Source: 577 Records.
Novoa / Kamaguchi / Cleaver Trio – Vol. 1
For pianist and composer Eva Novoa, music, improvisation and choosing the right players is her mission, her purpose and goal in life. Based in Brooklyn, New York since 2012, she explores each project or set up and musical occasion with deep curiosity, freedom, boldness and trust. For this project, she works the format of the piano trio experimenting in all its essence and sonorous profundity inspired by all the great masters and all time favorite trios in her own personal universe and musical references.
Ayumi Ishito & The Spacemen
Vol. 2The Spacemen is an elegant approximation of Ayumi’s interstellar imagination. Where the first edition of this project was more upbeat, propelled by an exploratory excitement, the second installment is even more reflective, heavily reliant on ambient open space. Led by Ayumi Ishito (Tenor Saxophone) alongside Theo Woodward (Synthesizer, Vocals), Nebula and the Velvet Queen (Theremin), Jake Strauss (Guitar, Bass), and Steven Bartashev (Drums). The album’s seven tracks are avantgarde, combining electronic base layers and acoustic overlay. The sound is cosmic and introspective, blending improvisational jazz, electronica, and otherworldly vocals. This project marks Ayumi Ishito’s second release with 577 Records, following the first installation of The Spacement and a collaboration with Daniel Carter, Open Question, Vol. 1, earlier this year. The album will be available in CD and digital editions on April 28, 2023.
The Flame (Robert Mitchell, Neil Charles, Mark Sanders)
Towards The Flame, Vol. 1A heartfelt thank you to the beautiful audience that came out on the 10th Feb 2022 to Cafe Oto (London) to make this such an enjoyable show. We came as a blank page, one that had been scrunched up for the years of this horrific pandemic. Upon it all we had written was ‘we must play!’. And so to finally seeing the light of day – as we tentatively unfolded this venture into life – in what we (I hope not prematurely) believe was a slow emergence into a new ‘normal’ (sadly to soon be overshadowed by warfare in Europe joining too many conflicts all around the world, and containing the same imbalances in society as the old normal).
Zoh Amba featuring William Parker and Francisco Mela
O Life, O Light Vol. 2New York-based Zoh Amba first cultivated her musical passion in the lush forests of the Appalachian mountains, playing to the woods around her home, before she studied at classical conservatories. Her music honors her roots, full of folk melodies, mesmerizing refrains, repeated incantations and powerfully-executed Free Jazz. Her sound is courageous and bold, soaring from muted hums to squeaky trebles, producing a confident sound imbued with an innate spirituality. On this project, Zoh Amba is joined by legendary artists William Parker (Bass, Gralla) and Francisco Mela (Drums), named the 2021 musician of the year by The New York City Jazz Record, who temper her daring saxophone with a lush percussive foundation and a steady bassline. The second installation of this collaboration, O Life, O Light, Vol. 2 will be released in CD, vinyl editions, and digitally on 6/9/23.
John Dikeman, Pat Thomas, John Edwards, Steve Noble
Volume 2Super groups are always risky—the potential for disappointing fans or warring musical styles is high—but when longtime friends and masterful improvisers come together, they usually work. Evident in their first collaboration, simply titled Volume 1, John Dikeman (Saxophone; When The Time Is Right, 577 Records, 2021) joined musicians Pat Thomas (Piano; Shifa Live at Cafe Oto 2019, BleySchool 2019, Shifa Live in Oslo 2020, Educated Guess 2021), John Edwards (Bass; EMPoWered. 577 Records, 2021), and Steve Noble (Drums) for a dynamic collaboration. Volume 2 echoes the wide dynamic range of their first project, combining fast-paced, complex jazz in-the-moment arrangements with elegant solo gems from each musician, highlighting their best work, together and independently. The project will be available in vinyl, CD and digital editions on June 23, 2023.
Pat Thomas, Chris Sharkey, Luke Reddin-Williams
Know: Delirium Atom PathsOne of the most exhilarating shows he’d ever done, guitarist Chris Sharkey came away from his performance at the Fusebox in Leeds feeling alive. Just a few days before the world would slow, and two weeks before life in London would stop, keyboardist and 577 mainstay Pat Thomas, drummer Luke Reddin-Williams and Sharkey would go on stage to play for the first time together, having discussed and planned nothing. The improvisation, a gamble, worked. Recorded in one 50-minute, two-track album, the project is dynamic and experimental—a thrilling exercise in communicating. What happens when three musicians go in without a plan? They give us Delirium Atom Paths. Their new album will be out on 577 Records as an LP and CD in July 2023.
Daniel Carter, Leo Genovese, William Parker, Francisco Mela
Shine Hear, Vol. 1Collaborations are unique to their combinations, producing totally original and innovative ideas with the addition of a single factor. In this case, legendary musicians and 577 mainstays join together in this unique arrangement for the first time, allowing for yet another reinvention. Saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, pianist Leo Genovese, bassist William Parker (also playing Gralla and Shakuhachi on this album), and drummer and vocalist Francisco Mela, unite for another improvisational project—one that invokes classic, elegant jazz, juxtaposing their different instruments with experimental arrangement. Shine Hear, Vol. 1, their latest avant-garde album is testament to their mastery and ease. The album and tracks titles are inspired by a poem Carter wrote about New York’s interminable motion, the city they all call home. The project will be released as an LP/CD/DL in July 2023.
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