Tribute Trio

Tribute Trio history … in 2010, the Tribute Trio formed to honor the powerful influence of jazz pianists/composers whose works compel listeners and musicians alike and helped shape the evolution of jazz. Pianist John Rangel, bassist Michael Glynn and drummer Cal Haines reached deep into the essence of this music, focusing on these legends’ original compositions. Well-versed in the vocabulary and history of jazz, the trio brought tremendous insight into their performances.
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El Gallo Rojo Records

El Gallo Rojo Records is a container without stylistic labels, a collective of musicians with a natural bent for experimentation and linguistic crosswising who, around a record label, exchange ideas, suggestions, and listening and performance experiences. El Gallo Rojo is also a visual project, coordinated by Massimiliano Sorrentini and Sara Meneghini, in keeping with that same art of transverse poetry which characterizes the music, so that the aspect of graphic imagery really does accompany the sound, and is not merely an accessory. The visual artists and the written/spoken word will also have their own space in the Punto Rojo, a kind of parallel collection which will gather special limited editions, hybrid forms of sound, texts and images, but also collections of photographs, comic strips, dawings, short films and narrative. Continue reading

American Clavé | Kip Hanrahan

Kip Hanrahan A producer, a composer, a percussionist and facilitator, Kip Hanrahan has an uncanny ability to assemble remarkable musicians and apply their talents in interesting ways. The results are often magical. His records are as enigmatic as he is, and maybe that heightens the attraction and expectation. The results of his American Clavé productions have garnered a cultist reputation, yet a lot of people have heard them or at least of them. He chooses to remain in the shadows, an obscure figure that turns the knobs and brings it all together. Hanrahan’s recorded legacy speaks volumes of his knowledge and abilities to bring out the best of musicians that accompany him on his fantastic sojourns.

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Libra Records

An artist-owned record label founded in 1997 by pianist/composer Satoko Fujii and trumpeter/composer Natsuki Tamura. With 27 CDs so far, from solo, duo, trio and quartet to big band and orchestra formats, Libra is dedicated to the near limitless musical and creative vision of these two highly prolific and creative cutting-edge artists. CDs feature beautiful original artwork on environmentally friendly paper covers. Continue reading

Nemu Records

A European label like Nemu has the flexibility to present performers based both close by and across the pond. The only requirement, crucial for a new label, is a shared aesthetic. Not music that all sounds the same, but accomplishes similar things. Carnival Skin is a quintet of Americans except for German drummer Klaus Kugel, who is one of four Europeans in the Syntopia Quartet. Both albums are compelling, feature unusual front lines and highlight the often drastic differences between American and European jazz that no one usually wants to admit. Continue reading

Not Two Records

For the jazz-listening public even the cognoscenti, when European improvisers and European labels come up in conversation, there are a central few countries that appear as the only beacons in European jazz — England, France, Holland (via ICP) and Germany (and possibly Italy to some small, Gaslini-an degree). Portugal, Sweden, and Denmark get very little mention, and one can almost forget about the former Eastern Bloc countries. To be sure, Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic all have a small but vigorous scene of improvisers and a number of labels to record them — the storied Czech label Supraphon and Muza and Poljazz in Poland released a number of significant titles in the ’70s and ’80s by artists like Slide Hampton, Jiri Stivin, Jemeel Moondoc, Tomasz Stanko (a trumpeter who records for ECM and was on Manfred Schoof’s seminal European Echoes) and Krzysztof Komeda. Currently, one of the most rapidly growing and exceedingly refined Polish labels is Marek Winiarski’s Not Two Records. Continue reading

Plutonium Records

Those who love the desert enough to look closely see the vibrant life and color that flourish in the clear air and fierce sunshine. Based in Albuquerque New Mexico, Plutonium Records was founded in 2001 to provide an outlet and stimulus for emergent creative music in the southwest US. Our motto: confound expectation. Continue reading

New Artists Records

Connie Crothers reorganized in 1987 the New Artists label as a cooperative record company. She has participated in the expansion of this label to include an extensive catalog of CDs, all expressive of the company’s premise and label identity — improvised original music. New Artists Records was featured in the July 2000 Issue of Jazz Times. Connie Crothers appeared at Birdland, New York City, when the club featured the record label with performances by the artist-producers on April 5, 2000. Birdland presented the label on seven consecutive Saturday afternoon performances in May-June 2000; she performed with her quartet featuring singers Linda Satin and Harry Schulz. Birdland will present the label once weekly starting September 2000. Continue reading

Aut Records

Aut Records is a record label dedicated to experimental and research music. We are trying to describe a musical environment that cannot be inscribed into a genre category, as well as distant from a particular musical language. Our main goal is to promote projects concerning unusual sonorities. We are convinced that any positive result derives from a research off the beaten tracks, deviations from the mainstream, which is often a sterile environment if conceived as the only possible solution. Basically, we offer what we, actually, appreciated while listening to it; further, we really enjoy the pleasure to make our products available to anyone appreciating our work, that is as important as games are. Continue reading