Xavier Lecouturier is a picture of intuitive concentration and joy. - All About Jazz. A young and vital member of the Seattle jazz scene, drummer Xavier Lecouturier discovered a circle of like-minded and talented colleagues after arriving in town from the Bay-Area. "Carrier" documents a collection of the original works they've been performing around the region over the last two years, as they looked for, and found, their voice. Featuring through-composed pieces drawing from numerous influences, this album encapsulates the sound, interplay, and collective compositional styles as they nudge boundaries, while staying rooted in a passionate study of the jazz tradition.

Aaron Whitby is an award-winning record producer, composer/songwriter, pianist, engineer and educator born and raised in London, England, and a longtime resident of Brooklyn, New York. With Cousin From Another Planet his debut album as frontman, Whitby comes full circle to his jazz and funk roots pulling together an amazing cast of friends to realize his musical vision, as described by renowned music writer Greg Tate, of "a funk-da-fied jam session feel undergirding tight, knotty jazz-smart progressions". With tunes inspired by the animated energy and profound innocence of his young son, humorous lyrics that celebrate empathy and empowerment and musicians given the freedom to take the music wherever it feels good, according to Tate, this album is "one of this era's hardiest re-dedications and festival-tent revival of soulful and exploratory jam-gnocity." Cousin From Another Planet live onstage is a music and visual experience accompanied with video art by VJ Lady Firefly (Dave Chappelle, The Roots) to capture the colorful, cartoonish and movement-inspired worldview. Whitby is best known for his work with longtime collaborator Martha Redbone, the acclaimed Native/African-American songstress with whom he created the music genre 'Native American Soul' and subsequently took poet William Blake to Appalachia. The singles and albums they co-wrote/co-produced include notably; "Home of the Brave", "Skintalk" and "The Garden of Love - Songs of William Blake" have received numerous awards and critical acclaim. Currently the team have created and tour "Bone Hill- The Concert", a devised, multi-disciplinary theatrical concert originally commissioned by Joe's Pub and The Public Theater. Whitby and Redbone are recipients of the NEFA NTP Award and an NPN Creation Fund Award, and are currently developing a new musical commissioned by the Public Theater in NYC supported in part by MAP Fund and Creative Capital.

If music is still an industry Jared Pauley has dabbled in just about all of it as a performer, educator, composer, concert producer, talent agent, archivist, author, and researcher. He was born and raised in Charleston, WV. He started playing guitar at the age of ten, but didn't take it all too seriously. As a teenager, he was heavily influenced by hip hop music, taking up emceeing at an early age. As his curiosity about samples and beats expanded, he started to explore instruments again. At the age of 17, he started to play keyboards and developed a strong interest in improvised music. He studied jazz piano under pianist Bob Thompson and the late pianist and composer Jay Flippin (Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett) at Marshall University. During this time he performed with Cuban trumpeter/pianist Arturo Sandoval and also made an appearance at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival. In 2006, he moved to New York City to continue his academic pursuits. During this time he immersed himself in the burgeoning jazz scene, which included frequent hangs at jam sessions (Smoke, Fat Cat, EZ's Woodshed) throughout the city. Along the way he worked a number of different gigs. He was a writer for jazz. Com for a couple of years, did some work for Oxford University Press, worked as an archivist for writer Will Friedwald, and helped produce and promote shows that featured luminaries like Patti LaBelle and rising stars such as Esperanza Spalding. While working behind the scenes, he continued to write, record, and perform as a sideman. Over the years, he has performed at a number of NYC venues including the Blue Note, The Bitter End, Drom, Nublu, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In 2016, he began crafting songs for his debut recording Systematic. Included on these sessions were legendary drummer Mike Clark, trumpeter Duane Eubanks, vibraphonist Eldad Tarmu, and bassist Leon Lee Dorsey. In 2017, he performed and recorded with Ropeadope artist Brad Farberman's band Middle Blue. He is featured on their 2018 release Love Songs along with Mike Clark, bassist Danny Tamberelli, and Rope

Trumpeter Dave Douglas and pianist Uri Caine continue their long-time musical association with a new album featuring master drummer Andrew Cyrille. The sequel to the 2014 Douglas / Caine album Present Joys that centered on renditions of Sacred Harp tunes and which the New York Times called, an album of duologue that manages to be at once intimate, soulful and irrepressibly buoyant, Devotion features new original compositions by Douglas in devotion to many of todays greatest composers including Carla Bley and Franco DAndrea.

Michel Edelin Quintet - John Greaves - "Echoes of Henry Cow" - Michel Edelin (flute, alto flute, bass flute), Sophia Domancich (piano, Fender Rhodes), Sylvain Kassap (clarinet, bass clarinet), St�phane Kerecki (double bass), Simon Goubert (drums), John Greaves (spoken works)

New York-based German drummer and composer Mareike Wiening releases her debut album featuring her original compositions performed by an outstanding quintet of New York improvisers. Metropolis Paradise is dedicated to Wiening's six year residence in the Big Apple. Wiening's compositions are lyrical, direct and emotional, as well as rhythmically intricate, maintaining an accessible sound that draws you in. Featuring Wiening on drums and cymbals along with Rich Perry (tenor saxophone), Dan Tepfer (piano), Alex Goodman (guitar), and Johannes Felscher (bass), the group sound is one of give and take, a musical dialogue between soloist and accompanist.

... with a keen appreciation for suspense and patient development, (McCarthy) tests the boundaries and borders of shadows and shape with stunning results. - All About Jazz. Harkening back to the era of classic Gary Burton recordings such as "Dreams So Real" and "Passengers," vibist Dan McCarthy pays tribute to Burton and Carla Bley, another towering influence on his musical development, for his second Origin release. Recently returning to Toronto after 15 years in New York City, McCarthy teams with highly regarded Toronto-based improvisors, guitarist Ted Quinlan, Pat Collins on bass, and drummer Ted Warren, to present six new originals inspired by Burton and Bley, as well as compositions from Pat Metheny, "Midwestern Nights Dream," and Keith Jarrett's "Coral." "An extraordinary musical ability and a boundless imagination" - Gary Burton.

Classical Music

Born and raised on the westside of Los Angeles, Eric Borders is a keyboardist, producer and composer. He has shared stages with the likes of Kamasi Washington, Jose James, Jimmy Cliff, The Internet, Stanley Clarke and George Duke. His Musical 'persona' is Captain Supernova (C. SN), a fictional Astronaut who travels through space and transmitting his message back to Earth. And so the stage is set, and we are about to receive C. SN's third transmission; this time a full length album - The Voyage Never Ends. "Let it take you to Wherever it Begins" - C. SN The Voyage Never Ends is aptly titled; it feel like a journey into place unknown, sometimes drifting through space and sometimes landing in new places.

2019 release. Their performances are so riveting it is impossible to turn away, as if there is some element of humanity inside us that we have forgotten and are longing to awaken. The troupe of global artists came together when Michael Mwenso created the late night jam at Dizzy's, and they can groove, cook, and jam all the way home, with three vocals and a tap dancer up front. Michael Mwenso leads their electrifying show, described by the New York Times as "intense, prowling, and ebullient." Mwenso hails from Sierra Leone, but spent his teen years hanging out at Ronnie Scott's in London where he was exposed to the greats, with the great James Brown bringing him up to sing and dance - a moment that changed his life. The band is from well, everywhere, a truly global meeting of like minds. While fully mesmerizing to watch, the band has powerful message inside the music - an uplifting statement of individuality, courage, and community. The compositions cover a formidable timeline of jazz and blues expression through African and Afro American music.

While looking through songbooks of traditional Galician music, Spanish saxophonist Xose Miguelez happened upon a recording by the ethnic musicologist Doroth' Schubart of a ballad, sung by his own Great-Aunt Amparo almost 40 years ago in Cerdedelo-Laza, a beautiful village hidden in the Galician hills. All of the compositions on "Ontology" come from a four-note motif at the beginning of that ballad.

For his fifth recording as a leader, San Francisco Bay-Area saxophonist Dann Zinn presents his stellar quartet in a performance of nine new original compositions along with a moving version of the classic ballad, "Blame It On My Youth." With Taylor Eigsti on piano, bassist Zach Ostroff and Mark Ferber on drums, Zinn's playing is energetic, virtuosic, and passionate. Recorded in the final weeks of the legendary Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA, the band captured the sounds and clarity of the studio along with the passionate energy the group brings to a live gig, creating a listening experience that "exemplifies Zinn's gift for marrying eminently memorable themes to entrancing rhythms." "Dann Zinn is a game changer who is taking jazz in new directions." - Stanford Jazz.

Blending a punk rock sensibility with Sephardic tribalism via a taste of North African Gnawa magic, Abraxas is one of the most primal and rocking ensembles in the Masada family. After extensive touring with music from the Book of Angels, they stormed into Bill Laswells studio to record an even more intense CD of Masada Book Three. Upheld by the pulsating sound of Shanir Ezra Blumenkranzs gimbri and the dynamic drumming of Kenny Grohowski, Aram Bajakian and Eyal Maoz push their guitars to the limits. Hypnotic grooves and trance-inducing guitar solos with arrangements that stop on a dime create a CD of white hot intensity.

Hi Bobby Sanabria here! Two years ago I came up with the idea of re-arranging the music from Leonard Bernstein's masterpiece West Side Story and performing it with my Multiverse Big Band, but in a way that has never been done before: a complete Latin jazz reworking of the entire score in celebration of the show's recent 60th anniversary and Maestro Bernstein's centennial. However, besides paying tribute to the composer and the music, I saw this as an opportunity to give back and help my ancestral homeland Puerto Rico. As most of us know, hurricanes Irma and Maria ravaged the island of Puerto Rico, leaving it's residents unable to recover. Puerto Ricans have been American citizens since 1917, and the government's response has been unsatisfactory at best. Six months later, entire communities are still living without food, water, power, and other basic needs we take for granted. I realized the best way I could help was through my music. What better way to portray the struggles and hardships of the people of Puerto Rico than West Side Story? We are dedicating this recording to the musical genius of Leonard Bernstein and donating proceeds from this special commemorative 2 CD set to the Jazz Foundation of America Puerto Rico Relief Fund. This is a cause many of us are passionate about and every bit of generosity helps. Recorded live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in NYC, this exciting new reworking is West Side Story like you've never heard it before, through the exciting lens of the Latin jazz continuum. This project is being produced with the blessing and support of the Leonard Bernstein Organization. Bernstein's daughter Jamie remarked: "What I love about Bobby Sanabria's take on "West Side Story" music is that it's a kind of rhythm fission: my dad's music is already so drenched in rhythm. Then along comes Bobby and explodes it to an even richer rhythmic level!"

A reissue of the classic 1977 vocal fusion album that has been the source of many hip-hop samples. It features Narada Michael Walden (Whitney Houston, Herbie Hancock, George Benson) on drums. Long out of print, and coveted by collectors, Chiaroscuro provides an official CD reissue for the first time.

Based in Mexico, Klezmerson is a super creative ever changing ensemble led by violinist, composer and arranger Benjamin Schwartz. Here they do their critically acclaimed and best selling Book of Angels installment one better with wild arrangements blending a variety of Mexican musical traditions with the sound of Masada. Featuring electric and acoustic strings, keyboards, accordions, saxes and of course a huge array of Latin percussion, Tiferet is one of the most delightful and imaginative CDs in the Book Beriah!

2019 release. Born and raised in North Carolina, Ben Seawell is a bassist singer songwriter now living in New York City. As an in demand bassist in North Carolina, Ben played with Philadelphia pianist Elmer Gibson (Norman Conners), guitarist Scott Sawyer and saxophonist Paul Jeffrey (Thelonius Monk) in the 1980's. During this time Ben was part of a rhythm section that backed solo artist traveling through the area such as, Woody Shaw, George Coleman, Sonny Fortune and Junior Mance as well as being a part of a quartet led by Nnenna Freelon. Ben also accompanied vibraphonist Jon Metzger on a tour of Central America in 1985. Ben has appeared at various festivals such as Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC- Cape May Jazz Festival, Cape May, NJ- Duke University Jazz Festival, Durham NC and UNC Jazz Festival Chapel Hill, NC.

Maxine Sullivan was a stylish and versatile jazz and big band singer who was active in music for over half a century into the 1980s but whose most important recordings were during the first decade or so of her career from the late '30s through the 1940s. She came to the fore as vocalist with Claude Thornhill's innovative orchestra, and had a surprise hit with a version of the traditional song "Loch Lomond" which established a professional style and profile which enabled her to work as a solo artist, accompanied not only by Thornhill but by some of the other important names of that era, including John Kirby, Frankie Newton, Charlie Shavers, Bobby Hackett, Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter and Ellis Larkins. This excellent-value 75-track 3-CD set comprises a significant proportion of her recordings from these years as she recorded for the Vocalion, Brunswick, Victor, Bluebird, Decca, Davis, Musicraft, DeLuxe, International and Apollo labels, encompassing performances across the jazz spectrum from big band to sessions in an intimate trio environment, as well as sophisticated renditions of pop songs that place her alongside some of the finest song interpreters of that era. It naturally includes her chart hits "Loch Lomond", "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "My Ideal". The collection offers a substantial and fairly comprehensive overview of her work during her key formative years, and is also a thoroughly enjoyable showcase for a distinctive and sometimes underestimated talent.

... Dave Peterson originals (are) full of sharp gleaming edges and shining facets... catchy, stick-in-the-head melodies, and a very accessible sound that reveals deeper complexities on multiple listens. - ALL ABOUT JAZZ. Raised in Montana by musicians and music educators, cousins Dave Peterson, Rob Kohler and Lee Kohler each went their own way after school, forging rich and varied music careers with teaching, performing and tours throughout the world. Forty-five years later, the cousins assembled in Seattle for this reunion of sorts, gathering compositions, mutual musician friends, and their collective inherited musical taste. From the impressionism of Peterson's lyrical title tune, to the quirky funk of "M&M Blues," composed by the Kohler's late father, or their two rangy group improvisations, "Winter Colors" exudes the warmth of family and the cousin's depth of musical kinship.

2019 release. The Jewels began as an ongoing late-night conversation: while on the road for two years as the touring rhythm section for various artists, bassist Derek Nievergelt and drummer Adrian Harpham spent endless hours on buses and planes philosophizing about the ideal record. They talked about David Axelrod, Quincy Jones, and the Beastie Boys. They talked about Led Zeppelin, P-Funk, and Paul McCartney. They talked about soundtracks to 60s sci-fi, 70s soft porn, and 80s cop shows. Already transitioning from life as a gig monster to producing and writing, Nievergelt realized he had a mission: to turn this philosophizing into reality. The Jewels is the culmination of that mission.

A do-it-yourself dance party in hi-fi, with 18 tunes played by six of the top name orchestras of the mid-1950s: Ray Anthony, Les Brown, Woody Herman, Harry James, Stan Kenton, and Billy May, from the Capitol album "Dance to the Bands!." Plus, as a bonus, 5 songs (including one with guest Buddy Rich on drums) that have never been on CD before. The booklet will delight collectors, adding period images, liner notes that put the music in context, a discography which provides recording dates, personnel, and a necrology of band member

Working together since 1982, Cyro Baptista is one of Zorn's closest friends and col- laborators. Banquet of the Spirits is his tight touring quartet of young lions and fea- tures Brian Marsella, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz and Tim Keiper on keyboards, bass and drums. Here they follow up their acclaimed CD of the Book of Angels Caym with a Latin Jazz-tinged interpretation featuring the rising star Brian Marsella on piano and keyboards. Breathtakingly beautiful, this is one of the most seductive install- ments of the Book Beri'ah. Latin Jazz at it's very best.

Craig Taborn and Vadim Neselovskyi are two of the most acclaimed and brilliant pianists working today and here they perform a select set of Masada compositions in solo, duo and trio permutations. Created as a bonus disk for the Book Beri'ah, it is a beautiful program and highlights the incredible versatility of the Masada compositions themselves as well as and the stunning virtuosity and imaginative creativity of these two keyboard masters. Featuring pieces for solo piano, two amazing piano duets and three pieces for piano, bass and drums, Da'at is a beautiful bonus CD to the Book Beriah series.

... they have revealed a work of true artistic mastery, and generational significance. In many ways, it personifies the direction of jazz music into the 21st century, a mantle to be grasped and moved forward by generation next. - All About Jazz. In his fifth decade as a major jazz artist, Hal Galper continues the innovation that has made him one of the most surprising and satisfying pianists alive. His 21st century series of albums for Origin over the last 12 years incorporates the elasticity of rubato performing as a means of melding melodic lyricism with the visceral rhythmic excitement of bebop. This 8th recording in the series highlights the deep musical bond of his trio, with bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop, and their uncanny ability to slip into "The Zone" - where self awareness is abandoned and the music is allowed to control the proceedings. Performed in the inviting environs of the Yardbird Suite in Edmonton, Canada, it was months later that the recording from the soundboard was reviewed. Asking "Who is this piano player?," Galper recognized the music was coming from a deeper than conscious place and that documenting the trio deeply in 'the zone,' and in the wild, was necessary. "... a moment of thrilling uncertainty, slightly airborne and stretched out in unusual shapes and motions, and (the moment extended) out for the length of a song, each and every time." - Wondering Sound.

Having met as McGill University students in the mid-2000s, Ryshpan, bassist Nicolas B�dard and drummer Mark Nelson have spent the past decade forging their own careers as active bandleaders and freelancers. B�dard won the Rimouski Jazz Festival Grand Prize in 2012, and is a member of the award-winning Emie R Roussel Trio. He also teaches in Rimouski and Quebec City. Nelson has appeared on the drum throne with artists as varied as Elizabeth Shepherd, Parc-X Trio and Cord�me, in addition to leading his own band, Sympathetic Frequencies. He is a frequent collaborator with Ryshpan, appearing in the song cycle Alicuanta. Since forming Trio Bruxo, Ryshpan has developed a notoriety in the Brazilian music community at large, having toured in Jorge Ben Jor's band and recorded on C�zar Mendes' highly praised debut album (produced by Marisa Monte and Mario Caldato Jr.). He has toured extensively with Haitian MC Vox Sambou. Trio Bruxo have served as a rhythm section for vocalists Rael, Jean Rohe, R�mmel Ribeiro, and Isaac Neto as well as trumpet luminary Brownman Ali. The album is bookended by a set of variations on "Cheguei, meu povo," the anthem of Maracat� Na��o Estrela Brilhante de Recife. "The initial catalyst of this project was to understand what made these traditional songs work on a melodic level," Ryshpan says. Trombonist and composer Jean- Nicolas Trottier urged Ryshpan to use theme and variations as a process of discovery and research. The final "Electric Variation" was the result of extra studio time and complicity with his fellow bruxos. The maracat� influences are equally present in the title track, with a nod to the flag iconography in many toadas (call-and-response chants) and the one-man percussion section of special guest Sacha Daoud. Ryshpan composed the majority of this repertoire during a tumultuous time in Brazilian politics: the final months of the Temer presidency, in the shadow of the assassination of Marielle Franco and Anderson Pedro Gomes, and the election of Jair Bolsonaro in 2018.