For his fifth recording as a leader, San Francisco Bay-Area saxophonist Dann Zinn presents his stellar quartet in a performance of nine new original compositions along with a moving version of the classic ballad, "Blame It On My Youth." With Taylor Eigsti on piano, bassist Zach Ostroff and Mark Ferber on drums, Zinn's playing is energetic, virtuosic, and passionate. Recorded in the final weeks of the legendary Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CA, the band captured the sounds and clarity of the studio along with the passionate energy the group brings to a live gig, creating a listening experience that "exemplifies Zinn's gift for marrying eminently memorable themes to entrancing rhythms." "Dann Zinn is a game changer who is taking jazz in new directions." - Stanford Jazz.

Blending a punk rock sensibility with Sephardic tribalism via a taste of North African Gnawa magic, Abraxas is one of the most primal and rocking ensembles in the Masada family. After extensive touring with music from the Book of Angels, they stormed into Bill Laswells studio to record an even more intense CD of Masada Book Three. Upheld by the pulsating sound of Shanir Ezra Blumenkranzs gimbri and the dynamic drumming of Kenny Grohowski, Aram Bajakian and Eyal Maoz push their guitars to the limits. Hypnotic grooves and trance-inducing guitar solos with arrangements that stop on a dime create a CD of white hot intensity.

Hi Bobby Sanabria here! Two years ago I came up with the idea of re-arranging the music from Leonard Bernstein's masterpiece West Side Story and performing it with my Multiverse Big Band, but in a way that has never been done before: a complete Latin jazz reworking of the entire score in celebration of the show's recent 60th anniversary and Maestro Bernstein's centennial. However, besides paying tribute to the composer and the music, I saw this as an opportunity to give back and help my ancestral homeland Puerto Rico. As most of us know, hurricanes Irma and Maria ravaged the island of Puerto Rico, leaving it's residents unable to recover. Puerto Ricans have been American citizens since 1917, and the government's response has been unsatisfactory at best. Six months later, entire communities are still living without food, water, power, and other basic needs we take for granted. I realized the best way I could help was through my music. What better way to portray the struggles and hardships of the people of Puerto Rico than West Side Story? We are dedicating this recording to the musical genius of Leonard Bernstein and donating proceeds from this special commemorative 2 CD set to the Jazz Foundation of America Puerto Rico Relief Fund. This is a cause many of us are passionate about and every bit of generosity helps. Recorded live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in NYC, this exciting new reworking is West Side Story like you've never heard it before, through the exciting lens of the Latin jazz continuum. This project is being produced with the blessing and support of the Leonard Bernstein Organization. Bernstein's daughter Jamie remarked: "What I love about Bobby Sanabria's take on "West Side Story" music is that it's a kind of rhythm fission: my dad's music is already so drenched in rhythm. Then along comes Bobby and explodes it to an even richer rhythmic level!"

A reissue of the classic 1977 vocal fusion album that has been the source of many hip-hop samples. It features Narada Michael Walden (Whitney Houston, Herbie Hancock, George Benson) on drums. Long out of print, and coveted by collectors, Chiaroscuro provides an official CD reissue for the first time.

Based in Mexico, Klezmerson is a super creative ever changing ensemble led by violinist, composer and arranger Benjamin Schwartz. Here they do their critically acclaimed and best selling Book of Angels installment one better with wild arrangements blending a variety of Mexican musical traditions with the sound of Masada. Featuring electric and acoustic strings, keyboards, accordions, saxes and of course a huge array of Latin percussion, Tiferet is one of the most delightful and imaginative CDs in the Book Beriah!

Maxine Sullivan was a stylish and versatile jazz and big band singer who was active in music for over half a century into the 1980s but whose most important recordings were during the first decade or so of her career from the late '30s through the 1940s. She came to the fore as vocalist with Claude Thornhill's innovative orchestra, and had a surprise hit with a version of the traditional song "Loch Lomond" which established a professional style and profile which enabled her to work as a solo artist, accompanied not only by Thornhill but by some of the other important names of that era, including John Kirby, Frankie Newton, Charlie Shavers, Bobby Hackett, Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter and Ellis Larkins. This excellent-value 75-track 3-CD set comprises a significant proportion of her recordings from these years as she recorded for the Vocalion, Brunswick, Victor, Bluebird, Decca, Davis, Musicraft, DeLuxe, International and Apollo labels, encompassing performances across the jazz spectrum from big band to sessions in an intimate trio environment, as well as sophisticated renditions of pop songs that place her alongside some of the finest song interpreters of that era. It naturally includes her chart hits "Loch Lomond", "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "My Ideal". The collection offers a substantial and fairly comprehensive overview of her work during her key formative years, and is also a thoroughly enjoyable showcase for a distinctive and sometimes underestimated talent.

2019 release. Born and raised in North Carolina, Ben Seawell is a bassist singer songwriter now living in New York City. As an in demand bassist in North Carolina, Ben played with Philadelphia pianist Elmer Gibson (Norman Conners), guitarist Scott Sawyer and saxophonist Paul Jeffrey (Thelonius Monk) in the 1980's. During this time Ben was part of a rhythm section that backed solo artist traveling through the area such as, Woody Shaw, George Coleman, Sonny Fortune and Junior Mance as well as being a part of a quartet led by Nnenna Freelon. Ben also accompanied vibraphonist Jon Metzger on a tour of Central America in 1985. Ben has appeared at various festivals such as Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC- Cape May Jazz Festival, Cape May, NJ- Duke University Jazz Festival, Durham NC and UNC Jazz Festival Chapel Hill, NC.

... Dave Peterson originals (are) full of sharp gleaming edges and shining facets... catchy, stick-in-the-head melodies, and a very accessible sound that reveals deeper complexities on multiple listens. - ALL ABOUT JAZZ. Raised in Montana by musicians and music educators, cousins Dave Peterson, Rob Kohler and Lee Kohler each went their own way after school, forging rich and varied music careers with teaching, performing and tours throughout the world. Forty-five years later, the cousins assembled in Seattle for this reunion of sorts, gathering compositions, mutual musician friends, and their collective inherited musical taste. From the impressionism of Peterson's lyrical title tune, to the quirky funk of "M&M Blues," composed by the Kohler's late father, or their two rangy group improvisations, "Winter Colors" exudes the warmth of family and the cousin's depth of musical kinship.

2019 release. The Jewels began as an ongoing late-night conversation: while on the road for two years as the touring rhythm section for various artists, bassist Derek Nievergelt and drummer Adrian Harpham spent endless hours on buses and planes philosophizing about the ideal record. They talked about David Axelrod, Quincy Jones, and the Beastie Boys. They talked about Led Zeppelin, P-Funk, and Paul McCartney. They talked about soundtracks to 60s sci-fi, 70s soft porn, and 80s cop shows. Already transitioning from life as a gig monster to producing and writing, Nievergelt realized he had a mission: to turn this philosophizing into reality. The Jewels is the culmination of that mission.

A do-it-yourself dance party in hi-fi, with 18 tunes played by six of the top name orchestras of the mid-1950s: Ray Anthony, Les Brown, Woody Herman, Harry James, Stan Kenton, and Billy May, from the Capitol album "Dance to the Bands!." Plus, as a bonus, 5 songs (including one with guest Buddy Rich on drums) that have never been on CD before. The booklet will delight collectors, adding period images, liner notes that put the music in context, a discography which provides recording dates, personnel, and a necrology of band member

Working together since 1982, Cyro Baptista is one of Zorn's closest friends and col- laborators. Banquet of the Spirits is his tight touring quartet of young lions and fea- tures Brian Marsella, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz and Tim Keiper on keyboards, bass and drums. Here they follow up their acclaimed CD of the Book of Angels Caym with a Latin Jazz-tinged interpretation featuring the rising star Brian Marsella on piano and keyboards. Breathtakingly beautiful, this is one of the most seductive install- ments of the Book Beri'ah. Latin Jazz at it's very best.

Anita O'Day has long been admired as one of the very best jazz singers of the post-war era, with a rhythmic and dynamic style that she could readily deploy in big band, small group and sophisticated orchestral environments. Acrobat has already showcased her work during the early 1940s with the orchestras of Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton ("Anita O'Day - The Early Years 1941-45" ADDCD3098), and in this collection we focus on a similar period of years during the 1950s when she firmly carved for herself a significant place in the jazz pantheon. During the decade from 1952-62, she recorded for the labels established by jazz impresario Norman Granz - Clef, Norgran and, most famously, Verve - and her recordings during that time are recognised as the most significant of her career. This excellent-value 46-track 2-CD set comprises the complete content of her albums during the first five years of that era - "Anita O'Day Collates", "Songs By Anita O'Day", "An Evening With Anita O'Day", "Anita" and "Pick Yourself Up", (some titles appear on more than one LP) plus tracks from singles. On those albums she is accompanied variously by the orchestras of Ralph Burns, Roy Kral, Larry Russell and Buddy Bregman, with musicians on the sessions including Barney Kessel, Roy Eldridge, Stan Getz, Shelly Manne, Budd Johnson, Andy Secrest, Jimmy Giuffre, Paul Smith and many more. It's a snapshot of a key era in her career, and a fine showcase for her unique talent working across a range of musical environments.

Craig Taborn and Vadim Neselovskyi are two of the most acclaimed and brilliant pianists working today and here they perform a select set of Masada compositions in solo, duo and trio permutations. Created as a bonus disk for the Book Beri'ah, it is a beautiful program and highlights the incredible versatility of the Masada compositions themselves as well as and the stunning virtuosity and imaginative creativity of these two keyboard masters. Featuring pieces for solo piano, two amazing piano duets and three pieces for piano, bass and drums, Da'at is a beautiful bonus CD to the Book Beriah series.

... they have revealed a work of true artistic mastery, and generational significance. In many ways, it personifies the direction of jazz music into the 21st century, a mantle to be grasped and moved forward by generation next. - All About Jazz. In his fifth decade as a major jazz artist, Hal Galper continues the innovation that has made him one of the most surprising and satisfying pianists alive. His 21st century series of albums for Origin over the last 12 years incorporates the elasticity of rubato performing as a means of melding melodic lyricism with the visceral rhythmic excitement of bebop. This 8th recording in the series highlights the deep musical bond of his trio, with bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop, and their uncanny ability to slip into "The Zone" - where self awareness is abandoned and the music is allowed to control the proceedings. Performed in the inviting environs of the Yardbird Suite in Edmonton, Canada, it was months later that the recording from the soundboard was reviewed. Asking "Who is this piano player?," Galper recognized the music was coming from a deeper than conscious place and that documenting the trio deeply in 'the zone,' and in the wild, was necessary. "... a moment of thrilling uncertainty, slightly airborne and stretched out in unusual shapes and motions, and (the moment extended) out for the length of a song, each and every time." - Wondering Sound.

Having met as McGill University students in the mid-2000s, Ryshpan, bassist Nicolas B�dard and drummer Mark Nelson have spent the past decade forging their own careers as active bandleaders and freelancers. B�dard won the Rimouski Jazz Festival Grand Prize in 2012, and is a member of the award-winning Emie R Roussel Trio. He also teaches in Rimouski and Quebec City. Nelson has appeared on the drum throne with artists as varied as Elizabeth Shepherd, Parc-X Trio and Cord�me, in addition to leading his own band, Sympathetic Frequencies. He is a frequent collaborator with Ryshpan, appearing in the song cycle Alicuanta. Since forming Trio Bruxo, Ryshpan has developed a notoriety in the Brazilian music community at large, having toured in Jorge Ben Jor's band and recorded on C�zar Mendes' highly praised debut album (produced by Marisa Monte and Mario Caldato Jr.). He has toured extensively with Haitian MC Vox Sambou. Trio Bruxo have served as a rhythm section for vocalists Rael, Jean Rohe, R�mmel Ribeiro, and Isaac Neto as well as trumpet luminary Brownman Ali. The album is bookended by a set of variations on "Cheguei, meu povo," the anthem of Maracat� Na��o Estrela Brilhante de Recife. "The initial catalyst of this project was to understand what made these traditional songs work on a melodic level," Ryshpan says. Trombonist and composer Jean- Nicolas Trottier urged Ryshpan to use theme and variations as a process of discovery and research. The final "Electric Variation" was the result of extra studio time and complicity with his fellow bruxos. The maracat� influences are equally present in the title track, with a nod to the flag iconography in many toadas (call-and-response chants) and the one-man percussion section of special guest Sacha Daoud. Ryshpan composed the majority of this repertoire during a tumultuous time in Brazilian politics: the final months of the Temer presidency, in the shadow of the assassination of Marielle Franco and Anderson Pedro Gomes, and the election of Jair Bolsonaro in 2018.

Classical Music

Two trombone front line of Andy Martin (slide) & Mike Fahn (valve) are featured along w. guitarist Dan Faehnle on over 65 min. Of music.

There has never been any other partnership in jazz quite like that of tenor saxophonists Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. After their initial meeting in the late 1940s Woody Herman band, the pairing became firm musical friends, forming a union that would last until Sims's death in 1985

2019 release. Rachael & Vilray is the debut album by Lake Street Dive singer-songwriter Rachael Price and composer, singer, and guitarist Vilray. The twelve-song set features 10 originals by Vilray, along with two covers from the era that inspired him: Cuban composer Pedro Junco Jr.'s 1943 "Nosotros" and Milton Drake/Louis Atler's "I Love the Way You're Breaking My Heart," first popularized by Peggy Lee. Price and Vilray, who began performing together in 2015, recorded the album with Lake Street Dive pianist Akie Bermiss, a rhythm section, and a small complement of horns, plus a guest performance from pianist Jon Batiste on "Go On Shining." Dan Knobler, who had worked with Lake Street Dive on the Free Yourself Up album, produced.

Laurie Antonioli is one of the era's definitive jazz vocalists, but she's got a Little Rock 'n' roll in her soul too. Her new album expands her creative purview with an emotionally trenchant program focusing on her collaborations with state-of-the-art jazz composers - including Russell Ferrante and Nguy�n L� - and new arrangements of songs by iconic singer/songwriters Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Sheryl Crow.

This comprises two 'live' club performances by the Cal Tjader Quintet, recorded at the Club Macumba in either September or October 1956. It comprises a fascinating line-up of the quintet, including the great Luis Kant on congas, along with an unnamed bongo player.

This is another re-issue of a title previously released by Acrobat and now deleted, but much in demand, so it has been re-packaged, with eight tracks added, presented in chronological order. It comprises 48 tracks tracing the recordings of the King Of Swing in all configurations of his outfits from his Trio through to his big band, focusing mainly on the era from 1935 to the early '40s, but also including some tracks from the late '40s and early '50s. As a budget-priced 2CD set, it represents fantastic value, and is a fine showcase not only for his renowned clarinet styling but also the fine arrangements and the sound of which he was one of the creators and pioneers.

Unreleased outside of Israel, SHAOT REGISHOT ("Sensitive Hours"), the gold album recorded in Hebrew by Avishai Cohen between GENTLY DISTURBED and AURORA, is now available everywhere on disc and vinyl. For the first time in his career, he does not make an instrumental album, but an album of beautiful songs that he writes and performs, strongly influenced by jazz, some traditional music, revealing a voice with multiple accents and an incredible charm...An essential milestone in his already rich discography.

Dunaj, the legendary band of the alternative Brno scene of the 1990s release their first album in 26 years, titled “Za vodou” (Beyond Water). The busy career of the band, studded with six albums throughout the final decade of the last century, came to a halt after the passing of the singer Jirí Kolšovský. And although the other three members of the band never disappeared from the scene and were active in other projects and formations, they only came back together as “Dunaj” in 2019. Having met on the set of a documentary about the band, “Dunaj of the Mind”, they decided it was time to start playing together again. The role of the lead vocalist has been filled by guitarist and bass guitarist Vladimír Václavek who has in the meantime released a number of solo albums and become member of Iva Bittová’s band Cikori. The trio of musicians – Vladimír Václavek, Josef Ostranský, and Pavel Koudelka – invited electronic producer Aid Kid to collaborate with them on this new recording, together with producer Petr Ostrouchov. Representatives of the next musical generation, Kid and Ostrouchov have collaborated on the highly acclaimed album “Reka” (River) by Lenka Dusilová. The new album brings ten new songs by Dunaj. Two of these had been recorded by Kolšovský, though they were never published in his lifetime, and he could thus join his colleagues on this new release. A distinguished guest on the album is Iva Bittová whose voice features in five of the songs. Bittová collaborated with the band on two previous legendary albums (“Dunaj a Iva Bittová”, 1989; “Pustit musíš”, 1995) and appeared at many joint performances.

Yuko Mabuchi moved to the United States from her native Japan only recently, but when she plays American jazz she speaks the language perfectly. We love Yuko’s sense of rhythm and melody, and her improvising feels like she was born in Detroit or New York City. Her technique reminds one of some of Yuko’s music idols like Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock and Monty Alexander. But beyond her talent for traditional jazz, one can also hear flavors of American R&B, Hip-Hop and Blues, which Yuko loved as a teenager. This album’s associate producer and Yarlung special advisor Billy Mitchell describes Yuko’s playing as “funky from the heart,” and he means that as an enormous compliment. Yuko was born in Fukui, on the west coast of Japan, north of Kyoto. She studied classical music and the piano starting at age four, and continued her studies at the AN Music School in Kyoto, where she was a jazz piano student of Kunihiro Kameda. Yarlung first heard the Yuko Mabuchi Trio at Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood and offered to record their debut album the next day. This live concert recording session took place in Cammilleri Hall, the same concert venue designed by Yasuhisa Toyota, where Yarlung recorded Sophisticated Lady jazz quartet in 2014. Jazz pianist and educator Billy Mitchell served as associate producer.