Ole Borud - Sleepwalking Again

With Peace Orchestra, saxophonist Yuri Honing presents a new musical chapter where boundaries blur and sounds connect. This unique ensemble brings together a rich palette of influences, rooted in the spiritual jazz of the 1960s and '70s, yet infused with modern electronics and an open, contemporary sound. Inspired by legends such as Pharoah Sanders (The Creator Has a Masterplan), Charles Lloyd, and Sun Ra, the album is a tribute to musical freedom. The Peace Orchestra defies stylistic labels - it is a breathing, evolving entity where tradition, innovation, and improvisation continuously embrace each other. Together, Yuri Honing - tenor saxophone, Remy van Kesteren - harp & electronics, Ella Zirina - guitar, Tony Overwater - double bass & bass guitar, and Yoran Vroom - drums, create a sonic universe that feels contemplative, powerful, and wide open. Live recordings such as For a Script, Ka�n & Abel, and a surprising reinterpretation of Imagine showcase their dynamic energy and collective freedom.

She's the Poem is a series of ten poetic portraits varying from someone you could run into on the streets to an icon like Frida Kahlo. It's an ode to realness: the beautiful and the ugly, raw and unpolished. With this album, Sara Bax shows she is a composer and musician, but mostly feels like an artist through music. She wants to take you to the centre of being, she wants to make you feel the sparkles of magic that flow right there. If you put your head under water, your thoughts go still. Just like when you listen to this band. Bax utilises the power of every band member so, that the group together sounds like a single strong organ that paints the air with a rich color palette.

... Witchdoctor's Son contains the most infectious, buoyant, gleeful music... The interaction between Pukwana and Tchicai's vastly differing phrase sensibilities is one of the joys of this recording... (Lange, Down Beat) "... from Dyani's most consistently inventive period... " (The Penguin Guide To JAZZ) The timeless brilliance of jazz with the remastered edition of Johnny Dyani's Witchdoctor's Son, originally recorded in 1978 brings together musicians from South Africa, Denmark, and Brazil, blending their unique styles with the rich heritage of American jazz. The presence of John Tchicai, a stalwart of the New York jazz scene, adds depth to this remarkable record. The music is deeply rooted in South African traditions, with themes composed by Johnny Dyani and Dudu Pukwana, and traditional tunes arranged by them. The spirit of Africa, especially the Xhosa world, is a constant presence throughout the album.

The title "Awaking" carries a double significance. On the one hand, it refers to the musical awakening that marks my artistic journey; on the other, it reflects the collective awakening that marked the end of the Corona pandemic. I hope that "Awaking" reflects not just the sound of my music, but my appreciation of all the people who have shared this creative path with me.

Pianist Andreas Feith and saxophonist Markus Harm present their second duo album "Abstract Truth", a deeply connected and artistically evolved follow-up to their debut "What's New". Over years of collaboration-from early days in Rebecca Trescher's ensemble to intensive duo sessions-their musical bond has grown into a rare and expressive synergy. Unlike their spontaneous first recording, this album is the result of careful composition and preparation, reflecting a new level of artistic freedom grounded in jazz tradition. Their interplay is intuitive, multilayered, and emotionally rich, balancing improvisation with melodic sensitivity. "Abstract Truth" showcases this connection through original compositions and reimagined standards, culminating in a diverse and emotionally resonant statement. Tracks like "Calm", "Tune For K", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" reveal a duo in perfect harmony-free, expressive, and rooted in shared musical trust.

Out of a mutual love of spontaneousness and raw emotions, Belgian guitarist Julien Tassin and Finnish guitarist Heikki Ruokangas decided to start creating music together. As two guitars aiming to sound like one.�In their music, the concrete and the abstract can co-exist at each moment. Melodic lines are combined with atonal sounds for an organic and exploratory approach to the acoustic guitar. Just like life itself, the music of this duo is full of both beauty and beast. And, just like the players, it has a playful sense of humor to it.

Veteran bassist Scott Lee, renowned for his innovative compositions and masterful performances, brings a fresh and dynamic energy to this his fourth release on SteepleChase. Lee's vision of the bass as a melodic force, alongside pianist Vazquez and drummer Hirshfield, pushes the narrative in unexpected directions. Since moving to NY in the late 70s. Lee has worked with Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Zoot Simms, Al Cohn, Freddie Hubbard, Red Rodney, Kenny Werner, Joe Lovano to mention a few. Bill Smith of JazzTimes comments on One Thought (SCCD 31687)," Leader and bassist Scott Lee offers simple yet thought-provoking music. Those who feel that jazz is losing it's creative edge should hear this album and other basically mainstream offerings of the last few years."

For his debut leader project on SteepleChase, Bollenback chose a bold and distinct approach, opting for a guitar and bass duo format. Teaming up with bassist Boris Kozlov, a three-time Grammy winner. Bollenback explores new musical territories with a mix of original compositions by Bollenback and Kozlov, along with jazz standards that highlight their exceptional musical connection and rhythmic synergy. Renowned for his versatility and dynamism on the guitar, Bollenback's unique approach to jazz and blues has earned him accolades from legends like George Benson, who praised him as a "versatile dynamo on guitar." Over the years, Bollenback has collaborated with numerous jazz greats, including organist Joey DeFrancesco, appearing on nineteen of his albums and earning a Grammy nomination for co-producing 2011's Never Can Say Goodbye.

GRAMMY-nominated drummer Nate Smith, known for his deep groove and genre-blending style, has worked with legends like Pat Metheny and Jose James, and wowed millions with his viral drum videos. Following acclaimed projects like KINFOLK: Postcards from Everywhere and Pocket Change, Smith returns with a new album, out August 29, continuing his journey through jazz, R&B, and beyond. Some of the most renowned names in the jazz scene have joined him on the project, including Lalah Hathaway, Michael League, Lionel Loueke, and more.

With It's All About Love, seasoned jazz vocalist Donna Byrne makes a radiant return to Challenge Records, delivering her ninth studio album and reaffirming her place among the great interpreters of song. Spanning a rich career of nearly four decades, Byrne remains true to her roots, offering a heartfelt collection that honors the traditions of jazz while showcasing her timeless artistry. This 16-track album brings together a thoughtfully curated blend of jazz standards, bossa novas, blues, and contemporary gems.�Each performance reveals Byrne's effortless storytelling, exquisite phrasing, and unerring sense of swing.

Rigodon Sauvage, with a repertoire (Southern Alps, Dauphine) drawn from folklorists' compilations and field recordings, has created an innovative style, giving a contemporary echo to a long musical history. The dominant image of the traditional music and dance of the Southern Alps and, more broadly, the Dauphine, commonly associates the music with the violin and the dance with the rigodon. This image is the culmination of a rich musical history that has been traced through archives, folklorists' works and fieldwork. This history, with it's mechanisms common to all the French provinces, has exacerbated certain salient features of popular musical practices, giving them an unprecedented representative value and place. These practices and the repertoires that have emerged have their own particularities -melodic-rhythmic forms, types of learning, functions, relationship to dance, etc.- These practices and repertoires are very different from "learned" music, even though they are geographically and sometimes culturally close.

Using different settings and combinations of saxophone, modular synths, EWI, drums and electronics, Jeroen and Stephane experience live music in an interactive context. The multiple horns, overdubs, drums and electronics are the platform for exhilarating dialogues about themes and metrics. The result is both heady and groovy, music that can be analyzed or danced to.

GRAMMY-nominated drummer Nate Smith, known for his deep groove and genre-blending style, has worked with legends like Pat Metheny and Jose James, and wowed millions with his viral drum videos. Following acclaimed projects like KINFOLK: Postcards from Everywhere and Pocket Change, Smith returns with a new album, out August 29, continuing his journey through jazz, R&B, and beyond. Some of the most renowned names in the jazz scene have joined him on the project, including Lalah Hathaway, Michael League, Lionel Loueke, and more.

Renowned Russian jazz pianist Ivan Farmakovskiy makes his highly anticipated debut on SteepleChase Records with a stunning new album. Blending his signature hard-bop style with modern jazz sensibilities, Farmakovskiy delivers a masterful performance that bridges tradition and innovation with American rhythm section of Christian McBride and Jack DeJohnette. Ivan won the 1994 bi-annual Russia Jazz Competition, the biggest contest for young Russian performers and he won another prize at the 1997 Europe Jazz Contest in Belgium.