release date: 16.10.2020 on One Trick Dog
“A witty, skillful composer, the multi-instrumentalist leads his first full band outing in fine form with playing and writing that are second to none,” – Midwest Record
From Leonard Bernstein and Neil Young to Bulgarian Women Vocalists and Rosenblum’s beguiling originals, the music showcases a brilliant cast of improvisers, including trumpeter Wayne Tucker, guitarist Rafael Rosa, reed expert Jasper Dutz, bassist Marty Jaffe and drummer Ben Zweig
release date: 09.09.2020 on Ridgeway Recs
4 stars: “In a musical journey that spans the titular 25 Years, Simon has crafted a lot of music, employing a Latin/jazz/classical approach with a seemingly effortless refinement, making sounds that are unfailingly engaging and beautiful.” – Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
“One of the strongest pianists of his generation, with intuitive empathy and drum-like ingenuity, and solos compositionally with passionate elegance.” — Ted Panken, DownBeat
Featuring tracks drawn from 13 albums spanning more than two decades, 25 features a brilliant cadre of Simon’s closest collaborators including tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, altoist David Binney, bassists Scott Colley, John Patitucci and Ben Street and drummers Brian Blade and Adam Cruz.
release date: 02.10.2020 via Rataplan Records
The Story Behind 27 Licks
Michael Formanek to a 23 year old Devin Gray (now 37):
M: “Is it ok if Gerald Cleaver uses your drums for my gig in Baltimore next week?”
D: From Sweden on tour (already) “Who? yeah sure!”
One month later they met in Banff Canada for the first time.
D: “Oh so you’re Gerald Cleaver… Bill McHenry? (Maine connection) Chris Lightcap’s Lay-up?”
G: “Yup”
D: “I’ve been listening to you since I was 16!”
release date: 02.10.2020 Via Sunnyside Records
“Haidu is one of the finest young jazz lions…with jazz luminaries like trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and alto saxophonist Jon Irabagon gracing the band as part of a core quintet, rising above their powerful performance is quite an accomplishment and Haidu does just that.” – Edward Blanco, JazzTimes
“Haidu’s ability to express deep feelings is striking.” – Tony Hall, Jazzwise (UK)
release date: 18 September 2020 via Destiny Records
“…a guitarist of broad fluency and deep lyrical instinct…“ — Nate Chinen, WBGO’s “Take Five”
“Name any guitarist – Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, John Scofield – and the comparison falls short or fails entirely, because Tom Guarna is his own man.” — JazzTimes
Spirit Science showcases the New York-based guitarist in nine flowing, melody-laced originals inspired by the science of sacred geometry, complemented by a “dream team” of a band. Spirit Science – Guarna’s eighth album and second release via Destiny Records, due out September 18, 2020 – showcases the New York-based guitarist in nine flowing, melody-laced originals inspired by the science of sacred geometry.
release date: 18th of September, 2020 via Circum / Libra Recs.
“…genius….[Sand Storm] reveals the true spirit of jazz in the way the ideas and themes slowly emerge from that odd sonic landscape.” – Marc Phillips, Part Time Audiophile
“Intense and playful, down-to-earth and international, Kaze communicates in a musical language of contrasts and continuity.” —Virginia Schaefer, JazzTimes
“If you think you can imagine what piano, drums, and two trumpets will sound like, think again.” ― Derk Richardson, KPFA Radio
On Sand Storm , Kaze – the cooperative quartet featuring Japanese composer-pianist Satoko Fujii and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura along with French trumpeter Christian Pruvost and drummer Peter Orins – welcomes pioneering laptop player Ikue Mori as a special guest. It’s no easy task for a band that’s been together for 10 years to add a player without upsetting a well-developed group balance, but the merger proves to be a natural one.
release date: 18th September 2020
It is the perfect sequel to “Reflections and Odysseys”, their highly acclaimed debut that spawned an equally acclaimed series of live performances. The trio have taken the dynamics, textures, moods, and perfect blend of subtle detailing and big sonic gestures to new levels, and have picked up new elements of 60s psychedelia and punk energy along the way. If you ever wondered what would happen if a Krzysztof Komeda score collided with Fugazi, look no further; if you need to know what Chopin writing doom metal might sound like, you might just find the answer you seek. The prog and fusion elements you already know and expect are still here, but with different colours and markings. If “Reflections and Odysseys” was a first expedition into earth orbit, “Spacesailors” goes far beyond. This just might be their “moon landing” album.
available September 11 on Pyroclastic Records
The opening track, ‘Baby Renfroe,’ suggests James Brown funk as refracted through a dichroic prism…. It’s a good first taste of the album, in that it conveys a certain in-betweenness: the band sounds tight but open, calm but spring-coiled.” – Nate Chinen, WBGO’s “Take Five”
” A Basist with a strong rhythmic compass and a stout, beefy tone” — The New York Times
Poised to challenge those limited views of Revis’ expression, Slipknots Through a Looking Glass — his eighth solo-led album, and first release on Pyroclastic Records — explores new territory alongside familiar travelers: drummer Chad Taylor, pianist Kris Davis and saxophone masters Darius Jones and Bill McHenry.
release date: 20.08.2020 via Whirlwind Recs
“Guitarist Abbasi’s homage to Django Reinhardt is no nostalgia bath. Quite the contrary, Abbasi uses Reinhardt’s ingeniously constructed compositions as a touching-off point for unusual sonic explorations with drummer Michael Sarin, and Neil Alexander playing organ, electronics and synthesizers. The textural effects are often startling, casting Reinhardt tunes in unlikely, sometimes otherworldly contexts.” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune “The best jazz recordings of 2020 to date: From Wynton Marsalis to Adam Palma”
“On Django-shift, guitarist and composer Rez Abbasi deconstructs two separate traditions simultaneously: the music of 1930s Gypsy swing icon Django Reinhardt, and the 1960s organ trio…. Abbasi’s take on Reinhardt’s compositions is neither driving swing nor funk – instead, it’s played in his own now well established style, which is complex, knotty, chromatic, and timbrally unique (note his extensive use of the fretless guitar)…. challenging and rewarding.” – Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
“Abbasi is living, breathing proof that jazz music can be as vital and boundary-pushing as ever.” – AllAboutJazz.com.
release date: August 28, 2020 via Palmetto
“…a ray of sunshine from Matt Wilson.” – Nate Chinen, WBGO “Take Five”
“Between the plague and politics, 2020 seems like a good year, if you tote a pitchfork and walk on cloven hoofs. The rest of us could use some lifting up, and no one’s better suited to that job than Matt Wilson.” – Bill Meyer, DownBeat
A new Matt Wilson album isn’t so much a snapshot capturing the drummer at a particular moment in time. Rather, his recordings are more like a musical family tree, vividly illustrating the web of relationships that manifest in his music. A creative force since the 1980s, he embodies a verdant and radically unbounded aesthetic, and Hug embraces some of his deepest nourishing roots. Featuring Wilson’s long-running quartet with saxophonist Jeff Lederer, cornetist Kirk Knuffke and bassist Chris Lightcap, Hug documents one of jazz’s most potent and expressive working bands exploring a typically far-flung Wilsonian program.
