With a well-balanced album of inventive originals and faithfully executed standards, celebrated young pianist Aaron Diehl debuts with a solidly swinging album on Mack Avenue Records that will appeal to a wide range of listeners. Performed by a remarkably empathetic ensemble, the album champions a classic, historically informed approach to the jazz piano trio that […]

Drawing on a long local history of African American music in Richmond, Virginia, and his own history of family music-making and overcoming hardship, newly appointed head of Jazz Studies at Virginia State University James Gates presents Gates Wide Open, an energized and highly personal album ranging across genres and instrumentations, but held together by superior […]

In French bassist and composer Stéphane Kerecki’s latest album, Sound Architects, he presents a profound and unique artistic vision, realized through the leader’s well-crafted, imaginative compositions and enriched by a masterful ensemble whose individual virtuosities are out-matched only by their collective sensitivity, inventiveness, and dynamism. Compelling grooves emerge organically from the group’s improvisatory faculties, while […]

With New Life drummer Antonio Sanchez confidently presents his artistic vision, characterized by eclectic influences creatively re-imagined through compositional skill and superior musicianship. The album teems with energy, drive, and diversity, executed by a first-rate band whose facility and individuality shine through thanks to the solid foundation of Sanchez’s malleable compositions and organic ensemble direction. New Life. […]

On this album Steve Lehman practices an integrated approach to improvisation in which he places each and every musical element in de/constructive play, imbuing every gesture with the potential to spark new phrases and ideas. The trio’s dialogic interplay creatively explores the interrelationships between groove and melody, all the while layering superimpositions and elaborations on […]