Burgeoning vocalist/composer/lyricist Allegra Levy grabbed attention of critics and public with her 2014 debut album “Lonely City” SCCD 33118. Allen Morrison of Downbeat remarked, “Allegra Levy has a pleasing alto, a sultry delivery and a propensity to swing. Her debut album, Lonely City, is consistently engaging." “Discovering a fresh, dynamic jazz voice is always a delight. When the singer proves an equally gifted songwriter, the pleasure is squared. Allegra Levy is one such double-barreled talent.” (Christopher Loudon- JazzTimes) Here on her new album, Allegra teamed-up with a powerhouse quintet tells her stories in both contemporary and timeless fashion.

On this second leader album for SteepleChase pianist/composer/educator Joel Weiskopf reunites his working band from the 80s which performed on fairly regular basis in and around Boston area. His “old band” sounds even greater here exploring the repertoire consisting mostly of Weiskopf’s newer challenging compositions. “A deeply personal musical statement.” (Brian Zimmerman – DownBeat **** on Where Angels Fear To Tread SCCD 31813) “Where Angeles Fear To Tread is highly recommended for the excellence of Weiskopf’s writing, smart ensemble work, and three first-rate soloists.” (David A Othmann on SCCD 31813)

Jazz critic Owen Cordle once described Dick Oatts as “an uncompromising jazz musician, one who possesses monster chops without trumpeting them.” Dick Oatts has, since his move to NYC in the late 70s, been one of the most sought-after soloists on alto sax on both the NY scene and the international stage. Dick Oatts’ sensitive and cerebral approach to music enhanced by his “monster chops” manifested here again on his 11th leader album on SteepleChase. “… maybe the best showcase we've ever heard for the alto sax work of Dick Oatts!” (Dusty Groove on Sweet Nowhere SCCD 31778)

The year was 1961, the venue the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. After a memorable performance in Berlin a year earlier, Fitzgerald was once again singing to a packed concert hall. This release has captured that performance, and has been remastered for crystal-clear sound quality. It’s the closest thing to being right there in the audience those five decades ago. (Fondamenta)

The Martin Salemi trio offers us a trip through the history of jazz. His first album “Short Stories” is a collection of stylish compositions that alternate between ballads, swing, asymmetrical grooves and rolling rhythms. A few references can be heard from the first measures of Confidence: pianist Nathalie Loriers and above all Enrico Pieranunzi, due to the light touch and his precious way of combining jazz and classical music into something as light and velvety as a summer breeze. But then, right in the middle of the tune, the pianist suddenly heads in another direction, picking up the tempo and welcoming in the fun of swing, running off long suites of improvised notes with the ease of a Keith Jarrett before finally coming, like magic, back to the nonchalance of the opening theme. The rest of the repertoire proves one thing- Martin Salemi is not a man of one style. From Lenni Tristano, whose singularity and exceptional agility are evoked on “Lennie’s Pennies” to the rolling rhythms of “Regina” whose percussive chord-based introduction could be a nod to the bluesy exoticism of the great Horace Silver, we travel easily through he history of jazz.

Harold Danko concludes his liner notes entitled “Arriving at The Unknown” on this “Triple Play” album, stating, “I hope … listeners of this CD are prepared to join us as we take off to undiscovered region.” Ever subtle and transcendent pianist/composer Danko and his congenial co-players Jay Anderson and Jeff Hirshfield are unfolding a unique universe of improvising in and on the recognizable repertoire to pleasant surprises. “Danko plays with the kind of finesse and heartfelt emotion that has always marked his work. Bravo! (C. Andrew Hovan – AAJ on SCCD 31471 This Isn’t Maybe…)

Andy LaVerne continues to explore the path he set out with his previous critically acclaimed release “Genesis” (SCCD 31818), this time with an added voice in trumpet/flugelhorn by Alex Sipiagin as well as Mike Richmond’s overdubbed cello over his bass-line. As in the previous album all titles are new originals by LaVerne, who, to quote Neil Tesser, Grammy Award winning American journalist, is a committed melodist, with truly individualistic tone. “… 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.” (C. Andrew Hovan – AAJ on SCCD 31618 Intelligent Design)

On this album the young Italian jazz singer Chiara Pancaldi shows once again talent to sing jazz standards in a flawless and convicing way. Her pure voice was noticed by Kirk Lightsey and Darryl Hall and they formed a pure acoustic trio to record this album. This recording is a true live session, where they all took chances and improvised a lot. Each song, whether it is the famous standard “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” or the obscure Strayhorn tune “Love Came,” has its own atmosphere. Two special guests enrich the session, both in a ballad: Jeremy Pelt, who plays on “What is There to Say,” the track that gives the record its title, and Laurent Maur, who played in “A Timeless Place,” (The Peacocks).

Trio X is one of Sweden's premier improvisation groups. Trion's distinctive character is exploratory and cross-border music, and the experienced musicians are inspired by many genres. Lennart Simonsson, Per V. Johansson and Joakim Ekberg started their collaboration in 2002 and have since then recorded several albums, collaborated with several well-known artists, toured in Sweden and abroad. Trio X is a versatile ensemble and works in the county music with many different projects. Gigs at jazz clubs, concert halls and big festivals are being played with concerts in classrooms and in care and care. The musicians also act as inspiration sources and teachers to amateur groups. Trion has a number of estimated productions aimed at children and adolescents and has had a perennial collaboration with the composer Per Egland in creative school. This new release features improvisations as well as original compositions and compositions of contemporary musicians who frequently partner with the ensemble.

Vivian Buczek was born in Sweden with Polish roots. She has today developed into one of Sweden’s most outstanding and engaging jazzsingers with a remarkable feeling for the jazz idiom. She writes: "Ella Fitzgerald has always been my greatest inspiration and the main reason that I have become a jazz singer. It all began when my dad gave me the live album "Ella in Berlin” from 1960 and it immediately blew me away! I had never heard such honest and joyful singing before. The way Ella was using her voice in so many different ways was astonishing to me. She could sing anything, slow heart-breaking ballads, moaning blues, and up-tempo songs with her impressive scat singing to top it all. This is my second album in collaboration with one of the greatest Swedish musicians and arrangers Martin Sjöstedt. Martin has a fantastic ability to get inside any tune and come up with the most imaginative arrangements a singer can wish for. It’s always a thrill and an amazing musical journey every time I perform on stage with him and his trio. I have chosen some of my favorite Ella songs that I have listened to and sung since I was a teenager, many of them from the Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks and live albums. This album is with my sincerest gratitude to Ella Fitzgerald for having given me inspiration for the one thing I enjoy most in life: Singing!”

Left to its own devices these last few years, jazz musette Strikes Back! The Swing of France trio have not only inherited the swing waltzes of Tony Murena, Gus Viseur and Jo Privat: they also perpetuate the legacy of the “Paris Musette” collective that put the squeeze-box back in the spotlight some 30 years ago. The trio shows great brio in reviving the melodic force of this universal music, warm, sophisticated… and commonly known as “the Paris blues." The public had forgotten jazz musette, but Swing of France is striking back, and conquest of the galaxy is near!

Vic Juris has added another guitar trio masterpiece here on his ever-growing body of recorded works. Since his SteepleChase debut album “Night Tripper” SCCD 31353 of 1994, guitarist Vic Juris has been presenting unique musical universe of unassuming virtuosity and versatility, of which John Kelman of AllAboutJazz once pertinently described as “fresh, in-the-moment and connected to the broadest possible tradition.” “Vic Plays Victor Young is a sensitive melodically exploratory album of standards and rarely covered airs, as should be expected from a seasoned ensemble with a compatible repertoire.” (Howard Mandel – DownBeat **** on SCCD 31829)

Chris Byars, the award winning alto saxophonist, composer, arranger, jazz historian and a 100% native New Yorker set out to “curate the state of jazz to create a sort of time capsule” (Chris Byars) for this new album. What Byars successfully presents here is the genuine creative aspiration that prevails in world’s most diverse and competitive artistic environment. “Chris Byars has done a remarkable job reviving these neglected compositions of Frank Strozier while also putting his own stamp on them with his inventive arrangements.” (Ken Dryden – New York City Jazz on SCCD 31824 The Music Of Frank Strozier)

Trumpeter and composer Štepánka Balcarová, known from the successful quintet “Inner Spaces” and as the leader of the progressive big band “Concept Art Orchestra” (for the albums of both she has received the „Angel“ award for the jazz album of the year), has compiled her first solo album from her own compositions made on poems of the Polish poet Julian Tuwim (1894-1953). Tuwim´s poems seem to be very simple and plain, but each of them carries many deep thoughts as well. And the congenial music can be described the same way. Balcarová has invited Polish singer Malgorzata Hutek and the band made of fantastic Czech and Polish players (Jaromír Honzák, Marcel Bárta, Robert Fischmann, Nikola Kolodziejczyk and Grzegorz Maslovski) to record with her.

In addition to having a name that is now inseparable from the singer David Linx, under his own name pianist Diederik Wissels is also the creator of music that is both sensitive and refined in the tradition of European jazz tinted with classical music. After the superb “Tender is the Night,” “Streams,” “Song of You,” “The Hillock Sonstress,” and “From This Day Forward,” this new album probes once again- although in different ways- the mysteries of atmospheric themes drawn from soft-focus melancholy. The pianist’s sparse, light notes, whose touch remains luminous, slowly reveal an introspective world that is peopled by his two sparring partners. First, Nicolas Kummert whose contained sax-playing vibrates in tune with soundscapes from Saturn haunted by Scandinavian mist. Then Thibault Dille, whose lyrical accordion creates waves of melody lines while lavishing warm and decisive rainbow colors over the beautiful miniatures. On “Release” and “Dreamcatcher,” singer Emily Allison vocalizes and adds airy worlds that open the music onto a disturbing dream-like world of light and shade. This is music carved by clear, intuitive, intimate, moving and powerfully climatic arrangements; music of few notes but a thousand poetic shades. Through its insidious power, it manages to easily impose a very personal charm.

Since 1992, the year Aka Moon was formed, a series of albums has marked the history of the legendary jazz trio, which this set of twenty albums now gives you a chance to relive. To discover or rediscover this unique music is a very special experience, an inexhaustible source of inspiration. The twentieth album in the box is a previously unreleased recording: Light Ship Trio. (Outhere)

The unique quartet Carsten Dahl Experience was formed back in 2008 at a concert in Copenhagen Jazzhouse with high ambitions of musical interaction. As Dahl states: "My intentions aimed towards an orchestra where it could be possible to fly. We should be able to play on both a highly abstract level and compositionally tight, and to move within all spaces at once." All the Carsten Dahl Experience releases are now put together in this extraordinary box set. On the occasion of Carsten Dahl's 50th birthday in October, we also release a new live show as an album, taken from a sublime concert in Tobaksgaarden in Assens on 18th of September 2016. Here you will experience the four playmates: Carsten Dahl (piano), Jesper Zeuthen (sax), Nils "Bosse" Davidsen (bass) and Stefan Pasborg (drums), romping about in boundless experiments. The recordings contain brand new songs that represent the open and creative flow which these musicians always procure. The concert has an all-out magical vibe to it, and the unique tones of the Danish jazz superstars enchant the audience. Luckily, the music is now preserved for all to enjoy on CD. The “Live” release is also part of a box set released by Storyville, containg all five albums by the Carsten Dahl Experience. Look forward to fly off the ground with four highly intuitive musicians who communicate their musical visions with great intensity and a telepathic nerve.

Venezuela-born pianist/composer Olegario Diaz has since 2011 been presenting handful of quality recordings with firm roots in post-bop. Diaz has also published quite a few books on music and musicians. He produced this album, his 5th release to portray Chet Baker as he might write a book about the great artist. “From Juan Sebastian Bar in Caracas to all the great joints in New York, Los Angeles … and the rest of the jazz world, to great open sky concerts, theatres and festivals, Olegario´s groups always give us ¨Something To Remember¨… good jazz! …” (John N. De Souza – Jazz Y Algo Más, Miami, Fl.)

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”.

Parsed into four discrete pieces, the Taktlos performance is a fluid exercise in revolving roles from the jump. Ducret trades in jagged punctuations, mercurial arpeggios and swollen drone bursts on Stoppage, the first and longest. Blaser reacts as balm, his lubricious lines drawing a direct invisible lineage back suave and soothing bop purveyers. A reversal and it’s Blaser with low brass growls as Brunn colors the corners and edges keeping a rhythmic presence which bolsters and ornaments without drawing attention away from the colloquy of his colleagues. A drum solo filled with fluid, frothing beats works as both palate cleanser and reset into an ambling blues. Later, a froggy brass ostinato serves a similar purpose signaling first clean picking from Ducret and then feral, sharp-fanged blasts of distortion.

Concerts with Maria Schneider are something special. They are stylistically not only out of the ordinary, they also manage to bring large orchestras to perform artistically at high voltage, with an energy and at a creative level which is otherwise known only in much smaller ensembles. It is not the music alone that drives the participants, but rather the serene seriousness of a band leader who demands a maximum of intensity from her compositions and passes this premise on to their interpretation. It is impossible to conceive of compositions for jazz orchestras more stringently. The instrumentalists know this too, and therefore feel called upon not only to reproduce the charts accurately but to work out all the contained hints, implications, and visions of sound down to the deepest levels. This original recording was made in May 2000 when Schneider appeared alongside the SWR Big Band. And for the SWR Big Band, those days in May 2000 are some of the highlights of their orchestral history.

New York-based pianist/composer Mark Soskin, following the successful previous (his first SteepleChase release) trio album “Hearts And Minds”, returns to the studio with his dream rhythm section in pursuit of perfecting the art of piano trio jazz. “…Here he is on his own ballgame as the leader of a vital, fine interacting trio … Soskin has a beautiful touch, a lyrical temper with unfailing ease. The music feels timeless and fresh as it often does when the recording session starts with the first take in house and completes in three and half hours,” (Ole Matthiessen – Jazz Special on SCCD 31834 “Hearts And Minds”) “…This is a very mindful session and holds the mind from beginning to end.” (Robert D. Rusch – Papatamus on SCCD 31834)

When trumpeter Joe Magnarelli (known to most people as Mags) moved to New York City in 1986, he was already fully cultivated and nurtured in the rich jazz environment of upstate New York, especially around Syracuse where he was born. In NYC Joe Magnarelli has rapidly found his own voice and established himself as one of the most-in-demand artists. This is Mags’s first album as a leader on SteepleChase label. “The bop-based trumpeter Joe Magnarelli has it all: a warm, friendly sound, a splendid melodic imagination, a knack for writing memorable themes and for picking the best works by others, and a no-nonsense swing feel.” (The Star-Ledger) “… Joe Magnarelli has all the essentials one looks for in the best jazz musicians. There’s his unshakeable time feel that makes his work vigorous and forward moving …. he crafts captivating, propulsive improvisations …” (Los Angeles Times)

Big G as in George Coleman, Sr. The legendary tenor saxophonist is the featured artist here on Brian Charette’s new album. George Coleman is the recipient of 2015 NEA (The National Endowment for the Arts) Jazz Masters Awards, the highest honor USA gives to jazz musician. For B-3’s most adventurous and talented practitioner Brian Charette who has known the Coleman father and son for more than a couple of decades, this recording materialized as a musical homecoming. “Both B-3 stylist and student, serious jazz scholar and glitzy entertainer, Charette is a burning soloist who understands the tradition of the Hammond B-3 as well its future—just as certainly as he understands his place in that lineage.” (Ken Micallef Downbeat Magazine)

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.