Massimo Biolcati

Massimo Biolcati, On a Misty Night (Sounderscore): Bassist Massimo Biolcati’s fourth solo release, released on May 19, features saxophonist John Ellis and drummer Johnathan Blake. On a Misty Night showcases his unique blend of traditional and modern jazz, with a repertoire of lesser-known standards highlighting the trio’s virtuosity and musical chemistry. I remember a young Johnathan Blake who at the time was playing trumpet as a young teenager whom was one of the students I tutored at the Mill Creek Community Center in West Philadelphia in the early 1990’s. ‘On Misty Night’ featuring also John Ellis is the track heard here.

Isaiah J Thompson

Isaiah J. Thompson, The Power of the Spirit (Blue Engine): Emerging generational talent, pianist Isaiah J. Thompson, released his very first live album on March 17. The Power of the Spirit is a hard-swinging album recorded live at Dizzy’s Club that captures a pivotal moment in the young artist’s ongoing evolution. This is the robust titled track ‘The Power of the Spirit’

Michael Rabinowitz

Michael Rabinowitz, Next Chapter (Blue Ridge Bassoon): Jazz bassoon soloist Michael Rabinowitz performs a celebratory set of mostly straight-ahead jazz originals that are both swinging and explorative on his new album, Next Chapter. Featuring his regular quartet, the new album was released on March 1 and finds Rabinowitz continuing to blaze new paths for the bassoon. Check out ‘One Four All’ from this amazing Jazz bassoonist.

Richie Goods, Chien Chien Lu

The road that led veteran bassist Richie Goods and fast-emerging vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu to the provocative musical and verbal conversations that drive their socio-politically charged dual album Connected, Vol. 1 began with a casual chat about Roy Ayers. Along with their mutual love of funk, these would be just a few of the inspiring, surprising things Goods — who came to prominence touring and recording with Mulgrew Miller — would learn about Lu, a classically trained percussionist who in 2015 moved from Taipei to complete her Master’s in Jazz Studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Like many stellar contemporary jazz albums that have popped up during the past few years, Connected, Goods and Lu’s first full-length dual album, has its roots in — and was by and large made possible by — the pandemic lockdown. As we kept writing and recording, we realized we had enough to do a full album." ‘Treasure Mountain’ is the track heard here from their new release.

Mike LeDonne, Eric Alexander

Pianist Mike LeDonne and saxophonist Eric Alexander have played with many heavy hitters in the jazz world, their respective résumés peppered with names such as Milt Jackson, Sonny Rollins and Benny Golson (LeDonne), and Harold Mabern, Cedar Walton and Charles Earland (Alexander). For their recent Heavy Hitters (Cellar Live) release, the longtime colleagues assembled an ensemble of close confederates who more than live up to the album title. Alto saxophonist Vincent Herring and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt join LeDonne and Alexander on the frontline, and the unrelated Washingtons, Peter and Kenny on bass and drums respectively, provide the rhythmic muscle. The prime directive of the quintet was to capture the raw energy and musical excellence of classic jazz albums, particularly those from the Blue Note label. ‘A New Day’ is a track from their new 2023 recording.

I hope you enjoy

JK

Gretchen Parlato

Gretchen Parlato is an American jazz singer. She has performed and recorded with musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Barron, Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Marcus Miller and Lionel Loueke. Parlato's Flor (2021), received a Grammy Award Nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album, hitting No. 1 upon release in iTunes Jazz and #3 Best of the Year Albums in Jazzwise Critics Poll '21. In 2021 Parlato became a member of SFJazz Collective with Chris Potter (musical director, saxophones), Edward Simon (piano), Etienne Charles (trumpet), David Sánchez (tenor saxophone), Warren Wolf (vibraphone), Matt Brewer (bass), Kendrick Scott (drums) and Martin Luther McCoy (vocals). In Spring 2022 the Collective released the album New Works Reflecting the Moment. ‘Lean In’ (feat. Mark Guiliana) is her latest track release.

Kombo

Kombo is a contemporary jazz organ/guitar duo founded and led by keyboardist/composer Ron Pedley and guitarist/composer John Pondel, former members of fusion outfit Uncle Festive. They released The Big Blast! in 1999 with the sibling rhythm section of Matt and Gregg Bisonette on bass and drums. It went Top Ten. After nearly two years opening and headlining tours, Kombo returned with Cookin' Out in 2001. The group split amicably as Pedley and Pondel remained intensely active outside the band. In 2022 they reunited with the Bisonette brothers, played some dates, and entered the studio. They emerged with This Is the Good One in 2023. ‘Right In There’ is the track heard here from their latest release.

Louis Cole

Louis Cole is an American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, best known as the co-founder of the electronic/avant-pop/jazz-funk duo Knower. He is also a solo artist and has released seven solo albums: Louis Cole, Album 2, Time, Live Sesh, LIVE 2019, Quality Over Opinion, and Some Unused Songs. Cole is a classically-trained jazz musician and multi-instrumentalist who plays drums, keyboards, guitar and bass, sings, and produces his material. His work contains elements from a diverse range of music genres such as jazz, funk, pop, avant-garde, electronic, lo-fi. Cole's influences include his father, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys, Boards of Canada, Nate Wood, The Beatles, and Skrillex, among others. ‘Let It Happen’ is a track from his latest release Quality Over Opinion.

Daryl Johns

Born in Englewood, New Jersey to a jazz drummer father and saxophonist mother, Daryl Johns has never stopped experimenting with instruments. At the age of 13, Johns finished in 3rd place at the world-famous Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition against instrumentalists 20-30 years older than him. Following his prestigious teenage years, Johns went to music college in New York, where he continued his obsessive study of jazz; however, he began to explore other forms of music when his hands became impaired from playing upright bass. Johns now has his own solo project, in addition to stints playing bass for Onyx Collective, Mac Demarco, and the Lemon Twigs. His new single, ‘Gabriel’, is out on Mac’s Record Label.

Red Madrone

Red Madrone – could not find info on this new artist. ‘Waters of March’ is the track heard here released this past March 2023.

Brandee Younger

Brandee Younger is an American harpist. Younger infuses classical, jazz, soul, and funk influences to the harp tradition pioneered by her predecessors and idols Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. Younger leads her own ensemble, performs as a soloist and has worked as a sideman for such musicians as Pharoah Sanders, Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, Bill Lee and Reggie Workman, and other popular artists including Lauryn Hill, John Legend (Love in the Future), Common (Finding Forever), Ryan Leslie, Drake, Maxwell, The Roots, Moses Sumney and Salaam Remi. Younger is noted for her work with saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, who was featured on her 2019 release, Soul Awakening. Currently, she records and tours with drummer and producer Makaya McCraven, following the release of his 2018 recording Universal Beings. Younger is on the teaching artist faculty (harp) at New York University and The New School College of Performing Arts. Younger was nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for her original composition Beautiful is Black. ‘Brand New Life’ (feat. Mumu Fresh) is her latest track release.

I hope you enjoy

JK

Mathew V

Mathew V is the stage name of Matthew van Vooght, a Canadian pop singer from Delta, British Columbia. He is most noted for his 2021 EP The Outer Circle, which was a Juno Award nominee for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2022. In 2017 he released the single "Tell Me Smooth", a preview of his 2018 full-length album The Fifth. The song spent 14 weeks on the Canadian hot adult contemporary radio charts in Billboard; after he unexpectedly saw drag queen Ilona Verley perform "Tell Me Smooth" as a lipsync number at a Vancouver drag show, he cast Verley in the video for his 2018 single "Broken". He followed up

with the album Two Faced in 2020, and The Outer Circle followed in 2021. ‘My Boy’ is the cut from his latest 2023 release.

Dominic Miller

Dominic James Miller is an Argentine-born guitarist. With much of his career as a sideman and guitarist for singer Sting, he has also released several solo albums. Miller was born in Hurlingham, Argentina to an Irish-born mother and an American-born father who worked for Johnson Wax. When he was ten, his family moved to Racine, Wisconsin, where the Johnson headquarters was located, and moved to London two years later. Returning to Racine, at fifteen, he performed publicly for the first time at a club in Racine as the only white person in a soul music band. In the 1980s, Miller toured as a guitarist for World Party and King Swamp. As a session musician he recorded with the Pretenders, Phil Collins, Paul Young, and Level 42. Since 1991, he has recorded and toured with Sting. He co-wrote the hit song "Shape of My Heart" with Sting. He released his debut solo album, First Touch, in 1995, followed by Second Nature and Third World. This is ‘All Change’ from his new release in April 2023.

GoGo Penguin

GoGo Penguin are an English band from Manchester, England, featuring pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka, and drummer Jon Scott. On 6 December 2021, the band announced the departure of Rob Turner, citing creative differences. Turner's replacement was revealed as Scott. The band's music features break-beats, minimalist piano melodies, powerful basslines, drums inspired from electronica and anthemic riffs. They compose and perform as a unit. Their music incorporates elements of electronica, trip-hop, jazz, rock and classical music. The band received positive reviews as they released their debut album Fanfares in 2012 and their follow-up album v2.0 in 2014. In 2015, GoGo Penguin signed to Blue Note Records (France). Their album Man Made Object was released in 2016; the following album, A Humdrum Star, was released on 9 February 2018. An eponymously named album was released on 5 June 2020. ‘Everything Is Going To Be OK’ is their latest release in April 2023.

Eric Krasno

Grammy Award-winning guitarist Eric Krasno and Grammy Award-winning drummer Stanton Moore celebrate women musicians worldwide through their debut joint album Krasno/Moore Project: Book of Queens. The Concord Jazz release is the first official studio collaboration between the longtime friends, who have known each other since the mid-90s. After sharing a stage during last year’s Jazz Fest, Krasno and Moore set off to create a new body of work that would make their wives proud. They teamed up with organist Eric Finland to recreate some of their favorite songs by musical queens. The result is a stunning collection of covers that sound vaguely familiar, yet quite unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. ‘Lost Cause’ is a track recorded from their collaborative recent sessions released in March 2023.

Joe Regen & Lawrence Goldings.

Jon Regen began his career as a sideman to jazz artists like Kyle Eastwood and Little Jimmy Scott. A protégé of the legendary pianist Kenny Barron, Regen released a series of acclaimed jazz recordings (From Left to Right, Live at the Blue Note and Tel Aviv), before making a left turn into singer/songwriter territory. Nearly overnight, Regen was heralded as an important new songsmith and performer, with praise from both listeners and critics alike on albums like Almost Home (2004), Let It Go (2007), and Revolution (2011). Regen also hit Number One on the Billboard Charts with his instrumental album Change Your Mind in 2013. Lawrence Sam “Larry” Goldings is an American jazz keyboardist and composer. His music has explored elements of funk, blues, and fusion. As a young teenager, Goldings studied privately with Ran Blake and Keith Jarrett. Over the course of his career, his distinctive keyboard sound has been sought out by pop, jazz, R&B, Brazilian, and alternative artists including De La Soul, India.Arie, Tracy Chapman, Madeleine Peyroux, Melody Gardot, Michael McDonald, Beck, Walter Becker, Steve Gadd, Leon Russell, Rickie Lee Jones, Sia, John Mayer, Herbie Hancock, and Norah Jones. Here is a collaboration from these two musicians ‘Satisfied Mind’ from their March 2023 release.

I hope you enjoy

JK

Acantha Lang

Acantha Lang didn’t find her voice until she stumbled into the good graces of New York’s most accomplished R&B session musicians — and now, she’s London’s best-kept soul secret on the cusp of a solo breakthrough. After moving to New York, this calling eventually led her to take the stage at the famed Harlem Grill, a now-defunct space where Black musicians would congregate after performances in the borough. After nearly three years at the Grill, Acantha was headhunted for Manhattan’s renowned cabaret, The Box, where she became the club’s first female MC — a role that ultimately catapulted her to London to open the UK’s sister club. There, she was able to put together her band, write her own music, and start polishing her sound. That newfound musical confidence shines through on her 2021 EP debut, Sugar Woman, which Soul Tracks selected as their featured album of the month upon its August release.

This is her latest 2023 release ‘Ride This’

Eric Reed

Eric Scott Reed (born June 21, 1970 Philadelphia) is an American jazz pianist and composer. He began playing piano at age two, was playing piano in his minister father's church by age five, and at age seven began formal study at Philadelphia's Settlement Music School. At age 11 his family moved to Los Angeles, and he studied at the R. D. Colburn School of Arts. In May 1986, at Colburn School, Reed met Wynton Marsalis, an encounter that would greatly aid his career. At age 18, during a year of college at California State University, Northridge, Reed briefly toured with Marsalis. He joined Marsalis's septet a year later, and worked with him from 1990 to 1991 (in 1991–1992 he worked with Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard), and again from 1992 to 1995. He later worked with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for two years (1996–1998), and led his own group in 1999. Reed has worked with Robert Stewart, Irvin Mayfield, Cassandra Wilson, Mary Stallings, Clark Terry, Dianne Reeves, Elvin Jones, Ron Carter, Paula West, and Benny Carter. Reed has also worked as a composer, scoring music for independent and mainstream films, including the comedy Life, featuring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. This is his rendition of the late great Wayne Shorter’s ‘Infant Eyes’

Brooklyn Funk Essentials

Brooklyn Funk Essentials is a music collective who mix jazz, funk, and hip hop, featuring musicians and poets from different cultures. The band was conceived in 1993 by producer Arthur Baker and bassist and musical director Lati Kronlund. In the mid-1990s, the group became a staple of the New York City club scene. Their debut album Cool and Steady and Easy (1995) scored an underground hit with the rendition of Pharoah Sanders' "The Creator Has a Master Plan". The following album, In the BuzzBag (1998), included Turkish folk music rhythms and instruments, recorded in consortium with the Turkish clarinettist Hüsnü Şenlendirici. Further albums followed in 2000 and 2009 which more resembled their first offering. ‘Rollin (Love Will Be Here)’ is their latest 2023 release from their upcoming CD.

Arturo O’Farrill

Arturo O'Farrill is a jazz musician, the son of Latin jazz musician, arranger and bandleader Chico O'Farrill, and pianist, composer, and director for the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. He is best known for his contributions to contemporary Latin jazz (more specifically Afro-Cuban jazz), having received Grammy Awards and nominations, he has trained in other forms such as free jazz and experimented briefly with hip hop. Unlike his father, whose music was undeniably Afro-Cuban in nature, Arturo O'Farrill's casts a wider net, capturing sounds from throughout Latin America. Reflective of big band traditions in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and elsewhere. His music is described as stylistically "pan-Latin" by critic Dan Bilawsky. Philip Booth of JazzTimes writes that the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra's 2011 record 40 Acres and a Burro "has the big-band digging deeper into the textures and rhythms of South America and the Caribbean" than ever before. ‘Un Poco Loco’ written by the great Bud Powell is a tune Arturo breathes new life into from his latest Blue Note 2023 release.

Kevin Sun

Kevin Sun is a saxophonist and composer living in New York City. His music has been called “...intense, harmonically virtuosic and compositionally complex" by DownBeat Magazine, and he has released four albums to date—most recently 3 BIRD in August 2021, which landed on the Boston Globe’s “60 best Albums of the year”. Sun has also recorded four albums with the ensembles Mute, Earprint, and Great On Paper, and he appears on recordings led by Jacob Garchik, Dana Saul, and Xiongguan Zhang. In addition to performing in the U.S., Sun has performed extensively in China and has served as the Artistic Director of the Blue Note China Jazz Orchestra. In 2021, Sun was named a Finalist for the Jerome Hill Foundation Artist Fellowship. ‘Frozen In Profile’ is the latest 2023 from this artist.

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee Jones is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author. Over the course of a career that spans five decades, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, and jazz. She released her self-titled debut album in 1979, to critical and commercial success. It peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and spawned the hit single "Chuck E.'s in Love", which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album went Platinum later that year, and earned Jones four Grammy Award nominations in 1980, including Best New Artist, which she won. At age 21, Jones began singing traditional jazz and original compositions in bars and coffee houses in Venice, California. There she met Alfred Johnson, a piano player and songwriter, with whom she wrote "Weasel and the White Boys Cool", and "Company", which would later appear on Jones's debut album in 1977. Here she is with her rendition of the classic ‘September Song’ from her latest 2023 release.

Billy Childs

A personal favorite of mine for over thirty years is William Edward Childs (Billy Childs) is an American composer, jazz pianist, arranger and conductor from Los Angeles, California, United States. When he was sixteen he attended the Community School of the Performing Arts sponsored by the University of Southern California. He studied music theory with Marienne Uszler and piano with John Weisenfluh. From 1975–'79 he attended the University of Southern California and received a degree in composition under the tutelage of Robert Linn. His early influences as a pianist included Herbie Hancock, Keith Emerson, and Chick Corea and as a composer, Paul Hindemith, Maurice Ravel and Igor Stravinsky. Childs nevertheless had an original conception of his own from near the start, developing his own voice as both a pianist and a composer in jazz and classical music genres Childs's solo jazz recording career began in 1988, when he released Take for Example, This..., the first of four critically acclaimed albums on Windham Hill Jazz. He followed that album with Twilight Is Upon Us (1989), His April Touch (1992), and Portrait of a Player (1993). Chick Corea asked Childs to join his label, Stretch Records. Childs's next album, I've Known Rivers appeared on Stretch/GRP (now Stretch/Concord) in 1995. This was followed by The Child Within on Shanachie Records in 1996. His long awaited CD was recently released earlier this month and ‘The Black Angel’ is a track from this surely future award winning composers latest release.

I hope you enjoy

JK

Walter Smith III

Walter Smith III is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the current Chair of the Woodwind Department at the Berklee College of Music. In addition to performing with his own group, Smith is a member of the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet and Eric Harland's Voyager. Smith began playing the saxophone at the age of seven in his hometown of Houston, Texas. Smith's debut recording as a leader was released in March 2006 on the Fresh Sound New Talent label and features Ambrose Akinmusire, Aaron Parks, Reuben Rogers, Eric Harland, and Kendrick Scott, and others. Smith has performed in numerous national and international festivals and on stages in the U.S. such as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. He has shared the stage and recorded with many jazz notables, including Terence Blanchard, Roy Haynes, Christian McBride, Eric Reed, Mulgrew Miller, Joe Lovano, Bob Hurst, Myron Walden, Walter Beasley, Lewis Nash, Terri Lyne Carrington, and others. This is his latest release ‘Mother Stands For Comfort’

Avishai Cohen

Avishai Cohen is an Israeli jazz double bassist, composer, singer, and arranger. Avishai was born in Kabri, a kibbutz in northern Israel. At age 22, after having served for two years in an army band, Avishai moved to New York City, where he initially performed on the streets while working in construction. While studying at the New School in New York he became part of Panamanian pianists Danilo Perez’ Trio, which led him to experiment with Latin sounds. In 1997, Avishai Cohen became a member of “Chick Corea’s New Trio” and co-founder of Corea’s ensemble, “Origin”. During the six years of musical collaboration with Chick Corea, Avishai fine-tuned his skills as a performer and composer. In 2005 he released the album At Home, described as one of his most striking records, featuring the composition “Remembering”, a highly evocative trio ballad which became his most beloved and demanded encore at live performances, as well as being highly demanded for use in film and TV. ‘The Healer’ with Abraham Rodriquez is his latest release.

Ludovica Burtone

Ludovica Burtone is an Experienced Musician, Composer, and Educator with a demonstrated history of working in the consumer services industry. Skilled in Music Education, Music Composition, Violin, and String Quartet. Strong education, Master of Arts in violin performance from an Italian Conservatory, and Diploma in Jazz Composition from Berklee College of Music. Experienced in Orchestral, Chamber, recordings settings. Not much more info found on this artist. ‘Awakening’ is the track heard here and latest release.

The Bad Plus

The Bad Plus is an American jazz quartet, formerly a trio, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, consisting of founding bassist Reid Anderson and drummer David King, as well as guitarist Ben Monder and tenor saxophonist Chris Speed. Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson and David King first played together in 1989 but established The Bad Plus in 2000. The band recorded their first album, a self-titled effort released on Fresh Sound, after playing only three gigs together. A live performance at the Village Vanguard was heard by Columbia Records representative Yves Beauvais, and the band was signed to Columbia in 2002. Their major label debut album, These Are the Vistas, was released in 2003. The trio's music combines elements of modern avant-garde jazz with rock and pop influences. This track from this ever changing line up group is ‘Electric Face’

Ingrid Laubrock

Ingrid Laubrock is a German jazz saxophonist, who primarily plays tenor saxophone but also performs and records on soprano, alto, and baritone saxophones. She studied with Jean Toussaint (who started out in my big band at Berklee), Dave Liebman and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. n 1998, she released her first solo album Who Is It? and was nominated for the 'Rising Star of the Year' award at the 1999 BT Jazz Awards. She was also nominated for the BBC Award 'Rising Star' in 2005 and in 2009 won the SWR Jazz Award for her recording Sleepthief, featuring pianist Liam Noble and drummer Tom Rainey (her husband). They recorded a 2011 album called The Madness of Crowds. ‘Anticipation’ is the latest track release from this young musician.

Vince Mendoza

Vince Mendoza is an American composer, music arranger and conductor. He debuted as a solo artist in 1989, and is known for his work conducting the Metropole Orkest and WDR Big Band Köln, as well as arranging music for musicians such as John Scofield, Joni Mitchell, Michael Brecker and Björk. He began studying music on the piano and classical guitar at an early age, before changing his focus to playing the trumpet and composing in high school, due to his love of jazz and soul music. Mendoza moved to Los Angeles in 1983, where he completed a master's degree in composition at USC Thornton School of Music. In Los Angeles, Mendoza began to make connections in the music industry, arranging music for television and recordings, and for artists such as Peter Erskine, Charlie Haden and Rickie Lee Jones. His compositions can be heard on recordings by Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Sean Jones, Michael Brecker, John Abercrombie and Charlie Haden. Mendoza provided arrangements for Björk's Vespertine (2001) and Lars von Trier's score to Dancer in the Dark (2000). His arrangements are also heard on recordings by Gregory Porter, Chaka Khan, Elvis Costello, Robbie Williams, Robert Glasper, Bobby McFerrin, Sting, as well as Herbie Hancock and Al Jarreau. ‘Partido Alto’ is the latest from this artist.

I hope you enjoy

JK

Matthew V

Mathew V is the stage name of Matthew van Vooght, a Canadian pop singer from Delta, British Columbia. He is most noted for his 2021 EP The Outer Circle, which was a Juno Award nominee for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2022. In 2017 he released the single "Tell Me Smooth", a preview of his 2018 full-length album The Fifth. The song spent 14 weeks on the Canadian hot adult contemporary radio charts in Billboard; after he unexpectedly saw drag queen Ilona Verley perform "Tell Me Smooth" as a lipsync number at a Vancouver drag show, he cast Verley in the video for his 2018 single "Broken". He followed up with the album Two Faced in 2020, and The Outer Circle followed in 2021. He is a frequent collaborator with Luca Fogale, a fellow Juno nominee in 2022. This is his rendition of the Peggy Lee iconic track ‘Big Spender’

Mette Heniette

Mette Henriette Martedatter Rølvåg is a performing artist, saxophonist and composer from Norway. Mette Henriette grew up in Trondheim surrounded by a vibrant music scene and she got involved with performing arts at a young age, establishing her own ensembles and touring with musicians from jazz conservatories in Norway and New York, before she left her hometown to work on commissions and projects Internationally. Since then Mette Henriette has been living and working in New York, London, Paris, Svalbard and Oslo. n 2016 Mette Henriette became the first artist to release a double debut album on the renowned jazz record label ECM Records. The album includes 90 minutes of music which she composed over a period of 10 years for her trio and large ensemble, consisting of jazz, classical and tango musicians. ‘Drifting’ from her new release Indrifting You is the track heard here.

Isaiah Thompson

Isaiah J. Thompson is a jazz pianist, bandleader and composer from West Orange, New Jersey. He began studying at The Calderone School of Music at an early age, and soon after continued his studies with Jazz House Kids and NJPAC Jazz For Teens. He was later admitted to The Juilliard School at the age of 18, and graduated with his B.M. in 2019 and his M.M. in 2020. Isaiah has performed with major artists, including Ron Carter, John Pizzarelli, Christian McBride, Steve Turre and Buster Williams. His recording debut was featured on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records’ Handful of Keys album with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. As a performer, he tries to emit a feeling of joy and convey his personal experiences through the music, and through his everlasting love of jazz. ‘Tales of The Elephant and The Butterfly’ is a track from his newest release The Power of The Spirit.

BrandeeYounger

Brandee Younger is an American harpist. Younger infuses classical, jazz, soul, and funk influences to the harp tradition pioneered by her predecessors and idols Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. Younger leads her own ensemble, performs as a soloist and has worked as a sideman for such musicians as Pharoah Sanders, Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, Bill Lee and Reggie Workman, and other popular artists including Lauryn Hill, John Legend (Love in the Future), Common (Finding Forever), Ryan Leslie, Drake, Maxwell, The Roots, Moses Sumney and Salaam Remi. Younger was nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for her original composition "Beautiful is Black". In 2020, Younger was awarded "Player of the Year in Instruments Rare in Jazz" by the Jazz Journalists Association. The same year she was named winner of the DownBeat Critics Poll in the category of "Rising Star" harpist. Listen to ‘You’re a Girl for One Man Only’ from her Brand New Life release.

Ari Joshua

Ari Joshua is an American guitarist, songwriter, founding member of the bands Big High. Acidophilus Cuture, The Fort Project, Cadillac Arrest, Slow Bunny, Space Owl, & RAaR. He attended Roosevelt High School, and played 4 years in the jazz program (The RHS Jazz Band). His hard work and raw talent were quickly recognized, and Ari was awarded a scholarship to study music on the East Coast after high school. Ari Joshua is the founding member of the rock band Big High, which was founded with singer Mesa (Robert Owen), and Bassist Sandy Dickerson (Sandy Rowe). In January of 2022 Ari participated in 3 recording sessons on the east coast; one with John Medeski, Billy Martin, and Jason Fraticelli, one with Russ Lawton,& Ray Paczkowski, and one with Eden Ladin, John Morgan Kimock, & Andy Hess. New Music will begin to be release schedule on Music Factory Records in 2023. His latest single from his quartet is ‘Fresh’

GoGo Penguin

GoGo Penguin are an English band from Manchester, England, featuring pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka, and drummer Jon Scott. he band's music features break-beats, minimalist piano melodies, powerful basslines, drums inspired from electronica and anthemic riffs. They compose and perform as a unit. Their music incorporates elements of electronica, trip-hop, jazz, rock and classical music. In 2015, GoGo Penguin signed to Blue Note Records (France). Their album Man Made Object was released in 2016; the following album, A Humdrum Star, was released on 9 February 2018. An eponymously named album was released on 5 June 2020. ‘Friday Film Special’ is from their new release Everything Is Going To Be OK.

Moonchild

Moonchild is an American alternative R&B band based in Los Angeles, California (and one of my daughters favorite bands). The band consists of Amber Navran, Max Bryk, and Andris Mattson. All three are alumni of USC Thornton School of Music's Jazz Studies program. The band formed in the summer of 2011 after touring the west coast with Navran's previous solo project. The trio bonded in the car over similar music tastes and spent the summer and subsequent fall writing the music for what became their debut album Be Free, which would be released the following year. The debut album was well received by critics, garnering praise from many musical greats including Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Stevie Wonder. After hearing the group's music in December 2012, Wonder invited the group to open for him at his annual House Full of Toys benefit concert. Since the release of Be Free in 2012, the band has released three more albums through British record label True Thoughts and toured internationally. This track is ‘The List’.

I hope you enjoy

JK

John Daversa

John Daversa is an American jazz trumpeter, electronic valve instrument player, composer, arranger, conductor, bandleader, producer and educator. Daversa has degrees from UCLA, California Institute of the Arts, and a doctorate from USC. He is Chair of Studio Music and Jazz at University of Miami, Frost School of Music and directs the Frost Concert Jazz Band] Daversa has worked with Moonchild, Fiona Apple, Burt Bacharach, Joe Cocker, Andraé Crouch, Gin, Herbie Hancock, Holiday on Ice, Bob Mintzer Big Band, Renee Olstead, Regina Spektor, Andy Williams, and The Yellowjackets. Tal Cohen is a Grammy award winning jazz pianist currently located in Miami. "The Tal Cohen Trio manages to combine complex, modern jazz concepts with graceful phrasing, thoughtful development and honest expression. The original ideas, high level of communication and spontaneity of the group is a breath of fresh air and proof that jazz has a bright future”. This is their collaboration ‘Little Black Spider’ from their new 2023 release The Art Of The Duo Vol. 1

Murray A. Lightburn

Murray A. Lightburn is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for The Dears. Lightburn has been called "the black Morrissey" due to his vocal similarity to the former The Smiths lead singer. Once Upon A Time I Montreal is latest full release in March 2023 and this is the track ‘Dumpster Gold’.

Rusian Sirota

Ruslan Sirota is a Grammy Award winning pianist, composer, and producer. Ruslan was born in Uman, Ukraine to a Jewish family on November 4, 1980. His father, Yefim, who was an active local guitarist, introduced him to music at an early age. At 18, Ruslan auditioned for the Berklee College of Music, where he received full tuition scholarship, and moved to Boston in January 2000. Circa 2004, Ruslan joined the Stanley Clarke band and moved to Los Angeles, thus marking the beginning of his professional career. Since then, Ruslan has been touring, performing and recording with major artists (in addition to Clarke), such as Black Eyed Peas, Kamasi Washington, Seal, Josh Groban, Ne-Yo, Thundercat, Chick Corea, George Duke, Marcus Miller, Al Jarreau, Victor Wooten, Eric Benét, Rachelle Ferrell, Larry Carlton, Los Angeles Philharmonic and countless others. ‘Nightengale (For Ukrane)’ is her latest 2023 release from her full release Fruits Of The Midi.

Shayna Steele

Shayna Steele (born September 23, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter and a Broadway stage actress. Steele's Broadway credits include Rent at the Nederlander Theatre, the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Foxwoods Theatre and the original Broadway cast of Hairspray, in which she played a member of the girl group The Dynamites. She went on to appear in Hairspray Live!, broadcast on December 7, 2016. Steele was hired to sing background vocals for Rihanna on her Australian tour of Last Girl on Earth. She toured again with Rihanna on her North American and European "LOUD" tour starting on June 4, 2014, in Baltimore, Maryland, as a background vocalist. Steele released her first self-titled EP and in 2009 released her first album, I'll Be Anything. In 2011. ‘The Bloodline’ is from her latest single from her full 2023 release Gold Dust.

Scree

“Questions for the Moon” is the lead single from Brooklyn instrumental trio Scree‘s new full-length, Jasmine on a Night in July, presenting a mellow but staggeringly inventive take on American music. Not much info found on this artist.

Julian Lage

Julian Lage born December 25, 1987) is an American guitarist and composer. A child prodigy, Lage was the subject of the 1996 short documentary film Jules at Eight. At 12, he performed at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Three years later, he became a faculty member of the Stanford Jazz Workshop at Stanford University. Classically trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he has studied at Sonoma State University and the Ali Akbar College of Music. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2008. He is currently a faculty member at the New England Conservatory of Music. ‘The Layers’ is the title track to Julian Lage‘s six-track companion piece to his acclaimed 2022 album View With a Room, on which he discovered new orchestrational possibilities by augmenting his trio of Jorge Roeder and Dave King with fellow guitar icon Bill Frisell.

I hope you enjoy

JK

Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Barron

Kenny Barron a Philadelphia PA native is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. He has been nominated nine times for Grammy Awards and for the American Jazz Hall of Fame. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009. For over 25 years, Barron taught piano and keyboard harmony at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He now teaches at the Juilliard School of Music

The Source is a solo piano CD and newest recording for this Jazz Master. This is an original of his titled ‘What If’

Orlando Julius

Orlando Julius Aremu Olusanya Ekemode, known professionally as Orlando Julius or Orlando Julius Ekemode was a Nigerian saxophonist, singer, bandleader, and songwriter closely associated with afrobeat music. He passed in 2022. Julius began by playing drums or flute with juju and konkoma bands and learned saxophone to play highlife music, eventually playing with musicians Jazz Romero, Rex Williams, and Eddie Okonta. He began experimenting with combining traditional music with horns, guitar, and American genres, a fusion which came to be known as afrobeat. The Heliocentrics are an English, London-based musical collective that combines funk, jazz, psych, and library influences. The group is based around drummer and producer Malcolm Catto, bassist Jake Ferguson, guitarist Adrian Owusu, and multi-instrumentalist Jack Yglesias. Here is their collaboration ‘Jaiyede Afro’

Delia Fisher, Riccardo Bacelar, Gilberto Gil.

Delia Fischer is a singer that has teamed up with pianist/singer Riccardo Bacelar and Gilberto Gil for this track ‘Prece’ Not much bio information found for Delia Fischer. Ricardo Bacelar is a Brazilian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He began his musical career at a young age and was initially influenced by classical, jazz, and Brazilian styles, which significantly contribute to his work today. Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Mette Henriette

Mette Henriette Martedatter Rølvåg is a performing artist, saxophonist and composer from Norway. In 2016 Mette Henriette became the first artist to release a double debut album on the renowned jazz record label ECM Records. The album includes 90 minutes of music which she composed over a period of 10 years for her trio and large ensemble, consisting of jazz, classical and tango musicians. This is her latest ‘Topic’

Rob Mazurek

Rob Mazurek is an American electro-acoustic composer, cornetist, improviser and visual artist living in Chicago, Illinois. As a composer, Mazurek has written over 300 original compositions over the past 30 years, and has released at least 55 recordings on various labels. He has collaborated with a wide variety of artists, such as Bill Dixon, Pharoah Sanders, Mike Ladd, Roscoe Mitchell, Yusef Lateef, Fred Anderson, Naná Vasconcelos, Mamelo Sound System, Alexandre Kassin, Marcelo Camelo, and others. Additionally, Mazurek works as a visual artist (incorporating sound, painting and video) with numerous international performances, exhibitions and artist residencies. This is one of his recent releases with his Exploding Star Orchestra and the track is ‘ Future Shaman’

Kingo Halla

Kingo Halla is a singer/songwriter from Toronto Canada who sings in facetto voice. Kingo Halla aka Henry Nozuka was born into a musical family of Japanese-American descent, but his alter-ego was born in Toronto, where he grew up writing songs with his brothers and creating artwork on multiple mediums. As a producer and engineer, Nozuka works out of his own Shijō Studios where he pursues his passion for vintage instruments, analog gear, and tape machines. This is his latest release ‘Empty Hands’

Matters Unknown

Matters Unknown is the new project led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Jonny Enser, the long-standing brass player for celebrated Afro-Jazz collective Nubiyan Twist. Over the past ten years the Total Refreshment Centre has played a central part in fostering London’s jazz and dance music scene. This is the latest release ‘Eloquence’ from the group.

I hope you enjoy

JK

Javon Anthony Jackson
Javon Anthony Jackson (born June 16, 1965) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, bandleader, and educator. He first became known as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from 1987 until Blakey's death in 1990. and went on to release 22 recordings as a bandleader and tour and record on over 150 CDs with jazz greats including Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Charlie Haden, Betty Carter, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Stanley Turrentine and Ben E. King. For his Solid Jackson label, Jackson released his collaboration with the famed poet Nikki Giovanni, The Gospel According To Nikki Giovanni, in 2022. The track listing is the poet reimagining gospel hymns and spirituals set to jazz. Here is the old Black spiritual ‘Wade In The Water’
Franklin ‘Stix Bones’ Brown
Brooklyn native Franklin" Stix Bones" Brown started his career beating the skins for the likes of Jessica CARE Moore (Poet), Lyricist Lounge, Rahzel The Godfather of Noize(The Roots). and DJ Maseo(De La Soul) Stix earned his bachelor's degree in music at Purchase College in NY. Stix’smusic career included performing/ touring the US and England. Stix Bones whose musical influences are a mix of Hip Hop and Jazz musicians has built a respectable name amongst Jazz & Hip Hop artist and is credited as truly a Brother Of Noble Excellence. Here is the track ‘Promensde’ from his latest release Breaks From The Soul 2022.
Boney James
Boney James is an American saxophonist, songwriter, record producer and recording artist. He is a four-time Grammy Award nominee and a Soul Train Award winner. He has also received three NAACP Image Award nominations for Best Jazz Album. James took up the clarinet at the age of eight, switching to sax when he was ten having spent his early teen years in New Rochelle, New York. He became musically influenced by the R&B Motown genre and saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr. He is a four-time Grammy Award nominee (Best Pop Instrumental Album, 2001, 2004, 2014 and Best Traditional R&B Performance, 2009) and a Soul Train Award winner (Best Jazz Album 1998) ‘Coastin’ is a track from his latest release Detour featuring Vocalist Lala Hathaway and daughter of Singer, composer Donny Hathaway.
Sam Gendel
Sam Gendel is a musician and producer living in Los Angeles, CA. He is most known for his work with the saxophone, though he is proficient on multiple instruments. His work is diverse and includes significant collaborations with a wide range of artists including Ry Cooder, Blake Mills, Sam Amidon, Perfume Genius, Moses Sumney, Knower, Vampire Weekend, and inc. no world. Gendel’s previous discography includes the critically praised Music for Saxofone & Bass Guitar with bassist Sam Wilkes and 4444. This is his latest release ‘Anywhere’ featuring vocalist and bassist Meshell Ndegeocello from his Cookup CD release Due February 24.
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is a veteran Icon of American jazz and saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet, and then co-founded the jazz fusion band Weather Report. Many Shorter compositions have become jazz standards, and his music has earned worldwide recognition, critical praise and commendation. Shorter has won 12 Grammy Awards. He is acclaimed for his mastery of the soprano saxophone since switching his focus from the tenor in the late 1960s and beginning an extended reign in 1970 as Down Beat's annual poll-winner on that instrument, winning the critics' poll for 10 consecutive years and the readers' for 18. The New York Times' Ben Ratliff described . Shorter in 2008 as "probably jazz's greatest living small-group composer and a contender for greatest living improviser". In 2017, he was awarded the Polar Music Prize.[5] Here is his latest Grammy Award 2023 winning track recorded Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival featuring drummer Terri Lynne Carrington and bassist Esperanza Spalding ‘Drummers Song’
London Brew
London Brew is the debut album by London Brew, a band consisting of a dozen British jazz musicians including Nubya Garcia, BBC Radio 1 presenter Benji B, and multiple members of Sons of Kemet and the Invisible. The album is set for release on 31 March 2023. The album was announced 19 January 2023 along with the release of lead single "Miles Chases New Voodoo in the Church", an interpretation of Davis' Jimi Hendrix-inspired "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down", and is set for release by Concord Jazz on 31 March. The band was assembled by producer and guitarist Martin Terefe and executive producer Bruce Lampcov for a series of concerts in major cities across Europe, starting with one at the Barbican Centre celebrating the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tyler Mitchell
Tyler Mitchell is a jazz bassist and has recorded and toured with some of jazz's most respected artists, including: Art Taylor, Jon Hendricks, Shirley Horn, George Coleman and the Sun Ra Arkestra. He is unique in that he is active in both the traditional and avant-garde jazz idioms and is currently in demand as both a leader and a sideman in New York City. He studied the bass with Donald Raphael Garrett (John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Roland Kirk) and Malachi Favors (Art Ensemble of Chicago). He has recorded on Grammy nominated recordings and has recorded at The Village Vanguard. His latest release as a leader ‘Topic’ from his Carefree CD was released in 2022.
I hope you enjoy
JK

Philippe Saisse is a French jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and arranger. He was born in Marseille and raised in Paris. After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris he won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. He was half of the duo Doppelganger with Randy Fredrix; a video for their song "Communication Breakdown" was added to MTV's playlist in 1985. He became the protégé of Gary Burton and debuted on Al Di Meola's Splendido Hotel. He also worked with Nile Rodgers and Felicia Collins in the album Outloud and wrote for David Sanborn. He has also worked in the alternative rock, jazz fusion and rock world for David Bowie, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Gato Barbieri, Paul King, and The Rolling Stones. Here is one of his most recent releases ‘Lost Words’

Emmet Harley Cohen (born May 25, 1990 in Miami, Florida) is an American pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator. Cohen received a Bachelor of Music from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in 2012 and a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music in 2014.[ Cohen is primarily known for his work in jazz, although he also studied European art music (classical music) extensively earlier in his career, and this influence is apparent in his technique, occasional improvisational "quotes," and general technical mastery of the keyboard.[7] He has performed with Christian McBride, Herlin Riley, Brian Lynch, Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Joe Lovano, Eddie Henderson, and George Coleman. Emmet regularly post videos of his collaborations recorded in his apartment and has a growing following. This is his rendititon on the jazz standard ‘If This Isn’t Love’

Samara Joy McLendon, known professionally as Samara Joy, is an American jazz singer. She won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2019 and was named Best New Artist by Jazz Times for 2021. Her father, a bass player who has toured with gospel singer/songwriter/producer Andraé Crouch, introduced her to gospel greats like The Clark Sisters, and soul and Motown were also a big presence in her home. Jazz Times named her Best New Artist for 2021. She earned two Grammy Award nominations in 2022, for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album for Linger Awhile. Her bookings for winter 2022 include singing with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on its winter 2022 Big Band Holidays tour.

Jazzbois is a Budapest based Jazz/Hiphop Trio. Their debut album “Jazzbois Goes Blunt” had a strong impact on both the jazz and hip-hop scene, creating a unique psychedelic flavored fusion that shacked the bones of jazz masters and beat lovers alike. As complete newcomers into the scene they were recognized by many key figures in the industry, receiving support from Joe Kay (Soulection), landed on multiple editorial playlists on Spotify & Apple Music, they got spinned on worldwide.fm and even in the office of the legendary jazz label – Brownswood Records. This is a single from their recent release ‘Reminisce’

Jakob Bro (born April 11, 1978) is a Danish guitarist and composer. Bro leads a trio with Joey Baron and Thomas Morgan. In 2016 and 2013 Bro received The Carl Prize Jazz Composer of the Year[3] for the albums Gefion and Bro/Knak. From 2003–2016 he received six Danish Music Awards: three for Danish Jazz Album of the Year (Gefion, Balladeering[4] and Sidetracked), two for Danish Crossover Album of the Year (Bro/Knak and Sidetracked) and one for New Danish Jazz Artist of the Year (for the album Beautiful Day[6]). This is a recent release of his ‘Song To An Old Friend’

GoGo Penguin are an English band from Manchester, England, featuring pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka, and drummer Jon Scott. The band's music features break-beats, minimalist piano melodies, powerful basslines, drums inspired from electronica and anthemic riffs. They compose and perform as a unit. Their music incorporates elements of electronica, trip-hop, jazz, rock and classical music. In 2015, GoGo Penguin signed to Blue Note Records (France). Their album Man Made Object was released in 2016; the following album, A Humdrum Star, was released on 9 February 2018. An eponymously named album was released on 5 June 2020. ‘Glimmerings’ is a cut from their recent release.

Ezra Collective is a British jazz quintet composed of drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison. The group fuses elements of afro-beat, hip-hop and soul, and frequently collaborates with fellow London-based jazz musicians such as Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd. The members of Ezra met at the jazz programme Tomorrow's Warriors, run by Gary Crosby. The band's 2019 instrumental single "Quest for Coin" was premiered as a "Hottest Record in The World" on Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1. This is ‘Life Goes On’ released five months ago.

I hope you enjoy

JK

.Jason Moran: From The Dancehall To The Battlefield
Jason Moran is an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator involved in multimedia art and theatrical installations. Moran recorded first with Greg Osby and debuted as a band leader with the 1999 album Soundtrack to Human Motion. Since then, he has released albums with his trio The Bandwagon, solo, as a sideman, and with other bands. He combines post-bop and avant-garde jazz, blues, classical music, stride piano, and hip hop. This is his latest release for 2023 ‘From The Dancehall To The Battlefield’


Sebastian Rochford: Silver Light
Sebastian Rochford is a British drummer and composer. He has recorded and released music as leader of the British band Polar Bear, as Kutcha Butcha and as part of numerous collaborations. Rochford won the BBC Jazz Award for best newcomer in 2004, and was nominated for best musician in 2006. He was also nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2005, 2007, 2014 and 2018, the nominations including Polar Bear's Held on The Tips of Fingers and In Each and Every One plus the self-titled debut album by Basquiat Strings. This is a track from his recent 2023 album release ‘Topic’


Bill Laurance & Michael League: Saint Esteve (Where You Wish You Were)
Bill Laurance is an English composer, producer, and multi-instrumental musician. Laurance is a member of jazz fusion and funk band Snarky Puppy, as well as founder and CEO of London-based record label Flint Music.
Michael League is an American composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is the bandleader of New York-based instrumental band Snarky Puppy and the international music ensemble Bokanté. He also founded the band Forq with keyboardist Henry Hey, and is also an owner and founder of the record label GroundUP Music.
This is a collaboration from this duo ‘Sant Esteve’ from their recent release album ‘Where You Wish You Were’

Lakecia Benjamin: Phoenix
Lakecia Benjamin is an American jazz, funk, and R&B saxophonist. Benjamin was born and raised in New York City. She grew up in a Dominican neighborhood in Washington Heights, Manhattan and played merengue, salsa, and Latin music. As a touring musician she has performed with Missy Elliot and Alicia Keys. This is a cut from this young jazz phenom taking the jazz world by storm ‘Phoenix’ from her 2023 release ‘Topic’

Ron Carter: Receipt, Please
Ronald Levin Carter is a legendary American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded numerous times on that instrument. Ron was part of the 2nd great Miles Davis Band in the 1960’s along with Herbie Handcock, Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams. Here is a cut from his most recent album release ‘Receipt, Please’ from the album ‘Finding The Right Notes’

Dezron Douglas: Rose
Dezron Lamont Douglas is an American jazz double bassist, composer, and producer. He has produced for Louis Hayes, and Brandee Younger. Douglas has released six albums as a leader. His 2012 debut record, Live at Smalls, earned a positive review in The New York Times, which wrote: "Learned as it may be, this is living-language music — jazz as it’s practiced, more than as it’s studied." As a sideman, Douglas has recorded with Cyrus Chestnut, Michael Carvin, Louis Hayes, Steve Davis, George Cables, Papo Vasquez, Enrico Rava, Eric Reed, Abraham Burton, Eric McPherson, Tomasz Stańko, Makaya McCraven and Brandee Younger. In April 2019, Douglas' playing was featured in the documentary Homecoming, by Beyoncé. The recording used was from an NPR Music field recording released in 2013.. ‘Rose’ is a cut from his 2023 album release.

Laura Jurd: Fuzzy
Laura Jurd is a musician and composer from Hampshire, United Kingdom. She plays trumpet and synthesizer. She has released albums as a solo artist, and she plays in a jazz quartet named Dinosaur, whose album Together, As One was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2017. Jurd is a member of BBC Radio 3's New Generation Artists. She won 'Instrumentalist of the Year' in the 2015 Parliamentary Jazz Award, the Worshipful Company of Musicians' Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition in 2011 and Young Jazz Musician award in 2012. She was shortlisted for a BASCA Contemporary Jazz Composer award in 2012. This is a cut from her late 2022 release ‘Fuzzy’

I hope you enjoy

JK

Jazz Music for this season December 2022

These are 5 new original Xmas Music from my long time friend email subscriber woodwind player, teacher composer Terry Thompson and his friend flautist, composer Teddy Burgh. Give a listen to these vocal tracks just in time for this Xmas. Destine to be Xmas Classiscs.

Music with a Thanksgiving theme in mind. Play this Playlist during your Thanksgiving festivities for you and your guest. A mixture of smoothjazz, traditional jazz and some soul music just for fun.

Trombone Shorty, "I’m Standing Here"
After recent appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Good Morning America, this week, Trombone Shorty and his signature band performed "I’m Standing Here" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! This is the hard-driving rocker from the New Orleans music icon’s latest album, Lifted, released earlier this year on Blue Note Records. Shorty is currently on his Voodoo Threauxdown tour and recently made a surprise appearance at the finale of the 2022 Newport Jazz Festival just last week.

Brooklyn Funk Essentials, "Scream!" feat. Alison Limerick
Cult funk ensemble Brooklyn Funk Essentials, led and founded by bassist Lati Kronlund, have shared the video for their Afrofunk single, "Scream!," featuring legendary vocalist Alison Limerick. The song is an infectious and uplifting funk and afrobeat jam. Its accompanying video sees the ensemble jamming in the studio, with cuts of Limerick moving gracefully across the screen. The song will be included on the collective’s seventh album, Intuition, which will be released in November 2022 on Dorado Records.

Eddie Chacon, "Holy Hell"
Eddie Chacon, perhaps best-known as one half of R&B duo Charles & Eddie of "Would I Lie To You" fame, has signed to Stones Throw. The news comes with the release of his new single, "Holy Hell," and its accompanying video. The smooth, soulful track was produced by music aesthete John Carroll Kirby. Its accompanying video, which finds Chacon driving around Los Angeles in a salvation-themed car, was directed by Sissy Chacon. The new single follows the success of Eddie Chacon’s 2020 album, Pleasure, Joy and Happiness and a press release informs that further new music is on the way.

Per Møllehøj, Richard Andersson, Jorge Rossy, Inviting(Hobby Horse)
Guitarist Per Møllehøj, bassist Richard Andersson and drummer Jorge Rossy gather together to pay tribute to some of the giants of jazz on a program ranging from well-known classics to lesser-known gems. An invigorating between three of the most acclaimed artists on the international jazz scene today, Inviting is a beautiful recording and an invitation to dig deep into the legacy of the music we know and love.

Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity, Elastic Wave (ECM)
Acclaimed Norwegian drummer Gard Nilssen showcases dynamic interaction, a swinging sense of pulse and boldly etched themes on Elastic Wave. The record also introduces his new dynamic trio, Acoustic Unity, with saxophonist/clarinettist André Roligheten and bassist Petter Eldh. Elastic Wave was released on July 15.

I hope you enjoy

JK

Snarky Puppy, "Bet"
Snark Puppy, one of the top instrumental ensembles in the world, shared the latest preview of their upcoming album, Empire Central, which will be released on September 30 via GroundUP. Recorded live-in-studio, the album pays tribute to their hometown of Dallas, Texas, and the incendiary new single, "Bet," is a hard-hitting track inspired by Dallas bandleader/music director R.C. Williams. Snarky Puppy have also recently announced more upcoming Europe and U.S. tour dates.

John Coltrane, "Blue Train – Alternate Take 8"
Blue Note will release two special Tone Poet vinyl editions of John Coltrane’s Blue Train, in celebration of its 55th anniversary, as part of its Tone Poet Audiophile series. One is a 1-LP mono pressing of the original album. The other is a 2-LP stereo collection, The Complete Masters, that also includes seven tracks never-before-released on vinyl, including an alternate take on the title track that you can hear via the player below. The Complete Masters also comes with a booklet featuring never-before-seen photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by Ashley Kahn. Both versions will be released on September 16.

Harish Raghavan, In Tense (Whirlwind)
Bassist/composer Harish Raghavan follows up his 2019 debut, Calls for Action, with a brand new thoughtful and captivating album of all-original material. In Tense was recorded at the end of 2020 and is a response to that year’s monumental events, written specifically for the exceptional band of drummer Eric Harland, guitarist Charles Altura, Joel Ross on vibraphone and marimba, and Morgan Guerin on woodwinds.

Lauren Henderson, La Bruja (Brontosaurus)
Versatile vocalist Lauren Henderson will release a new 11-track collection of originals and carefully curated Latin jazz standards, featuring Joel Ross, Nick Tannura, Gabe Shinder, Sean Mason, John Chin, Eric Wheeler and Joe Dyson. The album, out today on her label Brontosaurus, is titled La Bruja and takes its name from the Spanish word for ‘the witch,’ reclaiming the meaning of the word while placing an emphasis on the resilience of women.

Gard Nilssen
Drummer Gard Nilssen's ECM leader debut follows acclaimed recordings for the label with the Maciej Obara Quartet. Elastic Wave presents Nilssen's powerful trio with fellow Norwegian André Roligheten on reeds and Swedish bassist Petter Eldh

DOMi & JD BECK, NOT TiGHT (APES*#T/Blue Note)
DOMi & JD BECK has been called the internet’s most hyped jazz duo and praised for its hyperarticulate strain of beat music. Not Tight marks their debut album on Andreson .Paak’s new label APESHIP in partnership with Blue Note, and finds them doing their thing, joined by an impressive lineup of star guests, including Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Herbie Hancock and Thundercat to name but a few.

I hope you enjoy
JK

The Cookers Quintet is a heavy-swinging Toronto-based quintet, whose sound is uncompromisingly footed in the ’50s and ’60s hard bop movement and whose name refers to Freddie Hubbard’s iconic 1965 album, The Night of the Cookers. "Undisputed" is a muscular track from their upcoming album, The Path and a tribute to some of the great boxing champions of the past that its composer, saxophonist Ryan Oliver, claims "adds another hard bop anthem to our ever-growing songbook." The Path will be released on August 12 on Do Right Music.


A multi-generational jazz supergroup formed by Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese and Esperanza Spalding performed a one-night-only event at the Detroit Jazz Festival in 2017. Five years later, Candid Records has announced that it will release a recording of this stellar performance on September 9. The announcement comes with the release of its single, the group’s take on "Drummer’s Song," composed by Geri Allen. The much-missed pianist/composer was originally to be part of this amazing group but passed away in June 2017.

Still Life is vocalist Sachal Vasandani and pianist Romain Collin’s deeply emotive, introspective and nuanced follow-up to their acclaimed 2021 album, Midnight Shelter. Produced with no edits or overdubs, this new intimate collection offers duo reworkings of classic and modern songs alike, interspersed with memorable original compositions.

Having focused on session work and production work for the past number of years, Ronnie Foster returns with his first album as a leader in 36 years. Reboot is simultaneously a celebration of the past, including the legacy of the much-missed Dr. Lonnie Smith, and marks a fresh new start for the legendary Hammond organist, featuring his son Chris Foster on drums and Michael O’Neill on guitar.

British singer Kay Young presents her version on the Roberta Flack classic ‘Feel Like Making Love’ written by one of my mentors Eugene McDaniel.

And some levity: Comedian Fred Amisen “is not a Fan of jazz” a short skit.

I hope you enjoy
JK

Gilad Hekselman is one of the leading voices in jazz guitar. Only a few years after his arrival to NY in 2004, this native Israeli was already sharing stages with some of the greatest artists in the New York City jazz scene including Chris Potter, Eric Harland, Fred Hersch, Mark Turner, Anat Cohen, Ari Hoenig, Esperanza Spalding, Jeff Ballard, Ben Wendel, Gretchen Parlato, Ben Williams, Avishai Cohen, Tigran Hamasyan, Aaron Parks and Becca Stevens among many others. Born in Israel in 1983, Gilad studied classical piano from age 6 and began studying guitar at the age of 9. From age 12 to 14 he performed regularly with the band of a weekly children's television show. He attended the prestigious Thelma Yellin School of Arts, graduating with excellence from the jazz department at age 18. Here is ‘Long Way Home’ from his most recent release in 2022.

Not much found for the Bio of latin jazz pianist Josean Jacoba from the Dominican Republic. He is one of the hottest young Jazz cats to recently come out of La Republica and the island of Hispaniola where Jazz comes from. ‘Herencia Criolla’ is his latest release for 2022

For over fifteen years, John Yao’s adept talent as a trombonist, composer and arranger has helped cement his place on the New York City jazz scene. Yao’s lyrical soloing and expressive, round tone combined with his creative hunger for exploring the boundaries of harmony and rhythm in As a composer, Yao has released four solo recordings, all of which feature his adventurous, boundary-pushing compositions for small groups and big bands alike. In addition to composing for his own big band, Yao has also been commissioned to write works for professional artists and ensembles including the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, Luis Bonilla, and HGM Jazzorkestar Zagreb. His works have been performed internationally by college and high school ensembles, including Temple University, Indiana University and the University of North Carolina, among many others.
his compositions and arrangements have established him as a unique musical talent. ‘Off Kilter’ is a track from his latest release in 2022

A child prodigy, Julian Lage was the subject of the 1996 short documentary film Jules at Eight.[1] At 12, he performed at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Three years later, he became a faculty member of the Stanford Jazz Workshop at Stanford University. Classically trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he has studied at Sonoma State University and the Ali Akbar College of Music. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2008. Julian is currently a faculty member at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. This is a track from his latest release titled ‘Auditorium’

Ronnie Foster is an American funk and soul jazz organist, and record producer. His albums recorded for Blue Note Records in the 1970s have gained a cult following after the emergence of acid jazz. Foster was born in Buffalo, New York, on May 12, 1950. Foster has performed as a sideman with a wide range of musicians. He frequently worked with guitarist George Benson,[1] including playing on the guitarist's album Breezin'. Foster has also played organ with Grant Green, Grover Washington, Jr., Stanley Turrentine, Roberta Flack, Earl Klugh, Harvey Mason, Jimmy Smith, and Stevie Wonder. ‘Reboot’ is his latest release in 2022.


These are a series of bootleg recordings now being released by trumpet icon Miles Davis. Here is a cover of the Tina Turner 80s hit, ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’

‘Fat’s is from my latest CD

I hope you enjoy

JK

Alto saxophonist Luis Gonzalez Deniz was born in Camaguey, Cuba on April 21st, 1983. In 1993, Luis started his musical studies at the Escuela Vocacional de Arte Luis Casas Romero in his hometown of Camaguey before continuing at the Escuela Profesional de Musica Jose White. Luis has performed and taught workshops throughout Cuba, Australia, Japan, USA, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, England, Ireland, Scotland, Luxembourg and Switzerland. He has also shared the stage with international figures such as Barry Harris, Howard Johnson, Ray Vega, Steve Turre, Randy Brecker, Donald Harrison, Ingrid Jensen, Mark Feldman, Gary Versace and Hermeto Pascoal. ‘Entre Dos Ideas’ is a track from his most recent release.

Esthesis Quartet, is the sensory, whimsical and expansive self-titled debut statement from a new creative quartet formed by pianist Dawn Clement, flutist Elsa Nilsson, bassist Emma Dayhuff and drummer Tina Raymond. The record features original compositions modeled by tactile sensitivity and exploratory improvisation and is available now via Orenda Records. This is ‘Cricket’ from their latest release.

David Alan Douglas is an American musician, most widely known for being in the Christian music industry as the drummer of the Christian rock band Relient K. Douglas joined the band after their former drummer, Stephen Cushman, departed in late 2000. His style often focuses on heavy snare hits on the beat and complex kick patterns. Not much information found on this drummer but here he is with his group for the track ‘Instrumental Angels’

The Chicago Soul Jazz Collective (CSJC) is a band driven toward a performer-audience relationship of headshaking, hard-grooving, spirit-lifting original music influenced by the renown of classic soul-jazz. According to SoulTracks, CSJC produces music that "…really SWINGS". The CSJC took shape in 2017 and booked on a session with Chicago alt-country hero Robbie Fulks, began talking about their shared tactic for coping with difficult times: listening to the soul jazz LPs that proliferated in the hard-bop era. From that first discussion came the Collective, whose debut album, Soulophone (2018), covered vintage hits by Ramsey Lewis, Lee Morgan, and Jimmy Smith among others. ‘Nothing Good ever Goes Away’ is from their latest release.

Charles Lloyd is an American jazz musician. Charles Lloyd was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 15, 1938.

Though he primarily plays tenor saxophone and flute, he has occasionally recorded on other reed instruments, including alto saxophone and the Hungarian tárogató. A NEA Jazz Master, now in his eighth decade, has never sounded better. The depth of his sound reflects a lifetime of experience. His concerts and recordings are events of pristine beauty and elegance, full of intensely felt emotion and passion that touches deep inside the heart. This is not entertainment, but the powerful uncorrupted expression of beauty through music. Charles Lloyd maintains an active performance and recording schedule with the New Quartet, Sangam, Maria Farantouri, The Marvels and special projects around the world. Charles Lloyd, who turned 80 in March 2018, was awarded the prestigious honor of “Chevalier des Arts et Lettres” by the French Minister of Culture in August 2019. At 84, Lloyd remains a vital and creative force in the world of music and arts. ‘Song My Lady Sings’ is from his latest release.

NYO Jazz gives young musicians the opportunity to perform as cultural ambassadors on an international stage and share a uniquely American musical genre with cultures around the world through an international tour each summer. NYO Jazz, comprising outstanding young musicians ages 16–19 from across the US, showcases the legacy and bright future of American jazz. Led by Artistic Director Sean Jones, these remarkable musicians come together each summer to engage in a rigorous training residency with world-class jazz masters on the campus of Purchase College, State University of New York. In addition to the residency, NYO Jazz performs an annual concert at Carnegie Hall with a celebrated guest artist and embarks on a tour to some of the world’s great music capitals. This is ‘We’re Still Here /He’s Alright’ from their latest release.

Ella Jane Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. A concert from 1958 has been reissued and released in 2022 of the great Ella Fitzgerald singing the from the song book of songwriter Irving Berlin. Here she is singing ‘I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm’

Julius Rodriguez, also known as "Orange Julius", is an American pianist, drummer and composer. In 2021, Rodriguez signed with Verve Records. Rodriguez grew up in White Plains, New York and is of Haitian descent. He began to study classical piano at an early age. He was exposed to jazz, particularly music by Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and John Coltrane through his father, an avid jazz fan and aficionado. At age twelve, he enrolled in Manhattan School of Music's precollege division and studied there continuously throughout high school. He later studied at The Juilliard School. Rodriguez’s music integrates elements from jazz, avant-garde, R&B, hip-hop and pop music. He has worked as a sideman with Keyon Harrold, Ben Williams, Carmen Lundy, James Morrison, Jazzmeia Horn, Dev Hynes, Roy Hargrove, Macy Gray, Wynton Marsalis, Veronica Swift, Gabriel Garzón-Montano, Nick Hakim, and Meshell Ndegeocello and others. This is ‘Two Way Street At Home’ recorded live from his most recent release.

Could not find much information about this tenor saxophonist Binker Golding from the United Kingdom. It appears he has released about eight albums during his young career. Here is his latest ‘Howling And Drinking In God’s Own Country’

I hope you enjoy

JK

Now, what is the Jazz Standard Classic from trumpet master, composer Miles Davis’s ‘So What’ from his Kind of Blue album doing on a Jazz Funk Playlist you may ask? Well, the horn line call and response playing influenced not only Jazz music, but as you will see it was at the origins of Funk music when you hear the next track on this Playlist.

No Funk Music Playlist is complete without the Funk Master himself James Brown. Nearly everything this major music influencer produced was Funky and or Funk based. James Brown Bandleader and arranger Pee Wee Ellis was so much into Miles Davis at the time that he used the call and response horn line from the Miles Jazz classic So What’ and incorporated it for the Funk classic ‘Cold Sweat’.

If I were to teach a music class on Funk, the Larry Graham (formally bassist for Sly & The Family Stone) ‘The Jam’ would be requirement to hear. This to me is one of the funkiest pieces of music written. The syncopated beat on 2 & 4 of the measure is hard hitting and infectious. FYI: a measure refers to a single unit of time featuring a specific number of beats played at a particular tempo.

Also each musicians instrument played are described in the track by the musicians who played them.

Sylvester Stewart better know as Sly Stone of Sly and The Family Stone burst onto the major music scene with their hit Dance To The Music in 1967 and from that point on, music would not be the same. With their music having elements in Soul, Rock, and definitely Funk, this Bay Area (San Francisco) interracial group introduced a new sound which go onto influence music and groups even until this day. You can hear their influence on Stevie Wonder, Prince and as previously mentioned Graham Central Station. Here is ‘Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)’ with the influential bassist Larry Grahams slap bass line punctuating this track. This was a revolutionary style of playing the bass at the time.

Parliament Funkadelic picked where James Brown left off. Influenced by Brown and with James Brown bassist Bootsy Collins (who later left to go solo) this band was and still is lead by George Clinton. There approach to playing Funk music besides the theatrics was an emphasis of having the beat on the 1 & 3 of the measure as most tunes emphasized 2 & 4 of the measure. This is ‘Get Up For The Down Stroke’ which even in the title of the song tells where the beat of the tune will be focused.

Tower Of Power (t.o.p) the Oakland California group came on the music scene with their hard hitting horn based track ‘What Is Hip’ in 1973. Influenced by James Brown and other soul music, T.O.P position in the annals has clearly been recognized and established. I went to see them back in the 1970’s and organist Chester Thompson with his foot work on the organ blew me away. A lot of the bass line were played on the organ by Thompson which was Funky!

One of my influences in music in general was George Duke. This music phenom was a music chameleon where he was a Producer, arranger, singer playing Jazz, Jazz Fusion, Soul, Pop and definitely Funk. Starting his major music career with Frank Zappa and the Mother’s of Invention then playing with saxophone great Cannonball Adderley, he went solo in the early 1970’s with his Jazz Fusion albums. He later had Funk hits with his fun tongue in cheek tracks like ‘Duckey Stick’ and Reach For It.

Now that you have read how a Miles Davis tune influenced a funk horn line by James Brown. This is a track from Miles Davis funk album On The Corner from the early 1970’s where he was heavily influenced by Funk Music as well as rock music. This is ‘Black Satin’ from that album.

One of my favorite Stevie Wonder tunes was from the 1960’s ‘You Met Your Match’. I’m not certain but I believe this was his first time playing the keyboard instrument the electric clavinet on a track. The tune starts off with a walking bass line and quickly gets into a funky groove punctuated by Stevie’s clavinet playing.

Keyboard master and composer (my musical idol) Herbie Hancock having the best selling Jazz album of its day was The Head Hunters with its massive hit jazz funk hit ‘Chameleon’. The keyboard bass line played on a synthesizer and the hard hitting innovative drumming of Harvey Mason where his playing introduced audiences to having the beat of the song on the ‘and’ of the beat. FYI: playing the beat normally on the downbeat of (the one of the measure) 2 & 4 of the measure but this time emphasizing playing on 2 ‘and’ & 4 ‘and’ giving the track syncopated feel which influenced other drummers on other tracks that followed.

The Average White Band fooled a lot of people with their Funky track ‘Pick Up The Pieces’ when it came out in 1974. Fooled (maybe not the best word) first because I knew folks that thought this was a James Brown band track and second they were an all white band from Scotland England. Regardless of what people thought, they felt this funky beat and horn based track from this ‘not so’ Average White Band. They were anything but.

I hope you enjoy,

JK