Classic 107 - Winnipeg CAN Host Chris Wolf had the opportunity to Zoom chat with world renowned pianist Benjamin Grosvenor about his latest recording. A recoding featuring the music of Liszt. The English pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is one of today's most sought after pianists. Ever since winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year at the age of 12 in 2004, Grosvenor has developed an International career that has seen him perform with the world's top Orchestras and make several award winning recordings on the Decca Record label. Benjamin Grosvenor's latest release that comes today, Feb
ClassicsToday Jed Distler writes.....Per Nørgård composed his first solo cello sonata between the ages of 19 and 21. His seriousness, sensitivity, and strong personality were clearly present early on. The first movement's brooding lyricism never turns on itself, while the microtonal gestures are expressively discreet and anything but gimmicky. The Allegro con brio finale is like a fragmented or interrupted gigue, where sudden double stops and pizzicato chords seemingly challenge the music's dance-like profile. Wilhelmina Smith's lustrous sonority, wide dynamic range, and im
Beginning Monday, March 8 at 8 pm PT, Lara Downes will host "Evening Music with Lara Downes," a nightly program featuring classical music spanning centuries and styles, specially chosen and explored to reveal unique insights and context. Additionally, as the station's first-ever Resident Artist, Lara will curate and create new digital content that will engage the California community and give KDFC listeners a more in-depth look at the creativity and history that has shaped our musical lives. Pianist Lara Downes is a sought-after performer, Billboard Chart-topping recording artist, produ
AnalogPlanet's Michael Fremer writes.....Impulse! Records, founded in 1960 by Creed Taylor and home to some of the greatest jazz artists of all time including John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Archie Shepp, Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders and Quincy Jones, among many others, this year celebrates its 60th anniversary. The orange-and-black imprint known as the "House That Trane Built" was a cultural beacon of progressivism, spiritualism, and activism throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Today, the label thrives with a new vanguard of jazz artists including Shabaka Hutchings, Sons of Keme
99.5CRB - Boston's Cathy Fuller writes.....Pianist Benjamin Grosvenor talks about his personal and passionate testament to the visionary spirit of Franz Liszt, prepared and recorded in the dark months of COVID. Grosvenor is twenty-eight, and yet his remarkable musicianship has been capturing the hearts of the public for a long time. He won the BBC Young Musician Competition at eleven, when his imagination and technical prowess were already producing an uncanny brand of maturity and sparkle. Now, in isolation as the COVID lockdown drags on in London, he has focused on the kaleidoscop
British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is internationally recognized for his electrifying performances, distinctive sound, and insightful interpretations. The album Liszt signifies his most substantial solo recording to date, centered around the works of the Romantic piano virtuoso and composer Franz Liszt. Grosvenor says, "The music of Liszt has been central to my repertoire since I was introduced to it as a child, by my grandfather. I wanted with this recording to show the composer in his different aspects, including some of his original compositions, but also displaying the extraordinarily r
Classical WETA 90.9 FM showcases notable new (or newly reissued) albums each week. Hear selections from the album on-air throughout the week, and check online to learn more about the artist and the music. We're pleased to resume Album of the Week during Black History Month by featuring the wonderfully talented family of musicians: the Kanneh-Masons. They recently released a recording of Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns, along with several other animal-themed classical works. The Carnival of the Animals features a new text by author Michael Morpurgo, narr
Hilary Hahn's new recording pays homage to the rich cultural heritage of a city that has been close to her heart throughout her career. Set for international release by Deutsche Grammophon on 5 March 2021, Paris sees the American violinist resume her productive partnership with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and its Music Director, Mikko Franck. The three-time Grammy Award-winner's album presents the world premiere of Einojuhani Rautavaara's Deux Sérénades, commissioned by Mikko Franck.
A Quiet Madness features three piano pieces, a piano and violin duet, a series of seven scenes for four flutes and a solo accordion piece that was composed as a response to Hurricane Katrina. The album immerses the listener in a photorealistic sound world of understated beauty. At once calming and thought-provoking, it allows the ear and mind to make their own connections without feeling overwhelmed by thematic constraints. William Susman's precise harmonic and rhythmic languages invite us into a subdued, enchanting expression of madness that roams all over the map, akin to the min
89.1WMHT: Schenectady NY's Rob Brown writes....When British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor was just a boy, his grandfather, an amateur pianist, introduced him to the music of Franz Liszt. Grosvenor's new recording on Decca Records is all music of Liszt. Grosvenor said, "I wanted with this recording to show the composer in his different aspects, including some of his original compositions, but also displaying the extraordinarily re-creative abilities he showed in his transcriptions." SEE THE PAGE & LISTEN
CRB's BRIAN MCCREATH writes.....Boston Symphony Orchestra Music Director Andris Nelsons describes the three online performances he conducts, each of them featuring Beethoven symphonies, and works inspired by them, written by composers of our time. In January 2020, Nelsons and the BSO were looking ahead to a concert tour of Asia, followed by the last chapters of the 2019-2020 season. The tour, however, was cancelled as the now world-wide pandemic took hold in the very countries the orchestra was to have visited. And eventually, those last dynamic chapters of the season, including Nel
The New York Times - David Allen writes....For his new album, Benjamin Grosvenor delved into historical recordings of the daunting Sonata in B minor. "This is music that's probably not supposed to be played cleanly," Benjamin Grosvenor said of Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor, the centerpiece of his new album. How do the great musicians prepare to play the great works? Each has his or her own methods, and tends to keep the strategy quiet, a secret key to success. One thing that distinguishes the subtle Benjamin Grosvenor, 28, from the rest of the pack of young star pianists is his ex
RollingStone's ANDY GREENE writes......Peter Gabriel has re-recorded his 1980 protest classic "Biko" with help from 25 musicians from around the globe, including Beninese vocalist and activist Angélique Kidjo, Yo-Yo Ma, the Cape Town Ensemble, Sebastian Robertson, and bassist Meshell Ndegeocello. The video was produced by Sebastian Robertson and Mark Johnson as part of Playing for Change's Song Around the World initiative. The original song was written as a tribute to South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, who was murdered in police custody in 1977, b
The Honeywell Arts Academy will launch in June of 2021 with three separate programs for double-bassists, pianists, and instrumentalists. The Violin Channel recently caught up with Ranaan Meyer, artistic director of the Honeywell Arts Academy. Here';s some Q&A Tell us about the Honeywell Arts Academy? When was it founded and what is its main mission? Auditions are happening now for the Honeywell Arts Academy which launches this June, and I am so proud to be artistic director. Thirteen years ago I started a bass camp with my buddies Hal Robinson of the Philadelphia Orche
The Collegian's Alexis Daniels writes....Though radio in Hillsdale has only been around for five years, its production range has grown significantly, and they now broadcast a variety of radio shows appealing to many crowds. These radio shows range from news broadcasts to podcasts to features. Junior Christine Talent, who joined radio just last semester, started with newscasting and has just started a feature of her own called "All the Small Things," a five minute segment in between shows that highlights fun facts about how common items, such as toast, came to be. "I was ha
The New York Times - Joshua Barone writes......Music can't survive on its own. Composers not entrenched in the canon need support: from publishers, from foundations, from performers. Without these champions, it's all too easy to slide into obscurity. Three projects - by the Catalyst Quartet; the baritone Will Liverman; and the pianist Lara Downes - consider another avenue for maintaining a legacy: recordings. Gone are the days when classical albums could be relied on as moneymakers. But in the age of streaming, they are endlessly accessible, easy to disseminate and, in the case of these
JAZZ.FM91's Adam Feibel writes.....Just in time for Valentine's Day, Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter Laila Biali has shared a cover of Joni Mitchell's heart-stirring song A Case of You in an exclusive premiere with JAZZ.FM91. The Canadian pianist and vocalist is joined by George Koller on bass and her husband Ben Wittman on djembe for this intimate acoustic rendition of Mitchell's classic love song from 1971. The performance was filmed and recorded live off the floor at Revolution Recording Studios in Toronto. "My first experience hearing Joni Mitchell's music was when I wa
NEW YORK MUSIC DAILY's delarue writes....For the most rapturously gorgeous piece of music released so far this year, cue up the Catalyst Quartet's new recording of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Humoresque, which hasn't hit the web yet (although there is a live version at youtube). It starts as a quasi-Balkan dance. When the sun busts through the clouds and a chorus of sorts kicks in, it's a gutpunch. The album it's on, Uncovered Vol. 1, should come with one of those stickers that you sometimes see on old heavy metal and punk records from the 80s: PLAY LOUD. READ THE FULL NEW YORK M
New Music Alert's Vivek Kumar writes.....The roots sprout when they find the weather conducive and the soil appropriately aligned for the shoots to grow. On the earth of a human heart, where music has been sowed and cared for like stored seeds, the winds of introspective reflection and warmth of loving concern help melodies germinate, which carry the original intentions but have newer and interpretive forms. The beauty of music lies in its infinite possibilities, and how charming every rendition could be. Well, either you have to be a musician, or have the privilege of ears that turn po
WFMT's Lisa Flynn writes.....Daniel Hope was fifteen when he first encountered the music of Alfred Schnittke in 1989. The experience launched a love affair with the Russian composer's work that has continued to deepen ever since. The violinist's latest album pays homage to this maverick genius, whose elegant explorations of past styles and free-thinking experiments in "polystylism" were both original and iconoclastic, at times bringing him into conflict with the Soviet authorities. Schnittke – Works for Violin and Piano was recorded with Ukrainian pianist Alexey Botvinov, an accla
WFUV's Eric Holland wtites.....It's never not a good time to enjoy a Bettye LaVette performance, but between her 75th birthday (celebrated on January 29) and a chance at a Grammy win in March, she gets our vote for a "Throwback Thursday" FUV Live pick today. Back in April of 2018, Bettye and her band stopped by Studio A to perform songs from her album of Bob Dylan tunes, Things Have Changed, and the masterful song interpreter was in fine form in conversation too. We'll share those tunes with you on FUV today, and you can hear the full session anytime in the FUV Live Vault.
udiscovermusic.'s Sharon Kelly writes.....Grammy and Oscar-nominated songwriter and composer Stephan Moccio has released a new solo piano version of ‘Earned It', which he co-wrote and co-produced with The Weeknd for the 2015 blockbuster film Fifty Shades of Grey. The release of the single follows The Weeknd's performance of the song during his Super Bowl half-time show. Miley Cyrus gave an emotional performance of her hit single ‘Wrecking Ball', another song Stephan Moccio co-composed, during the pre-Super Bowl show. The pop star broke down in tears while performing the
Fanfare's Colin Clarke writes.......The "Refractor Piano™" is the result of Peter Manning Robinson's time in the film industry, and the thought that what if the only sounds heard were of live instruments that only he played? How could those sounds be modified? The result is the "Refractor Piano™." Initial results were via Robinson alone, and rather ungainly. It was co-developer Klaus Hoch who suggested condensing the technology down so it could all be controlled by a Steinway. Six years later, the combination of hardware and software that is the "Refractor Piano™
WFMT's Lisa Flynn writes.....Andris Nelsons and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra continue their award-winning Bruckner cycle with the Symphonies Nos. 2 and 8, coupled with Wagner's Meistersinger Prelude. About Bruckner's Second Symphony, Nelsons says, "He has formulated everything very clearly: the wonderful themes are clearly separated from each other by general pauses, and yet the result is a great whole. It is astonishing that this work is so rarely performed." Bruckner himself called his Eighth a "mystery." Nelsons has much to gain from this: "Bruckner penetrated here, especially in
Decca Classics presents the release of the first in a trilogy of recordings from the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble Stile Antico to celebrate major anniversaries of three Renaissance masters. The first in the series, The Golden Renaissance: Josquin des Prez, is dedicated to the Franco-Flemish composer to mark the 500th anniversary of his death. One of the most important composers of the Renaissance, Josquin's remarkable developments in polyphonic vocal music defined the genre for all those who followed him. Stile Antico's new album is structured around one of the composer's most f
Born in Novosibirsk, Russia and raised in Israel. Classical guitarist Yuri Liberzon has been recognized for his impressive technical ability and musicality. Based on his achievements in the music field United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has granted Yuri Liberzon ‘Alien of Extraordinary Ability' United States Permanent Residency. Mr. Liberzon has given countless number of concerts across the United States. Notable concerts venues include: 92nd Street Y in New York, Florida State University, Oregon State University, Santa Clara University, Marlow Guitar S
London JazzNews - Tony Dudley-Evans writes......This is the fifth album that Danish guitarist Jakob Bro has recorded for ECM, and it brings together a new trio with Arve Henriksen on trumpet and Jorge Rossy on drums. Recorded in August and September 2020 at Auditorio Stelio Molo in the studios of Italian Swiss Radio in Lugano, it was the very first time the three had played together. The album's title combines the middle names of Bro's two children, his son Oswald Elmo and his daughter Dagny Uma (H/T Dan Ouellette). The album's mood is created immediately on the first track Reconstructi
Take a musical and informative journey with the three amazing singers from Italy! Mountain Lake PBS has several ways for you to celebrate the Italian trio Il Volo this month. Enjoy Spotlight producer Paul Larson's exclusive interview with the guys from Place Bell in Laval, Quebec. The chat happened a year ago, right before "social distancing" became a common term. Mountain Lake Journal will present the interview Friday, February 5th at 8 pm, Saturday the 6th at 7 pm, Sunday the 7th at 10 am and Monday the 8th at 5:30 pm. Then experience the concert program Il Volo: 10 Ye
The Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet has released the first album in "Uncovered," a multi-volume series on the Azica label. The opening volume features the works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, including his Piano Quintet in G minor with pianist Stewart Goodyear, Fantasiestücke, and Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp minor with clarinetist Anthony McGill. The Catalyst Quartet poses, "Over the course of time there have been many overlooked artists in classical music, especially because of their race or gender. It is important to acknowledge that we have not yet heard the whole story due to th
The New York Times - Anthony Tommasini writes....The Metropolitan Opera rang in 2020 auspiciously, with a Puccini gala featuring Anna Netrebko, the company's reigning diva. But in March, of course, just weeks before Netrebko was to return to the Met as Tosca, the company closed because of the pandemic. It has been shut for the past 11 months, canceling a slew of plans, including a new production of "Aida" for Netrebko, and furloughing hundreds of its workers without pay. On Saturday Netrebko returned to the company - in a sense - with the latest recital in its Met Stars Live in Conc
The Spool's Oluwatayo Adewole writes.....Based on an Aja Gabel short story and directed by Chad Hartigan, Little Fish follows a married couple as they try to hold onto what they love in a world ravaged by a pandemic. In a lot of ways, there are eerie similarities with our present reality, but the main difference is that the virus in this film slowly takes away memories – functioning very similarly to Alzheimer's. In the midst of a flurry of pandemic-themed media coming out which tries to reflect the situation which the world is presently in, Little Fish manages to distinguish itse
VENTS MAGAZINE RJ Frometa writes.......Today, IFC Films has released their new film Little Fish in theaters and on-demand (Amazon, Apple TV), directed by acclaimed indie filmmaker, Chad Hartigan, starring Olivia Cooke and Jack O'Connell as lovers, as well as SOKO and Raúl Castillo. SOKO, who is notably a successful singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist alongside being an actress, released her new track "See You In The Dark" with composer Keegan DeWitt as part of the Little Fish Original Motion Picture Soundtrack last week. The rest of the 29-track album is out today with
NO TREBLE's Kevin Johnson writes.....Pianist Shai Maestro has released a new album called Human, which sees his trio with Jorge Roeder and Ofri Nehemya turned into a quartet with trumpeter Philip Dizack. The group explores a wide variety of textures and emotions through its eleven tracks. "There was always a special understanding between us on how we see music and how we see life," Maestro says of his regular bandmates. "It's one of those relationships that it feels like it's always been there. Philip's trumpet playing sounds to me like a human voice speaking to you and addi
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and guitarist Madison Cunningham's recently released a new covers EP, titled 'Wednesday' via Verve Forecast. NPR New Music Friday raved, "Cunningham brings this incredible musicality to everything she touches."? The EP features covers of songs by Radiohead, John Mayer, Tom Waits and The Beatles. "I challenged myself at the beginning of last year to learn and post a cover song every week as a way to stay inspired both in writing and preforming," Cunningham explains. "What started as a fun prompt cracked something open in me and stayed for good, freeing
Laurie Niles writes.....Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening! British violinist Daniel Hope first fell in love with Schnittke's music as a teenager, before getting to know the German-Soviet composer personally through a series of meetings and conversations in the early 1990s. Recorded with Ukrainian pianist Alexey Botvinov, a celebrated Schnittke interpret
OPERAWIRE's David Salazar writes....The Met Orchestra Musicians have announced a concert showcase set to star soprano Angela Gheorghiu on Feb. 21, 2021. The soprano will perform the "Song to the Moon" from Dvorak's "Rusalka" in a new arrangement for soprano and bass quintet. She will also perform "Our Father" by Anton Pann and engage in a live chat at the end of the event. There will also be a performance of Dvorak's String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 77. The Met Orchestra Musicians will perform from New York City while the soprano appears at the Romanian Athenaeum. "My fellow
NPR - Alt.Latino host FELIX CONTRERAS writes....Duke Ellington's highest compliment for musicians whom he admired was to call them "beyond category." Gustavo Santaolalla clearly falls into this description. Honestly, we could do one show per day, for a whole week, and still not cover the creative output of this week's guest. Santaolalla's work goes all the way back to the late '60s as a musician in Argentina. He's a prolific producer, most notably his groundbreaking work with groups like Maldita Vecindad Y Los Hijos del Quinto Patio and Café Tacvba, which ushered
LONDONJAZZNEWS - Jon Turney writes.... For his second release on ECM Israeli pianist Shai Maestro expands his normal trio of bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Ofri Nehemya with US trumpeter Philip Dizack. He proves a fine foil for the leader, his horn sound as varied as the young pianist/composer's approach to the keyboard. Their classical inflection, and richly atmospheric variety, invites comparison with many past ECM releases, from Jarrett to Tomasz Stanko, and this group looks well in that light. This effort isn't flawless. They Went to War, evidently a threnody for the vic
Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and bassist Mark Helias come together to create duets discovered in the moment in a way that is rarely heard today with Some Kind of Tomorrow. The long time bandmates, separated by space and time find a way to play in real time with one another and the results are magical. Two master improvisers and composers bring listeners up-close and personal to the first spark of their imaginations at work, recording eleven duet improvisations over the spring, summer, and fall of 2020. The music is raw, authentic, intimate, alive, and unapolog
WFMT's Lisa Flynn writes.....Sergei Rachmaninoff's symphonic works hold a special place in the story of one of America's greatest musical ensembles. The Philadelphia Orchestra and its Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin are about to add a thrilling new chapter with the launch of a cycle of Rachmaninoff's three symphonies and other orchestral scores for Deutsche Grammophon. The first album pairs the early Symphony No.1 with the Symphonic Dances, Rachmaninoff's last major composition, written for and dedicated to the Philadelphia Orchestra and its then conductor Eugene Orman
Matt Haimovitz talks about the loss of his cello and his new PENTATONE recording with Mari Kodama - Mon Ami, Mon Amour. New Classical Tracks Julie Amacher writes.....When the pandemic hit last year, cellist Matt Haimovitz admits that at first he felt paralyzed after being on the road touring and performing for more than three decades. He started wondering: What's the point of practicing if there's no one to share the music with? Now, he's busy commissioning composers for an upcoming project, teaching students and discovering the joy of cooking. "I love food, and I usually go out
Lightning 100 - Nashille Taylor Lomax writes....Jazz musician Jon Batiste has had a whirlwind past year. Known primarily as the musical director on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he's pursued a variety of projects recently. Back in June, Batiste performed at the Brooklyn, NY Juneteenth celebration. Lastly, and perhaps most notably, he collaborated with dream-team Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on the score for Pixar's Soul. Our very own Rev. Keith got the opportunity to chat with Batiste. The two kindred spirits went in-depth about topics ranging from racial justice to 2020 bur
MakingMusic's Chuck Schiele WRITES.....Shunia is a duo that combines addictive melodies, ancient chants and polycultural rhythms into a sound that feels both new and timeless. Their music captures and conveys deep energies and spirit. The state of "shunia" means stillness, receptivity. A stillness of power, not passivity; quiet, unmoving and totally focused. Shunia's members – Lisa Reagan and Suzanne Jackson – realize nothing happens in a vacuum. Every movement, melody, and muscle have ripple effects on everything else. Something unique emerges when two accomplished
A recording studio veteran and ardent user of Sennheiser and Neumann microphones, British-Nigerian singer/songwriter; Ola Onabulé has been streaming regular live music performances from his home studio close to London for the past few months. With a career in music recording of over two decades, and having performed at some of world's most prestigious jazz festivals and concert halls, Onabulé's name is synonymous with jazz excellence and his deep passion for the music technology. When the pandemic started, Onabulé's first reaction was consternation. "I'd evolved a c
Jazz Variations, a 2-hour internationally syndicated radio program hosted by Tonia King, is pleased to announce that Westwood One has renewed the program for the 15th year to provide international programming in Saudi Arabia. Jazz Variations has also launched a new 24 hour streaming platform available right on the website, www.jazzvariations.com. Jazz Variations has been providing music programming globally since 1998 with a mix of world jazz, R&B, funk, blues, soul and more. It is a cornucopia of accessible music from around the world featuring artist interviews and speci
Pianist Dan Tepfer pays tribute to his mentor, colleague, and friend (10/13/27 – 4/15/20) and writes.... As someone who likes to think of himself as rational, I can't bring myself to believe in fate, yet Lee and I seemed destined to meet. Although piano's been my instrument since I was a child, I had a sax in my teens, and I sound strangely like Lee on home recordings from the time even though I'd hardly listened to him. After I moved to New York in 2006, I put on my mentor Martial Solal's duo record with Lee one day, Star Eyes, and, moved by a conviction I've seldom had before or sin
When you are in Shunia, you can most easily access your Soul without all the distractions. You are still and receptive-you in perfect harmony. – Kara Johnstad Global Heart's Esther Haasnoot interviewed Shunia about the spirit of sacred chant and the release of their new album. She writes.....Melodies and chants to uplift, transcend, and energize our Lives. Shunia is the zero point, a place where you can get to when you meditate. Repeating or sing the same phrase or word over and over again continuously has a beneficial effect on body, mind, and spirit. This practice is kno
W's Mara Veitch writes..... "People are fascinated by things that they feel should never be found in the same room," laughs the Nebraska-born violinist Ezinma one recent afternoon. "If you say ‘WAP' and ‘Brahms' in the same sentence, people don't know what to think." Ezinma's music dwells at this alluring intersection-between what the artist dubs her "ratchet" and "high-art" influences. In the years since a 2017 cover of Future's "Mask Off" catapulted the violinist to viral fame, Ezinma has brought her classical training to bear on collaborations with the likes of
marlbank writes.....The only pianist ever to be a perfect match in every way for Israeli bass colossus Avishai Cohen, the most demanding jazz trio gig on the planet, Shai ''Seven Seas'' Maestro as a leader is a significant player in the new chamber-jazz of the 21st century and builds the Dream Thief sound up raising the bar higher than ever. Enhanced spectacularly in the compositional voicings by trumpeter Philip Dizack who joins the dots between say the historic avant innovations of Don Ellis and the fragile bluesy ache of Enrico Rava, a deepening ''new melodici
JAZZIZ' MATT MICUCCI writes....The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz world. It's a one-stop destination for the music news you need to know. Jon Batiste will release a powerful, genre-defying new album that aims to fuse the sound of early 20th-century black social music with modern pop production and a hint of hip-hop storytelling. We Are, out via Verve on March 19, also features collaborations with Mavis Staples, Zadie Smith, PJ Morton, Trombone Shorty and more. The lead single from the album, "I Need You," was recently released along wi
JAZZIZ' MATT MICUCCI writes....The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz world. It's a one-stop destination for the music news you need to know. Acclaimed Israeli pianist Shai Maestro offers a program comprised almost entirely of original pieces that explore a broad range of temperaments and colors on Human, his second album as a bandleader on the ECM imprint. The album, produced by Manfred Eicher, features Maestro's outgoing and highly-communicative trio with fellow Israeli Ofri Nehemya on drums and Peruvian bassist Jorge Roeder, plus Americ
JAZZIZ' MATT MICUCCI writes....The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz world. It's a one-stop destination for the music news you need to know. A new documentary celebrating four decades of WBGO, the Newark-based jazz station, premiered at the New Jersey Film Festival on January 30, and hopes for wider distribution by the end of 2021. The WBGO Story…Bright Moments from Newark to the World tells the story of how a group of urban leaders and community activists looking to make a positive change in Newark came together in the '70s after
JAZZIZ' MATT MICUCCI writes....The Week in Jazz is your roundup of new and noteworthy stories from the jazz world. It's a one-stop destination for the music news you need to know. Let's take it from more Verve/UMe Acoustic Sounds Vinyl Reissues. Verve/UMe have reissued two more great albums as part of their acclaimed Acoustic Sounds audiophile reissue series. They are Clifford Brown and Max Roach's hard bop classic A Study in Brown (1955), George Russell's innovative New York, NY (1959) and Peggy Lee's sumptuous Decca debut, Black Coffee (1956). Each LP is mastered in stereo f
Spanning 125 years, from Louis Moreau Gottschalk's The Banjo (ca. 1854-5) to Frederic Rzewski's Down by the riverside (1979), American Heritage presents piano compositions by composers of concert music, inspired by the melodies, dance rhythms, harmonic inventions and various stylistic elements evocative of the American experience. Of the eight composers represented, six are of African descent and two of these are women. There are quotes from spirituals, use of the African American pentatonic scale, the African call and response structure popularize
For this annual companion poll to our Top 50 Critics' Picks, our regular contributors participated in this survey based on our yearly Readers' Poll. Contributors were asked to focus on artists' achievements during 2020 rather than assessing entire careers. Cecile McLorin Salvant wins for 'Best Female Vocalist.' Cécile McLorin Salvant, is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as"a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings". Salvant has developed a passi
For this annual companion poll to our Top 50 Critics' Picks, our regular contributors participated in this survey based on our yearly Readers' Poll. Contributors were asked to focus on artists' achievements during 2020 rather than assessing entire careers. Brian Blade wins for 'Best Drummer.' An intensely thoughtful drummer, composer, and bandleader, Brian Blade is a holistic performer, skillfully throwing himself into myriad adventurous jazz contexts, but he also has an ear for folky introspection and cross-genre exploration. Emerging in the late '90s, Blade quickly establi
For this annual companion poll to our Top 50 Critics' Picks, our regular contributors participated in this survey based on our yearly Readers' Poll. Contributors were asked to focus on artists' achievements during 2020 rather than assessing entire careers. Steve Swallow wins for 'Best Electric Bassist.' A lauded bassist and composer, Steve Swallow is an influential performer who helped define the sound of post-bop, fusion, and modern creative jazz. An individualist on his chosen instrument, Swallow is known for emphasizing high notes and often approaches the electric bass as if
For this annual companion poll to our Top 50 Critics' Picks, our regular contributors participated in this survey based on our yearly Readers' Poll. Contributors were asked to focus on artists' achievements during 2020 rather than assessing entire careers. Regina Carter wins for 'Best Violinist. Trying to fit Regina Carter into a neatly defined musical category is pointless. She enjoys performing many styles of music-jazz, R&B, Latin, classical, blues, country, pop, African, and on and on. In each she explores the power of music through the voice of the violin. A recipient o
For this annual companion poll to our Top 50 Critics' Picks, our regular contributors participated in this survey based on our yearly Readers' Poll. Contributors were asked to focus on artists' achievements during 2020 rather than assessing entire careers. Branford Marsalis wins for 'Best Tenor Saxophonist & Soprano Saxophonist. From his initial recognition as a young jazz lion, he has expanded his vision as an instrumentalist, composer, bandleader and educator, crossing stylistic boundaries while maintaining an unwavering creative integrity. In the process, he has bec
For this annual companion poll to our Top 50 Critics' Picks, our regular contributors participated in this survey based on our yearly Readers' Poll. Contributors were asked to focus on artists' achievements during 2020 rather than assessing entire careers. Bill Frisell won for 'Best Guitarist' and 'Best Electric/Jazz-Rock/Contemporary Group/Artist.' Bill Frisell's career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as "the best recorded output of the decade." Recognized as one of A
For this annual companion poll to our Top 50 Critics' Picks, our regular contributors participated in this survey based on our yearly Readers' Poll. Contributors were asked to focus on artists' achievements during 2020 rather than assessing entire careers. Grammy Award-winning composer and bandleader; Maria Schneider won for Artist of the Year, Big Band/Large Ensemble, Composer and Arranger. Schneider's 2020 - double-album Data Lords was inspired by conflicting relationships between the digital and natural worlds, the recording features Schneider's acclaimed orchestra
Snack Cat represents genreless music down to it's very core, in a world obsessed with categorization. Chantal Mitvalsky, Pete Ayres, David Engelhard, Seth Weaver, Shark Hasan, Jeff Koch, Aleksi Glick, and Nathan Ellman comprise the incredible up and coming group. 90.5WUM - Miami's Philip Capuzzi had the chance to sit down with Aleksi Glick recently to discuss the group's trajectory, his own personal influences and projects, and the dichotomy of pure expression and connecting with an audience. SEE THE PAGE, and listen to the attached interview
bandcamp's Dave Sumner writes.......It is with a deep sigh of relief that we can say that 2020 is finally over. But as nightmarish as things got, music remained a source of hope. This month, we take a look at new releases as well as music that arrived at the tail end of 2020. In the pandemic era, a frequent dispatch from the Department of Silver Linings has been the sublime solo works and duets of musicians adapting to isolation. This over-the-internet session from soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and bassist Mark Helias is the latest and greatest example. Though they were n
January's edition of Heavy Rotation, chosen by NPR member stations, features a pick from Matt Silver, WRTI: Philadelphia, music from Melody Gardot - Sunset In The Blue......Matt writes Minimalism backed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra strings is no sweat for Melody Gardot and producer Larry Klein, who manage to keep things very lean. Gardot doesn't need more cover than gentle brushwork from Vinnie Colaiuta and humble elegance from John Leftwich on acoustic bass and Anthony Wilson, a treasure on electric guitar. Her vocal deficiencies are nil. Her Astrud Gilberto-like sensuality
glideMagazine's Doug Collette writes......The density of content in Seth Walker's hard/softcover book Your Van Is On Fire belies its page count and dimensions. In fact, presented in slightly less than a hundred pages and 6" x9" size, this heady combination of prose, poetry, and graphics imprints a positive spin to its title, as in ‘that guitarist is ON FIRE tonight!' On the other hand, though, the subtitle of The Miscellaneous Meanderings of a Musician might imply some mixed messaging in this publication. Except that interpretation gives the lie to what is, by all appear
This Friday, February 5, 2021, GRAMMY Award-winning Catalyst Quartet releases UNCOVERED Volume 1 on Azica Records. The first of a multi-volume set, Volume 1 features the works of Samuel Coleridge Taylor including his Quintet in G minor for Pianoand Strings with pianist Stewart Goodyear, Fantasiestück, and Quintet in F sharp minor with clarinetist Anthony McGill. UNCOVERED Volume 2 will feature the works of Florence Price and Volume 3 and beyond will feature Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, William Grant Still, and George Walker among others. Volume 1 of "Uncovered is also this week'
Music Week's Andre Paine writes....Sony Music Masterworks has launched XXIM Records, an all-new imprint focused on the development of innovative, progressive instrumental music around the world. Pronounced Twenty-One M', XXIM's roster features a new generation of artists whose work explores and integrates neo-classical, post-rock, electronic, and ambient sounds among others. The label is based in Berlin with additional A&R support in New York and arrives with an international line-up of musicians. It includes Eydis Evensen, an Icelandic pianist and composer; Uele Lam
More than 800 years since they were founded, the Poor Clare Sisters of Arundel – a community of 23 nuns living in the south of England – have found themselves unexpected recording stars. Their album, Light for the World, released by Decca Records in October, is enjoying international chart success and they have become the UK's best-selling classical artist debut of 2020. Now, the Poor Clares are releasing a new digital deluxe version of their album, which combines traditional plainchant with added beats. The new album includes four brand new ‘chill' mixes – a
HYPEBEAST's Sophie Caraan writes..... As we power through another working week, HYPEBEAST has rounded up a carefully curated list of Music Projects You Missed This Week. This selection includes a full-length release from Mica Levi, an EP from Jordan Mackampa, new singles and visuals from Duke Deuce, Jon Batiste, Markee Steele and serpentwithfeet and collabs from Knxweldge and Khruangbin, YBN Nahmir and 21 Savage, Benny Sings and Tom Misch and Arca and Oliver Coates. GRAMMY and Emmy nominee Jon Batiste dropped off his latest single "I Need You," a cut from his forthcoming "Black pop"
The New Yorker's Steve Futterman writes.....As his many admirers will attest, the saxophonist Joe Lovano can turn on the juice, blowing hard and strong, whenever necessary. His credentials as a full-blooded jazz swinger and an unfettered free improviser are perfectly in order. His most satisfying work, though, may be on display when he cools his jets and allows his gentle side to come to the fore. On "Garden of Expression," he picks up where his 2019 record, "Trio Tapestry," left off, communing with understated poise on original compositions with the pianist Marilyn Crispell and the dru
euronews.....Katharina Rabillon writes......Mozart week 2021 is now underway. The opening concert was performed by Artistic Director, Rolando Villazón, as he took to the stage with the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra under the baton of Kery-Lynn Wilson. But the tribute to Mozart this year is marked by an extra special event: the world premiere of a previously unknown piece by the musical prodigy himself. The newly discovered piano solo, entitled Allegro in D - K.626b/16, was played by the world-famous pianist, Seong-Jin Cho in the Great Hall of the Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation. The 94-
Composer John Finbury's life has been filled with music, although he's had what he calls his "parallel life as practicing attorney" for the last thirty-five years. John played drums in rock bands in his teens, studied classical piano and music theory in college, ran a concert hall after that and eventually focused on composing, which led to a Grammy nomination in 2020 for Best Latin Jazz Album. I talked to John about his new Latin jazz CD, Quatro and his CD American Nocturnes: Final Days of July, which is a lovely contrast of intimate chamber jazz arranged for piano, cello
JAZZIZ - MATT MICUCCI writes.....Discover great new music this weekend with our weekly roundup of new songs and albums! This week's New Release Cheat Sheet features new music by Joe Lovano, Kristiana Roemer, William Parker and more. Saxophonist Joe Lovano introduced Trio Tapestry, his brand new ensemble with pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Carmen Castaldi, on his ECM debut as a leader in 2019. Now, he returns for more on the trio's sophomore album, Garden of Expression, delving deeper into his tenderly melodic and harmonically open side, showcasing sublime chemistry with his creati
"It's got to be an experience. It can't be something that's like a museum piece." 88.3WBGO's NATE CHINEN writes.....Jon Batiste offered that assessment about jazz back in 2014, during a conversation with Walter Isaacson. He was talking about refurbishing the music's appeal for a younger generation - making its mission, and even its history, feel vibrant in the present tense. Batiste has kept up his part of the bargain there - as bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, as co-artistic director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and as a solo artist with a freewheelin
Multi Grammy & Emmy nominated recording artist, TV star and activist Jon Batiste announces a new single "I Need You" from his forthcoming ‘black pop' album WE ARE. The album is set for worldwide release on March 19 (Verve Records). On "I Need You" Batiste showcases his vocal range, accompanied by his once-in-a-generation musicianship. Produced and written in collaboration with songwriter Autumn Rowe and producer Kizzo, the song is communal and deceptively sophisticated. It fuses the sound of early 20th century black social music, with modern pop production
The Guardian's John Fordham writes......Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi hit the heights again with a lovely minimal second album where the spaces resonate. Garden of Expression, Trio Tapestry's second album, reconvenes Lovano with the brilliant pianist Marilyn Crispell (New York Times critic Jon Pareles described witnessing her fusions of classical virtuosity and free-jazz fearlessness as "like monitoring an active volcano") and his fellow Clevelander Carmen Castaldi on percussion. The softly ecstatic Chapel Song finds Crispell shadowing Lovano's exquisite tenor ton
Financial Times Mike Hobart writes....Saxophonist Joe Lovano's sideman appearances for ECM label stretch back more than thirty years. For the most part, the American delivered the label's musical compass with the same gruff tone and rhythmic edge that marked his own-name recordings for Blue Note. Here though, the saxophonist delves deeper into the resonant lyricism and understated rhythms that marked 2019's Trio Tapestry, his ECM debut as a leader. This follow-up release, a set of eight Lovano originals, was recorded later the same year. As before, Lovano clothes his floaty tenor sa
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) today announced the launch of the Jazz Media Lab, through which some of the country's most dynamic and forward-thinking nonprofit jazz radio stations will receive more than $1.3 million to participate in a program aimed at bolstering their individual strength and collective resilience as essential players in the jazz ecosystem. KMHD (Oregon Public Broadcasting) in Portland, Ore., KNKX (Pacific Public Media) in Tacoma/Seattle, Wash., KUVO (Rocky Mountain Public Media) in Denver, Colo., WBGO (Newark Public Radio) in Newark, N.J. and WRTI (Temple Uni
Composer Maria Schneider is one of a handful of musicians to receive Grammys in multiple genres, both is the classical and jazz category and for her collaboration with David Bowie. Her latest double CD, Data Lords examines our relationship with the digital and natural worlds with evocative compositions and an accompanying treatise on the subject that I feel should be required reading. Maria is a thoughtful, articulate advocate for the arts so I knew, we would have a stimulating, inspiring conversation. And we did. This is Maria's second appearance on the show. LIS
Widely recognized as the highest honor bestowed by the blues community, The Blues Foundation's Blues Music Awards applaud the past year's exceptional achievements in blues music recording, performance, and songwriting, as well as supporting the blues' rich cultural traditions. The 42nd Annual Blues Music Awards will be presented as a virtual event on Sunday, June 6, 2021 starting at 4 p.m CTon The Blues Foundation's Facebook and YouTube Channel. Only members of The Blues Foundation can vote for the Blues Music Awards, and for the 2021 Award, members selected Bettye Lavette. Hailed
Ezinma's style is a blend of virtuosic melodies and symphonic soundscapes with hard hitting beats-a classical-fusion that is cinematic, orchestral and anthemic. This fusion, is fully showcased on here recent holiday release; "Drummer Bae" as Ezinma expertly weaves together, in her own unique way, classics such as "Little Drummer Boy," "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," and "Joy To The World." Her EP, Classical Bae, is set for release on February 6th and it succinctly displays her talent as she reimagines music from the classical greats (Beethoven, Bach and Vivaldi) with her own hip-hop in
88.3WBGO'S JANICE KIRKEL WRITES......It is off the endangered jazz club list which included Jazz Standard in Manhattan, and in Los Angeles, Blue Whale. Those clubs have closed. But after a GoFundMe campaign that shattered its $250,000 goal, with $100,000 more raised from a virtual benefit concert on Jan. 24 featuring Wynton Marsalis, John Pizzarelli, Ron Carter, and Chita Rivera, things are looking good for Birdland. The concert was introduced by that old saxophonist Bill Clinton. "It was so exquisite and classy and elegant and smart and so Bill Clinton," said Tom D'Angora, the thea
glideMagazine's Jim Hynes writes......The label alone, ECM, conjures up introspective, chilly, ethereal, haunting as well as glowing, beautiful, shimmering. At least one or two of those adjectives can be ascribed to most of the label releases. We can add spiritual. explorative, edgy, and adventurous to that list too, especially in the case of Joe Lovano Trio Tapestry, who had one of 2019's most talked about releases, his debut for the ECM label. Theirs is in exercise of extreme focus, sensitivity, and restraint. Over his storied career Lovano finds himself in many settings, leading stra
jazzwise author: Stuart Nicholson writes.....This is Joe Lovano's second album as a leader for ECM after leaving Blue Note records in 2014, having recorded some 26 albums for the label as either leader or co-leader. Both Blue Note and ECM have their own unique history and tradition, which Lovano navigates effortlessly; and in so doing, reveals musicianship of depth and enormous creativity. Lovano conceptualised Trio Tapestry from his experiences in the Paul Motian Trio, where the absence of a bass saw him move between accompanist and soloist. He also expands on a period of deep study of
The sensational SIGNUM saxophone quartet releases their first Deutsche Grammophon album - Echoes. Featuring inventive arrangements of music by composers from Dowland to Peter Gregson, as well as Guillermo Lago's "Sarajevo", this sax quartet launches the recording marked by a concert on DG Stage, streamed from the Berlin Meistersaal. SIGNUM saxophone quartet's recording showcases the full potential of the saxophone – a modern instrument but one more than capable of capturing the echoes of the past. Two of its tracks, arrangements of works by the hugely successful contempora
Shunia Releases "Har Hare Hari Wahe Guru. An Empowering Album of Chants and Music to Start Off the New Year. The new album blends Sanskrit chants, Latin prayer, ancient poetry, and exquisite orchestration into a sound that feels both new and timeless. Shunia – music duo Lisa Reagan and Suzanne Jackson, co-composed with Tony Award-winning producer Jamshied Sharifi an impressive new album called "Shunia" Where they blend the art forms of opera, mantra, chant, and world music, into a captivating new sound. The mantras on their album have been sung for thousands of years.The intention
jazztrail writes.....The Israeli-born, Brooklyn-based pianist Shai Maestro appears on the ECM label for the second time as a leader with Human, an album featuring the same rhythmic foundation of his previous work - bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Ofri Nehemya - plus the excellent trumpeter Philip Dizack, who brings further melodic possibilities to the table. With huge ears, the members of this quartet achieve top-notch levels of musicianship in the course of a cohesive narrative that consists of 10 Maestro originals and one jazz standard. Having jazz, folk and ambient sounds coalescing
Inspired by her own mixed-race heritage and career-long engagement with diverse musical traditions, pianist Lara Downes creates and curates a new digital recording venture, Rising Sun Music, that sheds a bright light on the music and stories of Black composers over the past 200 years. Featuring a wide range of leading instrumentalists and vocalists (including Ms. Downes) whose work defines the creative energy of this generation and the next, the series presents a new EP of music-each exploring a different theme -to be released the first Friday of every month starting February 5. Featur
The Violin Channel recently caught up with Grammy Award-winning violist and pedagogue, Kim Kashkashian, on her concert series "Music for Food" - a musician led initiative for local hunger relief. The "Music for Food" events are donation–based fundraising concerts, where the presenters and artists pledge to give all proceeds and fees to local food banks and pantries. The initiative was inspired by fellow violist, Carol Rodland's, Rochester–based food drive concerts entitled "If Music be the Food." Now celebrating its 11th season, "Music for Food" has provided over one m
Violins of Hope is an artistic and educational project composed of instruments that were owned by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. Violins in the collection were played in the concentration camps and ghettos, providing a source of comfort for some and a means of survival for others. The project was founded by Amnon Weinstein and his son Avshalom, Israeli luthiers who collect these instruments, refurbish them to concert quality, and bring them to communities all over the world, so that their voices can be heard again. The Violins of Hope have traveled to Jerusalem, Sion, Mad
Because of the pandemic, the concert had to take place without an audience in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein. The performance was broadcast to over 90 countries all over the world and watched by more than 50 million viewers on TV. The program contained works by members of the Strauss family, including seven premieres of works not previously heard at a New Year's Concert. For January 25 2020, the WFMT: Chicago 'Featured New Release' is The 2021 New Year's Concert in Vienna, conducted by Riccardo Muti. SEE THE PAGE
Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and bassist Mark Helias come together to create duets discovered in the moment in a way that is rarely heard today with Some Kind of Tomorrow. The long time bandmates, separated by space and time find a way to play in real time with one another and the results are magical. Two master improvisers and composers bring listeners up-close and personal to the first spark of their imaginations at work, recording eleven duet improvisations over the spring, summer, and fall of 2020. The music is raw, authentic, intimate, alive, and unapolog
Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and bassist Mark Helias come together to create duets discovered in the moment in a way that is rarely heard today with Some Kind of Tomorrow. The long time bandmates, separated by space and time find a way to play in real time with one another and the results are magical. Two master improvisers and composers bring listeners up-close and personal to the first spark of their imaginations at work, recording eleven duet improvisations over the spring, summer, and fall of 2020. The music is raw, authentic, intimate, alive, and unapolog
Multiple award-winning composer and pianist Peter Manning Robinson has been releasing tracks from his debut double-CD album titled DOUBLE HELIX. Robinson is the inventor of The Refractor Piano™ and showcases his unique style and original compositions, colors and sounds, which he calls "Refracted Music" on this new release. He says; "the title Double Helix refers to the two strands of piano music on this album. On one disc are eight very evocative, transformational, solo piano improvisations and on the second disc are eight "Refractor Piano™ music" pieces - a
Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and bassist Mark Helias come together to create duets discovered in the moment in a way that is rarely heard today with Some Kind of Tomorrow. The long time bandmates, separated by space and time find a way to play in real time with one another and the results are magical. Two master improvisers and composers bring listeners up-close and personal to the first spark of their imaginations at work, recording eleven duet improvisations over the spring, summer, and fall of 2020. The music is raw, authentic, intimate, alive, and unapolog
York Daily Record - Mike Argento writes......Robin Spielberg was looking forward to a good 2020. The pianist and composer was working on her 19th record and had a tour scheduled with legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb, who penned such iconic songs as "By the Time I Get to Pheonix," "Galveston," "Wichita Lineman," "Up, Up and Away" and countless other timeless tunes. She had toured with Webb before – her husband, producer and talent agent Larry Kosson represents Webb, among other artists – and it was always a great time. "I'm Jimmy's driver, shoe-shiner, everything," Spiel
The Korea Times - Kwon Mee-yoo writes.....Pianist Cho Seong-jin will premiere an unheard piece by Mozart in Salzburg on the occasion of the classical composer's 265th birthday. Cho will play Mozart's "Allegro in D K626b/16" at the Great Hall of the Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation, Wednesday, which mark's the Austrian composer's birthday as well as the opening date of the first-ever virtual edition of Mozartwoche, or Mozart Week, festival. "It is a great honor to be invited to give the premiere of a formerly unknown work by Mozart in the city of Salzburg, where the composer was
From a deeply stirring Mass to hauntingly re-imagined Leonard Cohen masterpieces, composer LUNA PEARL WOOLF: Fire and Flood encompasses 25 years of vocal and choral works by the innovative American- Canadian composer. The composer-portrait album features new and compelling performances from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and NOVUS NY conducted by Julian Wachner, cellist Matt Haimovitz, soprano Devon Guthrie, mezzo-soprano Elise Quagliata, and Broadway actress Nancy Anderson. In her penetrating album notes, The New York Times contributing writer Corinna Da Fonseca- Wollheim c
Cellist Jonah Kim and pianist Sean Kennard have been making music together since they were teenagers at the Curtis Institute of Music and together they have played almost every sonata in the standard repertoire. The Rachmaninoff Sonata and the Sonata by Samuel Barber hold a special place for them: The Rachmaninoff was the first sonata they worked on together, and Kim's teacher at Curtis was Orlando Cole, who premiered the Sonata with Barber himself at the piano. Both Sonatas shine as big, romantic works with broad, rhapsodic strokes and soaring melodies. Kim and Kennard give stunning pe
Multi Grammy & Emmy nominated recording artist, TV star and activist Jon Batiste announces a new single "I Need You" from his forthcoming ‘black pop' album WE ARE. The album is set for worldwide release on March 19 (Verve Records). On "I Need You" Batiste showcases his vocal range, accompanied by his once-in-a-generation musicianship. Produced and written in collaboration with songwriter Autumn Rowe and producer Kizzo, the song is communal and deceptively sophisticated. It fuses the sound of early 20th century black social music, with modern pop production
