GERMANY/SWEDEN: Emil Brandqvist Trio ‎– Entering The Woods( Skip Records 2020)

The waiting is over: “Entering The Woods”, the 5th album by the Emil Brandqvist Trio, is finished. There’s no doubt that this formation is among the few piano trios worldwide that have played their way up to a continent-spanning listening audience in recent years by constantly developing the band’s very own, highly recognizable sound and advancing it further. More than 10 million streams for individual songs! have catapulted the trio to vanguard rankings. In North America they crop up on the playlists displaying major radio audience figures, in Japan they’re a must on countless compilations as a prime example of today’s Scandinavian Jazz, and in Germany their last album ranked No. 3 on the national jazz charts. ECHO award nominations and an appearance on the Longlist of German Record Critics have provided further proof of their large-scale acceptance.
Skip Records 

SWEDEN Emil Ingmar- Karlavagnen 2020

Swedish jazz pianist Emil Ingmar presents his newest release, Karlavagnen. Emil Ingmar is a pianist, composer, and freelance musician who lives in Uppsala, Sweden. A former piano student at KMH, he is the Chairman of the Uppsala Jazz Club and organizer of the Live Jazz Bar at Uplands Nation and the Jazz Corner at UKK. He is also active in Orphei Drangar as a singer and accompanist. Ingmar is joined for these twelve original tracks by an all-star lineup of musicians, including Fredrik Jonsson, Calle Rasmusson, Jonas Knutsson, and more.

USA: Idle Hands-Solid Moments ( Posi-Tone Records 2020)

band: Idle Hands album: "Solid Moments" catalog: PR8205 release date: February 21, 2020 Will Bernard - guitar Behn Gillece - vibraphone Sam Dillon - tenor saxophone Art Hirahara - piano Boris Kozlov - bass Donald Edwards - drums Listeners will definitely enjoy a wide variety of “Solid Moments” when our beloved producer Marc Free enlists the able assistance of a few trusted “Idle Hands” for the next release in a visionary series of demand building records. Highlighted by the handiwork of a carefully curated group of Posi-Tone artists, this engagingly entertaining album features front line performances from guitarist Will Bernard, vibraphonist Behn Gillece, and saxophonist Sam Dillon playing over the solid harmonic foundation of pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Donald Edwards. The album's musical program is comprised of a series of succinct performances that are deliberately intended to provide listeners with an accurate practical auditory insight and representation of the straight forward musical aesthetics and operational ethos of Posi-Tone Records. Jazz fans everywhere can relax and enjoy the beautiful sounds emanating from these “Idle Hands” as they work cooperatively to provide us with more "Solid Moments“ towards a delightful today and a brighter tomorrow. 1. Barreling Through (B. Gillece)    4:32 2. Silver Bullet (W. Bernard)     4:21 3. Over The Fence (B. Kozlov)    4:34 4. Snow Child (D. Edwards)    5:25 5. Event Horizon (A. Hirahara)    6:12 6. Maxwell Street (B. Gillece)    6:06 7. You And I (Stevie Wonder)    4:16 8. The Move (W. Bernard)    6:30 9. Ashes (B. Kozlov)    4:22 10. Dock’s House (D. Edwards)    6:10 11. Motion (S. Dillon)    4:22 12. Theme For Kareem (F. Hubbard)    3:53   produced by Marc Free

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USA: Andrea Brachfeld - Brazilian Whispers (Origin Records 2020)

'. . . one of the most magnificent flutists playing today. Ms. Brachfeld is like a rare bird soaring in a rarefied realm. If you think her music is memorable, it is because her very heart sings…' Raul da Gama. A staple of New York City's jazz and Afro-Cuban scenes over the last five decades, acclaimed flutist Andrea Brachfeld celebrates the sounds of Brazil with this spirited tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim. Along with arrangements of classics such as 'Waters of March,' 'Girl From Ipanema' and 'Ligia,' Brachfeld offers a look into her writing partnership with frequent collaborator Bill O'Connell through their Brazil-inspired compositions, 'Espao Aberto,' 'Sonhos e Cores,' and 'Triste e Solitaria. ' With bandmates: pianist McConnell, guitarist Roni Ben-Hur, bassists Harvie S & Lincoln Goines, and drummer/percussionists Jason Tiemann, T. Portinho, and Chembo Corniel, Brachfeld creates an inspired, deeply grooving collection of Brazilian gems. 'This band's balance of taut cohesion and adventurous improvisation is mighty impressive. ' DOWNBEAT

FRANCE: Asylon Terra ‎– Big Birds Flying( King Tao 2020)

1 Iceland Crossing

2 Big Birds Flying 

3 Xie Xie 

4 You're Sleeping Little Baby 

5 The Revenge Of Adonis 

6 Brain Shaking 

7 Ringing The Bells For The End Of Everything 

8 Sofia 

9 Falling In Love

USA Evan Parker and Paul Lytton-Collective Calls Intakt Records 2020

A big anniversary is celebrated on this recording: Evan Parker and Paul Lytton got to know each other in 1969 and after months of rehearsals their first performance followed in 1970. It was the time of the jazz avant-garde, which renewed and expanded the traditional ways of playing and the Parker-Lytton Duo was an active part of this process. Over the past fifty years, they have each minutely sorted through aesthetics, methods, and protocols, maintaining an ongoing dialogue. The years have yielded a rich diversity of music, complemented by the current recording, the first to feature only tenor saxophone and a jazz kit, writes the American jazz journalist Bill Shoemaker in the liner notes. Shoemaker, who supervised the recordings in Chicago, goes on to say: The dynamic of free improvisation and a long personal history documented on this Chicago studio session bears out what Parker told Bailey forty years ago: In practice, the closest I would get to a laboratory situation is working with the people I know best the people Ive played with the longest actually offer me the freest situation to work in. On the basis of this unprecedented music, that assessment has stood the test of time.

USA/SWITZERLAND:Tim Berne's Snakeoil -The Fantastic Mrs. 10 (INTAKT 2020)

Tim Berne recorded for Intakt Records for the first time in 2019 as the saxophonist in Michael Formanek’s Very Practical Trio with Mary Halvorson. Now the New York saxophonist, composer and bandleader presents a new CD with his ensemble Snakeoil. After five albums this is the first Snakeoil record to be released on Intakt. The band balances the possibilities of composition, improvisation and the tonal possibilities of an acoustic and electric playing jazz band in an unmistakable way. The Fantastic Mrs.10 is one of Snakeoil's most mature and at the same time most edgy CDs.
Guitarist Marc Ducret joins the core quartet of Tim Berne, Matt
Mitchell, Oscar Noriega and Ches Smith. The band’s sound is also influenced by Berne's musician cohort David Torn.
Tim Berne says in the liner notes “I think this is the best one yet. That’s a stupid thing to say, but it’s kind of a culmination. Ches, Matt, Oscar – it’s almost like we always forget what we did the last time out, and that’s a really healthy amnesia. There’s a dedication to moving ahead. They’re truly into it, and it motivates me.”
credits
released February 14, 2020

Tim Berne: Alte Saxophone
Marc Ducret: Guitars
Matt Mitchell: Piano, Tack Piano, Modular Synths
Oscar Noriega: Bass Clarinet, BB Clarinet
Ches Smith: Drums, Vibes, Glockenspiel, Haitian Tanbou