UK: Exclusive Premiere: Levitation Orchestra "Mystical Yang" (Astigmatic Records)

Levitation Orchestra - a collective ritual of creativity There is no denying that UK jazz has been on everyone's lips for several years now. Away from the hustle and bustle of music media focusing on London jazz stars, Levitation Orchestra was founded by trumpeter Axel Kaner-Lidstrom (Cykada). Best kept secret of the jazz scene bustling upon Thames. Only a handful of heads have had a chance to get acquainted with this unique project and their performances.

 The values and rules behind Levitation Orchestra are beautiful, simple and pure. None of the members is individually responsible for the orchestra's compositions. The whole 13-member band composes music collectively in the spirit of communal ownership, which allows for the emergence of unique energy among the musicians. For them, creating pieces like this is somewhat of a ritual. Levitation Orchestra writes, practices, records, and then sets off on another journey.

After the composition is created, the members of the orchestra practice the material through 4 rehearsals, then play 4 unique concerts, then head to the studio to record the material. “Inexpressible Infinity” is the second of such cycles recorded.

 The group is formed by young London musicians who are either already well-established on the scene or just one step from getting there. Axel Kaner-Lidstrom, the founder of the orchestra and trumpeter of Cykada and Where Pathways Meet, has gathered a group of gifted and unconventional musicians: Saskia Horton, violinist, Deji Ijishakin, saxophonist from Nihilism, Polish harpist Maria Zofia Osuchowska from Sawa Manga, two female vocals – Sophie Plummer and Zakia Sewell of NTS Radio, on the keyboards there's a recent Boston Berklee alumnus Roella Oloro, we've also got Lluis Domenech Plane on flute, saxophonist James Akers, cellist Tom Oldfield, guitarist Paris Charles Raine, double bass player Hamish Nockles-Moore, and Harry Ling on drums.

UK:Yazz Ahmed- Polyhymnia (2019)

“This album is a celebration of female courage, determination and creativity. In 2015, the Tomorrow’s Warriors commissioned me to write an extended work, to be performed by members of their Nu Civilisation Orchestra, for a concert at the Women of the World Festival, in London’s Southbank Centre, on International Women’s Day. Whilst gathering ideas for my composition, I came across the character of Polyhymnia, the ancient Greek Muse of music, poetry and dance: a Goddess for the arts. Perhaps inspired by her, I conceived the form of a suite of movements, each dedicated to women of outstanding qualities, role models, with whom I felt a strong connection.

Whereas La Saboteuse, the embodiment of my inner-destroyer and the catalyst for the creation of my last album, could be viewed as my anti-muse, maybe Polyhymnia herself became my Muse, inspiring an intense period of creativity, which resulted in the six pieces on this album. Since its conception, composed and arranged over the six weeks leading up to the first rehearsal for the premiere, the music has evolved and expanded. During the recording process I began incorporating new elements and drawing on a wider pool of artists, including members of my own Hafla band, alongside some of my favourite musicians working on the London scene.

UK:Levitation Orchestra- Inexpressible Infinity (2019)

 Levitation Orchestra - a collective ritual of creativity There is no denying that UK jazz has been on everyone's lips for several years now. Away from the hustle and bustle of music media focusing on London jazz stars, Levitation Orchestra was founded by trumpeter Axel Kaner-Lidstrom (Cykada). Best kept secret of the jazz scene bustling upon Thames. Only a handful of heads have had a chance to get acquainted with this unique project and their performances. The values and rules behind Levitation Orchestra are beautiful, simple and pure.

None of the members is individually responsible for the orchestra's compositions. The whole 13-member band composes music collectively in the spirit of communal ownership, which allows for the emergence of unique energy among the musicians. For them, creating pieces like this is somewhat of a ritual. Levitation Orchestra writes, practices, records, and then sets off on another journey. After the composition is created, the members of the orchestra practice the material through 4 rehearsals, then play 4 unique concerts, then head to the studio to record the material. “Inexpressible Infinity” is the second of such cycles recorded.

FRANCE/USA: Chloé Perrier & The French Heart Jazz Band – Petite fleur (2019)

Chloe coeur de Francaise 
Her first album “Chloe coeur de Francaise” (Chloe French heart), made between Paris and New York, is a subtile cocktail of French music shacked with sensual jazz, an encounter of exception out of space and time with Elie Chemali at the piano and Félix Sabal-Lecco at the drums.
Chloé Perrier 

USA: Laszlo Gardony-La Marseillaise (Sunnyside 2019)

Hungarian-born pianist Laszlo Gardony loves to perform his versions of jazz standards, and loves even more to compose new and original music—but he is most attuned to the production of creative work entirely in the moment. Everything else he plays is with an eye toward creating a context for devising and executing music on the spot.

That was Gardony’s scheme when he took the stage in March as part of Berklee College of Music’s Keys Fest, and his output, as documented on La Marseillaise, set for an October 25, 2019 release on Sunnyside Records. “When you are performing, what you are bringing into focus is the moment,” says Gardony of his concept for playing piano before an audience. “What you play has to sound alive, and that requires a careful reading of the moment. That’s what makes jazz stand apart from any other genre:

 There’s a real mastery of the intuitive moment.” La Marseillaise is Gardony’s third solo piano album in seven years. That recent productivity is all the more remarkable considering that in the three decades of his career prior to that, he had recorded without accompaniment only once, on his highly regarded 1993 Sunnyside debut Changing Standards.

Why the shift in emphasis? “I don’t know,” Gardony admits. “But I like the possibilities of energy, orchestration, and vibe when playing in solo, and obviously it’s a... more credits released October 25, 2019 Laszlo Gardony - piano license all rights reserved Laszlo Gardony - piano

CUBA/FRANCE: Manuel Anoyvega Mora, sortie de l'album Cuba Cuba

En concert le 29/11 au Studio de l'Ermitage à Paris

Manuel Anoyvega Mora est la découverte cubaine de cet hiver avec son album Cuba Cuba qui sort le 8 novembre 2019. Après plus de quarante ans de carrière et l’accompagnement des plus grands, le pianiste cubain signe enfin son premier album en tant que leader, comme un pont entre le jazz et la musique cubaine, et entre Paris et Matanzas, sa ville natale.
Après avoir partagé pendant plus de vingt ans la scène parisienne avec les grands noms de la musique latine, Manuel Anoyvega Mora, pianiste et compositeur, sort un nouvel album entre jazz et musique cubaine d’un raffinement étincelant. Cuba Cuba nous offre toute la riche tradition de la salsa et un émerveillement renouvelé pour cette musique si chère de sa ville natale.
De sa grande maîtrise technique dont la réputation n’est plus à faire à l’éclectisme et une sensibilité qui fait la différence, le maître cubain cultive l’art des ornementations subtiles aux mélodies douces qui vous restent dans la tête.
Cette musique est accessible à tous, d’une universalité revendiquée et portée par Manuel Anoyvega. Il est accompagné de Pierre Guillemant à la contrebasse, Abraham Mansfarroll Rodriguez à la batterie, Guillaume Naturel au saxophone et à la flûte, et Inor Solotongo aux percussions. On pourra les écouter le 29 novembre au Studio de l’Ermitage.

Manuel Anoyvega Mora is the Cuban discovery this winter with his album Cuba Cuba, released on November 8, 2019. After more than forty years of career and accompaniment of the greatest, the Cuban pianist finally signs his first album as a leader, as a bridge between jazz and Cuban music, and between Paris and Matanzas, his hometown.
After sharing the Parisian scene with the great names of Latin music for more than twenty years, Manuel Anoyvega Mora, pianist and composer, released a new album where he blends jazz and Cuban music with a sparkling refinement. On Cuba Cuba he draws from the rich tradition of salsa that speaks about his renewed passion for a music so dear to his hometown.
From his great technical mastery whose reputation is already built to eclecticism and sensitivity that makes the difference, the Cuban master cultivates the art of subtly ornamentation infused to memorable soft melodies. This music accessible to everybody  is the expression of an universal language  genuine to Manuel Anoyvega.
He is accompanied by Pierre Guillemant on bass, Abraham Mansfarroll Rodriguez on drums, Guillaume Naturel on saxophone and flute, and Inor Solotongo on percussion.

USA: Michael Dease "Never More Here" catalog: PR8201 release date: October 25, 2019 (Posi-Tone 2019)

Michael Dease "Never More Here" catalog: PR8201 release date: October 25, 2019 Trombonist Michael Dease pays fitting tribute to his ongoing relationship with the music of Charlie Parker on his aptly entitled album “Never More Here.” The album runs much deeper than a simple collection of Bird tunes. The program seeks to provide a musical compendium of Bird's message and his personal influence on Dease and other members of the Jazz diaspora via the compositions and performances of several key proteges and devotees of his music. To provide assistance in bringing his vision to fruition, Dease assembled an all-star lineup of musicians including alto saxophonist Steve Wilson, pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Gerald Cannon, and powerhouse drummer Lewis Nash, along with a number of special guests like Randy Brecker, Rufus Reid, and Jocelyn Gould. With a thoughtful program of inspired performances and an inclusive message of influence, “Never More Here” remains focused, insightful, steadily swinging, and refreshingly melodic enough to evoke a wide assortment of bright moments to discerning jazz fans everywhere. 1. Mirror Image (R. Rosnes)    6:45 2. A Harmonic Future (J. Heath)    6:06 3. Slow Dance (E. Daniels)     6:00 4. For Hofsa (J. McLean)    5:51 5. I Wish I Knew (B. Taylor)    4:36 6. Blue Jay (M. Dease)    7:44 7. Shortcake (J.J. Johnson)    6:59 8. Frenzy (E. Alexander)    6:38 9. Lament (J.J. Johnson)     7:26 10. Milestones (J. Lewis)    6:13 Michael Dease - trombone, tenor 2 Steve Wilson - alto & sop. sax, alto flute 3 Renee Rosnes - piano Gerald Cannon- bass Lewis Nash - drums Rufus Reid - bass 6, 7, 9 Randy Brecker - trumpet 8 Jocelyn Gould - guitar 3, 4, 8 Song 5: Jason Tiemann - drums Endea Owens - bass Luther Allison - piano Markus Howell - alto sax Diego Rivera - tenor sax produced by Marc Free

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