The Lights Are Always On is pianist/composer Lynne Arriale’s 16th album as leader, and her third recording on Challenge Records International. Lynne’s original music is a suite of compositions that reflect the world-wide, life-changing events of the past two years. On this session Lynne is joined by bassist/co-producer Jasper Somsen and drummer E.J. Strickland, both outstanding, in-demand musicians on the international jazz scene.

Lynne’s ten original, highly evocative compositions begin with the persistent Afro-Cuban influenced “March On,” a tribute to activists worldwide. “The Lights Are Always On” features a lyrical melody in perpetual motion; the foundation of a thematic arc that soars over the entire piece. It is followed by the jubilant, gospel-influenced “Sisters.” Lynne’s dedication to Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, “Honor,” is the melding of two engaging melodic ideas; each reinforcing the other. Together they convey the heroic character and unwavering strength of this American patriot. “Loved Ones” expresses joyful appreciation for those who are precious to us. The set continues with “Sounds Like America,” where Lynne creates an optimistic melody and solo, culminating in a celebratory chordal finish.

“The Notorious RBG,” is an exuberant dedication to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, assertively propelled by drummer E.J. Strickland. Following that, Lynne and Jasper deftly navigate the angular harmonic construction of “Into the Breach,” Lynne’s ominous remembrance of the January 6th Insurrection and the heroes that saved democracy on that day. “Walk in My Shoes,” a dedication to civil rights icon John Lewis, reflects the tenacity and strength of this remarkable leader. Lynne begins her solo with two motivic statements, which she skillfully integrates into a cohesive, powerful performance. The album concludes with “Heroes”, a heartfelt ballad composed in recognition of those who enlightened a very dark period in our history, and who embody the greatest humanistic virtues of mankind.

REVIEWS:

This is an album that is drawing on a lot of important messages of solidarity, of resistance, of hope, of joy, and it’s absolutely exquisite… a gorgeous sense of space and melody... This album emotionally, feels very necessary right now… outstanding!

-- A Closer Listen, Jazz at Lincoln Center (Seton Hawkins)

Her last two albums especially reveal how her vision, insight and passion cohere with her sense of being a fellow human and citizen in America, and of the world in very troubled times. Emotional and musical eloquence radiate from her playing with heartfelt ardor and honesty, and focused intensity. We are hearing a sort of heroism at work, her generous spirit and commitment, her exquisitely pointed and expansive testimonies.

-- Culture Currents (Kevin Lynch)

Arriale has great emotional pull, and there are whirlpools and whirlwinds in her playing. There is this pattern in Arriale where she begins with darkness, then everything is bathed in light. This is a strong recording, about strength. She has succeeded in putting us in the hero’s shoes, the light of the powerful mind pushing on through protests, and making change. And she has succeeded in putting us back in our shoes, with this invested strength to go on and change.

-- The Flash Boston (Sofia Marshall)

IN CONVERSATION: ENRICO PIERANUNZI ON VOYAGE IN TIME

Voyage in time (a suite in nine movements) is conceived in the likeness of the suites of dances typical of the Baroque era. Some titles (Minuet, Courante, Pavane) may surprise the listener who associates our names with Jazz music. It is certainly true that our three previous albums were all Jazz albums. However, this fourth encounter - our second album for Challenge Records, after Common View (2020) - is a completely different recording, both in terms of line-up and material. The movements, composed by Jasper and arranged together during our recording session, reflect our shared love of classical music and combine classical forms with a very open improvisational approach. The result is a sort of journey back and forth between the musical languages of our time and of times past. A very special Voyage In Time, in fact, in which you are all invited to take part.

REVIEW:

Somsen has written a nine-part suite in which the two bring their musical storytelling to sparkle along the formal lines of baroque dances... Everything else is illustrious art of playing, is a fine feeling for the breath of the counterpart.

-- Jazzthing

“The complete violinist” Benjamin Schmid inspires both audiences and international critics in the field of jazz and improvisation. For his latest album “Jazz Violin Concertos” with the Swedish chamber orchestra Musica Vitae; Schmid presents jazz violin concertos written by Austrian composers. Friedrich Gulda’s Violin Concerto entitled “Wings” is conceived as a single large violin cadenza with orchestra; which lacks not only virtuoso but also groovy parts. Herbert Berger’s “Metropoles Suite” was adapted for violin by the composer for Benjamin Schmid; each of the movements “Insomnia”; “El largo adios”; “A la minute” and “Avenida” can be assigned to a metropolis. “Three Songs for an Abandonend Angel” by the Austrian jazz pianist and composer Sabina Hank was also written for Schmid.

This live recording brings together a selection of works from two concerts given at the Fundación Juan March in Madrid by Antonio Serrano, accompanied by pianists Federico Lechner (22 November 2014) and Ignasi Terraza (27 November 2021). In these recitals Serrano demonstrated his virtuosic mastery of the harmonica, an instrument that has played a hugely influential role in the history of jazz. The memorable music of two such significant composers as Cole Porter and George Gershwin acquires a new creative dimension in the hands of Antonio Serrano. Unfamiliar to many, the idiomatic potential of the harmonica is fully revealed in this recording, conjuring an unusual sound world that will transform the listening experience for those curious enough to dive into it.

“George Gershwin’s extraordinary musical world emerges, caresses us, amazes us and finally overwhelms us in the uniqueness of this recording. Rolff shapes in a contemporary writing, the songs, the musicals, the jazz and the orchestral sound that made Gershwin’s music the pillar on which the ‘American Sound’ is built. “The measure of the greatness of a composer’s work is certainly indicated by its ability to speak to successive generations of performers and listeners. Massimiliano Rolff, in these arrangements for his trio, discovers some hidden facets in these famous songs, such as those penned by George Gershwin that have now entered the Golden Age repertoire of American Song. The album starts off with his work Porgy and Bess, to which a specific and poignant suite is dedicated, and moves on to a series of single songs that were composed for other shows but have survived as stand-alone songs, including great classics and rediscoveries that fit in well.

It's flawless... it's fearless... I don't know how it gets better than this. It might appear off-the-wall, but Taylor Swift's words to describe a first kiss are also a summation of the new album by Clara Haberkamp, the wonderful German jazz pianist... who just happens to have been born in the same month of the same year as Swift: December 1989. And maybe there is something more than just a simple coincidence of month of birth going on here. As Haberkamp says: "I have changed. My role models these days are women, in music and elsewhere, who combine strength and self-determination with compassion and receptiveness." These reflections don't just feed into her own continuing development and her rising profile on the European music scene, they are also a defining part of the way she plays and leads her trio. Downbeat critic Josef Woodard has called Haberkamp "a commanding presence" and anyone listening to this album, or watching the trio in action live or on video will instantly hear and see how all that works, why it functions so well, and in so many ways and stylistic directions. She chooses to work with strong, infinitely subtle, top-flight players from a slightly older generation: bassist Oliver Potratz is one of the most in-demand players of the instrument in Germany; Jarle Vespestad's vast experience includes several years with both Farmers Market and Tord Gustavsen's trio. Each of them has made the best part of 100 albums. And yet it is the phenomenally adept pianist who is clearly the one in charge, shaping the music in it's many forms, throwing out the rhythmic and harmonicchallenges to her skilful and wise colleagues. This music has everything from the knottiest of counterpoint ("Collage"), achingly intense lyricism ("Enfold me like a poem"), the quiet and reflective ("On a Park Bench"), idealised dreamscape ("Fantasmes") to moments when she brings the music back to simple, heartfelt forms of expression which cannot fail to reach every heart ("If you could read my mind"). And there can be very few singer/pianists since Shirley Horn who have reached the degree of interdependence of piano and voice that Haberkamp brings to her hauntingly reharmonized "Danny Boy", a welcome return to singing for just one track on the album. The album title "Plateaux" comes from a 1980 book whose authors found every way they could to observe and encourage the dismantling of traditional power structures and hierarchies: "Mille Plateaux" by philosopher Gilles Deleuze and psychoanalyst Felix Guattari, both of whom died in the 1990s. The world has moved on since those days, and to witness Haberkamp at the helm of her trio is to understand that there are many better ways to invent and to communicate. How natural, how totally at ease with herself at the piano and in her role as leader she is. It allows her to stand out in the crowded field of piano trios as very special, or "souveran" as the Germans say. The vast armies of Taylor Swift admirers bring sackfuls of glitter and hair accessories to her concerts. All that an admirer of Clara Haberkamp needs to bring is an open mind, ear, and heart. All three will be copiously rewarded by an artist who is increasingly, definably, defiantly, remarkably, herself.

A superior post bop soloist, tenor saxophonist, composer, and educator David Detweiler is influenced by early John Coltrane and Michael Brecker but has a sound and style of his own within the mainstream of modern jazz.

Currently Assistant Professor of Jazz Saxophone, David joined the faculty at Florida State University in 2016 after serving as Director of Jazz Studies at Nazareth College (Rochester, NY). He has performed at many of New York City’s premier live-music venues such as The Blue Note, Birdland, The Knitting Factory, and The Iridium.

His first record as a leader, New York Stories, featured Leon Anderson, Clarence Seay, Chris Pattishall, and Rick Lollar. His second record as a leader, The Dave Detweiler Trio was released in August 2015. Celebrating Bird with bassist Fumi Tomita was released September 2020 and The Astoria Suite was released in 2021.

Bassist, composer, and educator Fumi Tomita was active in the New York jazz scene for over fifteen years. His 2019 recording, The Elephant Vanishes: Jazz Interpretations of the Short Stories of Haruki Murakami, was released to critical acclaim by Origin Arts records and was listed in the top ten records of 2019 by Jazziz. He is currently Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Dmitri Shostakovich was a versatile composer: popular and serious styles came to him with equal ease and are frequently found together in the same work. In his twenties, before the heavy hand of Soviet officialdom slapped him down in 1936, music of every kind poured out of him: symphonies, operas and full-length ballets but also a great amount of music for film and theatre. Here Andrew Litton leads the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in a program which explores this lighter side of a composer who is otherwise often regarded as unrelentingly serious.

The album opens with Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 1, which Litton conducts from the piano. Consisting of three brief movements, it is the only truly original work on the disc, written in 1934 for a competition aimed at making ‘Soviet Jazz’ more respectable. The remaining suites are all reworkings of existing music, such as the ballets The Age of Gold – about the adventures of a Soviet football team visiting the decadent West – and The Limpid Stream, portraying a group of entertainers visiting an idyllic collective farm. The Suite for Variety Orchestra is a compilation that the composer made in the late 1950s from three film scores, a ballet movement and four piano pieces. Closing the album is Shostakovich’s 1927 orchestration of a Broadway classic, Vincent Youmans’ "Tea for Two," which had become a hit under the title "Tahiti Trot."

REVIEW:

Entitled Jazz & Variety, this album encompasses four of Shostakovich’s more popular-style suites, mainly drawn from his ballet and theatre scores. These range from the poker-faced, Kurt Weill-like stylization of 1920s dance music, complete with plunking banjo, in the Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 1 (1934), via the Prokofiev-like burlesques of The Age of Gold – a 1930 ballet about the vicissitudes of a Soviet football team in the wicked West – to the more straightforwardly traditional ballet numbers of The Limpid Stream(1935/45) set on an idyllic collective farm, and the Suite for Variety Orchestra put together from various pieces from the 1950s.

One item, the Waltz from the Jazz Suite, recurs twice: more fully orchestrated in The Limpid Stream, and in yet a third arrangement with a different, more banal middle section, in the Variety Suite. The collection culminates in Shostakovich’s twinkling orchestration of a version of ‘Tea for Two’, entitled Tahiti Trot (1927). Yet, in the middle of all these frolics, the searing intensity of the extended Adagio from The Age of Gold reminds us of the other, tragic side of Shostakovich.

Andrew Litton and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra lavish more care and subtlety on these pieces than the quality of invention in some of the music maybe deserves, additionally flattered by BIS’s spacious recording – though the Jazz Suite might have more bite in a drier acoustic. Still, this is a superior collection for those who relish this lighter, sometimes naughtier side of Shostakovich.

-- BBC Music Magazine

From the beginning, their strength lay in the balance. For although Oregon was actually a soloist ensemble, the musicians acted as a band. This was because of the unusual combination of talent and curiosity. None of the participants was content with just one instrument. Stylistically, there were connections to classical Indian and European music, bluegrass, folk, jazz and experimental avant-garde. With so much background and substance, the Oregon four needed little more than themselves, a zeitgeist that allowed for improvisational and chamber jazz sounds, and an audience that valued this wild mix of characters and compositional talents. Soon after the band's formation in 1970, Oregon became well known, did a lot of performing and recorded even more. In time they have developed from the style laboratory of the early years into a chamber jazz authority whose special appeal unfolded above all in the pyrotechnics of concerts like the one in Ludwigsburg.1990 they performed there a colourful mix, a cross-section of two decades of experimental sound work.

Voici un temoignage eclatant de la virtuosite et de la complicite entre deux figures majeures du jazz francais, le pianiste Martial Solal et le trompettiste eric Le Lann. Les deux artistes ont developpe une connivence musicale unique, un dialogue spontane, quasi-telepathique, qui se caracterise par une liberte totale, une ecoute mutuelle exceptionnelle et une prise de risque constante. "Portrait in Black and White" est une conversation � la fois intime et audacieuse entre deux geants, capturee dans l'instant magique et suspendu d'un concert. Augustin Bondoux / Patrick Fremeaux Solal et Le Lann ne jouent ni du son ni du souffle, encore moins de la virtuosite. Ils jouent la musique (.). Se laisser embarquer. Oublier la technique, la performance et passer � l'essentiel Francis Marmande, Le Monde Ensemble, le pianiste et le trompettiste vont au bout de leur individualisme Alain Gerber, Diapason Here is sparkling evidence of the entente and virtuosity that can exist between two major figures in French jazz, namely pianist Martial Solal and trumpeter eric Le Lann. Each of these artists has developed a unique understanding of the other, enabling them to construct spontaneous, almost telepathic conversations whose principal quality is total freedom, a liberty of expression fostered by an exceptional ability to hear one's partner while constantly taking risks... "Portrait in Black and White" is one of those conversations, and it has daring and intimate exchanges between these two giants captured live in a magic moment onstage. Augustin Bondoux / Patrick Fremeaux THE MAN I LOVE (GEORGE & IRA GERSWIN) - PORTRAIT IN BLACK AND WHITE (ANT�NIO CARLOS JOBIM) - ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT (THELONIOUS MONK) - WELL YOU NEEDN't (THELONIOUS MONK) - BODY AND SOUL (EDWARD HEYMAN, JOHNNY GREEN, ROBERT SOUR ET FRANK EYTON) - LE BLEU D'HORTENSE (eRIC LE LANN) - QUE RESTE-T-IL DE NOS AMOURS (CHARLES TReNET / LeO CHAULIAC) - INVITATION (BRONISLAW KAPER/ NED WASHINGTON) - WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE (COLE PORTER). MARTIAL SOLAL PIANO - eRIC LE LANN TROMPETTE

These young musicians from Egypt, Turkey, Portugal and Italy bridge the distance between the shores and sonic worlds of a rapidly changing region. Their first album, recorded in Paris, blends both timbres and backgrounds in a unique artistic collaboration with Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, supported by Abu Dhabi Festival. Cairo Jazz Station was born from the desire of four friends — from different parts of the world, with different musical traditions and different personal experiences — to establish a personal, inclusive and shareable musical environment. Their music is influenced by the folk music of each country and by much improvisation and jazz, and uses melodies from the European classical tradition blended with rhythms and instruments of the Middle East.

Membre du Big Band de Claude Bolling depuis 1978, le talentueux saxophoniste et clarinettiste Claude Tissendier a ete un temoin privilegie de la carriere du pianiste et chef d'orchestre. Ces annees de collaboration et une connaissance intime du repertoire bollingien, conferent a son hommage une authenticite rare. Avec Swingin' Bolling Tissendier s'affirme comme un passeur de memoire, un gardien du temple swing, qui perpetue a merveille l'esprit et la lettre de l'oeuvre du chef. Augustin BONDOUX / Patrick FReMEAUX The talented saxophonist/clarinet-player Claude Tissendier has been a member of the Claude Bolling Big Band since 1978, and so a privileged witness to his leader's career as a pianist and conductor. During those years of collaboration, Tissendier has gained an intimate knowledge of the band's repertoire that lends rare authenticity to his tribute here. With "Swingin' Bolling", Tissendier shows himself to be a perfect messenger filled with memories and also one of the best guardians of the temple of Swing. This record wonderfully perpetuates the spirit and the letter of the works of "the Chief." Augustin BONDOUX / Patrick FReMEAUX BOWLING GREEN - LET'S SWING IT - TRADE MARK - BIG GOLDEN PIPE RHAPSODY - THE KEY - SAX SPECIALTIES (SAX SPECIAL TISS) - GENTLE GIRL - FEED THE CATS - MAIN DE FER ET GANT DE VELOURS - LA COMPLAINTE DES APACHES - PARIS EN BOUTEILLE - SOFT CALL - KEEP SMILING - CITY LIFE. CLAUDE TISSENDIER SAXPHONE ALTO, ARRANGEMENTS eRIC LEVRARD SAXPHONE BARYTON PHILIPPE MILANTA PIANO PIERRE MAINGOURD CONTREBASSE ALAIN CHAUDRON BATTERIE FABY MeDINA CHANT (5 &10) TOUTES LES COMPOSITIONS SONT DE CLAUDE BOLLING

Les Beatles (mais pas que) en jazz. Le duo Sara Longo / Alvise Seggi nous invite dans un voyage onirique et intime qui fait voile au gre des melodies du tandem Lennon/ McCarney. Surprenant et envo�tant. Augustin BONDOUX The Beatles in jazz. Lending sails to the melodies of Lennon and McCartney, the duo of Sara Longo and Alvise Seggi takes us on an intimate, dreamlike tour. The result? A voyage of spellbinding surprises. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (FEAT. MATTEO GALLUS) - ELEANOR RIGBY (FEAT. DUDU KOUATe & MICHELE BONIVENTO) - CAN't BUY ME LOVE (FEAT. NICOLA ANGELUCCI) - TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS - ALL THAT MATTERS IS TODAY - FOR NO ONE - COME TOGETHER (FEAT. NICOLA ANGELUCCI) - LET IT BE - NORWEGIAN WOOD (FEAT. FILIPPO VIGNATO) - AND I LOVE HER - ENDLESS LAWNS - QUE JE T'AIME - ALFONSINA y EL MAR. SARA LONGO VOICE - ALVISE SEGGI DOUBLEBASS AND CELLO + SPECIAL GUESTS: MATTEO GALLUS VIOLIN - FILIPPO VIGNATO TROMBONE - MICHELE BONIVENTO HAMMOND ORGAN - DUDU KOUATe PERCUSSIONS - NICOLA ANGELUCCI DRUMS.

Yannis Constans, prodigieux guitariste occitan, qui s'est dej� produit avec les plus grands (Stochelo Rosenberg, Dorado et Tchavolo Schmitt, Angelo Debarre,...), s'associe � Samson Schmitt, virtuose inconteste, ic�ne du jazz manouche. Un album unique, o� tradition et modernite se rencontrent, tisse de complicites et de sonorites chamarrees. Incontournable pour tous les amoureux de guitares aux semelles de vent. Augustin BONDOUX/Patrick FReMEAUX Yannis Constans, a prodigious Occitan guitarist who has already appeared with the greatest (Stochelo Rosenberg, Dorado and Tchavolo Schmitt, Angelo Debarre,...) plays here with Samson Schmitt, undeniably a virtuoso musician and an icon in gypsy jazz. This album is unique, with an encounter between the tradition and the modern that is filled with entente and richly coloured sounds. An unavoidable record made for those who love guitars that tread as lightly as the wind. Augustin BONDOUX/Patrick FReMEAUX LE CHAT ET LA SOURIS (SAMSON SCHMITT) - EZPERANZA (YANNIS CONSTANS) - CASSE-NOISETTE (SAMSON SCHMITT) - ANA�S (YANNIS CONSTANS) - MERCI DJANGO (SAMSON SCHMITT) - LA BOITE � MUSIQUE (SAMSON SCHMITT) - POR TUS OJOS (YANNIS CONSTANS) - BIBODe (DORADO SCHMITT) - HORA ADRIANO (YANNIS CONSTANS) - POUR MON PeRE (DORADO SCHMITT) - CHORO PRA ELEA (YANNIS CONSTANS) - RHAPSODIE � 6 CORES (SAMSON SCHMITT) - BONUS : PAPA ET LE TANGO (SAMSON SCHMITT). YANNIS CONSTANS ET SAMSON SCHMITT : GUITARE - CAMILLE WOLFROM : CONTREBASSE INVITeS : DORADO SCHMITT : VIOLON - STEFI SCHMITT ET STENLI SCHMITT : CHANT - NICOLA GIAMMARINARO : CLARINETTE - ROBERTO GERVASI : ACCORDeON DIRECTION COLLECTION : AUGUSTIN BONDOUX

With his 7th album Longings the Viennese Jazz violinist Rudi Berger devotes himself to the themes of longing and hope. Completely independent in terms of style and phrasing and devoid of any academic tendencies, a picture is created of an unmistakable violin virtuoso who, like in olden times, writes, and performs his own compositions. Mauro Rodrigues, flute, Peter Madsen, piano, Rosario Bonaccorso, double bass and vocals as well as drummer Lukas Boeck reflect the wide musical field. Using New York jazz jargon, Viennese musical slang, Latin American influences, blues, and reflective, meditative ballads a story about people and their dreams is told.

Burt Bacharach est l'un des plus grands songwriters du XXe siecle, on lui doit une grande partie de la bande-son des sixties avec des tubes intemporels comme : � What the World Needs Now Is Love �, � Walk on By �, � I Say a Little Prayer �. C'est sous l'angle du jazz et de la sophistication que la chanteuse franco-americaine Stephy Haik lui rend un hommage vibrant et delicat. Les arrangements et la direction d'orchestre sont assures par Olivier Hutman, qui sert a Stephy Haik un ecrin fantastique dans lequel s'exprime toute sa gr�ce celeste. Burt Bacharach is one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, gracing us with a large part of the soundtrack of the sixties with timeless hits like "What the World Needs Now Is Love", "Walk on By", and "I Say a Little Prayer". It is from a jazz and sophisticated angle that the Franco-American singer Stephy Haik pays him a vibrant and delicate tribute. She manages to highlight the melodic richness of this repertoire, one of the most fabulous in pop music. Jean Claude Ghrenassia, the album's producer, brings together a real all-star cast of musicians around the singer. The arrangements and orchestration are by Olivier Hutman, who provides Stephy Haik a fantastic setting in which to express her celestial grace.

Rendre hommage au maitre francais du violon jazz n'est pas chose aisee et pourtant qui mieux que Mathilde Febrer pouvait mener a bien cette aventure ? La violoniste, de formation classique et convertie au jazz depuis longtemps, a accompagne des artistes aussi varies que Daniel Colin, Alexandre Lagoya, Charles Aznavour, Claude Bolling, Led Zeppelin, Renaud, Henri Salvador, Rodolphe Raffalli ou Sanseverino. Voici enfin son premier album sous son nom, produit par le legendaire producteur japonais francophile, Kenichi Takahashi, pour le label Respect Record. La gr�ce sans egale de la violoniste est sublimee par areopage de musiciens prestigieux, parmi les meilleurs representants du jazz en France. Un swing sans pareil pour aborder un repertoire intemporel. A tribute to the French master of jazz violin is no easy task... but who better than Mathilde Febrer to accomplish it? She trained as a classical violinist but turned her bow to jazz a long time ago. She's accompanied a variety of artists, from Daniel Colin and Alexandre Lagoya to Led Zeppelin and Charles Aznavour, including Claude Bolling, Renaud, Henri Salvador, Rodolphe Raffalli and Sanseverino. And now, finally, we have her first album under her own name, produced for the label Respect Record by Kenichi Takahashi, a Japanese legend who loves France and it's music. The peerless grace of this violinist derives additional energy from the skilled assembly of musicians who accompany her, all of them among the best jazz instrumentalists in France. The result has an unrivalled swing in music that is timeless.

The Background Our planet houses over 8 billion humans at the moment, and we move around an awful lot. Migration is not new. It's been going on for millennia. The reasons may be geological, climate based, oppressive, work related or voluntary. This album focuses on one small aspect of migration, the eviction and subsequent migration of farmers and crofters from the Scottish highlands during the Clearances. The Album Internationally renowned harp and electronica duo FitkinWall follow threads of migration, loss and longing in their new album Uist. Composer Graham Fitkin has produced new work based on old Gaelic songs and Highland tunes. Scottish harpist Ruth Wall performs on concert, electro and wire-strung harps with Fitkin conjuring up mesmerising soundworlds with electronics, samples and loops. Ruth and Graham combine the very old with the very new placing ancient instruments in unusual contexts. The Music The music is constructed with care, precision and space to breathe - eery melodic fragments, pulsating patterns, sumptuous harmonies - drawn together in a beguiling but understated synthesis. Allusions can be drawn to new-classical, folk, even ambient and systems music, with hints of artists such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Lau or Haushka somewhere in the ether. FitkinWall Ruth Wall performs on wildly different harps - Gaelic wire-strung, Bray, Concert and Electro harps. Graham Fitkin uses a Moog Voyager, Ableton and various FX modules. Their work combines the very old with the very new. They provide unusual contexts for these ancient instruments. Their previous albums Still Warm and Lost, toured with live VJ, through the UK and Europe, before heading out to Japan. Uist has toured in the UK in 2024 and will tour mainland Europe in 2025 with a light installation from artist Peter Freeman. Both artists work independently too. Ruth has worked with Goldfrapp, Kathryn Tickell, RLPO, BBC Orchestras and film composers John Lunn and Clint Mansell. She tours extensively in venues from Radio City New York and Glastonbury Mainstage to Sydney Opera House and Roskilde Fest. Graham's music has been performed by artists such as Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, New York City Ballet, BBC Philharmonic, Yo-Yo Ma, Will Gregory, choreographer Wayne McGregor and artist Shezad Dawood. His music has been released by Decca, Sony, BIS, Naxos and many others. He has won three BASCA Composer Awards, an International Grand Prix Dance Music Award and the Royal Philharmonic Society Composer Award

En 3 albums et des millions de streams, Pink Turtle s'est forge une reputation en beton arme. La formule : les grands tubes de la pop des annees 1960 a 80 en jazz-swing. Un sens des arrangements, du show, de l'entertainment qui a fait le tour des ondes et des scenes du globe. Voici enfin, le best of du best des swing bands ! Augustin BONDOUX / Patrick FReMEAUX. In the space of three albums and a million streams, Pink Turtle built a rock-solid reputation. Their formula was simple: they took the greatest hits from the 60s to the 80s and played them like they were Swing Jazz... The group's arrangements, plus their taste for entertainment when putting on a show, took their music around the world and monopolized the airwaves. Here, at last, is the Best of the Best of the swing bands! Augustin BONDOUX / Patrick FReMEAUX. "These guys raise a smile with their inventive jump, jive and swing reworkings of rock classics... Next party you have, play this and get people talking - and dancing." BLUES MATTERS

Sara Ald�n Sara Ald�n vocal, Daniel Andersson Runevad bass, August Bj�rn piano

Son sens unique de la melodie a fait de Romane un guitariste incontournable a l'international, mais aussi un maitre dans l'art de mettre en musique. Avec � Classical Pieces � il realise son premier disque entierement arrange avec un quatuor a cordes. Il cree ici un univers crossover qui melange swing, classique, musique de film et jazz. Un langage musical d'une richesse infinie qui allie poesie et quietude. Pour l'accompagner dans cette aventure, il a fait appel a ses fils Richard et Pierre Manetti (la Romane family est un allstars a elle toute seule) et a ses comparses Laurent Zeller et Laurent Delaveau. Sans doute le disque le plus personnel de Romane. Augustin BONDOUX / Patrick FReMEAUX Internationally, Romane's unique melodic sense has given him a reputation as not only a "must-hear" guitarist but also a master in the art of setting a piece to music. With his "Classical Pieces" album he presents his first recording entirely arranged for a string quartet, where he creates a universe that mingles swing and classical music in a crossover that also takes in jazz and film music. The result is a musical language that is infinitely rich, and filled with a poetic serenity. Accompanying him in this adventure are his sons Richard and Pierre Manetti (the Romane family is an all-stars group of it's own), and their two comrades Laurent Zeller and Laurent Delaveau. This, without a doubt, is Romane's most personal recording. Augustin BONDOUX / Patrick FReMEAUX 1. LA LISTE DE SCHINDLER (JOHN WILLIAMS) 2. PAGLIACCIO (ROMANE) 3. LONELINESS (PIERRE MANETTI) 4. L'AUTOMATE (ROMANE) 5. ZIA (RICHARD MANETTI) 6. CHORO PERDIDO (CARLOS ALTHIER DE SOUZA LEMOS ESCOBAR ALIAS - GUINGA) 7. BE MY LOVE (NICHOLAS BRODSZKY) 8. L'AUGUSTE (ROMANE) 9. TWO FOR THE ROAD (HENRY MANCINI) 10. L'HISTRION (ROMANE). Arrangement et ecriture Quatuor a cordes : Romane Romane : Guitare Pierre Manetti : Guitare Richard Manetti : Guitare Laurent Delaveau : Contrebasse Quatuor Zeller : Violon 1, Violon 2, Alto et Violoncelle

Hans Backenroth bass Roger Svedberg vibrafon Daniel Tilling piano Oscar Johansson Werre drums

Recorded March 5-7 2025 at Krematoriet, Stockholm Sweden by Adam Forkelid Mixing & editing by Adam Forkelid Mastering by Klaus Scheuermann/4ohm music Cover & artwork by Jonas Holmberg Photos by Fredrik Gille 2024/2025 Produced by Svante S�derqvist & Adam Forkelid Co-produced by Calle Rasmusson & Tuulikki Bartosik

Little Dancer,' an intimate jazz album by flugelhorn player Angelo Verploegen and pianist Jeroen van Vliet, is a profound musical journey through themes of love, hope, and comfort. Inspired by the birth of Verploegen's grandson in 2023, this duo release reflects the joy of embracing new life while confronting the big challenges faced by a new generation. The album features a carefully curated collection of jazz standards, from Charlie Chaplin's"Smile" to Wayne Shorter's"Infant Eyes," resonating with themes of youth, love and hope.

Angelo Verploegen, a prolific trumpeter and flugelhorn virtuoso, has seen a long career of collaborating with luminaries and exploring diverse genres. Jeroen van Vliet, a Boy Edgarprijs winner, is a versatile pianist known for his deeply personal, expressive music.
Verploegen and van Vliet, whose musical partnership has grown over the years, create an intimate and emotionally resonant atmosphere in 'Little Dancer’, showcasing the power of music to tell stories and provide solace. Notably, Angelo Verploegen simultaneously releases"A Handful of Stories", featuring a quintet, in celebration of his life in music.
'Little Dancer' is a heartfelt tribute to the profound impact of youth, with a message of comfort, love, and the enduring power of music.

Lennart Simonsson, piano Per V Johansson, bass Joakim Ekberg, drums