When several of the greatest minds in modern music join forces, the result is a genre-defying masterpiece. MEMORY OF TOMORROW brings together the virtuosic talents of marimbist Mika Stoltzman, bassist Eddie Gomez, pianists Geoffrey Keezer and Anders Wihk, vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, and drummer Steve Gadd, who doubles as the producer of this all-star album. From the soulful melody of Eric Clapton's Layla to the infectious groove of Gadd's The Duke, the ensemble reimagines iconic works by several of modern history's most celebrated artists, from Sting to Chick Corea and more. A stunning blend of jazz, classical, and contemporary influences, this album is a celebration of virtuosity at it's finest.

La Bella Stella is the fifth release in the critically-acclaimed Celebrate Earth series from Recess Music. This album of children's music features many contrasting styles and teaches kids about galaxies, solar systems, and other wonders of our universe. These songs were chosen for La Bella Stella because they engage, educate, entertain, and encourage children to think about the natural setting of their lives to balance the 'virtual' world they live in. Just like the other discs in the Celebrate Earth series, La Bella Stella features engaging, fun tunes enjoyable for kids and parents alike!

PEGGO: In Love

Improvised Pieces for Trio

SAVEDOFF, Allen: Standing on Chairs

Recess Music is proud to present Celebrate Earth, the start of a children's music series with an environmental message. The fourteen songs on the disc display quality and commitment to making our planet a better place. Celebrate Earth is sure to entertain and educate kids of all ages. The album also has special features for your computer, including a sing-along, profiles of the musicians, and more!

Oscuro Quintet

An Imperfect Storm

On her debut Big Round Records release, Chat Chill Highline, composer Christina Rusnak presents works arranged for big band and large jazz ensemble, illustrating manners in which we interact with others and our environments such as conversing, observing and absorbing. + Composed during the rising popularity of internet chatrooms, Chat reflects on the energy and the sounds of movement, the multitude of voices, and the interweaving of conversations created in virtual and real social gatherings. + Chill captures the cool ambience of a jazz lounge with an air of relaxation, mixed with lively sections of swinging rhythms and solos, while HighLine emphasizes the expansiveness which outdoor spaces can provide for reflection, contemplation and wandering. + In the hands of a controlled yet nimble large jazz ensemble, Rusnak’s works form their own atmospheres by threading intricate dialogues and phrases among the instruments.

A Bissel Rhythm is composer and clarinetist Paul Green's PARMA Recordings debut, although it marks his second recorded exploration into the fusion between jazz and Jewish music. Green opens the album with the title track, A Bissel Rhythm, a reworking of the George Gershwin standard, "I Got Rhythm." Already interpreted by such astounding jazz players as Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins, Green turns the song into a Jewish expression by using traditional Hebrew scales, placing it in a minor Jewish-sounding key, and giving it a joyful, freilach (merry) fast tempo. That same joyful feeling is expressed in My Own Freilach, which should be familiar to anyone who has ever attended a Jewish wedding or bar mitzvah. Here, it is performed at near breakneck speed, leaving it to the players to see who can maintain the pace, whether they're playing the tune as written or improvising their own licks. With Doina and Ramble, the composer reimagines the funeral traditions of New Orleans, by placing the Doina, a klezmer form, in the context of an imagined New Orleans funeral. In this tradition, the slow funeral song would be followed by a joyful performance, which Green depicts in his piece Ramble. The Jewish March hearkens back to the time when Jewish musicians in Russia were often prohibited from playing loud instruments. When those musicians arrived in America, they let loose with drums, wind, and brass instruments. The Jewish March is a recreation of an early 20th century piece, complete with drum rolls - courtesy of Peter Sweeney - and plenty of loud, exuberant playing. This energy and spirit permeates the album as a whole, making for an experience that is as impressive as it is enjoyable to hear.

ESCAPADE, the latest Big Round Records release from composer Joseph T. Spaniola, brilliantly illuminates the many facets of his extensive body of work. Featuring pieces for symphonic orchestras and for small ensembles, ESCAPADE captures the composer's overall concept of his music as a journey, one defined as much by the listener's experience as it is by his own creative vision. Joseph T. Spaniola (b. May 7, 1963) is a composer on a passionate quest to engage the hearts and minds of audiences and performers through the communicative powers of music. Dr. Spaniola has composed works for band, orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, voice, choir, and electronic tape. His musical efforts have been rewarded with competition wins, medals and honors as the National Band Association/Revelli Memorial Composition Competition, the Global Music Awards, the Florida State Music Educators Commissioned Composer of 2016, the American Prize, numerous musical recordings, and scholarly investigation and reference of his works in publications and doctoral dissertations.

Dr. Juan Álamo is an internationally known performer, composer and educator. Originally from Cidra, Puerto Rico, Álamo has presented solo recitals at universities and percussion and jazz festivals throughout the U.S., Central and South America, Europe and the Caribbean. His début solo marimba recording Remembrance was released in 2007 and features standard marimba literature and original compositions. Currently Álamo is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Fusion lovers will enjoy the PARMA recordings debut of oboist Margaret Herlehy in this fresh, new collection of Latin-inspired jazz. Uniquely, oboe is the central instrument in each composition. Herlehy not only meets the demands of such a challenge but exceeds them. “Choro Negro” is a prime example. To the ear it should register as Brazilian, or even French, but it becomes something altogether different. The result, while experimental, is quite sensible leading the listener to wonder why he or she hasn’t heard the oboe in this capacity before. “Café 1930” is Herlehy’s opportunity to showcase her versatility with incredible depth in this introspective and solemn romanze. The other end of the spectrum is the fun and vibrant “Diabinho Maluco,” a flute and oboe duet reminiscent of the woodwind agility demonstrated in J.S. Bach’s great instrumental suites but delivered with the swagger of a modern Latin dance. On eight of the nine tracks appears guitarist David Newsam a regional powerhouse in the latin, jazz, and classical guitar community and a colleague of Herlehy at the University of New Hampshire. With Rosewood Café Margaret Herlehy is serving something exploratory and quite palatable. Enjoy!

IN SEA is jazz trombonist, conductor, arranger, and composer Henry Wolking’s debut album with Big Round Records. The works in this release do a fine job of representing Wolking’s talent for joining together many different styles, from Latin and rock to classical and swing. Performed by the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra, pieces on this track pay tribute to jazz icons of the past, such as Thad Jones and Bob Brookmeyer, who have been paramount in developing Wolking’s compositional style.

On TO ONE, Croatian-born Lela Kaplowitz delivers a collection of songs that expressively hearken back to the singer/songwriter era of the 1970s, reviving the spirit of such ground-breaking artists as Carole King, Laura Nyro, and Roberta Flack. Kaplowitz, who has been lauded by jazz vocal legend Sheila Jordan as "an extremely talented vocalist" and Bobby McFerrin as having a "wonderful voice," presents a nuanced m�lange of pop, soul, jazz, and even folk music on TO ONE. TO ONE opens with the folk rock-tinged Liila, which features an uplifting violin intro and lyrics delivering a timeless message. Capturing the essence of the 1970s, Human Tapestry is in many ways like a stylistic tribute to Carole King, and You Gave me Wings evokes the soulful, smooth vocals of Roberta Flack. Elevating messages flow throughout the tracks on TO ONE, whether the song be a funky ballad such as Love Is All There Is, or a cheerful pop declaration such as You Will See. The well-honed interplay of Kaplowitz's vocals with the animated, powerful, and almost vocal tone of her husband Joe Kaplowitz's organ performance shines in the spare yet animated With Every Breath. TO ONE closes with Love Prayer, an aptly titled song that reflects the spirit of inclusiveness and empowerment that permeates the entire album. Kaplowitz's biography states that she "gives something artistic to the world, making people look at ordinary things in a new way and inspiring them to see with a new perspective." TO ONE is a testament to that and more.