Scorpio Rising

Bebop

New Life

Silvering

Reflections Of Monk - The Final Frontier

The Nearness Of You

Here is the second volume of “In The Tradition” with all titles in first takes to complete the session which started with Volume one. The session was originally meant for Dexter Gordon. As Dexter was taken ill at the time of recording, Braxton filled in and the rest is history. “ This music confirms Braxton’s talent for striking a fine balance between the purely experimental and the more conventional.” (Jazz Journal)

Dexter In Radioland vol. 6 With his favourite rhythm section, Dexter leads the proceedings of this sixth volume of live transmission from the 60’s European jazz Mecca Montmartre . “This excellent series of records which starts with Montmartre Jazzhus live date from 1962 documents the way in which Gordon was playing when he arrived in Europe ... They prove that he was playing very well at the time...” (Barry McRae, Jazz Journal International)

Classical Music

“This is hard bop at its best, superior playing by pianist Galper and tenor saxist Mike Brecker ...good contrast between ballads and exciting up-tempo lines.” (Don Lass, Asbury Park Press) “So the Brecker Brothers can play jazz after all!...You won’t find a drop of funk on this record, just good old, straight-ahead, swinging jazz....Hal Galper must be given credit for channelling the music in the right direction...” (Carl Brauer, Cadence) “...in pianist Hal Galper’s acoustic progressive jazz combo, trumpeter Randy and saxophonist Michael Brecker play with conviction and emotion...Good stuff.” (Oakland Tribune)

New York, N.Y.

Songbird

Drummer Makaya Ntshoko was born in 1939 in South Africa and had been an integral part of the famed Cape Town jazz scene before he moved to Switzerland in 1962. Since then Makaya has performed and recorded all over the world with a host of jazz luminaries such as Dexter Gordon, Don Cherry, Hugh Masakela, Dollar Brand, Weather Report, to mention a few. “Here is a magnificent milestone on Makaya’s lifetime journey through rhythm.” (Mark Gardner – from the liner notes)

Ball At Louisiana

Passage

One Sunday in December 2018 bassist/composer/educator Ron McClure brought this - his relatively new group - to the studio (Chris Sulit’s Trading8 in NJ) to record his 17th leader album. McClure’s 30-year-old close collaboration with SteepleChase produced quite a few releases featuring new talents the bassist discovered. This is one of them, introducing Anthony Ferrara a new tenor star freshly out of NYU where McClure teaches. “…Under any circumstances this is quite thrilling and spell-binding music…” (Thorbjørn Sjøgren – JazzSpecial on “Ready Or Not” SCCD 31759)“All of (McClure’s) writing and playing comes from the heart – he is an instinctive player above all…” (The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD)

Russian-born American guitarist/composer Gene Segal has often been commented as unpredictable in his playing style and his composing. Ever evolving in search of new horizon Segal’s past 4 releases on SteepleChase have never failed to prove his boundless creativity. On this new album Segal teams up again with the #1 Hammond B3 organist Brian Charette, this time mostly on piano, to present a guitar/keyboard quartet where the guitar gets the role of lead voice. “Music that glows and grows.” (George W. Harris – Jazz Weekly on SCCD 33121 Matter)

“Fresh…exotic…and far beyond the ordinary” (The New York Times) is one of the numerous praises the world press bestowed upon Allegra since her debut album “Lonely City” (SCCD 33118) a few years ago. While Allegra Levy’s second album “Cities Between Us” (SCCD 31827) cemented her strong talent as a singer/songwriter, here on this her third album Allegra the singer steps up to the front interpreting time-tested as well as newer moon–themed songs. “Levy is a gifted lyricist and she writes often light thoughts and observations but from a personal point of view. Vocal fans should seek this out as Levy fills a spot that is fresh and rewarding in the pantheon of vocalists. A carefully produced CD full of rewards.” (Robert D. Rusch – Papatamas on SCCD 31827 Cities Between Us) “Levy is a fresh new voice, with songs steeped in the tradition and primed to join the canon.” (Jim Motavalli – New York City Jazz Record on SCCD 31827 Cities Between Us)

Pianist Greg Burk’s striking solo album “Clean Spring” (SCCD 33124) was recorded in Italy and released in March of 2016 to critical and public acclaim. “… Clean Spring will only further burnish his reputation as a deep player and thinker …. Burk’s musical mind is extremely rich and deep, with many crossing currents flowing through it …” (Budd Kopman - AAJ) “… the sustained complementary independence of Burk’s limbs borders on the preternatural. Piano recitals are a near quotidian exercise these days in the crowded jazz arena. Burk’s latest sortie in the idiom boldly stands out.” (Derek Taylor – Dusted Magazine) Here on this new trio album Michigan native Greg Burk pays musical homage to the city where he spent his formative years as a professional musician.

Andy LaVerne, a veteran of over five decades in performing, composing and educating often teaches master classes at the famed Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop. At this workshop in 2019 Andy LaVerne met and performed with Zak Brock for the first time. The Grammy Award Winning violinist Zak Brock left huge impression on the pianist. Andy invited Zak to record together three months later. The collaboration between LaVerne the master of reharmonization and contrafacts and Zak the star member of the crossover group Snarky Puppy turned out to be a true Rhapsody with an intriguing program. “The album is filled with stimulating originals, most of which seem to be newly written for the session…. Shangri-La is another valuable addition to Andy LaVerne’s discography.” (Ken Dryden – NYCJR on Shangri-La SCCD 31872)

Though guitarist John Hart has performed with quite a few organists, including the distinguished Jack McDuff with whom he played 16 years, this is his third album with organ in the group. With the award-winning, remarkable Gary Versace at the B-3, John Hart unfolds here a spellbinding Act Three of his guitar/organ trio performance. John Hart, while leading an active life as performer on the world jazz scene, has held a full-schedule lecturer/head post of the jazz guitar department at the FROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC of his alma mater, University of Miami for several years now. On Hart’s previous and the first release on SteepleChase SCCD 31865 “Crop Circles” last year Ken Dryden commented, “The strength of this session merits more frequent record dates for John Hart.”

Though Gary Versace’s discography has so far been mostly occupied with his B-3 recordings, here his new album, the 5th on SteepleChase is the very first strictly piano trio which reveals Versace’s intuitively intelligent touch and inventiveness on piano. Fellow pianist Andy LaVerne who is the author of the liner notes sums up his commentary in saying, “It’s gratifying and inspiring to witness the ascension of Gary’s musical endeavors and creativity from his wide ranging exemplary sideman work (which includes my piano/ organ trio with five SteepleChase releases), to assuming the helm of his own forward leaning piano trio.”

On his 25th release on SteepleChase saxophonist Rich Perry takes on the role of composer as well for all the titles presented here. Although Rich readily confides that composing is not one of his favorite activities, we all realize the music on this disc reveals Perry’s deep creative reservoir. “… Probably Perry’s most passionate fans are other tenor saxophone players. Those who have spent their lives studying the instrument understand that the purity of Perry’s minimalism is a rare quality to which they themselves aspire … Perry’s solo is a rapt, intimate flowing. He does not sound like he is inventing but like he is reliving deep private memories.” (Tom Conrad – NYC Jazz Records on SCCD 31176 “Nocturne”

Since its inception in 1972 one of SteepleChase’s enduring policies has been to discover new talents who deserve recognition. Michael Feinberg, bassist/composer originally from Atlanta, Georgia is one of them. Feinberg with seven leader albums up his sleeve may not be labelled as a new comer but this is his debut release on this label which prides itself with the rich tradition of great bass players such as Red Mitchell, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Sam Jones, Jay Anderson, Scott Lee, just mention a few. Feinberg leads here a formidable band with two horn-front by one of the most influential saxophonists Dave Liebman on soprano and young elite Noah Preminger on tenor whose SteepleChase debut album, by the way, is on its way. "Feinberg’s original material is fresh and refreshingly free of empty complexity, giving his group... material that they can stretch out on without getting lost in technique. " (Irish Times) “He’ll be attracting widespread attention before you know it." (Jazz Espress) “… he is showing signs of being a towering personality on his instrument." (Jazzdagama.com) "There are, quite simply, few players like him. A couple playing today that come to mind immediately are Dave Holland and Boris Kozlov” (Ilikejazz.com)

Baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan brings here his trademark “contrafacts” (a music making method that shares the chord progressions with other compositions) approach to this first SteepleChase leader outing challenging us (maybe?) to guess the tunes he is employing. Smulyan whose professional career took shape by joining Woody Herman’s Young Thundering Herds at age 22 (1978) has won Critics’ and Readers’ Poll awards numerous times by Downbeat and JazzTimes, among others. England’s Penguin Guide to Jazz once described Smulyan as “the leading American exponent of post-bop baritone”.