New on Palmetto

Haymaker sees Preminger lead a kindred-spirit band of top-flight players: guitarist Ben Monder, double-bassist Matt Pavolka and drummer Colin Stranahan. The album showcases a brace of fresh Preminger compositions, along with one number penned by Monder, the Annie standard “Tomorrow” and a cover of jam-band rocker Dave Matthews’ “Don’t Drink the Water.” Blending atmosphere and energy, the Noah Preminger Group can remind a listener of the Motian/Frisell/Lovano trio in one tune and the Mark Turner/Kurt Rosenwinkel pairings in the next – even as this band has its own, individual soundprint. Haymaker is modern jazz that balances musical integrity with sensual allure.

Though Ron Oswanski is one of the most prodigious Hammond B3 players on a jazz scene rife with rising organ talent, he’s just starting to introduce himself as a force in his own right. Also an accomplished accordion player, Oswanski has forged a lithe, lyrical and rhythmically charged contemporary sound steeped in the B3’s earthy roots but informed by post-bop developments. With his finely calibrated sense of dynamics and expansive harmonic palette, he can burn with the best of them, and then slow things down for an exquisitely crafted ballad. He showcases his multifaceted sensibility on his stellar CD December’s Moon, a revelatory debut album featuring heavyweights such as guitarist John Abercrombie, bassist John Patitucci, drummer Clarence Penn, and saxophonist Tim Ries, who produced the project.

Saffron, a musical ensemble formed in November 2009, is a collaborative of talents from the four corners of the world joined together by poetry of Rumi. Layering sounds of classical Indian music with a hint of jazz, and Persian words, Saffron accomplishes a delicate balance between form, content and creativity. Sitar, vocals, percussion, saxophone, and piano are the instrumental backbone of the ensemble. Like the spice, the tunes of Saffron are subtle but colorful, spanning centuries and regions within every arrangement.

Each member of Saffron brings their own distinct style: saxophonist and composer Tim Ries ( of the Rolling Stones), Grammy nominee and master of Indian sitar Shujaat Husain Khan, vocalist Katayoun Goudarzi, award winning jazz pianist Kevin Hays and percussionist Abhiman Kaushal, interpret an understanding of a poem and marry the sounds to every piece. The result is the coming together of cultures and sounds with the single goal of celebrating the words of the revered poet Maulana Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi Rumi.

Celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year, New York Voices is the Grammy© Award winning vocal ensemble renowned for their excellence in jazz and the art of group singing. Like the great groups that have come before, such as Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Singers Unlimited, and Manhattan Transfer, they have learned from the best and taken the art form to new levels.

The WDR Big Band in Cologne, Germany is one of the best big bands on the planet and every musician is a stand out. This live performance was captured in 2008 and is a collection of New York Voices old favorites, current in-rotation tunes and a few never recorded and/or new arrangements. There are lots of featured soloists from the big band that break up the usual vocal palette and make it an all together different NYV experience.

Recorded by Jimmy Katz and mixed by Matt Balitsaris, LIVE AT KITANO captures Frank, Jay Anderson and Matt Wilson in the most intimate of venues for the listener. Frank’s usual practice with his trio (no matter what the combination) is no rehearsal, no set lists and little discussion of the music beforehand, and that’s the case here. There is a mixture of originals, standards and tunes composed by musicians who have meant much to Frank over the years. It features three Kimbrough originals and includes Frank’s take on compositions from Paul Motian, Andrew Hill, and Duke Ellington among others.

A new piano trio recording by five-time Grammy nominee Fred Hersch offers the rare opportunity to recalibrate expectations about the most fundamental of all jazz settings. Captured in the heat of creative ferment at the Village Vanguard, the sanctified venue that has long served as the pianist’s second home, Hersch’s trio with bassist John Hebert and drummer Eric McPherson displays all the rhythmic daring, preternatural interplay, harmonic sophistication and passionate lyricism that makes it one of the era’s definitive ensembles. The double album features a diverse array of seven scintillating new Hersch originals, four American Songbook gems, and seven classic jazz tunes. Reviewing the trio the week of the recording, The New York Times’ Nate Chinen referred to the group’s “stronger sense of itself.”

“This may be my best trio playing on record, in terms of range, sound, being in the moment, and the way we play together,” says Hersch, 56. “Not that I disown any of my former albums, but considering where I was three to four years ago, this is very strong, focused playing. And sonically I think it really captures the Vanguard. It sounds different than a studio album, and it should sound different, so you feel like you’re there.”

Ah, Men! The Boys of Broadway features men’s songs from Broadway shows that Buckley has always wanted to sing, including numbers from Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Pippin, The Fantasticks and more. The centerpiece of the new album is “A Hymn to Her,” a rewrite of My Fair Lady’s “A Hymn to Him” in which Henry Higgins asks “Why Can’t a Woman be More Like A Man?” The prolific singer reverses the question in a witty retort complete with musical references to iconic male Broadway roles including Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Harold Hill in A Musical Man and Jean Val Jean in Les Miserables.

Recorded in Los Angeles at the legendary Sound Factory and produced by Betty Buckley, Ah, Men! The Boys of Broadway features arrangements by Christian Jacob and Eric Stern with Jacobs on piano, Peter Barshay on bass and Matt Betton on drums. “A Hymn to Her” concept and lyrics are by Eric Kornfeld and Eric Stern.

Hailed as “the next important jazz singer” (Don Heckman, LA Times), Sara Gazarek recently recorded Blossom & Bee, her debut for the Palmetto label. Blessed with a beautiful, translucent voice, Gazarek is a strikingly original artist who continues to blur the line between innovation and emotional integrity. For her new project, she is joined by her all-star LA-based trio (Josh Nelson, p; Hamilton Price, b; Zach Harmon, d) with guest appearances from guitarist-singer John Pizzarelli and the project’s producer Larry Goldings on organ, piano, and melodica.

With Blossom & Bee, Sara’s first recording in five years, the group seamlessly combines fan favorites alongside refreshing new material, and original compositions by Gazarek, Nelson and Goldings. Sara reflects, “a common thread woven through a lot of this material is the subtlety, yet unwavering musicianship of Blossom Dearie’s music. For years, we’ve added songs from her book to our shows, trying to breathe a similar air of humor and sophistication that she brought.” The up-tempo and exciting standard “Everything I’ve Got” opens up the set, followed by the title track, “Blossom & Bee,” bringing Sara and Pizzarelli together in a lightly swinging original love story about two opposites creating the perfect balance. “Fly Away Birdie,” the album’s second original, speaks about the importance of trusting ones own instincts. The bands fresh take on Ben Folds’ “The Luckiest,” is included as a loving tribute to Sara’s husband, and is a complete contrast to the obscure standard “Down With Love,” a humorous, odd metered and aggressive arrangement about giving up on love all together.

The next few performances showcase how Sara Gazarek and her trio effortlessly bring new life to older material, without losing sight of the original integrity. “Lucky To Be Me” and “Tea For Two” are both transformed by utilizing shifting time signatures and harmonic structures. “I’m Old Fashioned” is one of the bands most watched YouTube favorites, and “So This Is Love,” is a joyful re-vamp of an audience favorite. “The Lies Of Handsome Men,” a heartbreaking rubato ballad, showcases the intimate connection between Gazarek and pianist Josh Nelson. Goldings, Pizzarelli, and Gazarek swing hard and strong on the Sophie Tucker hit “Some Of These Days,” before Blossom & Bee concludes with a heavy and fierce “Unpack Your Adjectives” which Blossom Dearie performed years ago on Schoolhouse Rock. “We didn’t make a tribute record,” Sara concludes. “But we wouldn’t deny her influence and how much of this record was inspired by her legacy.”

Blossom & Bee is just the latest accomplishment in a career that is already filled with milestones. Born and raised in Seattle, WA, Sara discovered her love of jazz at Roosevelt High School under music director, Scott Brown. As a senior, she was invited to compete alongside the big band at the Essentially Ellington Competition at Avery Fisher Hall in NYC, resulting in her winning the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation Outstanding Vocal Soloist Award. She moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to attend the Thornton School of Music at USC, where she formed an important and lasting mentorship with Grammy Award-winning bassist John Clayton. In 2003 Sara won the Downbeat Award for Best Collegiate Jazz Vocalist, which led to joining the Concord Jazz Festival tour, performing alongside Karrin Allyson, Diane Schuur and Oleta Adams.

In 2005, Sara Gazarek released her highly acclaimed debut album, Yours, to rave reviews and many national and international “best of” lists. Produced by Clayton, and featuring her stellar young band, Yours focused on their interpretation of the Great American Songbook. Their follow-up album, Return To You, found Sara interpreting more contemporary standards from the likes of Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney, Harry Connick, Jr. and Joni Mitchell. Sara is currently an adjunct professor of Jazz Studies at the Thornton School of Music at USC.

With the release of Blossom & Bee, Sara Gazarek takes her place as one of jazz’s top singers.

Spectrum Road is a groundbreaking collaboration between four giants of modern music: Jack Bruce, Vernon Reid, John Medeski and Cindy Blackman Santana. The collaboration was born from a shared passion for the music of legendary drummer Tony Williams.

“To be able to play and record in this band alongside three of the most creative and stellar musicians in the world is a longtime dream come true,” states Vernon Reid. “The idea for Spectrum Road first came about in 2001 and it was the ongoing belief in the kind of record we knew we could make together that made it come to fruition.”

Spectrum Road opens the ten-track effort with a blistering take on the jazz-rock barnburner "Vuelta Abajo." It's apparent from the get-go that this is no mere exercise in super-group frivolity, but a deeply attuned band speaking a rarefied improvisational language. As the recording unfolds, there's a primal urgency to the performances that ranges from the meditative beauty of "Where" to the searing intensity of "Allah B Praised." Each of these four iconoclasts play to the peak of their musical powers, yet ultimately achieve a whole greater than the sum of their individual parts. Jack Bruce's bass work anchors Spectrum Road, while he also adds vocals to three songs, including the album's centerpiece, a spellbinding version of the classic "There Comes A Time." Vernon Reid delivers one of the most inspired performances of his career. Particularly worth noting is his patient and slow-burning guitar work on "Blues For Tillmon" and a spitfire six-string barrage on "Vashkar." John Medeski shifts tonal colors throughout the ten tracks with flourishes of organ and mellotron. He brings a hefty dose of retro funk to the soaring album closer "Wild Life." As Spectrum Road's cornerstone, drummer Blackman dictates the flow, working in free time, juxtaposing delicate cymbal work against monstrous beats and fearlessly steering the quartet through a deluge of razor sharp turns.

"The band takes the electrifying music of Tony Williams as its starting point and turns it into something totally its own”, says Reid. “There's a vibe from end to end, a certain type of force and ambiance that I’ve never experienced before as an artist."

Spectrum Road is named for one of the incendiary tracks on the original Tony Williams Lifetime album, but as these four musicians demonstrate on their debut recording, this isn’t a tribute band. After making rock history with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker in Cream, legendary British bassist Jack Bruce joined the Lifetime for two records thus serving as Spectrum Road's direct connection to their muse. The group is artfully rounded out with famed guitarist Vernon Reid, of Living Colour, and multi-keyboardist John Medeski, one-third of the juggernaut Medeski, Martin & Wood. Made famous by her ten plus years backing Lenny Kravitz, Cindy Blackman Santana has distinguished herself as an impressively versatile player who’s as comfortable on post-bop sessions with Joe Henderson and Wallace Roney as she is touring with pop stars like Kravitz and husband Carlos Santana. The formidable lineup of Spectrum Road assures the legacy of Tony Williams lives on, and clearly qualifies as a major 2012 music event.

With Girl Talk, Grammy nominated Kate McGarry pays homage to her role models among the great women of the jazz vocal tradition, from Betty Carter to Sheila Jordan to Carmen McRae. Accompanied by an intimately swinging jazz combo, McGarry puts her own inimitable spin on such classic songs as “We Kiss in a Shadow,” “The Man I Love,” the winking title track and, as a dream duet with Kurt Elling, the Brazilian “O Cantador.” McGarry, although inspired by tradition, makes the album’s songs feel utterly contemporary, not only through her distinctly 21st-century musical personality but through the personal emotions and sexual politics at play.

The challenge and opportunity in this album was for McGarry to “honor the tradition these women developed but also allow the music to reflect life today – my life today,” she says. “Singing these songs can’t be like putting on a costume. I didn’t grow up in the ‘30s or ‘40s or ‘50s, and I wouldn’t consider myself a traditional jazz singer per se. As someone who has covered everything from Björk to Sting to the Cars, I definitely have my own influences musically, just as I’ve lived in a world that’s so different in terms of media and society. But the elements of harmonic and rhythmic improvisation, of swing, of storytelling – these are where those classic jazz singers and I connect. I see this album as a bridge between the contemporary things I do and the jazz tradition I learned so much from.”