The stellar debut album of vocalist and composer Ruiqi Wang (pronounced ‘Raychee Wong’), Subduing The Silence launches this Friday, on 27th of October 2023 with Montréal musician Ayelet Rose Gottlieb‘s new Orchard Of Pomegranates imprint, both on CD and across all major digital platforms. Accompanied by astonishing Trio made of three super charged Ladies: Stephanie Urquhart on piano, Summer Kodama on double bass and Mili Hong on drums and quest appearance of the string quartet.
21
Oct
[ October 27th, 2023 release via Endectomorph Music: Kevin Sun – The Depths of Memory ]
The Depths of Memory, due out on October 27, 2023 via Endectomorph Music under exclusive license to la reserve, features Sun’s core collaborators Adam O’Farrill, Dana Saul, Walter Stinson, Matt Honor, Simón Willson, and Dayeon Seok.
The album’s first half, From All This Stillness, was due for digital-only release on July 7, 2023, with the second half, The Depths in Slow Motion, to be released October 27 with the physical double album.
“Kevin Sun is well on his way toward staking a major claim as a distinctive composer and soloist… [with] a formidable compositional apparatus but a strikingly accessible sound.” – Troy Dostert, All About Jazz
“[Kevin Sun is] clearly a player who sees the big picture and his evolving place within it.”– David R. Adler, New York City Jazz Record
18
Oct
[ October 20th, 2023 release on Cassiar Records: Josh Cole – KIND MIND ]
release date: 20.10.2023 on Cassiar Records
“Each track stretches across several minutes, but the experience they create is one of a fractured, or fragmented, forum of ideas—motifs come and go, each with their own sense of internal coherence[…] Every so often, the trio fnds union in a shared melody or brief glimpses of consonance. But these moments are feeting, and the ensemble’s search is ongoing—they keep turning over stones, exposing wriggling bits of life.” — Brennan McCracken, Musicworks
“I like the trio’s unique musical vision, its tender and determined sound and the way it is delivered: with quality and precision. To create your own voice in the crowded musical environment of today is a feat.” — Stef Gijssels, Free Jazz Blog
“Phrases often seem deliberately tentative, and exclamations sometimes evaporate into question marks […] The group’s use of space allows for their improvisations to possess distinctive shape and structure, so that when Kind Mind goes full throttle the element of surprise is on their side.” — Yoshi Maclear Wall, The WholeNote
15
Oct
[ October 20th, 2023 release via Sunnyside Jennifer Wharton & Bonegasm’s ‘Grit & Grace’ ]
Grit & Grace, due out October 20, 2023 via Sunnyside, features new compositions by women composers along with Wharton’s first original works and bold arrangements.
“Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm blows the doors wide open for the bass trombone. The horn itself may play from the bottom, but it can certainly operate at the top of the heap.” – Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
“[Bonegasm] captivates as it ranges between the intimate and the orchestral with plenty of whimsy… that makes listening to a bunch of low notes immensely enjoyable.” – Hrayr Attarian, Jazziz
In a 2019 article, Forbes Magazine decreed that the two characteristics women need most to thrive in the business world are “grit and grace.” Bass trombonist Jennifer Wharton has exemplified those qualities in the music she’s made with her brass-forward band Bonegasm since its 2019 debut. How else to explain Wharton’s venture into improvising and bandleading after years in the classical world, big band sections and Broadway orchestra pits? Or her dedication to giving the oft-neglected trombone – and more to the point, her own bass trombone – its place in the spotlight? And not least, that she’s done so with a tricky balance of elegant arrangements, bold musicianship, and audacious wit?
13
Oct
[ October 20th, 2023 release on Hubro: Erlend Apneseth Trio with Maja Ratkje – Collage ]
release date: 20.10.2023 on HUBRO Records
The latest album release by acclaimed Norwegian band Erlend Apneseth Trio is made in collaboration with renowned experimental composer and vocalist Maja Ratkje. Their impromptu concert together in 2022 was a glorious kick-off for a five-day festival and was luckily put on tape. After reworking and reimagining the recorded material with their steady collaborator Jørgen Træen, the result is a refreshing take on improvisations-turned-compositions. Featuring innovative soundscapes with archival material and an engaging transitory state.
11
Oct
[ October 20th, 2023 release on Clean Feed Records: Aruán Ortiz with Don Byron, Lester St. Louis, Pheeroan akLaff, Mtume Gant – Pastor’s Paradox ]
Cuban-born, Brooklyn-based pianist, composer and conceptualist Aruán Ortiz celebrates his 50th birthday year with the release of Pastor’s Paradox, his stirring new album drawing on the power and structure of Martin Luther King’s words. Out October 20, 2023 on Clean Feed Records, the album features Ortiz with clarinetist Don Byron, cellists Lester St. Louis and Yves Dhar, drummer Pheeroan akLaff, and spoken word artist Mtume Gant.
09
Oct
[ October 13th, 2023 release via Odin Records: A Tonic For The Troops – Realm Of Opportunities ]
release date: 13.10.2023 via Odin Records
A Tonic For The Troops have, after extensive touring, established themselves as a tight collective with high octane performances providing enjoyable and accessible jazz. After several ‘top of the year’ lists for their debut album Ambush, ATFTT are joining forces again for their second album! The ingredients still consist of straight ahead post-bop with a modern and contemporary sound, but ‘Realm of Opportunities’ also opens up a more lyrical and emotional approach.
06
Oct
[ October 13th, 2023 release via Adyhâropa Records: Quinsin Nachoff – Stars and Constellations ]
Saxophonist/composer Quinsin Nachoff draws inspiration from mythology that seeks to make sense of the unfathomable cosmos on his new album Stars and Constellations, out October 13, 2023 via Adyhâropa Records. Uniting a chord-less jazz trio – Nachoff, bassist Mark Helias and drummer Dan Weiss – with both the Bergamot Quartet, and on one track by The Rhythm Method string quartet, the adventurous album dissolves any division between jazz and classical.
” There’s something strikingly inventive and vivid about Nachoff’s music… composed by a mind that continues to stretch beyond the comfort zone of any genre.” – Friedrich Kunzmann, All About Jazz
“Nachoff’s writing [is] shaped by an engagingly complex musical mind, a sensibility that guarantees the progress of each movement will contain a series of delights and surprises. It’s demanding contemporary music that succeeds at the trick of pulling you in.” – Michael Ullman, The Arts Fuse
03
Oct
[ October 6th, 2023 release on Jazzland Recordings: Rymden – Valleys & Mountains ]
release date: 06. 10.2023 on Jazzland Recordings
After their previous excursions into the outer cosmos – the highly acclaimed studio albums “Reflections and Odysseys“, “Space Sailors” and the powerful live album “RYMDEN+KORK” – RYMDEN have returned to Earth with their new album, “Valleys and Mountains”. However, as one might expect from the trio of Bugge Wesseltoft, Magnus Öström and Dan Berglund, the music is not strictly earthbound – the inner cosmos, dreams and visions offer new spaces to explore, alongside bucolic rambles and treks. The instrumentation and techniques are once again diversified, the styles multiplied; yet all remains indisputably the music of RYMDEN.
01
Oct
[ October 6th, 2023 release on Giant Step Arts: Chien Chien Lu – Build in System ]
Giant Step Arts continues its Modern Masters and New Horizons series with the second album as a leader by vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu. Built In System (Live from New York) features Lu‘s original music performed by her stellar band with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, bassist Richie Goods and drummer Allan Mednard. The album is out October 6, 2023.
10 Emerging Jazz Artists To Watch in 2023” – Morgan Enos, Grammy.com
“A soulful modernist on the rise” – Dan Bilawsky, AllAboutJazz.com