Trumpeter/composer Jason Palmer has surprised audiences with each of his new releases full of fresh concept and amazing execution. This his 4th release is no exception. All Jason originals here are inspired by the places he has visited during his numerous tours throughout the world including the two towns closest to his heart: his birth place High Point, North Carolina and his current home town near Boston, Roslindale. Jon Ross of Downbeat remarks of Jason, “Palmer is an exciting player - achieving pinpoint focus in his attack one minute, turning his concrete bebop lines into caramel, sliding through pitches and bending them to his will the next. If Palmer's music stays close to home, he should go far."

SteepleChase Lookout is proud to introduce another new exciting artist, originally from Italy currently New York-based Paolo Sapia who started his professional career as jazz pianist. Paolo changed his instrument to alto saxophone in 2004 and moved to New York City with a scholarship from New York University in 2005.Since then Paolo has studied, performed and recorded in USA with a broad range of musicians including Eric McPherson, Jimmy Cobb, Antonio hart, Kevin Hays, Bob Mover, Jeremy Manasia, Mark Turner, Reggie Workman, Quincy Davis, Sam Harris, Eden Ladin, Marco Panascia, Harold O’Neil, Vincent Herring, Joseph Lepore, Luca Santaniello. Philip Dizack, Peter Zak, Rafal Sarnecki, Joel Holmes, Wayne Escoffery, Reggie Quinerly, Mike Eckroth, Jimmy Owens , among others..

The twosome of cornettist Kirk Knuffke and pianist Jesse Stacken made SteepleChase Debut in 2009 with the highly acclaimed album “Mockingbird” (SCCD 31677) with subtitle The Music of Thelonious Monk & Duke Ellington. Martin Longley of AAJ commented, “… it's refreshing to find the two pianist/composers united in a single conception, pointing out that they probably have more similarities than differences. …This is nostalgia made vibrant, played with precision, depth, good taste and a leisurely refusal to overcrowd its sonic space.”

More than a decade ago critic C. Andrew Hovan cited Colligan “One of New York’s finest”. George Colligan has since evolved into a matured and yet adventurous artist on the world stage. This latest album showcases his new New York trio performing all Colligan originals. “His own intelligent and emotional talents create room for the best to play at their very own best…..With George Colligan at the helm, the horizon is not the limit.” (Travis Rogers - JazzTimes on “The Facts” SCCD 31752)

Russian-Born Gene Segal, who moved to USA as a child, is one of the elite guitarists of the younger generation from the New York scene. After receiving his Master’s Degree in composition from prestigious William Patterson University Gene immersed himself in New York’s competitive and creative milieu to find his own voice as an instrumentalist and composer. This Gene Segal’s SteepleChase Lookout debut is the first glimpse into an ever-evolving artist revealing his fascination with Frensh composer Olivier Messiaen, one of the most important composers of the 20th century.

Ian Patterson of AAJ remarked, “Rathbun's music is intellectually challenging and yet immediately accessible...”, when he was reviewing The Idea of North (SCCD 31762) Rathbun’s previous album. New York-based Canadian saxophonist/composer Andrew Rathbun has been releasing series of innovative albums which delight us with consistent creative and entertaining quality. Here on his latest recording Rathbun joins forces with NY’s finest rhythm section to produce another unique instrumental jazz. “This outstanding release remains fresh with each hearing, as new facets of these performances become apparent to the listener.” (Ken Dryden - AAJ on Shadow Forms SCCD 31598)

Veteran pianist/composer/educator Andy LaVerne has been a stalwart of SteepleChase Label for almost four decades. His latest album here is the sequel to “Live At The Kitano” with his unique piano/organ trio named One Of A Kind, which aptly describes its out-of-the-ordinary nature of the ensemble. C. Andrew Hovan of AAJ commented on the first SteepleChase release of the group Intelligent Design (SCCD 31618), “Really one of the most welcomed surprises of the season, Intelligent Design lives up to its name as one of LaVerne's best efforts thus far and one of the finest jazz releases of the year.”

Bassist/composer/arranger/ Paul Brusger is one of the most sought-after bassists in the New York jazz scene, known for his rock-solid time and his penchant for hard-bop tradition (and for his past as professional baseball player). Here on his SteepleChase LookOut debut album Brusger displays his formidable talent as composer/arranger with his dream quartet comprising of Gary Smulyan (baritone sax), Mike LeDonne (piano) and the legendary Louis Hayes (drums).

New York-based drummer/composer Christian Coleman and one of Australia’s leading pianist Gavin Ahearn worked and recorded together in Sydney in 2008. They got together again in New York to record early this year. The superb recording came under the radar of SteepleChase LookOut label resulting in this release. The session was further joined by the winner of the 2008 Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition Jon Irabagon and New York’s up and coming bassist Iranian-American Sam Minaie.

Peter Zak on this his 10th album reveals his thoughts on jazz compositions by writing his own liner notes, which makes quite an interesting read as a bonus to the strong music embodied here. “…Zak’s originals have the strengths to become jazz standards themselves.” (Ken Dryden – the NYC Jazz Records on The Disciple SCCD 31791) “Pianist Peter Zak and his superb trio went into the studio to swing on Down East, and swing they did…. Zak's beautiful way with a melody comes to the forefront.” (Dan McClenaghan - AAJ on Down East SCCD 31715) “To “get” Zak, you have to pay close attention. The surfaces of his music seem conventional until you notice how imaginatively his improvisations are developed, and how intelligently they tie. Zak invariably comes upon lovely notes you never anticipated.” (Thomas Conrad – JazzTimes on Seed Of Sin SCCD 31641)

Organist Mark Minchello is no stranger to SteepleChase, having been a member of Elliot Zigmund’s group Trio EZ. He is at home in both the jazz and pop worlds. He has worked with traditional jazz artists Cecil Payne and Ted Curson as well as contemporary jazz artists Boney James, Gerald Albright and Will Downing. For 18 years he served as musical director to R&B Diva Regina Belle. On this leader debut album Mark brings fresh ideas to the great tradition of organ jazz.

Stanley Cowell during the last five decades has not only been active on the jazz scene but also devoted himself in the musical education of younger generation. Now his well-earned retirement from teaching at the Rutgers enables him to spend more time in performing and recording. The latest album, which is his 13th release on this label, Stanley Cowell presents himself as a supreme interpreter of jazz’s standard titles. “…it's a great pleasure to hear Stanley Cowell's It's Time: a finely crafted collection of mostly originals that is at once sophisticated, both aggressive and pensive, and simply fascinating to listen to.” (Greg Simmons – AJJ on “It’s Time” SCCD 31740)

Allegra Levy, a New England Conservatory graduate in her early 20s, has already established herself as a singer/composer/band leader in the New York jazz scene with her sultry, rich tones and truly original compositional skills. Assisted by the legendary trumpeter John McNeil with recording and producing, Allegra makes her recording debut here showcasing her enormous talent. “This is a mature first recording by a singer you're sure to hear more from. I think you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed producing it. The tunes are catchy and well-constructed, and you'll probably find yourself singing them in a short time. I sing them still.” (John McNeil from the liner notes)

Since his debut album “Inside Out” SCCD 31584 (2005) Stephen Riley has kept momentum to become and to stay the “distinctly unique jazz voice” (Neil Tesser). In spite of his preference for piano less format, Riley found the ideal pianist for him in Peter Zak, with whom he recorded the previous album “Lover” SCCD 31765. Here on his 11th release Riley backed by the same team including Peter Zak to interpret an amazing collection of classic but rarely heard jazz titles. “Lover, Riley’s latest, employs the talents of label mate Peter Zak … (Riley’s) unconventional use of ultra-hard reed to essay a satin soft sound—a common sense contradiction—sets him apart from every other under-40 player I can think of. This date brings his track record as a leader to seven for seven and, for reasons I’m still discovering and savoring, it comes highly recommended.” (Derek Taylor – Dusted Magazine on “Lover” SCCD 31765)

Gregory Tardy’s seventh release on SteepleChase “Hope” delivers strong musical and spiritual message to us all. Since his comeback from a three year sabbatical from the music scene Tardy has firmly resumed his place as “one of the most important saxophonists of his generation” (Matthew Miller, AAJ). “… ultimately it’s Tardy’s show. Not only is he arguably the most original of the band’s improvisers, he’s also the most impassioned. His lines are incisive and hard-edged. Even his most fanciful flights are purposeful. His energetic approach consistently lifts the group’s performance to a higher level….” (Chris Kelsey – JazzTimes on Steps of Faith SCCD 31610)

Rich Perry’s newest album Nocturne marks the 21st release in his 21-year-tenure with SteepleChase and for the first time Rich employs guitar (by Nat Radley) instead of piano for his quartet. Rich Perry still is arguably the best-kept-secret of today’s modern jazz scene inspite of all the talks of admiration by the critics and the fellow musicians such as tenor player David Valdez. To quote Valdez from his blog, “.. Rich never plays down to the audience, never compromising his advanced harmonic and rhythmic concepts in favor of wide accessibility…. Even though he stays on the cutting edge Rich's sound is always musical and melodic. He just always approaches melodic phrases from an extremely oblique angle. I really can't think of a badder cat that flies so low under the radar… I don't see this changing in the future since fame and fortune are obviously not motivating factors for Mr. Perry.”

Born in Bordeaux in 1945, Christian Morin’s varied career and talents have taken him down the paths of illustrator, poster artist, cartoonist, renowned TV presenter and most importantly here, a leading clarinet player. He’s played with great French and American musicians including Henri Salvador, Buddy Tate, Milt Buckner, Jo Jones, Buck Clayton, T. Bone Walker, among others. His newest album, Blue Indigo, finds him in the company of French compatriots for an album full of fine American standards.

When it comes to seminal alternative rock albums, Pixies’ 1988 debut Surfer Rosa qualifies as a true game-changer. + With strong production and even stronger songs, the album tore a rift in the rock ‘n roll continuum, influencing everyone from Kurt Cobain to Radiohead. + That influence remains as steadfast as ever among the feverish minds behind Asphalt Orchestra, the 12-piece New York-based marching band with an eclectic ear for new music, unpredictable repertoire and boundary-blurring arrangements. + AOPP remains true to the punkish attitude of the original.

Featuring reinterpretations of famous jazz standards by artists like Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell, Charlie Haden, and his daughter Petra Haden on vocals, Paul Motian creates an audio film about scenes in New York City for closed eyes.

Joe Stilgoe’s blend of imaginative song choices and virtuosic pianism are showcased in this live album recorded at the 2013 London Jazz Festival. With a voice that has attracted comparisons with Harry Connick Jr, Michael Buble and Jamie Cullum and a playing style likened to the great Oscar Peterson, Joe displays charm, wit and sincerity as he tackles a diverse selection of songs linked by the theme of film which The Sunday Times described as ‘a touching yet quirky selection of stardust memories.’ A fast-paced romp through well-known cartoon theme tunes opens the show before Joe turns his attention to numbers as varied as You Give A Little Love from Bugsy Malone, S’Wonderful from An American In Paris and If I Only Had A Brain from The Wizard Of Oz. Joe’s song-writing skills are in evidence on Gold On Silver, Popcorn and his wistful ballad (That's The Way It Crumbles) Cookie-Wise, inspired by Billy Wilder’s The Apartment.

Constantly in search of new musical terrain, the PRISM Quartet celebrates its 30th anniversary with a groundbreaking recording: Heritage/Evolution, Volume 1. The 2 CD set features world premiere recordings of new works that draw on the saxophone’s cross-cultural heritage, composed and performed by six saxophonists who defy convention: Steve Lehman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Tim Ries, Miguel Zenón, Dave Liebman and Greg Osby. Appending “Volume 1” to the title is a statement of intent: this is not a one-time project, but the first step in a major new initiative by the PRISM Quartet.

Since his retirement in 2013 from the professorship at the prestigious Rutgers University, where he led its jazz department, pianist/composer/educator Stanley Cowell has been increasingly active on the scene both in concerts and recordings. This new album with a featured program of Christmas melodies (Xmas Suite) will be introduced to the audience at New York’s Smoke Jazz & Supper Club. “…it's a great pleasure to hear Stanley Cowell's It's Time: a finely crafted collection of mostly originals that is at once sophisticated, both aggressive and pensive, and simply fascinating to listen to.” (Greg Simmons – AAJ on “It’s Time” SCCD 31740)

Stephen Riley’s distinctive breathy tone and imaginative phrasing have attracted a good size followers in jazz listeners, musicians and critics. “Isn't it nice to hear a truly individual sound in the sea of music that often sounds much the same? I stumbled across one of those sounds in Stephen Riley's music…” (Luke Soasey – saxophonist) “Just heard Stephen Riley on a local radio. What a special tone he has. Dark and dry with a lot of subtones. And very creative playing….” (JJ – Sax on the Web) Here on his latest album Riley formed a duo with his favourite piano man Peter Zak to stage an intriguing recital filled with amazing performances.

Trumpeter Marcus Printup rounded up a choice selection of young prize winning new talents to form this sextet. Printup, though still in the 40s and at his prime mettle, is a veteran of three decades which includes a principal post in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra since 1993. One of his professional priorities is to pass the torch on to the next generation, Young Bloods. “Printup is such an accomplished and versatile player that he’s adept performing tunes from any point in the many decades of jazz…. a hard swinging lesson taught by a master musician.” (Joel Roberts – The New York City Jazz Record on “Homage” SCCD 31730)

Violinist Benjamin Schmid, recognized among the 35 greatest violinists of the past 50 years (see “Great Violinists of the 20th c. Vol. 2. 1948-85 ”, by J.M. Molkou), and rising star Diknu Schneeberger, guitar, trace Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt on Hot Club Jazz, new from Gramola. In collaboration with Diknu’s father Joschi Schneeberger, double bass, and guitarist Martin Spitzer, the quartet interprets pieces and arrangements by Django Reinhardt, works created in succession by Lulu Reinhardt, Cole Porter or Fletcher Allen as well as arrangements of French chansons.