Frederic Hand has been influencing generations of guitarists throughout his impressive career. A longtime Metropolitan Opera guitarist and lutenist, he also enjoys a flourishing and award winning composing career. This album of Hand’s compositions hearkens to the tradition of the performer/composer- a role in which Hand has been thriving throughout his career. His compositions draw from a variety of inspirations, including Irish music, jazz, early music, and new age. Especially notable is the track For Julian. The work was composed in 2007 in honor of Julian Bream, who was Hand’s teacher while on a Fulbright Scholarship in England. The original composition is for eight course lute, but is performed for this recording on guitar for its greater timbral variety.

Guitarist and composer Ben Verdery's "Scenes from Ellis Island" contains selections of his eclectic solo and ensemble music. Verdery's broad sources of inspiration include world music traditions, gospel, pop music, history, philosophy, and of course virtuosic guitar composition, combining these together in music that resonates with an expansive humanism. Hailed for his innovative and eclectic musical career, Benjamin Verdery tours regularly throughout the US, Canada, Europe and Asia, performing at venues and festivals including Ottawa ChamberFest, 92Y Kaufmann Auditorium, Verona Guitar Festival, Guitar Festival of Belgrade, International Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Taxco (Mexico), Theatre Carré (Amsterdam), the International Guitar Festival in Havana, Wigmore Hall (London), and Metropolitan Opera in New York. As a recording artist, Ben has released more than 15 albums.

Importango's Debut Release, Tango for Import, Is Also the First Release on Panoramic Recordings, a New Division of New Focus Recordings Dedicated to a Wide Continuum of Stylistic Diversity. The New York Based Trio - Guitarist Adam Tully, Violinist Machiko Ozawa, and Pianist Octavio Brunetti - Has Been a Fixture in the City's Vibrant, Close Knit Tango Community for Several Years. Importango's Mission Is to Deliver Authentic Tango to Their Audiences, Proudly Standing on the Shoulders of This Rich Musical Tradition. Their Atypical Instrumentation and Diverse Backgrounds Put Them in a Unique Position to Present the Real Tango from a Fresh Perspective, with the Virtuosity Passion, and Respect the Music Demands. Tragically, Octavio Brunetti Passed Away Suddenly from Illness During the Summer of 2014, Just As This Project Was Nearing Completion. Tango for Import Is Being Released in His Honor and in Gratitude for His Transcendent Musicianship.

Described by the New York Times as a "talented and entrepreneurial pianist" and an "able and persuasive advocate" of new music, Nicholas Phillips' playing has been praised for its "bejeweled accuracy" ( Fanfare) and as "razor-sharp yet wonderfully spirited" ( American Record Guide). He is active as a soloist and collaborative artist, having performed all across the United States, as well as Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. Phillips is an active recording artist and champion of living composers, having released four previous CDs devoted to contemporary music, including Portals and Passages (Albany Records, 2011), American Vernacular: New Music for Solo Piano (New Focus Recordings, 2014) and Impressions (Blue Griffin Recordings, 2016).

Saxophonist and composer Travis Laplante releases his latest project merging compositional and improvisational impulses. He is joined by pianist Erika Dohi, harpist Charles Overton, percussionist Eduardo Leandro, and double bassist Lizzie Burns for an album length piece in three parts that seeks to circumvent the self-critical voice that so often comes with the creative process, and, channeling the 12th century Taoist acupuncture practice that is the source of it's title, to "snap open" the path to connection.