The King's Singers: Live at Christmas captures the celebrated vocal sextet in a live performance recorded at Temple Church, London, on 16 January 2026. Spanning nine centuries of music, the programme moves from medieval plainchant and O Antiphons through Renaissance polyphony to beloved modern carols and seasonal pop, including world premiere recordings of newly commissioned arrangements. Throughout the concert, the singers perform from several different areas of the church, creating varied acoustic effects. Contributions from both longstanding collaborators and the singers themselves reflect the group's ongoing commitment to expanding the choral repertoire.
A focused portrait of Britten alongside a little-known but significant British contemporary, marking both the 50th anniversary of Britten's death and the centenary year of Arthur Oldham's birth. Under Michael Waldron, the London Choral Sinfonia pairs Britten with the one composer he privately mentored: Arthur Oldham. The program brings together familiar works by Britten with a substantial selection of Oldham's choral music, placing the two composers in direct conversation. At the center is Britten's Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, a cycle of nocturnal poetry (Tennyson, Blake, Keats and others) framed by the horn's natural harmonics in the Prologue and Epilogue. Horn soloist Annemarie Federle and Tenor Nick Pritchard trace it's shifting atmosphere, with string accompaniment from the London Choral Sinfonia. Britten's Te Deum in C appears in the rarely heard orchestrated version for strings and harp, presented here as a world premiere recording. Oldham's music completes the program: the cantata Laudes Creaturarum on the text of St Francis of Assisi (with Carolyn Sampson), the carol Remember, O thou man, and the ceremonial Sacerdos et Pontifex for chorus and organ - also recorded here for the first time.
The London Choral Sinfonia marks it's 10th anniversary with On Christmas Night, a festive collection of classic carols in vivid new orchestrations. Featuring soprano Emma Bell and young star treble Malakai Bayoh, the album blends favorites such as "Silent Night," "Walking in the Air," "O Holy Night," and "In the Bleak Midwinter" with world-premiere arrangements and sparkling new works. This is a recording that captures the spirit of Christmas with freshness and warmth.
With a career spanning close to 50 years, and having sold millions of albums and performed to sold out concert audiences all over the world, Michael Franks is the quintessential romantic jazz poet. His impeccably warm, serene vocals combined with sophisticated, witty lyrics and heartfelt melodies have resulted in modern classics like "The Lady Wants To Know," "Popsicle Toes," and "When Sly Calls." Superstars from Diana Krall to The Carpenters to Patti LaBelle have covered his songs and he has performed with everyone from Patti Page to David. Produced by the likes of Gil Goldstein (Esperanza Spalding, Chris Botti, Jill Scott) and Chuck Loeb (Fourplay) and featuring such legendary musicians as Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello, John Mayer) and David Spinoza (James Taylor, John Lennon, Aretha), Time Together delivers the sensual warmth for which Michael Franks is famous. Special guest Jason Mraz and Michael team up for a spirited duet on the Franks original "I'd Rather Be Happy Than Right." Other highlights include the super cool "Charlie Chan In Egypt," the intimate "Time Together," the bossa-inflected "Samba Blue," "Summer In New York" and more - all written by Michael Franks and destined to join his distinguished list of classic songs.
Dido's famous lament, 'When I am laid in earth' has long featured in Joyce DiDonato's repertoire - and she has triumphed as the tragic Queen of Carthage in Berlioz's Les Troyens - but it was in early 2024 that she first performed Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas in it's entirety. With Il Pomo d'Oro, conductor Maxim Emelyanychev, and a cast including Fatma Said as Dido's companion Belinda, DiDonato toured extensively in Europe. This recording was made in Essen's Philharmonie, where Michael Spyres took the role of Aeneas. The two stars have been through this all before, as Spyres sang Enee to DiDonato's Didon in the prizewinning Erato recording of Les Troyens, conducted in 2017 by the late John Nelson.
Michael Spyres is a singer who challenges and reshapes perceptions - as his albums BariTenor and Contra-Tenor have shown. Now, preparing for his debut at the Bayreuth Festival in Summer 2024, he searches In the Shadows to reveal more about Wagner and the origins of his music dramas. "Wagner evokes a varying spectrum of emotions - awe, ecstasy, even trepidation," explains Spyres. "This album endeavours to illuminate the composers who languish in the shadows, who formed the foundation of Wagner's compositions and sculpted the framework of vocal writing for the Wagnerian tenor." In the Shadows culminates with three arias by Wagner - from Lohengrin and the lesser-known Die Feen and Rienzi. Preceding them are early 19 th century arias by composers of the French, German and Italian schools: Mehul, Beethoven, Rossini, Meyerbeer, Weber, Auber, Spontini, Bellini and Marschner. Spyres' distinguished companions in his exploration are the players of Les Talens Lyriques and their conductor Christophe Rousset. Michael Spyres's new album seeks to illuminate the composers who "languish in the shadows": those who formed the foundation for Wagner's compositions and sculpted the vocal writing framework of the Wagnerian tenor. In performing and exploring works by pre-Wagnerian composers such as Auber, Bellini, Berlioz, Mehul, Meyerbeer, Rossini, and Spontini, he shines a light on the influences that shaped Wagner into the legendary composer he became. For Michael Spyres, Mehul and Spontini laid the groundwork for Wagner's orchestral and dramatic palette; Meyerbeer, Halevy, and Rossini shaped his understanding of compositional form, overtures, and the structural nuances of storytelling. On the his most recent album, Contra-Tenor, Gramophone wrote: "... it's an enthralling disc as one might expect, and the best of it is sensational indeed."
After a miraculous triumph over a four year battle with a rare form of misdiagnosed Cancer that had him at death's door, internationally renowned pianist/composer Michael Wolff continues to celebrate his incredible recovery and life on "Memoir, " his first studio album in four years, set for release August 2, 2024 on Sunnyside Records. The highly anticipated collection will be available on Amazon, Spotify, iTunes, and Wolff's website (www. Michaelwolff. com) or wherever you purchase your music. Wolff is known for playing with a Who's Who of jazz legends from Cal Tjader, Cannonball Adderly, and Sonny Rollins, to his mentor and friend, Bill Evans, to Herbie Hancock, Nancy Wilson, (he was also her musical director, ) Sheila E. , Christian McBride and so many more. In pop culture he's best known for his five-year run as the musical director and bandleader for Arsenio Hall on the star's award-winning, late night TV talk show. "Memoir" features Wolff in his trio with longtime collaborators bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard, the 11-track collection is a deeply inspired compilation of new music and fresh interpretations of some of Wolff's favorite unreleased original compositions he decided to revisit. True to it's title, "Memoir" is a rhythmically dynamic, yet simultaneously soulful exploration that showcases the rich, intricate quality of Wolff's playing and the musicianship of all three artists. With over 21 solo albums to his credit, "Memoir" is one of Wolff's most personal and significant records to date. "I wanted every note and song to resonate emotionally with the listener and reflect the journey of my experiences. This album conveys a feeling that's very personal and thoughtful, but still has great energy, " stated Wolff. That 'personal feeling' is expressed in several ballads reflective of Wolff's more contemplative playing and composition, most notably on the charming and seductive "Afternoon" written spontaneously at the piano while his wife, actress/writer/director Polly Draper was busy in the kitchen on a sunny New York afternoon. A melancholy feeling is also expressed in another reflective piece, (and the album's sole cover, ) "You've Changed. " Originally popularized by Billie Holiday, Wolff's interpretation evokes an emotional and tactile feeling, motivated by his memory of finally waking up after so long and beginning the process of exploring his inner self. The record is a musical expression of Wolff's amazing life story and how his experiences have impacted his evolution as a musician whose fresh perspectives continue to move his music forward. "Memoir" follows the publication of Wolff's recent Amazon best-selling autobiography, "On That Note: A Memoir of Jazz, Tics and Survival, " which chronicles his life and musical career from his unique roots growing up in the segregated south, his lifelong struggle with Tourette's Syndrome, to his rise to fame in the jazz world and pop culture, and ultimately his amazing conquest over the grueling, life-threatening battle with the rare cancer that almost stole his life. "The pieces on 'Memoir' truly reflect who I am today as an artist and person, " he adds. "Having gone through the frightening cancer battle and facing my mortality has made me a more mature artist. Writing the book was like finding myself and this music reflects and builds on my personal story of struggle and ultimately triumph over the odds. " Wolff explains. "My intention was to create an album that would be an important testament to my life and music. I wanted to make everything as meaningful as I could, not pushing for anything specific, but simply going with the feeling. With this material I was a musical explorer, able to find the melody within the melody, always at the mercy of inspiration.. " Wolff expressed.
Gounod: Faust / Ettinger, Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra
Opus Arte
DVD
$24.99Jul 05, 2024
Disillusioned with life, the aged philosopher Faust calls upon Satan to help him. The devil Méphistophélès appears and strikes a bargain with the philosopher: Faust can have youth and the love of the beautiful Marguerite, but only in exchange for his soul... Gounod’s masterpiece is given the grandest of Royal Opera stagings in David McVicar’s richly layered and theatrically exuberant production, with the drama moved to Second Empire Paris, spectacular sets and costumes, and extensive dance. Michael Fabiano as a seductively witty Faust, Erwin Schrott as a devilish Méphistophélès and Irina Lungu as a passionate Marguerite are joined by the Royal Opera Chorus and a cast of Royal Opera favourites. Dan Ettinger conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Gounod’s gloriously tuneful score.
Disillusioned with life, the aged philosopher Faust calls upon Satan to help him. The devil Méphistophélès appears and strikes a bargain with the philosopher: Faust can have youth and the love of the beautiful Marguerite, but only in exchange for his soul... Gounod’s masterpiece is given the grandest of Royal Opera stagings in David McVicar’s richly layered and theatrically exuberant production, with the drama moved to Second Empire Paris, spectacular sets and costumes, and extensive dance. Michael Fabiano as a seductively witty Faust, Erwin Schrott as a devilish Méphistophélès and Irina Lungu as a passionate Marguerite are joined by the Royal Opera Chorus and a cast of Royal Opera favourites. Dan Ettinger conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Gounod’s gloriously tuneful score.
This was a dream band to write for and play with," alto saxophonist Michael Thomas says of Manuel Valera, Matt Brewer and Obed Calvaire, his A-list rhythm section on Illusion of Choice, his Criss Cross debut, and fourth leader album. "These musicians can play any style and sound like it's the only thing they play. I wanted to explore these different areas and cohere them into an album, not sound like tunes stuck together for a CD. Everything was on the table. I wasn't afraid to develop whatever ideas I came up with, and see where they went.
Gershwin Rhapsody - Jean-Yves Thibaudet & Michael Feinstein / Commemorating the 1924 premiere of Rhapsody in Blue, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet collabs with Michael Feinstein, the 'one-man encyclopaedia of the Great American Songbook' to celebrate the magic of Gershwin. Gershwin Rhapsody sees best-loved Gershwin melodies sit alongside world premiere recordings of 4 rediscovered Gershwin songs: 'Graceful and Elegant', 'Dance of the Waves', 'Sutton Place' and 'Under the Cinnamon Tree'. The album also includes a medley based on Rhapsody in Blue comprising a selection of piano duos, solos and Feinstein vocals featuring the music of George & Ira Gershwin. The two also perform a Gershwin-esque setting of Vincent Youman's classic tune, 'Tea for Two' and the programme rounds off with 'Jasbo Brown Blues' from Porgy & Bess. Michael Feinstein and Jean-Yves Thibaudet extensively toured this programme around the US under the title 'Who Could Ask For Anything More?' including a date at Carnegie Hall on December 13th.
Michael Weiss - Homage Michael Weiss' new album affords us one of the most intimate and sustained views of his artistry to date. 'Homage' is a collection of compositions and arrangements that his trio have been developing and refining organically on the bandstand over many years. Featuring Weiss on piano, Paul Sikivie on bass and Pete Van Nostrand on drums and showcasing their subtle chemistry and rhythmic precision.
Michael Spyres's new album, recorded with the fabulous Il Pomo d'Oro under Francesco Corti, features works by Handel, Hasse, Mazzoni, Pergolesi, Porpora, Sarro, Scarlatti, Vinci, Vivaldi, and more - spanning even to Mozart. He states, "In truth, this album's concept was born out of my research to find the absolute extremes of the human voice whether it be yodeling, tuvian throat singing, overtone singing, or the many categories of the classical voice. There has never been an album dedicated to this era of vocal history which is by all accounts uncategorizable by the fach system not to mention virtually unsingable to most singers in the present day".
An intriguing element of Michael Feinberg's superb Criss Cross debut is that the leader could easily have titled it "Bassist In The Background" (Fans of Duke Ellington's wonderful 1960 LP Pianist In The Background will know what I mean.) Throughout Blues Variant - which includes six tunefully percolating originals by Feinberg, one by tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger, and one by pianist Leo Genovese - the 35-year-old bass maestro hews to the mantra, "If you want to hear me solo, come to a gig, where I often play a solo on every tune". The Album was recorded January 17, 2022 at the Samurai Hotel Recording Studio in NY. Recording engineer Mike Marciano also did the editing, mixing and mastering at Systems Two in NY. Photography by Anna Yatskevich.
For Pianist Michael Wollny, songs are like ghosts. His new album "Ghosts" is a gathering of some of the ghosts that regularly haunt him. Typically for Wollny, they range from classics like Franz Schubert's "Erlkonig" to jazz standards, film music, songs with a certain fragility by Nick Cave, say, or the band Timber Timbre, and also include his own darkly evocative original compositions.
October 18, 1987 was a very special day for the two brothers Michael Brecker & Randy Brecker. For years both had conquered the stages of the world together with their band Brecker Brothers and earned the reputation of being among the world's leading jazz musicians on their instruments, the saxophone and the trumpet.
For Pianist Michael Wollny, songs are like ghosts. His new album "Ghosts" is a gathering of some of the ghosts that regularly haunt him. Typically for Wollny, they range from classics like Franz Schubert's "Erlkonig" to jazz standards, film music, songs with a certain fragility by Nick Cave, say, or the band Timber Timbre, and also include his own darkly evocative original compositions.
Ravel: Prix de Rome Cantatas / Rophé, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire
BIS
SACD
$34.99May 06, 2022
Between 1803 and 1968, the Grand Prix de Rome marked the zenith of composition studies at the Paris Conservatoire. In Maurice Ravel’s time the competition included an elimination round (a fugue and a choral piece) followed by a cantata in the form of an operatic scena. The entries were judged by a jury which generally favoured expertise and conformity more than originality and Ravel’s growing reputation as a member of the avant-garde was therefore hardly to his advantage, and may explain why he never won the coveted Premier Grand Prix, and the three-year stay at Rome’s Villa Medici that went with it.
The present set brings together all the vocal works that Ravel composed for the Prix de Rome – five shorter settings for choir and orchestra and three cantatas, each with three characters taking part in a plot which followed a more or less fixed sequence of introduction, recitative and aria, a duet, a trio and a brief conclusion. First published more than half a century after Ravel’s death, these test pieces for the Prix de Rome have never acquired the popularity of his other early works, such as Pavane pour une infante défunte, Jeux d’eau or the String Quartet. They are worth more than their reputation as academic exercises might suggest, however, and deserve to be better known, especially when performed by Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire and Pascal Rophé and a team of vocal soloists including Véronique Gens and Michael Spyres.
REVIEWS:
This two-disc set brings together all of these rare vocal pieces by the composer: five shorter settings for choir and orchestra, and three cantatas, each with three characters taking part in the plot, which followed a more or less fixed sequence of introduction, recitative and aria, a duet, a trio and a brief conclusion. First published more than half a century after Ravel's death in 1937, these test pieces for the Prix de Rome have never acquired the popularity of his later and more mature works, but they are no mean pieces and are worth more than their reputation as academic exercises might suggest. These are compositions that are deftly crafted, full of attractive melodies, harmonically refined, and very often deeply sensitive. Indeed, they encapsulate all of the future Ravel hallmarks that were to make him one of the twentieth century's leading French composers.
Pascal Rophé draws some convincing performances and, in his hands, the music has an immediacy that keeps it consistently fresh and vivid. More than a collector's item which should attract the interest of all music lovers - Ravel aficionados in particular. Sonics and booklet notes are first-rate.
The Michael Bisio Quartet is a new kindred-spirit assembly featuring the veteran bassist alongside Mat Maneri (viola), Karl Berger (vibraphone) and Whit Dickey (drums). Their melodiously alluring debut album, MBefore, features the four virtuoso improvisers communing on a set of original compositions by Bisio & Berger, plus a free-minded take on the standard "I Fall in Love Too Easily". Michael Bisio has earned just praise for his textured solo performances as well as collaborations with the likes of veteran multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee. But it's perhaps his 13-year membership in the Matthew Shipp Trio that has earned him widest renown, having toured on both sides of the Atlantic along with recording numerous albums with the pianist. Cadence magazine marveled over the way Bisio's playing "seems to be produced by sorcery." From the liner by Matthew Shipp: "Michael Bisio is one of the greatest bassists on the planet - but this album isn't about his bass playing. It's about his humanity. Bisio is a thoughtful group leader who has a knack for bringing the right people together and setting them up in such a way that they feel at one with the group dynamic." MBefore is about the ensemble and it's collective consciousness - it's about the group aesthetic, with the resulting sound having a transparent quality. With vibes and viola, there's a sonic clarity, even a kind of sweetness. That clarity and transparency allows the contrapuntal quality of the music to be fully revealed - you can hear everyone's lines at once, and the subtle harmonies created by the crossing of those individual lines.
When we come to live with dogs we don't think, at first, about the proto-dogs some tens of thousands of years ago who first wandered into a group of humans and was taken in. We don't think, at first, about the subsequent years of shaping and molding and breeding and refining and tailoring that has resulted in the specimen of dog who appears before us today. And we definitely don't think, at first, about how profound it will be for each of us that this creature has wandered into human life - into our life. By the time we start thinking about these things, we are well on our way to the inevitable: the end of the lives of this animal - this character - who has slipped into our lives, our minds, our hearts. To live with dogs is eminently familiar - even ordinary, at first glance. But glance more, look closely at that warm form in your room looking back at you, and you see how unordinary it is. This keen-nosed, preternaturally agile and responsive animal, whose ancestors lived in earthen dens, who coursed together to take down large prey, is in your home - and you have forged a bond with them. The bond exists beyond words, forged in touches and gestures and gaze. They've become the breath we expect in the room, the greeting we anticipate at the door, the responsiveness that we look for from the world. Then they are gone, one day. They exit your room with the same abruptness with which they entered. In their absence the room is chilly, the world is flat. The Normyn Suites is an elegy; to listen is to spend time in that space of loss, reckoning, questioning, and mourning. At the same time, though, with each note, each phrase, we are propelled back into life. To listen is to hear that heart beat again in your head; it is to fill that room with warmth and meaning. It is to remember their presence, the softness of their ears, the affection in a lick. You can feel their pools of eyes gazing at you. You know they are running across that field, just out of your view. They are just behind that door, in the other room, down the hall. You nearly hear the thump of their wagging tail on the floor. I used to think of the end of a dog's life only as absence. But it is also a presence, for they, irrevocably, change us. I am half me, half the dogs I've known. And I'd have it no other way. Normyn, a long-eared, short-legged spirit, is woven into Leonhart's music, and I now am pleased to say I know her, too." -Alexandra Horowitz (author of "Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know")
2022 release. Michael Feinstein reimagines the timeless Gershwin songbook through the contemporary lens of country music. Co-produced by Kyle Lehning, Gershwin Country pairs Feinstein with the biggest names in country, including Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Brad Paisley and Rosanne Cash. Booklet includes new liner notes. A portion of all album proceeds will benefit MusiCares, the charitable wing of The Recording Academy, which provides critical health and welfare services to members of the music community.
An album with a mission to defy classification, BariTenor is a tour de force for Michael Spyres. It ranges wide, encompassing repertoire normally assigned to both tenors and baritones. Programming 18 arias by 15 composers, it covers three centuries of opera in Italian, French and German, setting mainstream works beside relative rarities, and rediscovering Etienne Mehul's Ariodant, first heard in 1799. Michael Spyres has achieved renown as a multi-faceted tenor, but 'baritenor' is the term he uses to describe his voice, which balances brilliant high notes with a robust lower register. "Having started off as a baritone, I spent 10 years turning myself into a tenor. Voices like mine have existed as long as opera has existed, and the entire programme of this album is linked by the baritenor technique. I am making an honest attempt to explore the baritenor as a forgotten vocal phenomenon... For me, this album is more than a dream come true." Joining Spyres are the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg under it's Chief Conductor Marko Letonja, and the male singers of the chorus of the Opera du Rhin.
The moving performances on Mike Clark and Michael Zilber's Mike Drop show that kindred spirits can be found no matter the distance. Though both Clark and Zilber came from the West Coast, they found their connection in a love of the serious soul of one of New York City's distinctive styles: a seriously swinging, free range jazz.
Complete on CD for the first time, the Deutsche Grammophon legacy of cult violinist Johanna Martzy, and of violist Michael Mann. Five original DG albums complete on two CDs. The brilliant tone and discriminating taste of the recordings made by Johanna Martzy (1924-79) mark her out among the finest violinists of her generation. Her EMI albums, supervised by Walter Legge, were once highly prized rarities. However, her recording career began with DG, who partnered her with two of their star conductors, Ferenc Fricsay and Eugen Jochum, in concertos by Dvorak (1953) and Mozart (No 4, from 1955). She had performed the Dvorak with Fricsay in concert, and their recording preserves a harmonious meeting of two fierily temperamental artists, widely rated among the best of the non-Czech recordings of the work. Plans for Martzy to record Tchaikovsky's concerto were abandoned when Legge poached her for HMV/EMI but subsequently lost interest. We are left with a small, precious legacy which opened in 1951, in the dying days of 78rpm recording, with her most constant recital partner, Jean Antonietti, at the piano. Encore pieces by Ravel, Milhaud, Falla and Szymanowski capture her Hungarian fire but do not represent her inclination away from virtuoso repertoire and towards the great sonatas and concertos. Mozart's F major Sonata followed, and then Beethoven's Op. 30 No. 3 as a coupling for the Mozart. When Martzy's encore pieces were reissued on LP, they were coupled in original fashion with two modern viola sonatas played by Michael Mann (1919-76), son of the novelist Thomas Mann. Mann's DG recordings were completed a few months later in May 1952 with the Quatre visages of Milhaud, issued on a seven-inch 45rpm disc; with this release they reach CD for the first time. In his time Mann was recognised as a fine musician in his own right and not merely his father's son. He played in the San Francisco Symphony before teaching German literature at the University of California, Berkeley. Tully Potter provides the fascinating background note.
Natural Habitat is a collection of music composed over the last decade, much of it written around the time I moved from Boston to New York City. During my first few years living here, I would frequently travel back and forth to perform, and the excitement and energy I felt at that time is expressed in these songs. The title track is the oldest tune we recorded - when it was composed in 2009, the manuscript simply said "Untitled Swing". For a while, that title stuck and became somewhat of a joke when I would play it on gigs, but in 2018, I was back in Boston and found myself performing it again at the same venue (and with some of the same musicians) as when I had composed it nearly a decade before. The title Natural Habitat came to me, as it suddenly felt like I knew where that tune belonged. // The other music on this recording was written while I was settling into life in New York City - which now feels like my natural habitat, both physically and musically. I chose material for this project that represents how I feel living and working in this environment. The variety of meters, forms, and intensities heard in these songs mirrors the unpredictability of daily life here, but the excitement and energy I feel when performing in this city is unparalleled. -Michael Thomas
Modern day record producers often find themselves in the unfortunate position of hiring studio fixers and technology experts to make presentable records. This project required none of that. Simply putting 4 masters of the craft together on stage at a jazz club in Los Angeles and engaging a Grammy winning recording engineer to capture it all over 2 magical nights of live performance was all that was required. The fact that Michael Wolff, Mark Isham, Mike Clark and John B. Williams had known each other for their entire careers only enhanced the whole enterprise. The camaraderie and mutual respect is apparent in every track. From the heartfelt ballads of Wolff and Wayne Shorter to the high energy of Wolff's Lagniappe" (the 13th treat of a baker's dozen), to the groove of Clark's "Loft Funk", the listener is included in improvisational music making at it's finest. So sit back and enjoy the ride..." -Nic. tenBroek, Producer (Los Angeles, CA)
Since its inception in 1972 one of SteepleChase’s enduring policies has been to discover new talents who deserve recognition. Michael Feinberg, bassist/composer originally from Atlanta, Georgia is one of them. Feinberg with seven leader albums up his sleeve may not be labelled as a new comer but this is his debut release on this label which prides itself with the rich tradition of great bass players such as Red Mitchell, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Sam Jones, Jay Anderson, Scott Lee, just mention a few.
Feinberg leads here a formidable band with two horn-front by one of the most influential saxophonists Dave Liebman on soprano and young elite Noah Preminger on tenor whose SteepleChase debut album, by the way, is on its way.
"Feinberg’s original material is fresh and refreshingly free of empty complexity, giving his group... material that they can stretch out on without getting lost in technique. " (Irish Times)
“He’ll be attracting widespread attention before you know it." (Jazz Espress)
“… he is showing signs of being a towering personality on his instrument." (Jazzdagama.com)
"There are, quite simply, few players like him. A couple playing today that come to mind immediately are Dave Holland and Boris Kozlov” (Ilikejazz.com)
