MEMENTO

Catherine Russell's Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Dot Time Records captures her GRAMMY-nominated artistry in a vibrant, career-defining performance. A powerhouse ensemble and vintage-inspired arrangements honor the Hot Club of New York and the rich lineage of swing, blues, and early jazz. Featuring "Now You're Talkin' My Language" and "Never Too Old to Swing."

TACTIL

MONTREUX, ZARAGOZA & RAMATUELLE JAZZ FESTIVALS

Jazz guitarist Bill Banfield's father just turned 100 years old. At a recent celebration, family and friends gathered virtually and in person to celebrate his life and ask his advice. Bill had been learning his father's lessons for years, but a recent phone conversation led his dad to give him the title for his new Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings album. As Bill tells it, he was speaking with his dad when he suddenly realized that he had something else that he needed to do. His father said, "Bill, I will talk to you, but you must TAKE TIME TO LISTEN." The words hit Bill like a thunderbolt, as his album was designed as encouragement to concentrate on the stories found deep in his music. Born and raised in Detroit, Banfield attended the prestigious arts magnet school, Cass Tech. He was mentored by two of the city's finest jazz guitarists, Kenny Burrell and Earl Klugh. He also learned from the examples of masters George Benson, John Scofield, Emily Remler, Pat Martino, and Jack Wilkins. Banfield calls his approach "solo-voiced guitar," reflecting his belief that imagination and emotion are essential ingredients in all great music, and that his playing comes directly from his heart. Banfield dedicates TAKE TIME TO LISTEN to Burrell and Klugh "to lift up these jazz guitar icons who greatly inspired and coached me as an early teen as I aspired to be like my heroes." Banfield's accomplishments range far beyond the scope of this album. His independent label JazzUrbane issued recordings featuring Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott), Grace Kelly, Greg Osby, and Terri Lyne Carrington. On the classical side, Banfield has composed 12 symphonies, 7 operas and 9 concerti, with performances of these works spanning most of North America's finest orchestras. A renowned educator, he is a Professor Emeritus from the Berklee School of Music and is currently an Artist-in-Residence at Longy School of Music at Bard College. He was the Arts and Culture correspondent for "The Tavis Smiley Show," and was hired by Quincy Jones in 2010 to create a national music curriculum and textbook revolving around American musical culture. Banfield has written several books, including volumes on Ornette Coleman, Kendrick Lamar, and Nikki Minaj.

Randy Weston is known to the public thru the lens of the small ensemble of the African Rhythm group, recognition that is very well deserved and his signature around the world. Randy Weston is not only in direct lineage of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, he was also the real integrator of African music into the Jazz World. In 1985 the city of Brooklyn honored Randy with a week-long tribute, culminating in a unique concert at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) on February 16. For this rare occasion, Randy assembled a dream ensemble - dancers, singers (including Andy Bey), and a big band like no other. The arrangements and conducting were entrusted to none other than Melba Liston - his trusted collaborator and musical sister. Melba, a brilliant trombonist and an even more masterful arranger, transformed Randy's compositions into grand orchestrations that paid tribute to his musical legacy. One of three releases marking the 100th birthday of Randy Weston. It features previously unreleased live material.

Electric is the seventh studio album from 2025 Billboard Artist of the Year and 19-time Billboard #1 guitarist producer Adam Hawley-a forward-thinking collection that pushes contemporary jazz deeper into the streaming era while staying rooted in melody, groove, and emotional connection. The album has already delivered two Billboard #1 singles-"Automatic" and "RollerSk8." "Automatic" blends polished guitar phrasing with an effortlessly catchy hook, mid-tempo pocket, and sleek modern production-ideal for core smooth jazz playlists that balance accessibility with musicianship. "RollerSk8," by contrast, leans into playful rhythmic motion and nostalgic funk undertones, offering a bright, feel-good energy that keeps listeners engaged without overpowering the mood. The album also features marquee appearances by Dave Koz, Everette Harp, Marion Meadows, Jeff Ryan, and Kat Hawley-artists whose audiences align strongly with smooth jazz streaming demographics. These collaborations add tonal variety while preserving cohesion: soaring saxophone lines, silky melodic exchanges, and conversational improvisation moments that elevate the project without drifting from playlist-friendly structure.

My current project is called Omniphoria... a title conceived by Mary Suzanne Garvey (my wife/partner for many years). Mary also provides the lovely painting for the cover art. The project consists of 13 tracks featuring several of my longtime associates and musicians from years of making music, Dan Balmer, Dave Captein, Doug Durbrow and several others joined me. We were even able to squeeze in a live track from my band in 1989. And I was thrilled to record a piano/voice duet with my brother Mukunda who joins me in a song from the world of Hare Krishna of which he is a founding devotee.

ALL BEFORE YESTERDAY

LYRIC

The new recording project by La Compagnia del Madrigale is dedicated to the Ninth Book of Madrigals (1588) by Giaches de Wert. Wert-Flemish by birth but active for most of his life in Italy at the Gonzaga court in Mantua-embodies the figure of the great composer capable of transcending fashion to create art that, as they used to say in the sixteenth century, is destined to remain durable and eternal. The Ninth Book, published during a period of personal tribulation and heartbreak over his thwarted love for the poetess Tarquinia Molza, marks a pinnacle of artifice and pathos. Here, Wert explores the heights of Petrarch's Canzoniere, alongside verses by Torquato Tasso, Jacopo Sannazaro, and Battista Guarini, alternating luminous courtly homages with an innovative lyricism that foreshadows the style of Carlo Gesualdo. La Compagnia del Madrigale - one of the world-leading ensembles in the performance of Monteverdi, Marenzio, Gesualdo, and Rore - delivers these pages with absolute artistic excellence.

WHISKY SCENTED KISSES

GIANTS is jazz guitarist Barry Greene's most fully realized recording to date-a powerful tribute to the players who shaped his musical voice, including Pat Martino, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery, and Russell Malone. Spanning organ trio, modern ensemble, and solo guitar settings, the album reflects a lifetime of deep immersion in the jazz tradition, delivered with authority, swing, and an unmistakable personal voice. With Pat Bianchi on B3 organ and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., Greene captures the raw energy and soulful drive of the classic organ trio. The broader sound palette of his quintet setting with David Kikoski on piano, Steve Nelson on vibraphone, bassist Marco Panascia, and Owens, yields richly textured performances that balance fire, lyricism, and harmonic depth. More than a tribute, Giants is a statement-an artist at the peak of his powers honoring the lineage while speaking unmistakably in his own voice. "Monster chops, soulful feel, full/rich classic jazz tone, and virtuosic harmonic techniques establish him as a top-tier guitarist." - Benedetto Guitars. Barry Greene is just about one of the best; not only as a player, but also as a writer and a teacher & a world-class musician. Pat Martino

Vivaldi's famous Four Seasons are dedicated to Count Wenzel von Morzin from Prague. In 1718, he traveled to Venice with his 'virtuosissimo orchestra' and hired Vivaldi as 'maestro di musica italiano'. This marked the beginning of an era of close musical exchange between Venice and Prague. This relationship, which shaped an entire generation of Czech composers, is the focus of Vivaldi in Prague. The program includes concertos by Franti�ek Jir�nek, who was employed in Count Morzin's chapel and studied in Vivaldi's circle in Venice from 1724 to 1726, and by Anton�n Reichenauer, whose musical thinking was strongly influenced by Vivaldi's school. The program is complemented by a bassoon concerto by Vivaldi dedicated to Count Morzin, an aria from a Vivaldi opera performed in Prague in 1730, and two arias from Vivaldi pasticcios reconstructed by Robert Rawson for this production. These pasticcios were compiled by the Venetian impresario Antonio Denzio from popular Vivaldi operas and presented to Prague audiences with new texts, including some in Czech.

One of three releases marking the 100th birthday of Randy Weston. It features previously unreleased live material. Randy Weston is known to the public thru the lens of the small ensemble of the African Rhythm group, recognition that is very well deserved and his signature around the world. Randy Weston is not only in direct lineage of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, he was also the real integrator of African music into the Jazz World. Brooklyn, a cradle of jazz history and home to countless musical legends like Max Roach, Duke Jordan, and Cecil Payne, celebrated one of it's finest with a weeklong tribute at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). "African Sunrise"-also presented that year at the Kool Jazz Festival in Chicago with Machito's orchestra featuring Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Griffin, Art Blakey, and Richard Davis (a recording of that event exists!)-appears here in an arrangement by Melba Liston, showcasing her genius once again.

DYNASTY

A compilation of jazz hits including "The Way You Look Tonight", "Moondance", "Cheek To Cheek" and more; performed by legendary jazz musicians Beegie Adair, Jack Jezzro, Stephen Kummer, and more.

THAT'S THE STUFF: THE SINGLES COLLECTION 1940-57

In 1696, the Salzburg court conductor Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber described his print of seven chamber suites ("Partien") for two string instruments and basso continuo as "artful vocal harmony" in ornate Latin. These trio sonatas are of a special kind, because the two upper voices are not limited to the typical imitations practised in Italy at that time, but Biber allows the solo voices to be played in a free, expressive manner. He allows them to shine in a different light in virtuoso interplay above the bass foundation, repeatedly in full-bodied polyphony or in chords. In addition, new timbres are created through the use of the violin, viola and viola d'amore in various combinations and the 'detuning' of the strings (scordatura) to achieve different string tensions and thus give the instruments a sharper or softer sound. This recording is the third installment of the Biber recordings with Harmonie Universelle.

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