GA Russell

Trombonist Reggie Watkins Centers Himself In, But Branches Out From, His Pittsburgh Home on "Rivers," Set for March 28 Release On BYNK Records Recording Features 12 Original Compositions, Performed by a Crack Steel City Quartet of Pianist Michael Bernabe, Bassist Eli Naragon, Drummer Jason Washington Jr. Performances Scheduled at Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, Carnegie, PA (3/29); Con Alma, Pittsburgh (4/30 & 5/14); The Bop Stop, Cleveland (6/20); Small's, NYC (6/23)   February 28, 2025 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—trombonist-composer Reggie Watkins’s adopted hometown, and one of America’s richest jazz cities—is at the heart of Rivers, Watkins’s fourth album as a leader, to be released March 28 on BYNK Records. But the album doesn’t confine itself to the City of Bridges. Ever the restless explorer, Watkins uses a Pittsburgh-based, post-bop jazz quartet featuring pianist Michael Bernabe, bassist Eli Naragon and drummer Jason Washington Jr. to take on the world. Even the title of the record (the first to comprise all Watkins originals) isn’t as specific to the city as it may seem. Of course Rivers refers on one level to Pittsburgh’s geographic foundation, the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio. “You can’t get away from river culture,” Watkins says. “Whatever you do, wherever you go, there are always those three rivers you have to cross.” At the same time, however, the album (and its title track) also nods to Sam Rivers, the innovative Boston saxophonist who is one of Watkins’s inspirations. Watkins also pays tribute to other musical inspirations and friends from locations far and near. The wily opener “Blues for 3-D” is dedicated to the three D’s (trombonist, composer, and Oklahoma native David Gibson, as well as Andre Hayward and Steve Davis); playful but angular “Ocularity” tips its hat to Texan geniuses Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry; and the high-stepping “Blue 6” takes its cues both from New Yorker Thelonious Monk and from Jimmy Knepper, the California trombone great who is one of Watkins’s prime heroes. Even the far-flung locations themselves receive salutes on the album, as with the fond (and self-explanatory) closer “Shanghai Strut.” Even so, Pittsburgh—and the life and career Watkins has built for himself there—remain a constant presence on Rivers. “Hide n Seek,” with its blissful feel and affectionate romp of a trombone solo, is an ode to his children. “Meditations,” a tune that is exactly what its title promises, nonetheless suggests the placid ebb and flow of the river waters that remain the city’s defining feature. “I’ve just always had this connection to the city and the people and the jazz scene here,” the trombonist notes. “Musicians from Akron and Cleveland are coming to Pittsburgh and vice versa so now you have influences going in both directions.” Naturally, he expresses that bond in part through the powerful chemistry he shares with the album’s locally based band. “There’s special meaning to hooking up with talents like Eli, Michael, and Jason, who was only 23 when we first played together but played beyond his years,” says Watkins. Taken together, Rivers is the story of all these things rolled into one—and hence, a story of Watkins himself. Reggie Watkins was born August 24, 1971, in Wheeling, West Virginia, 60 miles outside of Pittsburgh. A music lover and aspiring brass player in his teenage years, he tried his hand at trumpet and tuba before finding the trombone in high school. He found it again, on another level, when he discovered J.J. Johnson while studying music at West Virginia University. Thereafter he dove headlong into jazz. After graduating, Watkins worked for a few years as a musician on the cruise ship circuit before moving to Pittsburgh in 1998, where he worked with noted drummer and native Pittsburgher Roger Humphries. At that point, legendary trumpeter and big bandleader Maynard Ferguson came calling, and Watkins toured with him for several years, becoming his musical director as well. From Ferguson, Watkins went to pop singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, with whom he worked for six years. Watkins recorded his first album, 2004’s A-List, while still with Ferguson, and his second, 2010’s One for Miles, One for Maynard (released in 2014), while with Mraz. His third, Avid Admirer: The Jimmy Knepper Project (featuring pianist Orrin Evans), came in 2016 after Knepper’s daughter Robin gifted Watkins her late father’s trombones. In addition, Watkins has recorded as a member of the funk ensemble Steeltown Horns, whose debut album 5 Years of Funk was released in 2023. For the last eight years, Watkins has recorded and toured with Orrin Evans and his three-time Grammy-nominated Captain Black Big Band. He is featured on their albums The Intangible Between (2020) and Walk a Mile in My Shoe (2024). The CD release show and after party will take place Sat. 3/29 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall aka The Carnegie Carnegie in Carnegie, PA (Greater Pittsburgh). Watkins will also be performing at Con Alma in Pittsburgh, Wed. 4/30 and Wed. 5/14, as well as at The Bop Stop, Cleveland, Fri. 6/20 and Smalls, NYC, Mon. 6/23. Interview with CBS/Pittsburgh (February 2025) Photography: Sienna Watkins    EPK: Reggie Watkins "Rivers"  Reggie Watkins Web Site  

Combine results https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/28/invitational-combine-leaderboard-top-5-from-every-drill-2/ https://3downnation.com/2025/02/28/top-results-from-the-2025-cfl-invitational-combine/ https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/28/11-advance-following-invitational-combine/ https://3downnation.com/2025/02/28/cfl-promotes-11-prospects-from-invitational-combine-to-national-including-pair-of-quarterbacks/ ***** Richie Sindani has retired. https://3downnation.com/2025/02/28/toronto-argonauts-receiver-richie-sindani-taking-year-off-from-cfl-moved-to-retired-list/

I've never been much of a film buff, but I've seen all five of those. My feeling at the time (and I may have been wrong) was that not many people saw Night Moves. I enjoyed it.

Free Agent analysis https://3downnation.com/2025/02/27/what-the-calgary-stampeders-paid-their-2025-free-agent-signings-how-they-fit-into-the-roster/ ***** More on the Combine https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/27/5-players-to-watch-at-the-invitational-combine/ ***** BC uniform numbers https://3downnation.com/2025/02/27/b-c-lions-unveil-numbers-for-free-agent-signings/ ***** The Redblacks' training camp this year will be at Queen's in Kingston. https://3downnation.com/2025/02/27/ottawa-redblacks-to-host-2025-training-camp-in-kingston-sources/

https://x.com/RandyRRQuaid/status/1895124970335801464

More on the Combine https://www.cfl.ca/combine/2025-cfl-invitational-combine/ https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/26/western-university-montreal-top-all-schools-at-cfl-combine/ https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/26/5-cfl-players-that-attended-invitational-combines/ https://3downnation.com/2025/02/26/15-players-to-watch-at-the-2025-cfl-invitational-combine/ ***** Having retired three months ago, Kristian Matte has joined BC's staff as their running backs coach. Matte was an offensive lineman, so I found this notable. https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/26/lions-hire-kristian-matte-as-running-backs-coach/ https://3downnation.com/2025/02/26/b-c-lions-hire-longtime-montreal-alouettes-ol-kristian-matte-as-rb-coach/ ***** Jearld Baylis has died, at only 62. RIP. https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/toronto-argonauts-mourn-death-of-former-cfl-defensive-tackle-jearld-baylis-a-four-time-all-star-1.2260208 https://3downnation.com/2025/02/26/legendary-cfl-dl-jearld-baylis-dead-at-62/ ***** Almondo Sewell has joined the U Alberta Golden Bears' staff as their defensive line coach. https://3downnation.com/2025/02/26/university-of-alberta-hires-six-time-cfl-all-star-almondo-sewell-as-defensive-line-coach-sources/ ***** Free Agent analysis https://3downnation.com/2025/02/26/what-the-toronto-argonauts-paid-their-2025-free-agent-signings-how-they-fit-into-the-roster/

not jazz 5 LPs on 2 CDs Disc One

The Combine explained https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/25/cfl-combine-101-the-basics-behind-every-drill/ ***** Power Rankings, cont. https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/25/everything-wrong-with-the-way-too-early-amsoil-power-rankings/ ***** Free Agent analysis https://3downnation.com/2025/02/25/what-the-edmonton-elks-paid-their-2025-free-agent-signings-how-they-fit-into-the-roster/

There was quite an auto race in Australia Saturday.

Power Rankings! https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/24/the-way-too-early-amsoil-power-rankings-are-here/ ***** Free Agent analyses https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/24/mmqb-favourite-east-division-free-agent-moves-so-far/ https://3downnation.com/2025/02/22/how-much-the-saskatchewan-roughriders-paid-their-top-2025-free-agent-signings/ https://3downnation.com/2025/02/24/what-the-b-c-lions-paid-their-top-2025-free-agent-signings-how-they-fit-in-to-the-roster/ ***** Ace Eley was BC's Outstanding Rookie last year, but last week they cut him. Today he signed with the Redblacks. https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/24/redblacks-sign-american-lb-ayinde-eley/ https://3downnation.com/2025/02/22/sources-b-c-lions-release-most-outstanding-rookie-nominee-ayinde-eley/ https://3downnation.com/2025/02/24/ottawa-redblacks-lb-ayinde-ace-eley-following-release-from-b-c-lions/ ***** Julian Howsare has returned to the Ticats. https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/24/ticats-add-defensive-end-julian-howsare/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/defensive-lineman-julian-howsare-returns-to-hamilton-tiger-cats-1.2256968 https://3downnation.com/2025/02/24/hamilton-tiger-cats-bring-back-veteran-dl-julian-howsare/ https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/hamilton-tiger-cats/american-de-howsare-returns-to-the-tiger-cats-additional-d-lineman-signed/ ***** Sask analyses https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/saskatchewan-roughriders-top-5-breakout-candidates-for-2025-gregs-version/ https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/riderville-roundup-february-23/

RIP Roberta Flack! I saw her ca. 1970 in a club in Washington called Mr. B's. I remember that the bass player was Steve Novosel. The one song I remember her singing was a hit some time later by The Carpenters - Leon Russell's Superstar (Don't you remember you told me you loved me, baby?).

Jim Snidero Bird Feathers Impacting February 24th, 2025 Format: Jazz # Artist and Track Title Time 1. Jim Snidero - Bird Feathers 05:12 2. Jim Snidero - Scrapple from the Apple 05:34 3. Jim Snidero - These Foolish Things 07:09 4. Jim Snidero - Ornithology 05:03 5. Jim Snidero - Embraceable You 05:57 6. Jim Snidero - The Nearness of You 05:20 7. Jim Snidero - Charlie’s Wig 04:44 8. Jim Snidero - Confirmation 05:06 9. Jim Snidero - Lover Man 02:52 New from Jim Snidero on Savant Records JIM SNIDERO - Bird Feathers Savant Records SCD 2224 Jim Snidero – alto saxophone Peter Washington – bass Joe Farnsworth – drums Airplay starts now • Suggested Tracks 1. Bird Feathers 5:12 • 2. Scrapple from the Apple 5:34 6. The Nearness of You 5:17 • 7. Charlie’s Wig 4:44 Like our stuff? Let’s hear from you. Record Company Contact Barney Fields • Savant Records, Inc. jazzdepo@ix.netcom.com • (212) 873-2020 • www.jazzdepot.com SCD 2224 J... 2224 Jim S... Richard Baratta Looking Back Impacting February 24th, 2025 Format: Jazz # Artist and Track Title Time 1. Richard Baratta - I Feel Good 04:58 2. Richard Baratta - Purple Haze 04:36 3. Richard Baratta - Blowin’ in the Wind 05:01 4. Richard Baratta - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds 05:45 5. Richard Baratta - Feeling Good 06:24 6. Richard Baratta - California Dreamin' 04:51 7. Richard Baratta - Whole Lotta Love 05:51 8. Richard Baratta - Hey Jude 06:25 9. Richard Baratta - Respect 05:51 10. Richard Baratta - You Can't Always Get What You Want 05:06 New from Richard Baratta on Savant Records RICHARD BARATTA - Looking Back Savant Records SCD 2222 Richard Baratta - drums, leader Bill O'Connell - piano • Vincent Herring - alto saxophone Paul Bollenback - guitar • Michael Goetz - bass Paul Rossman - percussion • Carroll Scott – vocal (track 5 only) Airplay starts now • Suggested Tracks 1. I Feel Good 4:58 • 3. Blowin’ in the Wind 5:04 4. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds 5:47 • 6. California Dreamin’ 4:53 Like our stuff? Let’s hear from you. Record Company Contact Barney Fields • Savant Records, Inc. jazzdepo@ix.netcom.com • (212) 873-2020 • www.jazzdepot.com SCD 2222 R... SCD 2222 R...

Jim, that's not the point. The man who releases a new album every year can claim to be a recording artist. That is more valuable than the dollars he receives for the CDs, I think.

Suppose a guy wanted to make a CD as a vanity exercise on the cheap. How much would it cost him? Any idea? For years Blossom Dearie made her own albums.

Ken, I'm surprised to hear this. Years ago I saw Roger Moore tell Johnny Carson that when he was starting out, Noel Coward told him to take any acting job that became available; because an out-of-work actor isn't anything. I would think that a jazz musician who annually released a new CD could use it as proof that he is still in the business.

Speaking of Blossom Dearie, I would like to see a Blossom Dearie Verve box. I don't think it would come close to filling seven CDs, but the albums I have are quite good.

My least favorite of the series thus far (of the nine I have read).

Johnny Augustine has signed with the Ticats. https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/21/ticats-sign-national-rb-johnny-augustine/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/winnipeg-blue-bombers-sign-veteran-canadian-de-enock-makonzo-1.2255559 https://3downnation.com/2025/02/21/hamilton-bomber-cats-canadian-rb-johnny-augustine-becomes-eighth-ex-winnipeg-player-to-signs-with-ticats/

Free Agent analyses https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/19/5-notable-free-agency-signings-in-recent-years/ https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/19/10-sneaky-good-free-agency-signings/ https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/20/5-noteworthy-canadian-free-agent-signings/ https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/20/which-team-made-the-biggest-free-agency-splash/ ***** Kerfalla Exume has signed with the Riders. https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders-sign-two-time-grey-cup-champion-db-kerfalla-exume-1.2253977 https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/18/riders-sign-defensive-back-kerfalla-exume/ https://3downnation.com/2025/02/18/saskatchewan-roughriders-sign-canadian-db-kerfalla-exume/ ***** Charlie Baillie has died at 90. RIP. https://3downnation.com/2025/02/18/longtime-montreal-alouettes-player-mcgill-head-coach-charlie-baillie-dead-at-90/ ***** Anthony Bennett has signed with the Als. https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/montreal-alouettes-sign-former-first-round-pick-dl-anthony-bennett-to-1-year-deal/ https://3downnation.com/2025/02/18/montreal-alouettes-sign-former-first-round-cfl-draft-pick-anthony-bennett/ ***** David Mackie has agreed to become the players union's new Executive Director. https://3downnation.com/2025/02/19/recently-retired-canadian-fullback-david-mackie-hired-as-cflpa-executive-director-sources/ ***** Juwan Simpson will be an assistant coach at East Mississippi Community College. https://3downnation.com/2025/02/20/former-cfl-player-coach-juwan-simpson-hired-at-east-mississippi-community-college/ ***** Lucky Whitehead will be an assistant coach at a Fredericksburg, VA, high school. https://3downnation.com/2025/02/20/retired-cfl-all-star-lucky-whitehead-hired-as-receivers-coach-special-teams-coordinator-for-virginia-high-school/ https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/the-end-of-a-lucky-era/ ***** Argos analysis https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/can-toronto-argonauts-survive-another-off-season-of-great-turnover/ ***** Sask analysis https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/saskatchewan-roughriders-top-5-breakout-candidates-for-2025-alexs-version/

GERMAN JAZZ PRIZE 2025 Introducing the Expert and Special Jury – Award Ceremony on June 13 in Cologne ● 30 high-profile professionals on the expert and special jury ● Awards in 22 categories ● Award ceremony at the E-Werk in Cologne Preparations for the German Jazz Prize 2025 are well underway. Organized by the Initiative Musik, this prestigious award, now in its fifth edition, honors outstanding achievements in jazz and improvised music. The award ceremony will take place on June 13, 2025, at the E-Werk in Cologne. 25 High-Profile Members of the Expert Jury and Five More on the Special Jury The 25-member expert jury, consisting of renowned figures from the jazz and improvised music scene, is responsible for selecting the nominees from more than 1,000 submissions. This independent jury represents the broad spectrum of the genre, bringing together artists and experts from the fields labels/publishing, venues/festivals, artist management/agencies, and media/journalism. Their collective expertise ensures that the diversity of jazz is well represented, and outstanding artistic achievements are recognized. This year, for the first time, a five-member special jury will select the four nominees as well as the prize winner in the category Composition/ Arrangement. "It was an honor to serve as a jury member in this category. It was a truly fascinating process, discovering new and interesting arrangements, compositions, and artistic expressions. The diversity, variety, and broad spectrum of innovative approaches showcased how jazz can be seen through different lenses. It was also inspiring to witness the dedication, passion, and care each jury member brought to the process of analyzing the applications." Diego Piñera, Member of the Special Jury The 21 winners in the other categories will be selected by the 17-member main jury, which will be announced at a later date. Awards in 22 Categories The German Jazz Prize, which awards a minimum of €10,000 to each winner, recognizes a total of 22 categories, including artists, recording/production, live, composition/arrangement, and three special prizes. The prize highlights the importance of achievements in jazz as a whole and aims to recognize and promote the genre alongside improvised music in all its forms. Award Ceremony at the E-Werk in Cologne on June 13 The highlight of the German Jazz Prize 2025 is the award ceremony at the E-Werk in Cologne. Outstanding musicians and artists from the jazz scene gather on June 13 to celebrate the diversity and innovative power of the genre. Further information can be found at www.deutscher-jazzpreis.de Expert Jury of the German Jazz Prize 2025: ● Anja Illmaier – Intakt Records, Director of Taktlos Festival, Association Friends of Irène Schweizer ● Daniela Siemon – PR Consultant, Owner of the Agency der Promotor ● Dennis Wiesch – Dramaturgy and Project Development at Monheimer Kulturwerke GmbH ● Dhanesh Jayaselan – Creative Director, Producer & Cultural Curator ● Isumi Rögner – Cultural Manager, Dramaturg, Translator, Jazz Advisor at Goethe-Institute Head Office ● Janis Burley Wilson – President of August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Founder/Director of Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival ● Judyth Babin – Artist Manager, Tour Agent, Label ● Karen Kennedy – Artist Manager, President and Founder 24 Seven Artist Development ● Kevin le Gendre – Journalist and Broadcaster ● Marie Blobel – Curator jazzwerkstatt Peitz & jazzexzess ● Marieke Meischke – Writer, Artistic Director Jazz Maastricht/Music Meeting Festival, Advisor Dutch Performing Arts Fund, Confidential Counsellor ●Martin Brugger – Musician and Producer, Co-Founder of Squama Recordings ● Max von Pretz – Co-Artistic Director of the Südtirol Jazzfestival Alto Adige and Artistic Director of the Jazz Program at Dekadenz Brixen ● Maxi Broecking – Journalist, Author (ZEIT, Tagesspiegel, Taz, Jazzthing), Lecturer (Columbia University, HCA), Curator, Publicist ● Michaela Drnek Bóková – Label Manager, Producer, Vocalist ● Natalie Greffel – Musician and Curator for XJAZZ! Festival ● Olga Reznichenko – Pianist, Educator ● Sebastian Hecht – Managing Director of XJAZZ! Festival ● Shannon Barnett – Musician, Composer, Educator ● Silvan Strauss – Drummer and Producer ● Sophie Emilie Beha – Music Journalist, Curator, Author, Presenter ● Tony Lakatos – Saxophonist, Composer, Producer ● Vincent Bababoutilabo – Musician, Author ● Werner Aldinger – Label Owner (enja & yellowbird records) ● Wolf Kampmann – Music Journalist, Author, University Lecturer Special Jury of the German Jazz Prize 2025: ● Charlotte Greve – Saxophonist & Composer ● Diego Piñera – Drummer, Composer, Arranger ● Django Bates – Pianist, Eb Horn Player, Composer, Educator and Professor of Jazz at Bern University of the Arts ● Gebhard Ullmann – Musician (Woodwind Instruments) and Composer ● Sylvaine Hélary – Flutist, Composer and Artistic Director of Orchestre National de Jazz GERMAN JAZZ PRIZE Since 2021, the German Jazz Prize has been honoring outstanding artistic achievements in the national and international jazz scenes. Main sponsor of the prize is Germany’s Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The fifth edition takes place on June 13 at the E-Werk in Cologne, in cooperation with the city of Cologne and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Now only $32.38!

Disc One

It has begun to snow. Still light flurries. The forecast calls for three inches. This is our third snowfall of the year. I think this is the first time we've had three since I moved here in the autumn of 2001. The first was an inch that was gone in 24 hours. The second was maybe two inches that lasted a couple of days. The temp will rise to the 50s in a few days, so I expect today's to be gone quickly. There is no traffic at all. The Publix was somewhat crowded, but no apparent bread-and-milk panic buying.

Adrian Galante Declares His Arrival in the Jazz World With "Introducing Adrian Galante," Set for April 25 Release On Zoho Music Australian Clarinetist Debuts with a Collection of Standards & A Superlative Quintet Spearheaded by Pianist Tamir Hendelman CD Release Show at Birdland (Upstairs), NYC, Sunday, June 1, 5:30pm   February 19, 2025 Adrian Galante offers up his wide-open, highly expressive clarinet sound to the world with the April 25 release of Introducing Adrian Galante (Zoho Music). The 28-year-old Australian-born musician engages with an ace Los Angeles–based quintet that includes pianist Tamir Hendelman, guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Alex Frank, and drummer Joe LaBarbera on a program of eight pieces from the Great American Songbook. While studying what has become a lesser-played instrument in jazz, Galante has absorbed the clarinet’s major voices, and it shows in his playing. Yet the more immediate inspiration for his beautiful tone and playing style is the jazz vocal tradition. “I remember hearing Tony Bennett talk about the way Bing Crosby revolutionized popular singing, getting right up close to the microphone making a very intimate sound,” Galante says. “I like to approach the clarinet in the same way.” As a result, the young clarinetist has created for himself a broad palette of interpretive and emotional nuances—and he applies them with similar breadth. “When most musicians play a song, they’re usually content to play only the music,” observes music critic Will Friedwald in the liner notes to Introducing. “Adrian, however, plays the whole song.” Sure enough, Galante brings a rare depth to his performances of pieces like Cy Coleman and David Zippel’s “With Every Breath I Take” and a brooding rendition of Cole Porter’s “It’s Alright with Me” (on both of which he plays Fender Rhodes as well as clarinet). But if his clarinet uncannily expresses the romance and wanderlust of Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse’s “Two for the Road,” on which Galante also plays the tender celeste accents, that’s no impediment to his swinging ferociously—and even bringing a little bit of bite to his tone—on “You’re All the World to Me.” It's rare for a new jazz musician to have such a fully formed and distinctive voice upon their arrival, and rarer still for that voice to be on the clarinet. Introducing Adrian Galante should find a warm welcome in jazz lovers’ collections. Adrian Galante was born October 24, 1996, in Perth, Western Australia. While he came from a classical lineage—his grandfather was an opera singer—and his parents loved pop music, Galante was from a young age drawn to the buoyant rhythms of jazz. It was at around the same time—age seven—that he was also drawn to the clarinet and began taking lessons. By 15, he was playing professionally. From that auspicious early start, Galante would follow a path that took him to Perth’s West Australian Academy of Performing Arts—which, in turn, took him to a summer program at New York University. He ultimately made the permanent move to the Big Apple in 2022, deciding to facilitate his development as a jazz artist by living and working in the music’s mecca. Meanwhile, Galante was taking advantage of the opportunity to perform across America; in August 2022, he joined L.A. pianist Tamir Hendelman in a concert in Seattle. Not long after, while Hendelman was visiting New York, he and Galante had dinner together and began the discussions that led to the clarinetist making his first recording. Hendelman recruited his California colleagues Larry Koonse, Alex Frank, and Joe LaBarbera to play on the date; Galante served as producer. The end product, of course, is Introducing Adrian Galante. It is the launch of what promises to be a stellar and accomplished career for the gifted young clarinetist from Perth. Adrian Galante will perform a CD release show at Birdland (upstairs), New York City, on Sunday, June 1, 5:30pm. Photography: Angelique Lee    EPK: "Introducing Adrian Galante"  Adrian Galante Web Site