New York’s ace trumpeter Joe “Mags” Magnarelli’s third outing on SteepleChase is condensed to a quartet format with trumpet as the sole frontline giving the leader new dimension and depth to define his voice. His previous release (SCCD 31939 New York-Osaka Junction) received enthused remarks “…he is particularly outstanding, demonstrating a brilliant clarity that could be called the height of sophistication.” (Catfish-Records, Japan) and “Magnarelli has always been a jazzman-of-all-work, good in small groups like this one and great at starring in big bands and he's on fire here” (JazzWise-Peter Vacher UK)

All the compositions on this album are original works, created during a period of personal growth and artistic exploration. Each piece represents a chapter in a larger story - one that reflects not only my journey as a musician but also my evolving understanding of life, purpose, and meaning. The opening track, "Wu Wei," sets the tone. A central concept in Taoist philosophy, Wu Wei translates to "non-action" - not inaction, but effortless action, or moving with the flow of life rather than against it. As a musician, this idea resonates deeply: to be in harmony with your surroundings, to create without forcing, to live and express from a place of presence. "One" speaks to the longing for unity in a divided world. Despite conflict, disagreement, and disconnection, there is always a deeper thread that binds us together - a shared humanity that transcends our differences. "Home" represents the need for belonging, safety, and grounding. For some, home is a physical place; for others, it's something they must find or create. But for all of us, the feeling of home is essential to live a fulfilled life. "Reflections in the Water" is an introspective piece - a reminder of where we come from and who we are at our core. Influenced by classical and impressionistic traditions, it pays homage to the great composers who have shaped music history and continue to inspire me. "Seven Virtues, Seven Sins" explores the dualities of human nature - the push and pull between good and evil, right and wrong, light and shadow. It's a reflection on the moral questions we all face and the deeper quest for inner truth and balance. In "Samsara," the cyclic nature of existence is made audible: life, death, and rebirth - endlessly repeating. It reminds us that every end carries the seed of a new beginning. "Blues for Sadako" is a tribute to Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who became a symbol of peace after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Her story, and the thousands of paper cranes she folded, speak of hope, remembrance, and the resilience of the human spirit. This piece is dedicated to her and to all victims of war. The final track, "Healing," is a hymn for humanity. In times of pain and turmoil, sometimes what the world needs most is a moment of collective healing - a return to compassion, empathy, and wholeness. Throughout this album, I've tried to express something honest - something that reflects the complexity of being alive. We live in a world full of goals, distractions, and expectations. Often, we chase success or run from discomfort, forgetting to be present in the moment. But life is not a race to the finish line. It is a process of becoming, of unfolding - just like a flower grows, slowly and naturally, in it's own time. You cannot force growth. You cannot force mastery. The moment you think you've arrived, life will humble you. There is no final destination - only the ongoing path. Obstacles will come. Resistance will arise. But perhaps the key is not to fight or flee, but to accept - to let go, and to allow life to unfold. This is the essence of Wu Wei. To move in harmony with the world, to follow your inner voice, to grow in all directions like a tree, to live fully in the present - this is not just a philosophy, but a way of life. This album is an invitation to listen - not just to the music, but to yourself. - Aseo Friesacher

Pierre-Antoine Savoyat couldn't have found a better title for this second album! Thanks to his subtle way of contemplating and embellishing space and sound as a composer and as trumpet player, Thousand Shades of a Clown reveals personal and refreshing music with a kaleidoscopic imagination, effervescent with colours and emotions. The veil of the clown's mask gradually *fades away* to reveal the essence of his art: tenderness, generosity and humility. Much like a sleeping volcano, we enjoy a poetic quietness always bounded with a boiling energy underneath the surface. Sometimes, Pierre-Antoine allows us to witness an unannounced eruption, before returning to a feeling of deep peace through the beauty of a masterful sound. His characteristic kindness probably hides a passionate fire and his humanist commitments in search of truth are never far away; perhaps even constituting the lifeblood of this work in which the stories of his life untangle and detangle. His desire to make the world a more wonderful place is expressed through the poetry of lyrical musical gestures, supported and propelled with intensity by his faithful accomplice, pianist Simon Groppe, a true chameleon of the keyboard. Their surprising and precise articulations are extended with equal finesse by Fil Caporali on double bass and Oscar Georges on drums, forming a perfectly harmonized quartet. Between his solitude and the absurdity of the world, Savoyat has forged a masterful and compelling musical language, bringing with him guests with boundless imagination and crystal-clear ideas, true nuggets of pure gold like those old-time-alchemists dreamed of: Alexandra Grimal, with her majestic saxophone sound; Lucia Pires, with her light and dauntless flute; and Lynn Cassiers, captivating with her unique vocal and artistic universe. Therefore, the album takes on a plural form in a counterpoint of shared stories, styles and times without ever losing the coherence of a common discourse. Pierre-Antoine weaves the whole together with the care of a goldsmith and through his fluid and mysterious intonations - where the 'between' naturally becomes the 'inside' - he blossoms into space like a tightrope walker defying the laws of gravity. Each piece of music has it's own specific touch; the titles speak for themselves, sprinkled with melancholy and filled with warmth. Comforting like a refuge where you are always In good company - as in the lyrics of Lynn Cassiers - this album could even become one of those with which you live, breathe, and through which you open the windows of your inner universe to get closer to the light in a world that has become far too dark.

Emerging from the Strasbourg scene and the Omezis collective, which includes about twenty artists, musicians, DJs, and videographers, Emile Londonien soaks up the English jazz scene of the last fifteen years and offers up a personal version. Trained at the Strasbourg Conservatory, the three musicians met during thematic evenings organized by the Omezis collective, co-founded by drummer Matthieu Drago. A studio session paying tribute to the English scene followed in 2020. The moniker Emile Londonien, a double nod to their UK influences and to a famous French saxophonist, sprang up spontaneously. The Covid-19 pandemic put the project on hold until their recordings fell into the hands of Dope Tone, the historical Strasbourg broken beat label, and then things started to accelerate. Influential DJs like Lefto immediately shared the tracks from this first session. Thus, emblematic of a generation that grew up in club culture, the band was launched, blending that very culture with the jazz trio tradition. Regularly playlisted on the BBC, their first productions found an enthusiastic echo, and the praise poured in, starting with that of the influential DJ and producer Gilles Peterson himself, who sees them as heirs: "I saw these guys recently live. They are a sort of celebration of the last 10-15 years of the UK jazz scene... It's a crossroads place." Unknown until a few months prior, the band played Sète's Worldwide Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival in the summer of 2021, and Nancy Jazz Pulsations, confirming on stage all the good that was already clear from listening to their recordings. Influenced by Yussef Kamaal, The Comet Is Coming, Atjazz, SunRa, and also Ornette Coleman or Thelonious Monk and by the Broken Beat, Jazz, House, and Hip Hop scenes, Emile Londonien perfectly incarnates this "next gen" French jazz alongside Léon Phal, whose sound is close to theirs. Beyond labels, they mix tradition and contemporary music with ease, as measured on the dancefloor.

Emerging from the Strasbourg scene and the Omezis collective, which includes about twenty artists, musicians, DJs, and videographers, Emile Londonien soaks up the English jazz scene of the last fifteen years and offers up a personal version. Trained at the Strasbourg Conservatory, the three musicians met during thematic evenings organized by the Omezis collective, co-founded by drummer Matthieu Drago. A studio session paying tribute to the English scene followed in 2020. The moniker Emile Londonien, a double nod to their UK influences and to a famous French saxophonist, sprang up spontaneously. The Covid-19 pandemic put the project on hold until their recordings fell into the hands of Dope Tone, the historical Strasbourg broken beat label, and then things started to accelerate. Influential DJs like Lefto immediately shared the tracks from this first session. Thus, emblematic of a generation that grew up in club culture, the band was launched, blending that very culture with the jazz trio tradition.

Regularly playlisted on the BBC, their first productions found an enthusiastic echo, and the praise poured in, starting with that of the influential DJ and producer Gilles Peterson himself, who sees them as heirs: “I saw these guys recently live. They are a sort of celebration of the last 10-15 years of the UK jazz scene … It’s a crossroads place.” Unknown until a few months prior, the band played Sète's Worldwide Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival in the summer of 2021, and Nancy Jazz Pulsations, confirming on stage all the good that was already clear from listening to their recordings. Influenced by Yussef Kamaal, The Comet Is Coming, Atjazz, SunRa, and also Ornette Coleman or Thelonious Monk and by the Broken Beat, Jazz, House, and Hip Hop scenes, Emile Londonien perfectly incarnates this “next gen” French jazz alongside Léon Phal, whose sound is close to theirs. Beyond labels, they mix tradition and contemporary music with ease, as measured on the dancefloor.

Echoes showcases Lars Moller's masterful fusion of Scandinavian introspection, robust American jazz, and emotive Indian modalities. Joined by legendary trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg and the NDR Bigband, Moller crafts a sonic journey that reflects his artistic evolution and exploration of jazz and Indian music. Contrasting spacious, improvised passages with dense orchestrations, Echoes balances air and fire, creating a timeless soundscape that embraces both spiritual openness and rhythmic intensity.

The magic of art needs a frame, a somewhat solid container to hold the freedom that can only be found once we integrate some form of structure. And that also holds in every other area of life. We all need a frame, a structure, a rhythm, or else, we fall apart. This human form needs the body, and yet it transcends the limitations of the body - through art.

Floð og Fjara is Gulli Gudmundsson's new project. The Icelandic bassist has been a cornerstone of the Dutch jazz scene for many years. His new trio has a chamber music-inspired setup. With pianist Jeroen van Vliet and trumpeter Koen Smits, he has found two musicians who share his pursuit of similar sound ideals.

From a formal point of view, this is a classical jazz quartet line-up, complemented by a string quartet. Shogo Seifert considers the group to be a unit of eight and has composed for them accordingly. A rather handcrafted, rationally "technical" approach is foreign to him. "I need an emotional connection to transfer energy into music."

Referring to a musical work of the century such as George Gershwin's popular opera "Porgy and Bess" entails enormous risks. This is especially the case when this popular work has spawned many ubiquitous song classics. Hans Ludemann also believes: "You have to have a good reason to tackle this" and, of course, a coherent concept for a new, own approach. This has succeeded brilliantly with "Porgy's Dream". The very personal homage of Ludemann and trumpeter Reiner Winterschladen is not content with competent interpretations in the usual jazz style. The duo is based on selected themes and unfolds an intense atmosphere in it's freely interpreted pieces, which thoroughly lives up to the original work.

'Don Cherry, more than any other artist in the jazz of his era, pioneered the music's internationalist nature that has now come to be commonly accepted as an integral part of it's character. The individuality of Cherry's contribution to the history of jazz has often been unfairly obscured by his admittedly important association with the music of Ornette Coleman. While the (pocket) trumpeter's position as Coleman's front line partner in the altoist's first revolutionary quartet was indeed a major one, Cherry's role as one of the founders of the genre that is known today as 'world music' is equally significant. - Russ Musto Featured Artists Don Cherry-trumpet Gato Barbieri-sax Karl Berger-vibes Aldo Romano-drums Bo Steif-bass.

Gunter Baby Sommer is at the height of his musical career. After 'Song for Kommeno' and his Solo masterpiece 'Dedications' he presents at his 75th birthday a duo recording with German trumpet player Till Bronner. The listeners will notice quite quickly how relaxed Till Bronner and Baby Sommer correspond throughout the chosen musical material. We experience the meeting of two musicians who have found a common language despite their personal distinctness; who do not need to prove anything to anybody. That is why their very first ever recording is fed by a basic calmness. Had Baby's Party not been chosen to become this album's title, the last piece - the Duke's 'In a Sentimental Mood' - would have made an equally well fitting title. Not in the sense of a yearning retrospection but - according to the two musicians' natural disposition - in the sense of an invincible preview of what is ahead of them.

It was only during Ken Vandermark's residency at the Jazz club The Stone in January 2016 that Vandermark found himself in the same vicinity as Nate Wooley, Sylvie Courvoisier and Tom Rainey. A year later they went into the studio with nine compositions - three each by Courvoisier, Vandermark and Wooley. These four musicians have well-documented, distinct personalities which, in this context, results in performances full of surprises, rich contrasts and shared responsibilities. The music sounds thoughtful, but never over-wrought. They play by intuition, yet retain a vivid complexity. Their composing is transparent and uncliched; their improvising provided with a remarkable coherence and openness. And perhaps it is exactly this - a fresh collective unity that keeps their respective personalities and idiosyncrasies intact - that brings them success in this bold and collaborative performance. Art needs to pique and renew your interest, take you on inspiring and surprising journeys and sometimes even confront your own biases. Creating, not reviving as a way to evolve and to keep going forward in all directions.

Armenian piano virtuoso Tigran Hamasyan returns with Manifeste, out February 6, 2026-a powerful fusion of jazz, progressive rock, and Armenian folk. Recorded across five countries, the album blends rhythmic complexity, cinematic depth, and spiritual intensity, featuring longtime collaborators and the Yerevan State Chamber Choir. Manifeste is a bold declaration where the human, digital, and sacred unite in sound. Following The Bird of a Thousand Voices, Hamasyan continues his artistic exploration with Manifeste (2025)-a bold, multi-dimensional statement recorded between 2023 and 2025 across studios in Yerevan, Athens, Moscow, Los Angeles, and beyond. Entirely composed and produced by Hamasyan, Manifeste fuses his signature rhythmic complexity and spiritual depth with a more cinematic soundscape, where Armenian folk roots, progressive rock intensity, and choral mysticism intertwine. The album unfolds like a ritual sequence-from the meditative "Prelude for All Seekers" to the powerful "National Repentance Anthem. " Collaborators include longtime partners Marc Karapetian (bass) and drummers Arthur Hnatek, Arman Mnatsakanyan, Matt Garstka, and Nate Wood, alongside contributions from cellist Artyom Manukyan, trumpeter Daniel Melkonyan, guitarist Nick Llerandi, and the Yerevan State Chamber Choir conducted by Kristina Voskanyan. Each piece radiates Hamasyan's fascination with transcendence and transformation, whether through the fiery rhythmic drive of "Dardahan" and "Ultradance, " the haunting choral layers of "One Body, One Blood, " or the intimate dedications "Years Passing (For Akram)" and "A Window from One Heart to Another (For Rumi). " In Manifeste, Hamasyan brings together the human, digital, and sacred-a declaration of unity through sound, where modern technology meets ancient resonance. In addition to awards and critical acclaim, Hamasyan has built a dedicated following worldwide, as well as praise from Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, and the late Chick Corea. "With startling combinations of jazz, minimalist, electronic, folk and songwriterly elements. Hamasyan and his collaborators travel musical expanses marked with heavy grooves, ethereal voices, pristine piano playing and ancient melodies. You'll hear nothing else like this. " (NPR)