It may be wintertime at this writing, a winter further darkened by the Covid crisis, but Bill O'Connell's optimistically-titled A Change is Gonna Come exudes some welcome warmth and sunshine. Even Bill's original "Covid Blues" displays a subtle sense of playfulness, entrusting the slightly off-kilter blues number to the distinctive tone color of Craig Handy's soprano saxophone. Likewise the plaintive melody of Sam Cooke's title track contains a note of optimism here. But with O'Connell at the helm we shouldn't be surprised by imaginative arrangements. He is a real triple-threat in jazz, equally well-known as a composer, arranger and instrumentalist, having honed his craft carefully from his days with Mongo Santamaria in the 70s, his involvement in the legendary ensemble, Jasmine, his gigs with Chet Baker, Gato Barbieri, Sonny Rollins and others and his long-time associations with Jerry Gonzalez's Fort Apache Band and the late Latin jazz flautist, Dave Valentin. A Change is Gonna Come features seven remarkable works by O'Connell, a four-time recipient of the Jazz Writer of the Year from SESAC, a tune by Trane, the title track by Sam Cooke and a unique take on the standard "My Foolish Heart." With Handy, Lincoln Goines, Pedrito Martinez and drummer Steve Jordon (currently taking over for the late Charlie Watts with the Rolling Stones) Bill O'Connell's latest Savant recording cements his place as a master of the broadest spectrum of musical styles, a giant of modern jazz and a member of Latin jazz royalty.

For five years in the mid-1980s, the 1369 Club in Cambridge, MA was a thriving, vibrant and colorful home to a diverse clientele of both jazz "newbies" and the cognoscenti.� The roster of performers was equally diverse, made up of top local and national jazz artists as well as a lucky group of amateur musicians who were able to join the "pros" on stage at the frequent open sessions featured by the Club.� For three nights in 1985 the awe-inspiring triumvirate of guitarist and Miles Davis alumnus Mike Stern, bassist Harvie S and Boston-based drummer Alan Dawson held court, delivering performances of great intensity, virtuosity and unforgettable excitement.� Jazz, by it's very nature, is an ephemeral art and once the trio finished their three night run, it was thought the music went up into the ether to remain only as cherished musical memories to those in the audience.� However, Harvie S knew that tapes of those evenings were in private hands and together with Barney Fields of Savant Records arranged for a selection from them to see the light of commercial release.� So here are these thought-to-be lost performances back from the mists of time, capturing Harvie S, Mike Stern and Alan Dawson at the peak of their abilities.� Mike Stern was about to release his first album as a leader, Upside Downside, Alan Dawson was fresh from being the featured drummer on Muse Records' popular Live at Sandy's series and Harvie S had already played with greats such as Zoot Sims, Thad Jones, Gil Evans, Urbie Green, Art Farmer, Lee Konitz and Sheila Jordan, and continues to enjoy a long and extremely prolific career.� So thanks to Harvie, Savant Records and all those who helped bring this project to fruition the laws of time and space are hereby suspended - if only for the length of this recording.� Suddenly, it is 1985 again!

In JD Allen's liner notes for Queen City, it becomes clear that he spent a great deal of time thinking about how the pandemic has impacted his relationship with music and specifically his saxophone.� In the notes Allen writes, "Performing music for and with people is what I do and I've come to the realization that an audience of listeners of any size is a part of the music; it's also a shared experience. Covid-19 changed that and forced me to try to remember why I started playing in the first place, the years before I started performing and recording."� The tenor saxophonist's response to his period of introspection is this current recording, a solo saxophone program.� It is a recording full of stark, uncompromising power, affording some rare insight into the psyche of the performer.� This is not a Coleman Hawkins' "Picasso"-toned, I-love-my-horn-and-my-horn-loves-me type of symbiosis.� There is a real sense of confrontation between Allen and his horn and, by extension, the audience which makes for a unique listening experience.� This is not to imply that Queen City is some severe piece of avant garde abrasiveness.� Rather, it encompasses an extraordinarily wide-range of musical languages which communicates an equally broad spectrum of emotions.� Melodies�� of ravishing beauty alternate with angular, aggressive phrases to express frustration, anger, resolve, hope, love and acceptance in what may become one of the most personal and revealing recordings to come out of the trying time of Covid-19.

Jazz vocalist Giacomo Gates is blessed with a smooth and supremely expressive baritone voice and an all-inclusive musicality which encompasses a hipster-like coolness, a smattering of vocalese, an Eckstine-like seductiveness, the story telling ability of a griot, a firm footing in the blues and a sense of swing which is second-to-none. His performances can be quiet and full of insight (or innuendo) or be ebullient and joyful. Whatever style Gates may offer - be it sensitive, sensuous or syncopated - he infuses the music with an understated humor, wry cultural and social implications and an impish delight in surprising his listeners. You is a perfect example of Gates at his best with the vocalist putting together a program with a unique and decidedly altruistic leitmotiv. As Gates himself says, "The context of many songs written and recorded, are composed by people with 'I' problems... but not these songs. All of these songs are about you." Here are 18 songs everybody knows and loves, arranged with creativity and wit and featuring Gates' gregarious delivery so that there can be no mistake, "it's all about you!"

2018 release. Bill O'Connell's pianism has always been known for it's razor-sharp rhythmic sense, clean articulation and phrasing which is as affectionate as it is unfussy. And although the idiom often demands fire and verve one must never lose sight of O'Connell's graceful dynamics which give his lines interesting twists and turns that dart and swerve with spontaneous freedom. With friends like Randy Brecker, Craig Handy, Conrad Herwig, Andrea Brachfeld and Dan Carillo on hand, Jazz Latin is more than a release, it is an event.

For three decades Mike LeDonne has been an exceptional avatar of the Hammond B3 organ. Forged by his impressive jazz apprenticeship, with the likes of Milt Jackson, George Coleman and Benny Golson, LeDonne comes from a long and distinguished line of masters of that instrument. And for eighteen years, he's lead the Groover Quartet his formidable foursome consisting of tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Joe Farnsworth. Joining the quartet is the great drummer Mike Clark. After collaborations with Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton and others, Clark has influenced a generation of percussionists and brings his own unmistakable style to two tracks on the CD.

2018 release. Cannonball Adderley is considered to be one of the all-time greatest jazz musicians; one whose playing projected depth and command. But, he also possessed the rare ability to connect and uplift the listener, shouting out "joy" in every phrase. For his 90th birthday, "Jubilation!" celebrates the genius of Cannonball Adderley. Beloved veterans Jim Snidero (Downbeat critics' poll) and Jeremy Pelt create a formidable front line while David Hazeltine, Nat Reeves and Billy Drummond form an incomparable rhythm section. It's an all-star lineup celebrating a true jazz giant.

Danny Grissett is definitely one of today's most exciting and respected pianists. The go-to keyboard man for the likes of Tom Harrell, Jeremy Pelt, Wayne Escoffey and others Grissett also finds time to lead his own groups and is a composer of considerable merit. A rare artist who grips and holds attention, Grissett handles the classics of the American songbook with an aplomb equal to the way he deals with the rather complex structures of his own intricate compositions. A gifted improviser with splendid technique, the pianist can also offer warmth and affection in melodic lines, the balance of fine taste, pungent swing and a jubilant approach inevitably generating audience cheer. For his first recording as a leader for Savant, Grissett and company offer a varied and interesting set-list which mixes jazz standards and some of the pianist's own compositions.

I WANNA BE LOVED

DOG STAR

RADIO FLYER

MONK'S CHA-CHA - SOLO PIANO LIVE

HIGH VOLTAGE

THAT FEELIN'

There's an old saying that a great jazz musician never plays a song the same way once. That could certainly be said of Jerry Bergonzi. He is an intellectual artist of uncompromising integrity and a bold, original composer. On Jerry's new Savant recording he returns to the organ-tenor trio format after a long hiatus from it. From the opening track, Cy Coleman's "Witchcraft" with it's hypnotic organ vamp and "bewitching" chord substitutions Jerry gives to the first 8 bars, you know this isn't going to be your parents' organ-tenor gig. Bergonzi and his discmates, Renato Chicco on organ and Andrea Michelutti on drums, take these standards down new harmonic paths and use them as a launching pad for fertile and impressive improvisation. The playing is always intense and distinctive, fresh and spontaneous.

WHAT TIME IS IT

MD66

HEART BEAT

It might strike as a paradox, but sometimes the brilliance of certain inventions can be measured by how obvious, how commonplace they seem. The music of Venezuelan pianist Silvano Monasterios is so easy-on-the-ear, so elegantly structured, and has such a casual, lived-in feel that it takes a bit to catch on to how sophisticated his work truly is. It's only after awhile that one notices the harmonic turns, the storytelling soloing, or his rhythmic vocabulary, especially his discreet use of traditional Venezuelan styles. Partly Sunny is Monasterios' second album for Savant, and his choices suggest that he feels no need to accommodate any conventional expectations about how Latin jazz should sound. Whatever someone might argue to be some essence of "Latin," is here integrated into the overall sound. With his working trio augemented with the great clarinetist Anat Cohen, saxman Troy Roberts and the colorful percussion of Robert Quintero, Monasterios has given us an album that is exuberant & visceral as well as personal & considered.

IMAGINARY WORLD

FIND A HEART

When I go into the studio with these guys, it's not like I feel pressure. It's like, oh boy, let's go have some fun, ays saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, recalling how his previous Savant recordings came together. In short, the acclaimed veteran didn't want the fun to end. So now here we have another terrific recording to complement the reedman's impressive Savant discography and another chance to delight in the exceptionally responsive company he keeps. Revelling in the company of long-time partners bassist Dave Santoro and drummer Andrea Michelutti, Jerry also brings Pasadena-born pianist Bruce Barth into the studio. Jerry doesn't often record with a pianist �" when one cuts their musical teeth with a pianist like Dave Brubeck the titan's shadow must loom large over the keyboard but he and Bruce have become muy simpatico over the years and their interplay here is remarkable indeed. With Jerry's imaginative compositions and his intense approach to music-making, this is jazz that cuts you no quarter. The whole session swings, communicates and challenges as only Jerry Bergonzi can.

AWWLRIGHT

Tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen was born in Detroit, MI, on December 11, 1972. He is a member of the third wave of Young Lion mainstream jazz players. As a young man, he was influenced by the great musicians who stayed in Detroit, but upon his arrival in New York City his real apprenticeship began, as he worked with such notables as George Cables, Betty Carter, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Frank Foster's Loud Minority big band, Butch Morris, David Murray, and Wallace Roney.

EVERYTHING IS COOL