The Library CD Shelf
Welcome Winter
Bryan Lubeck
www.bryanlubeck.com
Vineyard Music Productions
$10.98 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Winter-Bryan-Lubeck/dp/B0CJK1MNYN
Welcome Winter is an album of classic Christmas and winter songs performed by the talented Bryan Lubeck on the Spanish guitar, supported by an acoustic ensemble including violins, cellos, dulcimer, melodica, percussion, vibraphones, and more. The masterful performances are a joyful celebration of the spirit of Christmas. A wonderful way to set the mood for the holidays, Welcome Winter is highly recommended especially for Christmas parties and public library music collections. The tracks are Deck the Halls, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Welcome Winter, The Christmas Song, Jingle Bells, What Child is This, Mary Did You Know, and Carol of the Bells.
Nighttime Creatures
The Angelica Sanchez Nonet
angelicasanchez.com
Pyroclastic Records
pyroclasticrecords.com
$18.00 CD / $12.00 digital
https://angelicasanchezpyroclastic.bandcamp.com/album/nighttime-creatures
Nighttime Creatures is the instrumental debut album of the Angelica Sanchez Nonet. All songs are composed by Angelica Sanchez, who performs on the piano; the other members are Michael Attias on alto saxophone, Ben Goldberg on contra alto clarinet, John Hebert on bass, Thomas Heberer on quarter-tone trumpet, Sam Ospovat on drums, Chris Speed on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Omar Tamez on guitar, and Kenny Warren on cornet. Inspired by Sanchez's time living in a secluded cabin while teaching in upstate New York, the beautiful music of Nighttime Creatures evokes hidden mysteries of a natural ecosystem after dark. An evocative balance of ensemble harmony and individual flourishes, Nighttime Creatures is an extraordinary collaboration and highly recommended for both personal and public library music collections. The tracks are Nighttime Creatures, C.B. the Time Traveler, Cloud House, Astral Light of Alarid, Lady of the Lavender Mist, Land Here, Ringleader, Big Weirdo, Wrong Door for Rocket Fuel, Tristeza, and Run.
Love Letter
Vocals and piano by Casey MacGill
Compositions by Cornet
caseymacgill.com
Privately Published
$30.00 CD
https://www.caseymacgill.com/product-page/love-letter-casey-macgill-original-music-2-volume-cd-set-1
Superbly sung and performed by talented vocalist and piano maestro Casey MacGill, Love Letter is a 2-CD set of cabaret jazz songs composed over the last 50 years, and freshly recorded between 2019 and 2022. Although a few of the songs have previously been released, most have been confined to cabinets, sheets, or reels of tape for decades. Featuring songs ranging from old time pop to big band swing, Latin jazz, bossa nova, funky soul and more, Love Letter is a treasure for jazz connoisseurs and highly recommended. The tracks are Noctunre, Who's Gonna Buy You Drinks Tonight, So Far So Good, Summer Shade, Hold the Phone, Nocturne in D flat, Funk University, The Camel's Hump, Swingin' in the Rain, Pan Dulce, Love Letter, and You Always Want the Thang You Can't Have on disc 1, and Late Night Swing, Are You Fats Enough, He Makes the Blues Come Out of His Horn, San Gabriel, On a Summer Night, Postcard From Jelly, Barrelhouse, Head in the Clouds, Love Ain't Nothn' But the Blues, Rhythm, Front Porch Rockin', and It's Gonna Be a Long Long Time on disc 2.
Between the Stars
Ann Licater
annlicater.com
Cul de Sac Mystic Productions
$15.00 CD / $9.00 digital
https://annlicater.bandcamp.com/album/between-the-stars
Award-winning recording artist and world-class flutist Ann Licater presents Between the Stars: Flute Passages for Meditation and Inspiration, a breathtakingly beautiful New Age album. Licater's devotion to the flute includes both years of classical flute training at the MacPhail Center for Music, and study with master Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai. Licater personally composed all the tracks of Between the Stars. The songs showcase Licater's talented performance on eleven types of flute including folk, alto, ocarina, Native American-style, Mayan-style Drone, silver C-flute and more. Although Between the Stars is a solo album, Licater has mixed some tracks with her own performance on grand piano or singing bowls to create the effect of a duo. Between the Stars is a treasure for New Age connoisseurs and an ideal audio complement to meditation, yoga, creativity, study, or relaxation. Highly recommended! The tracks are Divine Skies, Ancient Traveler, Between the Stars, Sunbirds, Luminous Waters, Dream Passages, Distant Realm, Angelic Echoes, Moon Garden, Whispering Light, Timeless Voices, Circling Star, and Starlight Lullaby.
Distancia
Solidaridad
solidaridadtango.ca
3AM Fish Records
$20.00 CAD CD / $35.00 CAD vinyl / $7.00 CAD digital
https://solidaridad.bandcamp.com/album/distancia
Distancia is an original tango album by the all-female group Solidaridad: Valeria Matzner on vocals, Aparna Halpe on violin, Suhashini Arulanandam on violin, Esme Allen-Creighton on viola, Sybil Shanahan on cello, Shannon Wojewoda on bass, Elizabeth Acker on piano, and Eva Wolff on bandoneon (a traditional tango instrument resembling an accordion). The songs refer to modern-day social issues including homelessness, anti-Indigenous discrimination, the dark toll of the COVID-19 pandemic (the title "Distancia" is the Spanish word for "distance") and more. Love, loss, and emotional connections are universal themes that resonate in this unforgettable treasure especially recommended for connoisseurs of tango music. The tracks are Winter's Coming, Deriva, Pompeya, Variacion, And I Have Been Looking, The Corner, Fujimos, If Not Today, YYZ, El Adios, Charrua, and The Dance.
Confluence
Philippe Cote & Francois Bourassa
philippecote.com
francoisbourassa.com
Odd Sound
oddsoundmusique.com
$TBA CD / $11.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL5D8CFW
Confluence is a two-man contemporary jazz album featuring Philippe Cote on tenor and soprano saxophones as well as piano, and Francois Bourassa on piano. The instrumental creations range from tributes to inspiration to emotional songs that evoke an air of mystery. Confluence is a jazz experience that defies expected norms and boundaries, at time eschewing the traditional piano-saxophone duo for duo piano or the use of prepared piano for the sake of timbral variation. Highly recommended for connoisseurs of standout original music! The tracks are Tour 1 (Bourassa), 1190 Chemin de la Montagne (Cote), Muted Song (Cote), The Forks (Cote), When Blue Meets White (Cote), Ganges-Purification (Cote), Rideau Falls (Cote), Archipel d'Hochelaga (Cote), Chire (Bourassa), Truc (Bourassa), On Duty (Bourassa), Hushed Song (Cote) and Tour 2 (Bourassa).
Fire Within
Rich Halley, Matthew Shipp, Michael Bisio, and Newman Taylor Baker
www.richhalley.com
Pine Eagle Records
$20.00 CD / $9.00 digital
https://richhalley.bandcamp.com/album/fire-within
Fire Within is the latest instrumental jazz album by Rich Halley, featuring Rich Halley on tenor saxophone, Matthew Shipp on piano, Michael Bisio on bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums. The quartet balances collaborative chemistry with captivating improvisations, in this exciting and adventurous performance. Although there are only five songs, Fire Within is a full-length album; individual songs take the listener on an extraordinary thrill ride that can last up to fifteen minutes! Fire Within lives up to its metaphorical title! Highly recommended, especially for jazz connoisseurs. The tracks are Fire Within (12:50), Inferred (14:12), Angular Logic (7:08), Through Still Air (4:33), and Following the Stream (15:48).
It Comes in Waves
Denin Slage-Koch
www.deninkochmusic.com
Slage-Koch Records
$15.00 CD / $12.00 digital
https://deninkoch.bandcamp.com/album/it-comes-in-waves
Guitarist and composer Denin Slage-Koch presents the jazz album It Comes in Waves. All songs are Denin's creations except for Denin's arrangement of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", a song originally by Tears for Fears. To transform his compositions into musical performance, Denin assembled the talented international team of Ryan Keberle on trombone, Jared Cathey on clarinet, Shane Endsley on trumpet and flugelhorn, Gavin Allen-Dunn on keyboards, Seth Lewis on bass, and Bobby Wiens on drums and percussion. Denin plays both acoustic and electric guitar in this resonant and inspirational album. It Comes in Waves was partially funded by the Pathways to Jazz grant, and the listening experience is thoroughly worthy of the patronage. The tracks are It Comes in Waves, The Road Home, One for Honey, The Cost of Apathy, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Continue, Signal Fires, The Philosopher (for Wayne Shorter), and Quiet Year.
Spheres
Scott Emmerman
Also featuring Marty Zevin
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $7.00 digital
https://scottemmerman.bandcamp.com/album/spheres
Spheres is an instrumental jazz album featuring Scott Emmerman on guitar, keyboards, bass, and drum programming; Marty Zevin on drums and percussion; and Larry Nelson on piano (for "Roanoke"). All compositions are the original creations by Scott Emmerman, except for "Judgement Day" which was co-written by Scott Emmerman and Marty Zevin, and "Yearning for Your Love" which was written by Oliver Scott and Ronnie Wilson. Spheres experiments with a variety of jazz styles from funky grooves, to swing, to jazz fusion, and leads the listener on a grand tour of the genre at its finest. Highly recommended! The tracks are Spheres, Roanoke, Steppin in It, Kc Blues, Return to Rogers Park, Emerald Isle, California Roll, Judgement Day, Winning Time, and Yearning for Your Love.
Heart Mind and Soul
Randy Bernsen
https://randybernsen.com
Jericho Jams
$TBA CD / $5.94 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1HW4G1V
Heart Mind and Soul is a new jazz album by fusion guitar icon Randy Bernsen, with bandmates saxophonist Bob Mintzer, saxophonist Bob Franceschini, bassist Jimmy Haslip, trumpeter Dan Davis, keyboardist George Whitty, keyboardist Uzi Nizri, and drummer David Nizri. Randy Bernsen composed the six tracks, which resonate with emotion. Randy Bernsen's devout Christian faith underpins Heart Mind and Soul; for example, the first track "With you Always" is inspired by Jesus Christ's biblical words "I am with you always". Heart Mind and Soul is highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of modern Christian music, and for church music library collections. The tracks are With you Always (4:58), Prodigal Son (4:37), Shepherd's Heart (5:27), Billy Gate Blues (6:43), Abba Father (3:11), and Chant 881 (7:50).
Hibiki
Trio San
https://satokofujii.com/wp_site
taikosaito.net
http://yukooshima.com
Jazzdor Series
https://jazzdor.com/en/jazzdor-series
15 Euro CD / 10 Euro digital
https://jazzdorseries.bandcamp.com/album/hibiki
Trio San consists of pianist/composer Satoko Fuji, vibraphonist/composer Taiko Saito, and drummer/composer Yuko Oshima. Hibiki is Trio San's debut jazz album, showcasing their collective talent - all three of them created and discussed musical compositions, before they had the opportunity to work together in person. Hibiki is from the third of four concerts the trio performed. An extraordinary, eye-opening journey into countless musical possibilities, Hibiki is a treasury of experimental jazz with a Japanese flair, highly recommended especially for connoisseurs! The tracks are Hibiki (12:53), Soba (9:47), Yozakura (10:24), What You See (10:04), Wa (4:29) and Ichigo (6:41).
The Depths of Memory
Kevin Sun
Endectomorph Music
endectomorph.com
$20.00 CD / $20.00 digital
https://thekevinsun.bandcamp.com/album/the-depths-of-memory
Saxophonist and composer Kevin Sun presents The Depths of Memory, a 2-CD album of instrumental jazz music created and collaborated upon during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin Sun plays the tenor saxophone; the talented contributing musicians are trumpeter Adam O'Farrill, pianist Dana Saul, bassist Walter Stinson, drummer Matt Honor, bassist Simon Willson, and drummer Dayeon Seok. The Depths of Memory is an epic listening experience, with two long tracks on one disc and a musical odyssey upon the second disc. The Depths of Memory is extraordinary, inspiring, and highly recommended. The tracks are From All This Stillness (20:54) and Eponymous Cycle (24:28) on disc 1, and The Depths in Slow Motion (37:04) on disc 2.
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