Summer Serenade, recorded in 1980, sees Benny Carter in the latter part of a pioneering and exceptionally long career return to Copenhagen for a session that documents his accumulated relationship with the alto saxophone and why he is remembered as one of the instrument's defining players. On a Sunday in August of 1980, Carter found a comfortable dynamic in a quartet finely tuned to his still obvious talents on the alto sax and who also managed to make their own mark on a series of Carter's own songs as well as those of a few others. Although he played trumpet, trombone, clarinet, tenor and piano at different points in his career, it is as an alto saxophonist that Benny Carter achieved his enviable reputation as an instrumentalist. The broad, sweeping phrases of his improvisations have the structural stability of compositions in their own right, and here, his approach to the instrument benefits from having been honed throughout the prior decades. Benny Carter had previously toured in Scandinavia in the 1930s when he had made a name for himself in the United States writing for and playing with the bands of Charlie Johnson, Horace and Fletcher, Don Redman and others. On this first encounter with European audiences, Carter was welcomed with open arms, and perhaps this initial meeting played into him going back to Copenhagen to record Summer Serenade almost 44 years later.

When Anna Lundqvist (voc) and Jonas Andr� (piano) met over 20 years ago, they soon realized they had a special kind of musical connection - a communication of a near telepathic nature. Now the duo reunites to rekindle that old spark again, and to release their debut album, Reunion, into the world. The music flows seamlessly between European jazz and pop, where original material intertwines with songs by, for instance, Joni Mitchell, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Alexander L�vmark, Anders von Hofsten, and Jay-Jay Johansson. Melancholic harmony and drama are the key elements that make up the profound and honest repertoire with lyrics about life, passion, and will. It was 20 years ago, when they both studied at Skurup's Folk High School, that they played together for the first time. And despite coming from different musical backgrounds, they quickly realized they had a special kind of musical chemistry. However, life and further studies made them decide to pause the duo indefinitely. But the will to play together never went away, and now the duo has been revived to develop that chemistry and to make new music.

Veteran altoist Andy Fusco, since his SteepleChase leader debut in 2015 with “Whirlwind” album, has been releasing one album a year to fill the gap of his under recorded period of the prior decade. This new album, however, had to wait a little over a year for Fusco’s recovery from a medical treatment. He recovered and returned to record here arguably one of his best albums. “Fusco possesses a tart, live wire tone and almost every note feels urgent and animated. His vocabulary is an invigorating extension of the bebop lexicon, with nods to Charlie Parker and Jackie McLean. Flinging short, disparate phrases into the air and miraculously forging connections between them, there's often an unhinged, thrill-ride quality to his playing. Even in the midst of a profuse, jam packed statement, Fusco never eclipses the rhythm section.” (David A. Orthmann – All About Jazz on SCCD 31875 Vortex)

Peter Asplund is one of Swedens foremost trumpet players. Or why not say it like it is? He is one of Europes or even the worlds foremost trumpeters. Why draw a line when there is no need to? Jazz is not limited by any national borders. It has been written: ""A fantastic musician who always plays straight from the heart"" - and to which we can all readily agree! Over the years he has developed his dynamic and energy-loaded, slightly melancholic and melodic trumpet style until he can express what he feels when he feels. This applies when he plays a standard by, say, George Gershwin, Cole Porter or Duke Ellington. And it also applies when he plays some of his own original compositions, tunes with a distinct accent on melody, my own standards he calls them. Of his new release, he writes: I was born in September. There is something special about that month. The light, the air, the scent of nature. For many it is a beginning of something, for others, an end. You reminisce. You look forward in time. You pause and regard the present. Wherever you happen to be, September brings forth both feelings and thoughts on life. These are mine. All My Septembers stay with me forever.

Recorded at the end of a string of engagements throughout the Scandinavian countries, Archie Shepp + The New York Contemporary Five, Vol. 2 captures a group of young musicians seeking new musical ground and having found a welcoming environment far from home. In November of 1963, The New York Contemporary Five were consolidating avant-garde jazz as pioneered by Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor in Copenhagen and Sweden, as New York clubs had yet to fully embrace the style The quintet had formed specifically for their engagement at Montmartre in Copenhagen and would disband for some time immediately after. Vol. 2 documents a quintet of experimental artists that had yet to gain the worldwide recognition that they enjoy today, more than 50 years later. In this early era of The New York Contemporary Five, Archie Shepp, who embodied his musical generation's experimental nature, shows compelling technical prowess that runs alongside an early-stage knack for experimentation. From a modern perspective, the album sounds particularly indicative of the Archie Shepp that history has come to know as a central figure in the primary canon of avant-garde jazz.

Cornetist/composer Kirk Knuffke is, to quote All About Jazz, “one of modern jazz’s most skilled navigators of the divide between inside and outside, freedom and swing.” This, his 10th leader album on SteepleChase is a resounding proof of Kirk’s empathy and appreciation of “inside” and “swing” early jazz. Kirk assembled a slimmed down Brass Band trio with the leading tuba player Bob Stewart and the versatile Kenny Wollesen on drums to present a dazzling program inspired by the earlier geniuses such as Louis Armstrong. “Tribute albums must of course stand on their own. Knuffke pays homage to Cherry by sounding like himself. The austere format allows an immersion in the full scope of Knuffke’s technically astute and wildly unpredictable creativity.” (Thomas Conrad – NYC Jazz Record on SCCD 31832 Cherryco) “…(Knuffke) puts the emphasis on ensemble interplay, forming an airy, malleable bond with his deft rhythm team while still uncorking one convincing and lyric solo after another. Cherryco feels like a love letter and it’s hard not to share in the ardor. (Peter Margasak – Down Beat on SCCD 31832 Cherryco)

A contrafact is a method of composing a new melody and arrangement on a pre-existing musical composition using its chord progression. In jazz, one of the most famous examples is “Hot House” (Tadd Dameron) based on “What Is This Thing Called Love?” (Cole Porter). Baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan has been intrigued by this particular way of composition for a number of years. His first album on SteepleChase last year SCCD 31844 “Alternative Contrafacts” is a superlative example of his interest. Here on this new release “Our Contrafacts” is a collection of new contrafacts by contributed by each member of the trio. “While there are occasional short solos by Wong and Green, the focus throughout is on Smulyan, who has yet to record an unworthy record or play an uninspired chorus. His passionate sound and fresh ideas make Alternative Contrafacts a set well worth picking up, particularly by straight ahead jazz collectors.” (Scott Yanow – NYC Jazz Records on SCCD 31844)

Simon Westman Trio has been playing together since 2010, they have performed at jazz clubs in Gothenburg and are praised for their sound and their interaction. The members of the trio are individually strong voices on the Swedish jazz scene. Simon has played and collaborated with Bohuslän Big Band, Yasuhito Mori Scandinavian Connection, Lasse Lindgren Big Band, Svante Thuresson, Magnus Lindgren, Lina Nyberg and Samuel Ljungblahd, among others. The trio initially called themselves MMS Trio, the music they played was a mix of American jazz standards, European "ECM jazz" and Nordic show. But in May 2019, Simon began composing original music for the trio, after getting his thumbs out (thanks to his friend and colleague Alexander Lövmark) and booking time for recording in Nilento Studio. The debut album "Stay a While" was recorded in January 2020.

This album is a unique musical marriage between double bass player Gianmarco Scaglia, who has released 20 projects in the past, and drummer Paul Wertico, who gained worldwide recognition as a member of the Pat Metheny Group from 1983 to 2001. "I think that music, in most cases, "speaks" much better than the words. This album reflects exactly my personality and my approach to life and to music itself. I am grateful to the musicians, to Paul, Simone and Mirko who shared this vision with me. A special mention to Stefano Amerio (Artesuono) for his precious professionalism." (Gianmarco Scaglia)

The jazz pianist Wolfgang Mitschke appeared in Jazz magazines for the first time with Jazz masters such as Albert Mangelsdorff, Charlie Mariano, and Don Friedmann and became known to a wider audience with his Fusion Jazz record "Night Over Berlin," published by SKIP-Records. A stylistically similar album with the title "Midnight Moods" was also released by SKIP in the summer of 2008. On these albums, Wolfgang Mitschke already understood to organically employ the technical possibilities "single-handedly" with perfectly sampled sounds of the piano, e-piano, bass, rhythm guitar, strings, and the drum in such a way to produce a full sound impression.

As people started talking about pianist/composer Ran Blake in the 60s – as one of the striking, inventive modern players of his generation, with his unorthodox sounding musical style, a legend was born. His unique style is stemming from the special genre of 60’s movies categorized as “Film Noir”. Blake thrived as a unique artist and at the same time as a devoted educator at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Boston where the young Canadian saxophonist/composer Andrew Rathbun was tutored and nurtured by this guru. The idea of this album was conceived eight years ago and came into fruition here presenting 18 gems created by the two genius minds. “In a career that now spans five decades, pianist Ran Blake has created a unique niche in improvised music as an artist and educator.” (AAJ on Ran Blake) “Since his debut as a leader in 1999, Andrew Rathbun has developed into one of the compelling saxophonists and composers of his generation…. He covers a lot of ground stylistically while his originals succeed on many levels, especially conveying emotion or projecting stimulating imagery.” (Ken Dryden – NYCJR on SCCD 31781 Numbers and Letters)

To quote from an article of Village Voice, pianist Russ Lossing is “a gripping improviser, pulling ideas out of the air and nudging them into the action at hand as if they always belonged there”. Here on his new disc the improviser/composer Lossing devotes the whole album to a collection of new original compositions to create a powerfully impressive suite. “Russ Lossing, a talented pianist who has been active professionally for over three decades, found it easy to generate some fresh approaches to playing standards and time-tested jazz compositions, given his track record on earlier small-group record dates.” (Ken Dryden – NYCJR on SCCD 31863 Changes”) “Here’s some nourishing refreshment, and it comes from a piano, bass and drums trio which, while working broadly within a continuum defined by Paul Bley and Bill Evans, carves out distinctive territory of its own.” (Nic Jones – Jazz Journal on SCCD 31863)

The winner of First-Place Category of Great American Song Contest 2019 Allegra Levy debuted 6 years ago with Lonely City (SteepleChase LookOut SCCD 33118) produced by the legendary trumpeter/arranger John McNeil who was Allegra’s mentor at the New England Conservatory where she graduated from in 2011. The album instantly put her name on the luminary jazz singer list all over the world. After two more highly acclaimed albums on the label: SCCD 31827 Cities Between Us showcasing her enormous talent as composer/lyricist and SCCD 31852 Looking At The Moon focusing on Levy the singer/interpreter, Levy and McNeil collaborated again to present this new album of McNeil compositions with lyrics written by Levy. Allegra leads this time all-women quartet which serves as a dynamic and exemplary part of women in jazz today. “Lonely City is an excellent and mature first effort from Allegra Levy and will put the music world on notice that she is a musician that has established herself as a winner and future superstar.” (Music Man) “All the vocal skills expressed in the debut are confirmed: elegant timbre clarity, interpretations that alternate lightness and emotional intensity, highlighting register flexibility, colloquial warmth and good interpretative taste … Everything flows to the end with a good balance between the vocal and instrumental dimensions, with interventions always sought after and attentive to melodic values.” (Angelo Leonardi, AAJ on Cities Between Us) “… Levy is a very gifted writer who has absorbed the language and style of the Great American Songbook without sounding retro … Levy is a fresh new voice, with songs steeped in the tradition and primed to join the canon.” (Jim Motavalli, NYC Jazz Record on Cities Between Us) “Throughout, Levy’s distinctive warm-cool vibe … and flawless articulation shine through.” (Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes on Looking At The Moon - Editor’s Pick) “In Looking At The Moon Levy has assembled tunes, musicians, and arrangements that generally maximize her strengths” (Steve Provizer, The Arts Fuse)

Scott Lee had to decide whether to become a pro tennis player or a pro bass player while still a college student in Chapel Hill, N.C. He chose jazz and eventually moved to NY in the late 70s. Lee worked with Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Zoot Simms, Al Cohn, Freddie Hubbard, Red Rodney, Kenny Werner, Joe Lovano a.o. As his two previous releases SCCD 31649 One Thought and SCCD 31687 Leaving indicate Lee thrives in composing and performing music that transcends the conventional boundaries. In this new album Lee and his cohorts give us a chance to enjoy what he calls “The Game”, a new and unique way of enriching and expanding the horizon of jazz. “Leader and bassist Scott Lee offers simple yet thought-provoking music on the aptly titled One Thought. It’s not the sculpted sound of Tristano’s best-known group, although it has some of its introverted intensity. Those who feel that jazz is losing its creative edge should hear this album and other basically mainstream offerings of the last few years.” (Will Smith – JazzTimes on One thought) “It would be easy to identify most of the tracks here as comprehensively composed music. The improvisation is that good—or maybe its' simply a near-perfect match of sympathetic players”. (Mark Corroto – AAJ on Leaving)

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)

Danish guitarist/composer/band leader Pierre Dørge and his 12-piece New Jungle Orchestra celebrate their 40th anniversary this year. Dørge conceived the idea of this almost-big band as a global jazz crossroad where the world music meets and interacts with post-bop jazz with a huge tilt towards West African music tradition. The band’s longevity attributes, among other things, to the fact that NJO is “among the most enterprising and unpredictable outfits of this kind” (Richard Cook & Brian Morton – The Penguin Guide To JAZZ.). The orchestra’s first big international breakthrough came in 1986 being invited to perform at the Chicago Jazz Festival for the enthusiastic 60,000 audiences on the same bill with Art Farmer, Benny Golson and Sarah Vaughan. Pierre Dørge and his NJO since then have been touring all over the world, performing over 2500 concerts in more than 60 countries. Their new album recorded live during their concert tour throughout Denmark last year features American star tenor saxophonist Stephen Riley who has been a NJO’s frequent guest on the scene. “Ubi Zaa is a beautiful document from an important institution in Danish avantgarde jazz, making this difficult genre approachable with humorous, innovative and most of all crowd-pleasing way without losing sight of its free jazz roots.” (Brian Petro – Jazz Special on Ubi Zaa SCCD 31819)

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)

Amanda Ginsburg's career has gone straight up in the last year. After she came out with her critically acclaimed debut album "Jag har funderat p� en sak" in 2018, the success continued with the Olle Adolphson scholarship, STIM scholarships and Sweden's composers / lyricists' Jazz Prize with the motivation: "There is an echo of our legendary jazz singers in her music. The ability to create new and extremely charming songs that are inspired by their history, but that speak with their own voice. " On February 7, 2019, Amanda received a Grammy for this year's jazz album! This new release is Amanda�s second album "I det lilla h�nder det mesta" This is what Amanda says about the album, which she also describes as a direct sequel to the first: "Everyday life is an eternal source of inspiration and I like to dig into it's strange patterns. It is in the small that most things happen, usually without one seeing it. These are also the things I can long for the most. When it gets too big, I rarely find the words."

Piece of Mind is an all-star group that features some of the most talented voices in jazz today. The concept of the group was inspired by the VSOP Quintet from the late 1970s with the intention of being both a touring and recording group. During his career, Rose has worked with each member of the group at different times, as have the other members. The new collective brings together the highly regarded players who, when united onstage, deliver an exciting and fluid musical experience. In Spring 2019, the group recorded their first album, presented here, which features highlights from their series of live concerts at the Blue Llama in Ann Arbor, MI. Members of the group include Adonis Rose: drums; Tia Fuller: alto sax; Maurice Brown: trumpet; Sasha Masakowski: vocals; Miki Hayama: piano; and Jasen Weaver: bass.

Karin Hammar writes: "Dear listener! After the release of 2 albums with Karin Hammar Fab 4 in 2016 and 2018, the time felt right to extend the Fab4 soundscape. As I have always being inspired by film music and classical music, the choice of adding string quartet to the jazz group felt like the extra flavoring needed to both enhance and expand the musical horizon. The idea of combining the Karin Hammar Fab 4 and the string quartet with Olivier Ker Ourio's chromatic harmonica transpired after I met and played with Olivier in Tel Aviv 2017. As a result, the beautiful sound of the harmonica, Ker Ourio's virtuosity came to be the 9th voice of this project. We hope you enjoy listening to this music - we certainly enjoyed writing and recording it!"

This new exciting new release features jazz music by Mexican composer Cris Lobo and Haiku. Crist�bal L�pez, more commonly known as Cris Lobo, began studying guitar at age 6. He is self-taught. In addition to his work as a performing guitarist, he also is an accomplished composer and arranger. His career covers nearly all musical genres. He has played with numerous musicians all over the world, including Ramon Flowers, Clare Fisher, Juan Carlos Laguna, and others. He has made hundreds of recordings as a studio musician, and his research of music has led him to study the trumpet a well as traditional Japanese music.

Ensemble 5o Elemento was formed by Mexican musicians who came together to explore jazz and all it's rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic facets. Their repertoire covers a broad spectrum, from jazz classics of the sixties a la Miles Davis, to contemporary jazz works inspired by Spanish influences. Most of the pieces they play are composed by the members themselves. The present release is presented in honor of the group's 20th anniversary and features a programme of Mexican jazz.

The SWR NEWJazz Meeting project aims to help artists develop exciting projects that are difficult to realize under existing conditions. It was founded in 1966 and served in the course of it's more than fifty-year history as a driving force for new trends in jazz. The young Lukas Kranzelbinder, curator of the 2018 edition has already established himself as one of the most active and versatile bassists of the young Austrian music scene. For this project he brought together six artists including the novelist Fiston Mwanza Mujila in a band called "On boit lumumba - We drink lumumba!". The name of the band points to Patrice Lumumba (first Congolese Prime Minister and African freedom fighter at the beginning of the 1960s) and to the popular cocoa, milk and rum drink with the same name. There is of course an absurdity in this connection, which in turn relates to the topics Fiston deals with in his writings.

Noah Preminger the saxophonist in question here has despite his relative young age (34) checked off an impressive to-do-list for an aspiring artist: releasing first debut album at the age 20, graduating from the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music, then releasing more than a dozen (14 to be precise) of highly acclaimed leader albums and being on the top ranking of Downbeat’s critics’ and readers’ poll list since 2017. In February of 2020, right before everything shut down Preminger came into the studios to record this intriguing debut album with his congenial working ensemble. You will not find the word “contemptment” in your dictionary but you might agree that this socially and politically aware artist sums up the sentiment of the time that we are living in. "Mr. Preminger designs a different kind of sound for each note, an individual destiny and story." (The New York Times) “Intuitive leader… old soul... Virtuosic... Creativity and passion are extremely high.” (Downbeat)

Bassist Steve LaSpina has been contributing his phenomenal musicianship both as performer and composer to this label since the late 90s. Since his debut album SCCD 31313 New Horizon SteepleChase has been LaSpina’s main outlet for his marvelous compositions. This is his 12th leader album, which explores some of his old tunes as well as new works, giving us a rare opportunity of experiencing how original compositions in jazz develop after decades of live performance on stage. "(SCCD 31376 When I'm Alone) is a thoughtful and invigorating set ... LaSpina refuses to hog the limelight and turns in an exemplary team performance. His only apparent indulgence - to feature seven of his own tunes - turn out to be one of the session's key strengths. This intelligent and inventive session is warmly recommended." (Richard Palmer - Jazz Journal International) “Bassist Steve LaSpina is a marvellously gifted player, a superb accompanist and a lyrically inventive soloist. … As demonstrated here, LaSpina is also a composer and leader willing to focus on nuance and subtlety - dare one say, musicality! - rather than displays of in-your-face technical bravado …” (Chuck Berg - JazzTimes)