GA Russell

For Christmas I got a vacuum cleaner. I was drunk when I assembled it. Now it's an indoor leaf blower.

The travesty is that he was let out after a week.

They say that women love a man in uniform. It's true. The uniform sends the message that he has a job.

Monoprice DC Power Pigtail Female Plug - 49 cents ($3.86/89% off) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OCCARQ

Remember Slinky? Minutes of fun. Unfortunately, I grew up living in a one-story house. (I gave my four-year-old nephew a Slinky for Christmas!)

Sage advice: I always find money in pay phones. If I bring a screwdriver. (There's an oldie!)

Who was the wag who said, "The Les Baxter the better"?

I saw Broadcast News. His character was very dislikeable. He was so good, I disliked him ever since! RIP.

Tough as Nails: The Complete Cases of Donahue: from the Pages of Black Mask by Frederick Nebel https://www.amazon.com/Tough-Nails-Complete-Cases-Donahue/dp/1618270087/

There was a box set (I think released in the late '90s) of those early Byrds albums called The Byrds. I read that Hillman insisted that he be allowed to record over all the bass parts because he was unhappy that he was not allowed to be on them originally. When I read that, it was my understanding that he recorded over a lot of tracks, not just Mr. Tambourine Man.

I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They have experienced pain, and have bought jewelry.

They were famously not allowed to play on their first album. Were they allowed to play on the others?

1. Sweet Sucker 2. Only Trust Your Heart 3. Easy Walker 4. The Way We Were 5. Lester Leaps In 6. Since I Fell For You 7. Sunny 8. Jean-Jaures Shuffle New from Houston Person HOUSTON PERSON LIVE IN PARIS HighNote Records HCD 7338 Houston Person is the real deal. With a lifetime of experience Houston continues to grace concert stages with his expressive style which stubbornly defies categorization. One moment he is letting loose with some hard-driving swing and the next he is caressing your ears with his mellifluous, baritonal utterances on a beautiful ballad. “I just play good music,” explains Houston. “I look for a great melody and great lyrics.” Houston's preoccupation with the art of melody is on full display in this superb concert captured during his appearance at the Festival Jazz a la Villette in 2019. This is Houston's first live recording in some time and it is quite an unforgettable experience, with the legendary man taking great care in putting just the right set list together for his audience, covering a wide variety of styles drawn from his remarkable career. Having recorded his first album as a leader in 1966 titled Underground Soul, coincidentally also an organ-tenor quartet, Houston Person has been a standard-bearer of so-called “soul jazz,” but that is a misnomer in his case. The truth is Houston plays soulful jazz rather than “soul jazz”; music that communicates with the listener and touches the heart. How appropriate it is then, that this live recording originates from Paris, also known as the “City of Love.” Like our stuff? Let’s hear from you. Record Company Contact Barney Fields • HighNote Records, Inc. jazzdepo@ix.netcom.com • (212) 873-2020 • www.jazzdepot.com 7338 Houst... 7338 Houst... Artist Title Time David Kikoski B Flat Tune 06:02 David Kikoski E 06:45 David Kikoski Fugue from “The Endless Enigma” 02:31 David Kikoski Strength For Change 09:32 David Kikoski Quartet #1 09:31 David Kikoski Satellite 06:33 David Kikoski Sure Thing 07:38 David Kikoski Winnie's Garden 08:39 David Kikoski Strength For Change - Edited for Radio (Radio Edit) 06:35 David Kikoski Quartet #1 - Edited for Radio (Radio Edit) 05:54 David Kikoski Sure Thing - Edited for Radio (Radio Edit) 05:34 David Kikoski Winnie's Garden - Edited for Radio (Radio Edit) 06:07 New from David Kikoski DAVID KIKOSKI - Sure Thing - with Boris Kozlov HighNote Records HCD 7336 David Kikoski, piano Boris Kozlov, bass The dynamic duo of pianist David Kikoski and bassist Boris Kozlov is a triumph of musicality and virtuosity. There's some kind of magic happening between the two kindred spirits that goes beyond the notes. The musical connection between the two goes back more than 20 years. They have continued to play together regularly over the years in groups like the Mingus Big Band, in Kikoski's own trio and the all-star post-bop cooperative Opus 5. You can feel their sense of telepathy throughout Sure Thing and it is readily apparent on Kikoski's original compositions like “B Flat Tune,” “E” and “Strength for Change,” on the swinging version of John Coltrane's “Satellite” and the duo's faithful reading of keyboardist Keith Emerson's classically influenced “Fugue” from “The Endless Enigma”. Their playful, relaxed chemistry permeates all eight tunes here and makes Sure Thing a true work of collaborative genius. Like our stuff? Let’s hear from you. Record Company Contact Barney Fields • HighNote Records, Inc. jazzdepo@ix.netcom.com • (212) 873-2020 • www.jazzdepot.com Artist Title Time Jeremy Pelt Griot Intro (words by Jeremy Pelt) 02:59 Jeremy Pelt Griot Words by Paul West (spoken) 00:59 Jeremy Pelt Griot Carry Christ Wherever You Are 06:55 Jeremy Pelt Griot Words by Larry Willis (spoken) 00:51 Jeremy Pelt Griot Underdog 04:35 Jeremy Pelt Griot Words by JD Allen (spoken) 01:03 Jeremy Pelt Griot Don't Dog The Source 06:55 Jeremy Pelt Griot Words by Bertha Hope (spoken) 00:58 Jeremy Pelt Griot A Seat At The Table (words by Bertha Hope) 03:00 Jeremy Pelt Griot Words by Harold Mabern (spoken - explicit content) 00:38 Jeremy Pelt Griot Solidarity 05:42 Jeremy Pelt Griot Words by Rene Marie (spoken - explicit content) 01:25 Jeremy Pelt Griot A Beautiful (f*cking) Lie 04:58 Jeremy Pelt Griot In Spite Of… (words by Warren Smith - explicit content) 01:18 Jeremy Pelt Griot Words by Ambrose Akinmusire 01:10 Jeremy Pelt Griot Relevance 04:44 New from Jeremy Pelt JEREMY PELT - Griot: This is Important! HighNote Records HCD 7341 Jeremy Pelt, trumpet Chien Chien Lu – vibraphone • Victor Gould – piano, nord keyboard Vicente Archer – bass • Allan Mednard – drums • Ismel Wignall – percussion • Brandee Younger – harp (track 13 only) It is only natural that Jeremy Pelt's voracious curiosity would lead him to investigate the West African Griot tradition where stories, reminiscences and accomplishments from times past are handed down as oral histories. Researchers such as Art Taylor, William Russell and Alan Lomax have preserved interviews with older jazzmen but for his Griot odyssey, Pelt turns to his own peer group to record their thoughts on creating jazz, playing jazz and experiencing the life of a jazz musician of color in our own time. Each brief interview is followed by a composition by Pelt which perfectly captures the sentiments and emotions of its spoken-word prelude. To help him bring his vision to life, Pelt has assembled a hand-picked group of colleagues, featuring vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu, pianist Victor Gould, bassist Vicente Archer, harpist Brandee Younger and others. The tunes themselves run the gamut from the remarkable mixing of the sacred and the secular in “Carry Christ Wherever You Are,” to the Monk-like gallumphing opening unison in “Don't Dog the Source,” and the urgent, “Underdog.” As Pelt himself says, “I want people to understand that this is for everybody,” that the project was undertaken to perhaps help them “understand that whatever they might be going through, their perspectives might run parallel to those of people who are generations apart from them. Maybe, to a certain extent, these younger people will find themselves in these stories.” Debuts This Week at Number 33 plus Increased Airplay on the JazzWeek Chart Like our stuff? Let’s hear from you. Record Company Contact Barney Fields • HighNote Records, Inc. jazzdepo@ix.netcom.com • (212) 873-2020 • www.jazzdepot.com Artist Title Time Black Art Jazz Collective Ascension 05:37 Black Art Jazz Collective Mr. Willis 04:16 Black Art Jazz Collective Involuntary Servitude 06:46 Black Art Jazz Collective Twin Towers 06:28 Black Art Jazz Collective No Words Needed 01:54 Black Art Jazz Collective Tulsa 06:32 Black Art Jazz Collective Iron Man 06:31 Black Art Jazz Collective For the Kids 05:34 Black Art Jazz Collective Birdie's Bounce 04:28 New from Black Art Jazz Collective Black Art Jazz Collective - Ascension • HighNote Records HCD 7329 Wayne Escoffery, tenor sax • Jeremy Pelt, trumpet • James Burton III, trombone Victor Gould, piano • Rashaan Carter, bass • Mark Whitfield Jr., drums The Black Art Jazz Collective was founded in 2012 by Wayne Escoffery and Jeremy Pelt with the aim of honoring and preserving the art of some of the progenitors of jazz who inspired them, hired them and mentored them first hand. And while the band does pay homage to the greats of the past they also continue the evolving tradition of jazz with a body of work that remains firmly entrenched in the modernism of today. From the angular melody of Escoffery's “Involuntary Servitude,” to the ingratiating groove of Pelt's “For the Kids,” the ensemble extends the range and potential established by their illustrious predecessors with innovative original compositions, solos that run the gamut from thoughtful to virtuosic and a shared sense of purpose that is unique on today's jazz landscape. Like our stuff? Let’s hear from you. Record Company Contact Barney Fields • HighNote Records, Inc. jazzdepo@ix.netcom.com • (212) 873-2020 • www.jazzdepot.com Attachments 7329 BAJC .. BAJC - dig..

Artist Title Time Richard Baratta Luck Be a Lady 04:12 Richard Baratta Everybody's Talkin' 04:33 Richard Baratta Alfie 06:37 Richard Baratta Chopsticks 05:24 Richard Baratta Theme from “The Godfather” 07:02 Richard Baratta Seasons of Love 05:36 Richard Baratta Come Together 05:38 Richard Baratta If I Only Had a Brain 07:18 Richard Baratta Peter Gunn 05:09 Richard Baratta Maria 03:57 Richard Baratta The Sound of Music 06:29 Richard Baratta Let The River Run 05:17 New from Savant Records RICHARD BARATTA - Music in Film: The Reel Deal Savant Records SCD 2186 Richard Baratta, leader, drums & percussion VINCENT HERRING - saxophones & flute • BILL O’CONNELL - piano PAUL BOLLENBACK - guitar (2, 5-7,11 & 12) • MICHAEL GOETZ - bass PAUL ROSSMAN - percussion (except 3, 8 & 9) • CARROLL SCOTT - vocal (6) Music in Film: The Reel Deal marks film producer and drummer Richard Baratta’s triumphant return to jazz after a 30+ year diversion, during which time Baratta became a celebrated film producer of Hollywood hits such as The Irishman, Joker and The Wolf of Wall Street. This album represents the coalescence of Baratta’s two seemingly disparate worlds, a celebration of cinema through the lens of jazz. While this album is Baratta’s proper debut studio recording, Baratta was born into a musical household in Poughkeepsie, NY, studied with jazz great Jack DeJohnette and cut his teeth with gigs in the Catskills before landing in Manhattan in the mid ‘70s. In NYC he forged associations with musicians like John Stubblefield, Vernon Reid and Hal Galper, embracing the lifestyle of a gigging jazz musician. However, the desire for career stability led to Baratta leaving the jazz scene for his first forays into the film industry. Baratta went from being a location scout for Desperately Seeking Susan to executive producer on 2019’s immensely popular and critically acclaimed Joker, being involved with more than 50 top films in-between, including Donnie Brasco, five Spiderman movies, Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. A gig at the famed Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, NY, rekindled Baratta's interest in performing and before he knew it he had a working band – the band heard here – and plenty of dates on the calendar. Featuring alto saxophone phenom Vincent Herring, guitarist Paul Bollenback and pianist / arranger Bill O'Connell the band burns, boils and cooks over a low flame on 12 tunes from classic soundtracks composed by Nino Rota, Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini and others. Baratta says, “Being away as long as I've been away, and then to be in the fold with some of these amazing musicians I've been playing with, I'm like a kid in a candy store right now.” After hearing his Savant debut album, you'll probably develop a sweet tooth of your own for his music. 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 2186 Barat... 2186 Richa... Artist Title Time Alan Broadbent Trio 01. Wonder Why 03:52 Alan Broadbent Tio 02. I Hear You 05:32 Alan Broadbent Trio 03. Lennie's Pennies 03:05 Alan Broadbent Trio 04. Struttin' With Some Barbecue 03:19 Alan Broadbent Trio 05. Late Lament 05:58 Alan Broadbent Trio 06. Relaxin' at Camarillo 04:44 Alan Broadbent Trio 07. One Morning In May 06:18 Alan Broadbent Trio 08. I Love You 03:19 Alan Broadbent Trio 09. Lady Bird 03:24 Alan Broadbent Trio 10. Like Sonny 05:19 Alan Broadbent Trio 11. The Hymn 03:48 Alan Broadbent Trio 12. Moonstones 06:58 New from Alan Broadbent Alan Broadbent Trio - Trio in Motion Savant Records SCD 2188 Alan Broadbent, piano • Harvie S, bass • Billy Mintz, drums The Alan Broadbent Trio’s previous Savant release, “New York Notes” (SCD 2166), received rave reviews in the international press. The Guardian (UK) wrote, “The bubbling stream of notes is both unpredictable and inevitable, and following its twists and turns is a joy.” Couleurs Jazz (France) proclaimed, “Behold! A precious gem of a jazz recording.” “Trio in Motion” finds Broadbent, Mintz and Harvie S reunited in the pianist’s New York apartment-studio recording music that is spontaneous, surprising, possessing a sly humor and emotionally involving. Broadbent received his first Grammy award for When I Fall in Love (1997) and the second in 2000 for his arrangements for Shirley Horn’s Lonely Town, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. He collaborated with Natalie Cole (Unforgettable) and with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, Diana Krall and Paul McCartney. The setlist is a group of both familiar and seldom-heard works by Paul Desmond, Tadd Dameron, Lennie Tristano, Lil Hardin (Mrs. Louis) Armstrong and Broadbent himself. Each tune is imbued with a warm intimacy and the refreshing, slightly piquant glow of intensity which warms both the listener’s heart and mind. 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 Artist Title Time JD Allen You’re My Thrill 09:33 JD Allen The G Thing 06:41 JD Allen Die Dreaming 05:58 JD Allen Red Label 06:30 JD Allen Toys 04:15 JD Allen I Should Care 05:09 JD Allen Elegua (the trickster) 07:00 New from JD Allen JD Allen - Toys / Die Dreaming • Savant Records SCD 2184 JD Allen, tenor sax • Ian Kenselaar, bass • Nic Cacioppo, drums AIRPLAY STARTS NOW – Suggested Radio Tracks Track 2 - The G Thing • Track 3 - Die Dreaming Track 4 - Red Label • Track 7 - Elegua (the trickster) TOYS / DIE DREAMING in The Wall Street Journal & The New York Times “Mr. Allen introduced his current trio, with Messrs. Kenselaar and Cacioppo, on 2019’s “Barracoon.” It provides an even more responsive vehicle for his thoughtfully calibrated expressions, accentuating his slow-burning intensity and his urgent yet always logical phrases. His occasional flurries of improvisation arrive like a smart boxer’s punches — with proper setup, impeccably timed for maximum impact.” - Larry Blumenfeld, The Wall Street Journal “On “Toys / Die Dreaming,” Allen’s latest album, his still-newish trio shows how much it has grown together since last year’s “Barracoon.” There’s a sense of historical unity in the saxophone playing of J.D. Allen: The elegance of Coleman Hawkins and the spiraling power of John Coltrane come together. The ludic energy of, say, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and the spry focus of Michael Brecker, too.” - Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times 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 Attachments 2184 JD Al.. 2184 JD Al.. Artist Title Time Ray Mantilla Moondance 06:12 Ray Mantilla Dat Dere 05:22 Ray Mantilla Hit the Road Jack 05:25 Ray Mantilla Mia 07:30 Ray Mantilla Philly Mambo 05:31 Ray Mantilla Cumbia Jazz Fusion Experimental 05:48 Ray Mantilla Yuyo 04:37 Ray Mantilla Preciosa 05:48 Ray Mantilla Rebirth Bata Rumba Experimental 04:06 Ray Mantilla Rebirth 06:31 Ray Mantilla on Savant Records Ray Mantilla - Rebirth • Savant Records SCD 2181 Ray Mantilla - leader & percussion Ivan Renta – soprano & tenor saxophones • Jorge Castro – baritone saxophone & flute Guido Gonzalez – trumpet & flugelhorn • Edy Martinez – piano & Fender Rhodes Mike Freeman – vibes • Reuben Rodriguez – bass • Diego Lopez – drums Ray Mantilla was one of the true conga giants during the 1950s, 60s and 70s recording hundreds of album sessions and pioneering the use of unique combinations of latin percussion instruments. Among his most famous collaborations were with Charles Mingus, Herbie Mann and Max Roach. In 1977, Mantilla was selected by the great jazz ambassador Dizzy Gillespie to accompany him to Cuba as the first US band to visit the island since the travel embargo of 1962. Their joint concerts with Cuba's indigenous bands made musical and political history. For Rebirth, Mantilla surrounded himself with his long-time colleagues Edy Martinez, Ivan Renta, Guido Gonzalez, Diego Lopez and others, once again proving that the music he made came from his heart as well as from his lifetime of experience. Ray Mantilla was very insistent on titling this recording Rebirth. After a long illness the irrepressible Ray Mantilla passed away a few short months after completing the sessions for this CD. The music contained here is a fitting tribute to the man and the musician beloved by so many. 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 Attachments RayMantill.. 2181 Ray M..

I just did my taxes, and I'm getting back $150,000. And people say you can't do your own taxes.

TTK, I love all five of The Byrds' first five albums. Did you take into consideration the recording dates? I wonder how the set would look if given the Mosaic chronological treatment.

"Other elements of the deal include: postseason expansion to 12 teams; advertisements on player jerseys and helmets; a designated hitter in the National League; implementation of a draft lottery; and a 45-day window for MLB to make rule changes -- among them a pitch clock, larger bases and a ban on shifts in the 2023 season." https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/MLB/2022/03/10/MLB-team-owners-players-agree-labor-deal-clear-path-for-162-game-season-baseball/5841646945788/

Artist Title Time JD Allen Three Little Words 02:56 JD Allen Wildwood Flower 04:40 JD Allen Maude 02:05 JD Allen O.T.R 02:59 JD Allen Retrograde 02:42 JD Allen Gem and Eye 02:44 JD Allen Mother 02:01 JD Allen Queen City 03:52 JD Allen Vernetta 02:30 JD Allen Kristian with a K 03:56 JD Allen Nyla's Sky 02:48 JD Allen Just a Gigolo 03:18 JD Allen These Foolish Things 03:41 New from JD Allen JD Allen - Queen City • Savant Records SCD 2194 JD Allen, solo tenor saxophone 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 2194 JD Al... 2194 JD Al...

Episode 23 https://artpepper.bandcamp.com/track/straight-life-episode-twenty-three-2 ***** Episode 24 https://artpepper.bandcamp.com/track/straight-life-audiocast-episode-24 ***** Vanguard Max (13:53) https://artpepper.bandcamp.com/track/march-freebie-vanguard-max

Artist Title Time Bill O'Connell Moment's Notice 08:08 Bill O'Connell Loco-Motive 06:06 Bill O'Connell Covid Blues 05:08 Bill O'Connell A Change Is Gonna Come 06:38 Bill O'Connell Sun for Sonny 04:21 Bill O'Connell Enough Is Enough 07:52 Bill O'Connell Sweet Peanut 06:14 Bill O'Connell A Prayer for Us 07:10 Bill O'Connell Chaos 05:11 Bill O'Connell My Foolish Heart 04:40 New From Grammy Finalist Bill O’Connell Bill O’Connell - A Change is Gonna Come Savant Records SCD 2197 Bill O'Connell – all arrangements, piano & Fender Rhodes Craig Handy – tenor & soprano saxophone Lincoln Goines – acoustic & electric bass Steve Jordan – drums • Pedrito Martinez – percussion At the time of this writing it may be wintertime, a winter further darkened by the Covid crisis, but Bill O'Connell's optimistically-titled A Change is Gonna Come exudes some welcome warmth and sunshine. Even Bill's original “Covid Blues” displays a subtle sense of playfulness, entrusting the slightly off-kilter blues number to the distinctive tone color of Craig Handy's soprano saxophone. Likewise the plaintive melody of Sam Cooke's title track contains a note of optimism here. But with O'Connell at the helm we shouldn't be surprised by imaginative arrangements since he was a Grammy finalist in 2022 for Best Instrumental Arrangement. He is a real triple-threat in jazz, equally well-known as a composer, arranger and instrumentalist, having honed his craft carefully from his days with Mongo Santamaria in the 70s, his involvement in the legendary ensemble, Jasmine, his gigs with Chet Baker, Gato Barbieri, Sonny Rollins and others and his long-time associations with Jerry Gonzalez's Fort Apache Band and the late Latin jazz flautist, Dave Valentin. A Change Is Gonna Come features seven remarkable works by O'Connell, a four-time recipient of the Jazz Writer of the Year award from SESAC, a tune by Trane, the title track by Sam Cooke and a unique take on the standard “My Foolish Heart.” With Handy, Lincoln Goines, Pedrito Martinez and drummer Steve Jordan (currently taking over for the late Charlie Watts with the Rolling Stones) Bill O'Connell's latest recording cements his place as a master of the broadest spectrum of musical styles, a giant of modern jazz and a member of Latin jazz royalty. Visit Bill O'Connell website HERE 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 2197 O'Con... 1. Exactly Like You 02:33 2. I Can't Give You Anything But Love 02:31 3. With Plenty of Money and You 01:47 4. I Didn't Know About You 02:23 5. The Nearness of You 03:15 6. It Had to Be You 01:52 7. I Thought About You 01:53 8. I Want to Talk About You 02:38 9. I Mean You 02:13 10. P.S. I Love You 03:11 11. Are You Havin' Any Fun 02:16 12. I Remember You 03:25 13. You're Blasé 04:40 14. Everything But You 02:31 15. You've Changed 02:30 16. Since I Fell For You 04:34 17. I've Got News For You 03:41 18. You Never Miss the Water 'Till the Well Runs Dry 02:28 “The context of many songs written and recorded, are composed by people with 'I' problems...but not these songs. All of these songs are about you.” – Giacomo Gates New from Giacomo Gates Giacomo Gates - You Savant Records SCD 2196 Giacomo Gates - Vocals Tim Ray – piano • John Lockwood – bass James Lattini – drums Jazz vocalist Giacomo Gates is blessed with a smooth and supremely expressive baritone voice and an all-inclusive musicality which encompasses a hipster-like coolness, a smattering of vocalese, an Eckstine-like seductiveness, the story telling ability of a griot, a firm footing in the blues and a sense of swing which is second-to-none. His performances can be quiet and full of insight (or innuendo) or be ebullient and joyful. Whatever style Gates may offer – be it sensitive, sensuous or syncopated – he infuses the music with an understated humor, wry cultural and social implications and an impish delight in surprising his listeners. You is a perfect example of Gates at his best with the vocalist putting together a program with a unique and decidedly altruistic leitmotiv. Here are 18 songs everybody knows and loves, arranged with creativity and wit and featuring Gates' gregarious delivery so that there can be no mistake, “it's all about you!” Visit Giacomo's website at https://giacomogates.com 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 2189 Savan... 1. Go Home 2. Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) 3. Superstition 4. Moon Blue 5. Isn't She Lovely 6. If It's Magic 7. Something To Say 8. Just Callin' 9. Ribbon In The Sky New from Pat Bianchi on Savant Records Pat Bianchi - Something to Say - The Music of Stevie Wonder Savant Records SCD 2190 Pat Bianchi - organ Paul Bollenback, guitar • Byron Landham, drums Guest artist: Wayne Escoffery, tenor saxophone Perhaps no other instrument in jazz boasts such a classic and beloved status as the Hammond B3 organ. On stage it sits like a majestic relic from jazz's distant past, a slightly odd Rube Goldberg machine whose spinning speakers produce a saturated, unmistakable sound imbuing every performance with its own recognizable style. That style has set deep roots in American music including, of course, jazz and blues, but it has also provided undeniable contributions to pop, funk and soul. So it should really be no surprise that organist Pat Bianchi would choose a program of Stevie Wonder's music for his second Savant Records release. Stevie Wonder himself played a number of keyboards during the early 1970s including the B3 and Bianchi shows just how well suited the venerable instrument is to Wonder's oeuvre. Pat Bianchi stands at the forefront of today's B3 players with a Grammy nomination and a lengthy list of credits on his resume. He has performed with Lou Donaldson, Javon Jackson, Bud Shank, Joe Locke and guitar legend Pat Martino. (Bianchi plays a MAG Custom Organ, considered to be among the best of the available portable B3 clones.) With band mates Paul Bollenback on guitar and Byron Landham on drums, the trio's tight phrasing and razor-sharp ensemble keep the setlist moving along with arrangements which are never ostentatious but rather subtly layered with remarkable details that sneak up on you between the solo spots peppered liberally throughout. Lending his talents to the proceedings is the dynamic tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery on two tracks. 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 2190 Bianc... 2190 Pat B... 1. Arab Arab 2. Roses Poses 3. I'm Afraid the Masquerade Is Over 4. Desert Moonlight 5. Where Are You 6. Creeping Crud 7. Alien Visitation 8. Crisis 9. Oxygen 10. It's Only A Paper Moon New From the Legendary Louis Hayes Louis Hayes - Crisis • Savant Records SCD 2192 Louis Hayes - drums Abraham Burton - tenor saxophone • Steve Nelson - vibraphone David Hazeltine - piano • Dezron Douglas - bass with Camille Thurman - vocals (tracks 3 & 5) Detroit-born jazz drummer Louis Hayes arrived in New York when he was 19 to join the Horace Silver ensemble, making his recording debut with the pianist on Six Pieces of Silver, the following year. Over the next 60 years Hayes amassed a staggeringly great body of work, playing and recording with Cannonball Adderley, Oscar Peterson, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Cedar Walton, Sonny Rollins, Woody Shaw and many more of the giants of modern music. Continuing this legacy of excellence with his new Savant recording, Hayes pays tribute to some of his jazz colleagues past and present with a set-list featuring works by Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Farrell, vibraphonist Steve Nelson and bassist Dezron Douglas along with one of his own original compositions. With David Hazeltine at the piano rounding out the all-star rhythm section and the acclaimed saxophonist Abraham Burton leading the charge out in front, the band alternately caress and careen through their material with tasteful arrangements and memorable solos. Also on hand is the multi-instrumentalist and composer Camille Thurman displaying her vocal prowess on two tracks. 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 2192 Louis... 2192 Louis... 1. Slipping Away 2. River Suite, Pt. 1 - Dawn 3. River Suite, Pt. 2 - On the Bank 4. River Suite, Pt. 3 - Torrent 5. Theme For Ernie 6. Forever Gone 7. Ventura 8. It's the Talk of the Town The Critically-Acclaimed Recording by Jim Snidero Available Again JIM SNIDERO - Strings • Savant Records SCD 2199 Jim Snidero, alto saxophone, flute Renee Rosnes, piano • Paul Gill, bass • Billy Drummond, drums Eleven-piece string orchestra conducted by Walt Weiskopf Arrangements by Jim Snidero This reissue of Jim Snidero's "Strings" on Savant Records marks 20 years since the album was to be recorded in New York on 9/11/01, the day of the terrifying attacks on the World Trade Center. Recorded a few months later and released on Milestone, the session ultimately resulted in “a stone masterpiece” (Philadelphia Weekly), “breathtaking achievement” (East Bay Times), 4 stars (Downbeat). Out of print for nearly a decade, "Strings" has been beautifully remastered and now includes enhanced bass arco parts, adding richness and depth to an all-star string section. Released to wide acclaim, "Strings" captures some of Snidero's finest writing and playing - not a standards date with a hired gun arranger, but rather a deep dive by Snidero himself into the art of strings arranging, with predominantly his music as the vehicle. In the process, Snidero not only broadened his skill set, but the expressive capacity of his art. Snidero's vibrant compositions, including the three-movement Hudson River homage “River Suite”, are brought to life by pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Paul Gill, drummer Billy Drummond and a supremely qualified cast of string players including Mark Feldman, Laura Seaton, Joyce Hamman, Tomas Ulrich, Mary Wooten, Ralph Farris, Kenji Bunch and others. 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 2199 - Jim... 2199 Jim S... Nicole Glover Strange Lands Impacting September 23rd, 2021 Format(s): Jazz Artist Title Time Nicole Glover Strange Lands 03:16 Nicole Glover Hive Queen 05:47 Nicole Glover The Twilight Zone 07:07 Nicole Glover Dindi 06:40 Nicole Glover Parks 03:42 Nicole Glover The Switch 04:56 Nicole Glover Notturno 06:02 Nicole Glover A Flower is a Lovesome Thing 05:07 Nicole Glover I Concentrate on You 08:18 New from Nicole Glover Nicole Glover - Strange Lands Savant Records SCD 2191 Nicole Glover - tenor saxophone With Special Guest: George Cables - piano Daniel Duke – bass • Nic Cacioppo – drums Time was when a jazz trio without a piano or guitar was a rare occurrence. But once Sonny Rollins went chordless at the Vanguard the die was cast and, though the instrumentation is still not exactly thick on the ground, it is an important subset in the list of saxophone-fronted jazz groups. For the last three years tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover has embraced this format with her regular band featuring colleagues Daniel Duke (bass) and Nic Cacioppo (drums). Here, for her first album with the group and her Savant Records debut, she has attracted the attention of keyboard great George Cables, who appears on four tracks of the recording. Michael J, West points out in the album's liner notes that to Glover, “Cables represents the continuum of the music, its past, present and future; she wanted that wisdom and energy to manifest itself and inform the band's work.” In the trio numbers, mostly originals, the musicians display a unity of thought that goes far beyond the notes, one that takes the freedom of a chordless ensemble and runs with it. Their music is full of strength and power, challenging but communicative with a sly sense of playfulness peeking out occasionally all providing a memorable musical experience that is at once high-spirited and deeply felt. 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 Denise Donatelli Whistling in the Dark - The Music of Burt Bacharach Impacting September 23rd, 2021 Format(s): Jazz Artist Title Time Denise Donatelli Whistling in the Dark 04:43 Denise Donatelli The Look of Love 04:20 Denise Donatelli In Between The Heartaches 05:18 Denise Donatelli Toledo 04:48 Denise Donatelli Anyone Who Had a Heart 04:25 Denise Donatelli Walk on By 04:19 Denise Donatelli In the Darkest Place 04:51 Denise Donatelli Mexican Divorce 04:37 Denise Donatelli A House is Not a Home 04:04 New from Denise Donatelli Denise Donatelli - Whistling in the Dark The Music of Burt Bacharach Savant Records SCD 2196 Denise Donatelli - Vocals Larry Goldings – piano, keyboards & organ Thomas Dybdahl – prepared piano & synth • Anthony Wilson – guitars Larry Klein – bass & additional keyboards • Vinnie Colaiuta – drums Arranged and Produced by Larry Klein Denise Donatelli digs deep into the songs of Burt Bacharach on this, her fifth recording for Savant Records. The music of the immensely popular and prolific composer is well suited for this Grammy finalist who has performed in a wide variety of venues from clubs such as Catalina's on the west coast to Mezzrow on the east with performance/entertaiment venues everywhere in-between and as far afield as the stage of the Municipal Opera in Prague, Czech Republic. Bacharach's sumptuous melodies sound more seductive than ever imbued with a dark moodiness which spotlights the luminous quality of the lyrics from the pens of Elvis Costello, Daniel Tashian, Bob Hilliard and, of course, Hal David. Donatelli gives us nine beautifully-recorded tracks highlighting the impressionistic and often ethereal arrangements of arranger, bassist and producer, the renowned Larry Klein. “Larry's idea,” Donatelli says, “was to reimagine Bacharach's music in such a minimalistic way... to reframe them in a way that examines the very essence of the songs.” Denise Donatelli and her colleagues bring unique insight into the musical legacy of one of the great American composers who helped define the course of popular music. “...throughout the album, Donatelli is a rhapsode, a tale-teller and artist of the highest order. She has always been a singer of vocalized intimacy. Here, as is her trademark, she's being intimate with our ear (and, ensuingly, our hearts) via the poetry she delivers.” – Nicholas Mondello, All About Jazz 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 Artist Title Time Harvie S Trio On Green Dolphin Street 05:01 Harvie S Trio Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise 09:44 Harvie S Trio Peace 07:23 Harvie S Trio Like Someone In Love 07:11 Harvie S Trio Moment's Notice 07:48 Harvie S Trio Windows 09:50 Harvie S Trio Bruze 15:14 Harvie S Trio with Mike Stern & Alan Dawson GOING FOR IT • Savant Records SCD 2195 Mike Stern - guitar, Harvie S - bass, Alan Dawnson - drums Recorded Live at the 1369 Club, Cambridge, MA in 1985 For five years in the mid-1980s, the 1369 Club in Cambridge, MA was a thriving, vibrant and colorful home to a diverse clientele of both jazz “newbies” and the cognoscenti. The roster of performers was equally diverse, made up of top local and national jazz artists as well as a lucky group of amateur musicians who were able to join the “pros” on stage at the frequent open sessions featured by the Club. For three nights in 1985 the awe-inspiring triumvirate of guitarist and Miles Davis alumnus Mike Stern, bassist Harvie S and Boston-based drummer Alan Dawson held court, delivering performances of great intensity, virtuosity and unforgettable excitement. Jazz, by its very nature, is an ephemeral art and once the trio finished their three night run, it was thought the music went up into the ether to remain only as cherished musical memories to those in the audience. However, Harvie S knew that tapes of those evenings were in private hands and together with Barney Fields of Savant Records arranged for a selection from them to see the light of commercial release. So here are these thought-to-be lost performances back from the mists of time, capturing Harvie S, Mike Stern and Alan Dawson at the peak of their abilities. Mike Stern was about to release his first album as a leader, Upside Downside, Alan Dawson was fresh from being the featured drummer on Muse Records' popular Live at Sandy's series and Harvie S had already played with greats such as Zoot Sims, Thad Jones, Gil Evans, Urbie Green, Art Farmer, Lee Konitz and Sheila Jordan, and continues to enjoy a long and extremely prolific career. So thanks to Harvie, Savant Records and all those who helped bring this project to fruition the laws of time and space are hereby suspended – if only for the length of this recording. Suddenly, it is 1985 again! 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 2195 Savan... Harvie_S_T...

Saxophonist/Composer Jean Fineberg Makes Her Long-Awaited Leadership Debut with "Jean Fineberg & JAZZphoria," Set for April 8 Release On Pivotal Records Recording Features 11 New Compositions, Performed by a Select Octet (Plus Special Guests) Drawn Mainly from the SF Bay Area's Acclaimed Montclair Women's Big Band March 11, 2022 Tenor saxophonist-flutist Jean Fineberg puts the icing on the cake of a 50-year career with the April 8 release of Jean Fineberg & JAZZphoria on her Pivotal Records imprint. While the album is her first under her own name, Fineberg is anything but a newcomer to the music world: She has since the early 1970s been building up a jaw-dropping body of accomplishments that includes rock and fusion bands, session work on pop hits, and touring with jazz, salsa, and singer-songwriter icons. Many of those accomplishments are reflected in her debut album, which places her at the front of an octet (the JAZZphoria of the title) with baritone saxophonist-bass clarinetist Carolyn Walter, keyboardist-flutist Erika Oba, trumpeters Marina Garza and Tiffany Carrico, guitarist Nancy Wenstrom, bassist Susanne DiVincenzo, and drummer Lance Dresser, plus special guests. Much of JAZZphoria’s personnel overlaps with the Montclair Women’s Big Band, the celebrated Bay Area ensemble of which Fineberg has been assistant director and resident composer since 1997. She wanted to concentrate the 17-piece band’s creative force into a streamlined, four-horn powerhouse. “I wanted a team atmosphere,” she adds regarding her strategy. “We have that in the big band, as well as in JAZZphoria. … However, we do have a man on drums, so we’re not one of those single-gender bands!” It's not really a single-genre band either, despite the obvious jazz context. Fineberg leads JAZZphoria through a wild variety of sounds and styles. The opening “Bluesworthy” is classic big-band swing, while “Unfinished Business” is a sly tango. “Dive Bar” is a stinging guitar-led blues. “Raw Bar,” though it uses a Middle Eastern harmonic language, harks back to the fusion band DEUCE, which Fineberg co-led in the 1980s. “I don’t want all my music to sound the same,” Fineberg says. “I’m too interested in different things.” L. to r.: Tiffany Carrico, Marina Garza, Jeremy Steinkoler, Jean Fineberg, Nancy Wenstrom, Erika Oba, Carolyn Walter, Jodi Durst. The album’s wide range of musical flavors gets a boost from its equally wide range of soloists. Each of the band’s eight core members gets moments in the spotlight (and on multiple instruments, in the cases of Fineberg, Oba, and Walter). So do their guests. Jennifer Jolly takes a muscular piano turn on the New Orleans groover “More Funner”; percussionist Michaelle Goerlitz brings zesty energy to “St. Mildred the Short’s” calypso; Ariane Cap doubles down on the bluesy “Live at the Buck Snort Saloon” with her driving slap-bass; and Ellen Seeling—Fineberg’s directing partner in the MWBB—delivers a gorgeous, sultry trumpet line on Nancy Wenstrom’s “Unfinished Business.” In short, Jean Fineberg & JAZZphoria is the sound of not just one, but a whole array of highly accomplished and versatile talents. Even so, it is Fineberg, who, in addition to leading the band, composed all but one of the tunes and arranged the whole album, whose vision is at the album’s heart. Born April 1, 1946 in the Bronx and raised in nearby New Rochelle, Jean Fineberg knew she was a musician from early childhood. She began studying piano at 6 and violin at 9 before discovering the flute at 11. She also dabbled in drums and guitar as a teenager, then eventually began to study tenor saxophone, which became her main instrument. She took it and the flute with her to Pennsylvania State University, where she earned two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s in succession. In 1972, Fineberg became a founding member of Isis, an all-female jazz-rock band based in Manhattan. While the band never achieved major commercial success, it won positive notices and opened doors for Fineberg on the New York music scene. Along with Isis’s three albums, she played on dozens of recordings across the 1970s and ’80s, including smash hits by David Bowie, Sister Sledge, and Chic as well as the Brecker Brothers horn section. She toured with Laura Nyro and jazz trombonist-bandleader Melba Liston and performed with Dizzy Gillespie and Clark Terry at Carnegie Hall. In the mid-’80s, Fineberg co-founded (with Ellen Seeling) the fusion band DEUCE, which became a staple of jazz festivals and recorded two albums of her original music. Settling in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fineberg reestablished herself in the 1990s as a first-call West Coast musician before joining Seeling’s newly established Montclair Women’s Big Band in 1997. In the 25 years since, it has been her primary outlet, both in the reed section and as the band’s primary composer and arranger. The superlative musicianship she encountered in the band was the catalyst for Jean Fineberg & JAZZphoria, Fineberg’s long-in-the-making debut as name-above-the-title bandleader. Fineberg is on the faculty of the Jazzschool at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, where she directs annual Jazz & Blues Camps for women and girls (“my way of trying to pay it forward”). On the extramusical front, she has published her poetry in more than 20 journals; her new collection is A Mobius Path (Finishing Line Press). Jean Fineberg & JAZZphoria will be performing at San Francisco Music Day, War Memorial Veterans Building, on Sunday 3/20 at 4pm; at Rendon Hall, California Jazz Conservatory, Berkeley, on Friday 4/15 at 8pm; and at Move ’n’ Groove, Albany, CA, Sunday 4/24 at 10am. Band photo: Irene Young Fineberg photo: Jane Higgins Jean Fineberg & JAZZphoria - EPK (Video by Irene Young) Jean Fineberg Web Site

Tetel Di Babuya Bursts on to the Jazz Scene With "Meet Tetel," Releasing June 24 On Arkadia Records São Paulo Vocalist-Composer's Debut Features Ten Originals, One Standard, And a Band of Top-Notch Brazilian Jazz Artists For the First New Arkadia Release in Over a Decade March 8, 2022 The supreme confidence of Meet Tetel—Tetel Di Babuya’s debut album, set for a June 24 release on Arkadia Records—belies the newness of Di Babuya’s career as a vocalist and composer. She recorded the album just a year after her first professional singing appearance, and with even less experience in the jazz world. All the more remarkable, then, that the album’s ten originals and gorgeous Gershwin cover evidence the technical chops and emotional nuance of a seasoned veteran. In a sense, a veteran is exactly what she is. Before she was Tetel (pronounced teh-TELL) Di Babuya, jazz singer, she was Marcela Venditti, a classically trained violinist who had established a reputation as a highly regarded player in her native São Paulo, Brazil. Although she knew for as long as she can remember that she was a musician—“It never occurred to me to do anything else,” she asserts—her destiny seemed to lie in the orchestras she began playing in when she was still a teenager. Still, she had grown up loving Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s classic Ella and Louis. When in her late twenties she made a more profound discovery of vocal jazz, she was entranced by its possibilities. “I just knew I had to try and sing the best I could,” she says. “I didn’t care if I had a good voice or a bad voice, I simply had to sing.” That decision has yielded rich rewards, as Meet Tetel (which inaugurates a new name as well as a new milieu) testifies. Her contralto is as agile and expressive on the coy, playful “Not About Love” as on the vulnerable ballad “For One Man Only”; she tackles “Clean Cut” with full-tilt funk but can also put just a sprinkle of attitude on “Lullaby of Loveland.” As a finishing touch, her cover of “Someone to Watch Over Me” strikes a perfect balance of wistfulness and quirky charm. Of course, Di Babuya has excellent support in these endeavors. Her accompanists include pianist/arranger Daniel Grajew, saxophonist/trumpeter/trombonist Richard Fermino, bassist/guitarist Nilton Leonarde, and drummer Emilio Martins: the cream of the crop on São Paulo’s jazz scene. Even so, when the songs come out, they are Di Babuya’s own. She is, as Arkadia Records chief Bob Karcy succinctly puts it, “A phenom, a gifted musician.” Meet Tetel is living proof. Tetel Di Babuya was born Marcela Venditti in 1986 in Araçatuba, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. When she was seven years old, the family moved to California, where her psychopharmacologist father taught at Stanford University. When they returned to Brazil two years later, her father—who was also a drummer, singer, and pianist—signed her up for violin lessons. Music, and classical music in particular, quickly took hold of her passions, and by 13, Tetel was playing in orchestras and her school bands. From there she went to the University of São Paulo for a bachelor’s degree, to São Paulo State University for a master’s in music, and then to the professional orchestra circuit. She played with the Heliopolis Symphony Orchestra and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, with whom she toured Brazil and then Europe; performed in the São Paulo production of The Phantom of the Opera; and worked as a soloist with the Limiar String Orchestra, the Poços de Caldas Festival Orchestra, and the Laetare String Orchestra. By the time she fell in love with jazz in her twenties, Tetel had been so deeply immersed in classical music for so long that it was difficult to imagine herself doing anything else. However, the allure of improvisation, of swing, and of writing her own songs was too strong. Guided by the influence of Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Amy Winehouse, and Norah Jones, she reoriented herself as a singer. Her first performance was at an orchestral concert, but soon afterward she enlisted the help of pianist and arranger Daniel Grajew. Together they assembled the songs that became Meet Tetel. Tetel sent demo recordings of the songs to Arkadia Records’ Bob Karcy. “I listened and heard something special and unique in the material she sent me,” Karcy says; in her he found the perfect vehicle for revitalizing the record label beyond its acclaimed catalog. He signed her to the label and served as producer for her debut. They worked together to fine-tune and rerecord her songs, resulting in Arkadia’s first new release in over a decade—and a debut album that overflows with the promise of an exciting new artist. Photography: Igor Sarudiansky ""Who Is Tetel?" - EPK Tetel Di Babuya Web Site ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Yelena Eckemoff Extends the Scope of an Ambitious Personal Project with "I Am a Stranger in This World," To Be Released May 20 By L&H Production Pianist-Composer Eckemoff Continues Her Musical Settings of Biblical Psalms With a Crack Ensemble Including Ralph Alessi, Drew Gress, Adam Rogers, and Nasheet Waits, Plus Special Guests February 17, 2022 Pianist-composer Yelena Eckemoff adds to her already impressive corpus of settings for the Psalms on I Am a Stranger in This World, due for a May 20 release on her own L&H Production label. The album is a new installment in a long-term musical project that began with 2018’s Better Than Gold and Silver, and once again teams Eckemoff with that album’s trumpeter Ralph Alessi and bassist Drew Gress, along with guitarist Adam Rogers and drummer Nasheet Waits. (Violinist Christian Howes—with Ben Monder and Joey Baron also in lieu of Rogers and Waits, respectively—also appears on three holdover tracks from Better Than Gold and Silver.) Eckemoff converted to Christianity while still living in her native Moscow during the waning days of the Soviet Union: a time when to be Christian was still a dangerous transgression. Her new faith, along with a hard-to-procure King James Bible, combined with her pedigree in classical and jazz piano to inspire a celebration of the Old Testament’s wisdom and poetry. Eckemoff, however, finds more than just inspiration in the Psalms. “I am a melodist, but the melodies that come from the words I hear in the Psalms, I think they are the best melodies I create,” she says. “And I think it’s because there’s a power in those words…. You can feel the power that God channels through that music.” New York City, Dec. 2020. L. to r.: Ralph Alessi, Adam Rogers, Yelena Eckemoff, Drew Gress, Nasheet Waits.. Of course, the musicians working with Eckemoff channel power of their own. I Am a Stranger in This World was recorded during the 2020 pandemic, and there’s a palpable passion from Alessi, Gress, Rogers, and Waits simply to be making music again. But that alone doesn’t account for the tenderness of Rogers’s lines on “As Chaff Before the Wind” (a setting of Psalm 35), the soul in Alessi’s soft fills on “I Shall Not Want” (from the famous Psalm 23), or the full band chemistry of “Keep Not Your Silence” (Psalm 83). “Eckemoff’s new Psalms settings display an expanded stylistic range,” writes CD annotator Mark Sullivan. “Who knew that Psalms could sound like blues? ‘I Shall Not Want’ embraces the vibrant blues feeling [as does] ‘Lighten My Eyes.’ . . . Here for the first time on her jazz recordings her keyboards are expanded beyond acoustic piano to include organ on ‘Keep Not Your Silence,’ Fender Rhodes electric piano on ‘Truth in His Heart’ and ‘The Wine of Astonishment,’ as well as some synthesizers on ‘At Midnight I Will Rise’ and ‘Like Rain Upon the Mown Grass,’ subtly broadening the group’s timbral palette.” Although Eckemoff first wrote these settings as vocal features, there are no singers on I Am a Stranger in This World. Instead, she offers her purely instrumental interpretations of the Psalms, titling each with a line from the appropriate Biblical verse and citing each Psalm for the listener to read and draw connections to the music—and perhaps to their own ideas about faith in a higher power. Eckemoff is no evangelist, but her work with the Psalms does offer an important message to the world. “There is some higher power,” she says. “Even the people who don’t believe in God but have faith in government or in society or humanity—well, the government or society or humanity is the higher power. Something greater than themselves. My message is that people can overcome fears and insecurities and trust in a higher power.” Yelena Eckemoff was born in Moscow, where she started playing by ear and composing music when she was four. She would go on to study classical piano the most prestigious music academies in Russia: the Gnessins School for musically gifted children, followed by the Moscow State Conservatory. Gradually, however, Eckemoff’s ears wandered beyond her classical training, discovering first rock, then jazz. When she saw Dave Brubeck’s performance in Moscow in 1987, she settled on jazz as her permanent musical path. That path turned out to run through the United States, where Eckemoff immigrated in 1991 and settled in North Carolina. Now ensconced in the country that gave birth to jazz, she went in search of players who could do justice to her intricate ideas. The search was a long and sometimes frustrating one, but it paid off when she was able to work with the likes of bassist Mads Vinding and drummer Peter Erskine on her 2010 album Cold Sun. Later collaborators have included Mark Turner, Joe Locke, George Mraz, Peter Erskine, Manu Katché, Billy Hart, Chris Potter, Jon Christensen, and Joey Baron, along with Alessi, Gress, Rogers, and Waits. Her unique, sophisticated, and highly expressive music continues to draw support and creative energy from the finest musicians in the world. Photos: Andrei Matorin (quintet), Janne Nykanen (Yelena) ""I Am a Stranger in This World" EPK Yelena Eckemoff Web Site ‌ ‌ ‌

Armen Donelian Reinvents Himself at Age 71 On "Fresh Start," Set for April 1 Release By Sunnyside Records Pianist-Composer Debuts New Trio With Bassist Jay Anderson and Drummer Dennis Mackrel Assaying Original Compositions, Standards, and Tunes by His Proteges and Mentors February 1, 2022 Pianist-composer Armen Donelian reemerges from the COVID-inspired shutdowns with a newly refined conception on both instrument and pen on Fresh Start, to be released April 1 on Sunnyside Records. The album is the recorded premiere of Donelian’s new trio featuring bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Dennis Mackrel. Sidelined like all musicians by the worldwide pandemic, Donelian was further removed from performing when a shoulder injury left him temporarily unable to play the piano. Ever resourceful, the 71-year-old simply wrote new music instead, giving himself something to workshop when he regained his playing ability. In neither capacity, though, was Donelian content to rest on his laurels. “The pandemic … was an opportunity for me to reexamine my approach to the piano and composing,” he says. It was in that spirit that he created the trio with Anderson, a longtime friend, and Mackrel, a new acquaintance (but a frequent bandstand partner of Anderson’s). He broadened his new approach to incorporate his collaborators. “I was looking to deepen how we listen and interact with each other in a responsive way,” Donelian explains, “taking every particle of time as an opportunity to connect with and support each other, contributing in some way to a more beautiful sound.” L. to r.: Dennis Mackrel, Armen Donelian, Jay Anderson. A more beautiful sound is certainly what they achieved. From the sweet sensitivity of Donelian’s album-opening “Noviembre” to the percussive “Madagascar” (featuring a dazzling Mackrel solo) to the giddy, rattling 7/4 of “Janet Left the Planet,” the ensemble provides ample evidence of their mastery and imagination, both as individuals and collectively. Yet Donelian’s musical reboot is hardly a rejection of his place in the jazz tradition. Indeed, Fresh Start also offers a unique kind of contextualization for the leader. His five original compositions are joined by two pieces from the Great American Songbook—Harry Warren’s “Never Let Me Go” and Herb Magidson & Allie Wrubel’s “I’m Stepping Out with a Memory Tonight” (which marks Donelian’s vocal debut on record)—Donelian also explores works connected to his own past and present. “Gale” and “Day Break” are compositions by two of his mentors, pianist Richie Beirach and saxophonist Makanda Ken McIntyre, respectively. In addition, composer Vatan Rajan Singh (“Ferry Maiden”) and Sophia Bondi (“In the Western Night”) are both former students of Donelian’s. The album thus establishes him as one important link in a long, rich chain. Armen Donelian was born December 1, 1950 to a family of Armenian immigrants in New York City. He began studying piano at the age of seven, enrolling at the Westchester Conservatory of Music. At 12, he discovered jazz by way of a trad band led by noted studio guitarist Arthur Ryerson; Armen’s older brother played clarinet in the band, and he himself eventually became its pianist. He studied music theory and composition at Columbia University—then entered a different sort of finishing school via the tutelage of Richie Beirach. The celebrated pianist was the first in a long line of musical mentors: Donelian soon found himself sharing bandstands with Mongo Santamaria, Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker, and Billy Harper. Throughout it all (though especially while in Harper’s band), he worked to develop his own sound, beginning a solo career in earnest with his 1981 debut Stargazer. A dozen more albums followed over the next 30-odd years, including the acclaimed releases Secrets (his 1988 album for Sunnyside), All or Nothing at All (2006), Leapfrog (2011) and Sayat-Nova: Songs of My Ancestors (2014). Proud as he is of his accomplishments, Donelian nonetheless takes a thoughtful and critical approach to his music, leading to the kind of reassessment that characterizes Fresh Start. “Instead of focusing on what I was playing, I was focusing more on how I was playing, on touch, expression, and storytelling, allowing the sound to happen in its own way,” he says. “That was the main focus of this album.” Donelian and his new trio will be performing this spring at the following venues: 3/18 Hudson (NY) Hall; 3/19 Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, Nyack, NY; 4/24 Claverack (NY) Public Library; 5/22 Ossining (NY) Public Library. In addition, Donelian will be based at the Bucharest University of Music (Romania) 5/2-19 in a Fulbright Specialist residency. Photos: Rudy Lu (trio), Susan Sabino (Donelian) "Morning Mood" (by Armen Donelian). Recorded live at Mehrspur Jazz Club, Zurich, Switzerland; May 4, 2013. Armen Donelian,p; Raetus Flisch, b; Pius Baschnagel, d. Armen Donelian Web Site ‌ ‌

I work for myself, which is fun. Except when I call in sick, I know I'm lying.