For 'Django-shift' Rez Abbasi chose seven of Django Reinhardt's original pieces and two classic tunes that he was greatly associated with. The arrangements were soon created for a contemporary trio format, with Neil Alexander on organ and electronics and Michael Sarin on drums. The results give a fascinating and original insight into an often-overlooked attribute of Django's genius, his compositions. Rez Abbasi has established an enviable reputation over the course of his fourteen album releases as leader: not simply as one of the finest guitarists of his generation, but also as a musical alchemist with the ability to parlay his continent-crossing range of influences into consistently fresh and innovative compositions and reframings of the tradition. His deep musicality has been applied with equal conviction to contemporary New York acoustic jazz, the Qawwali and Indian Classical traditions of South Asia and the heady fusion sounds of the 1970s. Diminishing / Heavy Artillery / Django's Castle / Anniversary Song / Cavalrie / Hungaria / Douce Ambiance / Swing 42 / September Song

Benjamin Lackner -"Spindrift" Back with a newly formed quintet, the German pianist Benjamin Lackner presents a different and exciting side of his composer approach. Subtle fanfares meet contemplative lyricism in a program of originals that always puts melody and ensemble chemistry first. Saxophone and trumpet take the lead, forming their own little ensemble section, and contribute elegantly interwoven lines and striking solos to an especially harmonious group sound and a tuneful set of songs. Verve Label Group; ECM; Jazz

2020 release. The members of the original Joshua Redman Quartet-Redman (saxophone), Brad Mehldau (piano), Christian McBride (bass), and Brian Blade (drums)-reunite with the release of RoundAgain, the group's first recording since 1994's MoodSwing. The album features seven newly composed songs: three from Redman, two from Mehldau, and one each from McBride and Blade.

2020 release. Bluey (AKA Jean-Paul Maunick) is a British guitarist, bandleader, composer and record producer. He has led the British acid jazz band Incognito since it's formation in 1979. With Incognito, he has released sixteen studio albums as well as a number of live albums, remix albums and compilation albums. PHis record production credits include artists such as George Benson, Mario Biondi, Phillip Bailey, Maxi Priest, Maysa and Terry Callier; he has also collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Paul Weller, Anastasia, Lulu, George Duke, Carleen Anderson, Omar, Leon Ware, Al McKay, Hamish Stuart and Chaka Khan. Bluey has also remixed songs for several artists including Electribe 101, D'Angelo, R. Kelly and The Brand New Heavies.

The Modern Jazz Quartet was formed in 1952, largely by the rhythm section of the Dizzy Gillespie Band. When these recordings were made, John Lewis was still trying to develop the Modern Jazz Quartet as a jazz chamber group, attempting to make a unique style of jazz, free of cliché. The motto of the MJQ was “Change your attitude.” Each of the thirteen tracks on this album show the ensemble’s unique and dignified style. As Andre Francis wrote of the group, the musicians are “a sensitive instrument which vibrates in the same universe of sound, achieving a communion unique in the world of jazz.”

Only a few, famous jazz bassists have ever gone beyond the limitations of their instruments and sought new opportunities on the cello. The cellist Valentin Radutiu turns the tables to show how well the cello suits jazz - at times taking the role of the traditional string bass, at others a resonant tenor guitar while at others giving it's voice wings. The repertoire on Remembering The Rain: A Jazz View, comes mainly from the "Great American Songbook", supplementing that glorious heritage with standards by John Lewis (MJQ) and Bill Evans, both of whom had their own anchors in classical music as well.

In view of the work of new musicians of the same period, such as Miles Davis, Frank Zappa and the Art Ensemble of Chicago (to name only three representatives of the exceptional creative effervescence of this enchanted fleeting period in musical history), at this specific moment in his career Dizzy Gillespie might conceivably have given his peers the impression that he was resting on his laurels. However, the passing of time and there discovery of unpublished recordings such as the one of this 1973 concert in Laren give a fresh, dispassionate perspective on the music that the artist was making then, and help put peremptory judgements into context. With hindsight, there appears to have been a schism within the Gillespie of the 1970s: he readily agreed to go on high-profile tours in line with legends of bebop (such as the Giants of Jazz in 1971) where, following tradition, he would give performances “of himself”, while he could call himself into question, return to the framework of his usual small bands that were familiar yet experimental, rediscovering there, as if by magic, his style – cutting-edge, inventive, virtuoso and exuberant – and his ever-intact joy in performing.

At Footprint Records, we are very proud to present Naoko Sakata's first solo album, Inner Planets. Over the last years, she has appeared in many different improv constellations on the Swedish jazz scene, but during her ten years in Sweden, Ms. Sakata has also evolved into an amazing solo improviser on the piano. These recordings were made with Ms. Sakata and a Fazioli Grand Piano at Studio Epidemin, in February 2019. On Inner Planets, you will hear six selected and un-edited takes from this recording session. Per Sjösten made this DXD recording and Naoko played straight from her heart - no compositions. We love it and we hope you will too. Naoko Sakata can also be heard on the albums Dreaming Tree (Naoko Sakata Trio, FR 084) and Thomas Markusson's Open (FR 107) from Footprint Records.

2021 release. A career retrospective when you're not even 30 years old? Well, yes-if you've been performing professionally since age four and your name is Nicolas King. Act One: Celebrating 25 Years of Recordings is a remarkable release, both because it is a piece of show-biz history and because it chronicles the musical evolution of a star performer. Born of the pandemic and it's "time on my hands" state of being, King put together 17 tracks that represent a journey he considers the end of childhood and the launch into the next act of his career as an adult. The result is a compilation of new studio tracks, selections from previous solo albums, and archival numbers.

Michel Donato and Pierre Tanguay, two key figures of the Quebec music scene, join hands with Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven, the atypical Belgian pianist who navigates between jazz and classical music. They serve up a dreamy musical feast of new and fresh harmonies and that pays attention to the spaces between notes. This is a must for lovers of music in its purest form. This is Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven’s second release with Igloo Records. Collard-Neven is a professor of music and improvisation at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Mons. In addition to a teaching career, he maintains an active performing life, and has performed as a pianist with the Namur Chamber Orchestra, with Art Zoyd and the Philharmonic of Antwerp, and with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Lille with all Musiques Nouvelles.

Chet Baker does what he does best; SINGS AND PLAYS. He was gracious enough to occasionally put down the trumpet to croon, his vocal ability as skillful as his trumpeting. Baker's effortless virtuosity transcended the bounds of jazz stardom, with both aficionados and mainstream audiences embracing him as the genre's coolest cat.

Sullivan Fortner's ended 2024 with three Grammy nominations including Best Jazz Instrumental Album for 2024's Solo Game. 2025 kicks off with the release of his new trio album Southern Nights. In July 2023, Fortner returned to the Village Vanguard as a leader. Tasked with forming an all-star trio, Sullivan brought together the iconic bassist Peter Washington, celebrated for his lyrical depth and groove, and drummer Marcus Gilmore, whose innovative rhythms have redefined modern jazz. Despite their first-ever collaboration and limited rehearsal, the trio's chemistry was immediate, resulting in Southern Nights, a raw, unedited live recording that perfectly captures the energy of their Vanguard performances. "Not only would this be the first time Peter and Marcus had ever met, but there was no time to rehearse. [...] With no isolation, no edits, and very few retakes, we managed to record 12 songs in four hours." Featuring one of Fortner's original composition, pieces by Allen Toussaint and Consuela Lee, and a heartfelt tribute to his late mentor, Bill Lee, the album is an acoustic celebration of spontaneity and connection. On Southern Nights, Fortner celebrates the music of New Orleans that he holds so dear and continues to prove why he is one of the most celebrated jazz pianists of his generation, delivering music that is both timeless and deeply personal.

Pat Metheny will release Road To The Sun, his debut for BMG Modern Recordings and the latest chapter in an endlessly innovative career that spans nearly five decades. A collection of two major new works composed by Metheny and performed by five of the world �s leading guitarists, Road To The Sun unveils new facets of an already expansive personal language while obliterating any genre boundaries that stand in it's way. MR4/Modern Recordings - Pat Metheny - Road To The Sun - Road To The Sun - An Unexpected And Genre-Defying New Recording From 20-Time Grammy Winning Guitarist/Composer Pat Metheny Featuring Jason Vieaux And The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet 2021 release from the multi-Grammy Award winning guitarist.

Pianist/composer Stanley Cowell at age 75 is having an on-going renaissance as a performer since his retirement from Rutgers University in 2013. The group presented here is scheduled to have a three-night stint at New York City’s renowned live jazz spot Smokes in May. This is Cowell’s 15th release from SteepleChase. “…Cowell’s recording career now spans more than thirty years….an impressive consistency of purpose and the highest level of musical thought.” (Richard Cook & Brian Morton – The Penguin Guide to Jazz)

Two CDs. Jose James: New York 2020 is the first highly anticipated live album from an artist with a decade long career built on his electric live show. Despite an entire year without shows, James found a way to create & connect with audiences during the peak of Coronavirus NY lockdown. Jose James is known for assembling some of the best live bands in the world, and his New York 2020 crew is no exception. Each song resonates with the creative urgency of an effervescent, resilient 2020 New York City.

LEGENDARY ALBUMS 1954-56

Classical Music

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A Pl�cido Domingo prot�g�, soprano Angel Blue has enjoyed recent opera house triumphs in Valencia and at English National Opera. + Following her acclaimed 2013 Wigmore Hall recital, this new Rosenblatt Recital studio recording, on which Ms. Blue is accompanied by noted pianist Iain Burnside, features songs by Richard Strauss, Sergei Rachmaninov, a selection of zarzuelas, and George Gershwin's classic Summertime. + In partnership with Opus Arte, this and other CD releases will be based predominantly on studio recordings with occasional bonus live tracks. + A native of California, Angel Joy Blue's voice has been recognized for it's shining and agile upper register, "smoky" mid-register, and beautiful timbre. + She has performed internationally and won numerous awards. + "At her first meeting with Placido Domingo, he told her that she "reminded him of some of his former colleagues" - sopranos he'd worked with in the past, such as the great Leontyne Price." (The Telegraph)

Big G as in George Coleman, Sr. The legendary tenor saxophonist is the featured artist here on Brian Charette’s new album. George Coleman is the recipient of 2015 NEA (The National Endowment for the Arts) Jazz Masters Awards, the highest honor USA gives to jazz musician. For B-3’s most adventurous and talented practitioner Brian Charette who has known the Coleman father and son for more than a couple of decades, this recording materialized as a musical homecoming. “Both B-3 stylist and student, serious jazz scholar and glitzy entertainer, Charette is a burning soloist who understands the tradition of the Hammond B-3 as well its future—just as certainly as he understands his place in that lineage.” (Ken Micallef Downbeat Magazine)

Petter Bergander Trio is back with new energetic, melodious jazz and the album Kierkegaard's Waltz following up their praised 2015 debut The Grand Dance. They were called "innovative" and "raw fun" and the album "a brilliant debut". The group has since played both in Sweden and international stages and festivals. Constellation is partly new with Eva Kruse on double bass. For the new record, composer and band leader Petter Bergander has written music with the explicit aim to make space for the "playing, the sound and playfulness of the trio" and the ambition to reach out to listeners of a variety of different music genres.

India and Indian music have intrigued Pierre Dørge ever since his teenage. Here on his latest album Dørge compiles his impressions of several trips there and the result of his recent field studies. Donald Elfman of AAJ once remarked, “Pierre Dørge has what seems like a magical ability - he can re-imagine and re-think the way that music is voiced thus creating entire new worlds out of worlds we think we know.” His magical ability is at full throttle here on this extraordinary musical depiction of a fascinating country.