Lakecia Benjamin's new album focuses on the music from her acclaimed Phoenix project and adds three new songs. It was captured live-in-studio at Brooklyn's the Bunker, whose alumni include everyone from Brad Mehldau to Bang on a Can to the Black Keys. Features guitarist John Scofield, trumpeter Randy Brecker and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts.

After several successful album releases in a mainstream setting, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, known then as Christian Scott, chose to continue his path towards full control of his artistic identity. His 2015 release was titled Stretch Music, and it marked the creation of his own label of the same name. A bold move, both musically and professionally; one that nurtured his creative spirit and opened the way for a steady stream of albums that refined his sound and mission. Stretch Music was well received in the press, and from that point his listeners had a direct way to support his choices and sounds. Just as a climber can only see the clarity of the path when he reaches the summit, we can now look back at the direct line that brought the artist to this point. To commemorate this journey, Chief Adjuah presents to the world The Stretch Music 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition with three new tracks. The deluxe edition reaffirms Stretch Music's dynamic legacy and mission to create new sonic landscapes and musical languages that embrace possibility and innovation while still honoring tradition. The Stretch Music 10th anniversary offering features three new compositions from Chief Adjuah's upcoming releases. "Back 2 Back" - featuring Elena Pinderhughes, "Shared Stories of Rivals II" - featuring Logan Richardson and Weedie Braimah and "Take Off Your Cool" - featuring Robert Glasper. Each composition was written to address critical socio-political issues shaping our time. The Stretch Music 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition continues to exemplify the necessity of innovation in today's music. It does so by demonstrating the potential for adaptability and socio-cultural engagement while still pushing boundaries and incorporating a wide array of influences and cultures.

Ancestral swirl colored vinyl. After several successful album releases in a mainstream setting, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, known then as Christian Scott, chose to continue his path towards full control of his artistic identity. His 2015 release was titled Stretch Music, and it marked the creation of his own label of the same name. A bold move, both musically and professionally; one that nurtured his creative spirit and opened the way for a steady stream of albums that refined his sound and mission. Stretch Music was well received in the press, and from that point his listeners had a direct way to support his choices and sounds. Just as a climber can only see the clarity of the path when he reaches the summit, we can now look back at the direct line that brought the artist to this point. To commemorate this journey, Chief Adjuah presents to the world The Stretch Music 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition with three new tracks. The deluxe edition reaffirms Stretch Music's dynamic legacy and mission to create new sonic landscapes and musical languages that embrace possibility and innovation while still honoring tradition. The Stretch Music 10th anniversary offering features three new compositions from Chief Adjuah's upcoming releases. "Back 2 Back" - featuring Elena Pinderhughes, "Shared Stories of Rivals II" - featuring Logan Richardson and Weedie Braimah and "Take Off Your Cool" - featuring Robert Glasper. Each composition was written to address critical socio-political issues shaping our time. The Stretch Music 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition continues to exemplify the necessity of innovation in today's music. It does so by demonstrating the potential for adaptability and socio-cultural engagement while still pushing boundaries and incorporating a wide array of influences and cultures.

Yellow River marks the 4th album in 36 months by Jim Stephens on Ropeadope. This offering follows 2016's Soul debut On our Way To Forever; 2017's Delta Blues duo album Box Car Blues featuring BoyWonder; and 2018's Genre-defying 20-song double album Philasippiola Soul. Yellow River brings some of Stephens' All-Star New Orleans and Philly collectives together for a 10 song tour-de-force which is deep-rooted in Jazz, Soul, Blues, and Funk. The album was primarily recorded over 2 days at the legendary Esplanade Studios in New Orleans. Stephens wrote 6 of the songs, while personalizing and re-working cover songs and traditional gospel. Once again he delivered on the production and arrangements while playing lap steel, guitar, and harmonica. Shaun Martin joins the band as pianist for 5 of the 10 songs, with Deej Roisin accompanying Martin on organ, and taking lead on the other piano tracks. Will Winborne Jr., an integral member of Stephens' band, as well as performing regularly with BoyWonder, The Village People, and rising hip-hop stars XPresidents, lends his organ and rhodes work to the title track and accompanying Martin on organ on Stephens' Norah Jones'- inspired take on The Band's "Bessie Smith." The horn section features a pair of living legends in Big Sam Williams and Jeffrey T. Watkins (James Brown's horn director for the last 12 years of Brown's career, now with the New Orleans Suspects, who on top of his tenor work, stepped in for the intricacies and finalizing the horn direction on the album). They are joined by the elite talents of Lori LaPatka on alto sax, and Ian Smith on trumpet. The rhythm sections are broke into 3 groups featuring: Jerry JBLAKK Henderson and Milk Williams of Big Sam's Funky Nation; Sam Price from Honey Island Swamp Band; and Sam Shahin and Noah Young from Naughty Professor and Big Freedia's band. Stephens' band featuress 3 amazing vocal talents in Ja-Tun Thomas, Andre "BoyWonder" Coles (who also plays guitar on the album), and Ariel Skye, all of whom shine on duets and solo appearances - most noticeably on Stephen

Bright Dog Red (BDR), an improvising collective from Albany, New York, fuses free improvisation, electronica, jazz, hip hop, psychedelia, and noise music. BDR will release How's by You? September 13, 2019, the ensemble's second album for Ropeadope Records, the influential Philadelphia area imprint. How's by You? follows BDR's Ropeadope debut, 2018's Means to the Ends, celebrated for it's "exploratory sounds" (The Bolg) and "spirited and inspired jazz that skillfully weaves in... electronica and hip-hop" (Blue in Green Radio, UK). Ropeadope, long at the nexus of jazz, hip hop, and electronica, has proven an apt partner for BDR's "innovative and psychedelic mesh" of those genres (The Alt Weekly). Since partnering with the label, the group has enjoyed a widening audience, including increased recognition in North America, the UK, and Europe. Hailed as "Sonic Groundbreakers" (Nu Jazz Sounds, UK) and a "band on the rise" (The Bolg), BDR stands poised for increased notoriety with the release of How's by You?. BDR's regular performances at New York destination venues like ShapeShifter Lab, Nublu, and Spectrum, have garnered the ensemble comparisons to "Mahavishnu Orchestra meets Digable Planets" (Paul Schulman), "electronic Ahmad Jamal, " (Don Lucoff), and to other psychedelic, jazz fusion, and hip hop luminaries. The band has also earned esteem among contemporary musicians representing a wide swath of genres. Live looping artist Adam Ahuja of Infinity Gritty has implored his followers to immerse themselves in BDR's "self-reflective swing hop." Internationally renowned DJ M A N I K, has heralded BDR's "dope fusion improv" on his syndicated podcast Welcome to My Crate. Bass virtuoso and neuroscientist Tyreek Jackson, who often plays with the group, credited BDR with expanding his horizons, "Playing in this band, where you know that things can change at any time, has opened up my ear... I become a better listener after every BDR gig."

Aaron Whitby is an award-winning record producer, composer/songwriter, pianist, engineer and educator born and raised in London, England, and a longtime resident of Brooklyn, New York. With Cousin From Another Planet his debut album as frontman, Whitby comes full circle to his jazz and funk roots pulling together an amazing cast of friends to realize his musical vision, as described by renowned music writer Greg Tate, of "a funk-da-fied jam session feel undergirding tight, knotty jazz-smart progressions". With tunes inspired by the animated energy and profound innocence of his young son, humorous lyrics that celebrate empathy and empowerment and musicians given the freedom to take the music wherever it feels good, according to Tate, this album is "one of this era's hardiest re-dedications and festival-tent revival of soulful and exploratory jam-gnocity." Cousin From Another Planet live onstage is a music and visual experience accompanied with video art by VJ Lady Firefly (Dave Chappelle, The Roots) to capture the colorful, cartoonish and movement-inspired worldview. Whitby is best known for his work with longtime collaborator Martha Redbone, the acclaimed Native/African-American songstress with whom he created the music genre 'Native American Soul' and subsequently took poet William Blake to Appalachia. The singles and albums they co-wrote/co-produced include notably; "Home of the Brave", "Skintalk" and "The Garden of Love - Songs of William Blake" have received numerous awards and critical acclaim. Currently the team have created and tour "Bone Hill- The Concert", a devised, multi-disciplinary theatrical concert originally commissioned by Joe's Pub and The Public Theater. Whitby and Redbone are recipients of the NEFA NTP Award and an NPN Creation Fund Award, and are currently developing a new musical commissioned by the Public Theater in NYC supported in part by MAP Fund and Creative Capital.

If music is still an industry Jared Pauley has dabbled in just about all of it as a performer, educator, composer, concert producer, talent agent, archivist, author, and researcher. He was born and raised in Charleston, WV. He started playing guitar at the age of ten, but didn't take it all too seriously. As a teenager, he was heavily influenced by hip hop music, taking up emceeing at an early age. As his curiosity about samples and beats expanded, he started to explore instruments again. At the age of 17, he started to play keyboards and developed a strong interest in improvised music. He studied jazz piano under pianist Bob Thompson and the late pianist and composer Jay Flippin (Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett) at Marshall University. During this time he performed with Cuban trumpeter/pianist Arturo Sandoval and also made an appearance at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival. In 2006, he moved to New York City to continue his academic pursuits. During this time he immersed himself in the burgeoning jazz scene, which included frequent hangs at jam sessions (Smoke, Fat Cat, EZ's Woodshed) throughout the city. Along the way he worked a number of different gigs. He was a writer for jazz. Com for a couple of years, did some work for Oxford University Press, worked as an archivist for writer Will Friedwald, and helped produce and promote shows that featured luminaries like Patti LaBelle and rising stars such as Esperanza Spalding. While working behind the scenes, he continued to write, record, and perform as a sideman. Over the years, he has performed at a number of NYC venues including the Blue Note, The Bitter End, Drom, Nublu, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In 2016, he began crafting songs for his debut recording Systematic. Included on these sessions were legendary drummer Mike Clark, trumpeter Duane Eubanks, vibraphonist Eldad Tarmu, and bassist Leon Lee Dorsey. In 2017, he performed and recorded with Ropeadope artist Brad Farberman's band Middle Blue. He is featured on their 2018 release Love Songs along with Mike Clark, bassist Danny Tamberelli, and Rope

Born and raised on the westside of Los Angeles, Eric Borders is a keyboardist, producer and composer. He has shared stages with the likes of Kamasi Washington, Jose James, Jimmy Cliff, The Internet, Stanley Clarke and George Duke. His Musical 'persona' is Captain Supernova (C. SN), a fictional Astronaut who travels through space and transmitting his message back to Earth. And so the stage is set, and we are about to receive C. SN's third transmission; this time a full length album - The Voyage Never Ends. "Let it take you to Wherever it Begins" - C. SN The Voyage Never Ends is aptly titled; it feel like a journey into place unknown, sometimes drifting through space and sometimes landing in new places.

2019 release. Their performances are so riveting it is impossible to turn away, as if there is some element of humanity inside us that we have forgotten and are longing to awaken. The troupe of global artists came together when Michael Mwenso created the late night jam at Dizzy's, and they can groove, cook, and jam all the way home, with three vocals and a tap dancer up front. Michael Mwenso leads their electrifying show, described by the New York Times as "intense, prowling, and ebullient." Mwenso hails from Sierra Leone, but spent his teen years hanging out at Ronnie Scott's in London where he was exposed to the greats, with the great James Brown bringing him up to sing and dance - a moment that changed his life. The band is from well, everywhere, a truly global meeting of like minds. While fully mesmerizing to watch, the band has powerful message inside the music - an uplifting statement of individuality, courage, and community. The compositions cover a formidable timeline of jazz and blues expression through African and Afro American music.

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.

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.

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.

Born in Chiba, Japan, Yasushi Karasawa learned piano from his mother as a young child, and soon began the explorative process in music. His first influences were Yellow Magic Orchestra and the great Ryuichi Skamoto, leading him to save the pocket money for a Yamaha CS-15 analog Synth and a double cassette deck for recording. As is the case, musical exploration leads one around the world to Jazz from the US, and in his case it was a borrowed record from Bill Evans that sparked his in Jai piano. Studying at High School and then University, enamored with Evans and naturally Herbie Hancock, the stage was set. He performed at the Tokyo Jazz Clubs and he played in a pop band, but soon he turned to the studio and his own music with the project dubbed N'Sawa Saraca.

Jason Miles's newest release for his Kind of New Band "Black Magic", his first on the Ropeadope label, he is exploring the possibilities of the small electric ensemble based on the same band of superb musicians he recently toured Europe with Reggie Washington on Bass, Gene Lake, Drums, Jay Rodriguez, Sax and Bass Clarinet and Philip Dizack on Trumpet. It is a combination of live tracks recorded at NewBlu in NYC and 4 new studio tracks that were influenced by a recent concert and encounter with Herbie Hancock. Jason recently said "seeing Herbie perform just made me realize how deep you have to go to get the most from your creative soul. I re-evaluated the new music I had and realized I hadn't explored my musical soul deep enough. I locked myself in my studio and came up with 4 new tracks that I couldn't be happier with and decided to call it Black Magic.There was some other vibes going on for sure"

Known for his powerful and emotive voice, vocalist Aditya Prakash is one of the foremost young virtuosos of Carnatic music, the traditional classical style of South India. Growing up in his native Los Angeles, Aditya was rooted in South Indian arts and culture through his immigrant family, yet at school found himself in a distinct minority. He studied Carnatic voice with great dedication from childhood, but kept that passion apart from the public persona he had for his friends. Balancing two worlds in this way leads one to isolation, a feeling of being separate from both cultures. Yet it also drives the creative to find ways to bring these worlds together. The power of his ancestral culture and his formidable talent took the lead when, at just 15 years of age, Aditya was summoned and personally selected by the great Ravi Shankar to tour; soon such respected stages as Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl appeared on his resum� - but more importantly they enhanced his confidence and his sense of self. Returning to high school, he picked up the lead role in a class production of Beauty and The Beast - surprising everyone, including himself!- and set out on a path toward reconciling the disparate influences in his life. Looking forward to college, he sought the advice of the master, who suggested Aditya commit himself completely to music. Rather than hit the road in a van (as so many do), Aditya chose to study ethnomusicology and music at UCLA, where he gained a broad understanding of western music and met the key players and friends who would help move his vision forward. Aditya was now certain of his Carnatic voice, and ready to explore it's potential for groundbreaking synergy in a jazz context. Aditya Prakash Ensemble has released two explorative and powerful albums, and is now prepared to release Diaspora Kid, it's title a reference to the artist's cross-cultural upbringing in Los Angeles. Prakash carefully selected 24 musicians - from the LA jazz scene and fellow maestros from the Indian classical tradition - to come together and make his vision a r

If Salvador Dali ever made a heist movie, then Mexico's Troker would have been the soundtrack. Hailing from the land where tequila has long been it's most famous export, Troker may just be the most important new musical export today. Troker's sound careens between the sublime and the dangerous; a blend where metal riffage merges with powerhouse funk drumming and DJ scratching, with melodic horn lines pull from jazz and mariachi traditions. Troker is a band that cannot be pigeonholed into any one genre. Their albums are almost cinematic; awaken the senses, and provoke powerful emotional reactions from listeners around the world. This proposal looks for adventurous, fearless listeners with diverse tastes in music; an invitation to join a sonic journey that has been curated by a group of creatively crazy musicians - an experience that might tactically be comparable to shock and awe. Troker's artistic mission is to create music that excites the audiences' senses Inspired by MMW and DJ Logic, Troker takes fusion to the next level, pulling in rock and Mexican roots to build an explosive sound. Featured on NPR's Tiny Desk and playing worldwide to growing audiences.

Anu Sun aka Anu The Giant works closely with Robert Glasper: first on the acclaimed Black Radio Project, and further on the Miles Ahead soundtrack and the recent Johnny Cash release Forever Words, where he and Robert wrote the music to a Cash poem Going Going Gone. After three years of work he is ready to release Sanguine Regum, self described as a genre merging album that is 'progressive adult contemporary - the maturation of Hip-Hop and jazz ' The album has a distinct solo-political slant with a positive outcome, celebrating the accomplishments of Black artists in today's world. The title means 'Blood Of Kings', and the album features guests Robert Glasper, Casey Benjamin, Alex Han, Maurice Brown, Tone Whitfield, and many more.

2019 release. Drummer Shannon Powell stands tall in the lineage of New Orleans' rhythmic giants; he is a torchbearer of the city's culture and one of the finest drummers in the world. He's also a great singer, his vocals invoking styles that echo the churches, street parades and jazz clubs of his hometown. Darren Hoffman is a multi-instrumentalist and music producer originally from Miami, Florida. On Love Songs, we find Powell and Hoffman stretching out, but not relaxing at all. The mood is highly charged and powerful, with Powell hitting hard and Hoffman shredding like a chainsaw on razor wire. There are some subtle love songs on Love Songs, but many tracks that speak to the full experience of love - the energy, the tension, the elation and the agony. Classic tracks are included to keep the concept in context with originals both fun and frenzied mixed in.

2018 release. If you have internet access you've probably seen Brockett Parsons navigating the Brock360; the 288 key circular keyboard that debuted in Lady Gaga's Super Bowl performance. Just a glimpse gives the hint that the man is tuned in to a vast array of transcendent sounds and rhythms. Trained in Jazz, Parsons caught the ear and eye of Sean Combs; he toured the world with Diddy's band and performed with many others including Talib Kweli, Taylor McFerrin, and Guru before picking up his current gig with Lady Gaga. And now, it is with great pleasure that we announce Brockett's debut album via our family imprint Modern Icon Recordings. Brockettship is a stunning collection of compositions, exploring all of Parson's diverse musical interest and filtered through the unique production ear of Adrian Harpham. Oh, and there are guests; Peter Gunz, Mononeon, James Genus, Seamus Blake to name but a few.

The Karl-Martin Almqvist Ababhemu Quartet premiered at the Ystad International Jazz Festival in August 2022. The days after the concert, the quartet recorded their debut album "The Travelers". This quartet puts forward the message of brotherhood across colored lines, and across geography. Featuring pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, drummer Ayanda Sikade and bassist Magne Thormods�ter.

Renegade independent label turned collaborative artist community Ropeadope announces the return of their acclaimed Experiment series, beginning with a 2022 release of The Chicago Experiment. The Experiment series began in June 2001 with The Philadelphia Experiment - featuring ?uestlove, Christian McBride, and Uri Caine with special guest Pat Martino. Widely known as a hallmark in progressive Jazz, The Philadelphia Experiment set a standard for artist-controlled improvisation in the studio. The Detroit Experiment, produced by Aaron Luis Levinson and Carl Craig, followed soon after with a stellar cast including Amp Fiddler, Geri Allen, Karriem Riggins and many more. 2007 saw the release of The Harlem Experiment, once again produced by Levinson, which dug into a crossover blend of Latin Jazz and Funk with a diverse cast including Steven Bernstein, Carlos Alomar, Don Byron, Taj Mahal, Olu Dara, Queen Esther, and Steve Berrios.� At a time when communities are physically disconnected, and even history is being disrupted by a global pandemic and restricted travel, Ropeadope returns to the series to highlight the musical legacy of cities around the globe. The Chicago Experiment was born of collaborations organized by Greg Spero (Spirit Fingers) and his hometown friends Makaya McCraven, Marquis Hill, Joel Ross, Irvin Pierce, Jeff Parker, and Darryl Jones.

Vinyl LP pressing of this 2020 release.

Jacques Schwarz-Bart has been at the center of several musical revolutions: Neo Soul next to D'angelo and Erika Badu, New Jazz as a founding member of Roy Hargrove's RH Factor, and he is a leading pioneer in the creation of two surging new styles: Gwoka Jazz, and Voodoo jazz, reuniting jazz music with it's Afro-Caribbean and spiritual origins. Jacques' impressionistic writing, powerful tone, and wide-ranging language - both lyrical and angular - have fueled a growing presence on the world stage.

Cyro Baptista is a Brazilian born percussionist and composer whose vast talent and penchant for innovation brought him to be praised as one of the most respected musicians in the world. His talent and versatility have led to associations with a wide range of leading artists. From Paul Simon to Yo-Yo-Ma, Herbie Hancock to Trey Anastasio, Wynton Marsalis to Laurie Anderson, Caetano Veloso to Sting - they all wanted Cyro's magic touch on their recordings or live performances.

Continuing the legacy of The Experiment Series, Ropeadope teams up with longtime collaborator and head of Ropeadope SUR Todd Clouser to document the vibrant music scene in Mexico City. With a great number of world class musicians from Mexico and beyond living in the city, Clouser chose a close group of adventurous spirits to join him on the project. The Mexico City Experiment features German Bringas, Jeronimo Gonzalez, Orestes Gomez, Erik Deutsch, Todd Clouser, and Guadalupe Galvan.