Doug Beavers
Luna
Circle 9 Records
Few objects inspire artists as enduringly as the moon. 4.5 billion years young, the moon fuels our passion while remaining the mysterious cyclical force that routinely sparks our creativity. Even wolves understand this. Brilliantly lit, clouded into crescents, eclipsed, and gorgeously present when full, the moon’s gravity charms everything from bays and oceans to dance, literature, visual art, and of course music. Luna (Moon), is trombonist Doug Beavers’ latest chapter in an intriguing career of making music that artfully bends rules instead of haphazardly breaking them.
Download Full Liner NotesAnthony Branker
What Place Can Be For Us?
Origin Records
Profound answers to important questions require music that distills rigor, purpose and story into a renewed sense of place. Anthony Branker’s place in Jazz has been consistently building unique architectures that speak to the cultural reparation of allowing this art form to thrive as protest music. What Place Can Be For Us? - A Suite in Ten-Movements is much more than just another stunningly good album from a vastly under-recognized artist; it’s music that seeps into the pores of your consciousness, music that rightfully hurts before its beauty and rectitude fortifies a new agenda for your heart.
Download Full Liner NotesJoe Locke
Makram
Circle 9 Records
After decades as one of the most impactful vibraphonists in Jazz, with countless awards, critically acclaimed albums, and a remarkably diverse array of musical associations to his credit, Joe Locke brings us Makram; a recording glistening with the spirit, ingenuity, musicianship and inquisitiveness of an artist joyously embracing kinship as the foundation for making music entirely on his own terms. Locke’s quartet, (Jim Ridl, Lorin Cohen, and Samvel Sarkisyan) is a unique musical fraternity, a group perfectly suited to the quality of compositions that make this recording so special.
Download Full Liner NotesJoe McCarthy
Pan American Nut Cracker Suite
Angelface Records
The Pan American Nutcracker Suite's distinct beauty comes from the ingenuity that McCarthy, conductor and co-arranger Vince Norman, and the New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band bring to the nuance of arranging that incorporates so many musical styles. Utilizing the adaptability of the clave, the effervescence of Afro-Latin artistry and the measured brilliance of a band of seasoned, like-minded musicians, Joe McCarthy and the New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band's The Pan American Nutcracker Suite is a brilliant reinvention of a timeless classic for generations to come.
Download Full Liner NotesSteven Brezet
World Traveler
Circle 9 Records
World Traveler deserves repeat spins on your turntable not just because it swings so hard that you might have to bolt your speakers to the floor, but because Brezet has encrypted this music with subtle innovations that speak to more great things to come. Believing "music needs innovation and to be refreshed but with respect for the tradition," is why you'll find World Traveler so meticulously designed, sprinkled with djembe and timbau solos, and Brezet working with veteran Venezuelan musician Oscar "Chucky" Cordero to charge maximum wattage into every composition.
Download Full Liner NotesJosean Jocobo
Herencia Criolla
Self-Release
Balancing the musical heritage of Merengue de Palo Echao, Bachata, and Gagá with contemporary Jazz and the work of legendary Latin composers, Herencia Criolla deepens the musical dialectic on the enduring ingenuity of Dominican music. Cinematic, anthropological, a chronicle of the heritage that sustains him, Herencia Criolla flows from field recordings to vivid compositions featuring Jocobo's trio, drummer Otoniel Nicolas and bassist Daroll Méndez, with guest appearances by alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, bassist Ramón Vázquez and percussionists Magic Mejia and Félix Garcia.
Download Full Liner NotesJohn Santos
Art of the Descarga
Smithsonian Folkways Records
At its core, Santos’s journey with descarga has always focused on the gal- vanizing force behind the political philosophies of how Afro-Caribbean people create music. Born into this culture, Santos has never asserted a proprietary claim: “This music really belongs to everybody. It’s music! It emanates from the heart of the Americas, which is not Nebraska or Oklahoma: it’s Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean. All of the Americas have a common history that unites us, and it’s a violent history, of colonialism, slavery, and the genocide of indigenous people.”
Download Full Liner NotesDoug Beavers
Sol
Circle 9 Records
Sol is more than just the manifestation of meaningful influences gathered throughout a career. Here are songs that express the refreshed identity of an artist willing to experiment by molding cherished genres into a hybrid form of popular music. Honoring soul and R&B from the 70's and 80's, Sol revisits the science of making hits from addictive bass riffs, and the endurance of African rhythms that continue to permeate every aspect of American music. "I'm not trying to prove a point," Beavers says, "I'm just writing music with strong structures, and being clear about what I'm trying to say."
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