CONTRAFACTUS

When listening to and watching John Lee perform, there are qualities that you consistently hear and see. Lee exudes an unerring sense for swing, shows an instinct for knowing when to play intricate lines or an economy of notes, and above all, radiates deep joy. All of these qualities are front and center on Lee's exceptional debut recording as a leader, The Artist.

Jazz from The Pacific Northwest combines two previously unissued concert recordings from one of the greatest jazz drummers of all-time, Shelly Manne. The first recording features Monty Budwig on bass, Russ Freeman on piano, Stu Williamson on trumpet, and Herb Geller on flute and alto saxophone recorded at the Monterey Jazz Festival on October 4, 1958. The second recording features Hampton Hawes on piano, Frank Strozier on flute and alto saxophone, Conte Condoli on trumpet and guest vocalist Ruth Price on two tracks recorded at the Penthouse jazz club in Seattle on September 7 and 15, 1966. - The deluxe package includes an extensive booklet with essays by renowned archival producer Zev Feldman and label owner/producer/musician Cory Weeds, plus passages from Tim Jackson of the Monterey Jazz Festival, Charlie Puzzo Jr. From the Penthouse, and engineer/radio host Jim Wilke; interviews from musicians Jim Keltner, Peter Erskine, Ruth Price, Bill Holman and Joe LaBarbera; and rare photos and memorabilia. - New York City-born Manne rose to fame in the 1950s after moving to Los Angeles and is known as a founding father of the "West Coast Jazz" scene. He is highly regarded as one of the most versatile and talented drummers of the day performing with countless legends including Andre Previn, Sonny Rollins, Stan Kenton, Charlie Ventura, Kai Winding and many others. Manne teamed up with Previn and Leroy Vinnegar to produce the first jazz album of a Broadway score for their version of "My Fair Lady, " and he has numerous television/movie credits along with performing and composing scores. His recorded works include numerous albums for Capitol, Atlantic, Impulse!, Mainstream, Contemporary, Flying Dutchman and other international labels.

Clark Gibson - Counterclock - Counterclock refers to looking back and not discounting art you created in your early stages as an artist. Gibson has come to embrace and celebrate his compositions from yesteryear. He's joined by allstar band including Sean Jones - trumpet, Michael Dease - trombone, baritone saxophone (track 7) Pat Bianchi - b3 organ and Lewis Nash - drums who play Gibsons music beautifully.

This new album is the first of a series of live recordings from Smalls Jazz Club and Mezzrow. The SmallsLIVE Living Masters Series is funded entirely by grants from the SmallsLIVE Foundation. This live date from the world famous Smalls Jazz Club is led by long-time Sun Ra bassist Tyler Mitchell, & features legendary saxophonist Marshall Allen in a deeply soulful journey into the music of Sun Ra.

Eric Alexander - Timing Is Everything (180 Gram Black Vinyl) This titan of the sax saxophone is back in a small group setting, asserting himself as one of the finest to ever lay hands on a saxophone. - Although Eric has made several appearances on my label: One For All - Invades Vancouver, Michael Weiss - Persistence, The Heavy Hitters, Xaver Hellmeier - X-Man in New York and my record O Sole Mio, he has never appeared as a leader until now. When I started Cellar Live in 2000, recording a musician the stature of Eric Alexander was a dream-Eric enjoyed long stints with some pretty incredible record labels over the years and I wasn't ready to play in the BIG leagues at that point. But many incredible things have happened at the label since that time. And now that the opportunity to record him has come up, I am able to jump at the chance. - Timing Is Everything is an appropriate title for both this recording, but, as Eric explains, "for life in general." "When you're playing jazz music," he continues, "you can play all the right notes, but if you don't time them correctly, it's nothing... and when you do time them correctly, it's everything." Similarly, when talking about life, Eric states, "one of the few things that a human being possesses is their time. You don't own your life. You don't own your car. You only own your time. In order to have a fulfilled life, you have to protect your time and your timing. Timing is Everything because you can't get time back."

Eric Alexander - Timing Is Everything / Although Eric has made several appearances on my label: One For All - Invades Vancouver, Michael Weiss - Persistence, The Heavy Hitters, Xaver Hellmeier - X-Man in New York and my record O Sole Mio, he has never appeared as a leader until now. When I started Cellar Live in 2000, recording a musician the stature of Eric Alexander was a dream-Eric enjoyed long stints with some pretty incredible record labels over the years and I wasn't ready to play in the BIG leagues at that point. But many incredible things have happened at the label since that time. And now that the opportunity to record him has come up, I am able to jump at the chance. Timing Is Everything is an appropriate title for both this recording, but, as Eric explains, "for life in general." "When you're playing jazz music," he continues, "you can play all the right notes, but if you don't time them correctly, it's nothing... and when you do time them correctly, it's everything." Similarly, when talking about life, Eric states, "one of the few things that a human being possesses is their time. You don't own your life. You don't own your car. You only own your time. In order to have a fulfilled life, you have to protect your time and your timing. Timing is Everything because you can't get time back."

Andrea Superstein - Oh Mother / Oh Mother was inspired by Vancouver vocalist and composer Andrea Superstein's own experience as a mother. Between the trauma of birthing a baby and all of the physical changes a mother goes through, coupled with balancing a job, feeling out your new role and your place within the world: contrary to popular belief, mothering can be a very isolating experience. These dark times spurred a lot of questions that Superstein started asking. She wanted to know if the struggles she endured were universal: were they a sign of the times or just hers alone? Superstein interviewed close to 100 mothers to get at the root of motherhood. What were the common experiences, and why were people so afraid or unable to speak their truth? Based on these conversations she wrote music: some songs are one person's story, others are of the collective consciousness. Some a stark look at loss, others describe the heart-exploding feeling a parent can have towards their child. The album represents how all of these opposing feelings can coexist and shines a true light on the complicated, delicate, beautiful, traumatic and messy journey that is motherhood. As a singer "redefining jazz," Andrea is one of the most versatile voices in music today. Oh Mother is an ambitious tour de force highlighting her ever growing creativity and sensitivity as a songwriter and arranger. Expect powerful vocals, evoking the gentle and the strong, lithely navigating the colours of the emotional spectrum.

Michael Weiss will celebrate 40 years of living and working in NYC next year; a major milestone in a city full of brilliant jazz pianists. One of the busiest pianists and composers in jazz, Michael was a key member of the Johnny Griffin quartet for over 15 years, and is himself entering the status of jazz legend alongside some of his peers. A true double threat as a dazzling pianist along with a thoughtful and deep composer, Michael was recognized early on as a bright light in jazz, having won the BMI Thelonious Monk composer competition and place second in the Monk International Jazz Piano competition. With these accolades, it is fitting that Michael and the quartet choose to cover the Monk classic 'Epistrophy' on this fantastic album, his debut for Cellar Music Group. In addition to the nod to Monk, Michael selects 4 of his original compositions on his Cellar Music Group debut, coupled with some lesser known standards by Jimmy van Heusen and Antonio Carlos Jobim, finished off with the Fats Waller staple, Jitterbug Waltz. The band for this recording is truly stellar. Eric Alexander is himself one of the great instrumentalists of his generation, and the perfect foil to Michael on this exciting recording. Paul Gill and Pete van Nostrand are veterans of the New York jazz scene and the feeling of joyful swing and near-kinetic interplay are immediately apparent from the first song. Together, this quartet of burning New York jazz veterans bring a sophistication and soul to the recordings that can only be attained from decades of playing in the jazz capital of the world. Persistence is an apropros title for an album of musicians who have never given up on the mastery of their instrument, or this music.

TOM KEENLYSIDE - NIGHT AT THE ESPRESSO - One of Canada's great jazz flute and saxophone legends, Tom Keenlyside has been a part of the BC music scene for over 50 years. Tom has lent his talents to numerous legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Mel Torme, as well as rock legends like Aerosmith & Van Halen. This new release features new compositions from Tom & his longtime musical partner Miles Black, as well as a great selection of standards. The idea behind this new release was to pay tribute to the Espresso Coffee House, a major venue in Tom's musical upbringing in Vancouver. Even more importantly, the Espresso represented one of the places where artists would hang out in the early years as they grew up learning the art form. The ability to hang with your 'elders' and develop more knowledge of the craft, play with musicians better than you, and learn the 'art of the hang' are all parts of the jazz lexicon. This release celebrates that tradition and allows this fantastic musician the opportunity to work with some of Canada's finest artists - all soloists in their own regard. Although the album is called 'A Night At The Espresso', this is a studio album recorded beautifully at Pineapple Sound. The albums pays tribute to many nights at the espresso, but gives listeners a fantastic studio album from a fantastic cast of musicians including Brad Turner, Melody Diachun, long-time collaborator Miles Black, and Bernie Arai. CELLAR LIVE

To say that this recording is a collaborative musical effort is an understatement. Mark Crawford's sophisticated and thoughtful arrangements elevated my original compositions to new heights; the incredibly talented 12-piece string orchestra breathed life into those ideas; and Terry Clarke, Neil Swainson and Bernie Senensky formed an incomparable rhythm section, lending a level of heavy-hitting artistry than can only come from a prolific career forged in the tradition of jazz music. The compositions represent almost cinematic snapshots of people, places and experiences that influenced my life and music, from the birth of my daughter, celebrated in the up-tempo triadic Blues for Josie Rose to the western landscape of the Cariboo where I grew up, captured in the haunting strings of The Ballad of Buffalo Bill. Hearing 16 musicians performing this music together, live off the floor, was a dream come true. Recorded at a time when the arts need more than ever to be nurtured and recognized as an important part of our world, to me this album represents the excitement of creativity and the power of collaboration

Cory Weeds - Home Cookin' Home Cookin' is a continuation of saxophonist Cory Weeds' 1st little big band record. Featuring a line up of all-star Vancouver players captured by award winning engineer Sheldon Zaharko at Vancouver's Warehouse Studios Weeds plays the arrangements of Bill Coon and Jill Townsend magnificently. Highlights include Weeds beautiful ballad Blossoms In May and Weeds' fathers burner Corner Kisses.

Atley King - Unconditional / Atley King is Canada's leading young Jazz Vibraphonist. This new album features some of the finest musicians in Canada. - Atley King is Canada's leading young Jazz Vibraphonist. He has studied with some of the greatest living masters of the music, and has a respect for the tradition that runs deep. His latest album for Cellar Music, "Unconditional" showcases this with eight original compositions presented by some of the finest musicians in the country; Max Huberdeau, Brad Turner, David Caballero and Arvind Ramdas.

Mike Ledonne & Groover Quartet + Gospel Choir - Wonderful / Mike LeDonne expands the sound of the quartet with the most beautiful instrument of all - the human voice by way of a 14 piece gospel choir! - Love is the organic thread that ties the repertoire together. You could say this is a love letter to my wife Margaret and my daughter Mary (pictured on the cover) to whom the title track "Wonderful" is dedicated. It is also meant to shine a particularly bright light on my daughter Mary, who is multiply disabled and truly "Wonderful". I chose the titles for their significance to my life's journey after my daughter Mary made her entrance 19 years ago - a journey that has proven to me, without a doubt, that love is the most powerful force in the universe. I can't even begin to list all the incredible things I've learned from her, but it was my love for her that led me to start the Disability Pride Parade in New York City. The idea was to bring large numbers of the disability community out for a joyous day of celebrating who and what they really are: just another diverse and beautiful aspect of humanity. I hoped that once non-disabled people saw this big party coming down the street, they would want to join it, and that is exactly what happened. Once the hang was on, barriers and divisions fell away, and the word "disability" began to be redefined. When I started out, I had no idea how to create a parade or a non-profit organization, but through Mary I found strengths in myself that I didn't know I had. When people thank me for my work creating the parade, I always tell them it wasn't me - it was Mary. Mike LeDonne

Irv Grossman Sextet - Sound Advice - New York trumpeter Irv Grossman arrives at Cellar Music with a killer sextet configuration. New York trumpeter Irv Grossman arrives at Cellar Music with a killer sextet configuration. The 'Jazz royalty' rhythm section of Dave Hazeltine, Billy Drummond, and Todd Coolman is joined by horn players with a deep knowledge of jazz and a personal chemistry in Sam Dillon, Andrew Gould. Before this recording the band had played mostly famous arrangements of classic be-bop tunes but switched up for the album recording to include some lesser-known gems and some original Grossman compositions.