One of the finer young tenor players on the New York scene in the last decade, Sam Taylor squares off against Philadelphia's acclaimed tenor man, Larry McKenna on "Along The Way." Taylor and the elder McKenna don't musically spar so much as put their equally rich saxophone sounds to good use in a spirited, cooperative effort in a warm program of standards that suits their unfettered bebop style.

A Time For Love is a wonderful snapshot of this rapidly developing artist. There are many highlights on this recording. One of them is "On A Misty Night", an elegant song written by Tadd Dameron. It's a perfect composition for Erena and the group. She tips her hat to Sonny Stitt weaving dynamic lines into the fabric of the song. The solos on this tune are wonderful from everyone in this strong crew of first-rate musicians. Listen to Lewis Nash's ride cymbal throughout this track and you will understand why he is considered one of the best! The title track on A Time For Love is a superb song that brings out the best playing in everyone. I love David Hazeltine's melodic musical statement on the tune. Erena comes through with her passionate alto melting into the core of the song, grooving hard throughout. "88" is a heartfelt, upbeat song written for Yasohachi "88" Itoh. In his lifetime he produced recordings for Art Farmer, Roy Haynes, Clark Terry, Count Basie, Hank Jones, Tony Williams, Abbey Lincoln, Terumasa Hino, and many more. Yasohachi's love for jazz and ear for excellent talent moved him to record and produce Erena first three records. He surrounded her with some of the world's best jazz musicians - including Kenny Barron, Christian McBride, Jimmy Cobb, and Ron Carter - and introduced the world to Erena Terakubo in grand fashion! If A Time For Love is your introduction to Erena Terakubo, enjoy going on a musical journey. You will be moved by her skills and passionate sound. As Phil Woods said to after hearing her for the first time, "Who the hell is that?" It's Erena Terakubo! The traditions of this music are in good hands. Through her passion, creativity, and dedication, Erena has already become a world-class jazz musician.

Formed in 2008, Triology is a jazz trio featuring three of Canada's most sought after jazz musicians

NIGHT CRAWLERS 3

Recorded live at Dizzy's Club, NYC in January 2023, Brandon Goldberg's third album as a leader evokes both a feeling of nostalgia and innovation as his trio puts a fresh spin on beloved classics from the Great American Songbook as well as two fantastic original compositions. Pianist Goldberg has been playing piano and making music since he was three years old. Critics have praised his "unassailable technique, advanced harmonic understanding, a deep sense of swing and, most impressively, a clarity and plethora of ideas executed to near-perfection". He is a 2024 YoungArts Winner with Distinction, a semifinalist in the 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition and youngest recipient of the 2022 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. He is joined for this new album on Cellar Music by the wonderful Ben Wolfe on bass and Aaron Kimmel on drums.

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."

Ulysses Owens Jr. & Generation y - A New Beat / Grammy Award winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. Unleashes his Generation y band giving the listener a front row seat to this generation's top talent. - Generation y is a band concept that was conceived back in 2019 with the goal promoting the next generation of dynamic talent from the top conservatories in NYC and beyond. Led by Ulysses Owens Jr. #who is a Multi Grammy Award-winning Drummer, Producer, Educator and Cultural Entrepreneur. Serving at The Juilliard School in the role of Small Ensemble Director within the Jazz Department for the last 8 years, has given Ulysses a front row seat to this Generation's top talent. The material on this album is a culmination of repertoire from Ulysses' influences and mentors like Mulgrew Miller, Roy Hargrove, George Cables, and of course the great Art Blakey. This Generation y is an updated model of the Jazz Messengers, and many of these band members also perform in Ulysses' big band, and he met many of them at The Juilliard School. This album also features a few original compositions from Luther Allison who is an emerging talent performing with Samara Joy as her pianist, and the album also features a classic from Louis Armstrong titled Heart Full of Rhythm featuring Milton Suggs. This album is a culmination of repertoire that has been performed by this band around the world over the last 4 years and to add another level of nostalgia; it was recorded at the Legendary Rudy Van Gelder Studios in Englewood, NJ

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.

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.

Ray Gallon - Grand Company / Grand Company showcases Ray Gallon, Ron Carter and Lewis Nash's inimitable and distinctive personal and collective sound. - "The inimitable and distinctive personal and collective sound of Ray Gallon, Ron Carter and Lewis Nash has transparency and clarity, where every note and gesture mean something. Ray Gallon's music is informed, passionate, and personal. He possesses a unique rhythmic imagination and a wrought iron vocabulary. Grand Company is a milestone." Bill Charlap

Jim Rotondi - Finesse - Trumpeter Jim Rotondi has been a major figure in the world of jazz for over 30 years, both in New York and on the international scene. His sound, soul, and sense of swing have been in demand as leader and sideman all over the world. For his new album for Cellar Music, Rotondi has joined forces with arranger Jakob Helling and the Notes & Tones Orchestra to record some incredible versions of his own compositions with big band and strings.

Jalen Baker - 'Be Still' is an album about reflection and new beginnings showcasing Baker's exceptional skills as both a vibraphonist and composer. Jalen Baker - Be Still - Rising star Jalen Baker takes the helm for the 6th release in Cellar Music's black artist led series curated by Jeremy Pelt. 'Be Still' is an album about reflection and new beginnings that showcases Baker's exceptional skills as both a vibraphonist and composer. He is joined in this memorable quartet by Paul Cornish on piano, Gabe Godoy on bass and Gavin Moolchan on drums.

2023 release. Short Stories, bassist Vicente Archer's debut album, is a family affair. Vicente brings together long-time friends and collaborators Gerald Clayton on piano and Bill Stewart on drums to dive into stories and songs from his 25 year career making music with luminaries like Robert Glasper, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton and Norah Jones. More than a musical memory box, however, Short Stories is a look at life, and little moments, in sketches of sound.

Jason Marshall returns with an incredibly soulful date featuring some of New York's finestincluding pianist Marc Cary, bassist Gerald Cannon and drummer Willie Jones III. Recorded at the studios of Rudy Van Gelder in Englewood Cliffs New Jersey and produced by Jeremy Pelt. Jason has developed a style that encompasses the whole of African-American music.

The 5th album in the Smalls Living Masters series finds tenor titan George Coleman in the company of pianist Spike Wilner, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Joe Farnsworth in the intimate confines of Smalls Jazz Club. In the words of George Coleman "this record is a tribute to our great city and all of our great fans." Coleman is on fire and sound better than ever!

The compositional style known as contrafact has it's roots in classical music but has grown in the jazz world over the decades. Contrafact songs feature new melodies written over classic chord structures & song forms. Bay-area pianist/composer Adam Shulman presents arguably THE quintessential jazz album utilizing contrafact, with an all-star NYC band, recorded in the most legendary of studios.

Brin Charette is an organ player who has deeply studied the tradition of the instrument and the legends that came before him, yet is constantly pushing the envelope of the instrument's role in modern jazz. This new album, his 20th as a leader, sees Brian focussing on originals inspired by the classic role of the Hammond B3 in jazz & some of it's originators, including Larry Young and Jimmy Smith.

The latest album from tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart joins him with trumpeter sensation Bruce Harris Like the vibe in New York City where Stewart lives, the music on this invigorating recording has a dynamic spirit. Along with Harris the set features an all-star quartet with Tardo Hammer on piano, David Wong on piano and Phil Stewart on drums recorded live at the renowned Rudy Van Gelder studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Includes 8 tracks including some original compositions and the band's take on classics like "I'm A Fool to Want You" originally recorded by Dexter Gordon in the same studio in 1965! Right from the first song there's an expectant anticipation about where Stewart and the musicians will go with the uniquely curated repertoire. They deliver on the promise, with ardent jazz that both honors tradition and sounds timeless.

Underrated pianist Kirk Lightsey steps into the spotlight to lead an extraordinary quartet featuring Mark Whitfield - guitar, Santi DeBriano - bass and Victor Lewis - drums, through a spirited program of tunes from Dave Brubeck to Tony Williams and McCoy Tyner. Recorded live at New York's venerable Smalls Jazz Club this record is part of the Smalls LIVING MASTERS SERIES.

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.

LORRAIN'S LULLABYE

Drawing from jazz standards, rock hits & pop classics, Angela Wrigley & her Trio havecreated a body of work that intricately describes the story of love and loss, hope and longing, andwhat it means to deeply and truly be "in love." Angela's own compositions describe these feelingswith poignant accuracy.

In any successful partnership, both parties must be self-assured, while enabling the best of each other. And they should surround themselves with people who will support, encourage and inspire. Such it is, with Mike Melito and Dino Losito. Friends and colleagues of long-standing, they're veterans of the legendary "thruway of funk" that spans Upstate New York, from Niagara Falls and Buffalo, to Rochester, Syracuse and Albany, and every place in-between. For generations, some of the swingingest musicians in Jazz have come from that hotbed, from Stanley Turrentine and J.R. Monterose to Mel Lewis and Frankie Dunlop. The Jazz Upstate has always been characterized by a take-no-prisoners, honest-to-goodness respect for soulful expression. Joined here by tenor saxophonist Larry McKenna, whose contributions to the Jazz Scene in Philadelphia (another Jazz crucible) are well-known, and first-call New York bassist, Neal Miner, Melito and Losito have turned in a date that is at once creative but relentlessly swinging, original but steeped in tradition, elegant but funky as all get-out. Sit back, spin the record, and enjoy.

Classical Music

Conceiving her 2020 debut album, vocalist Naama Gheber summoned inspiration from an intimate life on the New York bandstand. Among tapering red curtains, maple bar tops, snares and brushes, the Be'er Sheva-born artist nightly explored selections from the canon of American standards with her fellow artists - music that would become the centerpiece for Dearly Beloved.