SteepleChase launched its sister label “LookOut” in 2012 to introduce world’s jazz artists who deserve wider recognition. The label amassed over 40 titles now. Here is #44 - veteran trombonist Peter McEachern and his quartet. McEachern bases his activities in Connecticut but tours and teaches all over USA. He released a CD in 2018 entitled “Bone Code” with his trio. This 2021 version is expanded with the addition of the young saxophone star Noah Preminger. McEachern is not only dextrous with his instrument but also a prolific composer, who penned most of the tunes on this album. “What strikes one as significant, however, is McEachern's trombone technique, which features a variety of styles played with great intimacy… While often subtle but never rambunctious, his understated technique allows the compositions to breath.” (Don Phipps – All About Jazz)

Bud Powell was “the foundation out of which stemmed the whole edifice of modern jazz piano" (Herbie Hancock) and “the greatest be-bop piano player in the world “ (Hampton Hawes). Though his life was short and troubled (1924 – 1966), Bud found some solace and tranquillity during the years (1959 – 1963) he lived in Europe (mostly in Paris). The recordings that make up this album are from March and August of 1962 from Danish Radio Concert Hall and Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen. However battered mentally and physically the man was, here’s the clear evidence of his genius more intact than generally believed.

What we have here is the welcome memento of the Duke Ellington’s 1959 European tour. Berlin’s Sportpalast is not a concert hall and during the cursed Nazi reign often was the site of speeches by Hitler and his fellow criminals, but the hall can perhaps be said to have been purified by sounds of jazz by the time of this concert. The music starts with the Ellington Medley, by then a standard concert opener in varied embodiments. Critics often chided Duke for (in their opinion) overdoing this staple, but in fact it was not only a clever way of dealing with what undoubtedly would have been audience requests for beloved Ducal standards, but also a way of celebrating the continued life of his musical heritage. The concert has been remastered to modern standards, and is a must own for any Ellington fan.

REVIEWS:

Storyville Records has released Duke Ellington & His Orchestra: Berlin 1959, a terrific live album with great sound and luxurious music. Partially released in past years on shabby bootlegs, this album gives us this concert with pristine sound. Don't cherry-pick songs when listening. The only way to enjoy this album is by listening from start to finish. Only then can you absorb the depth of the Ellington band's full spectrum of moods and the Duke's piano. Be aware that tracks 17 to 27 are part of an Ellington medley and aren't full songs. As a result, each song is short.

--AllAboutJazz.com (Marc Myers)

There can never be too many Duke Ellington albums. Heard here is Storyville’s recently released two-CD set titled Berlin 1959, a previously unreleased concert. The Duke Ellington Orchestra was well documented in the late 1950s following their major success at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, and the live concerts that have been released from this period can be a little predictable. Just as with the Louis Armstrong All-Stars, there are some routines that do not differ that much from month to month although they eventually evolved. But, as with Armstrong, there are occasional surprises that make each concert well worth hearing.

Overall, everything works well during this fine concert. There may not have been an excess of surprises, but the results are fun.

--The Syncopated Times (Scott Yanow)

On the occasion of a concert at the Brucknertage festival St. Florian the great Austrian jazz pianist Rudi Wilfer took on his journey to Anton Bruckner and his IV. Symphony, which would widely circumpass the written music. Wilfer who has found his very own combination of meditation and swing perceived in Bruckner’s music a fascinating modernity, even agelessness. Surely, the pieces were recorded several times, yet no version turned out alike, even though the musical material remained the same. The listener could literally observe how Wilfer’s playing in every instant led to new paths – new harmonies, articulations, voicings. The album consists of two parts, the live recording and the studio recordings which at times shine a different light onto the same pieces, besides the homage to Bruckner also jazz standards like “You Must Believe in Spring” and “What Now My Love”, Viennese pieces like “Liebesleid” by Fritz Kreisler or “In einem kleinen Café in Hernals” by Hermann Leopoldi as well as “Wiegenlied” by Brahms.

"Trumpeter, composer and bandleader Amir ElSaffar has been expressing his Iraqi-American heritage and artistic identity through successful albums that blend the traditional Iraqi maqam and modern jazz. The Other Shore, the highly anticipated follow-up to Not Two (New Amsterdam, 2017), marks the second time on record he's in the command of the 17-piece Rivers of Sound Orchestra, an extension of the Two Rivers Ensemble. There was one single change in its workforce - John Escreet sits in the piano chair that previously belonged to Craig Taborn. Imbued with passionate lyricism, this music feels both cerebral and freewheeling. Composition and improvisation play an equally important role and there’s plenty of good, hybrid sonorities for one’s listening pleasure." - Jazz Trail

"The music, in some ways, feels like ’70s experiments in loosening up musical boundaries, in the mode of artists such as Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and John McLaughlin. Combining composition and improvisation, the band maneuvers through gentle musical waters, but is more than ready to take it up a notch or two when choppier passages emerge." - The Arts Fuse

Another SteepleChase debut album this month is by a New York-based young and upcoming tenor saxophonist Anthony Ferrara. Ferrara while still studying at NYU in Steinhard’s Jazz Studies Program participated in the veteran bassist and his teacher Ron McClure’s highly acclaimed 2019 recording session (SCCD 31877 Lucky Sunday). He was invited to record his own album for SteepleChase and the recording session was scheduled April 14, 2020. Then the pandemic hit NY and the world. The session materialized finally November 21. Ferrara used the pandemic downtime to prepare this outstanding first leader release. McClure noted on the album’s linernotes, “Anthony Ferrara’s music speaks for itself. Early Spring is a testimony to his deep respect for and knowledge of his predecessors on the tenor saxophone as well as the maturity and confidence this body of work defines at age 23.”.

Classically trained pianist David Janeway was introduced to jazz when his father took him to hear Oscar Peterson live. He was 14 years old. He then immersed himself in the rich tradition of jazz of Detroit where he grew up. Janeway moved to New York City in 1978 and has since been an active part of New York jazz scene. In the mid-80s he branched out his career in medical science studying psychiatry at Medical School of Michigan State University. He has been holding a dual profession in NYC. For the past several years Janeway can be heard with his current piano trio featuring Billy Hart and Cameron Brown. “Distant Voices” is a tribute to the many jazz pianists that have inspired and influenced Janeway throughout his career. “…Janeway is not afraid to experiment in the moment and has a range of technique that allows him to test the waters fearlessly. ..he is constantly evolving, and I have never heard one player have so many different ways of texturizing.” (Monique Avakian, The Patch) “A skilled composer and pianist capable of creating music that is imaginative, sensitive and often exciting.” (David Franklin - Cadence)

Trumpeter/composer Alex Norris has been a stalwart constituent of the New York jazz scene since 1992 after graduating from Peabody Conservatory of Music. Although this is his only third leader album and his debut release from SteepleChase, Norris is by no means a newcomer. It will be almost impossible to find any notable big band, smaller ensemble and soloist Norris has not performed, toured and recorded with. Here he chose his “go-to-quintet” of long-time cohorts/friends to present an album of straight-ahead, swinging jazz all penned by Norris. “…Norris writes and plays with rare assurance and seldom walks on overly familiar paths….He’s not an aggressive stylist and his penchant for thoughtful dynamics gives him the confidence to leave space and unexpected intervals in his solos.” (The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD)

Captain Coe’s Famous Racearound showcases the work of saxophonist Tony Coe, the first non-American to receive the jazz world's ultimate accolade - the Jazzpar Prize, occasionally known as the 'Jazz Nobel', which he was awarded in 1995. All tracks on this album were recorded during the JAZZPAR award concerts with both The Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bob Brookmeyer and the 1995 Jazzpar Combo. This remastered edition features redesigned artwork by the Danish star graphic artist Finn Nygaard, new liner notes by Brian Priestley and photos by Jan Persson.

Tony Coe wrote a substantial new work for the JAZZPAR award concerts and the complex “Captain Coe’s Famous Racearound”, according to its composer, was completed within a few days “in an atmosphere of white heat. The smallgroup set with the JAZZPAR Combo also includes a Coe composition featuring the excellent solo work of Bob Brookmeyer. “Edmundo” (formerly recorded as “Lagos” on Canterbury Song) was dedicated to the Latin-American bandleader Edmundo Ros, who was the drummer on Fats Waller’s London recordings but remembered by Tony for his “exhilarating and romantic Latin music and his warm personality coming over the air during my [World War II] childhood, when there was much stress and hardship in Britain”. Also heard are two pieces by London- and Paris based drummer Steve Argüelles. The first has Argüelles playing a musical box against which Tony builds a free improvisation, while “Antonia” is a ballad showcasing his warm soprano saxophone tone.

The celebrated New Orleans Jazz Orchestra examines and the profound relationship of its hometown to the nation of France with its release of Petite Fleur on Storyville Records. The second album under the artistic directorship of drummer Adonis Rose features ten songs, nine of them standards associated with French and New Orleans musicians. The tenth tune is an original by Cyrille Aimée, the acclaimed jazz vocalist born and raised in France but now living and working in The Big Easy itself.

Aimée is the NOJO’s collaborator and vocalist on the album. It was the singer who initiated the collaboration, telling Rose that she would like to work with the 18-piece big band and asking if he had any ideas for a project. “I said, ‘Well, okay, musically, how can I tell a story here?’” Rose recalls. “I thought about the long, shared history of those two places, and that became the concept. A narrative about the musical relationship between New Orleans and France.” The title tune, a standard by early jazz clarinet legend Sidney Bechet, epitomizes the concept: A composition by a New Orleans artist living in France, performed by a New Orleans band with a French vocalist. Composers from both sides of the Atlantic, from Michel Legrand to Jelly Roll Morton, get similar treatment. So do various New Orleanian styles, from a stomp (“Get the Bucket”) to a second line (“Down”) to Fats Domino-style rock ’n’ roll (“I Don’t Hurt Anymore”). In addition to being its spotlight vocalist, Aimée is also Petite Fleur’s featured soloist, applying her razor-sharp scat singing to “In the Land of Beginning Again,” “On a Clear Day,” and “Undecided.”

REVIEW:

Petite Fleur is essentially a meditation on the ties that bind Crescent City art to French culture. Teaming up for 10 songs that cross styles and oceans while exploring that particular connection, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and French vocalist Cyrille Aimée make a perfect match, united in the act of storytelling.

The album speaks to Artistic Director and drummer Adonis Rose’s sure-handed helming of the NOJO, the entire band roster’s contributions in part(s) and sum, Aimée’s well-documented gifts, and a shared vision that brings them all together.

-- JazzTimes (Dan Bilawsky)

Bands that are led by drummers are not as seldom as they once were, but still a somewhat rare affair. The quartet of drummer Christian Krischkowskyis already presenting its second album “The End of Melancholism” and illustrates the advantages of such an approach in nine pieces, seven of which are from Krischkowsky's pen. Pieces like “Would You Dance With Me?” or “Football Evolution” sound rhythmically challenging, without deliberately placing the drums in the foreground. “I wanted to incorporate the rhythmic ideas that I developed on drums even more into my compositions,” Krischkowsky said. “When composing, however, I always had my co-musicians with whom I recorded the album in mind.” And they are really something else! Peter Ehwald is a saxophonist who always goes his own way, but at the same time has outstanding qualities in interaction. “Peter is very freedom-loving,” the band leader stated. "He repeatedly makes suggestions to modify fixed structures, which may sound too beautiful, and improvise to make them more his own. This makes the pieces more spirited, more unpredictable and freer. This also reflects his personality. "Marc Schmolling is a pianist with whom Christian Krischkowsky has almost blind understanding. “I've known Marc the longest, and he's actually responsible for the band members coming together,” he confessed. "I appreciate his humor and admire how deeply he is rooted in tradition. At the same time, he also has something unwieldy and unpredictable in his play. Sometimes it sounds a bit cumbersome, but that is also exactly what constitutes his own style. ”Roland Fidezius on bass is responsible for the maneuverability of the quartet. He is closely intertwined with Krischkowsky's playing, but also keeps making surprising twists.

Pianist/composer Kirk Lightsey (b. 1937 in Detroit, Michigan) is a contemporary of John Coltrane, growing up with Detroit’s jazz heavy weights such as Barry Harris, Paul Chambers, Tommy Flanagan, to mention a few. After a lengthy successful career in USA performing with Chet Baker, Woody Shaw, Dexter Gordon a. o. Lightsey moved to Paris, France in the 90s. This live recording from Basel, Switzerland with his European band makes a graceful continuation of his famous tribute albums: “From Kirk To Nat” and “Goodbye Mr Evans”. “A swinging and heartfelt recording ... You can feel definitely the spirit of John Coltrane throughout and the playing is stellar and on the highest level ... this is a great band and the music is both inspired and inspiring!” - Gary Smulyan

“Bud was a genius piano player–the best there was of all the bebop piano players.” - Miles Davis “If I had to choose one single musician for his artistic integrity, for the incomparable originality of his creation and the grandeur of his work, it would be Bud Powell. He was in a class by himself" – Bill Evans Bud Powell 1962 is something we at SteepleChase have been obsessed with for a while. The previous release SCCD 36040 “Bud Powell 1962 Copenhagen” was from the recordings made at the Danish Radio Concert Hall and Jazzhus Montmartre. What we have here is from the same year from the fabled Golden Circle where SteepleChase’s 5-volume releases At The Golden Circle come from. The Swedish part of this release were recorded two days prior to those SteepleChase releases. Bud Powell travelled on to Oslo Norway the same year to perform some memorable tracks captured here before going back to USA for the last time.

With an original line-up of trombone, electric guitar, double bass and drums, NABOU is a breath of fresh air on the Belgian jazz scene. On the trombone, bandleader and composer Nabou Claerhout is looking for a sound all her own: by means of all sorts of effects, she creates a dreamy musical framework with a strong atmospheric and melancholic resonance. The group’s debut EP Hubert – for which Claerhout was nominated for the Sabam For Culture ‘Jazz Composer 2019’ prize – was already a fine demonstration of its unique sound, which is now further refined and specified on its first full album You Know. Lush and intimate sounds alternate with strongly rhythmically based compositions, while groovy bass riffs from Trui Amerlinck, Mathias Vercammen’s elaborate drum patterns and the modern, virtuoso guitar playing of Roeland Celis play their part in this musical adventure full of highlights – all created in combination with Claerhout’s distinctive trombone playing ‘that sings, cries, pulsates, narrates and knows how to make many hearts weak through well-constructed contemporary pieces’.

Almost three centuries ago, in 1723, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) finished writing his Two-Part Inventions, BWV 772-786. Designed for the education of his son Wilhelm Friedemann, these fifteen works explore contrapuntal writing and a variety of different dance styles. Then as now, musicians learned their trade by mastering performance technique and the idiomatic characteristics of their instrument. On this album, pianist Moisés P. Sánchez reinvents this extraordinary set of pieces by employing Bachian principles: reworking on well-known works to translate them into a modern idiom, while retaining their essence. Commissioned by the Fundación Juan March, this project harks back to the original spirit of Bach's Inventions, taking a creative idea and reimagining it in order to stimulate the musical imagination and seduce the listener with new sonorities.

A singer with an exciting presence and a voice to immerse yourself in. A band that lit up with high wattage a repertoire including both standards and popular songs. A band leader who had his ensemble under control through proven discipline and could, when needed, take the lead as a soloist, but tended to hold back amidst his all-stars. The result a mixture that whisked the concert hall in Freiburg (Germany) for one evening in October 1959 into a wonderful world of successful jazz entertainment and sent the audience out into the night with an earworm.

Guitarist/composer Nate Radley has in a quiet but steady way become the New York scene’s staple player during the last couple decades. This long-awaited (since 2013) Nate Radley album on SteepleChase was conceived and produced in the fall of 2020 when NY was starting to reel back from the long pandemic down time. For his trio here Nate chose Jay Anderson (bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums) who comprised the late Vic Juris’ guitar trio. Nate used to share the bandstand with Juris weekly at the famed 55 Bar in Greenwich Village in New York City. Radley graduated with a Master’s degree in music from New England Conservatory and is currently a member of jazz faculty of Princeton University. “…there are many moments where their (Radley and Chris Cheek) play melt together in the most beautiful way…. CARILLON is a both well performed and attractive album.” (Niels Overgaard – Jazz Special)

In the early summer of 1978 guitarist/composer/vocalist and Philadelphia native Monnette Sunder found herself in Copenhagen, Denmark with her band for her first European tour. June 6, two days prior to their live performance at the renowned Club Montmartre they were heading to Sweet Silence Studios for the recording of the same program. The live recording was released in 1979 as “Live In Europe” (SCCD 31102) of which Jørgen Siegumfeldt of Information commented, “... so far her best recording. Her musical and instrumental expression has gained much wider dimension ... the 22-minute long Libra Rising is the best memento of her latest appearance at Montmartre...” The studio recording, however has been for some reason forgotten by everybody involved for 40 years. The forgotten recording is recovered here, digitalized, mixed and re-mastered to be the consequential reminder of a young and developing artist at her onset. One of the great American jazz guitarists Monnette Sudler has performed with Hugh Masekela, Philly Joe Jones, Khan Jamal, Byard Lancaster, and Sunny Murray among others. She is the founder and artistic director of the Philadelphia Guitar Summit.

Uri Caine and Stefan Winter met for the first time in New York 30 years ago. A musical adventure begins, there is no goal, but a path. Two outstanding jazz albums are created on JMT, then Caine breaks through the boundaries between jazz, classical and new music like no other artist on Winter & Winter. New, exciting, groundbreaking things are emerging. Caine embodies sound, composition and improvisation merge, Bach and Monk meet as in a completely new duo drama and conduct a dialogue. Caine: “When Stefan Winter asked me to choose music from the past to put on an album, I hesitated. The selection of works is as difficult as if someone asked you which of your children is your favorite child." Caine made a completely surprising choice: worth hearing, enlightening, remarkable!

Back in the 90s, producer Stefan Winter got to know and appreciate drummer Jim Black as a JMT sideman of Tim Berne and Uri Caine. 20 years ago, the young drummer fulfills his dream of releasing his first leader album on the label that is also home to the recordings of Tim Berne, Uri Caine and Paul Motion. For the anniversary of WINTER & WINTER, Jim Black compiles his personal selection of the recordings of his group AlasNoAxis: Music for open ears, for explorers of the unusual and unconventional. The musicians of AlasNoAxis combine jazz elements, new wave and grunge to create their very own sound. Stefan Hentz writes: “...atmospheric songs in which the saxophone sings while bass, drums and Hilmar Jensson's peculiarly motionless guitar shred the familiar and pile up new energies with the fragility of dissolved harmonies, the power of their power chords or even with true feedback orgies.”

Always curious and always looking for new challenges, Alex Riel has been an important innovator of modern drumming in Europe. He was among the very first to record a “free” solo on his debut album in 1965 and he was a founding member of the beat-group Savage Rose, while also playing with Bill Evans, Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon and being a member of Monica Zetterlund’s quartet. From the last 20 years we know him for his work with Enrico Pieranunzi, Kenny Werner, Mads Vinding and many others. On “Our Songs”, Alex Riel brings together two musical “playmates”: The legendary bassist Bo Stief, who like Riel, belongs to the generation of Danish musicians who started their professional careers at Montmartre in the 60s, and Carsten Dahl, one of Europe’s most innovative piano players. The trio plays in balance with themselves and each other, and simply lets the music flow unhindered. So where, then, does the music flow? Basically, this is classic piano-trio jazz, and while Carsten Dahl is “in charge”, he never overshadows the trio’s creative affinity. Quite appropriately, the mood is established with, “My Song” a classic Keith Jarrett number. In many ways Riel’s playing is discreet, often poetic, so it’s fitting that Dahl has dedicated his composition for the album, “The Poet” to Alex. We are also treated to a couple of melancholic Swedish folk songs reminiscent of legendary pianist Jan Johansson, plus the trio’s own folklore-inspired “Høstdansen” (“Harvest Dance”). Along the way there are also four freshly interpreted American jazz standards, including John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” as a lyrical ballad - in direct contrast to the high-powered original version. The personal and musical friendship of the three musicians is obvious. It's playful, creative and beautiful when Alex Riel, Bo Stief and Carsten Dahl play their songs.

“George Gershwin’s extraordinary musical world emerges, caresses us, amazes us and finally overwhelms us in the uniqueness of this recording. Rolff shapes in a contemporary writing, the songs, the musicals, the jazz and the orchestral sound that made Gershwin’s music the pillar on which the ‘American Sound’ is built. “The measure of the greatness of a composer’s work is certainly indicated by its ability to speak to successive generations of performers and listeners. Massimiliano Rolff, in these arrangements for his trio, discovers some hidden facets in these famous songs, such as those penned by George Gershwin that have now entered the Golden Age repertoire of American Song. The album starts off with his work Porgy and Bess, to which a specific and poignant suite is dedicated, and moves on to a series of single songs that were composed for other shows but have survived as stand-alone songs, including great classics and rediscoveries that fit in well.

Johnny Mbizo Dyani (bassist/composer) was born in East London, South Africa November 30, 1945 to grow up to be one of the most internationally acknowledged musicians. Since his arrival in England in 1965 as a member of South African jazz group called The Blue Notes Dyani had chosen Scandinavia as his home base and had built an active career until a rare disease shortened his life all too soon. He died in Berlin, Germany in 1986. This album recorded in the summer of 1978 with the powerful front line-up of Don Cherry and Dudu Pukwana. The album was dedicated to the martyred South African activist against apartheid Steve Biko (1946-1977) with whom Dyani shared a cultural and linguistic heritage of Xhosa. “Dyani wrote all of the material for this record and it proves to be a vital factor in the success of the date. Both Cherry and Pukwana react favourably, while bringing their own personalities strongly to bear... this fine record can be recommended without reservation.” (Barry McRae, Jazz Journal International July 1979) “...there are possibly a handful of albums every year which are worth living with. This is one of them.” (Brian Case, Melody Maker June 1979) 180g Audiophile Vinyl

Guitarist/composer/educator John Hart often acknowledged for his elegantly shaded phrasing and his clear and fluid sound came to the fore on this fourth SteepleChase recording as full-fledged soloist backed by the piano trio consist of his long-time playing-mates. This is his first guitar/piano quartet in 25 years. “Guitarist John Hart, a celebrated sideman who first gained recognition for his work with Jack McDuff, has always had an attractive sound and a creative style that falls within jazz’s modern mainstream.” (Scott Yanow- Downbeat on Checkmate SCCD 31910) “Since its inception in 1972, the SteepleChase label of the Dane Nils Winther has been synonymous with exceptional (often illustrious) mainstream jazz. The place of John Hart in its roster is none too surprising. Hart is a guitar player of refinement and taste … Hart’s beautifully shaded melodies and detailed and balanced intermezzi of concise and fast cadenzas signify his matured musicianship.” (Francois -van-de-Iinde – Jazz Journal on Act Three SCCD 31885)

Award winning veteran tenorist Ralph Lalama came out the generation of hard driving muscular toned tenor saxophonists of the 70s’ big band scene. Starting out with Woody Herman then to Buddy Rich he still plays as a core member in the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (via Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra of the 80s). During the world pandemic of 2020/21 a few vocabularies were invented and “Staycation” (meaning having vacation by staying home) is one of them. Lalama and his wife singer Nicole Pasterak and Lalma’s friend and colleague trumpeter Joe Magnarelli with his organist wife Akiko Tsuruga got together in the studio February last year to create this album filled with artistic energy they have harnessed by “staycationing”. “Listening to an album like The Audience, it's easy to forget how skilled the players are because they play with such poise and confidence that it all sounds so easy. But make no mistake¬¬ this is the product of true veterans, musicians who've honed their craft for so long that you can no longer hear them "working." (¬¬Daniel Krow- AudiophileAudition.com)