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Release date October 31: The exquisite vocal gifts of Theo Bleckmann have enlivened the works of many composers and improvisers over the years. This has unfortunately often led to his own projects becoming a rarity. Bleckmann's new recording, Love and Anger, presents the full scope of the vocalist's wide ranging musical talents with collaborators new and old on material imbued with heart.One of Bleckmann's more recent collaborators, Ulysses Owens, Jr., had loved Bleckmann's Hello Earth, a recording highlighting the music of Kate Bush. Bleckmann and Owens' time on the road allowed for a friendship to blossom, leading Owens to express his intention to produce a recording for Bleckmann in 2024.The duo's efforts were fluid and fast, as they chose material that they felt would highlight Bleckmann's unique abilities and, also, was connected to his unique aesthetic. They really wanted to highlight Bleckmann's innate ability to take another composer's work and excavate something out of it that wasn't already there. His pure and daring voice has inspired compositions by Ben Monder, John Hollenbeck, Phil Kline, Ikue Mori, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Julia Wolfe and David Lang, whose chamber opera "Note to a Friend" (commissioned by Japan Society and directed by Yoshi Oida) was composed specifically for Bleckmann's unique sound and sensibility.The musicians recruited to accompany Bleckmann on this deeply personal recording are fellow journeymen on many of Bleckmann's projects, truly making this a band of friends. Drummer Owens is accompanied by stalwart bassist Matt Penman and pianist Mike King, a brilliant performer to whom Bleckmann was introduced during the Songs of Freedom tour. Longtime collaborators Ben Monder and woodwind specialist Timo Vollbrecht are also featured prominently on a number of pieces. These partnerships extend a lineage of trusted creative bonds-Bleckmann has maintained long-term associations with the late Sheila Jordan, Meredith Monk, and Monder, most recently appearing with Monk in her 2024 Park Avenue Armory blockbuster Indra's Net.The ensemble recording was made on July 24, 2024, at Trading 8s Studio by Chris Sulit and then mixed and mastered by Dave Darlington. It begins with two Kate Bush compositions. "Love and Anger" is a song about deep secrets, in this case those of the ills of the Catholic church. Bleckmann's multilayered vocals float above the driving quartet as he asks for resolution from an ugly reality. Bush's "Bertie" delivers a message of love for a child but also a concern for their existence in a confusing moment in time. ABOUT THEO BLECKMANN Since the 1990s, Bleckmann has added a flexible and creative voice to the worlds of jazz, improv, and new music. His vast network of collaborators has grown throughout time, creating longtime partnerships with brilliant musicians like Meredith Monk, Ben Monder, and John Hollenbeck. He has also forged acclaimed collaborations with Laurie Anderson, Ambrose Akinmusire, Philip Glass, John Zorn, Kneebody, The Westerlies, and the Bang on a Can All-Stars. A sought-after interpreter, Bleckmann brings his adventurous sensibility to reimagining songs across centuries-from Henry Purcell, Charles Ives, George Gershwin, and Kurt Weill to Kate Bush, Massive Attack, Frank Ocean, and the Bee Gees. He has discussed this joyful, experimental approach on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross.Bleckmann's artistry has earned him Grammy nominations in both jazz and classical categories, as well as the prestigious Echo Award in his native Germany. He has toured Europe with the Oulu Symphony Orchestra and the UMO Jazz Big Band, and just returned from a tour of Japan with orchestra performing the music of Joe Hisaishi.As a composer and bandleader, he has released more than two decades' worth of influential albums, including the luminous Elegy (ECM) and the witty, propulsive 12 Easy Songs (commissioned by National Sawdust, forthcoming in 2026 for ECM).

Release date November 14: Jazz Master Kenny Barron's Songbook, is a landmark recording that will cement his place in the pantheon of jazz greats. Joined by his long-standing trio -Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums - he unveils a collection of original compositions interpreted by an extraordinary cast of guest vocalists, including Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kurt Elling, Ann Hampton Callaway, Catherine Russell, Jean Baylor, Tyreek McDole, Ekep Nkwelle, and Kavita Shah. Seamlessly blending lyrical sophistication, harmonic depth, and rhythmic vitality, Songbook is both a celebration of Kenny Barron's artistry and a defining statement in a career that has shaped the sound of modern jazz. This is not just a new album- it is a legacy in the making.

Release date November 7: Old Knew is Gregory Groover, Jr's follow-up to his 2024 Criss Cross debut, Lovabye, on which - in the exalted company of Joel Ross, Aaron Parks, Vicente Archer and Marcus Gilmore - he projected his soulful, reflective tenor saxophone voice throughout an 11-track recital of, as Groover puts it, original "love songs and songs of people I love." On Old Knew, Groover, 32, addresses similarly inspired repertoire from a different angle, eliciting collective kineticism and creative spirit from a pan-generational A-list quintet, comprising Ross, the nonpareil 30-year-old vibraphonist; Paul Cornish, the 20-something pianist; and the glorious drummer Kendrick Scott and bass provocateur Harish Raghavan, both 40-something. Total CD time: 53:49 min

Release date November 7: Brandon Sanders returns to Savant Records, and his new recording is something to get excited about. After turning critics' heads with two previous recordings, Brandon is stepping it up with his new project that's all energy and heart. Part of the buzz comes from the stellar lineup. Joining the session is pianist Eric Scott Reed, certainly a name that carries serious weight in jazz today. Reed is one of those rare players who can make any ensemble shine, and his chemistry with Brandon is remarkable, to say the least. Also on hand is Jazzmeia Horn, the Grammy-nominated vocalist with the voice that's been compared to Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan. Joining forces with Sanders once again, she's featured on two tracks, and her singular style-which combines the timeless with the futuristic-brings a whole other dimension to the music. With music by the Gershwins, Mal Waldron, Eric Scott Reed and the leader himself, this is more than just another album-it's the sound of Brandon Sanders coming into full focus. The entire album is rooted in tradition, shaped by experience, and voiced with a clarity that marks him as an important presence on the US jazz scene. Jazz pianist Lafayette Harris Jr. Presents a new recording that promises to uphold the high standards set with his 2023 album "Swingin' Up in Harlem." That record earned some serious ink, with All About Jazz calling it "top-dollar... it simply does not get much better than this." Here, Lafayette's back in the Van Gelder Studio, this time with Jeremy Pelt, one of the most in-demand jazz trumpeters-voted Rising Star on trumpet for five straight years by both DownBeat and the Jazz Journalists Association, and praised for his melodic, post-bop approach that blends familiar elements with a cutting-edge musical vocabulary. But Lafayette has brought another of his friends to the party-Houston Person, the distinguished senior statesman of the tenor saxophone, who sits in on one track. This is a man whose decades of deeply personal playing, accompanying, and mentorship have shaped the sound of jazz today. His contribution to the session is not just noteworthy, it's what some might call "an event." With this remarkable lineup, Lafayette Harris Jr.'s "All in Good Time" is like a detailed map across a musical landscape. Jazz fans attuned to both tradition and originality will find that this recording flows like a river through the music's history-vibrant, alive, and full of surprises.