The Guesthouse is about collaboration, inclusion, and the essence of welcoming which is the essence of an open door. It's my most ambitious project to date, sonically and compositionally. It involves so many incredibly talented people: some are in the front, playing music together with me, offering their insight, time, effort, and love, and some incredibly talented and hardworking people are behind the scenes, facilitating, allowing, and inspiring me to keep pushing forward. Musically speaking, the color palette on The Guesthouse is huge. It introduces many musical guests that I admire deeply: MARO, Immanuel Wilkins, Michael Mayo, and many more. It includes lyric writing for the first time, electronic instruments, guitars, trumpets, flutes, flamenco musicians, in-depth production work, my quartet, solo piano, odd meter explorations, improvisations, songs with no time, strings, two pianos conversing and more and more and more.. I dove as deep as I could into these deep waters. The result is my attempt to turn the creative chaos that lives in mind mind into one coherent artistic statement, always having a simple melody as a thread that tells the story of this collective. Shai Maestro Shai Maestro (b. 1987) is one of the most inventive and influential pianists of his generation. Since debuting with his own trio in 2011, he has developed a distinctive musical voice that is fluid, expressive, and profoundly lyrical. His artistry has made him a defining figure in contemporary jazz, merging improvisation, composition, and global influences into a sound that is both cinematic and deeply personal. Maestro began studying classical piano at the age of five and discovered jazz at eight through the recordings of Keith Jarrett and Oscar Peterson. At nineteen, he joined bassist Avishai Cohen's trio, co-writing the acclaimed Gently Disturbed and performing worldwide. In 2011, he formed his own trio, recording six albums that solidified his reputation as a singular voice in modern jazz. His years with ECM Records, under the guidance of Manfred Eicher, placed him among the lineage of pianists such as Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, and Chick Corea. With drummer Ofri Nehemya and bassist Jorge Roeder, he recorded his first ECM album "The Dream Thief", later joined by trumpeter Philip Dizack for the second - "Human", both expanding the expressive language of the modern jazz quartet. Today, Maestro continues to evolve artistically with a new quartet featuring keyboardist Gadi Lehavi, drummer Ofri Nehemya, and bassist Jorge Roeder. Gadi, the new wild card in the group, brings a distinctive energy and vision; his presence as another pianist opens fresh possibilities for dialogue, texture, and experimentation between two keyboards. This lineup functions as a powerful, cohesive engine driving Maestro's musical exploration, blending jazz improvisation with modern production into a sound that is organic, cinematic, and forward-looking. In 2025, Maestro signed a long-term partnership with the Paris-based label naive records, a defining milestone that opened an expansive new chapter in his artistic life. The collaboration with naive marked a moment of renewal and bold creative ambition, setting the stage for a period of profound exploration. The first fruit of this partnership was his solo piano album, Solo: Miniatures & Tales. Introspective and deeply personal, it revealed the most intimate side of Maestro's artistry; a work of quiet reflection, nuance, and restraint. This album stands in deliberate contrast to the broader, outward-looking vision of his forthcoming project, The Guesthouse, highlighting the duality at the heart of Maestro's creative world: the tension between introspection and expansion. In March 2026, Maestro will release The Guesthouse, a record that features Portuguese singer MARO alongside Immanuel Wilkins, and Michael Mayo. The album represents a bold leap forward, combining the sensitivity of modern jazz with electronic sound design and the harmonic depth of classical music. The Guesthouse creates a lush, cinematic space where boundaries dissolve, embodying Maestro's exploration of openness and collaboration.

Quality Time in NYC is a vocal jazz project by Erik Leuthauser, recorded in New York with esteemed collaborators such as Alan Broadbent, Ken Peplowski, Allen Farnham, Steve LaSpina, and Rich DeRosa. The album features 19 tracks, including standards, rare gems, and one bonus track with Erik's original German lyric to Miles Davis's "Little Willie Leaps"

Experience Louis Armstrong at the height of his powers with this definitive 1959 Copenhagen concert, captured just months before his life changing heart attack. Drawn from newly restored Danish radio tapes, SCCD 36513 showcases Armstrong’s All Stars in explosive form—fiery “Tiger Rag,” soulful “Basin Street Blues,” a powerful “Black and Blue/Do You Know What It Means” medley, and joyous favorites like “Mack the Knife” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Featuring Velma Middleton, Trummy Young, Peanuts Hucko, Billy Kyle, Mort Herbert, and Danny Barcelona, this release reveals Armstrong’s unmatched stamina and emotional depth. Liner notes are by Ricky Riccardi, the Grammy winning Director of Research Collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum and one of the world’s leading Armstrong scholars. A major archival addition to the Armstrong discography, presented with SteepleChase’s renowned audio restoration.

The entire project is both spare and impossibly lush. While this may sound like a contradiction, it has everything to do with the virtuosic musicianship of pianist Art Hirahara and Jim Tomlinson, as well as Stacey's elegant and unadorned vocal approach. The opening track, Lucky To Be Me, works as an invitation to the theme of the album and uses the open space between vocal phrases to draw us in. And, while all of the tracks are worth an unadulterated listen, I'm going to list a few of my favorites, starting with La Javanaise, which is delivered with an almost offhanded musical precision and sung in Stacey's pitch-perfect French. The surprising warmth of Stacey's lower vocal range makes A Time For Love the intimate ballad it was meant to be. Jim's tenor sax does the same, so that his playing is the ideal complement to Stacey's voice. The entire album is a joy to listen to both musically and sonically. It was lovingly recorded and mixed by Jim (yet another of his talents) at their home studio in Virginia. - Cliff Goldmacher Stacey Kent is an American jazz singer in the mould of the greats, with a legion of fans, a host of honors and awards including a Grammy® nomination, album sales in excess of 2 million and more than one billion streams, and Platinum, Double-Gold, and Gold-selling albums that have reached a series of chart-topping positions. Stacey, a comparative literature graduate with a passion for music, travelled to Europe to further her studies after receiving her degree from Sarah Lawrence College in NY. Through a series of twists of fate, she found herself in London, where she enrolled in a graduate music program at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she met her future husband and musical partner, Jim Tomlinson. Kent's musical journey began with childhood piano lessons. A keen ear and true voice led her to search out opportunities to express her love of music. However, nothing suggested the shift from the academic path to the one that propelled her to international recognition as one of the foremost jazz singers of her generation. With a catalogue of 13 studio albums, including the Platinum-selling, Grammy®-nominated Breakfast On The Morning Tram (Blue Note/EMI 2007) and an impressive list of collaborations, Stacey has graced the stages of nearly 60 countries over the course of her career. Her worldwide fan base is testimony to her ability to express the emotional heart of her songs with delicately nuanced interpretations that transcend borders and defy categorization. Her unique multi-lingual repertoire includes standards, chanson, Bossa Nova, and originals written by Jim Tomlinson, her saxophonist/producer/composer/arranger husband, in collaboration with the Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, with whom they have worked since 2006. She has also recorded with Brazilian legends Marcos Valle, Roberto Menescal, and Danilo Caymmi, and the celebrated French string quartet, the Quatuor Ébène. Stacey's last studio album, Summer Me, Winter Me, was released in November 2023 on Naïve Records. A collection of fans' requests from her as-yet unrecorded concert repertoire, Summer Me, Winter Me entered the French jazz charts at number 1 and has quickly established itself as a new highlight in her discography. She now returns with A Time For Love, set to appear on April 3rd, 2026.

A Timeless Form, Reimagined for Today With Ya Man Itha, Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich brings to life an album she has carried in her heart for decades. It is a deeply personal tribute to the late Egyptian composer Fouad Abdel Majeed, whose music shaped her artistic voice from an early age. In this recording, Rima revisits ten of Abdel Majeed's Muwashahat-classical Arabic vocal compositions often set to poetry and marked by intricate rhythms and modes-and places them in dialogue with the colors and sensibilities of French chanson. At first glance, chanson may seem far removed from the Arabic Muwashah, yet both traditions share a deep commitment to poetic expression, lyrical nuance, and the marriage of words and harmony. This cross-cultural resonance became the spark for the ensemble's refined arrangements, created by Maarten Ornstein, Tony Overwater, and Juan Rodriguez. A Living Conversation Between Heritage and the Present For Rima, Ya Man Itha is not just a tribute - it is the fulfillment of a promise made thirty years ago. As a young singer of 13, she traveled to Cairo in early 1994 to meet Fouad Abdel Majeed. They spoke of making an album together; he even composed new works for her. But just months later, he passed away, and that dream was never realized. Now, three decades on, Rima returns to his music with rare recordings and cherished memories as her guide. The result is a living, breathing conversation between memory and renewal, past and present. An Ensemble Bound by Trust Joining Rima are musicians with whom she has shared a profound artistic bond for over 25 years: Maarten Ornstein (clarinet), Tony Overwater (double bass), and Joost Lijbaart (drums). Their long collaboration has created a rare musical language rooted in trust, openness, and deep listening. For the first time, they are joined by Juan Rodriguez (piano), whose youthful sensitivity and energy infused the music with new colors. Together, the ensemble recorded the album live, preserving the immediacy of performance and the intimacy of shared breath. The Arrangements - three by Tony, five by Maarten, and two by Juan - reflect the spirit of this project: respectful of tradition, yet unafraid to step into new terrain. With Ya Man Itha, Kepera Records is honored to present an album that embodies timeless heritage while speaking directly to the present moment - a musical promise finally kept

A Timeless Form, Reimagined for Today With Ya Man Itha, Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich brings to life an album she has carried in her heart for decades. It is a deeply personal tribute to the late Egyptian composer Fouad Abdel Majeed, whose music shaped her artistic voice from an early age. In this recording, Rima revisits ten of Abdel Majeed's Muwashahat-classical Arabic vocal compositions often set to poetry and marked by intricate rhythms and modes-and places them in dialogue with the colors and sensibilities of French chanson. At first glance, chanson may seem far removed from the Arabic Muwashah, yet both traditions share a deep commitment to poetic expression, lyrical nuance, and the marriage of words and harmony. This cross-cultural resonance became the spark for the ensemble's refined arrangements, created by Maarten Ornstein, Tony Overwater, and Juan Rodriguez.

AMARe is a musical tribute to the sea, to love, and to the ever-shifting tides of inspiration between Brazil and Europe. The title blends a mare (the tide) and amar e (to love is), capturing the album's essence: movement, emotion, and surrender. Vocalist Celine Rudolph, pianist Henrique Gomide, and guitarist João Luis Nogueira come together in an intuitive dialogue where Brazilian rhythms and jazz improvisation meet in perfect flow. The trio moves seamlessly between original compositions and fresh interpretations of classics by João Donato, Gilberto Gil, Toninho Horta, and Candeia. Each track resonates with freedom and connection whether in the poetic depth of Itacimirim, the rhythmic interplay of Toca da Arara, or the quiet beauty of Preciso Me Encontrar. AMARe is not a reconstruction but an organically grown musical language where tradition and modernity converge. With guest appearances by Toninho Horta and Teco Cardoso, this is a contemporary ode to Brazilian music authentic, exploratory, and timeless.

She's the Poem is a series of ten poetic portraits varying from someone you could run into on the streets to an icon like Frida Kahlo. It's an ode to realness: the beautiful and the ugly, raw and unpolished. With this album, Sara Bax shows she is a composer and musician, but mostly feels like an artist through music. She wants to take you to the centre of being, she wants to make you feel the sparkles of magic that flow right there. If you put your head under water, your thoughts go still. Just like when you listen to this band. Bax utilises the power of every band member so, that the group together sounds like a single strong organ that paints the air with a rich color palette.

Polyphony, contrast, expression - these timeless Baroque qualities find new life in Klara Cloud's latest work with The Vultures. This album unfolds as a deeply human journey through emotion, memory, and rebirth - a musical tale spanning from the first spark of life to the quiet afterglow of death. Each track opens a new chapter of introspection and feeling, the serene melancholy of Peony blossoms beside the flowing energy of Waterfalls, Se Tu Me Dimentihi brings Pablo Neruda's poetry to life, while Funeral transforms loss into light - a meditation on the kind of silence that already knows the way forward, at it's heart shines Stephanie - a symbol of endurance and wonder - framed in a soundscape as vivid and intricate as a Baroque painting. With contributions from an ensemble of masterful musicians - Mateusz Smoczynski (violin), Mateusz Gaweda (piano), Adam Tadel (double bass), Piotr Budniak (drums), and guest violinist Bartosz Dworak - Cloud's vision achieves both intimacy and grandeur. Produced by Klara Cloud and recorded in Poland's Sound & Wave Studio, this record captures the essence of transformation: fragile yet fearless, lyrical yet raw. Dedicated to her children, Stefania and Julian, the album stands as both a personal diary and a universal reflection - an echo of beauty born out of silence.

Em Julho is the second album by singer Elsa Johanna Mohr and guitarist Flávio Nunes, following their 2023 debut Passadinha. Recorded in Bonn in August 2025, the album brings together Brazilian classics and original songs in an intimate, warm setting shaped by voice, guitar, and subtle rhythmic detail. The repertoire moves from "Água de Coco" and "Tico-Tico no Fubá" to Mohr's own compositions, including "Beijo da Lua," "Jaguar," and the title track "Em Julho." Drawing on Mohr's deep connection to Brazilian language and culture and Nunes's virtuosic seven-string guitar playing, Em Julho blends Música Popular Brasileira, singer-songwriter intimacy, and jazz-inflected elegance. The result is a musical summer of warmth, longing, and Brazilian joie de vivre-light, lyrical, and transportive.

Here We Are finds acclaimed jazz vocalist Lori Williams at the heart of a soulful, cross-continental collaboration with top-tier European jazz artists. Born out of friendships from the Poysdorf Summer Jazz Workshop, the album blends original songs and timeless standards with Brazilian grooves, romantic ballads, and classic swing. Williams' warm, expressive voice shines across each track whether delivering heartfelt lyrics or improvising with grace and nuance. Backed by a band that listens and responds as one, Here We Are is a celebration of connection, creativity, and the joy of making music together.