Vincent Herring – “Hard Times” – Available November 3
There’s no avoiding the hard times. Every human being that’s walked this Earth has had his or her share of the blues, from the personal to the political, the local to the global. But with another ominous headline coming every day, with news alerts constantly erupting from our various devices, with social media facilitating vitriolic…
Read MoreDave Bennett – “Blood Moon” – Available October 20
A “blood moon” is a natural phenomenon that evokes a sense of foreboding yet captivating wonderment. However, the moon eventually returns to its natural state, shedding its reddish hues back to normalcy. Clarinetist Dave Bennett has not returned to normalcy and neither has his music. Blood Moon, Bennett’s sophomore release for Mack Avenue Records, is a dark and reflective…
Read MoreAvailable Now Digitally: “Home: Where Everyone Is Welcome” on Resilience Music Alliance
The United States is composed of and built by immigrants, and it has been a beacon to those in search of a new life for hundreds of years. Home is a collection of thirty-four poems and twelve songs inspired by a diverse group of immigrants who have made significant contributions to the United States. From Yo-Yo…
Read MoreSherman Irby – Cerulean Canvas – Available October 20
Integrity is a word that often tends to be thrown around too loosely these days. But in the case of the extraordinary alto saxophonist Sherman Irby it not only fully applies, but demands a capital “I” for the proper emphasis. His latest album Cerulean Canvas on Black Warrior Records with his ensemble Sherman Irby &…
Read MoreChuck Owen – “Whispers On the Wind” – Available September 8
With Whispers On the Wind, their first recording since the two-time Grammy® Award-nominated River Runs, Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge would, at first glance, appear to have returned to a more standard jazz big band outing. Having shed the orchestral trappings characterizing the prior ambitious work however, Whispers on the Wind quickly becomes anything but standard. It encompasses a wide…
Read MoreJohnny Butler – “HyperViolet” – Available August 25
HyperViolet is a space. It is a destination. HyperViolet is the hollowness behind aching, arching light glancing off half-hidden spires and metallic mountaintops. In HyperViolet, Brooklyn-based saxophonist and electronicist Johnny Butler has found his perfect medium, his perfect space within the sound of his own life. Combining pop sensibilities with avant-garde yearnings, Butler has created a world within a world, and…
Read MoreGary Meek – “Originals” – Available September 29
With six recordings as a leader since 1991 as well as being a widely sought after sideman, Gary Meek has carved out a unique position for himself as a virtuosic saxophonist. Meek has contributed to over 150 recordings and has performed and/or recorded with artists such as Dave Weckl, Airto Moreira, Jeff Lorber and Green Day. The focus…
Read MoreJohn Beasley – “MONK’estra Vol. 2” – Available September 1
If one were to have access to a time machine and could go back to see legendary bandleader Thelonious Monk in concert during the 1950s and ‘60s, you’d likely see him so compelled by the music that he would retreat from his piano mid-performance and conduct his band, no matter how small or large, through…
Read MoreJohnny O’Neal – “In The Moment” – Available October 6
While every great jazz musician knows the value of spontaneity, few understand the true value of being in the moment quite like Johnny O’Neal. A rising star in the early 1980s, O’Neal left New York after a mugging in 1986. Performing and recording in Atlanta, St. Louis, Montreal and his native Detroit, he experienced another setback…
Read MoreChristian McBride – “Bringin It” – Available September 22
Iconic bassist Christian McBride has been doing what the title of his upcoming big band album implores for years: Bringin’ It. This highly anticipated release, which follows the Christian McBride Big Band’s 2011 Grammy® Award-winning debut, The Good Feeling, puts his status and skills as an all-around entertainer on full display. With a list of…
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