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Larry Goldings – Better (Ropeadope): “Larry Goldings is a Grammy-nominated pianist and composer. His organ trio with Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart has been recognized in the New York Times as “the best organ trio of the last decade” (https://www.larrygoldings.com/). Listen to samples of his work on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/larrygoldings

Hal Galper – Ivory Forest Redux (Origin): “This album with leader Hal Galper on piano includes guitarist John Scofield, bassist Wayne Dockery and drummer Adam Nussbaum, and has finally been reissued after being out of circulation not long after its original 1979 release. It’s an impressive yet understated affair, combining quartet efforts with duets and solos” (https://www.jazzweekly.com/2022/10/hal-galper-ivory-forest-redux/). Click here to listen to samples from this set.

Ahmad Jamal – Emerald City Nights (Jazz Detective): “If you ever needed a comprehensive introduction to the appeal of Ahmad Jamal’s straight bop work, the two volumes of Emerald City Nights may just do the trick. The dual two-disc sets (out on both CD and vinyl LP) come from tapes—found by jazz tape detective Zev Feldman—that capture the piano maestro across four years of performances at Seattle’s Penthouse club with four different bands” (https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/ahmad-jamal-emerald-city-nights-live-at-the-penthouse-1963-1964-1965-1966-jazz-detective/). Click here to listen.

Frank Paul Schubert – Black Holes Are Hard To Find (Nemu): All compositions: Frank Paul Schubert Alto and Soprano Saxophone; Klaus Kughel – Drums, Gong [Gongs]; and Composed by [All Compositions By and Klaus Kugel – Electric Guitar, and Electronics, composed by – Kazuhisa Uchihashi. Listen here.

Bill Goodwin / Billy Hart / w George Garzone & Ben Street – Sound on Sound (Vectordisc): The players are Bill Goodwin (drums, cymbals), Billy Hart (drums, cymbals), George Garzone (tenor & soprano sax) and Ben Street (bass). You can listen to all songs on this release.

Lisa Hilton – Paradise Cove (Ruby Slippers Productions): “Hilton’s twenty sixth recording debuts her dynamic new L.I.L.O quartet with Hilton on piano, trumpeter Igmar Thomas, bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Obed Calvaire. (L.I.L.O. for their first initials)….Hilton chose the title Paradise Cove as a reference to our cultural need to find a ‘cove’ or protected spot in our personal lives on a daily basis to escape, revitalize, or reboot and to create a ‘paradise’ or state of grace amid today’s fast moving times” (https://www.lisahiltonmusic.com/copy-of-life-is-beautiful). Here’s a sample from “Paradise Cove”.

Out To Dinner – Food Is Medicine (PosiTone): “Out to Dinner is less a band than a repertory company and a concept. Over four releases to date, the personnel has varied somewhat, but the concept has continued: a tribute to Eric Dolphy’s classic 1964 album Out to Lunch. What Out to Dinner takes from Out to Lunch is the instrumentation and a mindset that might be described as “semi-avant-garde” (https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/out-to-dinner-food-is-medicine-posi-tone/). Listen here.

Matt Savage Groove Experiment – Matt Savage Groove Experiment (Savage Records): “Matt Savage, age 30, has had a remarkable 20+ year professional career as a jazz musician, bandleader and composer with ensembles of different size.  He’s played with some of the biggest names in jazz…he’s recorded twelve albums and an EP as a leader.  He is a Bösendorfer piano artist…As a composer, Matt has garnered respect and recognition…Additionally, Savage wrote almost all the songs on his albums, several of which have been used in short documentaries, on web sites, in school music curricula and in government educational materials” (https://www.savagerecords.com/wordpressnew/about/). Here’s a sample of “The Groove Awakens”!

Scenes – Variable Clouds (Origin): “Since Scenes’ debut recording in 2001, saxophonist Rick Mandyck, guitarist John Stowell, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop always seemed to find new and unique destinations every time in the studio. It as well translated night to night on the bandstand as revealed here on their first live recording. Coming as it did after a year and a half of lockdown and few live performances, there was a palpable sense of connectedness between audience and band…The band performs originals from Mandyck, Stowell and Johnson, along with Mandyck’s masterful reading of the classic “It’s Easy to Remember,” and closes with Jim Pepper’s well-traveled “Witchi Tai To,” derived from a Native American Church healing chant” (https://originarts.com/recordings/recording.php?TitleID=82862 – includes two songs from this set).

Frank Paul Schubert/Kazuhisa Uchihashi/Klaus Kugel – Black Holes Are Hard To Find (Nemu): “Frank Paul Schubert (alto & soprano sax), Kazuhisa (e-guitaophone, resonant harp guitar), Klaus Kugel (drums, percussions & sound objects). Frank Paul Schubert, Kazuhisa Uchihashi and Klaus Kugel are three singular creators whose collective effort has resulted in a remarkable trio” (https://schubert.uchihashi.kugel-trio.com/). Listen to the title song.

Steve Bernstein – Good Time Music (Community Music, Vol. 3): An impactful presence on the New York scene over the past 30 years, trumpeter, composer, arranger and bandleader Steven Bernstein has immersed himself in such a wide array of music with his bands Sexmob, Millennial Territory Orchestra, Diaspora Soul, Universal Melody Brass Band, Spanish Fly, Blue Campfire and the Butler-Bernstein Hot 9 that he defies easy categorization” (https://www.stevenbernstein.net/about). Bernstein covers an amazing range of styles: take a look!

Charles Owens Quartet – Golden Moments (Self-produced): “Golden Moments invites us to rediscover key pieces of popular music from the twentieth century, and to do so through the lens of jazz. The Beatles, James Taylor, Supertramp, the Spinners — Owens and his quartet pick one iconic name after another, then give themselves over, playing with a passion and vulnerability second to none” (https://charlesowens.bandcamp.com/album/golden-moments). Another terrific presentation by Owens and band! Check it out!

Meschiya Lake & The New Movement – Looking The World Over (Songroove): “My goal is putting this fine band of musicians together, and making this album, reflects in the name “The New Movement.” Although the world was a much different place when much of this music was written, this music is all-inclusive, for everyone. An especially safe space for those of us traditionally cast to the margins, LGBTQ, people of color, womxn” (https://sungroove.de/lp-meschiya-lake-the-new-movement).

Kurt Allen – Live From The Red Shed (Titanium Blue): From Ron Weinstack: “Listening to singer and guitarist Kurt Allen, this writer is reminded, in part, of the late Johnny Copeland, particularly with his urgent, raspy singing. His guitar playing is more in a blues-rock vein, but with a very capable band of Lester Estelle Jr. on drums, Craig Kew on bass, and Beaux Lux on keyboards on keyboards and saxophone, the overall effect is pretty blues-oriented.” Click here to listen to samples.

Ernie Vincent – Original Dap King (Cornelius Chapel): “If you were attempting to tie together the forces of Delta blues, soul, R&B, funk, rock and roll, jazz, and even zydeco in a single theory, Ernie Vincent might just be the missing link. The Grammy-nominated, Louisiana Music Hall of Famer and his band the Top Notes came onto the New Orleans scene in the early 1970s, playing their own shows as well as backing others like Matilda Jones, King Floyd, Ernie K-Doe, Rufus Thomas, ZZ Hill, and Solomon Burke.” https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2022/11/from-dap-walk-to-original-dap-king-the-enduring-power-of-ernie-vincent/. These days, Mr. Ernie Vincent is the original Dap King and “Mr. Good Daddy”! Hear for yourself!

California Honeydrops – Soft Spot (Self-produced): “In 2022, the California Honeydrops celebrate their fourteenth year together with the forthcoming release of their latest studio album, Soft Spot. “This record is all about love and good lovin’ and other things that matter,” says frontman, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Lech Wierzynski of the new LP, which exhibits the Honeydrops’ unique musical style that draws from roots, Bay Area R&B, Southern soul, Delta blues, and New Orleans second line” (https://cahoneydrops.com/about/). Listen to the “Soft Spot.

Lex Grey & The Urban Pioneers – How Many Roads (Self-produced): “Lex Grey and the Urban Pioneers are an ever-evolving musical family. Teaming with a variety of top musicians and multi instrumentalists, including gifted writer/musician Ed Wasliewski, sonic innovator Brian Dewan, drummer and percussionist Sonny Rock, and an impressive roster of others – from horns, upright bass, accordians to homemade instruments, fiddles, harmonicas – each performance, recording and show is custom crafted with a fresh approach to rock, blues and beyond…“ http://www.lexgreymusic.com/licensing-copy/. Listen here.

That’s it for this week! Professor Bebop