Phil Woods’ New Celebration is the long-awaited follow-up to his 1997 Grammy® Award-nominated release Celebration, and features many of the same players, along with a number of other world-class musicians from Woods’ Poconos home region comprising the 18-piece Festival Orchestra.

All but two of the compositions – Johnny Mandel’s “Here’s to Alvy” and Al Cohn’s arrangement of Raye & de Paul’s gorgeous “You Don’t Know What Love Is” (featuring vocalist Najwa Parkins) – were specially written and arranged by Woods for this recording, which was done in April of 2012.

Woods’ extraordinary writing creates an ideal setting for his solo… Continue reading →

an exploration of new sounds and new dimensions in today’s music. There are elements and influences of classical music, drum ‘n’ bass, groove, swing, electronica, and free music – all combined into what can only be described as ‘jazz’.

The listener is taken on a journey through the familiar, and through the unknown, into the vast depths of each member’s own musical experiences. The arrangements are complex, yet fun, and showcase the subtle virtuosity of each member. However, the result is an exciting album which is much greater than the sum of its parts.

All three members of the group… Continue reading →

Eric DiVito is one of New York City’s talented and busy guitarists. Originally from Long Island, NY, Eric began playing guitar at the age of 11 and was gigging professionally by the time he was in high school. After graduating from the Crane School of Music in 2004, Eric moved to Queens, New York to attend The Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College; and to be closer to New York City’s jazz scene. There, he began performing much more, and collaborating with some of New York’s finest musicians. Eric performs in various settings, most often leading his own… Continue reading →

“The Contender” features 8 exciting original compositions along with 3 unique arrangements of diverse standards from composers Jerome Kern, Horace Silver and Stevie Wonder. A stellar line-up highlights Rivera’s composing and arranging skills while providing ample support for his ‘tough’ tenor-playing. Rivera also makes room on the record for some outstanding guest work by vocalist & trumpeter Bria Skonberg, vibraphonist Behn Gillece and percussionist (as well as engineer) Andrew Swift. Produced by Trombonist Michael Dease, the record explores Rivera’s reflections on life, love and his Chicano heritage. As bassist Rodney Whitaker says in the liner notes, “With his new release,… Continue reading →

At age 26, Marquis Hill is already a well-known name on the Chicago Jazz Scene. After retrieving a Bachelor degree in Music Education/Jazz Studies, and studying privately at Northern Illinois University, he started performing heavily in Chicago.

He has performed with artist such as: Dee Alexander, Tito Carrillo, Bobby Broom, Willie Pickens, Ron Perrillo, Victor Garcia, Benny Golson, Antonio Hart, Rodney Whitaker, Steve Turre , Ernest Dawkins, Maurice Brown, Corey Wilkes, Willerm Delisfort, Brian Lynch and many others. He has toured the U.S and abroad with many different artist and groups; Sirens of Sound, The Delisfort Project, Chicago 12, Bebop… Continue reading →

The San Francisco bassist brings together a group of the bay area’s most creative musicians, along with the towering guitar-work of Paris-based Nguyen Le, for a dynamic set of original music. Intense grooves and colorful improvisation dominate, with influences ranging from Weather Report and the Head Hunters, to Senegalese Mbalax music, Vietnamese traditional folk, Afro-Cuban, and Japanese Enka music.

Balancing the smoldering electric numbers with airy acoustic compositions, Germain allows every musician their voice while his own acoustic bass and 6-string electric often sings over the mix. – See more at: http://originarts.com/recordings/recording.php?TitleID=82652#sthash.U154nXYR.dpuf

At the time of these recordings, John Lewis was still in the process of developing the unique concept of MJQ as a jazz chamber group, for which he often scored even the bass and drum parts.

Every track of this pioneering early phase exemplifies how Lewis, to quote Andre Francis, turned four musicians into ‘a sensitive instrument which vibrates in the same universe of sound, achieving a communion unique in the world of jazz.’

Meet the Piano Prince of New Orleans.

Davell Crawford, grandson of R&B pioneer James ‘Sugarboy’ Crawford who penned the New Orleans classic, ‘Jock-A-Mo,’ arrives with My Gift to You, a sensational and eclectic record that manages to pay tribute not only to the Southern church culture which nurtured his talents from a young age, but to the many artists and genres that have influenced his decades-long career. My Gift to You opens with the explosive ‘Creole Man,’ a pulsating original that celebrates Louisiana and its vibrant heritage. To pay homage to another fabled character of the South, Crawford enlisted blues… Continue reading →