Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt's latest project, Woven, is a fascinating album that fuses more traditional aspects of 21st-century jazz with the myriad possibilities of electronic synthesized sound. This collection of mostly original compositions showcases Pelt's instrumental artistry together with his commitment to composing works that explore new dimensions in jazz. Each track on Woven is meticulously crafted, perfectly balancing innovation with communicative emotional depth. The full range of contemporary jazz can be found here, from neo-bop, hard-driving rhythms to touchingly intimate balladic utterances. But Pelt's trumpet can also weave through electronic textures, creating a sonic landscape where the group's kaleidoscopic tone colors become a fundamental part of the melodic content. Joined by an impressive ensemble of musicians, Pelt and his collaborators create a fluid interplay of acoustic and electronic sounds, displaying their skill in integrating bold, contemporary elements while simultaneously underlining the very essence of jazz.

This budget priced compilation contains soothing, mellow jazz, feat. Wallace Rooney, Antoine Roney, Geri Allen, Ralphe Armstrong, Lenny White, John Hicks, Russell Gunn, Myron Walden, Mark Turner, Greg Tardy & many others

Featuring a wonderful collection of piano blues performed by the finest keyboard artists on the HighNote & Savant rosters.

Ma Rainey once sang "You see me ravin', you hear me crying... this lonely heart of mine." If you can identify with that, and if you ever feel a little blue & sentimental, then you need to put this CD on the player. It features songs by Ernie Andrews, Randy Johnston, Cindy Blackman, David "Fathead" Newman, Irene Reid, John Hicks, Houston Person, Wesla Whitfield, Jimmy Ponder & Etta Jones.

JAZZ BALLADS WITH A BLUE FEELING / VARIOUS

Recorded in live settings by Jerry Newman, these 1940-41 tracks contain the very earliest recordings by Thelonius Monk; it is reissued from the Onyx LP

His playing was rich, masterful and above all, versatile, covering everything from stride and ragtime to bebop and free jazz. Pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and teacher Jaki Byard had a career that followed the music and along the way he became a master of every style of jazz. Nowhere was his imagination quite as unbridled as it was in solo performance and HighNote Records is pleased to release this second volume of Jaki Byard live at the famed Keystone Korner.

Jaki Byard always personified the past, present and future of jazz, wherever or whenever one might have been fortunate enough to experience his challenging ideas. An icon in the history of jazz, Jaki was Art Tatum, Earl Hines, Bud Powell, Ran Blake, Cecil Taylor and Bill Evans, all in one. Yet, like these fellow icons, he was his own uncompromising, unique, living entity. He isn't a household name, but most likely his low profile is the result of an irresistible need to constantly reinvent himself, the sure sign of the consummate artist.

The last recording of Charles Earland shows that Earland was in fine fettle and expanding his musical horizons right up until the end. Featuring Melvin Sparks, Buddy Williams and Gary Fritz.

SONG FOR THE NEW MAN

NEW HANG

More than perhaps any other jazz vocalist the name Chris Connor is mentioned with an almost mystical reverence. From her stints with Claude Thronhill and Stan Kenton, through her illustrious solo career, to her most recent appearances and reocrdings on HighNote, Chris brings a lifetime of experience to every song she sings, making it not just a track on a record, but a commentary on life itself.

SWEET LOVE OF MINE

HOW ABOUT ME

PROTOTYPE

SMOOTH SAILING

Wesla Whitfield is known for her deft sense of swing and incisive ballad readings. Now she returns to release IN MY LIFE, a gorgeous collection of 15 wonderful works by such diverse composers as Leonard Bernstein, Vernon Duke and Lennon/McCarney.

As the highly conspicuous drummer for rocker Lenny Kravitz, Cindy has developed a loyal following which transcends the jazz boundaries. Lenny is actually having Cindy & her jazz band open for him so her jazz persona can shine in the limelight. This, her 3rd jazz recording for HighNote, finds her playing at it's richest & most well-integrated. With her colleagues J.D. Allen, Carlton Holmes & George Mitchell, she offers a program of standards & originals bound together into one work of art with a leitmotiv of interludes composed especially for the album.

UNDERGROUND MEMOIRS

The release of a Mark Murphy recording renders hyperbole superfluous. Other people have said it all: Murphy is "a hipster's hipster," writes the New York Post. Featuring his latest effort Links, Mark performs classic tunes and original lyricst and otehr adventurous choices make this mark's finest record to date.

JAZZ WITH GENTLE RHYTHMS / VARIOUS

PROMISE LAND

Vocalist Jones once again joins sidekick Houston Person on a selection of tunes that represent all the greats of Tin Pan Alley & Broadway, inc. Frank Loesser, Irving Berlin, Dietz & Schwartz, Anthony Newley & others

KEEPERS OF THE FLAME

Featuring wonderful standards perfromed by: Houston Person, Norman Simmons, Charles Earland, Wallace roney, Lenny White, Mike Renzi, Gerri Allen and others.