One of the most lauded drummers in modern jazz, Dan Weiss, releases his daring and compelling new trio album Even Odds – featuring longtime collaborators alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Matt Mitchell – on March 29, 2024 via Cygnus Recordings.
“Undeniably virtuosic and progressive, Weiss works in unconventional ways.” – Filipe Freitas, JazzTrail
“[Weiss is] best known as a virtuosic, in-demand jazz drummer… and an ambitious, imaginative bandleader.” – Hank Shteamer, The New York Times
Ketil Mulelid went through quite a long journey since his trio’s debut Not Nearly Enough To Buy a House in 2017. Two following trio recordings and finally , the solo one, framed his wonderful period with Rune Grammofon stables. Meanwhile , he collaborated in a vocal project and started to expand his expression pallet with the Wako Quartet, another very successful and highly received by both, the critics and the listeners, band, he was the part of long before he even started to explore the trio format. From this collaboration, further expanded the Agoja, came out, forefronted by the the single A Prayer For Peace.
Bird’s Eye, due out March 8, 2024 via Pyroclastic Records, features a pathfinding new trio with gayageum player DoYeon Kim and drummer/percussionist Lesley Mok.
“[David Leon’s] extroversion feels like a natural part of his musical personality, spiking his agile post-bop with nifty conceptual brio that never gets in the way of his desire to communicate.” – Peter Margasak, The Quietus
“[Bird’s Eye] maintained an easy and fluid connection… [Mok] effortlessly augmented Leon’s… solos and punctuated the texture without overpowering DoYeon Kim, who shredded so hard on the gayagum that she had to actually reassemble her instrument before the set was over.” – Lana Norris, I Care If You Listen
Pianist and composer Lynne Arriale’s exquisite new album Being Human will be released March 1, 2024 via Challenge Records and she’s celebrating with a 15-date tour March 6 – 24 and May 4 – 24.
★★★★ “…easily the most outstanding album we have heard recently…summons all the resources that Arriale has at her disposal from composition to performance, deep immersion in the language of jazz piano and a trio that allows everything, beat, groove and pulse, to break through and shine.” – Marlbank UK
Being Human, pianist-composer Lynne Arriale‘s 17th album as a leader, is her fourth for Challenge Records International. Being Human, a suite of 10 original compositions, celebrates the ways that our lives are enriched by acts of passion, courage, love, persistence, heart, soul, curiosity, faith and joy. Featuring bassist Alon Near and drummer Lukasz Zyta, the album explores these life-affirming facets of humankind. Many of the songs are dedicated to people who’ve inspired Arriale, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai.
Beijing-born, New York-based vocalist/composer Annie Chen offers an impassioned plea for environmental stewardship on her stunning new album Guardians, out February 23, 2024 via JZ Music. The powerful music set was inspired by a wintertime visit to Acadia National Park in Maine.
An explosive combination of nationalities and cultural backgrounds, the band on this album features Chen with drummer and percussionist Satoshi Takeishi (Japan), Fung Chern Hwei (Malaysia) on violin and viola; guitarist Marius Duboule (Switzerland/France); pianist and accordionist Vitor Gonçalves (Brazil); and Americans Alex LoRe on alto sax, flute and bass clarinet and bassist Mathew Muntz, who also plays the meh, a rare Croatian bagpipe.
“[Chen’s] understanding of music from the Eastern Hemisphere and the ways it’s fused to jazz melody is her unique skill as a singer, composer and leader… This clear-eyed fusion of East and West with an avant-garde twist is Chen’s contribution to contemporary currents of international jazz.” – Dave Wayne, DownBeat (about the last album Secret Treetop.)
“Annie Chen’s music is as individualistic as it is ambitious – and it is very ambitious.” – delarue, Lucid Culture
Guitarist and oud master Gordon Grdina releases two diverse yet equally stunning new albums via his Attaboygirl Records label on February 16, 2024
Gordon Grdina’s The Marrow with Fathieh Honari melds Persian and improvised music with Hank Roberts, Mark Helias and Hamin Honari, while Duo Work is an exhilarating improvisational meeting between Grdina and drummer Christian Lillinger
“Gordon Grdina is] a player of unbridled musical ingenuity.” – Raul da Gama, World Music Report
Guitarist and oud master Gordon Grdina releases two diverse yet equally stunning new albums via his Attaboygirl Records label on February 16, 2024
Gordon Grdina’s The Marrow with Fathieh Honari melds Persian and improvised music with Hank Roberts, Mark Helias and Hamin Honari, while Duo Work is an exhilarating improvisational meeting between Grdina and drummer Christian Lillinger
“The Marrow is] nothing short of extraordinary, genuinely pushing the envelope in terms of how far an artist can take both Middle Eastern maqam music and American jazz.” – New York Music Daily
Bassist/composer Moppa Elliott presents the second release by his quintet Advancing on a Wild Pitch. . Out on February 16, 2024, via Hot Cup Records.
The band features Elliott with Sam Kulik, trombone; Charles Evans, bari sax; Danny Fox, piano; and Christian Coleman, drums.
Moppa Elliott’s Acceleration Due to Gravity Presents Jonesville. Nonet album to be released February 16, 2024 on Hot Cup Records
“It’s all so wild, so free, so … entertaining. You wonder why other bandleaders don’t seem to have this much fun all the time.” – Steve Greenlee, JazzTimes
“[Acceleration Due to Gravity] is music that has all the forward momentum of funk and hip-hop, but none of its predictability.” – Andy Hermann, DownBeat
Featuring: Moppa Elliott (DownBeat Critics Poll Rising Star Bassist, Composer, Arranger), Bobby Spellman (trumpet), Dave Taylor (trombone), Matt Nelson (alto saxophone), Stacy Dillard (tenor saxophone), Kyle Saulnier (baritone saxophone), Ava Mendoza (guitar), George Burton (piano), and Mike Pride (drums).
The cooperative international quartet Kaze, featuring Japanese composer-pianist Satoko Fujii and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura along with French trumpeter Christian Pruvost and drummer Peter Orins, will release Unwritten, the first completely improvised album in their 13-year history, on February 9, 2024 via Circum/Libra. Recorded live in Lille, France, the album showcases the depth and connection of the musicians.
“Romantic, cacophonous, intelligent, and thoroughly without pretence.” — Steve Mossberg, Arts Fuse
“The Kaze concept shows no sign of going stale. Every time out they freshen that concept in ingenious ways.”— S. Victor Aaron, Something Else!
