Hiromi has released her 12th studio album Sonicwonderland (Telarc), a new musical adventure for the GRAMMY-winning pianist and composer. Recorded with a new quartet called Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, the album features 9 new tracks that burst with synthesizer and deep-in-the-pocket grooves. The record stands as Hiromi’s heaviest, funkiest work yet, marking a significant evolution in her musical journey into genre-defying territory.

“Whenever I play shows or make an album, I feel like it's a journey to find the people who can feel a deep connection to what I'm doing right now. Hopefully, with Sonicwonderland, I can connect to fans that listened to my music before and to new listeners, too.”  - Hiromi

Hiromi shared two pieces from the record in advance of today’s release: the title track "Sonicwonderland" (watch the video here) and the second single "Reminiscence" featuring UK singer/songwriter/keyboardist Oli Rockberger (watch the video here) along with an album trailer here. She's also released a 1-minute Collab Dance Video, featuring hip-hop dancer Salah the Entertainer, for the "Sonicwonderland" single here.

Hiromi’s North American tour begins tomorrow night in Vancouver, and includes two performances at Sony Hall in NYC on October 13th and 14th. She also just made her NPR Tiny Desk debut, performing two pieces featured on the new album.  NPR said “She plays with great command but yet she is also at ease, as her notes ripple from her fingertips like streams of water.”  The Tiny Desk has over 800,000 views and even rapper Action Bronson weighed in, calling it “the best Tiny Desk ever”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnISpahN2dM

Hiromi’s Sonicwonder is a quartet featuring blossoming young talents Hadrien Feraud (bass), Gene Coye (drums), and Adam O'Farrill (trumpet) and began performing live together earlier this spring.  Sonicwonderland was recorded May 25-28 at Skywalker Sound Stage in Nicasio, California, where Hiromi also recorded her 2019 solo piano album Spectrum. In addition to new works written for this project, the album includes songs that were released on her "One Minute Portrait" YouTube initiative during the pandemic and rearranged for this band.

 “Sonicwonderland,” the album’s title track, kicks off with a thumping sequenced synthesizer groove that’s more dance club than jazz club.  It’s fast-paced, fun, and unfurls into an 8-minute adventure of open space and improvisation.  While other songs feature quick tempos, funk grooves and synth work (“Trial and Error,” “Go Go”), Hiromi works gracefully on acoustic piano extensively throughout, her elegant playing and composition work shines on pieces such as “Polaris” and “Utopia.”  The closing track, “Bonus Stage,” is a lively, modern take on traditional jazz.

Hiromi is a prolific artist who has explored a number of musical spheres over the course of her career. Earlier this year she recorded the soundtrack to Blue Giant, a motion picture film based on the manga series of the same name.  2021's Silver Lining Suite features her with a string quartet and 2019's Spectrum a solo piano recording.  Her work has been celebrated by the New York Times, NPR and NPR Music, the Washington Post and beyond, and she was a featured performer at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony in 2021.  She has worked with Stanley Clark, Chick Corea, Ahmad Jamal (who produced her first album and was her mentor), and many other jazz luminaries throughout her career, is a perennial favorite on DownBeat’s Annual Critics Poll, and has performed at the world’s finest jazz festivals.  

The Sonicwonderland cover was created by Lou Beach, famous for his Weather Report album covers, not to mention Blink 182's Dude Ranch and albums by Flying Burrito Brothers, Madonna and Weird Al. 

Sonicwonderland is available on CD, as a 2-LP set (180 grams at 45 RPM) and digitally HERE. Signed CDs, vinyl and exclusive merchandise available HERE.

**Vinyl is set for release on November 10th

 TRACK LIST: 

1. Wanted
2. Sonicwonderland 
3. Polaris
4. Go Go
5. Up
6. Reminiscence (feat. Oli Rockberger)  
7. Trial and error
8. Utopia
9. Bonus stage

Follow Hiromi:

Website: http://www.hiromiuehara.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiromifan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiromimusic/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hiromimusic

Canadian born, London-based jazz vocalist, Lauren Bush, launches her 3rd album, Tide Rises due for worldwide release on 6th October 2023 on Mighty Quinn Records.

After her first album, All My Treasures, was hailed by Downbeat Magazine as a “solid debut”, Lauren went on to become a top 5 finalist in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition later that year. Her sophomore album, Dream Away, ended up on Bebop Spoken Here’s top 10 vocal albums of 2021 and she toured it widely around North America and the UK.

Now this album, entitled Tide Rises, is Bush’s first release on a label. With the encouragement of Mighty Quinn Records’ CEO, Jerry Roche, Lauren has delved into writing and adapting a few original ideas into new songs including a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow transformed into the title track. When sifting through endless song ideas, Roche suggested one from the synth-pop band Yazoo (Vince Clarke) entitled Only You which has become a focus track. Also included is a lesser known bossa nova by London’s beloved Earl Okin, Madrugada and a master vocalese to a classic Chet Baker tune*, Do It the Hard Way* (now entitled Happier On My Own), featuring Martin Shaw on trumpet.

Bush also wrote the lyrics to Easy Does It, a song that started out as a simple organ melody on YouTube, featuring some friends from her time in Canada, Patrick Courtin and Matt Aasen. It has been constructed into an empowering gospel anthem about not being too hard on yourself - a recurring theme of trusting your gut and being yourself, which is echoed in Nobody Else But Me and This Is Always. Other themes include growth and change, seasons and nature and the cycles we go through. With songs like Joni Mitchell’s Circle Game and Tide Rises evoking memories of childhood at the beach and Oh What a Beautiful Morning and Joy Spring offering a catchy take on nature inspired standards.

Lauren has been working with Liam Dunachie who has once again arranged all the songs and played piano. David Ingamells is at the helm on drums, Conor Chaplin provides his unparalleled talents on half the tracks and Dave Manington (who has become a staple on tour) on the other. Especially for this album, Nick Costley-White joins on guitar, sprinkling his improvised solos and emotional ambiance to 4 tracks.

Tide Rises sets Lauren’s upward trajectory, as she continues to hone her skills, choosing songs that matter and accentuate her ability to convey a lyric. With even more opportunities to hear original music from Lauren, it shows that songwriting wasn’t just a passing glance, but rather a steadfast component of her musical journey. To listen to the new album click below or get in touch with Lauren for more information.

Purchase here

Lauren Bush website here

London-based vocalist and composer Sylvia Schmidt launches her new solo project ‘Sketches of Carol’ with the release of her extraordinarily cinematic EP, ‘Messengers’.

‘Carol’ presents a symbolic encapsulation of the multi-faceted female experience; a single figure representing a diverse, often underrepresented community of women.

In homage to Sketches of Carol’s love of science fiction which she shares with her father, ‘Messengers’ pays tribute to the stunning sound worlds and effects of Ridley Scott’s ‘Blade Runner’ (1984) and the 1980’s Star Wars trilogy.

Delivering an ethereal depiction of interplanetary communication, the other-wordly three-part offering was inspired by the Golden Record, a gold-plated disk produced by NASA which contains audio intended to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth to spacefarers.

Underpinned by a lulling loop of rich, close vocal harmony, ‘Messengers’ boasts a soaring central melody shared by voice and violin that treats the listener to a showcase of Sketches of Carol’s improvisatory talent.

Expertly mixed and produced by award-winning pianist and songwriter Gonçalo Abrantes, the enchanting 7.5 minute trip-tech features layered strings from esteemed violinist William Newell (Solem Quartet).

The EP marks the first of four planned releases from the German-born artist, who takes inspiration from the magical, romantic quality of the fairy tales that she grew up watching and reading as a child. Hailing from the Silesia region, Sketches of Carol was spellbound by the folkloristic traditions, clothing, and music that accompanied her childhood.

Speaking on ‘Messengers’, **Sketches of Carol **comments:

“This project displays the most raw, pure form of my creative being. Led by my voice as an immediate instrument, rather than planning the composition of the suite, ‘Messengers’ was intuitive, borne from a wholly emotional place. In that sense, it truly carries the moment. Translating that to other people feels empowering.”

The EP’s artwork was created by Italian visual designer Giulia Cavallini, whose distinctive illustrative style will be exhibited throughout all upcoming releases from Sketches of Carol. The release will be accompanied by a music video as envisioned by the Catalonian artist and filmmaker Cadhla Kennedy (Pan Seco).

“Unique vocal soundscapes. Cinematic and surreal melodies…So captivating!”

Maria Chiara Argirò, Pianist, Composer, Producer, commenting on ‘Messengers’

"Quietly rebellious", with a “fearless approach” and “unique style”

Kevin Burke, Songlines Magazine, on Kitchman / Schmidt Duo album ‘As Long As Songbirds Sing’

“It is profound and enchanting to hear her voice, sweet as liquid gold…”

Peter Stickland, Writer & Poet

To support and find out more, please visit website here

Shaping The Invisible - Toronto-based pianist Teri Parker’s sophomore album as a bandleader - is the culmination of years of playing, composing, and artistic growth. It’s a fusion of musical heritage and innovation that places Parker squarely in the lineage of ground-breaking musicians such as Aaron Parks, Joshua Redman, Aaron Goldberg, and Fred Hersch.

The album first started to coalesce during a period of writing that Parker undertook as part of a Toronto Arts Council grant, which allowed her to lock herself up in a room for hours a day, listening to music from a wide range of artists, studying compositional methods, and writing. During this months-long process, Parker would typically start a composition at the piano, letting ideas develop organically before committing them to the page. Eventually she assembled a body of work that would become Shaping The Invisible. Following a string of performances with her band at The Rex Hotel, one of Canada’s premier jazz clubs, she decided that it was time to hit the studio.

The album begins with Becoming, a through-composed piece named for Michelle Obama’s memoir, which features a dreamy opening that gives way to an insistent straight-eighths groove. Humph, inspired in part by saxophonist Dewey Redman, sees the band playing joyfully and openly, with exceptional brushwork from Cervini. K.T.T features soaring solos from McAnsh and Deniz, before Desolate Places, a tender duet between Parker’s piano and Deniz’s soprano saxophone. Segment sees Parker boldly rearranging a classic bebop tune, with masterful solos from Deniz and Parker, and Paw Prints showcases Parker’s skills for imaginative rhythmic comping and for highly communicative soloing. Retrograde, a cover of the British producer/singer James Blake’s well-known song, is given a thoughtful, backbeat-driven treatment, before the album’s final track, the original Monk-style blues Strolling, in which the band stretches out with inspired, electric synergy.

**Shaping the Invisible **will be released worldwide on Friday, September 29th 2023. Click here

For her second Discus Music release, Charlotte has convened her regular working quartet to explore open ended versions of her compositions which form the basis of their live set. Captured with energy and clarity in the studio, here we have 50 minutes of real group interaction where the music from each player is balanced equally within the total group sound.

Charlotte writes: "Charlotte Keeffe’s Right Here, Right Now Quartet featuring Ashley John Long, Ben Handysides and Moss Freed, is a breeding ground for squelchy, sploshy, splashy Sound Brush playing - music-making! …Overtly over-blowing, splitting, splattering, squirming, squeaking and squealing out ALIVE! Howling and hooting, chomping and chaffing… Dusty, distorted, flimsy, fragile, manic, ghostly, guttural sound strokes rip through whirlwinds and whirlpools of wholesome gooey-sound-dough! A turbulent tease, staggering, swaying, abruptly plunging into intentional vagueness… A messy emporium of raw, raucous realness. Alive. Right Here, Right Now. It is as it is…"

Charlotte Keeffe - Sound Brush / trumpet, flugelhorn and compositions

Ashley John Long - double bass

Ben Handysides - drums

Moss Freed – guitar

Produced by Martin Archer

Cover painting by Gina Southgate

To purchase click here

The brilliant Rio-born vocalist/pianist/composer, long based in Santa Cruz, California, follows up her 2019 release "Encantada (Live)" with her first made-in-Brazil recording, featuring a host of her favorite musical friends: Jorge Helder, b; Mario Adnet, g/arr; Marcelo Costa, d; Vitor Goncalves, acc; Toninho Horta, g; Romero Lubambo, g; Ze Nogueira, sax; et al. "This is not a 'jazz' album," says Claudia. "It's not about theme and improvisation. I wanted everything to be part of the song ...."

More than a musical homecoming, Cartas ao Vento is a fervid embrace, a joyous celebration marking Claudia Villela’s return to Rio de Janeiro for her first recording in Brazil. Since the mid-1980s the vocalist, pianist, percussionist, and composer has thrived in the San Francisco Bay Area, where her extraordinary voice and capacious improvisational skills have earned an avid following amongst American and Brazilian jazz’s greatest figures. Cartas ao Vento (“Letters to the Wind”) was an indirect result of the pandemic, when Villela was in Rio for a couple of weeks visiting family. Handed a basket of limes, she turned the tart and bitter fruit into an intoxicating pitcher of caipirinhas. 

Villela’s small but precious discography includes albums with Toots Thielemans, Kenny Werner, and Michael Brecker. Amongst Brazilian masters she’s collaborated with Toninho Horta, Romero Lubambo, Guinga, Airto, and Dori Caymmi. Hermeto Pascoal recently hailed her from the stage of the SFJAZZ Center as a singularly adventurous artist. Cartas ao Vento illustrates that praise,bringing her together with some of her earliest musical comrades, including bassist Jorge Helder, an esteemed accompanist who works with legendary artists like Maria Bethânia and Chico Buarque, and drummer Marcelo Costa, who also performs widely with Maria Bethânia, among others.

Another friend from high school days, Mario Adnet, contributed several charts for flutes, saxophones, and strings (“His sisters are dear friends and I was always at their house, going to the beach, sleeping over, going to parties, listening to records,” Villela recalls). And another heavyweight, Edu Neves, contributes on saxophones and flutes, less as a soloist than as an integral part of Villela’s exquisitely crafted musical settings. Rather than writing tunes to stretch out as an improviser, she designed the project to focus on her work as a composer and arranger. “This is not a ‘jazz’ album,” she says. “It’s not about theme and improvisation. I wanted everything to be part of the song, to get away from the solo as a virtuoso statement.”

Yet there’s virtuosity aplenty, starting with the opener “Cartas ao Vento,” which launches the album with an ebullient blast of joy powered by Villela’s deft pandeiro work propelling her poetic, sensory-laden description of her homecoming. In many ways the title track embodies several themes running through the album, with her Brazilian team joined by U.S.-based collaborators, including bassist Gary Brown and fellow Brazilians Vitor Gonçalves on accordion and Celso Alberti on surdo and percussion. 

She’s at her most freewheeling on “Agua Santa,” a multipart excursion that features her impressive accompaniment on piano. With Lubambo’s gorgeous guitar work, the piece is a hat tip to the great composer/guitarist Guinga, centering on an unaccompanied vocal passage echoing the anthem of the sertão, “Asa Branca.” She composed the dreamy ballad “Meninando” with Toninho Horta in mind, and in a match made in guitarra heaven, Horta is joined by Lubambo.

The Minas Gerais thread continues with “Chamego,” a breathtaking Villela original that feels like it could have come from a third volume of Milton Nascimento’s Clube da Esquina. Featuring her piano, the superlative rhythm section tandem of Helder and Costa, and Adnet’s string arrangement, Villela evokes the lush countryside with an incantatory melody echoing the flow of the hills. 

Another thread running through the album is Villela’s gift for setting poetry to music. She wrote three of the Cartas ao Vento pieces as part of a commissioning project to compose music for Latin American poets. “Flores do Mais” is a captivating setting for verse by the great, doomed Brazilian poet Ana Cristina Cesar that features Villela’s piano with Helder and Costa and Adnet’s lithe horn arrangement featuring the great Rio saxophonist Zé Nogueira. Nogueira is also featured prominently on “Instrumento,” providing a beautifully buzzy but unsettling sonic scrim on the double-reed duduk in the midst of Villela’s setting for lyrics by the late Rio de Janeiro poet Mario Quintana; Claudia created the vocal arrangement on the spot. And “Paramo,” sung in Spanish, is a ravishing setting for a poem by the late Venezuelan writer Ramon Palomares. Adnet’s arrangement for Everson Moraes’s smoothly regal trombone highlights a line Palomares could have written about Villela herself: “when you’re singing everything moves.”

Not that Villela needs lyrics to make a brilliant impression. On “Chorinho pra Elas,” in the studio, she crafted a lapidary chart that includes her two daughters, granddaughter, mother, and godmother. Edu Neves’s flute shadows their soaring vocals, a blend that adds a luminous sheen to the bountiful love spilling out from the dancing melody. Dedicated to Chico Buarque, “Bolero” offers a very different wordless soundscape with a confidently climbing line that ascends to glory (accompanied by the Everson Moraes’s work on vintage brass ophicleides). The album closes with “Batucador,” an ecstatic blast of frevo dedicated to percussion legend Airto that centers on the wordless interactions between Villela and Gonçalves’s accordion. Building to a burst of energy, the track embodies the creative vitality of an artist whose roots in her homeland have grown deeper the longer she’s away. 

Claudia Villela website