"Avalon is inspired by an ancient Celtic myth of an island in dense fog where the Holy Grail is said to be located, King Arthur is buried and where Excalibur is hidden. I use it as a metaphor for the present time in which we live in which it is not clear to anyone what the world will look like after the pandemic. The single Avalon is a dreamy piece of music that is also used for the exhibition in de Fundatie that will run until the spring of 2021." (Yuri Honing)

The scene is... 311 West 57 Street, New York, Mediasounds Studio A...the date...Friday, August 25th, 1972. Duke Ellington was having an engagement with a smaller group at The Rainbow Grill, as he had several times before, finishing the gig on the following night. But on the 25th, he chose also to go to the recording studio, just himself at the piano together with his two band singers, Anita Moore and Tony Watkins, to record some pieces which were not played so often. The recordings remained in his "stockpile" until now, this being the first commercial issue of these beautiful pieces. The late Sjef Hoefsmit wrote about the session when he heard it back in 1994: "It is difficult to understand why these magnificent recordings never have been issued". Well, here they are at last - for all to enjoy! Among the gems, listeners will find tracks such as two takes of the Billy Strayhorn composition "Lotus Blossom", the Duke's own "Le Sucrier Velours" and his emotional "My Mother, My Father and Love." The latter was often performed with the Duke himself as a vocalist, reciting his own lyrics. No doubt the words meant a great deal to him, both personally and as part of his positive stories about the black communities in the USA.

On Rosenhill is a tribute to the neighborhood where Jakob Buchanan grew up, revisiting the area many years later on. Initially a Danish housing project, characterized by high-rise concrete apartments built in the 1960s, today's Rosenhøj (Rosenhill) is a fascinating cultural melting pot that offers previously undreamt-of possibilities to the locals. The album is Buchanan's first for Dacapo Records, introducing a wonderful new group of close musical associates in music of flowing lyricism, delicate texture and inspired interplay in settings of poems by best-selling writer, Iain S. Thomas. Buchanans previous albums have been heralded by critics as An eminently impressive contribution to new Danish music and an obvious candidate for the Nordic Council Music Prize (Politiken) and without a doubt, one of this decades most important jazz releases, a true masterpiece! (Gaffa)

A melody you never heard before takes you back to a place where you have never been. Immediately, from the first notes of Traveller’s Ways, you as the listener feel that wondrous combination of familiarity and astonishment. On this magnificent album, Somsen, Pieranunzi and Mirabassi create music that feels like coming home and at the same time leads to numerous unknown destinations you have never visited before.

You can practically close your eyes and you’re there… Schumann’s Bar is the meeting place for night owls, for minds who wants to avoids the light, for people who enjoy a good drink, wish to hear the latest gossip and talk to friends, for beautiful girls of the city of Munich and last, but not least a place for sound producer Stefan Winter to search for soundscapes, music and entertainment. Also this time Stefan Winter follows his artistic credo to find and record a place with a special and authentic ambience. He collects at Schumann’s Bar with his microphone the atmosphere with sounds of music. Schumann’s Bar is the perfect meeting place in the middle of Munich. Charles Schumann runs this famous hotspot, without any doubt the most popular bar in Munich, meeting place for celebrities and people who love excellent cocktails. Fumio Yasuda has the more thankless task to take over the role of the bar-pianist. He has no problem to fulfill the music requests of the guests. A selection of famous international film hits can be heard, like "Gone with the Wind" and "Charade“, but also known jazz pieces like "Just squeeze me" and successful musical songs like "Somewhere over the Rainbow.” This is wonderful background music and soundscapes for pure entertainment and easy listening.

Once the West and Japan were not familiar with one another. But today, in the 21st century, the two worlds which are so very different can come a little closer to each other. We learn, wonder, and discover different cultures, lifestyles, nature, architecture, images and sounds. Fumio Yasuda’s music comes from modern Japan, which already opened up to the West in the 18th century. Yasuda studied classical music with a preference for Karl Amadeus Hartmann. From childhood he grew up with Western pop and jazz music, yet was still deeply rooted in the Japanese tradition. Time, space, and infinity play an important role in his music. In his scores there are no pause signs like in Western music, but signs of silence between lyrical, deeply poetic tones and chords that tell stories about Japanese landscapes, rain, forests, fog, longings and eternity. Yasuda works in a deep musical understanding with Joachim Badenhorst, Nobuyoshi Ino and Akimuse. His gentle piano sounds unite with the sounds of the clarinet, the plucked bass strings, and the tender voice of Akimuse.

Whoever has listened to the music on this CD understands its title:"Drop me off" - getting dropped off, yes, but only at Reinhardt Winkler’s . The passionate drummer and heartful man has gathered his musical companions for an intense musical exchange and weaves their subtile contributions with perfect rhythmic work into a sound experience that you wouldn’t want to miss.