Russ Lossing “Changes” (SCCD 31863)

SCCD 31863 Russ Lossing “Changes”

Among today’s modern jazz piano players Russ Lossing stands out as one of the unique breed of artists who travel intelligently and with clarity between jazz and new music. For this his first release on SteepleChase Lossing focuses on standards, of course, with his trademark, innovative improvisation.

Lossing is a thinking man’s pianist. He intelligently creates and refashions themes within a variety of frameworks.” (Glenn Astarita – Jazzreview.com)

Russ Lossing is a pianist of extreme depth and intensity whose music exists between jazz improvisation and modern classicism.“ (Budd Kopman – AAJ)

Russ Lossing piano
Michael Formanek bass
Gerald Cleaver drums

Recorded May 2018

1 BYE, BYE BLACKBIRD (Ray Henderson) 8:02
2 LITTLE GIRL BLUE (Richard Rodgers) 7:04
3 CREPUSCULE WITH NELLIE (Thelonious Monk) 5:29
4 REFLECTIONS IN D (Duke Ellington) 6:40
5 UGLY BEAUTY (Thelonious Monk) 5:02
6 REMINISCENCE (Russ Lossing) 10:48
7 SWEET AND LOVELY (Gus Arnheim/Harry Tobias/Jules Lemare) 7:14
8 EPISTROPHY (Thelonious Monk) 4:59
9 PRELUDE TO A KISS (Duke Ellington) 5:49
10 BAROMETER (Russ Lossing) 4:36

Total Playing Time 65:42

UPC: 716043186327

Ronnie Cuber “Straight Street” (SCCD 31860)

SCCD 31860 Ronnie Cuber “Straight Street”

One of the few exponents of that most unrelenting instrument, baritone saxophonist Ronnie Cuber has spent for more than a half century performing, composing, arranging and leading his own groups. His robust, no-nonsense playing has been acknowledged to be one of the greats among jazz instrumentalists.

“…Best of all, there’s Cuber himself, whose playing has, incredibly, grown more authoritative with each passing year. His sound, huge and affable, brims with personality, and it’s hard not to be awed by the freshness…” (J. D. Considine – JazzTimes on Ronnie’s Trio SCCD 31848)

RONNIE CUBER baritone sax
GEORGE COLLIGAN piano
CAMERON BROWN bass
JOE FARNSWORTH drums

Recorded November 2010

1 GROOVIN’ HIGH (Dizzy Gillespie) 11:02
2 MILES’ MODE (John Coltrane) 10:24
3 GLORIA’S STEPS (Scott LaFaro) 9:18
4 SUMMERTIME (George Gershwin) 10:17
5 SPIRAL (John Coltrane) 9:05
6 ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE (Jerome Kern) 10:12
7 STRAIGHT STREET (John Coltrane) 8:58
8 BATTERY BLUES (Philly Joe Jones) 2:03

Total Playing 71:19

UPC: 716043186020

Eugenia Choe “Verdant Dream” (SCCD 33137)

SCCD 33137 Eugenia Choe “Verdant Dream”

Korean-born New York-based pianist/composer Eugenia Choe received quite a few superlative reviews for her 2016 debut album “Magic Light” (SCCD 33127) from international press.

Eugenia’s second album here is an impressive display of her original and intriguing compositions presented superbly by her working trio.

Eugenia Choe rode her personally distinctive currents into this amalgamated music and made a magnificent record.” (James Nadal – AAJ on SCCD 33127 Magic Light)

“Everything’s here: the pianist’s exquisite touch, her compositional acumen infused with an alluring and idiosyncratic intelligence, her soul, sympatico trio mates, adept sequencing, and a cool cover photo and design. This could be the debut of the year.”(Dan McClenaghan – All About Jazz)

EUGENIA CHOE piano
DANNY WELLER bass
ALEX WYATT drums

Recorded October 10, 2017

1 VERDANT DREAM (Eugenia Choe) 5:35
2 SUNDAY FATIGUE (Eugenia Choe) 5:53
3 ODD BIRDS (Eugenia Choe) 6:10
4 EVER GREEN (Eugenia Choe) 6:51
5 MIDNIGHT MINGLE (Eugenia Choe) 5:32
6 BLUE IN GREEN (Bill Evans) 4:50
7 WHAT (Eugenia Choe) 4:29
8 MILOMONALO (Eugenia Choe) 4:32
9 KNOCK KNOCK (Eugenia Choe) 6:31
10 WIND CATCHER (Eugenia Choe) 4:58

Total Playing Time 50:08

UPC: 716043313723

Andrew Rathbun “Character Study” (SCCD 31862)

SCCD 31862 Andrew Rathbun “Character Study”

All About Jazz once stated, “Andrew Rathbun is an artist who takes chances with his recordings. You don’t hear any paint-by-the-numbers jazz discs from him.”

This latest release proves again how accurate this statement is. Canadian-born Rathbun has established himself as one of the most compelling voices of American jazz scene today both as performer and as composer. While the composer’s socio-political awareness is manifested in the tune titles, the music which is intellectually emotional speaks louder to our consciousness.

Reedman Andrew Rathbun’s recording dates — dependably rhapsodic, songful, rational — each have plausible logic and worked-out thematic.”
(Fred Bouchard – Downbeat on SCCD 31781 Numbers & Letters)

ANDREW RATHBUN tenor saxophone
TIM HAGANS trumpet
GARY VERSACE piano
JAY ANDERSON bass
BILL STEWART drums

Recorded December 2017

1 THE GOLDEN FOOL (Andrew Rathbun) 6:09
2 TEAM OF RIVALS (Andrew Rathbun) 6:49
3 ALPHABET DEAF AND FOREVER BLIND (Andrew Rathbun) 8:49
4 HIS QUIET DETERMINATION (Andrew Rathbun) 7:09
5 ETCETERA (Wayne Shorter) 7:10
6 THE LONG AWAKENING (Andrew Rathbun) 9:28
7 CHARACTER STUDY (Andrew Rathbun) 6:41
8 TURMOIL (Andrew Rathbun) 9:05

Total Playing Time 61:17

UPC: 716043186228

Burak Bedikyan “New Beginning” (SCCD 31861)

SCCD 31861 Burak Bedikyan “New Beginning”

Since his CD debut “Circle Of Life“(SCCD 33109) in 2013 followed by two more albums on SteepleChase LookOut label, Turkish/Armenian pianist-composer Bedikyan has been highly acclaimed by the international critics and public alike. New Beginning marks his recent relocation from Istanbul to New York where he feels blessed to be a part of the big jazz scene.

For improvisational music fans there is very little here not to like, flawless. An elegant yet diverse exploration of melodic possibilities. Burak Bedikyan is one of the finest artists on the horizon.”

(Brent Black – criticaljazz.com on 33119 Leap of Faith)

BURAK BEDIKYAN piano
JAY ANDERSON bass
ADAM NUSSBAUM drums

Recorded December 2017

1 NO COMPLAINTS (Burak Bedikyan) 3:53
2 SURYA (Burak Bedikyan) 9:20
3 INTERLUDE (Burak Bedikyan) 1:12
4 EPILOGUE (Burak Bedikyan) 3:51
5 AYÇA (Burak Bedikyan) 8:50
6 PRELUDE (Burak Bedikyan) 1:36
7 RUE Dauphin (Burak Bedikyan) 9:05
8 LEO (Burak Bedikyan) 2:51
9 BLUES ME UP (Burak Bedikyan) 5:06
10 THINGS WE ARE (Burak Bedikyan) 9:41
11 STELLA BY STARLIGHT (Victor Young) 7:56
12 MAGIC CARPET (Burak Bedikyan) 5:55

Total Playing Time 69:13

UPC: 716043186129

Kirk Knuffke “Witness” (SCCD 31859)

SCCD 31859 Kirk Knuffke “Witness”

Two extraordinary talents from the two totally independent discipline of art forms are meeting here to create a genuinely unique musical experience for us.

Kirk Knuffke one of the most prominent of jazz cornetist and New York’s up and coming operatic baritone singer Steven Herring present here, to quote the liner-note author Neil Tesser, “an album that juxtaposes conservatory and nightclub, improvisation and spoken word, the sacred and the secular, into one of the most unusual and inventive projects of Knuffke’s career”

Knuffke’s previous release “Cherryco” SCCD 31832 was awarded National Public Radio (USA)’s Jazz Album of the Year 2017.

KIRK KNUFFKE cornet
STEVEN HERRING baritone
BEN GOLDBERG contra alto clarinet, clarinet
RUSS LOSSING piano

Recorded December 2017

1 WITNESS (traditional) 6:34
2 LUSH LIFE (Billy Strayhorn) 9:30
3 RIDE ON, KING JESUS (traditional) 4:58
4 THE SATELLITES ARE SPINNING (Sun Ra) 4:15
5 IAGO’S CREDO (Guiseppe Verdi) 5:54
6 SUBWAY (Kirk Knuffke / Carl Sandburg) 2:34
7 ARIA MUSTAFA (Gioachino Rossini) 6:21
8 CHARADE (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) 7:50
9 STORM (Kirk Knuffke / Kirby Congdon) 3:40
10 THE VOICE (Ellen Mandel /Thomas Hardy) 4:51
11 QUESTO AMOR (Giacomo Puccini) 5:10
12 A CITY CALLED HEAVEN (traditional) 4:50

Total Playing Time 66:23

Arranged by Kirk Knuffke

UPC: 716043185924

Mike Richmond “Tones For Joan’s Bones” (SCCD 31851)

SCCD 31851 Mike Richmond “Tones For Joan’s Bones”

As some of the critics have predicted, Richmond put together another quality cello album here again.

Mike Richmond the Philadelphia-born award-winning bass player with vast experience including playing with Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Horace Silver, to mention a few is also a dedicated educator receiving a Teacher of the Year Award from New York University (1994). After the release of his previous album “The Pendulum” SCCD 31826 Richmond has been frequently performing cello as his main instrument.

Mike Richmond’s beautiful new recording – his 11th as a leader – is the first on which he plays cello exclusively .… Richmond and his quartet of seasoned players give the music a ‘singing’ quality something Richmond seeks in all his playing.” (Donald Elfman – New York City Jazz Record on The Pendulum SCCD 31826)

MIKE RICHMOND cello
PETER ZAK piano
JAY ANDERSON bass
BILLY DRUMMOND drums

Recorded February 2017

1 BE MY LOVE (Nicolas Brodzsky) 7:43
2 BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP (Donald Kahn) 7:16
3 DOLPHIN DANCE (Herbie Hancock) 9:02
4 SOUL EYES (Mal Waldron) 5:48
5 I’VE NEVER BEEN IN LOVE BEFORE (Frank Loesser) 7:40
6 I LOVE PARIS (Cole Porter) 7:24
7 BREA’S LULLABY (Luciano Salvatore) 7:31
8 TONES FOR JOAN’S BONES (Chick Corea) 6:56

 

Total Playing Time 59:24

UPC: 716043185122

Stephen Riley “Hold ‘Em Joe” (SCCD 31850)

SCCD 31850 Stephen Riley “Hold ‘Em Joe”

Since Stephen Riley made his recording debut as a leader on SteepleChase with piano-less trio SCCD 31584 Inside Out (2005), this trimmed down format has stayed with Riley on many recordings including this latest album, which pays tribute to the great Sonny Rollins who first recorded this format in 1957.

The tenor saxophone trio is one of the great, if somewhat underutilized line-ups in jazz. Stephen Riley has made a study of the format and delivers a fine addition to a limited canon with Hart-beat…. Hart- Beat is a really solid recording, with some noteworthy playing making it a worthy successor in a lineage of great tenor saxophone trio records.” (Greg Simmons – AAJ on “Hart-Beat” SCCD 31742)

STEPHEN RILEY tenor saxophone
JAY ANDERSON bass
ADAM NUSSBAUM drums

Recorded April 2017

1 I Never Knew (Ted Fio Rito) 4:59
2 Where Or When (Richard Rodgers) 5:21
3 Hold ‘Em Joe (Harry Belafonte) 5:18
4 Darn That Dream (Jimmy Van Heusen) 7:37
5 Three Little Words (Harry Ruby / Burt Kalmar) 4:00
6 Woody ‘n’ You (Dizzy Gillespie) 7:18
7 Almost Like Being In Love (Frederick Loewe) 7:00
8 You’ve Changed (Carl Fischer) 7:32
9 I’m An Old Cowhand (Johnny Mercer) 3:59
10 I Don’t Stand A Ghost Of A Chance (Victor Young) 7:02
11 The Song Is You (Jerome Kern) 6:29

Total Playing Time 66:37

UPC: 716043185023

Andy Fusco “Turmoil” (SCCD 31843)

SCCD 31843 Andy Fusco “Turmoil”

During the five decades of his career alto saxophonist Andy Fusco has been regarded a musicians’ musician and he has played with numerous artists and led various combination of instrumentation except an ensemble with guitarist. So here’s Andy Fusco’s first ever guitar (pianoless) quartet with venerable veteran John Hart who gives Andy and the group a new space to explore.

“…The chemistry between members of the quintet and their collective wisdom is on a level seldom attained on contemporary mainstream jazz recordings.” (David A. Orthmann – AAJ on Whirlwind SCCD 31811)

ANDY FUSCO alto saxophone
JOHN HART guitar
BILL MOORING bass
RUDY PETSCHAUER drums

Recorded December 2016

1 MINOR LEAGUE (Grant Green) 8:35
2 POLKADOTS AND MOONBEAMS (Jimmy Van Heusen) 7:44
3 LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING (Jerome Kern) 6:09
4 RHAPSODIA (John Hart) 6:22
5 HACKENSACK (Thelonious Monk) 9:46
6 TURMOIL (John Hart) 7:47
7 THE GYPSY (Jule Styne) 9:13
8 BELLA’S BURN (Andy Fusco) 7:34

Total Playing Time 63:14

UPC: 716043184323

Gene Segal “Transformation” (SCCD 31849)

SCCD 31849 Gene Segal “Transformation”

Guitarist/composer Gene Segal has released three albums on SteepleChase LookOut:

Mental Images (SCCD 33114), Matter (SCCD 33121) and Spiral (SCCD 33132) during the period from 2014 to 2017, all of which received critical and public acclaims. Always being adventurous, unpredictable, inventive Segal showcases his new and in a way debut album here for the SteepleChase’s main label with a little bit more jazz-bound material.

“… rich and exciting chops from Segal’s axe make for a blues jamming delight.” (George W. Harris – The Jazz Weekly on Mental Images)

“… The band has a joyful swing…Music that grows and grows.” (The Jazz Weekly on Matter)

GENE SEGAL guitar
ADAM NIEWOOD tenor & soprano saxophone, ewi
BEN STREET bass
BILLY HART drums

Recorded February 2017

1 EXOSPHERE (Gene Segal) 6:11
2 TRANSFORMATION (Gene Segal) 9:00
3 SANDY’S DANCE (Gene Perla) 5:45
4 THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON (Gene Segal) 7:28
5 DARN THAT DREAM (Jimmy van Heusen) 7:28
6 TWO TIRED SOULS (Gene Segal) 5:58
7 UGLY BEAUTY (Thelonious Monk) 2:11
8 TAURUS PEOPLE (Faruk Dawud) 6:17
9 MYSTERIOSO (Thelonious Monk) 08:05

Total Playing Time 58:23

UPC: 716043184927