My previous recording, Sanctuary, is a musical reflection on places and characters in my personal life that have provided a sense of creative refuge and a feeling of home. With Love and Sadness takes a more expansive view, examining my seemingly delusional aspiration that we can somehow evolve toward a more compassionate and inclusive society. This is balanced musically against the darkness of an ongoing realization that systemic racism in America is still so much more pervasive than I had imagined. The structure of the piece emerged as I was reflecting on the depths of this national crisis during a trip to the Maine wilderness last August. As a result of pandemic-related closures, it was the first time my wife and I had traveled in many months. It felt like a new perspective, at least early in the journey. The shape of this composition outlines the evolution of my reflections throughout the course of that trip.

The great Argentine-American pianist, composer, and arranger experienced the full brunt of COVID-19's destructive energies during the pandemic. Franzetti contracted the COVID virus. One of the effects of his infection was a loss of coordination, leading to several falls. When he couldn't remember the changes to "All the Things You Are", he knew something was wrong. CAT scans showed a subdural hematoma. // Three brain surgeries and months of physical rehabilitation brought Franzetti's coordination back. He also saw firsthand what the solitude of quarantine meant, as he wasn't allowed to see anybody, including his wife, for 10 days while he recovered in the hospital. // Once he was able, Franzetti felt motivated to not only prove his musical chops were still there, but he also wanted to make music emblematic of the struggles that people had gone through during this unforgettable time. Franzetti brought longtime collaborator, bassist David Finck, and the excellent drummer Billy Drummond in for a recording session at 360 Sound Studio in Orange, New Jersey in late May 2021.

Bassist John H�bert has long been influenced by Mingus's music. It was Mingus's 1975 Atlantic recording, Changes One, that etched the clarity of the legend's vision and tone into H�bert's mind. Using the music and ensemble fluidity of the album as a direct inspiration, H�bert assembled an incredible band to play with the spirit of Mingus as a beacon for a number of performances from 2011 to 2013. The recording, Sounds of Love, presents the ensemble in their element, in a thrillingly dynamic live performance. // Having set roots in New York in the mid-1990s, H�bert became one of the most in demand bassists of his generation, upholding duties in bands led by Andrew Hill, Paul Bley, Mary Halvorson, and Uri Caine. H�bert continues to participate in a longstanding musical relationship with piano great Fred Hersch and has found himself in academia as a professor at Western Michigan University.

On Echoes of the Masters, Taru Alexander creates an aural tribute to his father, the great Roland Alexander, and the tremendous musicians who passed the tradition down to him and the future generations through their impact on the bandstand and their examples off of it. Drummer Taru Alexander was endowed with music by his father, saxophonist Roland Alexander, and an extended family of professional musician mentors in his native Brooklyn, New York. The younger Alexander celebrates the legacy of his father and his father's peers on Echoes of the Masters, a collection of pieces by well-known jazz composers performed by an outstanding group of musicians who came of age under the tutelage of legendary performers on the bandstand. // A lifetime of musical experience has imbued Alexander with the skills, the knowledge, and the swagger to play jazz as it should be played. His credentials spread from bands led by Roy Hargrove, Gary Bartz, Carlos Garnett, and many more, so when he was considering who should join him on his new recording, Alexander wanted to include other musicians who had truly paid their dues. Pianist James Hurt has been a focal part of the New York jazz scene since he arrived in 1994. Alexander met saxophonist Antoine Roney and bassist Rashaan Carter on a recording session led by saxophonist Michael Marcus in 2008. Roney has been a stalwart leader and sideman in New York alongside fantastic musicians like Jacky Terrasson, Donald Byrd, John Patton, and his brother, Wallace Roney. Carter carries the history of the jazz bass on his shoulders having studied with Buster Williams, Reggie Workman, and Ron Carter.

One of the powers that music holds is the ability to sway emotions and atmospheres. Hearing music can make a listener remember a special moment, feel a certain way, or have a sensory experience beyond the aural. For pianist Megumi Yonezawa, the atmosphere in a room changes as soon as a musical note has been struck. Yonezawa wants to utilize her command of the musical language to provide listeners with the sense of immersion in the best moments of a day. Her new recording, Resonance, is a collection of original compositions and creatively arranged standards that will transport those who indulge into pleasant mindsets.

The piano trio is one of the most flexible and dynamic vehicles for musical expression within the genre of jazz. The same can be said of the string quartet in the classical sphere. The intimate confines of both ensembles lead to a fantastic blend of group interplay and individuality expressed by the performers. Boundless possibilities of musical pathways within these combinations have made these the de facto ensembles for composers and performers within these genres. // Pianist/composer Nikolaj Hess has found much to say utilizing the piano trio and the string quartet over his career. Recently, it was his idea to interweave a string quartet together with a piano trio to create a septet, thus multiplying the colors and dynamism of sound that can be produced. Hess's gorgeous new recording, Spacelab & Strings, brings two ensembles from two musical fields together to amplify his artistic vision in a unique, sweeping way. // Hess grew up in the musically rich environment of the Jutland peninsula of Denmark. The area is well known for it's rich musical legacy and was also a regular destination for touring jazz musicians visiting Denmark. Hess's study of piano and violin gave him a wide exposure to classical and jazz music. Hess eventually settled on piano as his main expressive voice but continued to love the sound of the violin, even going as far as trying to emulate the violin's sound on the piano. // While growing up, Hess developed long standing musical relationships with bassist Anders Christensen and drummer Mikkel Hess (who is also Hess's brother). The regular partnership led to a trio that switched leadership depending on projects but has ultimately come to be known as Spacelab. The ensemble's time-honed rapport makes it an ideal amplifier of Hess's folk-inspired, Scandinavian-tempered music. // Butch Lacy and Horace Parlan were among Hess's teachers at the Copenhagen Conservatory and the first to introduce Hess to arranging and transcribing his musical thoughts from the piano to strings (and thinking in orchestral sonorities on the piano. Hess continued to study the art of string writing, studying the works of greats like Beethoven and Ravel. Opportunities to write for strings sprang up in commissions and films over the years, which include Lars Von Trier's Melancholia // Over the years, Hess collaborated regularly with violinist C�cilie Balling, the leader of Strings, the quartet featured on this recording, and co-producer of this recording. The other members of the quartet, violinist Christian Elleg�rd, violist Jakup L�tzen, and cellist Josefine Opsahl, are engaged in a wide variety of musical endeavors, from classical fare to improvised music, making the flexible quartet a perfect partner with Spacelab. // Nikolaj Hess has found a way to capture a very particular Scandinavian identity on his compositions that walk the line between classical and jazz repertory. The cinematic breadth of his musical talents can be heard on Spacelab + Strings, a wonderful meeting between musical entities of tremendous expressive capabilities.

Roberts's new recording, Science of Love, finds the longtime stalwart of the creative Downtown music scene returning to New York City, after raising a family in Ithaca, NY, in an effort to rekindle the vital, creative energy that only the metropolis can provide. Roberts discovered inspiration in droves, which allowed him to create a unique program of original music unlike anything he had done in the past. // Of course, Roberts has been well known for playing alongside music greats, like Bill Frisell, Tim Berne, and Joey Baron. He has also put together singular and celebrated ensembles of his own that cover a wealth of musical ground, including folk, rock, modern classical, gospel, and world music influences.

The moving performances on Mike Clark and Michael Zilber's Mike Drop show that kindred spirits can be found no matter the distance. Though both Clark and Zilber came from the West Coast, they found their connection in a love of the serious soul of one of New York City's distinctive styles: a seriously swinging, free range jazz.

A Note From Denny Zeitlin // George Marsh and I began our Sunnyside duo electro-acoustic recordings with "Riding The Moment" in 2015. "Expedition" followed in 2017, chronicling an exciting and enriching evolution. And now "Telepathy," consisting primarily of pieces recorded since then, finds us exploring broader and deeper dimensions of spontaneous composition as our attunement and musical vision continue to expand. // For listeners having a first contact with our duo, I'll repeat my remarks from our previous albums, since the set and setting remain the same. // This album, like "Riding the Moment," and "Expedition," has roots going back to the late sixties, when I began a decade of exploring the electro-acoustic integration of jazz, classical, funk, rock, and free-form music. My trio included Mel Graves or Ratzo Harris on bass, and throughout, the incredible drummer/percussionist George Marsh. We recorded and toured the West Coast, concluding this period with my electro-acoustic-symphonic score for the 1978 remake of "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers." // I then returned to a focus on acoustic solo, duo, and trio music for a couple decades, and George went on to numerous other projects. With the passage of the millennium, synthesizer and recording technological advances lured me back into a major and ongoing studio upgrade. "Both/And" (Sunnyside 2013) was devoted to the electro-acoustic domain as a soloist. And since 2013, George and I have musically re-united, and have been exploring the potential of duo electro-acoustic free improvisations-the co-creation of what we often refer to as "sound paintings." // Our goal has been to approach the music without a score or any preconception; to be as fully present as possible, "riding the moment," and allowing the music to go where it wants-without any constraint of genre, or fixed harmonic, rhythmic, or melodic structure. We hope our "telepathy" allows the emergence of spontaneous compositions that have freshness, beauty, excitement, internal logic, new sounds, and a sense of journey-an "expedition." Over 95% of this music was recorded in "real time" with one pass. On those occasions where I didn't have enough hands to play what I was hearing, I over-dubbed some orchestration or a solo voice. And in those instances, I typically went with the first take, to preserve the spontaneity of the project. // I believe you will hear in our interaction that George is a full partner in the co-creation of this album. To preserve acoustic separation during recording we were unable to see each other; we were carried by our shared musical vision, trust, and an extraordinary rapport. We often feel like we are some kind of galactic orchestra.

Pianist and Composer Dahveed Behroozi is a San Francisco Bay Area based musician. His focus is in jazz, classical, and new music. He is an active player both as a leader and sideman in the Bay Area, nationally and also internationally. // Behroozi's expansive musical palette comes from a wide array of places that almost seem endless. His musical frame of reference ranges from Bach, Brahms, Schoenberg, Alban Berg, 20th century jazz luminaries, as well as the rock and ambient worlds. // His main focus in music is improvisation. Behroozi approaches improvisation as a form of musical composition. It is within the improvisation, that over time, compositions begin to appear, take shape, and ultimately form. He's constantly striving to find new sounds and feelings in his work, and hopefully take the listener on a multi-sensory landscape, rather than just a sonic one. // Born in CA in 1981, the son of a classical guitarist, Behroozi quickly came into contact with the classical canon, and soon developed a strong interest in Jazz. By his teens, he became an active sideman in the San Francisco Bay Area, and would later go back east to study at the Manhattan School of Music, as well as Brooklyn College. It was during his time in NYC, where he was able to develop his sound and concept by playing and studying with some of the finest musicians. // Pianist Fred Hersch describes his playing as, "intense, immersive, emotionally fulfilling and musically deep."

MARCH 2020 saw much of the world shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak. At first there was this foreboding sense of emptiness. Time slowed down. Our home, New York City, which is usually filled with energy and deafening noise, was silent. Every day seemed to be the same - empty. Grieving the loss of routine, we thought all we could do was wait. // In this stillness, we began to notice vivid swaths of color everywhere and sounds previously unheard. Each color seemed to have a unique sound - and meaning - attached to it. To preserve and share the experience, we chose a hue of color every day and created a painting and music composition to capture the mood and essence of the color and it's relevance to the moment in time. The result is the 14 songs and paintings on this album. We hope as you listen to the music and view the art, you will find our work calming in these times of uncertainty and return to it often as we navigate the aftermath of the pandemic and reflect on it's impact on our lives.

On his inspiring new album, Da F�, saxophonist and composer Dan Blake pays tribute to the and political activists who've offered him hope while adding his own singular voice to the out for solutions. // Da F� is an outgrowth of Blake's own activism. A practicing Buddhist since his college years, Blake has served since 2015 on the board of Buddhist Global Relief, an organization dedicated to combatting chronic hunger and malnutrition around the world. // Da F� translates to "of faith," and stems from the phrase "auto da f�," which refers to the burning of heretics during the Spanish Inquisition. While Blake changed the term to avoid direct reference to that historical context, he does see a connection in the fires blazing across millions of acres in California. // To provide his music with the tension and urgency it required, Blake enlisted a remarkable cross-generational band. He initially recorded with a quartet featuring pianist/keyboardist Carmen Staaf, bassist Dmitry Ishenko, and veteran drummer Jeff Williams. The latter was a member of the pioneering world-jazz fusion band Lookout Farm led by DaveLiebman, one of Blake's mentors in both music and activism. He then teamed with longtime collaborator Leo Genovese, with whom he worked in Esperanza Spalding's band, to reimagine the music in post-production via additional piano, synths and multiple saxophone lines.

Modern day record producers often find themselves in the unfortunate position of hiring studio fixers and technology experts to make presentable records. This project required none of that. Simply putting 4 masters of the craft together on stage at a jazz club in Los Angeles and engaging a Grammy winning recording engineer to capture it all over 2 magical nights of live performance was all that was required. The fact that Michael Wolff, Mark Isham, Mike Clark and John B. Williams had known each other for their entire careers only enhanced the whole enterprise. The camaraderie and mutual respect is apparent in every track. From the heartfelt ballads of Wolff and Wayne Shorter to the high energy of Wolff's Lagniappe" (the 13th treat of a baker's dozen), to the groove of Clark's "Loft Funk", the listener is included in improvisational music making at it's finest. So sit back and enjoy the ride..." -Nic. tenBroek, Producer (Los Angeles, CA)

There is only one way to enhance one's performance and that is to practice until there is a level of confidence in act, and pride in the outcomes. Guitarist and composer Diego Barber seeks new challenges relentlessly. His pursuit of excellence in all his endeavors has led him to the extreme heights of classical guitar technique, contemporary composition and long-distance running, all of these requiring grueling regimens of focused study. // For his new recording, Drago, Barber departs from his recent focus on blending contemporary classical music and jazz to focus on electronic music, utilizing elements from both the classical and dancefloor models. A two-year long study of Logic music programming has led the fleet fingered string specialist to eschew the guitar for the most part to focus on composing pieces in a new and highly personal way. // The incredible music on Diego Barber's Drago is a departure from his typical output but it also shows the development of an artist who accepts musical challenges and finds exhilaration in chasing the unknown.

The creation of music shares much in common with creation in the visual arts. Both musicians and visual artists speak of and deal in colors, hues and textures in their compositional processes. Saxophonist/composer Tobias Meinhart has developed near synesthetic visualizations as he performs and hears music. His new recording, The Painter, presents his recent work of diverse, brilliant pieces meant to brighten the world's canvas. // The ensemble that Meinhart assembled to record these new pieces consists of a number of the saxophonist's favored collaborators, including pianist Eden Ladin, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Obed Calvaire. Since his recent release and collaboration with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Berlin People (Sunnyside 2018), Meinhart has been drawn to the sound of guitar, thus the addition of his neighbor and friend, Charles Altura. These musicians, in this and similar configurations, have been the saxophonist's regular associates on stages like the 55 Bar and Birdland in New York City over the past two years.