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Release date September 9: A collection of songs musing on the what-ifs and close-but-no-cigars of love, Hey There is your introduction to Canada's next chanteur de jazz, Jeremy Wong. His rich, lyrical baritone shows clear ties to his antecedents, evoking the great jazz singers and crooners of old. The ten tracks feature only the finest players of the Vancouver jazz scene, bringing together the youth of Ardeshir Pourkeramati (tenor sax, arrangements) and Alvin Brendan (guitar) with seasoned veterans Chris Gestrin (piano), John Lee (bass), and Jesse Cahill (drums). Slick reharmonization and arranging keep old standards new and fresh, while two originals showcase Jeremy's thoughtful, introspective lyrics, leaving the listener feeling wistful and lucky to have been loved: a hopeful romantic, much like him. Release date October 21: Harlem based saxophonist and Philadelphia native, Sam Taylor presents his third release for Cellar Live,featuring trumpet master Terell Stafford. Recorded at Van Gelder Studios in January of 2022, a time when much of what we believed in as a society was being redefined and reimagined, Taylor chose to invite his musical elders to join him on a journey of generosity and letting go. Surrendering to the music he loves, interpreting the songs and sharing with others, LET GO remains true to Sam Taylor's musical values. There is an emphasis on mentorship and tradition, as Terell Stafford was a childhood hero of the young saxophonist while in Philadelphia. Joined by Jeb Patton (piano), Neal Miner (bass) and Willie Jones III (drums), Taylor and Stafford joyfully perform a collection of songs by the great Barry Harris, Benny Golson, and Coleman Hawkins, along with interpretations of rarely played standards from the American Songbook. The title track, LET GO, is an original by Taylor, his first to be recorded. The quintet swings hard and with purpose, honoring the spirit of those who came before, with a clear message: Music is an act of giving. Let go. To document this trio and the work we did during those last two years, Spike chose to pay respect and play the music of two of the giant fathers of modern music: Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington! They both have a unique compositional style that lends perfectly for ALL musicians to digest and then interpret with their own voice.

Release date September 23: Product Description The fourth release in the "Out To Dinner" series, "Food Is Medicine" continues to steer the musical message gently outward along an ambitious course. With each subsequent release, we are seeking to expand the aesthetic sensibilities of our traditional audience. "Food Is Medicine" is a companion piece to "Episodes of Grace,” released earlier this year, and showcases the combined efforts of the same five capable composer bandleader virtuosos. This album contains a full prescription of auditory delights and delivers healthy dosages of vibraphonist Behn Gillece, trombonist Ryan Keberle and saxophonist Patrick Cornelius moving freely over the solid harmonic foundation of bassist Boris Kozlov and the explosive metrics of drummer Rudy Royston. While tastes may vary, these focused and adventurous performances will certainly encourage jazz fans to fortify their musical feasts with an increasingly diverse diet featuring more of these "different flavors." About the Artist The fourth release in the "Out To Dinner" series, "Food Is Medicine" continues to steer the musical message gently outward along an ambitious course. With each subsequent release, we are seeking to expand the aesthetic sensibilities of our traditional audience. "Food Is Medicine" is a companion piece to "Episodes of Grace,” released earlier this year, and showcases the combined efforts of the same five capable composer bandleader virtuosos. This album contains a full prescription of auditory delights and delivers healthy dosages of vibraphonist Behn Gillece, trombonist Ryan Keberle and saxophonist Patrick Cornelius moving freely over the solid harmonic foundation of bassist Boris Kozlov and the explosive metrics of drummer Rudy Royston. While tastes may vary, these focused and adventurous performances will certainly encourage jazz fans to fortify their musical feasts with an increasingly diverse diet featuring more of these "different flavors." Patrick Cornelius - Posi-Tone fans are very familiar with this alto saxman whose compositional skills are always a treat. Cornelius contributes two tunes to this album, “Waiting For Takeoff” and “We Dare.” His experience and passionate tone contributes a discrete flavor to the music, which we are happy to display. Behn Gillece - With over a decade on the New York jazz scene, vibraphonist Gillece has built a reputation as a virtuosic instrumentalist and prolific composer. He’s the winner of the Downbeat Rising Star - Vibraphonist award, and has released numerous albums as a leader and valuable side musician. Throughout his career, Gillece has committed himself to the beautiful sounding vibraphone and has shined as a composer. Ryan Keberle - A seasoned veteran and newcomer to Posi-Tone, Keberle is the winner of the 2021 JazzTimes Critics’ Poll for trombone. We couldn’t be more excited to have this talented musician and composer contributing to another Out To Dinner project. Keberle integrates his wide-ranging experiences with his adventurous voice on the trombone to cook up some magical moments on this session, including two compositions, “The Slope Of The Blues” and “Sisters Of Mine.” Boris Kozlov - Another veteran of the jazz community, Kozlov’s in-demand schedule has him leading the Mingus bands and playing with the who’s who of jazz. After celebrating this year his premire as a leader for Posi-Tone, First Things First, this award-winning bassist brings his wide range of mastery and years of world-class experiences to this band once again, adding a solid foundation and many tasty nuances to the music, included his compositions, “Dinner Is Served” and “After KW.” Rudy Royston - Royston has climbed the ranks of jazz drumming to become one of the most in-demand drummers on today’s scene. His has steady membership in the bands of Dave Douglas, Bill Frisell, Chico Freeman, Linda May Han Oh, and Jon Irabagon, just to name a few. Royston’s power, rhythm and creativity add to the enjoyment of every session he plays on.

Release date August 15:

Release date September 23: Searching In Grenoble: The 1978 Solo Piano Concert is a previously unissued recording of jazz icon Mal Waldron's mesmerizing performance at the "Five Days of Jazz" series in Grenoble, France on March 23, 1978. Waldron was Billie Holiday's final accompanist, played with John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Jackie McLean, and recorded dozens of solo albums before his passing in 2002. The beautifully designed, deluxe 2-CD set includes photos, an extensive 24-page booklet, essays and interviews.

RIP. What perfectly crafted songs, elegant, gritty, impassioned.

I think that helps explain how Ella wound up on Reprise.

Will Friedwald gives this a rave review in tomorrow's WSJ (readable online now).

Dan, I stumbled across this site, in case you're not aware: https://pastdaily.com/2022/07/31/oliver-jackson-trio-featuring-percy-france-live-in-madrid-1983-past-daily-downbeat/

This site seems to think it was a trumpeter named Rashid Ali. They also have the entire concert: https://pastdaily.com/2021/10/31/sonny-rollins-betty-carter-live-in-tokyo-1963-past-daily-downbeat/

Aren't there a lot of different Paul Bley styles? I got the following Hat ART title and could not enjoy it. I've come closer with others, but it seems to me that "joy" was not in his expressive abilities. I wouldn't call his pervasive tone "blues"; "glum" is more like it. For all the carping about Jarrett, he has far more of an expressive range. Still, I'm sure I don't know most of Bley's oeuvre.

Mo Ostin, the music executive who helped transform Warner Bros. Records into one of the most admired music labels in the world and who earned respect and lasting allegiance from musicians from Los Angeles to London for his artist-friendly philosophy, died on Sunday. He was 95. https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/mo-ostin-executive-who-transformed-warner-bros-into-revered-record-label-dies-at-95/ar-AA10bINW

OK, bootlegs. Not an "official CD reissue" at all. I do appreciate their manufacturing and distributing this.

What is Creel Pone? Sometimes the “p” in pone is capitalized, sometimes not. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I’ve yet to hear a bad Gil record.

Great news!

Release date August 12: Very much in the vein of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers or Coltrane's band on the legendary Blue Train album, Bakerzmillion is Chicago's hard bop ensemble par excellence. It's six members are a true dream team of talented and seasoned jazzmen. The band's longevity, over fifteen years already, contributes to the solid and balanced sound of the ensemble. Playing original tunes composed by the co-leaders the ensemble brings a breeze of fresh air to these mainstream sonorities. Recorded February 2018 by Robert Vallone, Produced by Andy Baker, Mixed & Mastered by Fred Breitberg, Photo and notes by Michael Jackson.

Release date August 26, on "Life Goes On" Records: https://www.amazon.com/Almoravid-Joe-Chambers/dp/B0B5ZZRFD5/ref=sr_1_197?qid=1659061679&refinements=p_n_date%3A1249114011&rnid=1249111011&s=music&sr=1-197

Release date September 16:

Release date October 7: Cellar Music has assembled a cast of all-star musicians from around the globe to play the original compositions of iconic Canadian tenor man Fraser MacPherson. Appearances by the likes of tenor saxophonists Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen and Grant Stewart, along with young up and comers like Jocelyn Gould and Virginia MacDonald, show just how revered MacPherson is. Release date September 9: In 2015, Fitzgerald founded Tim Fitzgerald's Full House, a septet with a repertory mission that borrowed its name from one of Montgomery's compositions (and the live album on which it first appeared). Drawing members from the top shelf of Windy City straight-ahead jazz - the vibrant scene that tenor saxophonist Von Freeman called hardcore jazz - Fitzgerald turned to folks he's worked with extensively, including the sparklingly inventive pianist Tom Vaitsas and Grammy-nominated trumpeter Victor Garcia, as well as George Fludas, one of the city's greatest drummers and a veteran who has worked with Wes's pianist/vibraphonist brother Buddy Montgomery as well as Mel Rhyne, who played organ with Wes. Working towards this, their eponymous first record, Full House dug in for residencies and one-nighters, cultivating a deep understanding of the material and establishing an approach to Wes quite unlike anything previous. With a little big-band vibe that allows them to range back and forth from fulsome arrangements featuring a three-horn and guitar frontline to spare soulful small group sounds.? The results are transformative. It's both a songbook record and an achievement on its own terms. Fitzgerald's genuine love of Wes shines through, but it's not a devotee's slavish re-enactment. Each track crackles and flows with uncorked imagination. It's gorgeously conceived, a program of precise selections culled from the Montgomery archives and thoughtfully rearranged. The record elucidates the way his music could be ultra-hip modern and deep-in-the-soul down home at the same time. Release date September 23: Fun House is guitarist David Blake's thrilling quintet effort featuring some of Vancouver's finest musicians. The collection of original compositions showcase the bands dynamic interplay and explosive improvisations. This album is David's third venture as a leader, but the first to expand the group beyond the realm of the trio. Including trumpeter Thad Bailey-Mai and pianist Brad Turner allows for the group to take on a number of intricate, fleshed out compositions. Ranging from through composed modern jazz odysseys Bernie Does It and Jon, No Jon to quick witted tunes such as Devil Stick and the title track Fun House, Blake utilizes the unique talents of each band member to create a rich sonic landscape. Inspired by modern jazz composers such as Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler and Herbie Hancock, David's tunes have intricate melodies, dark and mysterious harmonies, odd time signature romps and lots of improvisation. As a guitarist, David's virtuosic yet thoughtful solos are featured through out. With pianist Brad Turner providing a harmonic play ground, David takes the role of front man, along with long time collaborator Thad Bailey-Mai on trumpet. The exuberant rhythm section consists of bassist Conrad Good and Bernie Arai, two of Canada's most in demand players. Fun House is a thrilling collection of eight original tunes performed expertly by a quintet of Vancouver's finest.

Release date September 23:

Release date August 26: Together with Americana: Musings on Jazz and Blues, and Barracoon, two of JD Allen's previous Savant releases, Americana, Vol. 2 forms a trilogy of sorts, exploring and encapsulating a universal spirit based in roots and reflection. But despite the profound political, racial, financial and historic issues examined by Allen and company, at the central musical core of all three recordings is the underestimated but crucial role the blues has played in the history of jazz and how it continues to evolve and influence the art form today. On Americana, Vol. 2 Allen continues this investigation with his long-time colleagues Gregg August and Rudy Royston, but is now joined by guitarist Charlie Hunter, who shares not only Allen's interest in the blues and it's legacy, but they also share many similar life experiences. As Allen himself says, "(Charlie's) music brings light to me as a listener. When we met, we found out that we grew up in different areas of the country, but our experiences happen to be very similar. That's Americana right there. I wanted that on this record." Here the blues not only provides a welcome outlet for tension and gentle melodicism but it also gives us an unflinching look into deep-seated and long-lived injustices, particularly via the almost expressionistic utterances of three trio-only tracks. Once again JD Allen shows himself to be a player and composer as remarkable for his directness of communication as he is for the sometimes unforgiving sternness of his message. The one thing all but one of the works on this recording have in common is that they were used in a motion picture, though only six of the eleven songs were written for a specific movie. They cover a fairly long period of cinematic history with Charlie Chaplin's timeless classic, "Smile" being heard in the earliest and latest films on the list: Modern Times (1936) and Joker (2019). It is interesting to note that the album's leader and drummer, Richard Baratta, was an executive producer on Joker. With this Hollywood connection, Baratta's life has been somewhat cinema-centric, but he actually started out as a jazz drummer, working with Butch Morris, Billy Bang, Hal Galper and others. Today Baratta has returned to his jazz roots and his colorful, propulsive drumming is a real highlight of this recording, a follow up to his 2020 release, Music in Film: The Reel Deal. You won't find any lengthy, indulgent solos here but you will smile approvingly at his keenly executed flourishes and mini-breaks. Back in the studio with Baratta is Grammy-nominated arranger and pianist, Bill O'Connell, his years of Latin jazz experience influencing a number of tracks. Alto saxophonist Vincent Herring also returns providing an athletic lead on many selections and some coruscant solo work. With guitarist Paul Bollenback and bassist Michael Goetz rounding out the rhythm section and Paul Rossman providing some additional percussion colors, Richard Baratta takes you on another imaginative, jazz-filled trip to the movies. But you'll have to supply your own popcorn.

Release date August 26:

Release date August 19: A long-time fan of the front-line pairings of the 1950s bands of Miles Davis, Art Blakey and Horace Silver (for whom Silver Mine is dedicated), Swainson shaped both his compositions and the blue-chip rhythm section of pianist Renee Rosnes (with whom he'd worked in the 1990s cross border band Free Trade) and Lewis Nash around this stylistic post-bop conception. With compositional dedications to musical influences (the aforementioned Silver Mine), to impactful places (Kyushu, a musical reflection of time spent on this Japanese island), to people (Fell Among Thieves references a biblical parable that Swainson relates to some wonderful people he has known who fell into difficult company and circumstance), this new recording offers a personal glimpse inside Swainson's musical and compositional mind.

Release date September 2: Elastic Wave presents dummer Nilssen's powerful trio with fellow Norwegian Andre Roligheten on reeds and Swedish bassist Petter Eldh (recently heard with Kit Downes). The group's dynamic interaction, dancing sense of pulse and boldly etched themes - all three players contribute compositions - make Acoustic Unity one of the most engaging bands on the circuit today, able to address fiery anthems and poignant ballads with equal panache and conviction. Release date September 30: The grandmaster of improvised bass & the electronics-playing son of Hungary's great contemporary composer share a deep commitment to making new music in the moment, informed by their different lives & experiences. With his subtle use of synthesizers & digital percussion, Gyorgy Kurt g Jr shapes shifting spaces for Barre Phillips to negotiate, an acoustic labyrinth illuminated in detail in Manfred Eicher's crystalline mix. Recorded at Studios La Buissonne, Face … Face is a fascinating album.

Just got the July Newsletter from Blue Note. It includes: JOHN COLTRANE BLUE TRAIN TONE POET VINYL EDITIONS OUT 9/16 John Coltrane’s 1st masterpiece Blue Trainwill be released in 2 all-analog Tone Poet Vinyl Editions on Sept. 16: a 1-LP mono pressing of the original album & the 2-LP stereo collection Blue Train: The Complete Masters which includes a 2nd disc featuring 7 alternate takes, none of which have been released previously on vinyl. The Complete Masters comes with a booklet featuring never-before-seen session photos by Francis Wolff& an essay by Ashley Kahn. Both Tone Poet Editions were produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes & pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI. The Complete Masters will also be released as a 2-CD set & digital collection.

I highly recommend volume 6, “Blues For The Fisherman.”