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Was just listening to the first disc of this last night. Right now:

Karen Stachel Norbert Stachel & LehCats Join Forces with Giovanni Hidalgo On "Live at the Breakroom," A 2-CD Set to Be Released March 20 On Purple Room Productions Jazz-Funk-World Fusion Band Led by NYC Multireedist Couple Captured with Legendary Conguero In a Hard-Driving, Groove-Heavy Performance of 10 Original Compositions   January 15, 2026 Omnivorous jazz fusion combo LehCats channels the awesome percussive power and ingenuity of conguero Giovanni Hidalgo with Live at the Breakroom, set for a March 20 release by Purple Room Productions. Captured on a night at the titular San Jose venue when Hidalgo was featured with the New York–based band led by husband-and-wife Karen (flutes, vocals) and Norbert Stachel (saxophones, flutes), the double-disc album is a superlative example of what can happen when spontaneity, unforced chemistry, and an energetic and receptive audience all converge. Crucially, none of the six musicians working together on Live at the Breakroom knew that the performance was being videoed and multitracked. The night of October 18, 2024, was the first of two nights of engagements in the San Francisco Bay Area, with LehCats (Stachel, spelled backwards) inviting Hidalgo—among the most acclaimed and in-demand conga players in the world—to join them as special guest. They did, however, know that the performance, featuring 10 original compositions by Norbert or Karen, was on fire—which made it a delightful surprise when they discovered that it was documented for posterity. “We realized that it was a great opportunity to produce and release a new CD,” writes Norbert Stachel in the album’s liner notes. “We felt the good vibes, and you can feel and hear great moments of high intensity and spirited interactions.” You sure can. LehCats’ polished but driving blend of jazz, funk, and Afro-Caribbean traditions oozes with the excitement and joy of inspired creation. From the raw-edged dance beat of the opening “Step On It” and the graceful Latin flow of “Sunshine” (illuminated by both Karen Stachel’s vocal and Matt Clark’s montuno piano), to Norbert’s sleek, brawny tenor marathon on “Power Tap,” to the Stachels’ dual-flute-led slow burn on “Soul Cha Cha” and the ferocious African polyrhythms (Karen’s stellar percussive flute solo among them) that charge the closing “Mandela,” the set is positively hair-raising. LehCats is a dynamic ensemble with shifting personnel—Bay Area pianist Clark and bassist Dan Feiszli here joining New York’s Stachels and drummer Dan Gonzalez—that builds a formidable Latin-spiced groove on its own. Yet Hidalgo’s presence on Live at the Breakroom sends that groove into hyperdrive, as heard in his dazzling solo intro to “Afrobaldi” and gritty lock-in with Gonzalez, Clark, and Feiszli on “Power Tap.” What the band thought was a one-time, ephemeral moment in San Jose instead stands as indelible proof that rhythm and music might be the most powerful unifying forces on earth. Norbert Stachel was born in Vallejo, California and grew up just outside of Berkeley in the town of El Cerrito. Gravitating to the saxophone as a teenager, he became a friend and collaborator of Bay Area jazz multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum, which led to a remarkable career as a sideman for the likes of Prince, Sheila E., Boz Scaggs, and Tower of Power, as well as Andrew Hill, Freddie Hubbard, and Roy Hargrove. Karen Stachel (nee Anderson) was born in Fort Lewis, Washington, the child of a military family that raised her in a nomadic base-to-base lifestyle. She began playing the flute in the third grade and became fascinated with jazz in high school, earning a jazz studies degree at California State University Hayward (where she studied and played with legendary bassist Chuck Israels) and a master’s in classical music at San Francisco State before founding the Karen Anderson Jazztet in the 1990s. Meeting and developing their relationship on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene, Norbert and Karen married in 1996 and moved to New York in 2002, where they nonetheless maintained separate musical and professional trajectories until 2015, when they and drummer Dan Gonzalez came together to launch LehCats. The next year brought their debut album, Out of the Bag. They followed it up with 2018’s Movement to Egalitaria, with the Stachels and Gonzalez joined by a rotating cast of 28 musicians in various combinations. The unplanned but inspired recording Live at the Breakroom is LehCats’ third album. Upcoming performances by LehCats include Sat. 1/17 (7:30pm-10:30pm), Vault 240, Hawley, PA; Tues. 1/27 (7pm-11pm), Arthur’s Tavern, 57 Grove St., NYC; Sun 2/15 (7pm-8:30pm), Paul Kares: The Room at Cedar Grove, Lewes, DE; Tues. 2/24 (7pm-11pm), Arthur’s Tavern, NYC. Photography: Chris Drukker    LehCats EPK  LehCats Website  

Again Clifford, to clarify things a bit: since I wasn’t completely sure about these sessions, I wrote to Johann Haidenbauer to check my doubts. Johann replied (in his very characteristic way): “Yeah, I think this is based on an interview that was published in DownBeat.” I know Johann well enough to recognize that his “Yeah” usually means “yes, you’re on the right track”, but both he and I prefer to keep a small margin of uncertainty — old notes and memories can always be tricky. Still, in this case I’m fairly confident that my recollection is correct.

Yes!!!

I forgot how well recorded these tapes sound and how nice the mastering is. And . . . Pres! “Lester Young in Washington D.C. Vol. 1” Pablo cd Lester Young with Bill Potts, Norman Williams, Jim Lucht

Me too.

Ciao Clifford thanks Blue Rock Studio, New York City, circa February, 1978 The news comes from the discography of Mike Hames and Roy Wilbraham, whom I believe you know, and I also agree with what you say about the Here & Now period. Unfortunately, dear Clifford, I can no longer talk to Don about it (how many things I would like to ask him now). I say this because we saw each other many times between 1973 and 1991.

I haven't listened to that Jimmy Woods LP in years, but kinda feel, or felt, the same way about it.

The Harold Land thread spurred me to try this one again...(I like it, but still feels that the parts, formidable parts - Elvin, Land, Andrew Hill, Carmell Jones, George Tucker - are somewhat greater than its sum 🤷‍♂️)

Anyone know when the new Big Band Box is going to ship?

About 14" of snow overnight, and it’s been 14 degrees F for a while. I went out and did most of the clearing I needed to before my hands got too cold–just have about four feet of the driveway yet to clear, though it’s pretty thick there due to the county plowing. And. . . it’s still snowing. projected for another four hours or more. . .we could get three to four inches more. The price I pay for living in this wonderful area (as far as nature goes, people and restaurants qnd shopping etc. not so much). Chilling out from all that exercise with Bobby Timmons “Sweet and Soulful Sounds” Riverside material from the German Jazz Plus release that also includes “Born to Be Blue”. . .

What's the date? I'm not seeing it listed in the discography here: https://guitardiscography.com/wp-content/include-me/don-cherry/don-cherry-discography.php Usually, Siegfried Busch is credited as "Sigi" Busch, rather than "Tiki." The personnel lines up with the Hear & Now period, but I'm not seeing this specific session.

Does anyone have information about this unreleased Atlantic Records concert by Don Cherry? Lineup reported: Don Cherry – trumpet, vocals Janice "Jan" Cherry – violin Ricky Cherry – keyboards Stan Samole – guitar Claudio Ferreira – guitar Siegfried "Tiki" Busch – bass Anthony Busch – drums Naná Vasconcelos – percussion Raphael Cruz – percussion I’m asking because I’m not sure this concert ever actually took place. Any details, confirmation, or corrections would be greatly appreciated.

I liked both of them. 😎

I’d have to recheck JC Ref again, but “every time” may have been misidentified as “I want to talk” in precious release(s). As I noted in prior posts, the only track that had not been released previously was the (real) “I want to talk”. And to your point, they may have gotten more onto a CD — perhaps that is something for the future?? recall, though: prior releases of these concerts may (probably?) be based on high quality private recordings of the original radio broadcasts — like MANY unofficial releases out there — whereas these were from the original studio tapes that were apparently in rough condition (based on the liner notes). Perhaps these were the only salvageable tracks?? Don’t know….but it is a fair point.

And update from me: f-ing aggravated. New "delivery update": Now maybe next Thursday. THREE weeks to get this book at least. Seriously, WTFH.

Disc 1

👍

Disappointing release for me - the 62 concert actually had 7 tracks, but only three of these have been released on this set 1. I want to Talk About You (08:30) 2. Every time We Say Goodbye (05:20) - this track previously unreleased - listed in The Coltrane Reference 3. Bye Bye Blackbird (20:25) They could have loaded much more music onto the double CD version, probably most of the tracks below John Coltrane Quartet : John Coltrane (ts,sop) McCoy Tyner (p) Jimmy Garrison (b) Elvin Jones (d) Concert, "Kulttuuritalo", Helsinki, Finland, November 20, 1962 Bye bye blackbird Le Chant Du Monde (F)5742752.61 [CD] The inch worm - Ev'ry time we say goodbye - Mr. P.C. - Traneing in - My favorite things - [C7522]Add

One of my favorite Joe's! NP

Doug Sides - Perseverance whenever I buy an album like this, I am worried I might only play it once... but here I am playing it a second time a few years later... several lines of my collecting met on this one, it has pianist Ron Wilson (who is great on the recently reissued "Open Sky Unit" with Jacques and Micheline Pelzer), the pair of saxophonist Gijs Hendriks and Bert van Erk (whose many LPs I all own by now), and three Americans with interesting discographies (Roger Cooke, Doug Sides and Steve Galloway)