2017 release. Not many musicians are more enthusiastic about performance and collaborations than Romero Lubambo is. The virtuoso guitarist has been based in the United States for decades but regularly makes it back to his native Brazil for innumerable projects with musicians of all sorts. On one of these trips, Lubambo met drummer Thiago Rabello. The Rio de Janeiro born Lubambo was greatly impressed by the percussionist from S�o Paulo during a weeklong residency in Bahia. So when the guitarist was scheduled to perform in S�o Paulo shortly thereafter, he naturally reached out to Rabello to be his drummer and to help find a bassist. It was with the suggestion and addition of Sidiel Vieira that Lubambo's Brazilian trio became whole. In Rabello and Vieira, Lubambo found two musicians who are excellent players and fantastic people. Upon his arrival in Brazil, Lubambo found that his trio mates had not only learned his music but had memorized it, requiring only one rehearsal before they were able to take their music on the road. The trio's rapport can be heard on their new recording Sampa, an energetic and diverse program recorded in S�o Paulo (the title being a local colloquialism for the city's name) at Rabello's recording studio.

NORTH

2017 release. Guitarist Davy Mooney left his home of New Orleans in 2005 as Hurricane Katrina loomed. He left his newly acquired house and eventually settled into life away, mainly off and on, for six years in the jazz capital of the world, New York City. In 2013, Mooney moved back with his wife, balancing the anxiety of leaving New York and getting acclimated once again with his hometown. His album Hope of Home showcases Mooney's efforts to integrate his New York and New Orleans personalities in a moving, musical fashion. It was during his time in New York that Mooney recorded Perrier Street with an incredible cast of musicians. The record was very well planned and highly structured, performed ably; mainly by musicians with ties to New Orleans, including drummer Brian Blade, pianist Jon Cowherd and saxophonist John Ellis. Along with their connections to the South, these musicians are all ambitious and eclectic in their musical scope. All had gone through a similar developmental process as Mooney (the jazz programs of Loyola and settling in New York), not to mention paying their dues with many of the same musicians along the way. For Hope of Home, Mooney insisted on keeping this ensemble, which also included bassist Matt Clohesy. Blade's The Fellowship Band had long been a touchstone for Mooney's own musical development, so having Blade and core band member Cowherd on his recording was important to Mooney and certainly worth the wait. It was important to preserve the essence of the continuity between the two scenes, knowing that they connect and you can still go home.

Hailing from Brazil, pianist/composer Vitor Gon�alves came to be a part of the bustling scene and has ended up bringing a vital new voice to the fore. His 2017 debut recording Vitor Gon�alves Quartet provides a great example of his mature voice in the blending of Brazilian music with progressive jazz.

2017 release. The anthroponym Araminta means "lofty" and "protective." Araminta was also the given name of one of the most important figures in US and world history, abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Guitarist Brandon Ross, bassist Melvin Gibbs and drummer J.T. Lewis have proudly worn Harriet Tubman's chosen name as their eponym for nearly 20 years, reaching for the heights of musical expression while preserving elements of their musical path. Harriet Tubman's recording Araminta is about becoming. It is also about evolution and collaboration. Just as Araminta Ross adopted the name Harriet on her path to legend, Harriet Tubman the band has taken the monumental name for their own partnership and sonic growth. For Araminta, the trio invited the astounding trumpet player and musical conceptualist Wadada Leo Smith to add his unique sensibilities to their musical world as an electric improvisatory group.

DISAPPEARING DAY

2017 release. Hush Point, the quartet of trumpeter John McNeil, saxophonist Jeremy Udden, bassist Aryeh Kobrinsky and drummer Anthony Pinciotti have used rehearsal techniques to broaden their expression and develop a sort of group ESP. This work has produced brilliant compositions that require a high level of musicianship and group interplay. Hush Point's evolution can be heard on their innovative third recording, Hush Point III.

EARLY WAYNE - EXPLORATIONS OF EARLY CLASSIC WAYNE

GARDENS IN MY MIND

ARGENTUM

SATURDAY SONGS

ROOTS & TRANSITIONS

SURROUNDED BY THE NIGHT

LIVE AT MAXWELL'S

COSMIC ADVENTURE

OPPOSITE OF TIME

2017 release. An air of mystery surrounds the work of Emily Dickinson. The beloved writer spent most of her time away from the public's eye amassing a collection of poetry that has fascinated readers for decades. Her short, gnomic verses are a perfect fit for vocalist Jay Clayton and composer Kirk Nurock. On Unraveling Emily, Nurock weaves Clayton's innovative vocalizing into surreal compositional soundscapes.

IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA

DIGGING

MUSINGS

SARABANDE

2017 release from the jazz musician. The romantic dream of many aspiring jazz musicians is to sail into New York City, drawn by the magnetism of the metropolis, and to seek an apprenticeship amongst the heroes and legends of the music. It isn't often that these dreams come true, but for saxophonist/clarinetist/composer Mike McGinnis they did in his friendship and collaboration, with jazz legends Art Lande and Steve Swallow, showcased on the trio's Recurring Dream.

PERFECTEST HERALD

PROXIMITY

New Day (Sunnyside - 2015). Coming in early 2015, Kevin's latest is an eclectic and mainly electric blast with the New Day Trio (featuring Rob Jost and Greg Joseph) and special guests Gregoire Maret and Tony Scherr. There is an interesting paradox on Kevin Hays's New Day, namely Hays applies lyrics to music to express content that the music alone cannot but, further, allows the music to stand on it's own if it feels right. Mixing material with vocals and without shows a maturation of this brilliant artist, allowing more facets of his musical identity to shine through.