GA Russell

Happy Birthday Jon!

Happy Birthday t_f!

ECM Kristjan Randalu - Absence release date April 6, 2018 Kristjan Randalu: piano; Ben Monder: guitar; Markku Ounaskari: drums Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu makes his ECM debut with a striking album of his own rigorous-yet-lyrical music, sensitively played by a trio formed especially for this recording, with American guitarist Ben Monder and Finnish drummer Markku Ounaskari. As an improviser of prodigious technique, once described by Herbie Hancock as "a dazzling piano player", Randalu's affinities are with the jazz musicians, but the forms and dynamics of his pieces also reflect a discerning sense of structure, and he has cited composers Erkki-Sven Tüür and Tõnu Kõrvitz amongst his mentors. Absence was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the south of France in July 2017 and produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM Kristjan Randalu Absence Kristjan Randalu: piano Ben Monder: guitar Markku Ounaskari: drums Released date: April 6, 2018 ECM 2586 B0028128-02 UPC: 6025 672 2679 6 Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu makes his ECM debut with a striking album of his own rigorous-yet-lyrical music, sensitively played by a group formed especially for this recording, with American guitarist Ben Monder and Finnish drummer Markku Ounaskari. The trio line-up was suggested by producer Manfred Eicher after hearing Randalu’s 2012 duo recording with Monder, Equilibrium. The featured compositions on Absence are robust, and in the past Randalu has played them also as solo piano pieces. In this session recorded in Pernes-les-Fontaines in the south of France, their structures are prised open. Guitar and drums subtly illuminate the pieces from inside, casting light on their originality. Among other attributes, Monder and Ounaskari are outstanding colorists and textural players, and they bring out much of the fine detail implied in Randalu’s writing with inspired improvising. Like much good music, Randalu’s resists capsule summary. Markku Ounaskari has observed that “Kristjan’s music is really a world of its own.” As an improviser of prodigious technique, once described by Herbie Hancock as “a dazzling piano player”, Randalu’s affinities are with the jazz musicians, but the forms and dynamics of his pieces also reflect a discerning structural sense, and he has cited composers Erkki-Sven Tüür and Tõnu Kõrvits among his mentors. Kristjan Randalu’s capacity to move between genres and disciplines is rare: his itinerary in recent months, for instance, has found him premiering new music of his own with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, performing Arvo Pärt’s Credo with Kristjan Järvi and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and also playing duets with Dave Liebman. There are not many contemporary players with this kind of range. Born into a musical family in Estonia in 1978, Randalu grew up in Germany. Both his parents are professional classical pianists, and all of his early music training was purely classical. Hearing Chick Corea’s Inside Out at the age of 13 changed some of his priorities: “It seemed to me so perfect that I thought at first that it must be all notated. And it had all this rhythmic energy, and sound-wise, harmonically and colour-wise was very interesting to me. At that point I had almost no historical jazz references at all - no early Miles, even, no Coltrane – I would learn about all of that later. But I felt motivated to create my own music with piano and synthesizer and sequencer and soon had my first band. By this point I had already been performing classical music for years and was playing at a serious level, but there was a gap between practicing my Liszt and Chopin and beginning to deal actively with jazz…” The gap was bridged in the following years by studies with a number of notable pianists, including John Taylor and Django Bates. A scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music allowed plenty of opportunities to hear New York’s improvisers at first hand, Ben Monder amongst them. “Later it happened on a couple of occasions that our groups – Ben’s group and my group -- played one after the other at festivals in Germany and we talked several times about doing something together. But it didn’t happen until a festival organizer in Estonia proposed a duo concert….” Markku Ounaskari and Kristjan Randalu first played opposite each other in a concert series organized by German radio station NDR. Ounaskari was then playing with the second edition of his Kuára group with Trygve Seim on saxes. When Seim formed his Helsinki Songs project a couple of years later, he invited both Ounaskari and Randalu to be part of it (an ECM album with Seim, Randalu, Ounaskari and Mats Eilertsen is in preparation). Ounaskari has played with all the major Finnish jazz players and with many international jazz musicians including Lee Konitz, Kenny Wheeler, Tomasz Stanko and Marc Ducret. In addition to his Kuára recording with Samuli Mikkonen and Per Jørgensen, exploring Russian psalms and Finno-Ugrian folk songs in an improvisational context, Markku Ounaskari appears on several ECM recordings with folk singer and kantele player Sinikka Langeland, including Starflowers, The Land That Is Not, The Half-Finished Heaven and The Magical Forest. A musician in the New York City area for over 30 years, Ben Monder has performed with a wide variety of artists, including Jack McDuff, Marc Johnson, Lee Konitz, Billy Childs, Andrew Cyrille, George Garzone, Paul Motian, Maria Schneider, and Marshall Crenshaw. He also contributed guitar parts to the final David Bowie album, Blackstar. In addition to his own ECM album Amorphae, with Paul Motian, Andrew Cyrille and Pete Rende, Monder appears on Theo Bleckmann’s Elegy and Paul Motian’s Garden of Eden. The Absence trio is touring in April and May. For details consult Kristjan’s web site www.randalu.com Absence was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in July 2017 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

oldies.com has The Chartbusters - Mating Call for $4.98. https://www.oldies.com/product-view/63985N.html It is also on iTunes.

Palle Mikkelborg trumpet, flugelhorn Jakob Bro guitar Thomas Morgan double bass Jon Christensen drums Bro and musical soul-mate Morgan reconnect with two living legends of European jazz, Mikkelborg and Christensen, for one of the prettiest and subtlest jazz albums of recent times. LISTEN / (PRE)ORDER HERE Tommy Smith tenor saxophone Arild Andersen double bass Paolo Vinaccia drums One of the most viscerally exciting jazz small groups of the present moment. Its energies are arguably best captured in a live context, and here the three musicians deliver a characteristically smoking performance. LISTEN / (PRE)ORDER HERE Mathias Eick trumpet, voice Håkon Aase violin Andreas Ulvo piano Audun Erlien electric bass Torstein Lofthus drums Helge Andreas Norbakken drums, percussion Eick is in great form as a writer on this showing, deploying driving rhythm at the bottom end of his music and soaring melody at the top. LISTEN / (PRE)ORDER HERE Bobo Stenson piano Anders Jormin double bass Jon Fält drums So strong is the group’s character and the musical identity of each of its members that the integration of this wide range of material always feels organic and logical. The trio’s first new recording in six years, and arguably their best. LISTEN / (PRE)ORDER HERE Ayumi Tanaka piano Håkon Aase violin Lucy Railton violoncello Ole Morten Vågan double bass Thomas Strønen drums, percussion “A highly improvised program that is challenging, accessible and hypnotic.” –Bobby Reed, Downbeat (Editor’s Choice 2/2018) LISTEN / (PRE)ORDER HERE © 2018 ECM Records. 1755 Broadway, Floor 3. New York, NY 10019. All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

The Maguire Twins-- Drummer Carl & Bassist Alan-- Display a Mastery of Their Craft That Belies Their Age on "Seeking Higher Ground," Due Out March 30 on Three Tree Records Produced by Memphis Legend Donald Brown, Twins' First U.S. Release Features Saxophonist Gregory Tardy, Trumpeter Bill Mobley, & Pianist Aaron Goldberg Tokyo-Born, Hong Kong-Raised, & Currently Memphis-Based, The Maguires Are Newest Members of Elite Fraternity of Jazz Brothers March 7, 2018 The Maguire Twins' mastery of their craft as jazz instrumentalists and composers is in sparkling evidence throughout their U.S. debut recording, Seeking Higher Ground, which will be released by Three Tree Records on March 30. Drummer Carl Seitaro Maguire and bassist Alan Shutaro Maguire, who'll turn 22 on March 19, take their place in the lineage of jazz brothers that includes such illustrious last names as Heath, Farmer, Montgomery, Mangione, Brecker, and Marsalis. Produced by Memphis legend Donald Brown, the CD finds the twins living up to its title by more than holding their own in the heady company of saxophonist Gregory Tardy, trumpeter Bill Mobley, and pianist Aaron Goldberg. The Maguires contribute two originals each to the program, which includes songs by their bandmates and producer. And without sacrificing cohesiveness, the songs are stylistically diverse. Tardy's "Theodicy" is a timely commentary on misguided religion. He plays tenor with his usual Coltrane-like intensity and, says Carl, "I try to somewhat embody Elvin Jones, who is one of my heroes." Brown's tricky "The Early Bird Gets the Short End of the Stick" boasts sudden time shifts and dramatic swoops that both twins laughingly said they were greatly relieved to have handled after numerous attempts. Carl's "Machi no Michi" (translation: "The Road of the Town") is an elegant tribute to his Japanese origins, as reflected in the Japanese scale in the bassline and the traditional taiko drum feel in the composer's playing. "I love the taiko drum's huge sound and the commanding way it is played," says Carl, who tunes his snares tightly to highlight the melody. Goldberg's composition, "Shed," was the first modern jazz tune the Maguires learned to play, having heard the pianist play it as both sideman and leader. "It has been one of our favorites for the longest time," says Carl. "Just watching Aaron count off his tunes helped me internalize time, made my time stronger," says Alan. Born in Tokyo in 1996 to a Japanese mother and an American father who both worked in the airline industry, identical twins Carl Seitaro Maguire (above left) and Alan Shutaro Maguire(above right) were raised in Hong Kong from age 3 and moved with their family, at 15, to musically rich Memphis. There they enrolled at the Stax Music Academy and started playing jazz. "Memphis is where most of our musical growing happened," says Carl. "I can't imagine us getting to where we are if we hadn't come here." They learned to improvise listening to musicians at jazz clubs. "The music just took us over," says Carl. "When I heard a bassist, I would tell Alan about it. When he heard a drummer, he would make suggestions to me based on what he saw and heard. We helped each other out. "We were open to criticism from each other as well as ideas," he adds. "Friends don't want to be too harsh, but we can criticize each other as much as we want." Saxophonist Kirk Whalum, then artist in residence at Stax, had much to do with their development as did Donald Brown, whom they met when he came to scout students as a faculty member at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. They went on to study there with him, Gregory Tardy, and bassist Jon Hamar, who composed one of the new album's heartfelt ballads, "Clarity." "It all goes back to Donald," says Alan. "He has kept us motivated. He's always giving us something new to work on, new CDs to check out, keeps us listening to all kinds of music and encourages us to get as many lessons from as many people as we can." When the Maguire family made its annual visit to Japan to visit the twins' maternal grandmother in the inland town of Kitaakita City, the boys performed in various spots, building a following among local musicians as well as fans. Requests for CDs led them to record, at 18, The Sound of Music, a demo-style album released in 2014. With each tour of Japan and Hong Kong, where they began performing on an annual basis in 2013, their Asian following has grown. So has the talent pool they draw from over there. The twins have performed with artists such as guitarist Yosuke Onuma, trombonist Shigeharu Mukai, pianist Yuichi Inoue, and saxophonist Yosuke Sato in Japan as well as pianist Ted Loin Hong Kong. "Now when we go back to Japan," says Carl, "where jazz has been really important to a lot of people for a long time, we do so as individuals who really appreciate this music. It's been quite an awakening for us, and it keeps getting more fun." Photography: Jamie Harmon Seeking Higher Ground EPK Web Site: www.themaguiretwins.com

This one has grown on me. I like it much more now than the first time I heard it.

After all the Sturm und Drang, the Argos have signed James Wilder to a two-year extension. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/23/coach-hypocrisy-frustrates-argos-rb-james-wilder-jr/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/27/report-argos-make-contract-extension-offer-james-wilder-jr/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/01/what-the-argos-are-offering-james-wilder-jr/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/03/argos-sign-rb-james-wilder-jr-to-extension/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/03/argos-gm-popp-turned-attention-to-wilder-jr-after-free-agency/#comments ***** Jake Harty has signed with Sask. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/18/canadian-receiver-jake-harty-spurns-alouettes-to-sign-with-riders-report/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/19/riders-officially-sign-one-time-redblacks-canadian-receiver-jake-harty/#comments ***** Daryl Waud and Michael Klassen have signed with Ottawa. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/19/redblacks-grab-former-argos-canadian-dl-daryl-waud/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/20/redblacks-sign-national-dl-michael-klassen-and-daryl-waud/#comments ***** Kyle Knox has signed with Montreal. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/19/alouettes-sign-two-canadians-former-bombers-lb-report/#comments ***** Here is something new. Each team revealed the names of ten players on its neg list. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/20/neg-list-names-to-be-released-tuesday/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/20/team-team-partial-neg-lists/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/20/cfl-teams-reveal-10-players-from-confidential-45-man-negotiation-lists/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/20/top-10-new-high-profile-names-on-cfl-neg-lists/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/20/depth-look-10-players-ticats-neg-list/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/20/depth-look-10-players-ticats-neg-list/#comments ***** Chicago has released Jerrell Freeman. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/20/bears-release-former-riders-linebacker-jerrell-freeman/#comments ***** Taylor Reed has signed with Toronto. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/20/former-redblacks-lb-taylor-reed-ink-deal-argos/#comments ***** Christophe Normand and Rory Kohlert have signed with Edmonton. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/21/eskimos-sign-canadians-normand-and-kohlert/ ***** Marshaun Coprich has signed with Ottawa. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/21/redblacks-sign-former-riders-rb-marshaun-coprich/#comments ***** Marcus Brady is leaving his job as the Argos OC to accept a position with Indianapolis. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/22/argos-offensive-coordinator-marcus-brady-to-leave-for-nfl-job/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/28/colts-make-it-official-former-argos-offensive-coordinator-marcus-brady-named-assistant-qb-coach/#comments ***** After a year with Fresno State, Orlondo Steinauer has re-joined Hamilton as their Asst. Head Coach. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/22/ticats-bring-back-orlondo-steinauer/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/22/orlondo-steinauer-returning-ticats-think/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/23/qa-orlondo-steinauer-return-ticats/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/02/23/qa-orlondo-steinauer-return-ticats/#comments ***** Ricky Collins has signed with BC. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/22/lions-sign-former-riders-ticats-receiver-ricky-collins/#comments ***** Hamilton has released Sergio Castillo. I have to think that he'll be picked up by the first team whose kicker gets injured. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/24/ticats-released-sergio-castillo-sucks/#comments ***** Urban Bowman has died at 80. RIP. http://3downnation.com/2018/02/25/former-bombers-coach-urban-bowman-passed-away/#comments ***** Hamilton has finalized its staff. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/01/ticats-finalize-2018-coaching-staff/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/01/butler-gets-recognition-ticats-coaching-staff-rounded/#comments ***** Anthony Calvillo will join Toronto's coaching staff. http://3downnation.com/2018/03/01/what-the-argos-are-offering-james-wilder-jr/#comments http://3downnation.com/2018/03/02/anthony-calvillo-to-be-new-argos-qb-coach/#comments http://www.3downnation.com/2018/03/02/3downnation-podcast-calvillos-decision-henocs-tour-cfl-combine-and-johnnys-options/#comments

Lauren Henderson Comes Into Her Own As Both Vocalist & Composer On "Ármame," Set for Release March 30 On Her Brontosaurus Records Imprint Henderson's 3rd Recording, Produced by Mark Ruffin, Showcases Her Facility with Jazz, Latin Jazz, & Other Styles On Sensual Set of Originals & Covers; Pianist & Longtime Associate Sullivan Fortner Anchors the Band CD Release Show at the Regattabar, Cambridge, MA, Friday, March 30 March 1, 2018 On her lovely and coolly sensual new recording, Ármame, vocalist Lauren Henderson delivers an eclectic set of jazz, Latin jazz, and other styles in a program reflecting her African-American and Caribbean heritage and her omnivorous musical tastes. Produced by veteran broadcaster and Sirius/XM jazz host Mark Ruffin, the CD will be released March 30 on her new label, Brontosaurus Records. The album's title translates as "Arm Me" (as from a broken heart), and the subtitle "Songs of Love and Loss" provides insight into Henderson's repertoire choices. In addition to premiering three new originals, the vocalist adds to her already impressive credentials as a deft interpreter of others' songs with heartfelt arrangements of "Love Is a Losing Game" by Amy Winehouse, Blossom Dearie's heartbreaking classic "Inside a Silent Tear," and Donny Hathaway's "We're Still Friends." The two songs on which Terri Lyne Carrington sings backup vocals -- "To Wisdom the Prize," by Larry Willis, and "Better Days," a nod to Chaka Khan, who's a favorite singer of Henderson's -- are a particular highlight. "There's this special, natural thing about how our voices go together," Henderson says of working with Carrington. One of Henderson's major influences, Shirley Horn, is represented by two mid-tempo selections from that master of restraint's songbook: Curtis Lewis's "The Great City," a onetime Nancy Wilson vehicle Henderson personalized with Spanish lyrics, and Bart Howard's "Let Me Love You," which was also recorded by Johnny Hartman."I've always loved Shirley Horn's delivery," says Henderson. "There are a lot of layers to her singing." Ármame is anchored by the great young pianist Sullivan Fortner, a friend and colleague since Lauren first arrived in New York. "Not all pianists are as good playing with singers as they are working as solo artists," she says. "He is." Bassist Eric Wheeler and drummer Joe Saylor of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert round out the rhythm section; the CD also features a strong set of soloists in alto saxophonist Godwin Louis, trumpeter Josh Evans, and guitarist Nick Tannura, plus percussionist Nanny Assis. Lauren Henderson was born on November 5, 1986 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, a town outside of Salem. Her father, of African-American and Caribbean ancestry, and her mother, the daughter of immigrants from Panama and Montserrat, are lovers of jazz and Latin music and exposed their daughter to these and other genres when she was growing up. While at Wheaton College, where she double-majored in Music and Hispanic Studies, she says, "I discovered my voice." Enrolling in classical voice and musical theater classes, she became the musical director of a gospel/R&B singing group and a member of the school jazz band. Henderson spent a year abroad in Mexico, where she studied the traditional music of the Yucatán at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, and in Spain, studying flamenco singing and dancing at La Universidad de Córdoba. After graduation, she moved to New York and got a day job with MTV, studied with such jazz notables as Paquito D'Rivera, Barry Harris, and Jane Monheit, and began performing at jazz clubs and restaurants. Her first album, Lauren Henderson (2011), which featured Fortner, included funky treatments of "Skylark" and "Born to Be Blue" among more traditionally rendered standards. DownBeattouted Henderson as "an inviting singer whose low-level dynamic draws the listener in."JazzTimes compared her to Peggy Lee, saying she appreciates "how to swing hard without swinging too hard." A La Madrugada ("At Dawn," 2015), which she produced and arranged, featured an expansive cast of players, Fortner among them, and seven original songs including the sleek, smoothly grooving "Accede." Acting on a hunch, Henderson sent a copy of A La Madrugada to Mark Ruffin while he was a music supervisor on the indie film The Drowning. Ruffin was able to place "Accede"onto the soundtrack and would eventually produce Ármame. "I love her tone, her heritage, the quality of her voice," says Ruffin. "She's so talented, and one of the smartest singers I've ever worked with when it comes to the business of music. Also, there are very few folks singing in Spanish the way she swings it. I thought that was something that could not only expand her audience, but also expand jazz." Henderson, who divides her time between New York and Miami, changes her approach to music depending on her audience. "Everyone has a different level of experience with Latin music," she says. "In Miami, with its strong Cuban presence, I sing very differently than I do in New York, where the cultural influence is so much broader. It's partly a matter of brightness versus darkness." Lauren Henderson will be performing a CD release concert at Regattabar in Cambridge, MA on Friday 3/30. Upcoming New York City shows include the Blue Note, Sun. 5/27, 11:30am, and Minton's on Sat. 8/4, 7pm. Lauren will be touring Spain and Italy for most of March, and appearing at several Miami venues during April (Ball and Chain 4/12, Le Chat Noir 4/14, Lagniappe House 4/15). She'll return for another European tour in November. Web Site: LaurenHendersonMusic.com

This is a new Rhino issue. Nina Simone - The Colpix Singles (2 CDs) - $22.61 prime https://www.amazon.com/Colpix-Singles-Mono-Remastered-2CD/dp/B078967H58/ 27 MONO remastered tracks.

The thing about Soul and Inspiration was that Spector did not allow his books to be audited, so S and I was their first Certified Gold record.

Certainly The Mothers!

Spin Cycle Further Refines Its Adventuresome Sound on Sophomore Album "Assorted Colors," Set for Release April 6 on Sound Footing Records Co-Led by Drummer Scott Neumann & Saxophonist Tom Christensen, The Quartet Also Includes Guitarist Pete McCann & Bassist Phil Palombi CD Release Gig Scheduled for April 13, Smalls, NYC February 22, 2018 One of the freshest sounding bands to emerge on the jazz scene in this or any decade, Spin Cycle follows up its critically acclaimed eponymous debut from 2016 with the release on April 6 of Assorted Colors(Sound Footing Records). The new recording, coming after two years of intensive touring that further refined their distinctive take on jazz, sustains the praise bestowed by DownBeat's Ed Enright in his rave review of their first album that hailed the band as "a cohesive unit that commands an exceptional stylistic range and exhibits a go-for-broke attitude." On their sophomore release, the piano-less quartet delivers more of the "bright melodic lines, deep-seated grooves, catchy rhythmic devices and sophisticated harmony" cited by Enright, who praised them for "improvisations run wild, as soloists embrace aggressive and daring ideas from the realms of modal jazz, free-jazz, second-line and soul, not to mention good old-fashioned swing." Founded in 2014 and co-led by drummer Scott Neumann and saxophonist Tom Christensen, who have known and played with each other in various settings for well over 25 years, Spin Cycle is rounded out by guitarist Pete McCann and bassist Phil Palombi. The four musicians are mainstays of the New York jazz scene. The title Assorted Colors alludes in part to the broad and eclectic stylistic palettes Christensen and Neumann each draw upon while crafting the compositions that define Spin Cycle's musical direction. (Christensen contributed six tunes to the session, Neumann five.) "One of our aims was to develop the songs not by adding sections but by building on the form itself via solos or concepts," Neumann says. "We wrote things that got to the heart of the matter, but also were vehicles that allowed us to stretch," Christensen adds. L. to r.: Phil Palombi, Tom Christensen, Scott Neumann, Pete McCann. Spin Cycle's decision to use a guitar rather than a piano in the band enables the creation of unusual blends of airy textures that are a trademark of the band's tonal tapestries. "Guitar chords are more sparse than piano chords, they're more open sounding," says Christensen. Among the Christensen tunes on Assorted Colors are the arresting minor-key "Possum Dark," in his words a "swaggering bad ass blues" named after the enforcer in the post-apocalyptic novella Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus, and the stripped-down, minimalism-streaked "Two Pan Man," on which he lets it rip on tenor while guitarist McCann, according to the composer, "sounds almost like a second wind player." Neumann's compositions include the sharp-angled, Monk-inspired "Break Tune," whose infectious swing and sense of fun provide a spirited introduction to the album. Neumann, who spent a week in Cuba in 2017 studying with Cuban drummers, also composed "To the Puente," an intriguing blend of the son montuno and modern mambo accents à la Chick Corea. "Affirmation" has a cool, rolling vibe recalling some of Pat Metheny's classic recordings. Tom Christensen (b. 1961, Ventura, California; at right in photo) studied classical music and jazz at both undergraduate and graduate levels at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, and moved to New York in 1989. For eight years, he was a member of the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, appearing on five of their albums. He also has played on such notable recordings as Joe Lovano's Celebrating Sinatra, Rufus Reid's Quiet Pride, and the David Liebman Big Band's Tribute to Wayne Shorter. His 2000 debut, Gualala, and 2002 effort, Paths, team him with multi-reedist Charles Pillow. His other recordings include Americana (2003) and Kailash (2007), on which he joins the Kailash Trio. Scott Neumann (b. 1962, Bartlesville, Oklahoma; at left in photo above) attended North Texas State and, before moving to New York in 1988, played with the Woody Herman Orchestra for a year. On his 2006 album, Osage County, he led a quartet including pianist David Berkman and saxophonist Sam Newsome; he recorded Blessed in 2014 as part of the Neu3 Trio, with Michael Blake and Mark Helias. A busy player on the New York scene who has collaborated with such luminaries as Kenny Barron and Ben Allison, Neumann has also accrued impressive credits as a vocal accompanist, a Broadway musician, and educator (he directs the drum studies program at Lehigh University). Spin Cycle will be performing a CD release show at Smalls, NYC, on Friday 4/13. They've also scheduled several appearances in Ohio, including a concert and master class at Youngstown State (Bliss Hall), in Youngstown, 1-4pm on 4/5; concert at Andrews House, Delaware, OH 4/6; concert with Denison University Jazz Band, Granville, 8pm on 4/7; and the Bop Stop in Cleveland, 4/7. Photography by Dennis Connors CD graphic design by Fanny Chiari-Gotschall Web Site: spincyclemusic.org

The movie of A Wrinkle in Time will open March 9. Sade has recorded a song for it called "Flower of the Universe." https://www.avclub.com/sade-returns-from-hiatus-to-write-new-song-for-a-wrinkl-1823165661

She remains one of my favorites! What a voice!

Happy Birthday Mike!

Happy Birthday Hans!

Happy Birthday Alan!

Happy Birthday John!

Happy Birthday Sandy!

Happy Birthday Joe!

Happy Birthday BfB!

Happy Birthday Victor!

Happy Birthday Zen!

Happy Birthday mr jazz!