harpsichord (or clavichord) and generally thought to be the earliest of his 19 suites for keyboard (discounting several less well-known earlier suites), the others being the six French Suites (BWV 812–817), the six Partitas (BWV 825-830) and the Overture in the French style (BWV 831). They probably date from around 1713 or 1714 until 1720.

Francesco Tristano presents his latest 2CD extravaganza Bach The 6 English Suites to the world on May 23rd, 2025 via Naïve, a label of Believe Group, under Tristano’s imprint intothefuture.

This release features a refined and rhythmically engaging set of works that reflect the nuanced dialogue between dance and structure in Bach’s music, and which has already garnered a lot of well-deserved initial praise.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
CD 1:
1-10 English Suite No. 1 in A Major, BWV 806
11-17 English Suite No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 807
18-24 English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808

CD 2:
1-7 English Suite No. 4 in F Major, BWV 809
8-14 English Suite No. 5 in E Minor, BWV 810
15-22 English Suite No. 6 in D Minor, BWV 811

Spread across 2 CDs, these 46 pieces that make up the infamous six suites for keyboard are thought to be the earliest set that Bach composed aside from several miscellaneous suites written when he was much younger. Bach’s English Suites display less affinity with Baroque English keyboard style than do the French Suites to French Baroque keyboard style.

It has also been suggested that the name is a tribute to Charles Dieupart, whose fame was greatest in England, and on whose Six Suittes de clavessin Bach’s English Suites were in part based.

Indeed, surface characteristics of the English Suites strongly resemble those of Bach’s French Suites and Partitas, particularly in the sequential dance-movement structural organization and treatment of ornamentation. These suites also resemble the Baroque French keyboard suite typified by the generation of composers including Jean-Henri d’Anglebert, and the dance-suite tradition of French lutenists that preceded it.

In the English Suites especially, Bach’s affinity with French lute music is demonstrated by his inclusion of a prelude for each suite, departing from an earlier tradition of German derivations of French suite (those of Johann Jakob Froberger and Georg Boehm are examples), which saw a relatively strict progression of the dance movements (Allemande, Courante, Sarabande and Gigue) and which did not typically feature a Prelude. Unlike the unmeasured preludes of French lute or keyboard style, however, Bach’s preludes in the English Suites are composed in strict meter.

www.francescotristano.com

For those not in the know, Songs for Stephen represents a nearly three-decade collaboration between esteemed composer Elena Ruehr and celebrated baritone Stephen Salters.

Elena describes the time “a handsome and charismatic young man approached me after a premiere of one of my compositions at Boston University. He asked me to write him a song cycle for his debut recital with the Bank of Boston’s Celebrity Series. I told him to send me a recording of his singing and I’d think about it. The first note I heard Stephen sing sent a bolt of energy down my spine: this was the singer I had always wanted to write for!”

Stephen reciprocates, “What a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration has landed in my life both professionally and personally with Elena. From my first personal musical envelopment of her first song ever written for me, I truly fell in love with her creations for me, and thus we began this truly special and unique journey.”.

Elena evocatively sets some of America’s most notable poets, including Cuban-American and National Humanities Medal recipient Richard Blanco who read his own work at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, himself a subject of Five Men in Guggenheim Fellow Elizabeth Alexander’s encapsulation of two centuries’ worth of multiple African-Americans experiences.

Leading light of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes and feminist-activist Adrienne Rich lend their lyrics to poetry for children, both dark and light. The addition of the four-minute bonbon Lied, set to texts by Rainer Maria Rilke, is a reference to Elena’s Germanic ancestry as well as the first song, by Schubert, that Elena heard Stephen sing.

ELENA RUEHR (b. 1963)
Songs for Stephen

Five Men
Elizabeth Alexander
1 I. Blue Prelude (3.44)
2. II. Waiting for Cinque (3.06)
3. III. Nat Turner Dreams of Insurrection (4.30)
4. IV. Carver’s Song (2.35)
5. V. The Elders (2.48)

6. Lied (4.11)
Rainer Maria Rilke: The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge sung in German

Travel Songs
Richard Blanco: Directions to the Beach of the Dead
7. I. Somewhere to Paris (4.10)
8. II. A Poet in Venicen (7.16)
9. III. Torsos at the Louvre (4.59)

10. Wonderful Bears (5.08)
Adrienne Rich: Bears

Stephen Salters, baritone
Donald Berman, piano

Recorded September 2000, October 2022, and July 2023, at Futura Productions, Roslindale, Massachusetts, USA, we are first gifted Alexander’s Five Men, which opens on the ornately affluent Blue Prelude and the more stridently fixated Waiting for Cinque, before the veritably shimmering Nat Turner Dreams of Insurrection, the perky, flirtatiously fun Carver’s Song and the resonant The Elders are brought forth.

A resilient demeanor within Rilke’s Lied (from The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge sung in German) is along next and is itself backed by the trio within Blanco’s Travel Songs (from Directions to the Beach of the Dead), which opens on the rhythmic Somewhere to Paris, then comes the empowered A Poet in Venicen, closing on the sumptuous Torsos at the Louvre; then we get Rich’s astute Bears (from Wonderful Bears).

Lullabies & Spring Songs
Langston Hughes
11. I. Signs of Spring (1.11)
12. II. April Rain (3.01)
13. III. City (2.06)
14. IV. Sandman 3.45)
15. V. Year Round (1.10)
16. VI. Autumn Thought (1.40)
17. VII. Stars (4.03)

Stephen Salters, baritone
David Zobel, piano

Recorded August 1999, at Futura Productions, Roslindale, Massachusetts, USA, we next get a septet of tracks that make up Hughes’s Lullabies & Spring Songs, and which opens on the scintillating Signs of Spring and the pure gossamer of April Rain and then we get the crystalline City, the playfully bold Sandman and the resplendent Year Round, the set rounding out on the cultured Autumn Thought, coming to a close on a simply breathtaking Stars.

As with all of their collaborations over the years, Songs for Stephen brings Elena’s evocative music to effervescent life by the baritone’s sumptuous voice.

Official Purchase Page

www.elenaruehr.org

For those not in the know, on Map the Dark, Quote the Raven step into their most personal and reflective musical chapter yet. The Newfoundland-based duo - Jordan Coaker and Kristen Rodden-Clarke - craft a collection of songs that explores love, loss, memory, and resilience with honesty and warmth.

With lush harmonies and cinematic arrangements, the album weaves together threads of Americans and folk, as always anchored by their rich storytelling telling spirit that has become their trademark.

Collaborating with some of Canada’s finest - including Alan Doyle, Tim Baker, Amelia Curran, Chris Kirby, and Joey Landreth - Map the Dark is both a sonic expansion and an emotional deep-dive.

From the anthemic hope of Back to Spring to the haunting beauty of In the Rain and the playful sci-fi romance of Uncanny Valley, the album offers a wide emotional range while staying true to the duo’s roots.

1. Back in Spring
2. Oh Lena (feat. Joey Landreth)
3. Already Gone
4. House on Fire
5. Borrowed Time
6. In the Rain
8. One Bed
9. Uncanny Valley

This emotively raw, yet rhythmically melodious new recording opens on the free-flowing, rousingly harmonious Back in Spring and then brings us the harmonious Oh Lena (featuring guitarist Joey Landreth) and then comes the low slung, mid-tempo balladry of Already Gone and the playfully impassioned House on Fire.

Then we get one of my own personal favorites from this new collection, the heartfelt and warmly sculpted Borrowed Time which is itself then backed seamlessly by the balladry gossamer of In the Rain, the set rounding out on the melodiously low slung Tell Me Tell Me, coming to a close on the lonesome ode within One Bed and the atmospherically sculpted, piano and acoustic guitar ballad Uncanny Valley

Simply put, this third studio release marks a bold evolution for Quote the Raven - a map not just through darkness, but toward connection, clarity, and creative growth.

. www.quotetheravenofficial.com

After a 2014 that saw the release of their debut EP, How Do You Feel, buzz worthy festival appearances across the U.S., and their late night debut performance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, come mid-2015 and Joywave were back in a big way!

Rochester, New York’s Joywave consisted of members Daniel Armbruster (vocals), Joseph Morinelli (guitar), Sean Donnelly (bass), Benjamin Bailey (keyboards), and Paul Brenner (drums).

Initially, the band was best known for its collaboration with electronic music project Big Data, with their Dangerous peaking at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

For the 10 year anniversary of Joywave’s debut album, How Do You Feel Now?, this RSD Edition includes the bonus track Life in a Bubble and more and is pressed on both Yellow and Blue vinyl.

SIDE A:
1. Somebody New
2. Carry Me
3. Tongues

Putting the first of the vinyl on the turntable, dropping the needle, this emotively raw, yet rhythmically melodious 10th Anniversary recording opens on the indie rock of Somebody New and then we get the electro pop of Carry Me and the rhythmic synth pop flow of Tongues.

SIDE B:
4. Destruction
5. Now
6. Parade (Vinyl Version)

Flipping the vinyl over we next get the alt pop rock of Destruction which is backed by the smooth ’80s alt synth guitar work that pushes Now, the record rounding out on the propulsive drum-led rocker Parade (Vinyl Version).

SIDE C:
7. In Clover (Vinyl Version)
8. Feels Like a Lie
9. Traveling at the Speed of Light

Changing the vinyl over, the third side opens on the evocative electro synth pop of In Clover (Vinyl Version) and then we are brought forth the ambiently pop-smooth vibe within Feels Like a Lie and the melodiously fluctuating Traveling at the Speed of Light.

SIDE D:
10. Nice House
11. Bad Dreams
12. Life in a Bubble I Blew

Flipping the vinyl over, the fourth and sadly final side opens on the harmonious poptastic Nice House, before both the staggered, languishing beauty of Bad Dreams and the translucently absorbing gem of a bonus track Life in a Bubble I Blew bring the musical set to a close.

www.joywavemusic.com

For those unaware, Multi-Grammy Award-winning producer Ryan Truesdell reopens the Gil Evans Project vaults to release a new album of material recorded live at the beloved (now shuttered) New York City club, Jazz Standard.

Shades Of Sound: Live at Jazz Standard, Vol. 2 will be released May 30th, 2025 on Outside in Music, and follows in the footsteps of the band’s two critically acclaimed and Grammy Award-nominated albums, Centennial (2012) and Lines of Color (2015).

This exhilarating new collection marks the first time the band appears on vinyl and features some of New York’s finest musicians including Lewis Nash, Donny McCaslin, Steve Wilson, Ryan Keberle, Wendy Gilles, and the late Frank Kimbrough.

Picking up where Lines of Color left off, Shades Of Sound consists of four never before recorded works (“Laughing at Life,” “It’s The Sentimental Thing To Do,” “I Had Someone Else Before I Had You,” and “Neetie’s Blues”), and four of Evans’ well-known arrangements from his seminal albums (“Spoonful,” “The Ballad of the Sad Young Men,” “Barbara Song,” and “Buster’s Last Stand”).

1. Spoonful
2. The Ballad of the Sad Young Men
3. Laughing at Life
4. Neetie’s Blues
5. I Had Someone Else Before I Had You
6. The Barbara Song
7. It’s the Sentimental Thing to Do
8. Buster’s Last Stand

Continuing to peel back the hidden layers of Gil Evans’ musical legacy here on Shades Of Sound, this masterfully sculpted new recording opens on a beautifully elegant spell cast within Spoonful, then brings us the meticulously svelte The Ballad of the Sad Young Men, the shimmering Laughing at Life and the all-encompassing Neetie’s Blues.

Recorded May 13th-18th, 2014 by Grammy Award-winning engineer James Farber with the live engineering team of Tyler McDiarmid and Geoff Countryman during the band’s annual week-long engagement at Jazz Standard, the music continues onward with the note shifting brilliance of I Had Someone Else Before I Had You and that is in turn backed by the evoking The Barbara Song, the set rounding out on the impassioned It’s the Sentimental Thing to Do, closing on an emboldened Buster’s Last Stand.

www.ryantruesdell.com

You may know him from The dB’s or Continental Drifters, two bands he co-helmed over the course of influential albums like Stands for deciBels and Vermilion or indeed his duo records with Chris Stamey like Mavericks.

Or you may know him from his work on the road and in the studio with R.E.M. and Hootie. Or via artists like Marti Jones, the Golden Palominos, the Troggs and Claire Lynch, who have all covered his songs.

This is different, though: The Face of 68 (out May 2nd, 2025 via Label 51 Recordings) is a fresh new sound for Peter Holsapple. With a couple of years playing lead guitar with The Paranoid Style under his belt, he’s renewed his rock roots.

The Face of 68 is a high performance album that accentuates Holsapple’s stylish guitar work alongside the established excellence of his songwriting.

1. Anytime Soon
2. The Face of 68
3. Larger Than Life
4. My Idea #49
5. High High Horse
6. That Kind of Guy
7. One for the Book
8. Fireflies
9. See About You
10. So Sad About Sam
11. She and Me

Following 2018’s solo album Game Day, the new recording opens on the jaunty alt-rocker Anytime Soon and then brings us the rambunctious title track The Face of 68, the strident rock of Larger Than Life, the free flowing My Idea #49, and then the emotively melodic High High Horse is brought forth.

With a title that reflects on Holsapple’s age at the time of making this album, 68 years old, along next is the R.E.M.-esque That Kind of Guy which is itself backed by the gentle ebb and flow of the ultra smooth One for the Book, the fervent rocker Fireflies and the impassioned See About You, the set rounding out on the low slung rock of So Sad About Sam, closing on the rhythmic AOR of She and Me.

Official Purchase Links

Today, pop-culture inspired instrumentalists Vitamin String Quartet announced their new album VSQ Performs Frank Ocean, out April 25th, 2025 via CMH Label Group/Vitamin Records.

The collection offers thirteen dreamy renditions of Ocean’s most enduring songs, and the announcement comes with the quartet’s string cover of his track “Pink + White.”

Frank Ocean’s eclectic avant-soul sound and idiosyncratic song structure presented VSQ with the opportunity for all the more expansive arrangements on VSQ Performs Frank Ocean. “Creating string arrangements and recordings from the singular work of an artist like Frank Ocean is all the reward you need sometimes,” says James Curtiss, Director of A&R at CMH Label Group.

“Wrapping your mind around the psychedelic soul of a track like ‘Pink + White’ and generating a piece of chamber music from those origins allows for something equal parts challenging and freeing. It’s dream material for fans of the original and string savants.”

1. Lost
2. Chanel
3. Pink + White
4. Pyramids
5. Swim Good
6. Nights
7. Ivy
8. Super Rich Kids
9. Self Control
10. Godspeed
11. Thinkin Bout You
13. White Ferrari

The Quartet’s string stylings really come to the fore here on this brand new recording, which opens on the robust, yet at all times ornate Lost, the stirringly rhythmic Chanel and a veritable hankering permutates Pink + White and then we get the forthright justness of Pyramids, the swirls and twirls that dance throughout Swim Good and the all-embracing Nights.

Along next is the absolutely delightful Ivy, the playfully confident Super Rich Kids and the grandiose Self Control, and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the elegantly sculpted Godspeed, a renaissance-hued Thinkin Bout You, the set rounding out on the flirtatiously-imbibed melodies within the spirited Novacane, closing on the auspiciously delicate White Ferrari.

With over 2 billion streams and over 1 million physical units sold, the Vitamin String Quartet (VSQ) is known for their classical reinterpretations of pop hits. Fresh off high-profile placements in the Netflix and Shondaland original hit series Bridgerton, VSQ has reached a mainstream, global audience (Variety) and charmed the world with their classical covers (Nylon).

The group has had 11 Billboard charting albums, with their 2024 release VSQ Performs Taylor Swift hitting #1 on both the Classical and Classical Crossover charts.

Tour Dates:
05/14 - Portsmouth, NH - The Music Hall
05/15 - Boston, MA - The Wilbur
05/16 - New York, NY - The Concert Hall at New York Society for Ethical Culture
05/17 - Newark, NJ - Victoria Theatre at NJPAC
05/20 - Bath, UK - The Bath Forum
05/21 - Birmingham, UK - Birmingham Town Hall
05/22 - Manchester, UK - Albert Hall
05/23 - London, UK - Union Chapel
05/24 - London, UK - Union Chapel
09/12 - Skokie, IL - North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
10/02 - Concord, NH - Chubb Theatre
10/04 - Torrington, CT - Warner Theatre
10/05 - Purchase, NY - Pepsico Theater
10/07 - Buffalo, NY - University at Buffalo Center for the Arts
10/08 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Center
10/09 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Universal Preservation Hall
10/10 - Cranston, RI - The Park Theatre
10/11 - New London, CT - Garde Arts Center
10/12 - Patchogue, NY - Patchogue Theatre
10/15 - Lynchburg, VA - Historic Theatre
10/16 - Newport News, VA - TBA
10/17 - Charleston, WV - Maier Foundation Performance Hall
10/18 - Dayton, OH - Victoria Theatre
10/19 - Richmond, KY - EKU Center for the Arts
10/22 - Rockford, IL - Coronado Theater
10/23 - Shipshewana, IN - Blue Gate PAC
10/24 - Sheboygan, WI - Weill Center
10/25 - La Crosse, WI - Viterbo University Fine Arts Center
10/26 - Eau Claire, WI - Pablo Center
10/28 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
10/30 - Maryville, TN - TBA
11/01 - Germantown, TN - Germantown Performing Arts Center
11/02 - Chattanooga, TN - Walker Theatre

Official Website

Vitamin String Quartet @ Facebook

Dave Bass likes to quote legendary cellist Pablo Casals who, when was ask why he continued to practice at age 90, said, Because I think I’m making progress.

Bass is a long way from 90, but the veteran pianist and composer maintains a rigorous practice routine despite his many accomplishments. His newest album, Trio Buevo, Vol. 2 reveals a artist at the top of his form.

Trio Nuevo, Vol. 2 is Bass’s eighth project as a leader and follows his 2023 release Trio Nuevo. Like the first album, Vol. 2 encompasses styles ranging from pop to Bach to bebop and comprises a mix of originals and standards. The band on the two Trio Nuevo albums is the same, with Tyler Miles and Steve Hefland on drums.

1. Legrand/Lester Left Town
2. Heart Above My Head
3. Frevo
4. Melquíades
5. Latin Journey
6. Questions
7. Trinkle Twinkle
8. Fools Rush In
9. Dance Of The Infidels
10. Journey With Bach
11. Lennie’s Pennies

This vibrantly soulful new recording opens on the fervently supple Legrand/Lester Left Town and then we get the luxuriant Heart Above My Head, the sprightly Frevo and both the resplendent Melquíades and the aptly-entitled Latin Journey are then brought forth.

Along next is the languishing beauty found within Questions and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the flirtatiously-arced Trinkle Twinkle, a dutiful confidence of Fools Rush In and the bountiful Dance Of The Infidels, the set rounding out on the veritably anthemic Journey With Bach, closing on the melodiously propelled Lennie’s Pennies.

Official Purchase Link

Willie Nelson’s new album (his 77th solo studio album and his 154th album overall) is an album that focuses on the songs of Rodney Crowell, the latest in Nelson’s storied history of focusing entire albums on a single songwriter’s work.

Willie Nelson and Rodney Crowell are two Texas singer-songwriters whose careers have intersected often since Crowell first heard Nelson’s earliest songs on the radio and saw his shows in Houston in the mid-1960s. Willie first recorded a Rodney Crowell song in 1983 and last did so 40 years later for 2024’s The Border.

Produced by Nelson’s longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon and featuring an amazing backing band of Nashville gunslingers accompanying Nelson’s vocals and inspired guitar work on Trigger, the album handpicks 12 songs from the last 50 years, including the title track as a duet between Nelson and Crowell.

From early tracks like 1976’s “Banks Of The Old Bandera” (recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker) and 1981’s “Shame On The Moon” (a hit for Bob Seger) to 90s tracks like “What Kind Of Love,“ (co-written by Will Jennings based on a Roy Orbison melody), “Stuff That Works” (co-written with Guy Clark), from early 2000’s cuts written for hit albums by Keith Urban and Tim McGraw to four cuts from Crowell’s beloved 2010s albums and a cut released as recently as 2021.

Side A:
1. What Kind Of Love
2. Banks Of The Old Bandera
3. The Fly Boy & The Kid
4. Forty Miles From Nowhere
5. I Wouldn’t Be Me Without You
6. Making Memories Of Us

Taking the wonderful white vinyl record out of its sleeve, putting it on the turntable, and gently dropping the needle, this certified ageless voice, dedicated, impassioned and simply beautiful opens his new recording on the free flowing twang of What Kind Of Love and the gently harmonica-driven Banks Of The Old Bandera, and then we get the playful bounce of The Fly Boy & The Kid, an emotively sculpted Forty Miles From Nowhere, before both the loving storytelling of I Wouldn’t Be Me Without You and the pleasingly smooth Making Memories Of Us are brought forth.

Side B:
1. Oh What A Beautiful World (with Rodney Crowell)
2. Open Season On My Heart
3. Shame On The Moon
4. She’s Back In Town
5. Still Learning How To Fly
6. Stuff That Works

Flipping the vinyl over, and with the album out Friday, just before Nelson’s 92nd birthday on April 29th, 2025, next up is the jaunty harmonica title track Oh What A Beautiful World (with Rodney Crowell), which is itself backed seamlessly by the beautifully sumptuous ballad Open Season On My Heart, the serenely ornate Shame On The Moon, the bluesy piano piece She’s Back In Town, the album rounding out on the all-embracing Still Learning How To Fly, closing on the Americana, troubadour-hued ebb and flow of Stuff That Works.

Official White Vinyl Purchase Link

www.willienelson.com

Willie Nelson @ Facebook

Willie Nelson’s new album (his 77th solo studio album and his 154th album overall) is an album that focuses on the songs of Rodney Crowell, the latest in Nelson’s storied history of focusing entire albums on a single songwriter’s work.

Willie Nelson and Rodney Crowell are two Texas singer-songwriters whose careers have intersected often since Crowell first heard Nelson’s earliest songs on the radio and saw his shows in Houston in the mid-1960s. Willie first recorded a Rodney Crowell song in 1983 and last did so 40 years later for 2024’s The Border.

Produced by Nelson’s longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon and featuring an amazing backing band of Nashville gunslingers accompanying Nelson’s vocals and inspired guitar work on Trigger, the album handpicks 12 songs from the last 50 years, including the title track as a duet between Nelson and Crowell.

From early tracks like 1976’s “Banks Of The Old Bandera” (recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker) and 1981’s “Shame On The Moon” (a hit for Bob Seger) to 90s tracks like “What Kind Of Love,“ (co-written by Will Jennings based on a Roy Orbison melody), “Stuff That Works” (co-written with Guy Clark), from early 2000’s cuts written for hit albums by Keith Urban and Tim McGraw to four cuts from Crowell’s beloved 2010s albums and a cut released as recently as 2021.

1. What Kind Of Love
2. Banks Of The Old Bandera
3. The Fly Boy & The Kid
4. Forty Miles From Nowhere
5. I Wouldn’t Be Me Without You
6. Making Memories Of Us
7. Oh What A Beautiful World (with Rodney Crowell)
8. Open Season On My Heart
9. Shame On The Moon
10. She’s Back In Town
11. Still Learning How To Fly
12. Stuff That Works

This certified ageless voice, dedicated, impassioned and simply beautiful opens his new recording opens his new recording on the free flowing twang of What Kind Of Love and the gently harmonica-driven Banks Of The Old Bandera, and then we get the playful bounce of The Fly Boy & The Kid, an emotively sculpted Forty Miles From Nowhere, before both the loving storytelling of I Wouldn’t Be Me Without You and the pleasingly smooth Making Memories Of Us are brought forth.

With the album out Friday, just before Nelson’s 92nd birthday on April 29th, 2025, next up is the jaunty harmonica title track Oh What A Beautiful World (with Rodney Crowell), which is itself backed seamlessly by the beautifully sumptuous ballad Open Season On My Heart, the serenely ornate Shame On The Moon, the bluesy piano piece She’s Back In Town, the album rounding out on the all-embracing Still Learning How To Fly, closing on the Americana, troubadour-hued ebb and flow of Stuff That Works.

Official CD Purchase Link

www.willienelson.com

Willie Nelson @ Facebook

For those unaware, Ed Palermo is not a business as usual musician. After all, when most people think of big bands, they think Oh No! Not Jazz!! But go to see Ed Palermo’s Big Band, and you might hear Frank Zappa, Todd Rundgren, The Police, Pat Metheny, or one of Ed’s own compositions, loaded with lush turns and unexpected twists.

Before forming his band, Ed toured and recorded with many different artists, including Aretha Franklin, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Lou Rawls, Melba Moore, Debbie Gibson, The Spinners, and countless others.

Ed’s interpretations of the music of Frank Zappa, Paul Butterfield, Todd Rundgren, The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Procol Harum, Jethro Tull and others have consistently brought him and his band critical acclaim and rave reviews.

The Ed Palermo Big Band’s latest album, “Prog vs Fusion: A War of the Ages,” highlights some of Ed’s favorite progressive rock and jazz fusion compositions.

1. Resolution (John McLaughlin) [1:13]
2. Black Hole Sun Intro/Bodhisattva (Chris Cornell/Walter Becker, Donald Fagen) [1:07]
3. There Comes a Time (Tony Williams) [3:01]
4. Tarkus (Keith Emerson, Greg Lake) [1:03]
5. Vrooom (Adrian Belew, Bill Bruford, Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto) [4:03]
6. Long Distance Runaround (Jon Anderson) [5:34]
7. Snake Oil (Tony Newton) [3:48]
8. G-Spot Tornado/Resolution/Jingo (Frank Zappa/John McLaughlin/Babatunde Olatunji) [2:40]
9. Vrooom Vrooom (Adrian Belew, Bill Bruford, Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto) [1:17]
10. There’s No Mystery About My G-Spot (Chick Corea/Frank Zappa) [2:25]
11. Spanish G-Spot Tornado (Chick Corea/Frank Zappa) [0:22]
12. Mystic Knights of the Sea (Tony Williams) [3:18]
13. On the Milky Way Express (Wayne Shorter) [5:11]
14. Take a Pebble (Greg Lake) [3:21]
15. One Word (John McLaughlin) [1:03]
16. The Fish (Chris Squire) [2:17]
17. Fred (Allan Holdsworth) [1:46]
18. Black Hole Sun (Chris Cornell) [4:46]
19. Pictures of a City (Robert Fripp, Peter Sinfield) [6:39]

This intriguingly sculpted new recording opens on the strident Resolution and the compelling Black Hole Sun Intro/Bodhisattva and then we get brought forth the flirtatious, spoken-word hued There Comes a Time, the propellent Tarkus, the funkily-grooved Vrooom, and then comes the all-embracing Long Distance Runaround, the infused funk-driven Snake Oil, the drum-led, guitar-fed G-Spot Tornado/Resolution/Jingo and the forceful Vrooom Vrooom.

Along next is the elegantly outlandish There’s No Mystery About My G-Spot and the clap-along of the .22 second Spanish G-Spot Tornado and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the cinematic swing of Mystic Knights of the Sea, the flourishing On the Milky Way Express, the languishing Take a Pebble and the absorbent One Word, the set rounding out on the drum-fed, funky guitar work of The Fish, the vibrant Fred, a Bruce McDaniel-vocalized Black Hole Sun, closing on an uproarious Pictures of a City.

Internationally, the Ed Palermo Big Band returned to Germany in 2019 to headline the 30th Annual Zappanale Festival in Bad Doberan. This was their 4th trip to Europe.

Locally, the band performs bimonthly at The Iridium in NYC and The Falcon in Marlboro, NY.

Ed Palermo Big Band - Prog vs. Fusion [CD Promo 2025]

Official Purchase Link

For those unaware, Catalyst (out now via Cold Plunge Records] is composer Gregg Hill’s latest 2025 album release, celebrating world music and featuring the Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet & Elden Kelly.

The Dave Sharp World’s Quartet is composed of exceptional artists, including: Dave Sharp (bass), Hendrik Karaptyan (Violin), Igor Houwat (Oud), Mike List (percussion).

This year marks a decade of their work together as one of the most intriguing world music groups on the scene today. Catalyst is a collaboration with the master of the fretless guitar, Elden Kelly where together, the album serves as a cinematic celebration of the collaboration between the Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet and Elden Kelly and composer Gregg Hill.

1. Traveling with Gregg [7:38]
2. Rue de Royal [7:05]
3. 13th Century Lion [5:19]
4. Ducks Night Out [6:21]
5. Catalyst [7:53]
6. Cidade [6:58]
7. Savana [8:53]
8. The Stray Moonduck [8:51]

This beautifully crafted new recording opens on the fervently charming Traveling with Gregg and then we get the stridently rhythmic, at times, effortlessly flowing the next Rue de Royal, the cultured 13th Century Lion and the melodious Ducks Night Out.

Along next is the vibrantly seductive title track Catalyst and that is in turn backed seamlessly by the alluring Cidade, the set rounding out on the playfully flirtatious Savana, coming to a close on the all-embracing The Stray Moonduck.

Musicians:
Henrik Karapetyan, Violin
Igor Houwat, Oud
Dave Sharp, Bass
Elden Kelly, Fretted/Fretless Guitar, Guitar Synth, Bass On #5
Mike List, Percussion

Official Purchase Link

For those unaware, on her brand new album Alegre Menina, vocalist‑arranger Masha Campagne brings forth a nine-song set filled with Brazilian songcraft blended with contemporary jazz.

Released May 30th, 2025, on Impetus Records, Campagne returns with deeply personal tributes to great songwriters and iconic singers of Brazil. Her heartfelt renditions of compositions by Veloso, Caymmi, and Guinga, effectively convey the concept of saudade.

Her Brazilian-inspired originals capture the soul of Rio—its rhythms, its passion, and its people. Alegre Menina is bound to hit the top Jazz Charts, solidifying Campagne’s unique space in the world of Brazilian and jazz music.

1. Bahia Com H (Denis Brean) [4:25]
2. Samba Carioca (Masha Campagne) [4:17]
3. Coração Vagabundo (Caetano Veloso) [3:46]
4. Baião De Lacan (Guinga/Aldir Blanc) [3:52]
5. Cobra Criada (João Bosco) [3:41]
6. Alegre Menina (Dori Caymmi/Jorge Amado) [3:34]
7. So Mad, So Young (Masha Campagne) [4:48]
8. Di Menor (Guinga) [3:16]
9. Estrada Do Sol (Tom Jobim/Duran Dolores) [3:52]

This wonderfully smooth, delightfully sculpted new recording opens on the delightfully smooth Bahia Com H and then we get the heartwarming Samba Carioca, the lavishly sculpted Coração Vagabundo and the fervently vibrant Baião De Lacan.

Along next is the all-embracing rhythms that drive Cobra Criada which is in turn backed by the flourishing Alegre Menina, the impassioned So Mad, So Young, the music rounding out on the scat-imbibed Di Menor, coming to a close on the dulcet piano ballad Estrada Do Sol.

San Francisco-based vocalist, songwriter and producer Masha Campagne has been captivating audiences across US and beyond with her rich, sun-dappled voice, with come-hither intonations and dreamy sensuality (Raul da Gama).

A carioca at heart, celebrated for her delicious Brazilian jazz sound (Andrew Gilbert) breaks out with a passionate love letter to Brazil releasing her fourth studio album, Alegre Menina. Collaborating with luminaries such as Ricardo Peixoto, Lula Galvão, Rafael Barata, Campagne is blending rich tradition with her signature warmth and artistry.

Masha Campagne - Samba Carioca [Original Video]

www.mashacampagnemusic.com

For those unaware, acclaimed jazz player Royce Campbell’s music brings together a range of styles, influences, and technical skill, defining his own, unique approach to jazz guitar.

As a full-time musician for over 40 years, Campbell has recorded music with more than a dozen labels in the U.S. and internationally, with twelve projects making the jazz radio airplay charts--including four reaching the top ten.

Campbell has recorded with many of the greats of the jazz guitar, including legendary Pat Martino, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow, Jimmy Raney, and Cal Collins, Pat Martino, John Abercrombie, Larry Coryell, Mundell Lowe, John Pisano, Charlie Byrd, Gene Bertoncini, and Bucky Pizzarelli.

His brand new album is entitled Vagabond, and all but one of the eleven tracks on it were composed by Campbell, with all of them having been penned by his cousin and mentor, the late Carroll DeCamp.

1. Peepers
2. Gentle Breeze
3. A Sharp Blues
4. Body and Soul
6. Moon Cycle
7. Vagabond
8. Middle Ground
9. Dancing Waterfall
10. Inner Peace
11. Viper

This vibrantly cultured new recording opens on the grandeur of Peepers and the demure Gentle Breeze and then we get the veritably cinematic A Sharp Blues, the languishing beauty of Body and Soul and the sprightly Mambo Puente.

Along next is the ornately sumptuous Moon Cycle which is in turn backed seamlessly by the stridently elegant title track Vagabond, the robustly playful Middle Ground, the gorgeous Dancing Waterfall, the set rounding out on the delicate ballad Inner Peace, closing on the coursing dance floor swing of Viper.

www.roycecampbell.net

For those unaware, on April 8th, 2025, Gail Archer, professor of professional practice of music, released her 11th album, Dobrich: A Bulgarian Odyssey, which showcases rarely performed works by seven Bulgarian composers from the 20th century.

Recorded during her 2024 worldwide tour in the Concert Hall of Dobrich, Bulgaria, the album continues Archer’s exploration of Eastern European organ music, following her previous releases featuring Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian composers.

Known for her adventurous approach to classical organ repertoire, Archer aims to bring attention to underrecognized organ music from Bulgaria. Dobrich features a dynamic selection of nine pieces, including works by contemporary composers Sabin Levi and Velislav Zaimov, as well as the “matriarch” of the Bulgarian organ school, Neva Krysteva.

1. Erendira
2. Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen
3. Two Frescoes
• Fresco I
• Fresco II
4. Victmae Paschali Laudes
5. Evharistia
6. Prelude for Organ
7. Variations on the song Polegnala e Tudora
8. Prelude
9. Toccata
10. O Heiland, reiss die Himmel auf

Hailed as one of this era’s most adventurous interpreters of the classical organ repertoire, leading female organist Gail Archer opens her new recording on the wide-ranging scope of Erendira and then we get the melodiously cultured Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen, then come two pieces from Two Frescoes: the first the rhythmically pleasing Fresco I, the second the more streamlined, precise even Fresco II, before the industrially-hued, pitched Victmae Paschali Laudes is brought forth.

Along next is the strident Evharistia and that is in turn backed seamlessly by the veritably, at times, shimmering, at others stoically fluid Prelude for Organ, the earnestly organic Variations on the song Polegnala e Tudora, the cinematically-flared Prelude coupled with the flourishing Toccata, the set rounding out on the gently foreboding, yet still emphatically melodic O Heiland, reiss die Himmel auf.

www.gailarcher.com

With a “luminous” voice (Jazz Weekly) that melts hearts and a sense of humor that can brighten the darkest jazz club, Jamie Shew stands out as one of Los Angeles’ most celebrated jazz vocalists.

Hailed as “a swinging thrush that knows how to deliver” (Midwest Record), she is a mesmerizing vocalist renowned for her soulful interpretations and impeccable musicianship.

With a career spanning over two decades, Jamie has captivated audiences worldwide with her deeply expressive velvety tone, effortless phrasing, and boundless creativity. Her unique vocal style combines the timeless elegance of jazz with a modern edge, resulting in a sound that resonates deeply with diverse audiences.

For those unaware, Jamie Shew’s brand new album Spicy, Classy, and a little Sassy is a vibrant exploration of love in all its beautiful and downright messy ways!

Featuring 12 tracks, including nine reimagined jazz standards and three original songs, this album captures love’s unexpectedly bold flavors with “Spicy,” its gracefully refined personality with “Classy,” and its lively, irreverent behavior with “Sassy.”

So come aboard and join in on this wondrous, adventurous musical journey as they celebrate all of love’s twists and turns. Featuring: Jamie Shew - Vocals, Melodica, Producer, Arranger, Composer (2 songs), Jeremy Siskind - Piano and Composer (1 song), Kait Dunton - Hammond B3 and Rhodes, Mike Scott - Guitar, Lyman Medeiros - Bass, Mark Ferber - Drums.

1. Invitation (feat. Jeremy Siskind) [3:43]
2. Comes Love (feat. Jeremy Siskind) [4:09]
3. Each Time (feat. Lyman Medeiros & Jeremy Siskind) [2:51]
4. Close Your Eyes (feat. Kait Dunton & Jeremy Siskind) [3:36]
5. Ghost of a Chance [3:17]
6. Secret Love (feat. Jeremy SIskind & Mark Ferber) [2:28]
7. Enough (feat. Kait Dunton & Lyman Medeiros) [3:38]
8. Letters From You (feat. Mario Jose) [3:59]
9. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered [3:32]
10. All or Nothing At All (feat. Mike Scott) [3:29]
11. Just Squeeze Me (feat. Lyman Medeiros) [3:16]
12. I’m Glad There Is You (feat. Jeremy Siskind) [3:21]

Equally at home interpreting jazz standards or exploring original compositions, Jamie’s richly impassioned, heartfelt and deliciously sculpted new album opens on the delightful bounce of Invitation and then we get the velveteen Comes Love, the harmonic Each Time, the sumptuously tempting Close Your Eyes and then comes the low-slung gossamer of Ghost of a Chance and the upbeat and fervent Secret Love.

Along next is the organ-hued funk of Enough and the luxuriously sculpted, countrified balladry of Letters From You, and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the languishing Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, the gorgeous All or Nothing At All, the set rounding out on the all-embracing Just Squeeze Me, coming to a close on the infectiously heartfelt I’m Glad There Is You.

Jamie Shew - Ghost of a Chance (Official Live Video)

Jamie Shew - Invitation (Official Live Video)

www.jamieshewmusic.com