The work of an artist o2en suggests that of an alchemist. In her new album, Aire, Mexican singer and composer Magos Herrera transformed the grief, fears, and loneliness of a deadly plague into a luminous collection of songs representing "a celebration of our humanity and the healing power of music." Aire features twelve songs and includes her new compositions and gems from the Great Latin American Songbook, such as "Alfonsina y el Mar" and "Gracias a la Vida." Those two classics suggest bookends of the experience in Aire, "Alfonsina..." as an acknowledgment of impermanence and death; "Gracias a la Vida" as a prayer of gratitude for the many gifts of life. But for two exceptions - the voice and guitar duo of "Passarinhadeira" and the octet reading of the Vinicius de Moraes and Baden Powell's classic "Samba em Preludio" -Magos sings over a musical canvas provided by her jazz trio augmented by an orchestra under the artistic direction of Eric and Colin Jacobsen, of Brooklyn Rider fame.

One of the steps to becoming a band leader is to drop your inhibitions and find collaborators who play the music that you want to make. Though he has music in his blood carrying from two generations of bandleaders before him, drummer Greg Joseph initially found it difficult to grab the reigns of his own ensemble. It took finding the right voices in Larry Goldings's Hammond organ and Steve Cardenas's guitar to express his joyful music, which Joseph presents for the first time on Drop The Rock.

Following the elusiveness of Dust (Sunnyside, 2021) comes the permanence of Ash. Violist/composer/improviser Mat Maneri presents the second volume in his series of quartet music, this installment, Ash, focusing on the residue of memories burned into the mind. Maneri's Dust recording cemented the sound of his quartet, an ensemble built around impressionistic interpretations of Maneri's singular compositions with an incredible cast of brilliant improvisers and friends. Drummer Randy Peterson and bassist John H�bert have been regular musical partners for decades and pianist Lucian Ban has become an essential colleague over the past dozen years. After the first recording, Maneri began to consider making a series of recordings, settling on the idea of a trilogy. This second installment, Ash, focuses on the metaphysical aspects of a physical byproduct, as did Dust. Maneri likens the burned in memories of his childhood and teenage years to the ash that a fire leaves behind. Elements of th

Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri harness the spirit of George Enescu's masterwork, Oedipe, and channel it into a modern recreation in their own vernacular. Oedipe Redux is a breathtaking retelling, breathing new life into one of the most storied tales of human drama.

Saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh is an old soul. He favors spontaneity between performers on the bandstand, prefers the feel of a swinging band to heady, over-wrought music, and likes the sound of analog over digital. When it came time to work on a new project, Sabbagh wanted to record an album that would sound like a set in a club, and felt ready to look back to early influences. On Vintage, his first album as a leader featuring piano, Sabbagh enlists the piano legend Kenny Barron in his all-star quartet to help make a recording that connects generations and makes tradition vital once again. Sabbagh also has an ear for the tradition. One of his seminal early jazz experiences came when he was a teenager and got to hear Stan Getz in Paris. Kenny Barron was Getzs accompanist that evening and Sabbagh was taken immediately, standing outside the back door to get Getz and Barrons autographes after the show.

The art of Brazilian guitar playing has almost become a musical genre unto itself. The gorgeous music written by composers like Ant�nio Carlos Jobim and Jo�o Gilberto echoes differently on six strings. Guitarists Romero Lubambo and Chico Pinheiro have spent their lives absorbing and refracting Brazilian music through the lens of the guitar. On their new recording, Two Brothers, the pair meets for a groundbreaking duo album of their favorite pieces, showing their true mastery of the Brazilian guitar style.

The music on Luciana Souza and Trio Corrente's new album, Cometa, comes from a place of love and joy. As a group, they hope to celebrate the reemergence of hope in Brazil with a collection of inspiring music highlighting the power of Brazilian song and the limitless expression of jazz. Grammy award winning vocalist and composer Luciana Souza has been a fan of the outstanding, Grammy award winning, S�o Paulo based piano group, Trio Corrente, since their inception. She had initially met the Trio's drummer, Edu Ribeiro, while teaching. Pianist Fabio Torres is well known as a member of guitarist Chico Pinheiro's different ensembles, while bassist Paulo Paulelli was familiar for his work with the great Rosa Passos. It was Torres who invited Souza to return to her native Brazil to collaborate and tour together in the Fall of 2022. It struck Souza immediately that they should make a recording that unites their collective love of Brazil's uplifting music and jazz.

Fall is a special time of year. The carefree vibrations of summer slow to a meditative pace allowing healing and regrouping to begin. For pianist Bill Mays, fall gives him a feeling of spiritual rebirth along with time for introspection and reflection. Mays has dedicated his heart felt new recording, Autumn Serenade, to the season. Thoughts of autumn usually imagine changing leaves, color temperatures, and a meditative hush. The music that Bill Mays and his trio have compiled for Autumn Serenade proves to be a perfect soundtrack for this contemplative season.

Up High, Down Low, Alan Ferber's fifth studio album for his ongoing nonet of 20 years, continues his quest to synthesize soulful melodocism, rhythmic interplay, and resonant voicings with the ever-evolving musical elements that he absorbs as an active player, composer, and producer both inside and outside of New York's jazz scene.

For nearly a decade, the endlessly exploring pianist / composer / improviser Denny Zeitlin has focused on an individual composer for his annual solo concert at Oakland's Piedmont Piano Company. Zeitlin brings his full creative force to these efforts to transform these well-known pieces into remarkable musical journeys. In 2018, Zeitlin decided to focus on the great American composer, George Gershwin, for his concert and recorded the proceedings, released now as Crazy Rhythm: Exploring George Gershwin.

The music of Herbie Hancock has affected the lives of generations of jazz performers. Like many of these musicians, it was the opportunity to play with the great pianist/composer that introduced the great drummer Mike Clark to the jazz world at large. To show his appreciation, Clark presents a selection of his favorite Hancock pieces performed with a trio on his new recording, Mike Clark Plays Herbie Hancock. Mike Clark in the late 1960s regularly played post-bop gigs with Woody Shaw and Bobby Hutcherson, but it was the funky organ gigs with his friend, bassist Paul Jackson, that really cemented Clark's standing on the scene. At the time, Hancock's ground-breaking, electric Mwandishi ensemble broke up due to financial constraints. Hancock began to regroup a smaller, funkier ensemble and hired Jackson. Hancock initially had Harvey Mason for the drum chair, but his work constraints wouldn't allow him to join. Jackson recommended Clark for the group and the Headhunters were born.

The art of constructing a solo recording is the ultimate challenge for most musicians. Pianist Benny Green believes that the challenge provides the ultimate inspiration, as he is free to take the music in whatever direction he chooses. For his first solo recording in twenty years, simply named Solo, Green finds himself reflecting on pieces by pianists who have inspired him over the decades. Over his career, Green has solidified himself as one of jazz music's premier piano stylists. His command of the bebop, post-bop, and swing styles was harnessed and cemented through years of study and apprenticeship alongside the music's best, including jazz masters Walter Bishop, Jr., Oscar Peterson, and Art Blakey, with whom he played as a member of the legendary Jazz Messengers. The pandemic allowed Benny Green to reassess his goals and approach to music. It also allowed him time to further investigate the music of his heroes so that he could reinterpret them on his new recording, Solo.

The music made standards by generations of jazz performers continues to inspire and challenge. A goal of many is to be able to interpret these well-known pieces in a cogent and unique fashion, highlighting an individual style of expression. Pianist Dahveed Behroozi has long hoped to record a solo album of some of the standards that he has had ingrained in his musical memory over the past three decades. His new recording, Standard Fare, allows Behroozi a showcase of his own style through the prism these classics provide. The recording of the music was made at a comfortable pace. Behroozi was able to use a prepared living room with microphoned piano at his leisure for the entire month of January 2023. With this flexibility, he was able to do many takes and whittle down the material into the program on Standard Fare. Dahveed Behroozi's first solo recording, Stardard Fare, allows him to float through the dimensions of his favorite standard compositions.

After hoping to record for several years, Peter, Sullivan and I agreed to go into the studio following Peter's gig at the Village Vanguard, (where I'd made my debut on the NYC jazz scene back in 1978). Peter invited me to join the band onstage but New York City locked down that night. // We finally met again more than a year later at the historic Van Gelder studio, now owned and run by my dear friends, Maureen and Don Sickler. With excitement we hugged for the first time in way too long. // The happiness of seeing each other in person again as well as making music together in the legendary studio lifted everybody up. In two days we recorded 13 songs! // My heartfelt thanks to Peter, Sullivan, Doug and Joe for your focused, soulful music-making, to Maureen for her masterful engineering and patience, and to Don, for advising, managing, and producing. Chris Drukker captured the mood perfectly, always supportive. Thanks Katsuhiko for final mixing and mastering.

The world's pause caused by the Covid-19 pandemic created rifts in regular patterns and collaborations. Pianist Anat Fort found herself effectively separated from her regular trio of bassist Gary Wang and Roland Schneider for the first time in the trio's 20 years of existence. When an opportunity arose to bring the trio together to perform in Germany, Fort seized on the chance to regroup and record an album that goes against the group's typical formula on The Berlin Sessions.

There are millions of tales to be told of life in New York City. In every neighborhood, there are buildings that have witnessed generations of individuals, families, businesses, and organizations utilizing their communal spaces. The inconspicuous townhouse that sits at 64 East Seventh Street in the East Village conceals a hidden history that truly shows the changes of it's famous neighborhood over the building's 150 years of existence. // Writer/lyricist David Hajdu discovered the legacy of 64 East Seventh when the East Village was applying for the status as a historical district in New York City. (The East Village/Lower East Side Historic District was created by The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in October 2012.) Spellbound by the stories of the former occupants that he uncovered, Hajdu composed lyrics to a song cycle about the building, which he then entrusted to the capable hands of select composers and performers to bring to life as The Parsonage.

The Civil Rights Movement was a principal fight during the turbulent 1960s. In turn, many artists took up the mantle of progress and/or revolution. Three of the most righteous voices in jazz music were vocalist Abbey Lincoln, drummer/composer Max Roach, and composer Oscar Brown, Jr. Their defiant music on We Insist!: The Freedom Now Suite and Percussion Bitter Sweet remains as poignant and topical today as it was upon release. // Vocalist Christine Correa was introduced to the music of these three icons by her mentor Ran Blake upon her arrival from Mumbai, India. The music had visceral effect on her that has remained to this day, especially as the parallels of the Civil Rights and the Black Lives Matter movements have become more and more focused. Correa's new recording, Just You Stand and Listen with Me, revisits the powerful music of Lincoln, Roach, and Brown to remind listeners that their struggles are still very much alive.

Randy and I played together for the first time in 2015 while teaching at a jazz camp in the Catskills. The musical connection was immediate and natural, and one we have continued to explore throughout the past seven years. // Pianists who not only enjoy playing with singers, but are also extremely good at it are rare, and to find that in Randy, as well as a treasured friendship, has been a gift. We hope you enjoy the first of our recorded collaborations as much as we enjoyed creating it. - Aubrey Johnson, July 2022

Collaborations between artists specializing in different mediums regularly bring out facets and revelations unknown to the participants theretofore. Utilizing sonic and visual elements to stimulate creation, guitarist, conceptualist Brandon Ross and his ensemble, PENDULUM, met Neo Symbolic Abstract painter Ford Crull to generate what Ross calls a sonic mandala on their new recording/multi-media piece, Of Sight and Sound.

Vocalist Camille Bertault took her first strides in music under the tutelage of her father, Paul Bertault, a pianist who dabbled in classical and jazz music. From this early inspiration, the younger Bertault took to the music and continued into a successful and celebrated career as a performer. The pair regularly play together at home and for small concerts, leading to a unique musical connection. On their new recording, Song for My Daughter, the Bertaults present a program that celebrates their bond and allows listeners a glimpse. The collaboration between Camille Bertault and Paul Bertault has been the longest and most meaningful of their lives. It is only natural that a father and daughter pairing should evince a special connection and natural but unique communication. The duo's Song for My Daughter is a heartwarming display of heart and love through music between these two.

There is much to be said for being in the right place at the right time. Circumstances caused by the pandemic found many people locked down in places they hadn't anticipated. Though there were likely many who were discouraged by this, there were just as many who found purpose and took advantage of their surroundings and the collaborators waiting there. Such is the story of Roberto Cassani and Fraser A. Campbell's poet / shuts / clock, a recording made possible by their will to find creative connection in a time of forced separation.

Yvonnick Pren�'s mission is to put the harmonica in it's rightful place in the pantheon of instruments used to improvise. He makes a convincing case on his new recording, Listen!, as he eschews the trumpet in the classic jazz quintet setting and replaces it with the chromatic harmonica. // Pren� chose a dream ensemble for his recording. Pren� loves saxophonist Dayna Stephen's magical sound, which he likens to the angular approach of Wayne Shorter. Drummer Bill Stewart has been a longtime favorite and Pren� felt that his singular conception of time and sound was just right for this project. Pren� met pianist Kevin Hays while at the New School and has always appreciated the pianist's unique voice that regards the tradition reverently, but with a certain freedom. Friend Clovis Nicolas holds the rhythm section the rhythm section together with his fluid bass playing. Pren� invited trumpet great Jeremy Pelt to help produce and direct session.

Having grown up in Juarez, Mexico, Mireles and his family experienced life much differently than most of his collaborators. Mireles and his brothers were brought up in a musical household and were drawn to performing. Music was not provided in their schools, so they had to find after school programs to pursue their muse. This is where Mireles met teacher and saxophonist Fortunato Perez, who introduced Mireles to the sounds of jazz and Charlie Parker. // Music became Mireles's passion and, with his family's help, he was able to continue his studies at the University of Texas El Paso, where he studied commercial music. Mireles remained in El Paso after graduating, becoming engrained in the local music scene and met his wife, vocalist Candice Reyes, on the bandstand. // In 2015, Mireles and Reyes decided to head east, the saxophonist being accepted into the masters program at William Patterson University. After school, Mireles began to find work as a musician and as a concert/event producer. He even began The Jazz Exchange, bringing jazz programming to young musicians around New York City, Texas, and Mexico. // Mireles put together his own group to perform his music. Bassist Myles Sloniker has been a longtime friend and collaborator, beginning with their Frontera Project six years ago. Mireles has long appreciated the work of pianist Benito Gonzales and began playing with him a number of years ago. Mireles met drummer E.J. Strickland when their gigs crossed over in Mexico City, the two striking up an immediate rapport.

The magical music of Brazilian composer/guitarist/pianist Egberto Gismonti has enchanted generations of listeners. His celebrated blend of folkloric, jazz, and popular music has stationed Gismonti in the pantheon of Brazilian music. Composer/arranger Gaia Wilmer fell under Gismonti's spell as a youngster and now honors him with her new large ensemble recording, Folia. // Wilmer began arranging Gismonti's music for large ensembles while finishing her master's degree at New England Conservatory, as a rehearsal big band was made available to composers each semester. With a number of arrangements in hand, Wilmer received a grant from the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil which would provide opportunities to perform her music in the Institute's four concert venues. She anticipated four concerts but was approved for sixteen. // The grant allowed Wilmer to present music of Gismonti at a series of concerts in honor of his 70th birthday in 2018, in which he was part of the program.

Both sides of Rufus Reid, the jazz one and the classical one, come togeth er on this album; in fact, it's like two albums for the price of one. The six tracks on which his trio is joined by the internationally acclaimed Sirius Quartet show off his facility for writing daring, memorable string arrange ments that draw equally from jazz and Western classical music. (Two of the six are by Allee, also a sophisticated composer whose musical interests are as broad as Rufus's.) Forming a delightful counterweight to these hybrid, chamber-jazz enterprises are five tunes that feature just piano, bass and drums: three blues-based excursions, a tender ballad and a jazz samba. The blurring of the lines between jazz and classical musicians - en couraged by the conservatories where both genres are increasingly part of the curriculum - is vividly demonstrated throughout the album, and especially in the title track. Recruiting the Sirius Quartet for this project proves to be an inspired choice - they are as celebrated for their facility with improvisation as they are for their adventurous repertoire. They play with precision and fire throughout, as demonstrated in the title track, which includes dazzling improvised solos by violinist Gre gor Huebner and cellist Jeremy Harman. Eschewing false dichotomies, Rufus insists on bringing both sides of his musical personality to bear.