With the support of the American State Department, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, including new members Joe Morello and Eugene Wright, began a major tour of Europe early in 1958. Their first concert in the Netherlands was held on 26 February in the legendary Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam. The concert inaugurated a triumphant career in Europe. It announced, loud and clear, the communicative enthusiasm that was the lasting hallmark of these four exceptional musicians.

Recognized as one of the most accomplished musicians of his generation, Carsten Dahl pays a mesmerizing tribute to the legendary Keith Jarrett on his new album The Solo Songs of Keith Jarrett, due for release on August 25 on Storyville Records. This remarkable recording showcases Dahl’s extraordinary talent, as he collaborates with a host of acclaimed musicians, including trumpet virtuoso Palle Mikkelborg, versatile saxophonist Fredrik Lundin, expressive bassist Nils Bo Davidsen, melodic drummer Stefan Pasborg and musicians from Ensemble Midtvest to craft a mesmerizing tribute to the iconic Keith Jarrett, one of the most influential jazz instrumentalists of his generation.

This recording is set to be an exceptional addition to any jazz enthusiast’s collection, offering a captivating blend of technical brilliance, emotional depth and artistic innovation. Dahl’s profound musicality and his ability to connect with the audience on a deeper level are showcased throughout this remarkable album. It is a Wahlvervandschaft, a connection between spiritual and musical brothers – documented with love and respect on The Solo Songs of Keith Jarrett!

Peter Beets is internationally recognized as a phenomenal jazz pianist. He celebrates great success with his swinging variations on the timeless melodies of Chopin. Now the maestro comes with a strong follow-up: Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and All That Jazz! In the spring of 2023, Beets travelled to New York to record this long awaited album. Enjoy!

Only time can tell if a musical composition will be considered a “classical” piece by future audiences, but as Danish music critic Søren Schauser has predicted: “In a couple of years we will see pieces by an Ellington or a Peterson in regular concert programs in entirely classical contexts.” With “The Touch” Søren Kristiansen and Thomas Fonnesbæk present their take on a classical piece of jazz, playing the music of Oscar Peterson and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen - classical but improvised! OP and NHØP gave us something unique and unforgettable, just as the classical composers did and still do. Being the world’s greatest virtuosos on piano and double bass respectively, their immense technique and ‘Touch’ made them unique. Their collaboration was likewise special because they were equals. For instance, Oscar Peterson’s arrangement for “On The Trail” (Great Connection, 1971) was presumably written because he had found a bassist that could keep up both musically and technically. OP & NHØP gave us something extraordinary and unforgettable, exactly like the great classical composers did and continue doing - and now Kristiansen and Fonnesbæk share their idea of how it could be played today.

REVIEW:

One of the swingingest pianists in jazz history, Oscar Peterson, is given tribute with one of his best bassists, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen ( better known as NHOP) on this concert of duets between Soren Kristiansen/p and Thomas Fonnesbaek/b. The May, 2021 recordings in Copenhagen mix originals by the two as well as a handful of standards, and the two converse and bounce like the original string trio with Ray Brown and Herb Ellis.

Kristiansen provides classy chords on the hip “Soft Winds” while Fonnesbaek delivers a rich bass line on “Nigerian Marketplace”. Peterson’s feel is captured well on “The Trail”, with bopping unison lines and a nifty left hand. Dark and dramatic moods are created for “On Danish Shore” with pretty melodies bouncing on “Wheatland”. Fonnesbaek is stately on the intro and lad on the uptown “There Is No Greater  Love”, and steps out for Kristiansen to give a heartfelt aria on the solemn “Hymn To Freedom”. Classy conversations.

-- JazzWeekly.com (George W. Harris)

Cool Sweetness could be a nice cold and tasty cocktail…or maybe an irresistible ice cream… But actually, it is the name of Danish trombonist Anders Jacobsen’s jazz sextet. “Cool” because the main inspiration comes from the cool jazz as they played it on the American West Coast in the fifties. “Sweetness” because that is how the sextet members really are. Six nice, good-natured and humorous men who love to play good jazz. The music on their new album “Shoehorn Shuffle” is primarily composed and arranged by Jacobsen and the album features a strong line-up of the coolest players on the Danish jazz scene, including Thomas Fryland (trumpet), Jens Søndergaard (sax), Pelle von Bülow (guitar), Ole Skipper (bass) and Aage Tanggaard (drums).

‘The music on this fine recording is quite simply - just wonderful! The beauty and spirit of quality is always evident. The writing, execution, soli, and recorded sound are a joy to experience! The sense of swing and great groove puts a big smile on my face. many thanks to Anders for his terrific writing and assembling all these superb musicians!’ (Jiggs Whigham)

REVIEW:

The group have all the right attributes, good sound, calm execution, and the correct solo power to place them alongside the iconic cool jazz players of yesteryear.

-- Jazzwise (UK)

Robert Schumann’s song cycle Dichterliebe, Op. 48 (1840), is widely considered the composer’s most celebrated cycle of Lieder and, along with Franz Schubert’s marginally earlier cycles Die Schöne Müllerin (1823) and Winterreise (1828), constitutes part of the central core of the genre in musical literature. Based on German poet Heinrich Heine’s Lyrisches Intermezzo, a 65-poems spanning collection first published in 1823, Dichterliebe in a way even represents the epitome of romantic poetry set to music. Both Heine and Schumann were progressive spirits who bent genres and rewrote the rules of their crafts. Therefore, it only seems appropriate that the Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu, a forward-thinking mind in today’s contemporary music world, would do his part in bending genres by tackling this song cycle and updating its structure and vocabulary with the language of the 21st Century.

SWR Big Band and Fola Dada have been successful collaborators for many years and with their new studio album As We Speak they broaden their swing repertoire to include the 1960s. In addition, there are swing classics like You Go to my Head. This way the multi-Grammy-nominated SWR Big Band is able to confirm their reputation as a fantastically swinging formation that manages to underline new aspects of traditional pieces again and again. The long, fruitful colaboration between the SWR Big Band and the jazz singer Fola Dada has already resulted in three, very successful albums: Kings of S wing (1 & 2) and SWR Big Band live at the Elbphilharmonie. Fola Dada was awared in 2022 the German Jazz Award for the best German jazz singer.

Since its inception in 1964, the Berlin Jazz Fest had been thought of as a festival that, if not avant-garde, welcomed the most progressive and experimental forms of music of a period rich in all types of modernistic trends, from radical free jazz to a multitude of fusions of pop, rock, soul and jazz. But in 1969, as if swimming against the tide of the revolutions that swept the West, the organizers took an audacious stand: it was Duke Ellington’s 70th birthday and not only did they welcome him at the head of his big band for the first time, but part of the program focused on his heritage; as a bonus and birthday gift, Ellington was featured on the publicity poster of the festival’s sixth edition.

The Berlin concert of 8 November 1969 is magnificent testimony to the extraordinary freshness of tone that Ellington’s big band still displayed on stage, when the sheer pleasure of playing took over from the routine of performance. The concert of 2 November 1973, on the stage of the Philharmonie, turned out to be Ellington’s last concert at the Berlin Jazztage.

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Always curious and always looking for new challenges, Alex Riel has been an important innovator of modern drumming in Europe. He was among the very first to record a “free” solo on his debut album in 1965 and he was a founding member of the beat-group Savage Rose, while also playing with Bill Evans, Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon and being a member of Monica Zetterlund’s quartet. From the last 20 years we know him for his work with Enrico Pieranunzi, Kenny Werner, Mads Vinding and many others. On “Our Songs”, Alex Riel brings together two musical “playmates”: The legendary bassist Bo Stief, who like Riel, belongs to the generation of Danish musicians who started their professional careers at Montmartre in the 60s, and Carsten Dahl, one of Europe’s most innovative piano players. The trio plays in balance with themselves and each other, and simply lets the music flow unhindered. So where, then, does the music flow? Basically, this is classic piano-trio jazz, and while Carsten Dahl is “in charge”, he never overshadows the trio’s creative affinity. Quite appropriately, the mood is established with, “My Song” a classic Keith Jarrett number. In many ways Riel’s playing is discreet, often poetic, so it’s fitting that Dahl has dedicated his composition for the album, “The Poet” to Alex. We are also treated to a couple of melancholic Swedish folk songs reminiscent of legendary pianist Jan Johansson, plus the trio’s own folklore-inspired “Høstdansen” (“Harvest Dance”). Along the way there are also four freshly interpreted American jazz standards, including John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” as a lyrical ballad - in direct contrast to the high-powered original version. The personal and musical friendship of the three musicians is obvious. It's playful, creative and beautiful when Alex Riel, Bo Stief and Carsten Dahl play their songs.

Experience Louis Armstrong at the height of his powers with this definitive 1959 Copenhagen concert, captured just months before his life changing heart attack. Drawn from newly restored Danish radio tapes, SCCD 36513 showcases Armstrong’s All Stars in explosive form—fiery “Tiger Rag,” soulful “Basin Street Blues,” a powerful “Black and Blue/Do You Know What It Means” medley, and joyous favorites like “Mack the Knife” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Featuring Velma Middleton, Trummy Young, Peanuts Hucko, Billy Kyle, Mort Herbert, and Danny Barcelona, this release reveals Armstrong’s unmatched stamina and emotional depth. Liner notes are by Ricky Riccardi, the Grammy winning Director of Research Collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum and one of the world’s leading Armstrong scholars. A major archival addition to the Armstrong discography, presented with SteepleChase’s renowned audio restoration.

September 8, 1960 Oscar Pettiford, American bassist/cellist/composer with unparalleled recognition died abruptly at age 38 due to a virus disease in Copenhagen where he had made his permanent residence. He was one of American jazz players Denmark welcomed in in the 60s and 70s. A few weeks after Pettiford’s passing a circle of Danish jazz fans organized a memorial concert presented here to raise fund for his children with a star-studded program that included Stan Getz, Alice Babs, among others.

November 20, 1961 Dizzy Gillespie brought on stage of Falkoner Centret, Copenhagen the quintet version of “Gillespiana Suite”, composed originally for his 16-piece orchestra by young Argentine composer/pianist Lalo Schifrin. The suite was recorded in the previous year to become a huge success. This composition paved the way for Schifrin to become one of the most popular screen music composers. The program finishes with Gillespie’s own Kush which stayed in his repertoire for the next 15 years

This double-featured opening concert (preceding Gerry Mulligan Quartet – SCCD 36506) of May 21, 1959 at Falkoner Centret in Copenhagen could not escape being conceived as “incompatible” for the huge stylistic difference between the first half of the program by the front-runner of jazz’s free improvisation Jimmy Guiffre and the latter part by Gene Krupa, the top drummer of Swing Era. The evening’s audiences, however, were treated to a perfect showcase of multifaceted jazz of the mid - 20th century.

William “Count” Basie (1904 – 1984) had a long successful career over a span of six plus decades leaving an enormous legacy in the history of jazz. The existence of this live recording from Copenhagen in 1962 has never been public, not even in the most extensive bio-discography by the late journalist/author Chris Sheridan. The concert here was a part of Basie’ New Testament Orchestra’s frequent European tours in the late 50’s and early 60s, an era that’s called The Atomic Period.

The Messengers expanded to a sextet with the addition of Curtis Fuller in 1961 and went into their most Prior to 1960 Concert Band appearance in Copenhagen (SCCD 36502) Mulligan brought his piano less quartet with Art Farmer to the Falkoner Centret on May 21, 1959. The night’s mostly Danish audience were mesmerized by their “cool” sound of so-called West Coast Jazz. As the quartet lasted only a short period of time in the 50s, this album will be one of the rare historical issues. Quartet’s bassist Bill Crow (now age 95) gave interview to Andrew Hoven for the liner notes, which makes a great read.

Johnny Hodges (1906-70) known for his pure tone and personalized style had been the stalwart of Ellington Orchestra throughout its history except for a period in the 50s. Hodges left immeasurable inspiration to the generations to come. He led this Ducal All-star septet to give concerts in Europe during the spring of 1961. The existence of the Copenhagen concert has been rumoured among the fans but never materialized until now making this album a historical augmentation of Hodges’ discography.

This box set brings together four CDs capturing Avishai Cohen's formative years, recorded between 1998 and 2001-a pivotal era shaped by his collaboration with Chick Corea. Adama (1998) introduces a bold fusion of contemporary jazz and Middle Eastern traditions. Devotion (1999) reveals a more introspective and spiritual voice, enhanced by strings and vocals. With Colors (2000), Cohen embraces a synesthetic approach where harmonies and rhythms evoke vivid imagery. Unity (2001), finally, fully reflects his vision of a global, socially conscious jazz led by the International Vamp Band.

Falkoner Centret shortly after a modernist architectural make-over hosted a burgeoning young quintet headed by Cannonball Adderley in the spring of 1961. Though it was before they made their big splash on the soul-jazz front with hit tunes like Unit 7, Jive Samba, Cannonball’s successful 18-month tenure with Miles Davis put extra allure to the band. Previously unissued recording features English-born pianist Victor Feldman whose compositions make up the majority of repertory on this disc.

The new album of double bassist and composer Jaromir Honzak is a live recording of an eight-part suite for jazz quintet and orchestra performed by the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra and Honzak's all-stars Czech jazz quintet, composed of David Doruzka (guitar), Lubos Soukup (saxophone, clarinet), Vit Kristan (piano, rhodes), Martin Novak (drums, percussion). The suite was performed within the concert series of the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra "New Horizons" which combines jazz and symphonic music. The suite entitled "Blues of a String Hanging in the Wind" was written by Jaromir Honzak and based on the composition of the same name, which he created back in 2008 for a string and jazz quartet on the occasion of a special Jazz concert at the Rudolfinum. A year later, it appeared on Honzak's studio album "Little Things" (Animal Music, 2009). Tomas S�kora, pianist, composer, arranger and curator of the New Horizons programme, was in charge of the arrangements for the orchestra. Jaromir Honzak says about the piece: "I have never been drawn to a large cast in music before, I have always been a type of chamber musician. So here I said to myself that I will try to think as "chamberly" as possible when working for a symphony orchestra. As usual, I first decided to learn from listening to similar works, or even to study some scores, but in the end my usual routine prevailed, based rather on my intuition. Our subsequent cooperation with Tomas was very efficient and pleasant. Tomas was great not only as an unusually skilled and fast orchestrator, but also as an empathetic and helpful assistant." Jaromir Honzak gave the individual parts suitable names that are meant to help the listeners grasp the music. The atmosphere and storytelling of the album, which arises when listening to the music, is also evoked by the artwork of the Japanese artist Kotone Utsunomiya, which she created specifically for this album. The author of the graphic design is Andrea Vacovska from Studio Najbrt.

Duke Jordan (1920 – 2006) was approached in NY by Marcel Romano, musical consultant of the French film Les Liaisons Dangereuse directed by Roger Vadim in 1959 to audition for the soundtracks. It laid down the groundwork for Jordan’s rise to the star composer status. All too famous “No Problem” is not included in this sketching but a few of the tunes we come to appreciate later are here in their prototypes. This recording made in a NY studio has never been heard (except maybe by Vadim). SteepleChase is proud to announce the world premier release of the album of cultural/historical significance.

Star pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard presents Landler, a collection of delightful dances composed by Franz Schubert. Rustic and cheerful, these miniatures display a fascinating side of Schubert's musical persona. Their simplicity is deceptive, as these dances are frequently shaken up by Schubert's harmonic wandering soul, yet remaining lyrical, picturesque and tuneful. For Aimard, there is a kinship between Schubert's Landler and Kurtag's Jatekok, pieces that he often performs side by side, sharing a combination of playfulness and Modernism that also calls the great twentieth-century miniaturist Anton Webern to mind. By avoiding almost any repetition, Aimard evokes a sleepwalker's journey rather than a series of dances. 8717306260343 PNTA5187034.2 44281755 .00 17.99 .16 PENTATONE COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 05/24/2024 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/42/4327442-3147656.jpg 52 1 N GRIEG / ABRAVANEL / UTAH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PEER GYNT SUITE NO. 1, OP. 46 PEER GYNT SUITE Maurice Abravanel's recordings of Grieg's orchestral music with the Utah Symphony set the benchmark for these works in the mid-1970s. Newly remastered from the original tapes these classic Vox recordings now sound better than ever. The Elite Recordings for Vox by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings. 747313303984 VOX3039A.2 44281946 .00 19.99 .21 VOX COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 05/24/2024 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/61/4327461-3148435.jpg 7 1 N OLNEY,DAVID REAL LIES 011671120423 PHIO1204.2 37985028 .00 15.99 .19 PHILO RECORDS COMPACT DISCS POP FOLK/AMERICANA/SINGER-WRITER 01/01/1997 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/33/4331633-3407111.jpg 4 1 N BERLIOZ / ZINMAN / BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE 089408027123 TLAC80271.2 37753337 .00 15.99 .24 TELARC COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 09/05/2008 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/09/4332309-3407212.jpg 1 1 N SCOTTO,RENATA ITALIAN OPERA ARIAS 074646052426 SNY60524C.2 38090790 .00 17.99 .19 SONY SRM EXCLUSIVE COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL CLASSICAL VOCALS 08/30/2012 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/65/4333465-3177768.jpg 1 1 N RUSSIAN MUSIC & REVOLUTION: 1890-1917 / VARIOUS RUSSIAN MUSIC & REVOLUTION: 1890-1917 / VARIOUS 074646169926 SNY61699C.2 38091933 .00 17.99 .18 SONY SRM EXCLUSIVE COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 03/29/2013 3 1 N TOTAL ECLIPSE / O.S.T. TOTAL ECLIPSE / O.S.T. 074646203729 SNY62037C.2 38092466 .00 17.99 .19 SONY SRM EXCLUSIVE COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL SOUNDTRACKS & FILM SCORES 03/29/2012 1 1 N WEILL / STEVENS,RISE / GREEN,ADOLPH / KAYE,DANNY LADY IN THE DARK 074646286920 SNY62869C.2 38092930 .00 17.99 .23 SONY SRM EXCLUSIVE COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL SHOWTUNES / B'WAY 08/31/2012 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/78/4333478-3177780.jpg 1 1 N BOSTON POPS / WILLIAMS MUSIC FOR STAGE & SCREEN 074646414729 SNY64147C.2 37572198 .00 17.99 .21 SONY SRM EXCLUSIVE COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 11/07/2013 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/84/4333484-3177809.jpg 1 1 N ALVAREZ,MARCELO / LICITRA,SALVATORE DUETTO Duetto presents tenors Marcelo Alvarez and Salvato re Licitra in a program of romantic ballads writte n and arranged specially for them. One of the feat ured composers on the album is Francesco Sartori, known for having composed Andrea Bocelli's biggest hit songs. 696998795723 SSRM87957.2 38099311 .00 7.98 .25 SONY SRM EXCLUSIVE COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL CLASSICAL VOCALS 06/24/2003 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/86/4334086-3177982.jpg 0 1 N SAYAO,BIDU SINGS DEBUSSY MOZART PUCCINI & MORE 074646322123 SSRM63221.2 38093227 .00 17.99 .25 SONY SRM EXCLUSIVE COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL OPERA / OPERETTA / ORATORIO 05/13/2014 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/01/4334101-3177808.jpg 4 1 N MOZART / TAFELMUSIK / TOLZER BOYS CHOIR / WEIL REQUIEM 074646076422 SSRM60764.2 38091391 .00 17.99 .25 SONY SRM EXCLUSIVE COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL CLASSICAL VOCALS 08/30/2012 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/13/4334113-3177771.jpg 0 1 N CHOPIN / MENDELSSOHN / PROKOFIEV / GOULD PIANO SONATA 3 074645262222 SSRM52622.2 37569464 .00 24.99 .25 SONY SRM EXCLUSIVE COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 04/30/2012 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/29/4334129-3177976.jpg 0 1 N ANTAL,MATYAS / CONCENTUS HUNGARICUS / JANDO,JENO MOZART: PIANO CONCERTOS NOS. 17 & 18 4891030502055 NXS8550205B.2 44315344 .00 19.99 .24 NAXOS COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 04/01/1990 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/41/4334141-3178023.jpg 0 1 N RAKSIN,DAVID SUITES FROM LAURA & FOREVER AMBER 078635149029 RCMA1490.2 44315887 .00 17.99 .22 RCA MASTERWORKS COMPACT DISCS POP EASY LISTENING 07/01/1991 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/94/4334394-3384330.jpg 0 1 N BEETHOVEN / ROSAND VIOLIN SONATAS 047163350320 VOX3503.2 38240966 .00 35.99 .42 VOX COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL CHAMBER MUSIC & RECITALS 01/01/1995 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/73/4334573-3178009.jpg 78 1 N ZIMMERMANN / ROYAL PHIL ORCH / BERGLUND TCHAIKOVSKY: VLN CTO / BRUCH: VLN CTO 5099709312922 SYNX093129.2 37573652 .00 17.99 .26 SONY MASTERWORKS COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAL & SYMPHONIC 04/21/2011 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/99/4334899-3492576.jpg 22 1 N KERMES,SIMONE DRAMMA 886919639629 SYNX1963962.2 38110849 .00 17.99 .23 SONY MASTERWORKS COMPACT DISCS CLASSICAL CLASSICAL VOCALS 07/31/2012 https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img/500/06/4334906.jpg 2 1 N AHMEDOVA / EILERTSEN / PETURSSON HLASKONTRABASOKTET - KALEIDOSCAPES The unique musical formation Hlaskontrabas Oktet, consisting of four female singers and fourdouble bassists, releases a new Nordic" album called Kaleidoscapes. The album, which wasrecorded last summer in Iceland and then in the fall at Sono Records studios in the Czech Republic, takes the listener on a musical journey through landscapes that are mysterious, fragile, wild and beautifully melancholic. The nine compositions have been written directlyfor Hlaskontrabas by leading contemporary composers from Norway (Mats Eilertsen, Nilsokland), Iceland (Ragnheidur Grondal and Gudmundur Petursson, Petur Thor Benediktsson), Israel (Adam Ben Ezra) and the Czech Republic (Petr Wajsar, Beata Hlavenkova). Ridina Ahmedova and Petr Tichy, the founders of the band, also contributed each by one piece to thealbum. Ridina says about the recording: "Often you record one instrument at a time, but wechose the path of playing together, live. This way the record gives the listener the right 'live' feeling." Hlaskontrabas Oktet was formed in 2019 as an extension of the original duo project foundedby Czech vocalist, composer and performer Ridina Ahmedova and double bassist and composer Petr Tichy. At the very beginning of the idea to expand the duo to four voices and four double basses was the idea to use live musicians instead of a looper, which Ridina and Petr used to layer tracks over each other in concerts, and to bring their own musical soul to the songs. But it turned out that writing pieces directly for the octet offered the opportunity to arrange and think musically in a completely different way. And the octet soon started to live on it's own. A vibrant, unique and inspiring life. The song Funkle, which was released as the first single, was also accompanied by a documentary video from the octet �s journey to Iceland. The second single, which will be released on April 12, is the track Mysterious Ride by Israeli double bassist Adam Ben Ezra.

SAKOBI is a new project of the Vilem Spilka Quartet. The band consists of Radek Zapadlo on saxophone, Vilem Spilka on double bass and Martin Kleibl on drums. Since they have been together for a long time in other ensembles, they are closely connected musically. Radek Zapadlo has been successfully active on the Czech jazz scene for two dozen years, most recently alongside Matej Benko, Ondrej Ruml, playing in the Cotatcha Orchestra, his own Four in Blue formation and the aforementioned Vilem Spilka Quartet. Martin Kleibl, after an eight-year stint with the Brno Philharmonic, oscillates in genre from classical to pop, plays in the OK Percussion duo with European-class marimbist Martin Oprsal, accompanies singer Petr Bende and is the driving force behind the Vilem Spilka Quartet. For the SAKOBI project, Vilem Spilka replaced his main instrument, the guitar, with the double bass, which he began to play during the pandemic of the cover band. The trio's debut recording is released by Bivak Records. All members contributed to the album not only as players but also as composers. Zapadlo contributed the melancholic dirgeCesta za modr�m sluncem (Journey to the Blue Sun), while Martin Kleibl's Na ceste (On theRoad) is typical uplifting Latin jazz. Vilem Spilka added the rest of the repertoire, his individual opuses revealing a variety of musical and non-musical inspirations-from his native Brno to Japan, to which the cryptogram in the band's name refers. In the spirit of Japanese realities, the debut album is titled Banzai!, something like a shout of Hurrra or Yeehaw! Stylistically, the album is more or less unclassifiable, drawing on the traditions of jazz and other African-American styles, as well as folk music from Moravia and beyond.

The jazz quartet 2in2out was founded by saxophonist Nela Dusova and guitarist Jan Lacina, who are also the authors of the band's modern jazz repertoire. The duo invited drummer Adam Sikora and now also Slovak double bassist Peter Korman. In recent years, 2in2out has managed to develop from an originally student project into one of the most interesting Czech jazz acts. In 2024, the quartet will release it's debut album, Living Stories. The album was created in collaboration with long-time bandmates, double bassist Klara Pudlakova and drummer Adam Sikora. Living Stories presents a view of the world through the eyes of two jazz artists and authors with different aesthetic approaches, yet united in their musical narrative. "What I appreciate most about 2in2out's compositions are the original ideas, interesting formal solutions and also the overlapping of content, which is far from always commonplace in modern jazz today, and I would dare to say that it is often lacking." David Doruzka, leading Czech guitarist and pedagogue

Sweden in the 60s was experiencing the surge of cool jazz (Tristano tradition) and saw young alto saxophonist Rolf Billberg emerged on the scene as one of its most talented practitioners. Due to his premature death at age 35 ten months after this recording his name never made it to the stardom. This hitherto unknown album is one rare testimony to the state of Swedish jazz scene. It was recorded in November 1965 privately in the legendary live/rehearsal basement club Subland in Malmö.